the queen has carried out a public engagement outside a royal residence. she was joined by prince william for the visit to the porton down laboratory near salisbury. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell has more. out and about again on official duty, for the first time for seven months. the queen, accompanied by prince william, was at porton down. socially distanced, of course, but without facemasks. everyone they met had tested negative for coronavirus. they were shown the latest in bomb detection technology. machines that can detect one billionth of a gram of explosives. and sniffer dogs, which do it the old—fashioned way with a keen nose and a waggly tail. so to the subject which is dominating all of our lives, the pandemic. no one knows what's going to come next. and the scientists whose lives are spent dealing with deadly viruses. the queen listened and expressed a universal concern. now it is doubling. it's off again, isn't it? it is unfortunately on the rise. in ordinary times it would have been a routine royal visit. a plaque was unveiled to mark the opening of a new building. a visitors book was signed — "proof we have been here," said the queen. but these are not ordinary times. it's been one of the most exceptional years of her long reign. and the fact that she was there resuming her public duties, albeit with great caution, was a token of what, as head of state, she does. to reassure people that even with all the current difficulties, a pattern of life can continue. nicholas witchell, bbc news. now on bbc news, lebo diseko meets christian voters in the swing state of north carolina in this week's edition of our world. this is the most important election in the history of our country. america is gearing up for a monumental decision. we're in a battle for the soul of the nation. and that's not hyperbole. we really believe that, and i think... at the heart of it is the battle for god. in america, we don't turn to government to restore our souls. we put our faith in almighty god. cheering and applause the president held up the bible at st john's church yesterday. ijust wish he opened it once in a while, instead of brandishing it. beginnings are wonderful... both candidates have put faith front and centre and are showing off their christian credentials. now, we've got somebody. he's the one. christianity will have power. i'm lebo diseko, and i'm going to discover how faith is shaping the election battle in one crucial state. this is, in my opinion, spiritual warfare. this is good against evil. god is still moving. there's a lot that hinges on this election. i don't think this american democracy will be able to survive four more years. donald trump is a long way from a christian man. conservative christians, like myself, look and go, "how can you possibly... "how can you get your head around supporting this man?" i brought my bible. north carolina is part of america's bible belt. and the more i realise just how much god loves me... it's a state where faith matters. but you are my god! it's also a key swing state. the last time a republican won the presidency without winning here was 1956. are you ready? i would describe myself politically as a christian conservative patriot. there you go. make sure you get that side—on. rhonda allen is a firearms instructor and an evangelical. let's just give it a try and see what happens. in 2016, white evangelicals made up the republican party's largest voting bloc, with around 80% of them voting for trump. give me a smooth, easy trigger press. all right. nicely done. so, rhonda, tell me, how important is your faith to you and how you lead your life? my faith and my relationship withjesus christ is paramount. it rules my decisions. and politics are very important with that because our leadership dictates the society that we live in. and i would prefer that it continued to stay the god—centred country that it was originally created to be. that's it. we've noticed a great increase in demand for training, and for firearms and ammunition. ammunition isjust selling out. guns are flying off the shelf. a little left. people are not feeling safe because they're seeing the liberal left coming unhinged. and so our people are starting to...to fight back. rhonda sees this election as the battle for america's soul, and she is on donald trump's side. our christian values are under attack, and then we have very divided battle lines. we would like to be able to express our faith without condemnation from the left. when you speak up boldly and speak biblical truth, you can expect an attack. this is a small town, we live in the country, and we have seen a huge influx in recent years of those that don't believe the way we do. and they are making an impact in our elections and in ourdaily life. we're starting to see a lot more public displays of homosexuality, blatantly, on the streets. and none of us are perfect or without sin, we all have it, but most of us don't display our sin on the street with banners. this is, in my opinion, spiritual warfare. this is good against evil. the christian is god's army on earth. it's getting more important that christians stand up and speak their truth. we have got to start doing that, or we're going to lose this country. cheering in 2016, donald trump relentlessly targeted voters like rhonda. i'm a true believer, and you're many true believers. i hope... well, is everybody a true believer in this room? cheering but christianity is under tremendous siege, and yet we don't exert the power that we should have. christianity will have power because, if i'm there, you're going to have plenty of power. you don't need anybody else. you're going to have somebody representing you very, very well. remember that. applause in the us, faith is one of the most important factors in how people vote. and if you're willing to repent... trump has the support of hugely influential evangelical preachers like franklin graham. ..god will forgive your sins tonight. and jesus deliberately picked out those two stories. his father, billy, was known as america's pastor. but i believe even more than that, i believejonah could have swallowed the whale if god wanted him to. between them, they've preached to millions. this is the library. come on. the billy graham library in the south of the state is a museum to their work. people come here from all over the world. it's the largest attraction here, in this part of north carolina. good morning. how are you folks today? blessed, sir. how are you today? good to see you, sir. thank you. there was bush, his father, clintons. these politicians sought my father out. my father didn't seek them out. what do you think it is about donald trump as a person that christians connect with so much, on such a deep level? well, first of all, he's not ashamed ofjesus christ's name. he's very, very happy to be associated with christians. he's happy to have you come into the oval office and pray for him. when i prayed at his inauguration, i prayed injesus' name, and he was very happy for that. in the bible, rain is a sign of god's blessing. and it started to rain, mr president, when you came to the platform. evangelical preachers like franklin have been some of trump's biggest cheerleaders. i believe it was god. cheering god showed up. i thank you tonight for our president donald j trump. there has been a lot of talk about his lifestyle, and i think for quite a few people, it's hard to understand how christians, particularly evangelical christians, can overlook that or look past that. i'm not interested in the donald trump of 20 years ago, or 30 years ago. i'm interested in the donald trump of today. you know, his lifestyle over the years certainly... ..is a lifestyle that most christians would not approve of. and i think there's been a big change in his life in the last five years, and a spiritual change. this is being said by some people to be the most important us election ever. how important is it for christians? i think this is the most important election for christians. we have a very clear choice in this country during this election. we have a president who's very supportive of religious freedom, and we certainly appreciate that. and we've got the other side, who shows very little regard for christian values. the left will. . .will do everything, i think, in their power to undermine the people of faith. i came here to ask for your support, your help and your prayers. and wow, did you deliver. since winning in 2016, trump has made it clear that he won't forget his loyal evangelical backers. you didn't let me down, and i will never, ever let you down. you know that. he's consistently championed their agenda on key issues like abortion and religious freedom. we're proudly announcing historic steps to protect the first amendment right to pray in public schools. so you have the right to pray. and that's a very important and powerful right. make him a great blessing. and there's a reason to keep them on side. their concentration in swing states and high voter turnout means they wield a disproportionate level of influence on elections. injesus' name, we bless you. goodnight. for the rank and file white evangelicals like rhonda, trump's commitment to their causes is what really matters. judge amy coney barrett. his recent nomination of conservative christian judge amy coney barrett for the us supreme court has gone down well. i will continue to support him in his bid for election as long as he continues to bring forth conservative judges. we need christian conservative judges to keep this a christian country. go trump. most importantly, i appreciate his support of israel and moving the embassy to jerusalem. the bible, again, very clearly states that if you're a friend with israel and a friend of god's people, then you're a friend of his, and if you're an enemy of israel, then you will be an enemy of his. is there anything that you don't like about him? no, there's not a whole lot i don't like about donald trump. if he does nothing else but maintain our way of life and our freedom, then he's done plenty. but afterfour years in power, donald trump can't bank on all christian conservative voters backing him again. when i talked to reverend knox up the street... just across the state from rhonda is shawn lemond, a former republican politician. it would be difficult, i think, for any christian to see donald trump and not acknowledge that he is a long way from a christian man, that his value system is extremely flawed. as a christian, as a republican, what are your specific objections to him? how can a christian, like myself, with two daughters, possibly support a man that says he can grab them, grab my daughters by their genitalia because he's rich and famous? it saddens me greatly to see the republican christian right... ..accepting this man in any shade. shawn has been so appalled by the president's actions that he now actively campaigns against him. i served two terms in the north carolina state legislature. the republican party i knew and loved was an honourable party. what's taken over our party is wrong. and as a republican, as a christian, we simply cannot allow this man to be re—elected. the rhetoric's become hate—filled. anybody that disagrees with us is your enemy. that's absolutely new. i mean, there was always an element of that in our politics, but now it's become the overall consistent drumbeat within the republican rhetoric. it's despicable. it's disturbing. and it is dangerous. when the republican party goes with donald trump, it's not so much me leaving the republican party as the republican party leaving me. you're a lifelong and proud republican, you're conservative. and yet it sounds like you're leaning towards wanting a democrat to win? in this instance, yes, i will definitely be voting for joe biden. i'm going to encourage everybody i know to vote for joe biden. and we set up in thejustice department the ability for the civil rights division to go in and look at... joe biden is another thing that's different this time round. four years ago, hillary clinton struggled to make any significant inroads into the christian vote... personally, for me, faith, it's all about hope and purpose. ..but in biden, trump faces an opponent who's a lifelong catholic... my religion... ..and not afraid to use the language of faith. i go to mass and i say the rosary. ifind it to be incredibly comforting. in the west of the state is the small rural town of newton. i'm a big star trek fan, star wars fan, but i think my most prized possession is the taylor swift autograph. robert wright lee runs a liberal church where 85% of the congregation are lgbtq+. and my wife actually had that made for a birthday of mine. i wear bow ties when i'm not in a collar, so it has a little bit of a resemblance to me. robert can vouch for the strength ofjoe biden‘s faith, and has provided him with spiritual guidance. i guarantee you joe biden knows far more about his bible than donald trump ever will, because joe biden is a deeply committed person of faith. and i think that he has energised so many of us in the faith realm to be energised for him. something which robert believes will challenge the dominance of the evangelical bloc, which was so influential in 2016. people assume that the christian vote is a monolith, thinking that every single christian in the united states is going to vote for donald trump. that couldn't be farther from the truth. it seems to me that, for the longest time, the evangelical church has been a loud voice. but there are plenty of progressive christians, like me, who say, "not so fast." i think donald trump was able to mobilise a base in 2016, that included the evangelical vote, that really propelled him to victory. and he's hoping to do the same this time. well, you know, the unfortunate thing for him is we've had four years of president trump. many christians are not happy with the way that he is portraying not only our faith, but how he is treating others in the name of our faith. but stronger competition for christian votes isn't the only thing that's different about this election. coronavirus may well shape the way many african—americans decide to vote. no matter what we go through, no matter what the situation may look like, god is with us. this is what a church service in north carolina looks like these days, thanks to a pandemic. some of us, lord, tonight have lost loved ones. some of us have dealt with unemployment and furloughs. so, lord, we thank you. mycal brickhouse is a pastor in cary. thank you now. like other african—american communities, his congregation has been disproportionately affected by coronavirus. god is still moving! god is still working! horns honk god is still good. we're loading up 15 lb produce boxes. his church has organised a food bank to help those in need. this week you'll find some collard greens, some squash. the loss of life, the loss of employment, is being felt in our community. in my own family, i've lost my grandmother to the virus. this moment should pull at our hearts. we've been able to serve 150,000 meals since march 15th, and we're going to continue to go while covid is still making its way through our community. president trump has said that nobody has done more to help african—americans than himself, and i wonder what you make of that statement. how can he make that claim when we are witnessing more devastation happening to the african—american community? and i believe that this president has been absent from the pain and the suffering that is felt in these communities. you are registered to vote. when she says, "are you registered to vote?" and she said, "yes." then you click "yes". in 2016, black voter turnout fell sharply. you click "yes". mycal is out to do something about it. and you will be voting in person? 0k, great, then. wonderful. the black christian vote is more energised this election cycle because what we have seen is that lives really do depend on it. you're going to do it in—person? 0k. that's what i wanted to know. many of our members are resolute that they are going to vote in this election, and that their family members vote. in person? all righty. since president trump came to power, there's been a surge in political activism of black and progressive churches. north carolina has more african—american voters than any other swing state. talk to you soon. bye— bye. we got to hold them accountable. and the best way for me as a pastor to hold them accountable is to let them know that i have a congregation that is willing to vote them out, when they are not doing what is right for our community. shots injune, black lives matter protesters were cleared from near the white house. donald trump was heading to church, not for a service, but for a photo opportunity. the president held up the bible at st john's church yesterday. ijust wish he opened it once in a while, instead of brandishing it. he's following the radical left agenda. hurt the bible, hurt god. american politics has rarely been as divided and angry as it is today, and it's even reached the quiet suburbs where shawn lives with his family. what we've got here is a man who is intentionally scaring people and making you afraid of your neighbour. this is the stuff that will cause a nation to melt down. you know, this is the kind of stuff that will destroy the fabric of a community. the polarisation of the christian voting element in the united states is extreme. it's a level of hate and discord i could not have ever envisioned in north ca rolina. families that won't talk to each other. families that are completely split. every time we bring up racism... even shawn's15—year—old daughter has experienced this animosity. my friend since second or third grade, and she's a trump supporter. her family's a trump supporter. just this year, she decided, without an argument or anything, "just stop talking to me." and i'm like... i was just very disappointed to see a friend that i've told my deepest secrets to and told everything to just go away. and i'm getting a lot of... however, it's the unprecedented level of this conflict, which shawn believes could ultimately be trump's undoing. we're a peaceful country until the last six months, and now we've had protests and rioting going on. and do most christians say, "that's got to end"? and do most christians in the united states say, "that's donald trump's fault"? yeah. donald trump famously has had huge support from white evangelical christians. how important is it to him that he maintains that support and even expands it? there is absolutely no doubt. he will not get re—elected without that entire group being behind him. now, within that christian group, polls clearly show that he's lost about 8%. and 8% of that.. ..voting bloc is pretty significant, frankly. but for die—hard evangelicals like rhonda, god is on trump's side... i believe he was put here for this day in time for a reason. ..and she's hopeful for november's outcome. "he saved them from the hand of the foe. "from the hand of the enemy, he redeemed them. " she chuckles that means we'll prevail. that god's on our side. we already know the end of the story. this can only happen in north carolina! donald trump has visited north carolina five times since august... my name's joe biden. ..and joe biden has campaigned here, too. this state matters, and how its christians vote may well help determine who wins the keys to the white house in three weeks' time. hello there. we're moving into a quieter spell of weather. it may only be short—lived, mind you. essentially we've got high pressure dominating but again the centre of the high pressure is towards the north of the uk, hence those winds off the north sea as we've seen over the past few days bringing with them a few showers as well. probably not as many showers today compared with what we had yesterday. and more places will be dry with a little sunshine. but it will be a chilly start to the day on friday especially where we've got the clearer skies in the west. we start with a few showers mainly for the eastern parts of england. they'll run their way through lincolnshire through the midlands towards parts of wales and some showers in the extreme south—east of england, the odd one possibly in northern ireland too. but more sunshine for south—west england and more sunshine for northern england. and the best of the sunshine in scotland, i think, will be across the western side of the country. for many parts of scotland, it looks cloudy. it's going to be a cool day as it was yesterday. that cloud continues to push down across scotland into northern england. one or two showers continuing into the night, may be a few more showers arriving in the far south—west of england as well but probably not quite as cold early on saturday morning compared with friday morning. those temperatures under the cloud at around 6—7 celsius. the weekend looks quiet, little or no wind. the winds very light, we have a lot of cloud around, many places will be dry and still quite cool. got a few showers towards the south coast of england, the south west. the odd one from the cloud across england and wales and a bit of drizzle coming in across northern and eastern scotland perhaps into the north—east of england. that's going to make it feel quite cold. temperatures struggling to make double figures in northern scotland. 12—13 again is going to be a fairly typicalfigure, a lot of cloud around too. and on the whole, it looks quite cloudy on sunday but if anything, the cloud is a little bit thinner for many areas, so a better chance of seeing some sunshine. a better day for the south west of england for example. but signs of a little rain just beginning to arrive in northern ireland, perhaps the north—west of scotland, and that's a sign of things to come really because if we look further ahead into the early part of next week, instead of high pressure dominating the weather, the pressure is falling and low pressure is going to take charge. you can see we've got a number of weather fronts on the scene as well. so, we can tidy that up really into just this sort of headline because the early part of next week looks like it's going to be a big change in the weather to wet and windy conditions, maybe not quite as chilly as the weekend. welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: donald trump and joe biden have made rival tv appearances, with the president declining to deny online conspiracy theories involving him and his rival criticising him over coronavirus. i know nothing about qanon. i just told you. you just told me about what you tell me doesn't necessarily make it fact. i hate to say that. twitter says it's investigating a global outage as millions we have to hundred and ten plus thousand people dead and what is he doing? nothing. he is still not wearing masks and so on. twitter says it's investigating a global outage as millions of users weren't able to post 01’ read messages. a warning to europe from the world health organization — impose new restrictions to save lives, as the continent

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