cooling trade winds, and the crystal blue caribbean sea. nonstop flights are available from most major airports. more information for your vacation planning is available at aruba.com. >> and now, "bbc world news." >> this is bbc world news america. repoing from washington i'm , jane o'brien. president trump backed away, from his tough talk on china saying he doesn't blame beijing , for any trade imbalance, it's the fault of his predecessors. pres. trump: who can blame any country for taken advantage of another country to the benefit of its citizens. i give china great credit. jane: saudi arabia tells its citizens to leave lebanon immediately. lebanon demands the return of its prime minister after a shock resignation. we'll have the latest on rising tension. and lbj comes to the big screen. rob reiner tells about two of the most turbulent weeks in u.s. history. ♪ welcome to worews america. president trump is wrapping up his visit to china and it's been one full of praise for president xi jinping. it is a marked archer from his tough talk in the past. instead of blaming china for what he called a big trade imbalance, he laid the responsibility on prious u.s. residents. when it came to president xi, mr. trump called him a very special man. from beijing, our china editor reports. reporter: the real estate billionaire and the career communist, making an odd couple. but both see themselve men of destiny, with a mission to make their nation great again. president trump once raged that china was a jobs thief. but in beijing, he was all smiles and gratitude. president xi, now a very special man who makes his people proud. pres. trump: i just want to thank you for the very warm welcome. my feeling toward you is an incredibly warm one. reporter: they did eventually talk about the hard things, the north korean nuclear crisis and the massive u.s. trade deficit in china's favor. but donald trump blamed that on previous american presidents, not on his host. pres. trump: i don't blame china. who can blame a country for being able to take it of another -- take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens? i give china great credit. reporter: china needs to keep stable access to u.s. markets. >> the common interest of our two countries are far greater than the differences. with constructive attitudes, we can look for common ground. reporter: this is not a real news conference, no questions from the media, either on north korea nor on the business deals are worth celebrating in the absence of a major move to open chinese markets. instead, it's the u.s. president starring in a show put on by his host while maintaining an iron grip on the message. charm and disarm. but when it's over, the trade deficit will still be there, and north korea still a crisis. president xi hopes his personal bond will convince americans that china's rise does not mean u.s. decline. bbc news, beijing. jane: my colleagues spoke with gary locke, the former u.s. ambassador to china for their program beyond 100 days. looking at this trip over the last few days, it's hard to come away with anything but the impression that china holds the cards in this relationship at the moment. >> china is certainly putting on a charm offensive, treating president trump to unparalleled red carpet treatment, lavish bauets, tours of the for bidden city, and while the presidents have announced some $200 billion worth of sales of american products and services to china, many of these were actually in the works for quite some time already and agreed to by various u.s. companies and their chinese counterparts. it's standard practice on the presidents to announce these two great fanfare, but the real question is whether or not china's opening up its markets to foreign businesses, to foreign investment. so many parts of the chinese economy are off-limits to foreign investment, unlike american parts of europe where there are almost no restrictions to foreign invtment. there is not a level playing field between foreign companies and american companies doing business in china versus chinese doing business in all parts of the world. >> and it is not just american companies who have that problem, but if the chinese might of been nervous about president trump coming along and making good on any of his campaign promises, tariffs, currency manipulation, that kind of thing, the chinese got off lightly, didn't they? >> actually president trump has not followed through on his campaign promises since shortly after he took office. obviously china is not a currency manipulator, that's the view of virtually all world economists. i'm glad he has not imposed 50% tariff on all chinese goods entering into the united states, but because the chinese simply would have retaliated on all u.s. goods going into china, and that would have raised the price of american goods and cost american companies jobs as well as sales. that certainly would have benefited the competitors of u.s. companies, whether airbus or other european companies, but in a trade war, that's what would have happened. all sides lose. the workers lose and the consumers lose. stead, the president needs to focus on very specific sectors, specific parts of the chinese economy that are off-limits to foreign investment, including investment from america. that's what we really need to focus on. we also need to focus on protecting intellectual property, making sure there is rule of law, making sure the chinese treat foreign applications for business opportunities fairly instead of sometimes delaying those applications, not taking any action for years, while chinese companies get their applications approved within months. that's what the chinese are trying to do, to help nurture their own companies to the point where they can effectively compete against foreign companies. jane: the former u.s. ambassador to china there, gary locke. the washington post is reporting claims by a woman that she was sexually abused by roy moore, the current republican candidate for an alabama senate seat. the incident is said to have happened in 1979, when mr. moore was 32 years old. he has denied the charges, calling them fake news. the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is among a number of republican saying that if the allegations are true, he must step aside. our north american editor jon sopel joins me now. how politically damaging is this? john: if the allegations are true, is the caveat the senators were given. they quickly went on to say that roy moore should step aside if they are proven, that he should step aside for the sake of the republican party. he shows no signs of doing that and has put out a statement saying these allegations are completely false and or a desperate political attack by the democratic party and the washington post on his campaign. the alabama state auditor has said something more extraordinary. take mary and joseph. mary was a teenager and joseph was an adult carpenter. they became the parents of jesus. in other words, justifying it. if he doesn't get out of the race, income or republicans asked if they support him he is , a firebrand. he has very controversial views. the republican establishment don't like him one little bit. they would love him to get out of the race. he doesn't look like he is going to, which means that the person he defeated for the nomination could stand as a write-in candidate. you just say i want this person to be the next person, so that could happen. in which case it will divide the republican vote. i would imagine the democrats are sitting in alabama tonight and doing this. jane: jon sopel, thank you very much for that. the actor kevin spacey is to be edited out of a hollywood film just weeks before it is due to be released. the unprecedented move phone you allegations of sexual assault against mr. spacey. his scenes will be reshot with another actor. >> kevin spacey as you never seen him before, and probably won't again. now, christopher plummer will take over the role of the oil , hoping toaul getty rescue a film in crisis. for the crew and some of the cast, it will be an intense few weeks. some stars will reportedly have to reprise certain scenes. >> i think everything is going utterly crazy right now. probably it is good for the movie. >> but perhaps there was no real choice. the allegations against kevin spacey now spanned more than 30 years and include men, women, and children. the double oscar winner has not responded to many of the claims, but he has admitted he needs to address his behavior. hollywood loves a comeback, but perhaps not this time. ini cannot imagine anyone hollywood working with him again. he is damaged goods. feel like by replacing him in this film, by shelving his other films, hollywood is basically not only throwing up the door come they nailed the door shut and put a bar on the door, saying you are not coming back. those backing the film are determined to protect the investment, even if it means trying something radical. sony clearly has confidence that ridley scott can pull this off. the director is held in exceptional regarding hollywood, with a reputation for speed and efficiency. even for him, this will be a challenge. kevin spacey gone, the publicity will hardly hurt. this troubled film may yet have a happy ending. at the day's other news, prosecutors and germany say they believe a nurse who was convicted of murdering two of his patients, may havrdered 100 people. he is suspected of injecting people with potentially lethal heart drugs so that he looked like a hero when he resuscitated them. they have exhumed more than 100 bodies. there's noman -- water, food, or power but around 600 are refusing to leave. ordered its arabia citizens to leave lebanon following the resignation of the lebanese prime minister who is currently in the saudi kingdom. he resigned his post over the weekend. many call for his return to after thehis comes saudi crown prince fired dozens of the kingdom's most influential leaders. joining us is a joint fellow at the institute of peace and woodrow wilson center. i started by asking her if the events are connected. >> what you have playing out across the middle east is a huge game of thrones. effective couphe in saudi arabia, the crown prince taking action against dozens of prominent figures in the military, the media, the those with huge financial assets. in the broader region as saudi arabia tries to take a stand on whether it's lebanon.tar, and now it strongly believed inside lebanon that the saudi's were the ones who said to the prime andster, come here resigned. that's what it looks like he did. there are indications that he cannot leave saudi arabia. today you had saudi arabia, bahrain, kuwait, and united arab emirates telling him to leave lebanon. -- tell their citizens to leave lebanon. there are questions about what looked like an internal event inside saudi arabia now having repercussions rippling across the region and there are fears of another conflagration playing out on lebanese soil. jane: you make it sound as if the crown prince is taking on all comers. is this sustainable, and where does it go? >> it is hard to tell because the arrests are ongoing. it's believed it's part of a broad sweep that began in june when he ousted his predecessor, a longtime u.s. ally. then in september, prince mohammed arrested several clerics and intellectuals. now you have this arrest at some say there are over 200, some claim there are over 500. there is a lot of speculation about whether he is trying to assume the throne even before his father's death. jane: has anything like this happen in saudi arabia before? >> no, there have been challenges to former kings and one was incapacitated and his brother took over. you are creating not only a whole new royal family within the house of saud, but changing how you rule in saudi arabia. in the policies assumed in the name of modernizing our actually far more authoritarian. their questions about can he really make his claim of reform work, of eliminating corruption. it's not believed that all these people were actually the most corrupt. corruption is endemic in saudi arabia as it is throughout the middle east. these may not be the most important people. jane: how unstable is this making the whole region? >> there is such uncertainty right now. we are in the middle of transition. everyone was celebrating that the isis caliphate is in demise and almost finished. now we have a whole new set of challenges facing the whole region. jane: you're watching bbc world news america. still to come, they help deliver the white house to donald trump. a year on, what do some of his florida supporters say now? we go south to find out. it's an area of portugal's tosine known for waves up 100 foot. one surfer's hat had a very lucky but painful escape trying to ride one of these mammoth waves. he did a total wipeout. >> it was all going so well. andrew cotton have been waiting for this moment, and here it came. the perfect wave, all 60 feet of -- wipeout. andrew was thrown off his lord and crushed by the water. by afootage captured documentary team. the 38 euro from devon was treated by portuguese rescue teams and found to have a broken spine. afternoon, he spoke to us from his hospital bed and described what had happened. heavier, and i miss timed it, really. [inaudible] >> this latest wipeout comes three years after andrew was hit by another massive wave on the coast of portugal. put off,e is not been and wants to be back in water as soon as possible. the will his wife and children back in devon let him? very are concerned. i think it is hilarious. life to amike yeo his special best he was wearing over his wetsuit to protect him from impact. as a former plumber, he is used to being up to his neck in it, but he hopes to never get another soaking like this. ♪ jane: this time last year, hillary clinton conceded the presidential election. donald trump had confounded his critics by winning the support of a majority of white women and one third of hispanics. how to they feel about their vote 12 months on? we returned to florida to speak to some of the voters met on the campaign trail. >> florida, the state donald trump calls his second home, the state which paved his way to the white house. brand trump looms large here, but do any of the voters have buyers remorse? a year ago i met three women who supported donald trump. >> i voted for trump because he represents what i know, what i wanted. >> 12 months on, she is still delighting in donald trump. >> he is a great president. >> a military mom with a son serving in south korea, she says the biggest obstacle for the commander-in-chief is politicians in congress. >> i'm very happy with my choice. i very pleased that he is am keeping his promises. there's a lot of battles going on in congress, but we have faith in him. we are more angry and more determined to stand with him, to see that what we voted for happens. >> the tapes are deplorable. i think he needs to be smacked. i think he was ignorant in saying things like that. >> even though this artist was not happy with the language donald trump used about women, she backed him in the election. she still does now, even with the same reservations. >> i don't like the way he talks. i wish he would get off twitter. he is not a teenager. he is not a millennial. he could make a total mess of the presidency, or he could end up being a real help to the country. i'm going to give him a chance. i think a lot of people haven't given him a fair shot. >> he's really good with money. he understands there's been so much problems and things that hillary has said and done, she is just not trustworthy. >> i am not on the trump train 100%, no, i'm not. >> for many voters like this student, donald trump represented the least worst candidate, but she's not been pleased with his presidential performance. what are your biggest concerns about the man you voted for? >> honestly, america's reputation in the world. i think it's important that we keep and establish our allies. if he keeps making fun of women's facelifts on live television, we are not going to have a very good reputation in the world. >> but his reputation with many who backed him is still strong they might have concerns about his style, but even so, none of these women regret voting for him. jane: hollywood is no stranger to telling the story of u.s. , and this time it's lyndon baines johnson, or lbj, coming to the screen. woody harrelson takes on the role of the controversial president who led the u.s. during turbulent times after the assassination of john f. kennedy. the film is directed by rob reiner. we sat down to talk with him about the movie and the towering figure at the center of it all. >> i was very nervous about making a movie about lyndon johnson. i was a draft age during the vietnam war. i hated the guy. i was against the war, and he could send me to my death. so i was no big fan of lyndon johnson. as i matured and i spent time in politics, i got to understand and appreciate what he was able to accomplish, and how effective he was legislatively. >> lbj served as vice president in the kennedy administration. he became the nation's chief executive in a tumultuous time, after kennedy was assassinated on a visit to dallas, texas, in 1963. rob reiner's film focuses on a coressed time period. >> we have selected a very small sliver of time, from the time kennedy lands at love field in dallas to the time johnson gives his famous speech about civil rights in a joint session of congress. in that two weeks, he has to assume the presidency and has to take on the burden of trying to succeed kennedy, who was loved, and who he felt he could never live up to. >> it's quite a flattering portraitjohnson, but how balanced is it? there is no information about what happened later on in his presidency when he escalated the war in vietnam and came in for a lot of criticism. >> you are rightif he didn't know anything about lyndon johnson and all you saw was this film, you might have a different view of the complete picture of lyndon johnson. if i were going to do a full biography of johnson, it would take 10 or 12 hours to really look at his entire career. what i wanted to do was get at the essence of who he was as a person, and i think we were able to to accomplish that. >> does it read differently now compared to how it did before donald trump was elected? >> only people who have seen the film prior to trump anafter trump became president will know what i am talking about. it is a completely different film. we did not change one frame. but you see what a president is supposed to do and how government is supposed to function. >> lbj has left more than a few critics disappointed. but woody harrelson has been commended for his performance. at least one aspect of the film does sustain interest, the emerging portrait of a politician who became a champion of landmark civil rights legislation, despite what some historians claim were his own ties to the racist views of the segregationist south. >> this will define your presidency. >> i can only hope. jane: that was tom brooke talking to the director rob reiner about his new film on lbj. find that story and all the days news online and to see what we're working on any time, please check out our facebook page. i'm jane o'brien. thank you very much indeed for world news america. >> with the bbc news app, our vertical videos are designed to work around your lifestyle, so you can swipe your way through the news of the day and stay up to date with the latest headlines you can trust. download now from selected app stores. >> funding of this presentation is made possle by the freeman foundation, and kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. >> planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think. you can find it here in aruba. families, couples, and friends can all find their escape on the island with warm, sunny days, cooling trade winds, and the crystal blue caribbean sea. nonstop flights are available from most major airports. more information for your vacation planning is available at aruba.com. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: new allegations that alabama republican senate nominee roy moore had sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl when he was in his 30's. then, republicans go 'all in' on tax reform-- a look at the g.o.p.'s push to pass tax cuts before the end of the year. plus, president trump changes his tone on day two of his visit to china, saying he doesn't blame beijing for taking advantage of the u.s. with its trade policies. and, where's the beef? making sense of how advances in plant-based burgers are redefining an american classic. >> if we can be that group of people that separate meat from animals, that's an amazing thing