on all federal workers and large companies. but is the governor's order legal? we'll speak to the mayor of austin. hello, welcome to the programme. how did the uk a country that, pre—covid, had been held in such high regard for its pandemic preparedness, end up with one of the highest death tolls per capita of any large economy? the first official report into what went wrong was released today, a joint inquiry by two parliamentary committees, and it comes to some damning conclusions. the committees, led by two conservatives, said the failures amounted to "one of the worst public health failures in uk history." thejohnson government had "followed the science" so unquestioningly that politicians and scientists fell victim to a form of groupthink — despite the fact the groupthink was fatalistic and flawed. the crisis exposed "major deficiencies in the machinery of government", with public bodies unable to share vital information and scientific advice impaired by a lack of transparency. the report says the delay in introducing the first lockdown cost thousands of lives, many of them elderly and vulnerable people in care homes. the start of the test and trace system was "slow, uncertain, often chaotic". and there were "unacceptably high" death rates in ethnic minority groups, among people with learning disabilities and autism. but there was significant praise for the uk's vaccination programme, described as "one of the most successful and effective initiatives in the history of uk science and public administration." the report focuses on england, but in the early stages, in response, the government said today it had acted swiftly on the information available at the time. here's our health editor, hugh pym. empty streets during lockdown. but did the restrictions imposed both in the spring and autumn last year come too late? the most comprehensive report so far on the official response to the covid crisis concludes that mistakes were made. he was relatively young and totally fit and healthy, with no underlying health conditions. phil got covid in march last year. his condition worsened and he died in april. his daughter, sara, believes an earlier lockdown, restricting the spread of the virus, might have made all the difference. i do believe that a lot of notjust my family, a lot of other families that are in this situation, it was avoidable, if action had been taken sooner, and perhaps a little bit more of a responsible approach had been taken sooner. the report looks at decisions around the timing of the march lockdown. it says full restrictions came too late because the policy backed by government scientists and ministers was for a slow and gradual approach. the mps say this was wrong, and led to a higher death toll than would have happened with earlier intervention. come on, this is deadly here, love. get that down you, lads, ey? events like the cheltenham racing festival in mid—march, the report adds, may have spread the virus. i think there is an issue there of hindsight, because at the time of the first lockdown, the expectation was that the tolerance in terms of how long people would live with lockdown for was a far shorter period than actually has proven to be the case. but the labour leader said the report's stark conclusions couldn't be ignored. to use language that this was one of the worst public health failures in the uk, that is a damning indictment. and my thoughts are with the families who've lost people because of these failures. the mps' report is highly critical of the test and trace system in england. it says it was set up much too late and that capacity should have been built up much earlier in the pandemic, in line with some other countries. halting community testing in the early weeks had cost lives, according to the report. just one of the government's failings, said the former downing street adviser who'd given evidence to mps. me and others put into place work to try and improve the system in 2020, after the first wave. unfortunately, the prime minister, being the joker that he is, has not pushed that work through. the covid pressure on care homes is examined in the report. the mps say that sending elderly people from hospitals into care homes without prior testing may have been understandable, but it contributed to the spread of the virus. staff entering care homes also may have carried infections. staff shortages and problems getting ppe haven't helped. in hong kong and germany, they took more precautions early on to protect care homes and they had fewer deaths as a result. that's definitely one of the most important, long—term lessons we need to learn. the report says vaccine development has been one of the most successful initiatives in uk science. early investment by the government in research and development is praised by mps. the vaccine taskforce being set up outside government is described as a master stroke, with the success of the vaccine programme said to have redeemed many failings elsewhere. the report praises the response of the nhs to the pandemic, with a rapid increase in critical care beds. but it notes that even before covid struck, most hospitals were running at close to full capacity, and that meant that services, including some cancer care, were put on hold. the ensuing backlog has become one of the enduring legacies of the pandemic. the mps note that bame communities experienced high levels of severe illness and death, which highlighted inequalities in society. the government response is that they have been consistently guided by scientific experts and are committed to learning lessons from the pandemic. hugh pym, bbc news. i'm joined now by mike granatt, he was the first head of the civil contingencies secretariat, which was set up within the cabinet office in 2001. it's responsible for emergency planning in the uk. thank you very much for being with us. reading this report, it seems to me that we had scientists operating in one bubble, civil servants in another, politicians, and there's — and someone always thought that another part of the system was making the decision or dealing with it. is that the conclusion you've come to? that's certainly one of the big problems. one of the things the report highlights is the fact data wasn't being shared between agencies, including three departments of state and scientific expertise. the need to co—ordinate thatis expertise. the need to co—ordinate that is always absolutely primary in any crisis when the thing you have to get hold of it is the facts very quickly. you can't make effective decisions without the facts. you may have to make some informed guesses but you need information to do it. so does that suggest, when we are looking at how to improve the way government functions, that there needs to be a department that looks after crises that brings together all elements that can see the full picture? all elements that can see the full icture? . �* , all elements that can see the full icture? . �*, ., . picture? that's what the civil contingency _ picture? that's what the civil contingency secretariats - picture? that's what the civil - contingency secretariats thought. it's in the centre because it works the prime minister, but only the prime minister can bang all these heads together. you need that level of authority. but you need the resources in the centre to do that. one of the things the report highlights is some of the resources necessary had been stripped out of civil contingencies and sent elsewhere. which is one of the problems in government, people get stripped away from it — you need surge capacity which is what the report says. you need capacity in the system to actually deal with the crisis, start collecting the information to gather people together, focus the prime minister on what the problem might be and get things moving. and that clearly didn't work very well. it didn't do it needs to do, which is to prevent group thing. one of the big emphases in the report is the fact that it sees the need for international voices within the advisory bodies like the scientific advisory body and elsewhere to bring a different voice into somewhere else. 0therwise voice into somewhere else. otherwise you end up with people who are educated, very similarly who think very similarly from similar backgrounds who don't find it easy to contradict each other. . part backgrounds who don't find it easy to contradict each other. .- to contradict each other. . part of the problem _ to contradict each other. . part of the problem with _ to contradict each other. . part of the problem with that _ to contradict each other. . part of the problem with that is - to contradict each other. . part of the problem with that is that - to contradict each other. . part of the problem with that is that the | the problem with that is that the scientific community operated in part secrecy, so we didn't get their conclusions and thoughts until much later. is it imperative when you have a committee like that, when you are putting science at the centre, which is where it should be, that you put out the advice they're giving so it can be challenged and you get divergent views into the mix? , ., ., , you get divergent views into the mix? , ., .,, ., you get divergent views into the mix? , ., ., ., mix? yes, that was one of the reasons the — mix? yes, that was one of the reasons the group _ mix? yes, that was one of the reasons the group was - mix? yes, that was one of the reasons the group was set - mix? yes, that was one of the reasons the group was set up| mix? yes, that was one of the i reasons the group was set up the independent sage, a parallel group to look at the evidence and see if they could challenge it. because challenge is an essential part of the process that leads you to learn in a crisis and continual learning, continual review, continual reappraisal and continual adjustment help sort out the problems. the dancer of help sort out the problems. the danger of the — help sort out the problems. the danger of the government and society at large at the moment is a mood to get over it. a lot of people don't want to look past the last 18 months, but it's important that we have this a public inquiry — and still even though he announced the prime public inquiry, the prime minister, we still don't have a chair. , ., ., chair. they need to get on with it. we need those _ chair. they need to get on with it. we need those lessons _ chair. they need to get on with it. we need those lessons learned, l chair. they need to get on with it. i we need those lessons learned, we need politicians, for the future, to understand those lessons, we need the public to understand what they should expect, we need the system to be open to challenge, and transparency, as you pointed out, is absolutely key. transparency is key to trust, the need to challenge openly is key to trust. this was not a trusting process, the government kept a lot of information back, including the minutes of those key committees, so it's decisions went on. that might be necessary in some circumstances, but in these, it's certain de simply hindered the process of making sure that every possible avenue had been explored and nothing had been overlooked. . good to talk to you, thanks for coming on the programme. a coroner in the us state of wyoming has confirmed that gabby petito died from strangulation. she was the young woman who went missing in september when travelling across the country with her boyfriend, in a bizarre case that captured the attention of the nation. let's bring in the bbc�*s north america correspondent nada tawfik for the latest. did they establish when she died by strength, elation,?— strength, elation,? christian, the medical examiner _ strength, elation,? christian, the medical examiner said _ strength, elation,? christian, the medical examiner said her - strength, elation,? christian, the medical examiner said her body l strength, elation,? christian, the i medical examiner said her body had beenin medical examiner said her body had been in the wilderness for 3— four weeks before they found her body on 19 september. so that really helps the timeline and is pretty consistent with the last time her family says they do believe they received a text message from her phone, but one in which they actually doubted was from gabby herself. remember, it had been weeks before they were able to report her missing from that last contact because they were used to her going out for trips and not hearing from her days at a time. but when her fiance returned the first of september and they had gone days without seeing where she was, they reported her missing. again, the coroner's date does give more information on that timeline. but he also revealed other details — he said they had collected dna samples from her body, and that will aid in the investigation to determine if there was anyone else. �*s dna samples on her that could again aid really narrowing down exactly who the suspect —— the suspects are in this. of course they do have a person of interest, her fiance, at the moment. they also said she wasn't pregnant at the time that her body was found, but they really couldn't go into further details about what condition her body was in — they said that was something that was against their protocol, to go into those details, they wouldn't talk about whether there was bruising on the body or whether she was found buried below ground or left above ground at the time of the strangulation. left above ground at the time of the strangulation-— strangulation. brian laundrie is the fiance who has _ strangulation. brian laundrie is the fiance who has not _ strangulation. brian laundrie is the fiance who has not been _ strangulation. brian laundrie is the fiance who has not been seen - strangulation. brian laundrie is the fiance who has not been seen for. strangulation. brian laundrie is the fiance who has not been seen for a| fiance who has not been seen for a period of time. there's been an extensive search for him — not even a trace of him, did they give any information as to where he might be? and does this autopsy change the charges he might face? 1lrrui’liiiie and does this autopsy change the charges he might face? while at the moment, charges he might face? while at the moment. he — charges he might face? while at the moment. he is— charges he might face? while at the moment, he is a _ charges he might face? while at the moment, he is a person of - charges he might face? while at the moment, he is a person of interestl moment, he is a person of interest and he is facing debit card fraud charges, so there's an arrest warrant for that. again, they won't confirm if it was gabby petito's debit card that he's charged with. but at the moment they are scouring a 25,000 acre natural reserve in florida — that's the closest clue they have because that's where his parents say he was headed the last time they saw him. christian, they are using drones and divers, they are using drones and divers, they are using drones and divers, they are using hounds to try to sniff out where his whereabouts might be in that nature reserve. but at the moment, that's really the next big part of this case that many people are looking forward to see if they are looking forward to see if they are able to locate brian laundrie and to then question him since he was the last person seen with gabby petito. ., ~' , ., , was the last person seen with gabby petito. ., ,, , ., , . was the last person seen with gabby petito. ., ~ ,, , . ., petito. thank you very much for the u date, petito. thank you very much for the update. thank _ petito. thank you very much for the update, thank you. _ petito. thank you very much for the update, thank you. most _ the brexit minister, lord frost, told an audience in lisbon today that the the post—brexit trade arrangements which the uk negotiated with the eu or more correctly those which he negotiated with the eu aren't working and have to change. the protocol ensures there's no need for checks along the land border between northern ireland, part of the uk, and the republic of ireland, which is in the eu. to keep that border open, the... currently there are checks on goods entering northern ireland from england, scotland or wales with inspections at northern ireland ports. but it's prompted criticism that a new border is being created in the irish sea. lord frost says it's causing serious disruption to the political institutions in northern ireland because the uk is being asked to run a full—scale boundary through our own country. he warned that the british government would be prepared to suspend the deal under article 16 of the protocol if brussels refused to negotiate. the protocol is not working. it's completely lost consent in one community in northern ireland. it's not doing the thing it was set up to do ? protect the belfast (good friday) agreement. in fact, it's doing the opposite. it has to change. let's bring our political correspondent rob watson. in this speech today, he said there were some aspects of the protocol when they were negotiating it — when he was negotiating it — which were problematic. "we knew we were taking a risk, but there was a hope it would work out." that is an extraordinary statement — whether you voted to remain or leave, it's extra near the government would sign up extra near the government would sign up to something they didn't like the look of in the first instance. i can't imagine americans would do that. ,, ., , , ., that. smart person, christian, ou're that. smart person, christian, you're not— that. smart person, christian, you're not the _ that. smart person, christian, you're not the only _ that. smart person, christian, you're not the only person - that. smart person, christian, you're not the only person to l that. smart person, christian,| you're not the only person to a pointed that out. of course, critics of the government have said there were only two ways of interpreting lord frost's thoughts — the first is that here, borisjohnson didn't really understand what they signed up really understand what they signed up to and they said it was fantastic and excellent, best thing since sliced bread and won an election on it in 2019, or that they had understood precisely what they were signing up to and had absurdly no intention of sticking by the protocol, and that they would renegotiate at a later point. you might say that latter approach is fine, but the reason it creates is because of course it is so different from the language that they used at the time praising their agreement with the eu. the time praising their agreement with the eu-_ the time praising their agreement with the eu. could he argue at any oint that with the eu. could he argue at any point that at _ with the eu. could he argue at any point that at the _ with the eu. could he argue at any point that at the time, _ with the eu. could he argue at any point that at the time, they - with the eu. could he argue at any point that at the time, they had i with the eu. could he argue at any| point that at the time, they had the tacit approval from point that at the time, they had the tacit approvalfrom unionists point that at the time, they had the tacit approval from unionists or they didn't know the how they would react to it — of course clearly now we have unionist leaders saying we're going to bring down stormont and not put up with this. you can at least point to the threat this poses to the good friday agreement, which the eu has to take seriously. sure. the eu has to take seriously. sure, but aaain the eu has to take seriously. sure, but again i— the eu has to take seriously. sure, but again i think _ the eu has to take seriously. sure, but again i think what _ the eu has to take seriously. sure, but again i think what critics - the eu has to take seriously. sure, but again i think what critics would | but again i think what critics would say is at the unionists have made it perfectly clear they didn't like this arrangement right from the start, it was somehow going to leave them less british, as they felt, less part of the uk because of these regulatory checks. at point, some might wonder why unionists were in favour of brexit — but i suppose you could take the view that all of that is history, what is the problem now? undoubtedly there is a problem, but one community in particular in northern ireland, the protestant prounion community does feel very unhappy about the protocol. so the question is, what do you do about it? of course, critics would say that the british government should not have stirred them up in the way it has. we not have stirred them up in the way it has. ~ not have stirred them up in the way ithas. it has. we get the eu proposals tomorrow. _ it has. we get the eu proposals tomorrow, we _ it has. we get the eu proposals tomorrow, we will _ it has. we get the eu proposals tomorrow, we will see - it has. we get the eu proposals tomorrow, we will see what - it has. we get the eu proposalsl tomorrow, we will see what they bring us and we will speak to rob tomorrow. thank you very much. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... we will speak to the mayor of austin, texas, to get his reaction. the economic think tank, the institute for fiscal studies, has warned there may be no room for big spending announcements on public services in this month's budget. it told the bbc the chancellor would need to keep a tight rein on government finances, despite planned tax rises. he's put out dominic raab taxes significantly in the past year, big tax rises announced. he is looking to push the size of the state to levels the uk is not seen very often outside of rather unusual years. but the reason why we still think it'll be tough for many government departments is that no real growth over the next few years, combined with pressures from covid on many public services, combined with the fact that he's already tight. his fan like her hands by allocating money to areas like the nhs, schools, defence and aid means that the rest of the budget, about a third of the budget actually faces a bit of a spending squeeze over the next two years. the republican governor of texas, greg abbott, has issued an executive order banning vaccine mandates in the state, including those that have been introduced by businesses within the private sector. his order is in direct conflict with the one passed by president biden last month, which mandated vaccines for federal workers and the employees of companies with over 100 workers. let's bring in the mayor of austin, texas, steve adler. good to have you with us, can you see us and hear us? i can, yes. lovely to have you with us. is this even legal? i lovely to have you with us. is this even legal?— even legal? i don't think it is, i think it goes — even legal? i don't think it is, i think it goes beyond _ even legal? i don't think it is, i think it goes beyond the - even legal? i don't think it is, i- think it goes beyond the powers that the governor has. that issue right now is in our courts before the state supreme court., as i understood it, and i'm not the exert understood it, and i'm not the expert comment federal law trumps state law, correct? it expert comment federal law trumps state law, correct?— state law, correct? it does in many if not most — state law, correct? it does in many if not most cases, _ state law, correct? it does in many if not most cases, not _ state law, correct? it does in many if not most cases, not necessarily. if not most cases, not necessarily in all cases to stop but i think there's both that argument, but even just within the state, i think the power to protect the community does not go so far as to prevent the community from protecting itself. how are businesses responding to it. 7 how are businesses responding to it. 2 ~ �* how are businesses responding to it. ? . �* ., how are businesses responding to it. ? we've had some ma'or ma'or multinational fl ? we've had some major ma'or multinational businesses �* ? we've had some major major multinational businesses that l ? we've had some major major - multinational businesses that have announced this morning that they won't be a biting with the governor, they'll follow the federal direction from the president —— abiding. so we are seeing businesses push back. because you got american airlines and southwestern headquartered in texas, and they have vaccine mandates — i wondered if it was there vaccine mandates which triggered the executive order he signed last night. that triggered the executive order he signed last night.— signed last night. that is my understanding. _ signed last night. that is my understanding. the - signed last night. that is my understanding. the order i signed last night. that is my understanding. the order is| understanding. the order is confusing and inconsistent on so many different levels. it's also inconsistent with the pro—business climate and culture that we try to foster here in texas that we would try to take away from businesses the freedom and liberty to be able to protect their own employees and their own customers. it's just not very texas either. i their own customers. it's 'ust not very texas amenfi very texas either. i was reading today that _ very texas either. i was reading today that in — very texas either. i was reading today that in florida, _ very texas either. i was reading today that in florida, where - very texas either. i was reading - today that in florida, where rhonda santos, their governor has a dim view of vaccine and mass mandates best ron desantis— they have a shortage of 5,000 teachers, which is a 67% increase on where they were in august 2020, and part of that is because teachers feel unsafe, they are managing oversized classrooms. i wonder if you are concerned amid all the labour shortage that already exist that an executive order like this will lead to more shortages in the classroom? i this will lead to more shortages in the classroom?— this will lead to more shortages in the classroom? i think ultimately it will lead to more _ the classroom? i think ultimately it will lead to more shortages, - will lead to more shortages, ultimately lead to more hospitalisations, and more deaths. the people that are in ric you dying in our state are not vaccine e— intensive care units are dying. if the flu this winter has the same pattern and fills our hospitals the same way it has in most of recent years, except for last year when people were wearing masks under a mask mandate, then ric use once again are going to fill up and fill up again are going to fill up and fill up with people who didn't vaccinate, and they'll crowd out the other people that should have the ability to go there. ijust don't think anyone has a right to put a significant part of our community at risk. this is certainly not following the science and data that the governor told us at beginning of the governor told us at beginning of the pandemic that he would do. it’s the pandemic that he would do. it's such an on position for him to put himself in, because he's pro—business, he's conservative, he's boasted about the companies they've lured from california — but as we've been watching over the last 12 months, it shows how politcised the whole debate has become. horribly so, and you're exactly i'm watching here local, state—wide politicians and the republican party trying to get to his right to try to outflank him — and whenever that happens, he seems to move even further that way. it's all about partisan political positioning. at this point, and the unfortunate thing is that the people who suffer, the people who end up in our hospitals and the people who are confused about whether or not they should get vaccinated. it's putting the state at significant risk — here in austin, where we tried to align as quickly as we can, the mortality rate is half of what is at this dock of the state. 30,000 texans would still be alive. this is not about science and data, it's about politics. . science and data, it's about politics- -— science and data, it's about politics. . science and data, it's about olitics. . ., ~ ., politics. . mayor adler, good to have ou politics. . mayor adler, good to have you with — politics. . mayor adler, good to have you with us. _ i've got a few dusty old artefacts in my back yard. but i've never paid much attention to them. but after hearing this next story, it's got me thinking. a couple from suffolk bought a pair of stone sphinx statues for £300 some 15 years ago. when they were moving house, they decided to sell the statues, but had a feeling the statues were in fact egyptian. off they went to an auctioneer, and the items were listed as being a "pair of 19th—century carved stone garden models". when the auction hammer went down on saturday what was the final price? £195,000. good evening. for many of us today, it's been a quite a cloudy affair. but that's certainly not the whole story. there's been a bit of sunshine around, as well. there was the scene from a weather watcher in guernsey earlier on. beautiful blue skies overhead. it was a similar story in the far north of scotland. you can see from the earlier satellite picture that, while we did have extensive cloud, and that cloud at times did give some spots of rain particular through parts of england, there was some sunshine around, as well. through tomorrow, it's a similar sort of day — mostly but not completely dry, often but not completely cloudy. we will have a lot of cloud, though, around through tonight. some mist and murk, the old spot of rain or drizzle, and some more persistent rain moving across the north of scotland, particularly across the northern isles. but where we do see the skies clearing for any length of time across eastern and southern england, temperatures will dip away maybe down to around two celsius in parts of east anglia tomorrow morning. through the day tomorrow, as you can see, a lot of cloud across the charts, that cloud producing the odd pocket of light rain or drizzle at times. but i'm hopeful that cloud will break in places to give some sunshine, maybe across northeast scotland, and 1—2 sunny spells for northern ireland, england, and wales. top temperatures between 14—17 celsius. it will be quite a breezy day across parts of scotland. now, as we move out of wednesday to thursday, high pressure holds onto the south keeping things largely dry here. but this frontal system pushing in towards scotland will bring some outbreaks of rain southwards through the day. it's going to turn really quite windy across parts of scotland, as well, and later in the day, that wind is going to start to dig down from the north — that's a sign of things to come. thursday itself, we'll see temperatures in pretty reasonable shape of the time of year, 16—17 celsius the expected high. but through thursday night, that weather front in the north is going to push its way southwards. it is a cold front and, as the name suggests, the air behind this front is going to turn colder. you can see the blue colours spilling southwards as we head into friday. so quite a different feel to the weather — we're likely to start friday morning with a touch of frost some northern parts of the uk. but, as well as introducing colder air, that front will sweep away a lot of the cloud. so more sunshine in the forecast for friday, but lower temperatures, particularly in the north — just nine celsius in aberdeen. this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. demorats in danger. democrats in danger. house speaker nancy pelosi is pulling no punches on getting her colleagues in line, amid in fighting over the president's spending plans. re thinking the humble aspirin. why doctors in the us may revise long standing guidelines on preventing heart attacks and strokes. hundreds could die in flooding warns the uk environment agency unless there's action to make the country more resilient fast. and, a lonely outcrop in the shetland isles gets ready for its galactic moment. a spaceport will soon call the area home, as the uk prepares for its first ever rocket launch. joe biden promised america decisive action. but ten months in, things are unravelling. and the polls reflect the disatisfaction that is finding root within the electorate. the house speaker nancy pelosi sees the drift. last night she wrote a letter to her caucus... "in order to pass both the build back better act and the back and forth between progressives and moderates is not playing well for the democrats, and their chances in next year's mid term elections. and in a new york times column charles blow warned democrats this week they are in danger. i'm joined now byjeff mason, white house correspondent for reuters. good to see you again. that is an extraordinary, and peace from the new york times, something extraordinary, and peace from the new york times, something you extraordinary, and peace from the new york times, something you would probably expect to see in the wall streetjournal. it’s probably expect to see in the wall street journal.— street journal. it's quite extraordinary, - street journal. it's quite extraordinary, it - street journal. it's quite extraordinary, it sort . street journal. it's quite extraordinary, it sort of| street journal. it's quite - extraordinary, it sort of gets to the heart of what some democrats feel right now about the president. and that is several months into his ministration they wanted to see more. but reality is though the former vice president, now president got the support of the american people and one in 2020, he only has very, very slim majorities. and that makes it hard to push through an agenda that is, that fulfils all the promises that he made. that does not mean he's not trying, he is trying and they are moving forward on these two bills, infrastructure bill and the so—called build back better bill which has a lot of social spending and climate change spending in it. but he has not gotten there yet and that's creating some frustration and affecting his place in the polls. i'm going to show how much he is affecting him in the polls. 38% approve of the job he affecting him in the polls. 38% approve of thejob he has done affecting him in the polls. 38% approve of the job he has done so far. 53% disapprove of the job. approve of the job he has done so far. 53% disapprove of thejob. he is carrying water. but it's notjust about these budgets. i put together, before we came on air, little list of things that have unravelled. still a crisis of the border, police reform polo fell apart. the widespread assault on voting rights, covid killing far too many americans, the pandemic is weighing on the economic recovery. there are chronic supply shortages, inflation is taking hold, it is a daunting list. and as nancy pelosi says, if you cannot point to a win, something that makes the electorate happy by christmas, you have failed, haven't you? i christmas, you have failed, haven't ou? ~ .,~' christmas, you have failed, haven't ou? «' ,, , ., o’ , you? i think the speaker is right in terms ofjudging — you? i think the speaker is right in terms ofjudging the _ you? i think the speaker is right in terms ofjudging the overall - terms ofjudging the overall landscape for democrats. despite these slim majorities i was just referencing they nonetheless still do control capitol hill and the white house. and with that control many to be able to show their voters and their constituents that they can produce. so it is important for them to get something through but the list you listed for thatjust to get something through but the list you listed for that just went through is daunting. there's a lot of issues and a lot of challenges facing this presidency and this country and covid is certainly a big one. all of these things are big but president biden did say couple of months ago injuly that he was hoping that there would be some normalcy by the summer and of course we know with delta and with the vaccination campaign not working as well as expected that has not happened. no doubt all of those things you listed are affecting his place in the polls as well. you are better placed _ place in the polls as well. you are better placed into _ place in the polls as well. you are better placed into this _ place in the polls as well. you are better placed into this because i place in the polls as well. you are l better placed into this because you follow him around the country, nancy pelosi says there's a need to be simple, to get easy to understand things in front of the voters. but anecdotally, this is entirely anecdotal, as a programme we dip intojoe biden on a pretty regular basis. there will be a press conference coming up or a presidential statement and went tune in at a time when all the networks come together and what you tend to get is a fairly folksy, around the house is an anecdote from the president, and not the key issue that we are talking about that day and ijust wonder if that we are talking about that day and i just wonder if there that we are talking about that day and ijust wonder if there is a concern in the white house that that lovely folksy approach that he has come in the message is getting lost? well, my reporting has not shown any concern in the white house about how president biden gets his message across. i think that they would say to you if one of them were sitting here instead of me that is whojoe biden is. he's a folksy guy, that has been his style for multiple decades and in public life, and that has not changed since coming to the white house. the broader question is notjust white house. the broader question is not just about presentation, white house. the broader question is notjust about presentation, it's about getting something done and there have been some criticism from his fellow democrats on the hill that he was not involved enough or has not been involved enough in spearheading this legislation. and he heard that message and in a conversation with some reporters including myselfjust a couple weeks, i think was a couple weeks ago said we had just had a lot of things going, but i do need to get out into the country and sell this package. so we started doing that, he started travelling more, trying to reach out to the american people and their argument is the white house, their argument is these aspects of his legislation are popular. but it's not necessarily clear that all of these things that people like our in these mammoth bills, because they are big, there are trillions of dollars. to effect your initial question that does have a little bit to do with messaging. it's probably something the white house is working on.— house is working on. interesting, thank ou house is working on. interesting, thank you for— house is working on. interesting, thank you for coming _ house is working on. interesting, thank you for coming on. - how many of you at home take a daily aspirin to ward off the threat of an early stroke or a heart attack? millions do. and for years american doctors have been telling people over the age of a0 its the right thing to do. a sensible preventative measure. but not any more. the preventive services task force is planning to change its recommendations based on new studies that show the risks might greatly reduce or cancel out the benefits. to tell us why is doctorjohn wong, a member of the task force, and a primary care physician himself. i think we need to be very clear and careful read at the outset here, we have not been said by doctors for people that are currently taking aspirin to stop, right because of thatis aspirin to stop, right because of that is correct. this is about preventing a first heart attack and first stroke. see you are addressing this new advice and have read over the years that it should keep the blood then, not really any advice from their doctor, and what you are saying is the rare of the risks, what are the risks? the saying is the rare of the risks, what are the risks?— saying is the rare of the risks, what are the risks? the main risk for takinr what are the risks? the main risk for taking aspirin _ what are the risks? the main risk for taking aspirin is _ what are the risks? the main risk for taking aspirin is bleeding, i what are the risks? the main risk for taking aspirin is bleeding, it l for taking aspirin is bleeding, it thins the blood and can lead to serious harms such as internal bleeding within the stomach or a gastrointestinal tract with the in particular the brain. they can have serious consequences. we know that the risk of bleeding goes up as people age. i5 the risk of bleeding goes up as people age-— people age. is there still scientific _ people age. is there still scientific research - people age. is there still scientific research that i people age. is there still - scientific research that suggests among a certain age of the, what you know when you get the wrong side of a0 as i am that an aspirin, if you have a problem with your heart that an aspirin still works? itruieiiii have a problem with your heart that an aspirin still works?— an aspirin still works? well we know, an aspirin still works? well we know. as _ an aspirin still works? well we know. as i _ an aspirin still works? well we know, as i mentioned - an aspirin still works? well we know, as i mentioned this i an aspirin still works? well we know, as i mentioned this is i know, as i mentioned this is preventing heart attacks and strokes, and we make different recommendations for people at different ages. let me break that out. we used to recommend that people in their 60s stick with their clinician about whether aspirin will be right for them, but we now find the bleeding risk cancels out that benefit. for people in their 50s we used to recommend starting aspirin but we now recommend that they stick with their clinician about aspirin because the balance of benefits and harms is now closer. and for people in their a0s we come in 2016, were not sure if they should or should not sure if they should or should not take aspirin i would now find that some people may benefit from aspirin. they really should have a discussion with their clinician to see if aspirin is right for them. the use of aspirin goes back to the 80s and 90s when we were not really that focused on blood pressure and high cholesterol. i remember, i can ashley remember a long way back my granddad giving me half a to sprint when i was a young kid. he thought it was like a vitamin and that sort of established in people's minds, didn't it? ., ~ ., ., of established in people's minds, didn'tit? ., ~ ., ., , ., didn't it? you know, that use of asirin didn't it? you know, that use of aspirin because _ didn't it? you know, that use of aspirin because it _ didn't it? you know, that use of aspirin because it was _ didn't it? you know, that use of aspirin because it was available | didn't it? you know, that use of. aspirin because it was available or is available over from a pharmacy makes access easy. but what is now recognised perhaps because we treat hypertension or high blood pressure more aggressively perhaps we now have statins that help reduce heart attacks, the benefits from that aspirin have declined. and we now increasingly recognise the harms and we think about that balance of harms and so people really ought to have, if they want to think about or are worried about having a heart attack or stroke, worried about having a heart attack orstroke, really worried about having a heart attack or stroke, really should have a discussion their clinician about the individual harms and benefits of aspirin for them, for their age group, for their heart disease, stroke risk. and again for their bleeding risk. it that balance between harms and benefits because we want to prevent heart attacks and strokes and as you know if the leading cause of mortality as well as can be disabling and we want to prevent that for all people. ibe prevent that for all people. be more 'udicious, prevent that for all people. be more judicious. go — prevent that for all people. be more judicious, go speak— prevent that for all people. be more judicious, go speak to _ prevent that for all people. be more judicious, go speak to the _ judicious, go speak to the doctor, thank you very much.— judicious, go speak to the doctor, thank you very much. thank you for our thank you very much. thank you for your interest- _ the uk is not ready for the impact of climate change. a blunt assessement from the environment agency here. they warn hundreds of people could die in floods unless the places where we live, work and travel are made more resilient to increasingly violent weather. their data suggests even a small rise in global temperatures could have serious consequences. 0ur science editor david shukman has this report. a street in cardiff became a dangerous river earlier this month after a massive downpour. it was a similar scene in newcastle after torrential rain there. and, around the same time, london was engulfed, raising questions about how we'll cope as climate change makes the weather even more violent. but the biggest shock came in germany lastjuly, a surge of water tore through communities. 200 people were killed and the fear is of disaster here on a similar scale. the weather events that we saw in europe this summer could happen here in england, and we need to be ready to save lives. we need to recognise that it's adapt or die. the environment agency is being deliberately blunt so that its recommendations are heard. for homeowners and businesses to take basic steps to make their properties safe. to restore landscapes like forests so that they hold rain water before it causes floods. and for bigger investments by governments in defences that can handle projected rises in sea levels. already the thames barrier, defending london, is being closed far more often than planned — a trend that will continue as the polar ice keeps melting, raising the height of the oceans. with its network of tunnels under the river, the barrier was designed decades ago and may not be big enough in future. the great steel gates are holding back a phenomenal volume of sea water that would otherwise enter the city and potentially cause disaster, which is why climate change matters so much here. they're constantly watching the projections for how much the sea is going to rise, and it's also why we'll probably need a bigger barrier by 2070. but some stretches of the coast are not so lucky. homes in norfolk are being lost to the sea. the environment agency says it can't protect everyone. but since last year, when i met lorna bevan thompson, a local business owner, the waves have come much nearer. they're saying we've got billions of money available but it's not coming to us and our coastline is getting eroded daily, and it's irreparable damage. in some parts of the uk the challenge will be too little water. a growing population and drier summers will strain supplies. the government says it is preparing the country for a more turbulent climate and it wants world leaders to discuss the risks when they meet at the un summit in glasgow next month. david shukman, bbc news. let's look at some of the day's other news. three migrants have been killed and one seriously injured after a train struck them in south western france. police said the migrants were lying on the tracks when they were hit in a coastal town near biarritz. two of the migrants had algerian nationality, while the nationalities of the others are not known. the head coach of the las vegas raiders american football team has resigned following the publication of racist, misogynistic and homophobic emails. jon gruden has apologised for the language he used to describe the black executive director of the players association, de maurice smith, in 2011, saying he did not remember writing it and had no racist intentions. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... countdown begins to the remote shetland islands becoming the site for britain's first ever rocket launch. the queen has attended a thanksgiving service at westminster abbey to mark the royal british legion's centenary. the royal british the queen, who's 95, used a walking stick as she arrived and left the first time she has done so at a major public event. daniela relph reports. good morning, your majesty. arriving at westminster abbey, the queen was handed a walking stick by her daughter, princess anne. at the age of 95, few would blame herfor needing a little extra support. servicemen and women of many conflicts came together to pay tribute to an organisation that has supported them and those before them for 100 years. to the factory where a00 disabled men are working comes her majesty, the queen, to give them royal encouragement. the work of the british legion has had the backing of royalty since it was founded. it's an early mission was to fight for the rights of those who had given so much, but came back to so little. and even now, that mission remains the same. but it is mental health support that so many veterans now seek. naomi hall is one of them. she served with the raf in afghanistan and says that the british legion saved her life. we don't often see the realities of what it does to us. i think we've all grown up with grandparents that served where, they go through something so dreadful and they don't speak about it. so to have somebody to speak about it and be willing to talk about it gives people information they didn't have previously. after the service, the queen left via the poet's yard door, a shorter walk for her than her usual route through the abbey. age may slowly catch up with many of us, but the motto of the royal british legion has endured — service, not self. daniela relph, bbc news, westminster abbey. welcome back. the former little mix singer, jesy nelson, says she never intended to cause offence in her new music video. she has been accused of 'blackfishing' that's a term used to describe a non black person trying to appear more black than they actually are. the star denies using fake tan and insists her hair is naturally curly. she said her new video is intended to be a celebration of the type of music that she loves. lizo mzimba reports. # shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man...# for almost a decade, jesy nelson was part of little mix, one of music's biggest groups. she left at the end of 2020, saying that being part of the group had taken a toll on her mental health. in the video, for her first eagerly anticipated solo release, she appears heavily tanned, with a range of wigs showing different hairstyles, sometimes with braids. it's been criticised by some, saying that she's been taking on stereotypically black characteristics, and that it's wrong for white people to profit from adopting them — a practice that's being called "blackfishing". my intention was never, ever to offend people of colour with this video. that actually does really hurt me that i may have offended people, and actually, like, hurt people's feelings just by genuinely celebrating something that i love. nelson says she intended to celebrate 1990s and 2000s hip—hop and r&b. she added that fake tan and make—up wasn't the reason for her darker appearance. i want people to know that when i was in the video, i didn't even have any fake tan on. i've been in antigua prior to that for three weeks. and i'm just really lucky, as a white girl, that when i'm in the sun i tan so dark. she's been defended by global music star nicki minaj, who also appears in the video. jesy nelson hoped that many would be talking about her first solo effort. but right now it's for reasons that she never intended. lizo mzimba, bbc news. a rocky outcrop in the northern most part of the shetland isles will soon be playing host to a new spaceport. and from next year the uk will use that base to launch its first rocket. a launch long overdue. the company who will be driving that project is the edinburgh based skyrora. they launched a test rocket from the island of unst injune last year. it is 23 metre high, 56 tonnes in weight and it be used to carry small satellites into orbit. all told skyrora are hoping to complete 16 launches a year by 2030. i'm joined now by skyrora's katie miller. good to have you on the programme. why is this being chosen as these first spaceport in britain?- first spaceport in britain? thank ou for first spaceport in britain? thank you for having — first spaceport in britain? thank you for having me. _ first spaceport in britain? thank you for having me. it's - first spaceport in britain? thank you for having me. it's being i first spaceport in britain? thank i you for having me. it's being chosen as a spaceport because there is lots of c, lots of land, it is really far away from the equatorial line and it is really good for polar orbital satellites, going into orbit for low earth orbit. so what i mean by that is satellites that want to, mostly satellites that want to do earth observations of monitoring deforestation, monitoring gases in the air. monitoring floods, anything really to look after our planet earth. it really to look after our planet earth. , ., ., , , earth. it is long overdue, because we -la earth. it is long overdue, because we play such _ earth. it is long overdue, because we play such an — earth. it is long overdue, because we play such an important - earth. it is long overdue, because we play such an important role i earth. it is long overdue, because we play such an important role in | we play such an important role in this space industry worldwide, we've never had our own rocket launch. what sort of reaction have you had from customers, from clients that might want to send things into space? might want to send things into sace? ., , might want to send things into sace? . , ., . might want to send things into sace? ., . , ., ., space? the last launch programme was back in 1971 in — space? the last launch programme was back in 1971 in the _ space? the last launch programme was back in 1971 in the uk, _ space? the last launch programme was back in 1971 in the uk, and _ space? the last launch programme was back in 1971 in the uk, and that - space? the last launch programme was back in 1971 in the uk, and that was i back in 1971 in the uk, and that was even the rocket itself launched from australia. we've never had a rocket launch into space from the uk. the reaction we are getting from customers is we are getting satellite customers from the uk that no longer have to send their satellites overseas to qs coming to china to launch their satellites. they can just do it four hours of the road and on a ferry to shetland. are looking at this rocket i don't mean to look offensive but it looks a lot smaller than the rockets we see launching from nasa and from cape canaveral. do you get more bang for your buck than, then we might initially think when we look at this rocket? so initially think when we look at this rocket? ,, ., . initially think when we look at this rocket? ., , ., ., , rocket? so what you are seeing there is what we call _ rocket? so what you are seeing there is what we call new _ rocket? so what you are seeing there is what we call new space, _ rocket? so what you are seeing there is what we call new space, and i is what we call new space, and that's a new revolution coming around that is going away from old space and we are much more smaller, dedicated and versatile to the satellite customer. so as technology is continually and rapidly developing your getting satellites that are continually being made smaller and smaller. so you don't need these huge rockets to be launching satellites that are only the size of your palm. so we are much more dedicated to the satellite customer. ~ ., , ., ., ., ., customer. what you going to do, i know there _ customer. what you going to do, i know there were _ customer. what you going to do, i know there were some _ customer. what you going to do, i l know there were some murmurings from historic environment scotland, the did not like the idea was going to be used for rocket launches, what is the other reaction?— the other reaction? everyone is su er the other reaction? everyone is super excited, _ the other reaction? everyone is super excited, they _ the other reaction? everyone is super excited, they space i the other reaction? everyone is i super excited, they space industry is rapidly growing in the uk and globally there is 15,000 small satellites due to be launched by 2030. it is a huge market and to the uk wants to capture 10% of that global space market by 2030. you can see the government is starting to invest in space boards and now they are starting to invest into companies like us as well. it's a really great reaction and it's more about educating and sort of making people aware of the importance of satellites such as earth observation.— satellites such as earth observation. ., ., , ., observation. not a very long left, how many — observation. not a very long left, how many jobs — observation. not a very long left, how many jobs it _ observation. not a very long left, how many jobs it is _ observation. not a very long left, how many jobs it is going - observation. not a very long left, how many jobs it is going to i observation. not a very long left, i how many jobs it is going to create? how manyjobs it is going to create? is he going to give a good a boost to the space industry it will it be localjobs? its to the space industry it will it be localjobs?— localjobs? its thousands of thousands _ localjobs? its thousands of thousands of _ localjobs? its thousands of thousands of jobs, - localjobs? its thousands of thousands of jobs, just i localjobs? its thousands of thousands of jobs, just forl localjobs? its thousands of i thousands of jobs, just for skyrora thousands ofjobs, just for skyrora alone we are aiming to create 170 jobs by 2030. companies like us to be bring that altogether it's going to create at least tens of thousands of jobs. to create at least tens of thousands ofjobs. and locally as well we are trying to attract local talent at the minute. trying to attract local talent at the minute-— trying to attract local talent at the minute. �* ., ., , ., the minute. and how long before it is a manned _ the minute. and how long before it is a manned space _ the minute. and how long before it is a manned space operation? i the minute. and how long before it is a manned space operation? just| is a manned space operation? just satellites at _ is a manned space operation? inst satellites at the minute. is a manned space operation? just satellites at the minute. ok i is a manned space operation? just satellites at the minute. 0k it i is a manned space operation? just satellites at the minute. 0k it will| satellites at the minute. 0k it will not book my _ satellites at the minute. 0k it will not book my trip _ satellites at the minute. 0k it will not book my trip yet. _ satellites at the minute. 0k it will not book my trip yet. go - satellites at the minute. 0k it will not book my trip yet. go boldly, l satellites at the minute. 0k it will. not book my trip yet. go boldly, we hopeifs not book my trip yet. go boldly, we hope it's a success. rocket launches next year. william shatner is going up next year. william shatner is going up soon. hello. well, folks in northern scotland, monday night, had a spectacular view of the northern lights and a good chance of catching the northern lights towards the end of the week, that is if the sky is clear. i think, overall, this area of high pressure will continue to bring a lot of cloud to the uk. it's just the way the winds are blowing around this area of high pressure, so settled, yes, it is, but the cloud is rotating around this high and over the uk, hence we've got a lot of layered cloud, a bit like this. but some of us have had some sunshine but, on the whole, it is going to remain fairly overcast for the rest of the week. so, let's have a look at the short term, then, and i think a cloudy start to the day for many of us on wednesday, thickest cloud, i think, in the north—west here, bits and pieces of rain around the western isles, but sunny spells are possible almost anywhere, particularly to the east, central areas and the south. and if the sun pops out for any lengthy period of time, temperatures could get up to around 17 degrees celsius. not bad at all for this time in october. here is a look at wednesday night into thursday. so more of the same. you can see how the winds are rotating around this high. temperatures should hold around double figures, particularly around western areas, with the onshore wind towards the east. where the skies clear, single—figure temperatures, for sure. now, a bit of a change in the weather pattern thursday into friday. we've got high pressure here and high pressure here, but in between sneaks in this cold front, and it will bring rain to scotland, probably northern ireland too, maybe the north of england. notice the switch in the wind direction, so this is a northerly wind here. northerly wind means cooler conditions coming in, that is why we call this a cold front. to the south of that, we've got the milder weather and around 15 or 16. then thursday night into friday, that weather front moves south across the country, bringing a little bit of rain and then basically it fizzles out by the time it reaches the south. this is also drier air on friday, air coming in from the north quite often is dry, so that means fewer clouds and friday may end up being a very fresh day with plenty of sunshine, maybe temperatures no higher than 13 degrees. then friday into saturday, again, not much changes but we are starting to see changes towards the west of the uk. a weather front is approaching and this is a hint of things to come for the second half of the weekend and into next week. still some uncertainty how cloudy and wet it will get out towards the west. i think the further east and south you are, you are more likely to hang onto the dry weather on saturday and quite possibly into sunday as well. you can see the high has moved into the continent, it's centred over the alps, but it's stilljust about influencing the weather in east anglia and the south—east, but low pressure in the atlantic is edging in and it is sending weather fronts, basically cloud and pulses of rain, our way. but it's never going to be too cold. look at the winds — they're coming in from the south, so where the clouds do break and there will be some breaks in the cloud, temperatures will still get up to 16, maybe 17 degrees, but this is a lot more unsettled compared to what we've got now. if we look at the jet stream pattern next week, there is a big dip in thejet stream, and dips in thejet stream often spawn larger areas of low pressure that hang around, and around it there will be weather fronts circling the low pressure heading our way, so that means that means spells of wind and rain. not all the time. there will be periods where it will be calm next week, but i think we should be prepared for some pretty autumnal weather and those spells of wind and rain next week. bye— bye. tonight at ten, boris johnson's government is accused of presiding over one of the "biggest public health failures" ever seen in britain. thousand of lives were lost because of the delayed lockdown last year according to two westminster committees. we, too, could have avoided the need for a lockdown but when that became inevitable we also took too long. even though we were one of the first countries in the world to develop a test, we didn't have enough testing capacity. as the nhs was driven to breaking point many of those lost were elderly and vulnerable people whose families responded today. notjust my family, a lot of other families who are in this situation, you know, it was avoidable if action had been taken sooner. but the report does praise the uk vaccination programme as highly