>> thiis "bbc world news america." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, and kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for erica'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,in cooltrade 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. >>"nd now, "bbc world news. jane: this is "bbc world news america." reporting from washington, i am jane'brien. president trump announces new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. it sparks backlash at home and abroad. from a trade war to rhetoric remi scent of the cold war. vladimir putin touts russia's nuclear capabilities, callingem invincible. and maisie sly is ready to take the oscars by storm. this six-year-old leading lady talentsbut signing her to the world.

jane: welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. it didn't take long for longer -- large reaction after president trump announced he would be imposing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. from the eu to canada, it was called unacceptable and a violation of existing rules. even republican lawmakers voiced their concerns about the unintended consequences. and the markets took a dive. but for voters in rust belt the industries have suffered, it was the fulfillment of a campaign promise. nick bryant starts our coverage. nick: the derelict steel mills of america's old industrial heartland provides a sfor the rise of donald trump. he would not have won the presidency had it not been for the support he received from the rust btot. the promisive to protect manufacturers from imports even if it meant sparking a global trade war echoed through these empty plants. during his first yr in office

, he did not erect the protectionist barriers he promised. controversial trade move yet. eting with industry leaders, he announced big tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. president trump: what has been allowed disgraceful, disgraceful. and when it comes to a time when our country cannot make aluminum and steel -- somebody said it before, and i will tell you, you almost don't have much of a country, because without steel and aluminum, your country is not the same. nick: chinese steel accounts for a small proportion of u.s. imports, but the massive expansion of the indhas produced a global glut, driving down prices, wthch has angered president. >> mr. donald j. trump! nick: much of his "america first" rhetoric has been directed against beijing. president trump: we cannot continue to allow china to rape

our country, and that is what they are doing. it is the greatest theft in the history of the world. nick: there has been fierce international reaction, the european commission warning ofre countermeain response to what italled a blatant intervention to protect u.s. industry. on capitol hill, it raised favorior republicans who free trade a urging a re-think and asking mr. trump to consider the unintended consequences. on wall street, rries about tit-for-tat retaliatory measures triggered a selloff. donaldrump is invoking a cold war-era measure not used since the reagan years which allows u.s. presides to impose tariffs in the interest of national security. -- ite fear is a good could spark a 21st-century global trade war which damages every economy. nick bryant, bbc news, washington.ja : for more, i spoke a short time ago to our political analyst ron christie, former advisor to president george w. bush.

ron, welcome. what is the strategy here? ron: this strategy is to fulfill a campaign promise. he went to the folks in ohio, pennsylvania, the rust belt, and said, "i will revitaour industry." same with west virginia and coal. if you look at this from a campaign promise being fulfilled, that is great. if you look at it sparking a trade war were doing harm to international lations with our allies, it is a bad thing. jane: this is not the first time he haske rglobal upheaval to fulfill a campaign fo pledge. is this a political risk that as a strategist could ha sympathy for? ron: no, i think this isre less. when you look at what the present did with nafta and sayta the uniteds needs to make sure that with canada and mexico we are on a level playing field , i can understand that. ant now you are bringing in eu, looking at the je, a global potential of disruption,

etand you saw our stock ma take a tumble. people are worried about a trade war. janethat is a barometer he sets great store by. that is not going to please his base, either. ron: this is one of the unintended consequences. that is why i ve having fast food. it takes great going down, and then about an hour later, i'm half like, why did i do that? it sounds great to the base right now, and then they are going tor, wonhen a menik white are people slept -- why are people slapping tariffs on united states products? this could also harm u.s. rtinterests and merican jobs. jane: let's talk about the alliances. this seems to be a scorched-earth policy.ge everybod tariffs regardless of the consequences. can america afford to lose friends at this point? ron: no, we need all the friends we can get, and as a free trader , i would say to you we ed to make sure we not only have as many allies as possible, but as many markets. we want to export american products around the worl we don't want our friends looking at us not as friends and alli but as enemies. this action could provoke unintended consequences for the economy.

jane: as if this isn't enough turbulence, it has been a turbulent week in the white house. you had hope hicks, communications director, departing, and jared kushner , his son-in-law, losing his security clearance. what could steady the ship? ron: strong leadership. that has to come from the president of the united states. hethe president setsone. the chief of staff might be in charge of the esaff, but the ent is in charge of his government. the president has to stop the tweeting, the president has to stop antagonizing senior staff.l my sourcesme that hope hicks left because the president would constantly berate her, particularly after she testifyth on capitol hil week. she did not want to be there anymore. the president of the united states needs a strong, coherent communications message. ntwithout that, they will ue to run in circles. jane: there is no sign of that happening. how much will thisonffect him pely, having his inner circle reduced this way? ron: it is going to have a very

strongmpt. let's talk about jared kushner. the president believes in family and those he trusts. jared kushr have a a lowered security clearance means he will not have as much time or influence with the president. he won't be in the room. hope hicks worked for the famile re, worked for the campaign, his strongest and closest ally in the white house. she is departing. who is going to fill that void?w no o is there now. if you are a republican lookingh to work fopresident, this is not the administration. people don't want to go in,t people don'nt to deal with that uncertainty. jane: ron cistie, thanks for joining me. russian president vladimir putin today unveiled a new range of nuclear weapons he said were invincible. laims they can hit targets around the world and evade u.s.-built missile shields. he was s state of the nation speech ahead of elections due on march 18. steve rosenberg reports from moscow. steve: he never slips into a room quietly. vladimir putin took the stage

for his annual state of the nation address. the audience was expecting to hear about the economy, social issues, and there was some of at. but then, the kremlin leaderto everyone by surprise.id oneo screen, he showcased the very latest russian nuclear weapons.rc 200-ton intinental ballistic missiles. cruise missiles with nuclear engines. he claimed they coulany target and dodge any defense. and there is more, he said. and the show continued. the missiles kt coming, and with them a warning to the west. "those who try tcontain russia has failed," president putin said. "believe me, i am not bluffing." >> i think we are entering, if

not already in, a new cold war,i and not just because of putin's statements this morning. you hear president trump also thumping his chest and talking about having the best nuclear systems. steve: but in moscow, the rea tion on the whole, russi acting in self-defense. it is reminiscent of the cold war, is it not? we're talking about an arms race. >> if you are looking for the next edition of the cold war -- look to the west. steve: the kremlin has two messages with this speech. the first message is to the west -- russia will not be pushed around. the second message, ahead ofec ons here, is to the people of russia -- vote for putin, and you will have security at home.r that is how thlin wants russians to see their president, ir the embodiment of russia, as the protector of tountry.

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. jane: quick look at the day's other news. china has reacted angrily to a u.s. senate bill cutting ridges closer ties bween america and taiwan. legislation which only needs president tr become law,fo gives approval official visits between washington and taipei. at the moment the u.s. restricts this kind of exchange to avoid uptting beijing. e european union's chief brexit negotiator has accused of closing the door on possible solutions, leaving thea bloc with onlyree-trade agreement as an option. in says he hopes a major speech by british prime mter theresa may on friday will help move the negotiations forward. the north korean cheerers who attended the winter olympics are reported to be undergoing reeducation following their return home. south korean media said the aim

is to erase the women's memory of their stay in the far richer south korea. the electoral authorities in venezuela have postponed a presidential electn until the second half of may. the opposition has complained that early elections would allow them to fully take part. the government has been under intense pressure from abroad to make sure that the elections will be free and fair. now to the second of our special reports from yemen. for three years there has been a civil war between the ousted revernment supported by saudi arabia and houthls backed by iran. the conflict has reached a stalemate, with territory rarely anging hands, but the consequences have been devastating for civilians. the bbc's chief international correspondent lyse doucet has gained access to the south of the country, where yemeni government forces have pushed out the houthis. eldom inlebrations are yemen's intractable war.

every inchin gained his forbidding terrain is a victory. it has taken more than two years to get this far. now yemeni troops and tribesmen control this southern province. airstrikes by saudi-led alliesn helped hase slow march against the houthis. the commander says houthis are hitting civilians here. houses over there and over there. the front lines in yemen's brutal w are starting to slowly shift, but this still seems like a war without end. everybody talks about a political solution. nobody believes it will happen, not while forces on both sides still believe theygran keep gainnd. but victory can be fragile it is dangerous here.

"the houthis have us in their sights we must move, quickly." it is the biggest town in this province. it is back in the army's hands. a strategic town on a vital supply route. only weeks ago, the houthis had it. but it is broken by years of strife. like much of yemen, health services have all but collapsed. there is only one hospital year, -- there's only one hospital here, only t specialist doctors, caring for tens of thousands. many staff left when the houthis came, and their salaries and stopped. but the patients keep coming. this house was hit by a mortar. is not clear who fired it. "they took my whole family," he says. all three children gone. they were 11, six, and two. "there is just me and my wife le," he says.

in intensive care, a young man shot in the chest on the front line. he had to travel for hours for help. hard to stand a fighting chance in conditions li this. the on surgeon here does his best against the odds. next door, what seems to be an empty room. it is not. a tiny baby alone, struggling to survive. we are told he has septicemia. even doctors are targe. this doctor tells me the houthis sent him to prison, accused ofg bespy. >> they get information by hitting us, by electric shocks. there is really suffering. lyse: when you see people here,

there is still suffering? no matter who is in charge, there is still suffering? >> many, many problems. they are thinking of dly life. we want to eat. lyse: in the main market, people tell us they are worried. thing -- they need eve schools, jobs, security. some expressed relief the houthis are gone. the saudi-led coalition ha stopped bombing here. i asked, did many die in the airstrikes? "not many," this man says. others disagree. "a lot of families died -- ," some shout. "five," says this man. an entire family was killed in this home. erre than 13 people. yemen's minif information wants to make sure we see this . "what the houthis did," he says.

he tells me, "we don't want to wipeut the houthis. they are yemenis. but they should give up their guns and seek power through elections stead." noble thoughts, but a brutal battle rages across this yemenis,ttand, and for a simply to survive. jane: that report part of a special service looking at one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. you are watching "bbc world ne america." still to come on tonight's program, nigeria's president has called it a national disaster, 110 girls kidnapped from schools by boko haram. we hear from the families of those missing. police hav several it scion businessmen in slovakia, making several arrests

as they investigate the murder of aournalist and hisiancée. in his final article, he alleged that the italian mafia were embezzling eu funds and were linkedrn to gont officials. memorial an impromptu for the 27-year-old shot dead at home with his fiancée in what police say appeared to be a contract killing. it is not the first time crime and corruption have made the news in slovakia, but it is the first time a journalist has been killed reporting it. armed police raided the homes of alian businessmen in the east of the country, arresting several people named in the final kaman finished article. he had been in the final, and finished article. he had been undertaking a gordian knot of business and allegedly criminal connections, from businessmen to eastern slovakia all the way to the highest echelons of state. wasg the officials he named

the chief state advisor and close confidant, a former glamour w mod was once in business with one of the men arrested. at a next ordinary news conference, the prime minister defended his staff, but for a prime minister trying to dispel imagesf slovakia as a place where money and politics were intimately linked from the optics weren't great. >> ladies and isntlemen, there ne million euros. this reward is for the person who has any information abo the crime and is encouraged to come forward to police. reporter: on friday, protest rallies are planned in 20 cities across the country, a reminder that while this is a political scandal, it is also a very h tragedy. va.atisla

jane: eight has been more than a week since 110 studentswe in nigeri kidnapped from a girls school by boko haram militants. their fate remains unknown, andi parents are an agonizing wait f any news of their whereabouts. the bbc has visited the school to meet with the family of some of those missing. reporter: this is where she ran when the militants attacked her school. it was 70 p.m. she was in the dorm with her best friend. they were about to eat dinner when they heard gunshots. >> one of our teachers told us to come out. when we came out, we saw bulletl ng in the air like fire. there was confusion all over the school. students screaming and rushing towards the gates. but the gate was locked. reporter: many of the girls took to try to

get away. the main exit is that way. sandag littered alis path. >> then we saw the militants' truck and ever shooting and shouting to get in the truck. reporter: during the attack, fatimaanaged to run away from the militants twice, but she was with her best friendd , ey got separated. she said altogether, five of her closest friends are missing, and she has many more girls who we ken away. she is 14. she said business was her favorite subject. >> yes, business. reporter: her sister is 25 and went to the same school as the girls. she was close to her sister. it was three days before the government admitted that there had been a kidnapping. st week, the authorities

claimed girls had been rescued. then ty said the claim was false. for her mom, that was the hardest moment. nigeria's president has said that the military and air force are searching for the girls, but parents aren'reassured. >> in this school, there are no children of government officials. all the students are the daughters of poor people. reporter: now the school is eerily quiet. inthe scene is chiy similar to the aftermath of the kidnapping of the chibok schoolgirls in 2014. it was three years before most of tse girls were released, and over 100 of them are still missing. the parents of one girl are raid that they will also wait years to see their children again. jane: that report showing how vulnerable some girls in nigeria

remain. this sunday the red ca in hollywood will be packed with stars hoping to go home with an oscar. y, ag them will be maisie sl deaf six-year-olwho has a lead role in the british from silent child." it is a short film that highlights how a sign language can change lives. that is case.ly true in this colin patterson reports. >> hello. i am maisie. eam in a hollywood for th oscars. colin: it is a story so happy it could be a plot of a hollywood film. maisie sly had never acted before her parents were told by about filmmakers o were looking for our profoundly deaf girl to star in the film "the silent child." >> and now here are the nonees for best live-action short film. colin: this was the moment in january when the team together -- the team gathered to find out

they had been nominated oscar. >> "the silent child." colin: and so this week they a reunitedheathrow and headed to los angeles. most people prepare for the tsoscars by meeting stylis and planning acceptance speeches. bisie's schedule hasn rather different. >> my farite thing this week was the zoo. that is my favorite thing this week. >> welcome to hollywood. is having togh she get used to people recognizing her. >> i saw her on tv. colin: rachel shenton wrote "the silent child." sh learned sign language after

her own father lost his hearing. >> the nomination means that we are in 600 cinemas in the u.s., which is huge for a short film, and really important for the subject, which is shining a much-needed light on educationn. for deaf child >> there's meryl streep. colin: chris overtonted the film, and at a lunch for all the nominees, ohey got to me of his heroes. >> steven spielberg was there. -- in the -- he was in between because, can weove, the light was not good. we were ordering spielberg around. colin: now all that remains is to find out if there will be a hollywood happy ending. on sunday night, maisie could get her hands on a rea one of these. colin patterson, bbc news, los angeles. ne: i know we are all rooting for you can find much more on that story and al our website, and to see what we are working on at any time, do of facebook page.t our i am jane o'brien.

thanks very much indd for watching "bbc 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 ue news of the day and st to date with the latest headlines you can trust. download nowrom selected app stores. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, ko aner foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. >> planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easik. than you th you can find it here in aruba. dsmilies, couples, and fri 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 newshourroductions, llc woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, turmoil in the white house-- tensions brew between the chief of staff and jared kushner after a security downgrade, while one of the president's closest aides leaves. also ahead, president trump announcenew controversial tariffs on steel and aluminum. what this means for thteeconomy and ational trade. then, heightened threat-- russia's president putin boasts a new arsenal of nuclear weapons that would leave nato's defenses useless. and, an exclusive newshour investigation uncovers allegations of sexual miscondu within the u.s. forest service >> it justeels like you're like screaming into a void, like, "this happened," and noboea