Hello, im katty kay in washington, Christian Fraser is in london. It is almost eight years since american journalist james foley was kidnapped by the Islamic State group in syria. He was murdered by his captors. So too were alan henning, david haines from britain, peter kassig, Steven Sotloff and kayla muellerfrom america. Some of them forced to appear in propaganda videos pleading for their lives before they were killed. Today, two of the alleged members of the gang, that were dubbed the beatles Alexanda Kotey and el shafee elsheikh, were flown from an airbase in iraq to the United States. They become the first defendants to be prosecuted in a us court, for the beheadings of the american and british hostages. In all, thejihadist cell was responsible for the murders of 27 people. The ringleader was the former west londoner mohammed emwazi, who appeared as a black masked executioner, the man we knew as jihadi john. He was killed in 2015 in a us drone strike in raqqa. Kotay and elsheikh who will be tried in a federal court in alexandria, virginia, have admitted belonging to is but in an interview with the bbc denied the charges they will now face. What did you do is is . As for specific details as to what i was doing whilst in those is controlled territories, its a question i prefer to decline to answer at this present stage for legal reasons. Do you still deny that you are a member of the group known as the beatles which carried out executions and beheadings . Yeah, of course. El shafee . Same question . Yeah. We can talk to diane foley whose son james was murdered by the group. Diane, james was murdered by the group. Thank you very joining diane, thank you very much for joining us. You have said in the past that you have despaired that this day would never arrive. Now that it has, how do you feel . this day would never arrive. Now that it has, how do you feel . I am tremendously grateful to all of you good people in the uk as well as to oui good people in the uk as well as to our Fbi Department ofjustice, ag bar, and so many people outside of government also, pro bono attorneys on both sides of the atlantic, im just hugely grateful to everyone that has helped us get to this first huge step in some accountability for these horrific crimes. Diane, in order to get to the United States, they took the Death Penalty off the table, do you think that was the right decision . Yes, that was my hope from the beginning. Ijust think the Death Penalty allows them to be martyrs, and doesnt give them any time to realise the depth of this pain and suffering they inflicted on others, or any time to amend or make amends for their crimes should they be convicted. So, ijust think in many in always my preference was that the Death Penalty be waived so that the uk and us could Work Together to process these two individuals. Diane, what do you hope to learn through the prosecution . Thats a great question from a christian. I really hope that they will give us information about not only our children, but of some of the other crimes done by isis. As well as implicating others. These two are not the only ones and i fear that there are others still in refugee camps hiding in our midst. Sol refugee camps hiding in our midst. So i think its really a National Security issue for all of us that they step towards accountability be undertaken. Im so deeply grateful to everyone. Youre right, and these two have been stripped of their british citizenship. There has been criticism of the uk government that they have not brought these people back to face trial. Similar criticism as well as the United States and other European Countries, why do you think it is so important to get these people back in front of a court and a prosecution be brought against them . I just think when people do such crimes, if there is total impunity, there is no way that there will be any deterrence. I think its a huge step for the world that the us shows that we are willing to give them as fair trial as our justice willing to give them as fair trial as ourjustice system can using all the evidence we have, but also giving them a fair opportunity to present their side the story. Diane, its been almost eight years, you are going to have to go through the trial and listen to a lot about whats happened to your son. Im sure you know much of it already, but i cant imagine how hard that is going to be for you as his mother. Are you prepared for what you might hear during the trial . 0h, are you prepared for what you might hear during the trial . Oh, yes. I do feel i have heard most of it. And i feel i have heard most of it. And i feel that its essential that these crimes are made public. Ithink people need to know the depth of the hatred of this group and others who seek to destroy our way of life. I think that transparency is really essential. I think too much of the world isjust naive and unaware of the threats of International Hostage taking, for one. 0k, diane, we wish you the best over the next few months. Diane. Thank you for your time. God bless. Mother ofjames foley there, a very strong woman. For 90 minutes tonight the american political world will focus on a stage in Salt Lake City, utah for a Vice President ial debate like no other in history. For a start, this one actually matters usually no one pays much attention to the number two candidates, but with donald trump in isolation with a virus that has killed 210,000 americans, and joe biden hoping to win election as the oldest president ever, people are very focused on the health of the two men at the top of the ticket. Which puts mike pence and Kamala Harris in the spotlight. Were anything to happen to either mrtrump oer biden, one of these two would be the next president of the United States. Normally wed say theyll be face to face tonight but they wont. Theyll be separated by 12 feet of stage and two panels of plexiglass. Thats what a debate looks like in the midst of a pandemic when the white house has become a hot bed of covid i9. Lets check in with the bbcs sophie long whos in Salt Lake City for us. Sophie, lovely to see you. I would love to ask you about all the issues and what they are going to get into tonight, but im not, imjust going tonight, but im not, imjust going to ask you, is it safe . Well, safety of course has been of paramount importance, and something that they are taking very very seriously. Even i. Are taking very very seriously. Even i, to be standing here, allthe press have tojust be just beyond the perimeter of the fence have to be tested for coronavirus within the la st 24 be tested for coronavirus within the last 24 hours and as you can imagine what it will be like in the hall behind me tonight. As he warily pointed out, we now know that they will be sitting at least 12 feet apart from to be exact, and they will have plexiglass screen separating them as well. Now, that is the result of what has been called a spirited to unfurl between both campaigns and the commission who is running thats, mike pence, didnt want that to happen, one assumes because that is a visual reminder throughout this 90 minute debate that is set to be watched by millions of people across america and around the world of the pandemic and around the world of the pandemic and of course, as you pointed out in your introduction there, the president of the United States of america, donald trump, still either suffering from or recovering from his positive diagnosis himself. So safety has been paramount and i think the pandemic that has really pushed it back to the top of the agenda, we yet know what the topics of discussion will be, there has been nothing released that is the way with Vice President ial debates, that was the same in 2016 as well. But i think we can be pretty much assured that the first question will be about the global pandemic. So, sophie, it was only a week and one day, gosh, it feels like im at the 90, day, gosh, it feels like im at the go, that we have the first president ial debate which was not really a debate, lets face it, it was a bit of a circus. Do we think that the tone of this one is going to become dare i say, more president ial . I think it will become a yes. There has been so much press coverage , a yes. There has been so much press coverage, of a yes. There has been so much press cove rage , of course a yes. There has been so much press coverage, of course of the president ial debates, which was angry and reduced at some point to name calling, basically, and some people said it was neither presented president ial or a debate. People said it was neither presented president ial ora debate. Most people said it was neither presented president ial or a debate. Most of the people ive spoken to in this community is that what they want to hear from the two candidates tonight is policy and hear with their plan is policy and hear with their plan is for america over the next four years. If you look at the two candidates will be onstage tonight, mike pence, softly spoken methodical men, alsoa mike pence, softly spoken methodical men, also a skilled debater, and of course, le harris, we have seen her in debate action much more recently when she was doing the democratic primary debates when she made her own bid for the president ial candidacy so i think from the two candidates we see tonight, former prosecutor tonight, former prosecutor tonight, former prosecutor and former talk show host in mike pence, i think we will get to see much more on in mike pence, i think we will get to see much more on policy. Thats really what the viewers wants and thats what they are going to be talking to at the end of the day, one of the senior members of the Biden Campaign has said Kamala Harris is going to be speaking directly to the American People. That is who she wants to address, she is not here, they say, to eviscerate mike she is not here, they say, to evisce rate mike pence. 0k, sophie, we will talk to plenty, no doubt, through the evening, but thank you very much. I was just thinking of, there isjoe biden with this nine point lead reportedly, there is Kamala Harris with the biggest stage shes ever had, the mike in her hand on the instruction from joe biden is. Do no harm. Do not drop the base, keep it safe behind that pixie glass, do no harm. Coronavirus cases continue, of course to rise here in the United States and across much of western europe. In europe the response has largely been to impose further lockdown restrictions in scotland theyre banning the sale of alcohol indoors in restaurants in pubs for 2 weeks. But the how infectious are covid 19 particles when theyre circulating in the air . Understanding that is a challenge facing scientists all over the world, as they try to learn more about how the virus is transmitted. A team at the university of bristol is using Ground Breaking technology to examine the smallest droplets as they float through the atmosphere. Jon kay has been to see the work it is one of the biggest questions we face right now. How long does covid 19 stay infectious in the air, whether we are at work, on public transport or socialising . At a secret location, scientists from the university of bristol are trying to find the answer. We were given exclusive access as they made their final preparations at this sealed laboratory. They are now taking samples containing the coronavirus, placing them in this unique bit of kit, and using an electric field, levitating the tiny droplets, making them hang around in the air for minutes or hours at a time, just as they would in the real world. Then, by adjusting the temperature, humidity and light, they can find out what impact those conditions have on the infectiousness of the virus. We are trying to directly mimic the type of particles that are produced by people when they are coughing or breathing, these kind of things, and then see how long the virus remains infectious in the aerosol phase. These are the first images from the covid experiments. Six microscopic droplets, suspended in the air. This project is about studying the smallest airborne particles, those that are invisible to the naked eye. We can look at how the virus remains infectious. The man in charge told me the research could be particularly useful as we head into winter, spending more time indoors. How does this help us understand how covid could be spread in a pub or an office or a factory . Well, i think it helps us better understand the survival of the virus. We are particularly concerned in terms of airborne transmission in poorly ventilated spaces, spaces where people might be talking very loud, they might be singing, where they are generating a lot of these very small, inhalable, aerosol particles. This research is set to last a year, with the first results before christmas. But scientists hope it will add to our wider understanding of the risks we face and the changes we may still need to make. Jon kay, bbc news, bristol. Yes, of course, the concern is how many of those tiny particles might be floating around the white house. The news today is that president froms aides are preparing for them to return to the oval Office Despite it being likely that hes still contagious with coronavirus. As you know he came back to the white house from hospital on monday. Heres his chief of staff mark meadows. His schedule right now, his fluid, we are looking at his prognosis from a health standpoint. He wanted to go to the oval yesterday, if he decides to go to the oval, we have safety protocols there thats are not only from a ppe standpoint, but from a ventilation standpoint in the oval where we can actually work to that end as well. Lets bring in republican strategist and regular contributor Mica Mosbacher who sits on the trump 2020 advisory board. So so good to have you back on the programme. Look, iwasjust listening to sophie long up there in utah talking about the tone of tonight prospect mate and i wondered if there arent a few people in the Republican Party that might be thinking, you know what, given the state of the polls, given his performance at last weeks debate, maybe it would be better if the president actually stayed in the 0val president actually stayed in the oval office and in the white house and didnt get back out on the campaign trail because things are not looking great for his campaign at the moment, are they . Well, if we look back to 2016, Hillary Clinton was up 14 15 points, now biden is, and ive always said that i dont Pay Attention to polls. Trying to keep trump in the oval office or locked down is like keeping a bucking bull from trying to corral. He wants to be out there with the American People and a leader takes risks. Clearly, he has tried to demonstrate eternal optimism as he has gone through this disease and tha n kfu lly has gone through this disease and thankfully he has been fever free and symptom free for about four days, and we hope it continues with this prognosis. I have to say that this prognosis. I have to say that this debate may be more consequential than debates normally are, especially since the president has been ill. And what the Vice President as he is he is sort of the opposite end, he is not hot, he is cool opposite end, he is not hot, he is cool, hes going to be a lot cooler, and really, ithink cool, hes going to be a lot cooler, and really, i think americans will were and really, i think americans will were really and really, i think americans will were really frustrated with the la st were really frustrated with the last debate, it had terminal interrupt itis, and it was like oil had no cattle as we say in texas. Americans want to hear substance, and they want to hear the differences which are indeed vast between the two different parties in this country, they are so polarised from it its not really about the candidates, its about policy platforms. And which policy platform you can get behind. You are out there banging the drum for President Trump trying to drum up the funds come in at the moment, joe biden is birding burning cash to me is cash to burn, so you are getting outspent, how difficult is it when the bucking bull is still in the stable . Well, he is working today and obviously, the first family is out there campaigning trying to fill the void. President trump has tweeted several videos, and thats how he stays in front and connect with his supporters, but we are hopeful and optimistic that he will be able to compete in a debate in two weeks, but most americans have already made up their mind. Early voting has already started coming to fox news paul said that only 6 have not made up their mind in comparison to 2016. So this is a real opportunity to. Said he might not run fora opportunity to. Said he might not run for a second term, so really, there is going to be intense scrutiny on her and some of her extreme policies. So good to have you back on the programme. Keep us in touch with whats happening out there in the campaign. Over the next few weeks. Thanks for joining campaign. Over the next few weeks. Thanks forjoining a stop to thank you so much. So farthis campaign has been about covid, race relations, the economy, even character there hasnt been a lot about Foreign Policy. But, if elected, that could change underjoe biden whose style and aims would be very different from President Trumps. 0n Climate Change joe biden has promised that the United States will return to the 2015 paris climate agreement. 0n china joe biden promises to beef up americas naval presence in the region, and demand beijing stop stealing intellectual property from american companies, and crack down on human rights abuses, like those against the uigur muslims. 0n iran hell seek to renegotiate the Iran Nuclear Deal which mr trump abandoned. Its not clear how keen the iranians are to rejoin the deal. Mr biden says if they do, then relations between the two nations might resume. Chris coons is a democratic senator from delaware, mr bidens home state. He knows the former Vice President well and advises the campaign. And hejoins us now. Thank you very much forjoining the programme. Great to be on with you again. Are we talking to potentially the next secretary of state of the United States . Secretary of state of the United States . I doubt that, but whether its in the senate or in another role, i very much hope that i get the chance to help former Vice President biden and senator harris as our next president and Vice President engage with the world and reimagine our Global Global relationships and build back better, the Global Network of alliances that have contributed to our security and instability over seven decades. We have a lot of valued allies in the world, the uk special friendship is absolutely the linchpin of the community of free societies of open and democratic countries that i am hopeful that joe and democratic countries that i am hopeful thatjoe biden and democratic countries that i am hopeful that joe biden is and democratic countries that i am hopeful thatjoe biden is as our next president will get the chance to re engage with and reinvigorate. Its no secret that there are diplomats from a lot of European Countries who would prefer mr biden in office to mr trump in office. They feel that they would understand americas style again, they feel that this would be Foreign Relations as normal, but there is also some concern now amongst some european allies of the United States that having elected mr trump once who wa nted having elected mr trump once who wanted to shred some of those relationships, america could do the same thing again, and i wonder whether there is a trust factor that has already disappeared amongst americas allies. There is, and that is a concern i have heard over the last four years and a numberof have heard over the last four years and a number of trips that ive taken to and a number of trips that ive ta ken to reassure and a number of trips that ive taken to reassure some of our vital allies and in a number of meetings ive had in washington weather with ambassadors, foreign ministers, foreign secretaries, defence ministers, heads of states, all over the world, i have heard from some of our closest and most trusted allies that the ways in which the Trump Administration tested strain or challenged our alliances has left a lasting mark, so we are going to have a great deal of work to do if we are going to re energize and strengthen those alliances. A key piece of it as ijust conveyed in an article thats published today in Foreign Affairs is to route our next administrations Foreign Policy and domestic policy in making its clearer how middle class americans are benefiting from our engagement with the world. There are folks in both parties, democratic and republican, who in the 2016 election we re republican, who in the 2016 election were calling for a more protectionist trade policy, calling for us to bring home our troops from engagements around the world, and calling into question our commitment to institutions like nato and the united nations, rebuilding a strong and durable and sustainable domestic commitment to a Foreign Policy that is bipartisan is something i think about is both possible and essential. Joe biden isjust the sort of next president perfectly equipped to help build that sustainable Foreign Policy. |j equipped to help build that sustainable Foreign Policy. I read your very extensive platform in the magazine Foreign Affairs, and i noticed, i hate to get uk centric, andi noticed, i hate to get uk centric, and i noticed there was no talk of brexit or the trade you, and we all know that by barack 0bama and joe biden had said that we would be at the back of the keel. So here is my question, notwithstanding the issues on the problems there are around the irish border at the moment, but if the eu were able to stitch a deal together in the next few weeks with the uk, where does brexit and the trade dealfit in the uk, where does brexit and the trade deal fit in your list of priorities . Well, ive recently had the opportunity to meet with the foreign secretary with the uk ambassador, as you may know, i am the co chair of the us uk free trade caucus, i am the co chair of the us uk free trade caucus, lam hopeful that the co chair of the us uk free trade caucus, i am hopeful that we could make a reasonably prompt progress towards negotiating an fta with the united kingdom, partly in recognition of this critical special relationship, but i will remind you the hypothetical you posed is having gotten past the difficulties with the border of Northern Ireland and the border of Northern Ireland and the republic that is a critical issue, and one that has to be handled properly, but i do think its appropriate for us to move towards the close relationship and trade that has long been the case in Foreign Relations as well, because we are Foreign Relations as well, because we a re two Foreign Relations as well, because we are two country so similarly rooted in shared values. 0 nto rooted in shared values. 0nto quickly turned to china. A lot of what President Trump says is true, there has been a lot of dumping and stealing of intellectual property, we know about the human rights, we know about the unfair state aid how are you going to get them to change their attitude without imposing tariffs on them stop the well, christian, i actually publicly complemented and recognised President Trump for having putfl the very top of his Foreign Policy agenda combating and constraining and turning the bad behaviour on intellectual property, Forest Technology transfer, the use of state power to both steal inventions from other countries and to compel certain behaviour domestically. But what i profoundly disagreed with about President Trump was the way that he used tariffs first against our closest allies, the uk, canada, germany, japan, south korea, and then turned to applying them to china. That was profoundly misguided. What i believe a Biden Administration will do what im certainly advocating and hope that happens is that we build these close alliances and then deal with china asa alliances and then deal with china as a physician with strength as a World Community of free and open societies committed to Higher Standards of trade, Higher Standards for environments, for interlock intellectual property and bring china towards us towards a higher standard for the 21st century. The situation we are in now after four years of President Trumps leadership on the world stage is that a leadership on the world stage is thata numberof leadership on the world stage is that a number of situations he dove into claiming hed address them, like north korea, like iran are no better off, and china is no closer toa better off, and china is no closer to a trade deal with the United States, that respects into it intellectual property. I met we have to leave it there, thinking so much for the programme. We will be watching the election and watching what happens to you after the election, perhaps. Thanks for joining us. Good evening. Weve seen fewer showers across the uk today. Yes, they have still been prevalent across the far north and northwest of scotland, but even here, we had some sunshine in between. This was the picture in perth and kinross. This, the sunshine coming through in nottinghamshire earlier this afternoon. But the reason for the fewer showers is because we had the next area of low pressure and its massive cloud advancing. Now, thats deepening that area of low pressure, so its already throwing in cloud and rain to the southwest, and that will take centre stage as we go through the rest of this evening and overnight. Still a few showers to come in the far north, but for northern parts of scotland, its likely to stay dry. However, well see a spell of wetter weather for much of Northern Ireland, much of england and wales as well. As much as 30 40 mm over the hills of wales, and that could lead to some local flooding, certainly some tricky travelling conditions and a strong wind to boot. So, its going to be mild under that hill fog as well. Further north under the starry skies, a little bit on the chilly side, and it could be a little bit misty as well. As we go through the morning, that rain is still with us, so a really damp start to the day. In fact, quite wet at times with some heavy rain for the morning rush across southern and eastern areas. Behind it, quite a bit of cloud in the showers are already packing in, but for parts of scotland at least, itll be a bright start, a chilly one, perhaps a little bit of fog in the glens. But the showers will then get their act together into the afternoon, becoming heavy, perhaps one or two rumbles of thunder. Further south, that rain is a little bit slower to clear, dragging its heels for the far south and east. Still quite heavy, but after that, it looks drier and brighter with some sunshine and not feeling too bad, actually. Temperatures around about 15 17 c here, a little bit lower than today further north. Now, through the evening and overnight as that one rain band continues its way eastwards, weve got potentially another area of rain coming in. Now, to the north of that, itll be chillier again and i think with the drier weather further south as well, ahead of that rain, itll be a chillier night as well, single figures. But friday,as you can see, is shaping up again quite cloudy, spells of rain, some uncertainty where exactly thats going to fall, and then showers follow with that northwesterly, brisk wind. Feeling a bit cooler therefore in the north on friday, and temperatures down in the south with the rain. Then into the weekend, we have a northerly breeze so itll feel chilly for most of us, still a few showers and then, mostly in the east. The warnings are on the website. Youre watching bbc news with me, katty kay in washington. Christian fraser is in london. Our top stories. The us Vice President debates get underway soon. Both candidates mike pence and Kamala Harris have tested negative for the coronavirus trying to exercise their right to vote we visit texas, where people have to travel miles to drop off their early ballot. Whoever is responsible should be voted out. Making people wait so long. Also in the programme. While covid can be a brief and mild disease for those who fight it off, for some, they are left struggling with symptoms for months afterwards. Racoons have taken over the white house lawn. Secret service cant get them. Well show you the report who tries. The reporter who tries. For most people, covid 19 is a brief and mild disease, but hundreds of thousands have died and some who survive are left struggling with symptoms for months afterwards. The condition known as long covid has a huge impact on peoples lives. Some sufferers say they are left exhausted after even a short walk, others can be much more seriously affected. The head of the nhs in england says there are probably hundreds of thousands of patients with long covid, as our medical editor, fergus walsh, reports. So, initially, i couldnt even climb a flight of stairs. This is what long covid can look like. 0k, arms across your chest. Suji yathindra is a doctor in a e. He got only a mild illness with covid, yet its left him so exhausted hes been off work for three months. I get out of breath quite easily. Lots of muscle aches, joint pains. Thats it, really. If i do exercise, the next day im out of it. Im going to time a minute. This post covid clinic at londons University College hospital, is diagnosing a vast array of physical, mental and cognitive problems, all stemming from coronavirus infection. So, were seeing people with really severe fatigue and really significant breathlessness. You know, people who were running marathons at the beginning of the year, previously fit and well, didnt need any hospital admission for their covid. But, six months on, are too fatigued to even get to the shops to buy food. Long covid is a huge emerging health problem. Doctors say theres an urgent need for research into what drives the condition, and produces such a wide variety of serious, debilitating symptoms. Many people are struggling to get help with the after effects of coronavirus. The boss of nhs england says £10 million will be spent on setting up more long covid clinics across england. Its clear that there are tens of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of coronavirus patients with these long covid symptoms. So, we need specialist clinics like this, but also Rehabilitation Services across the community to both support those patients and to learn more about the best treatments for them. Like so many with long covid, robert moore had only a minor coronavirus infection. Yet the 30 year old suffers repeated muscle and joint pain, brought on by any physical activity. Soon as i do anything, whether thats going for a walk, or preparing something to eat, or doing any form of cognitively difficult tasks, ill just find a huge amount of fatigue the next day, whether thats muscular orjust a generalfatigue. So far, the focus has been saving lives in the pandemic. But covid is leaving a bitter legacy for many that may stay with them for months or even years. Fergus walsh, bbc news. I know them a number of people in that situation. We have to set that in the context of the debate. President Trumps Health chief meets with scientists at the beginning of this week, and they talk about letting the virus spread among Healthy People in society, which is Donald Trumps policy. This is what he wrote afterwards. That coincides with the front page of the daily mail. Curbing activity is failing to control painted bit pandemic. What alex azar is calling for is focused intervention. It super political. Even here, we say is President Trumps policy but actually his policy is also doctor fauciand actually his policy is also doctor fauci and the cdcs policy, which is more in favour of restrictions and having some sort of limitations. It gets his notion of herd immunity, and there is an interesting story out of germany that says the problem with the notion of herd immunity, evenif with the notion of herd immunity, even if its a good idea and printable, is that we dont know who is vulnerable. Its not always the old people. We dont know how long people have immunity for, so even if youve got some kind of immunity, how long would it actually last for . And then thirdly, what do you do about the young . We just heard to some extent, people who get long term damage where they might have problems with their heart with the years afterwards for years afterwards. Those are some of the objections being raised for everyone dealing with this balance between Public Health on the one hand and the economy on the other. And both are very real factors and both have to be taking into account. Im just lucky its not you and me making those decisions. In the us, the pandemic is the main reason we are expecting more people to vote early than ever before. Across the country, 54 of americans will cast an early vote. More than 72 million absentee ballots have already been requested or sent to voters. But that doesnt always mean voting early is easy. Just last week the governor of texas, governor of one of the most hotly contested states, began taking the boxes away. There is nowjust one per county. Just one box for the 4. 7 Million People who live in Harris County, the third most populous county in the country. In Harris County, they have 2. 4 million registered voters. Those who want to drop off an early ballot need to get to the nrg stadium in central houston, which could be an hours drive each way and from where our correspondent, Bahman Kalbasi of bbc persianjoins us. I know youve been standing there today. Watching these lines behind you, how busy has it been . At lunchtime, cars went around this tent and back, maybe at pete 280 ca rs tent and back, maybe at pete 280 cars tent and back, maybe at pete 280 cars at pico. Right now, a lot la st cars at pico. Right now, a lot last but a steady stream of cars. People dropping off their balance and leaving. The few people i talk to, especially one man who decided to, especially one man who decided to bicycle here, i asked to, especially one man who decided to bicycle here, iasked him to, especially one man who decided to bicycle here, i asked him why. To, especially one man who decided to bicycle here, iasked him why. He said he had no ride and he was infuriating. It took him about 40 minutes to get here. Its quite a warm day and he was over 65 years old. He said he was determined to get his ballot in. He didnt trust the Postal Service he said and he added all the people who made it so ha rd added all the people who made it so hard for him to drop the ballots, you can vote them out. This was a republican voter who had voted for trump and he said he grew up 40 minutes drove 40 minutes to drop his ballot. You would think, given covid cases are spiking in Harris County, i think they have 50,000 cases so far commit of lee, they wa nt to cases so far commit of lee, they want to keep people apart. How does the governor explain that . They are saying is not needed. There doesnt seem much effort on his part to justify the decision. The amount of deathis justify the decision. The amount of death is over a hundred a day, and over 1000 cases every day. Its a very high level of cases, and people visibly are worried about it, especially on the democratic side. Its part of the debate in one of the congressional seats between dan control, the very known republican who is campaigning to keep his seat and an american whos trying to unseat him. And has been zooming in while there campaigning. Which is why bbc persian is covering that race. Just to clarify, the people sitting in their cars dropping their ballots at the specific box, they could also put those ballots into a post right . This is not the only way in Harris County in texas that people can vote by mail . Absolutely, and that was one question i asked the man on the bicycle and he simply said, i dont know if ill get there in time. Those that trust factor towards the us Postal Service and people want to make sure its in in time. So if they can drive 40 minutes, 30 minutes and drop in, they feel better about it. They see this ballot box right there, there ballot goes right in it. I guess its also a good feeling to see that. Standing out in the sun all day in houston, waiting for those people to drive past. Great to have you, thank you. Its really interesting when you think about it. That really does flow from the top. The president has undermined the us Postal Service, and they have people standing in line to the day because they dont trust their ballot will get there. Postal services have slow in america. Its now taking four or five days where it takes two days. I think its something about physically. You think its a very important election, if you put into a box, you know its got there. I guess its not much more reassuring. That much more. So in just over four hours time, mike pence and Kamala Harris will take to the stage and retreat behind their plexiglass screens for the one and only Vice President ial debate. Keenly anticipated tonight, which we dont always say, after the fiasco of last weeks debate. Tone will be important. At least lets hope so. And who knows, we might even get to some of the issues . Vice president ial debates have only been a regular event since 1976, and while they might provide amusing diversion for political junkies like katty and i, theres no real evidence they have any impact on the election. A 2012 gallup study found that none of the eight Vice President ial debates occurring from 1976 to 2008 appears to have meaningfully altered voter preferences. But in case you missed them, heres a reminder. Let me help you with the difference, mrs ferraro, between iran and the embassy in lebanon. I almost resent, Vice President bush, your patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about Foreign Policy. Applause can i call you joe . I had as much experience in the congress as jack kennedy did when he sought the presidency. Senator benson. Senator, i served withjack kennedy. I knew jack kennedy. Jack kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, youre no jack kennedy. Cheering werejoined by Columbia University historian nicole hemmer, the way he looks into the camera and will not acknowledge whatjust hit him. Werejoined by Columbia University historian nicole hemmer, the host of the past present podcast. Thanks very much forjoining us. If vp debates dont make differences, why did they happen . They happened so why did they happen . They happened so they get a look at the person who could be next in line for president , and its never going to override whoever is on top of the debate ticket, but it does show something about their judgement. So ticket, but it does show something about theirjudgement. So its another way for voters to get a glimpse at who the person at the top of the ticket things is ready to be president. And i guess when you have one person at the top of the ticket who is in quarantine with coronavirus and another person at the top of the ticket who would be the top of the ticket who would be the oldest american president ever, certainly actually those vp pics become a lot more pertinent. Thats right. You cant imagine a better kind of Vice President ial debate than after donald trump had just spent several days in the hospital with coronavirus. 0f spent several days in the hospital with coronavirus. Of course both donald trump and joe biden, if they are elected in november, would be the oldest person ever elected to become a president of the United States. So people really are paying some attention to what that running mate is like, because theres a chance of that person becoming president. And theres plexiglass everywhere. Have they ever had to deal with this before . No, they havent. Certainly not at the Vice President ial debate since 1976. Its going to be interesting to see how the two candidates navigate coronavirus. Like you said, theres plexiglass. Its not a particularly substantial glass in place, there probably are going to shake hands they probably arent going to shake hands. If you were to look back at the 40 odd years of debate, then Vice President ial Vice President ial debates, what would you pick out . Definitely the clip you played of benson talking about you sirare no played of benson talking about you sir are no jack kennedy. The reason to bite ever stick out is because they have these kinds of zingers, because the Vice President is a must because the Vice President is a must be the attack dog for whoever is at the top of the ticket. Not the case now, the top of the ticket isjust fine at being an attack dog. Even though that might not seem like a sharp elbow thrown, the response of dan quayle was uncalled for sir, he was really unprompted by the statement. Those with the lovely days when people were fronted by fairly mild statements. Thank you very much forjoining us. Wow, i have times changed Kamala Harris will be the first non white woman to be a president ial Vice President ial candidate. A lot of focus on her, more than mike pence today. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come. We look at how the vp debate will shape the polls or if it really matters to the voters. Four men have gone on trial at the old bailey in connection with the deaths of 39 vietnamese migrants who were found in a lorry trailer in essex last year. The jury was told the four had allegedly already been involved in successful trips to smuggle migrants across the channel. They face charges of manslaughter and conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration. Our home affairs correspondent, Daniel Sandford reports. At court today to see justice done, relatives of some of the vietnamese people who died in the back of a sealed lorry trailer last october. All 39 died of a lack of oxygen. The two youngest were 15, the oldest 44. They were in the sealed trailer for some 12 hours, as the temperature rose to over 38 degrees centigrade. 0n trial today, facing 39 counts of manslaughter, were british romanian Gheorghe Nica and Eamonn Harrison, a young lorry driver from Northern Ireland. Irish haulier ronan hughes has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter, as has Maurice Robinson, another young Northern Irish lorry driver. It was Maurice Robinson that had picked up the trailer from purfleet port that night. Ronan hughes had messaged him, give them air quickly, but dont let them out, so hed stopped and opened the door. The prosecutor, bill emlynjones, said to the jury, what he found must haunt him still. For the 39 men and women inside, that lorry had become their tomb. One of the dead, 28 year old 28 year old pham thi ngoc 0anh, had tried to send a message. Maybe going to die in the container, cant breathe any more, dear. It was found unsent on her phone. This was the ferry that brought the trailer, unaccompanied, across the channel. Both Eamonn Harrison and Gheorghe Nica deny charges of manslaughter. The trial is expected to last 12 weeks. Daniel sandford, bbc news, the old bailey. Five weeks. Here to tell us all is the man with his eyes on the polls. Frank lutzjoins us now. The republican fundraiser about the decision he made to walk away from the stimulus package. Theres a lot of people in washington scratching their head because he never really cared about that, the president. So why is he doing it and how is he pulling this . Whos going to carry the lame . I know theres lots of blame to go around, but who ultimately takes the blame . Nancy pelosi has told people privately that her goal is to get a stimulus package, but it comes so late you cant receive the checks signed by the president. So for her, make it u na cce pta ble the president. So for her, make it unacceptable for the president , absolutely pushed him against the wall and about ten days from now when it becomes too late, come to the table and negotiate a compromise. Thats part of the problem with american politics right now. Its notjust the election, about the meanness of the candidates, its really about the population that is not getting what theyre voting for. A population that feels ignored and forgotten or disrespected, and as bad as it was in 2016, its actually worse in 2020. I was over there and saw brexit and i thought it could not get any worse than that, but the Election Campaign in the aftermath, but my god, it has gotten so much worse in america. Notjust with. Meanwhile, as you know, job growth is slowing here. People actually really do need that stimulus programme. You were on fox newsjust a few minutes ago, i barely should mention that, but you said if there we re mention that, but you said if there were no more president ial debate, joe biden is the next president of the United States. Which i guess presents the question if there are more president ial debates, is he not the next president . Its still up for grabs. I thought the first tweet, the first challenge i would get was from donald trump himself. Its good to know is actually coming from the bbc rather than donald trump. The reason why is he may reject the polling, and i dont. I do believe joe biden has a meaningful lead, notjust nationwide, not based on popular vote. Hes got a lead and enough of the strengths, and its a significant lead. Hillary clinton had exactly the same lead four years ago, which is why so many people still doubt whetherjoe ago, which is why so many people still doubt whether joe biden ago, which is why so many people still doubt whetherjoe biden can carry us through the election. Youve got bedding over there and its almost two to one forjoe biden. But they see trumps ability to come back, they have concerns about joe bidens ability to come back, they have concerns aboutjoe bidens ability in to come back, they have concerns about joe bidens ability in these contests. My reaction to this, if you dont put the two of them side by side, the support they have right now stays where it is. The challenge for donald trump is that hes not getting any votes from those who didnt vote for him for years ago, and that is a recipe for failure. So frank, i looked up the polls today from 2016 and you are right, Hillary Clinton was up 11 in michigan, nine in pennsylvania and 12 in pennsylvania. Then she went on to lose. So has the polling got better in those states . Can we rely on the polls we see today . I dont know that. Its impossible to know until you have actually the vote. I know they are doing a betterjob at determining who is most likely to vote, which is everyone in the cycle. People are lining up and they wont wait until election day. They wa nt wont wait until election day. They want their was to be heard. They are determined to have an influence of the selection, which is actually a positive. If theyjust werent so angry. We want no. I do know this, ido angry. We want no. I do know this, i do know biden is ahead right now. I know that donald trump was my only hopeis i know that donald trump was my only hope is to be able to challenge him, but he has to do it in a way that is simply not as destructive. That every survey that came out since the debate, donald trump is falling, joe biden has risen. If trump uses the same strategy, hes not going to catch up. 0k, frank lance, thank you very much forjoining us. There is chaos in the White House House right now, and a pervading fear that in the vaccuum created by covid 19, some might seek to take advantage. And they were right to be suspicious. These exlusive photos from paula reid of cbs show a masked suspect sneaking into reporters equipment before realising they were on camera. I knew it the secret service has been out trying to catch them the arrogance on displayjust extraordinary so brazen until White House Reporter joejohns of cnn took matters into his own hands, while just before going live on national television. Get there he is. He shouts now, no events on the president s scheduled today and important to say the white house. Freaking raccoons, man god, again, thats the second time we had problems to deal with in the studio, ive had a raccoon in my house. It is no fun. They are vicious animals. I had to get a fireman to try to get the raccoon out of my bedroom. Three firemen turned up, look at the raccoon who was standing on its back legs and ran away. The firemen ran away, not the raccoon. Can you do that raccoon impression again . Laughter you have to rewind. Anyway, they are not warm and fuzzy, just saying. Hello there. Theres still some rain to come before the end of this working week, but the weekend is looking drier, at least, than last weekend with High Pressure starting to build in. But this is the low pressure that came in through wednesday evening and overnight. Some very wet and windy weather, 30 mm of rain or more over the hills of wales before it finally clears out of the way, and it will drag its heels across southern parts through into the afternoon. But a pretty soggy start for many parts of england and wales first thing, and despite the sunnier spells on the chilly start across scotland, the showers will follow through but heavy and frequent with some thunder in there as well. But once the rain has cleared, itll be a wet and dull start to the day. Once its cleared away, temperatures will reach 15 17, which is above average for the time of year. But it will then feel quite chilly under the starry skies through the night, but as our rain runs back in this time, the next little area of low pressure looks set to come in across Northern Ireland, we think parts of scotland, but again, england and wales, some uncertainty as precisely where that low pressures going to develop, so well keep an eye on that one. So it looks as though friday will be another day of change when we see perhaps the brightness in the start in the south and then the rain come southwards, and then weve got the soggy start further north and it brightens up. But with the showers, i think what we will notice on fridays a change in wind direction in the north, so itll start to feel a little bit cooler. Even temperatures in the south will be a little down, and thats largely because weve got the cloud in the rain with us, which should clear out of the way to start the weekend. Then we get this northerly wind, but still with low pressure close to the north sea, so close to eastern parts of england and scotland, theres always going to be a greater chance of showers here. And its a northerly breeze, so as you can see, its chillier. Weve got that milder air waiting in the wings not too far away, and also High Pressure, which will dampen down the shower activity across the western side of the uk as the weekend progresses. But you can still see plenty of showers saturday in northern and eastern areas, some coming down across Northern Ireland into the cheshire gap as well. Itll feel chilly in the breeze, particularly breezy i think near northern and eastern areas, starting to ease a bit further west as that High Pressure bulges in. But look at the temperatures. In fact, theyre probably on the lower side of average and it will be a chilly start as well, so a cooler day. Sunday as well, because weve got that northerly breeze, low pressure bulging there in the north sea towards the east coast, bringing with it the risk of showers, High Pressure keeping these weather fronts at bay further west. So still a lot of dry weather on sunday, so just a question mark as to how many of the showers will come into eastern parts of england, but youve still got that key northerly breeze, so itll still feel cool of course, and a chilly start. It could well be some local ground frost as well, but temperatures and may just with lighter winds frost as well, but temperatures and mayjust with lighter winds creep up a little bit on sunday. What about next week . Well, that High Pressure looks set to take hold for a times are probably mainly dry, probably feeling a bit colder, but still some question marks. All to do with the jet stream, and as you can see its meandering southwards, just blocking those low pressure systems and strengthening towards the north. For the most part as you can see, keeping us under the influence of High Pressure close to the west. These low pressures are also starting to come into play for eastern areas at times, so it could be southern and eastern areas see what or whether as we go through the week. What are weather. That means itll be chilly by night as well. But at this stage, a lot of dry weather is forecast. We will keep you updated, the warnings are online. Tonight at 10pm. Scotland faces sweeping new restrictions because of a rapid rise in cases of coronavirus. The toughest new rules will apply to all licensed premises across the central belt of scotland, including glasgow and edinburgh theyll have to close indoors and outdoors, but takeaways will be permitted. Without action, and this is perhaps the starkest warning in todays evidence paper, we are likely to return to the peak level of infections we had in the spring by the end of this month. Scotland is to ban unnecessary journeys on public transport, and face coverings will soon be mandatory when moving around the workplace. Well also have the latest on rising infection rates in parts of england, where new restrictions are set to be announced next monday. Also tonight