strong winds. the winds dropped out for a while until we enter wet and windy weather on the far south—west by the end of the day. warm in the sunshine with highs of 12 or even 13. this is bbc world news america. reporting from washington, i'm jane o'brien. president trump orders sweeping tariffs on chinese imports — heightening fears of a global trade war and the markets take a dive. a shakeup in the president's legal team — his lead lawyer in the russia probe resigns — as mr trump says he would like to testify. and six months after hurricane maria — the people of puerto rico are still on a very long road to recovery. for so many people in so many ways life has been set back decades here. welcome to our viewers on public television and america and around the globe. president trump has paved the way

for tariffs on up to $60 billion of imports from china. beijing doesn't like it and neither do the markets which took a plunge — the dow jones industrial loosing more than 700 points. but the move is fulfilling mrtrump's campaign promise of cracking down on unfair trade practices. this is how he described the imbalance with china. it is the largest deficit of any country in the history of our world, it's out of control. we have a tremendous intellectual property theft situation going on which likewise is hundreds of billions of dollars and that's on a yearly basis. for more on the impact of these tariffs i spoke a brief time ago with robert daly, director of the kissinger institute at the wilson center. the markets have reacted very badly, how likely is a trade war? we are

not ina how likely is a trade war? we are not in a trade war yet but this is one step, we will know in two weeks, 15 days, what kind of chinese imports the president is going to target and there is a period for comment now. during these periods the president tends to walk back on some of his more extreme proposals, he said he was going to put tariffs on all steel and some others, but 110w on all steel and some others, but now eu and mexico and canada are exempted. it is a bit more likely today, the trade war, but look at the man standing to the left of the president, wilbur ross, he said they will end up negotiating about these issues, not fighting about them, this might be the way of the president signalling that the united states is finally serious. china said it will fight to the end with all necessary measures. that means

they want to appear very tough domestically within china but it doesn't mean they won't adjust some of their practices. some of the things hazard is calling from ritchie conflated —— president trump is calling for, which he conflated, but some of the things he is asking china to do, to protect intellectual property, to open up some of its markets to a greater degree, these are things which people in china might wish to do anyway, so just as president trump begins with lust and backs off, we will see —— president trump begins with the bluster and then backs off, we will see that from china, as well. so what about the tariffs? they can be targeted and they can also cut down on chinese investments and mergers in the united states, this process

is already under way, there is something which looks at proposals forforeign investments something which looks at proposals for foreign investments and which looks at which ones of them threaten national security. so any chinese high to —— high—tech investments, for example, would be forbidden, so they can look across everything rather than look for a more by balanced trade relationship with china. this is notjust about the trade deficit. robert, thanks for joining us. so what is the reaction to these tariffs on capitol hill? republican senator jeff flake was a chief critic of the earlier penalties imposed on the eu and hejoined my colleague katty kay for her program beyond 100 days. senator, you have been critical of the idea of protectionism and imposing tariffs on other countries.

do you think president trump is charting an uncertain, perhaps dangerous, path for america by the announcement of tariffs? i do. the last announcements on steel and aluminium in particular. that was tariffs, mixed with what he called flexibility, but was really uncertainty. they're two poisons to the economy. how can you make business decisions, investment decisions, when you do not know what that tarrif will be. all you are assured of is some higher tariffs on some goods. this latest announcement, and we really have not had time to study it, to see if it is tailored specifically to respond to intellectual property or if its broader. do you think that china retaliates against america?

that is definitely a possibility. if we are going to go after china on certain issues, intellectual property theft and trade secrets, you want your allies with you, your trade allies. if you have just imposed tariffs on them, what do you do? what organisation do you work under? do you go to the wto, alone, unilaterally? that is not the way to go. the president has made it known he does not like the wto and does not like multilateral organisations that america has been part of and lead for the last 70 years. do you think donald trump could fundamentally change the role of america in the world and the world itself? well, yes. this rules—based, liberal international order that was created after world war ii very much initiated by the united states with regard to security umbrellas and trade preferential treatment. this has very much lead to prosperity that we have seen

in the world since world war ii. ijust cannot, for the life of me, want to know why the united states, being the one that initiated all of this, would be the one to run fastest from these organisations and institutions. i do think that it has the potential to really change the world as we know it. you have made it pretty clear, more so than all of your republican colleagues, that you are no fan of this president, is it that you simply don't like the guy? not at all. i have differences with him on policy, on protectionist trade policy, on immigration issues, on muslim bans, religious freedom issues like that. but also, in terms of behaviour. the lack of decency. just a coarsening of the political culture. those are the things i have a problem with,

not him individually. long before he ran for president i had issues with him pushing birtherism and some of these crazy conspiracies. you are leaving the senate. you're going to step down. do you think that donald trump will have a lasting impact on the tone that you call the coarseness of american political life? if you take a step back, is he a moment in time? if we, particularly as republicans, if we let it slide and do not challenge the president, believe me i am sympathetic to my colleagues who do not want to just talk about this all of the time. if we spend all our time responding to the latest tweet or statement from the white house or latest outrage we hardly have time for anything else. having said that, when the president goes

so overboard sometimes it is our obligation to call him out. in that way, we can ensure this an aberration — that this is not the new normal. if this becomes the new normal and we accept it as a regular course of events, then, yes, it will have a lasting impact and that is my concern. that was senatorjeff flake, speaking earlier to my colleague katty kay. staying with politics, and the trump administration is losing its top lawyer handling the special counsel probe into possible russian meddling in the 2016 election. john dowd was said to be growing frustrated, as his boss increasingly ignored his advice on how to approach the investigation. here's the bbc‘s anthony zurcher. is the right has going to changes approach to the robert mueller investigation? that is possible. john dowd had been cancelling cooperation with the investigation —— counselling cooperation. they

should turn over the documents and the greg —— reckon they can get this over, the better, but donald trump has grown tired of this advice and thatis has grown tired of this advice and that is why the reports are that john dowd is leaving. donald trump has criticised robert mueller by name, like did last month, that was c011 name, like did last month, that was con for tension, and he has brought in —— that was confrontational, and he has brought in a lawyer who has also changed the tone of things. does that tell us about the direction that the inquirer remit be taking? i think it does. direction that the inquirer remit be taking? ithink it does. -- might be taking. robert mueller has been looking at donald trump's business dealings with russia and he has been looking at other countries who have influenced this administration, saudi arabia and the united arab emirates were mentioned in a new

york times article yesterday, so he's not wrapping up this probe any time soon, and that is one thing john dowd was telling donald trump, b cool and it will all be over soon. former vice presidentjoe biden getting into a strange verbal spat that involved threats of violence against donald trump. joe biden said for the second time that if they we re for the second time that if they were at high school anyhow donald trump talking about women the way he has, he said he would take him to one side and beat him up —— and he heard donald trump. the president was not going to leave this, he said he would beat him up and he would leave crying. this is machismo but this is also interesting, a bit of fire in the belly withjoe biden, maybe wanting to mix it up with

donald trump. he might run? joe biden might be interested in 2020, we might be looking atjoe versus the volcano in a couple of years. very interesting. laughter in other news: syrian rebels and their families have begun leaving eastern ghouta under the first evacuation deal in the shrinking opposition enclave outside damascus. the agreement, brokered by regime ally russia, could mark a major advance in government efforts to secure the nearby capital. an inquest into the death of russian businessman nikolai glushkov in london has opened and adjourned. the 68—year—old was found strangled in his london home. mr glushkov fled russia after being accused of fraud. he was due to attend court in london to defend himself the day his body was discovered. mark zuckerberg's apology for his company's mishandling of customer data — and promises to make changes — have failed to put the issue to rest. facebook‘s stock continues to slide, and calls are growing for him to testify on capitol hill.

speaking on tv mr zuckerberg explained how information about millions of users was used for political purposes during the 2016 election. and he tried to reassure customers that it won't happen again. it isn't rocket science. there is a lot of hard work we need to do to make it harder for nation states like russia to do election interference and make it so that trolls and other folks cannot spread fake news. but we can get in front of this. we have a responsibility to do this, not only for the 2018 midterms in the us which would be a huge deal this year. but there is a big election in india, big election in brazil, big elections around the world. for more on the facebook fallout, i spoke to our technology reporter dave lee in san francisco. has his comments done enough to restore trust in facebook? no, i don't think they have, and that is

the sense we are getting from the reaction here. he seemed to concede a lot, especially when talking about the prospect of new regulation, but what he didn't do is give an explanation as to why facebook did not inform users when it first you about this problem which was in at least 2015 —— first new. that is what he has left out from his public statements, we have also heard the chief operating officer at facebook, the second—in—command after mark zuckerberg, she was talking to cnbc serious rate of those lines, open to regulation, but —— and she reiterated those lines, open to regulation, but what they have said would not actually change much about facebook whatsoever so we should be weary about what facebook is saying and what this would actually mean to their company in the long run. facebook have been here before, but i don't get this right this time

around, what are the consequences for the company? —— around, what are the consequences forthe company? —— if around, what are the consequences for the company? —— if they don't get this right. they have been here before but not this level of intensity, there have been calls for mark zuckerberg to testify in front of congress before and he was asked formally today, although formally asked does not force him to attend but that is a strong invitation that he should. if he doesn't start showing his face i think politicians will take a harsher view potentially on what should be done to control companies like facebook and if that does happen any resulting regulation would affect mark zuckerberg and his company but also potentially many of the businesses that operate in this pa rt the businesses that operate in this part of the world which is why longside facebook‘s drop in value we are also seeing similar hits on the stock of other companies like twitter and google. this issue is engulfing facebook but it isn't contained by mark zuckerberg and his tea m contained by mark zuckerberg and his team could end up being a big

problem for everybody here. dave, thanks forjoining us. you're watching bbc world news america. still to come on tonight's programme: when art meets politics. ahead of this weekend's march for our lives, we look at how artists have reflected civic unrest over the years. french police have clashed with protesters in paris as public sector workers across the country went on strike. they are reacting against president emmanuel macron's plans to cut back the state sector. tens of thousands of teachers, nurses and other workersjoined rail staff on strike for the first time since mr macron came to power. lucy williamson reports. the old ways are often cherished in france and that goes for protests as much as forjob contracts. firecrackers, union flags and a few favourite chance, they stopped the march of change before, but are they a march for emmanuel macron?

translation: emmanuel macron wants to| last translation: emmanuel macron wants to last union translation: emmanuel macron wants to | last - union bastions. translation: emmanuel macron wants to| last- union bastions. he's the last strong union bastions. he's destroying an entire social system, destroying an entire social system, destroying social security and pensions and the hospitals, he's destroying the rights our predecessors woi'i. destroying the rights our predecessors won. the march grew people from all backgrounds, protesting against changes which will mean fewer jobs protesting against changes which will mean fewerjobs and fewer benefits and less flexibility, but railway workers are seen as the real challenge. this is emanuel macron's biggest challenge so far, but this is also an argument about long established values and expectations that don't fit with emmanuel macron's plans for france. conditions for the train drivers

have barely changed in half a century, it was a job for life with retirement at 52, the national rail company has promised months of rolling strikes to protect those benefits but the president has sta ked benefits but the president has staked his presidency on reforming the economy and when it comes to the ra i lwa ys the economy and when it comes to the railways opinion polls suggest two thirds of french voters agree with him. it's been six months since hurricane maria devastated the us territory of puerto rico. aid agencies say life for many of the island's 3.5 million residents remains a day—to—day struggle. many are still without electricity. in the second of his reports from the island, aleem maqbool reports on the anger growing over what many see as is a lack of urgency in the us government's response. imagine having to depend on a

generator to keep your mother alive, thatis generator to keep your mother alive, that is the way, has been living now for six months, she likes so many here, all american citizens, has had no electricity since hurricane maria. every time the generator fails her medical machine breaks down. translation: it is horrible, we have been fighting the situation. it was the most devastating hurricane to hit puerto rico in living memory plunging more than 3 million people into darkness and into a humanitarian crisis. hurricane maria obliterated the infrastructure across this island, people are crossing the river in the way they have not done for years because the bridge was totally destroyed. and the simile people in

similar ways across puerto rico life has been set back decades. —— and for so many people for the this bridge has been rebuilt but the pace of recovery has been painfully slow. the people of puerto rico expected far more help from the united states. it is hard not to wonder that if the school had been in texas 01’ that if the school had been in texas or florida whether the children would have gone this long without electricity, unable to use computers, often in unwashed uniforms and not able to work at home after dark. translation: dissed egypt's edgy was upset on the impact was having on her students —— this teacher said she was upset on the impact. the misery is notjust about power, there were so much damage done to homes, as well. some have only been given a blue tarpaulin to help repair them. some

people have scored their contact details on the buildings they have abandoned. this woman knows more than anyone the psychological impact of staying here. her brother took his life just last month and she says that is because he was overwhelmed by the conditions since the hurricane. translation: after the hurricane. translation: after the hurricane. translation: after the hurricane that it affected him, seeing so much need, knowing all the bad news, seeing all the desolation and all the people leaving, it affected him mentally. and there has been a massive spike in puerto rican is attempting suicide since the storm, and in many ways people here can accept the devastation of a force of nature like league 2, much more than they can understand the suffering they are still going through now —— except the devastation of a force of nature

like hurricane maria. supporters of gun control legislation are getting ready to descend on washington dc and other us cities this weekend. the march for our lives was organised by survivors of last month's parkland school shooting — just the latest issue to inspire mass protest. america has a rich history of demonstrations and artistic works that reflect them. nick bryant has gone to the whitney museum in new york for an exhibition about some of the key moments. whether it's african—america ns condemning police brutality, women campaigning against misogyny, schoolchildren demanding an end to gun violence, or white, working—class voters railing against the establishment. the whitney museum of art has marked this turbulent chapter in the american story with an exhibition of politically inspired art. at its heart is the question — what is the role of the artist

in the modern—day political realm? i think they're trying to assess the moment we're in, give some kind of true assessment of where we are. maybe some optimistic idea of how we can get out of certain moments. but also, reallyjust kind of gauge what the moment is. looking at a lot of this art, you're struck by its resonance today. yeah. the exhibition looks at works from the 1940s to the current day. and i think you can look at it and say we're still dealing with these same issues, whether it's about racial segregation, whether it's about violence, whether it's about war. and you can be very cynical and say we haven't gotten out of these traps. this installation looks like a trophy room, but it actually showcases the history of police brutality in new york between the 1940s and the 1990s. each statuette memorialises an incident. it's the sort of work that could easily be constantly updated. yes, you could absolutely — of course, unfortunately — fill it in with not only incidents since this time, but other police departments around the country, around

the world, military organisations. i mean, there's a lot of places you could look to think about this issue. now, walking through this gallery, you do notice the absence of one key figure, and that is donaldj trump. yeah. well, for us, i think the idea was that putting together an exhibition of the history of protests in the united states is more important than any one person, even the president of the united states. and the ideas, i think, about about how artists see these issues, how different audiences have responded to it, and how artists might go on and continue to make work that shows us the moment that we're living in. art and protests are never in perfect sync. the creative process is not a rapid—response endeavour. so perhaps it will be some time yet before the iconic images of the trump years emerge. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. we will bring you coverage of that

snow at easter is not unheard of and we may get some of that this time around. before we get there, a quick heads up for the weekend, some rain in the south—east to clear away, sunny spells will follow, but for a few showers most places will be dry, and some rain on the scene at the moment, the weather front crossing its way across the uk, the area of low pressure, focusing most of the rain towards scotland and northern ireland on friday morning, the wettest weather in the north of scotla nd wettest weather in the north of scotland together with the strongest winds, sunshine in england and wales, just a few showers. some wind and rain in the south west. in the sunshine, it should feel warm, 12-13. into sunshine, it should feel warm,

12—13. into the evening, more rain pushing into the south west of england, maybe into south wales, and the south—east, and that rain will clear away on saturday. around that area of low pressure the strongest winds will be into the new continent but we will be left with the area cloud in southern england, into the southern midlands and east anglia, which will hold onto the dole and damp weather, otherwise we will have sunshine. temperatures widely ten or 11, but better weather on the way for the south east on sunday because we have this bump of high—pressure, the ridge tending to build across the ridge tending to build across the uk, and we still have a few showers in the north west of scotland. a few getting into northern england but otherwise most places will have a dry day on sunday, good spells of sunshine and warmth in the air at this time of year and if you get the sunshine you get the benefit of that and

temperatures will be back up to 12 01’ temperatures will be back up to 12 or 13. a pleasant day on sunday. album the atlantic, weather systems, they will start to charge in during they will start to charge in during the early part of next week —— at in the early part of next week —— at in the atlantic. replacing the high—pressure, we will have some rain coming to northern ireland. it looks like it will hold off until late on, but for a few showers, monday should be a dry day and also sunshine around. 11 — 12, that is normalfor sunshine around. 11 — 12, that is normal for this sunshine around. 11 — 12, that is normalfor this time of sunshine around. 11 — 12, that is normal for this time of year. it becomes more complex as we head into tuesday, weather fronts across the uk, the models are showing a lot of snow but i don't think it will be anywhere near as starry as that and if there is it would just be over the highest ground. mostly rain, but how quickly it moves north and east, thatis how quickly it moves north and east, that is the difficult thing, probably followed by sunshine and showers. double figures in the

south. we are heading towards easter, the band of wet weather stops easter, the band of wet weather sto ps a cross easter, the band of wet weather stops across the uk because we have high—pressure that is building from scandinavia, the position of the high will be crucial, the higher pressure is going to draw down some colder air, maybe a northerly, it is colder air, maybe a northerly, it is colder air, maybe a northerly, it is colder air arriving just in time for the easter weekend, especially across the northern half of the uk, but we will also all feel colder. sunshine around but also wintry showers, not quite so cold in the south, though. tonight at ten: theresa may asks the eu for strong condemnation of russia's role in the salisbury nerve agent attack. european leaders agreed it's highly likely russia was responsible for the attack in salisbury. the prime minister has warned russia poses a real and present danger. it's clear that the russian threat does not respect borders and indeed

the incident in salisbury was part of a pattern of russian aggression against europe and its near neighbours. here, the police officer exposed to the nerve agent is released from hospital, saying his life will never be the same again. with doctors warning the other victims of the attack may never fully recover, we'll be asking whether theresa may has managed to get the european support she's been seeking. also tonight. a looming trade war, as president trump announces plans to impose tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods from china.