>> this is "bbc world news america." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, and aruba tourism authority. >> 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. >> and now, "bbc world news." tim: this is "bbc world news america." reporting from washington, i am tim willcox. dropping the mother of all bombs in afghanistan, but why did u.s. forces use this weapon and what does it say about america's strategy in the region? who knows if the pictures are true, says syrian president assad, who denies all responsibility for the chemical attack that led u.s. versus to strike his country. a good saturn's moons of support life? scientists say it has all the right conditions.

hello, welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. name, butofficial most people call it the mother of all bombs, america's largest nonnuclear weapon. it was dropped on an islamic state in afghanistan, but why? who knows how many militants were killed in the attack any country's far east. jon sopel reports. gpu 43 alsos the moab, the mother of all bombs. today is the first time as other ,- ever it was used in combat the largest weapon ever deployed

, the target so-called islamic state in afghanistan. spicer: we targeted caves isis fighters abuse to move around freely make it the unitedthem to -- states takes the fight against isis seriously, and in order to defeat the group, we must deny them operational space. it is a busy time for the commander in chief. proud ofmp: we are so our military. it was another successful events. john: people say it's not what he promised during the campaign. pres. trump: i knew more about the generals do. believe me. i would bomb the shit out of them. john: this is close to the border where a member of u.s.

special forces was killed last week. takes theinistration issue of isis moving to afghanistan. john: this is not the war on terror, but the inhuman and most misuse of-- brittle our country, the new and dangerous weapons. it's not just the dropping of a massive a bomb in afghanistan, in just a week president trump has ordered an attack on syria, and he has a recommitted his commitment to nato. some of his supporters are asking what ever happened to the isolationist, america first president of the inauguration? jon sopel, bbc news. i discussed this with michael hamlin.

president trump said he would the islamicl out of state is this is what he is done in afghanistan? michael: it gives us something to talk about, but is typically not used in a tactical setting you might contemplate. it has two to three times the lethal area that might lethally be affected for a human being compared to a typical one-ton bomb. you could do the same thing with bomb if you use a few at a time. there's little reason to use this one, but maybe you would do it for shock value, or maybe to prevent people from moving about n bombsfferent one-to

were being dropped, so we prefer to use other weapons not this one. this is a specific tactical setting where there are tunnels, or people over a couple of football size piece of property, or if we just wanted a big bang to create a psychological effect in our enemy. either way, i don't think this should be viewed as a turning point, because the applicability of this kind of strike to most any other tactical setting is not going to be --' tim: you're saying it has been around, and presidents haven't used it. without be another factor as well? jmichael: yes, that is exactly right. we don't even like using the one-ton bombs.

we usually go to the 500 pound or so bombs. in the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism bites that we have in an urban setting, a smaller weapon delivered precisely is a much more effective way to fight as a rule , but as you say this is a rural area and maybe there was some hope, somehow this could be a psychological effect. i am skeptical how that will echo. have a point 5000 troops there at the moment. you haveain briefly the taliban, al qaeda, it is a bit of a mess? michael: exactly. even when we had 150,000 nato troops, we couldn't get there

well. tohink this is an effort take advantage of a situation and maximize the effect of a big bomb, but it's not going to be that effective in this kind of setting. tim: thank you very much. comesmbing of afghanistan on the heels of a strike on an syrian air base, of course. that was in retaliation for a chemical attack. assad claims the u.s. -- i should warn you this contains distressing images from the start. showed children in terrible -- by the attack. presidents was so shocked b what he saw, he went from being

able to deal to calling him a budget. we don't have any chemical weapons. we gave up our arsenal two years ago. even if we had them, we wouldn't use them, and we have never used our chemical arsenal in our history. evidence --dible pictures that chemical weapons were used according to the organization that supervises the international ban on them. assad insisted it could've been staged to discredit his government. d: we don't know who committed that act, but the matter -- we have no information at all, no investigator. >> the fakery included the white

rescue teams. al qaeda men disguised as heroes. they were fake. they are al qaeda. they wore white hats and appeared as humanitarians, which is not the case. here --event killings have the proof on the internet. a week ago has changed a great deal for the regime for the first time being seen hit by the u.s.. america's next moves are but threatens a regime change in syria. assad says it plays into the hands of al qaeda. assad: this plays into

the hands of the terrorists. they fabricated the whole story. and's prime minister says he was inspecting the -- and keeping up the pressure. >> scientists have analyze material from the site of the attack and it is very clear that like substancein- was used. we believe it is highly likely that the attack was carried out by the assad regime. >> ansys he has nothing to gain by carrying out these attacks. -- america.are watching " police are still questioning the --year-old iraqi known as

over tuesday's attack. two people were injured against monaco. thanibyan coast says more 90 migrants have a drowned off the coast of libya some migrants have been rescued. board, 20 people were on most from sub-saharan -- speculation has been growing that north korea may be ready to carry out its sixth nuclear test this weekend. if so, is the anniversary of the nation's founder, known as the day of the sun. as the world watches that, pyongyang has been putting forth its best journalist. our correspondent who has been

closely monitored by officials there comes with this report. john: they poured in, citizens and soldiers alike, north korea displayed -- [applause] john: at the front of the crowd notkim jong un celebrating the missile launch test, but to the construction of a new street. the inauguration of new blocks and shops anywhere else would raise barely a murmur and pyongyang it is met with rapturous applause.

it might seem like an extraordinary celebration to mark the opening of a street, but it is about so much more than that. it is about economic survival, resilience, and sending a message to the outside world of total loyalty to the leader. the country's prime minister told the crowd that the opening of the new street sends a more powerful signal to the world than any number of nuclear bombs. but in reality, for north korea, bombs are vital. with reports that another nuclear test may the imminent -- may be imminent, we're taking on a tour of the school. the dear marshall kim jong-un clothes and feeds us," this nine-year-old girl tells me. and from an early age, she is told that it is bombs and missiles that guarantee his regime's survival. for a poor and isolated country

like north korea, this reasoning has some logic. might it have gone the way of iraq or libya, its leaders ask, if it didn't have its nuclear program? foreign journalists are brought here to be shown a friendly face. and there are many of them. but also, the willingness to endure. "sanctions don't bother us at all," this man tells me. "united around our leader, nothing can harm us." the message is clear. north korea is marching towards its nuclear future, and no amount of the threat or coercion from a u.s. president will get in its way. john sudworth, bbc news, pyongyang. tim: you're watching "bbc world ews america."

he is a congressman that helped derail the health care reform plan, what about the people who voted for him. coming up in just a few moments. for more than a decade, survivors and relatives of the -- have been looking for answers and -- the court said that critical intelligence was ignored. reports.ng you may find some of the images here upsetting. rebels stormed the schools, 1100 children parents and teachers into the gym, people died. russianckers wanted troops to leave by the nearby attackers of chechnya.

the incident lasted 452 hours. there were bombs taped to the walls and ceilings. children were forced to stand by the windows as human shields. some, like this little girl managed to escape. for them, forced to wait for three days, terrified listening to gunshots, this ruling is the result they hoped for. in strasburg said russia failed to take reasonable steps to protect the lives of the hostages. the critical intelligence was not acted on appropriately to prevent the attack, and russian officials failed to minimize the loss of life." russian security forces have surrounded the school. when they surrounded the building a used tanks and flamethrowers when children were still inside. some survivors say they will continue their fight for justice.

the kremlin says the ruling is absolutely unacceptable. the court ordered $3 million in compensation and underlined a newshould now be objective investigation. sophie long, bbc news. tim: many u.s. lawmakers are back in their home districts for s.e easter break some of them getting a hard time about washington's failure to repeal and replace obamacare. makeup of his own party the freedom costs this -- caucus.

laura: meet jim jordan, tracy's number of congress. this woman was frustrated to see the republican botched attempt. >> i was a little disappointed that we had eight years to work on this, and i hoped that republicans in the years could get things done. the president now is blaming him and other members of the freedom caucus for the failure. is that their? . >> i we know they are working on don't think it is fair. we know they are working on a daily if not hourly basis, and i feel confident, as most of us in this area do, that they will get the job done. >> you are not ever going to get all you want, but if you push you will get some better product , for the folks back home. laura: meet jim jordan, tracy's number of congress. he is a conservative republican and member of the freedom caucus group who helped torpedo the

white house attempted health care reform. the president directly singled out jim jordan with his furious tweetstorms, but the kindest man -- the congressman is unmoved. rep. jordan: tweets and statements and blame don't change facts. there were concerns with this legislation, real concerns we have, and we are trying to make it better. >> president trump's shooting from the hip again, like he always does, and he will find that people like jim jordan in the caucus will be his friends and allies as we go on. laura: gene's family has run this farm for generations. a staunch republican he thinks , the president is a loose can and backs the congressman's decision to oppose obama care reform. >> i think he did the right thing. as a result, i think a better bill will come out of congress soon.

laura: lima is in allen county, where more than two thirds of the electorate voted for both donald trump and congressman jim jordan in the november election. the message from republicans here is loud and clear, time for the party to work together to deliver on its promises. at lima's diner, they served burgers and shakes since the depression years. the regulars are keen observers of politics. >> i really don't understand why they are fighting. if it is to help the american people, help them. quit this crap about republicans and democrats. you know we are all one nation. , >> trump's not a politician. he is the first one to tell you. but he will make some changes. good or bad to my don't know yet -- good or bad, i don't know yet. allet factory pl they are making thousands of these per week. tracy wants to provide affordable health care for her workers and is relying on

president trump. >> sometimes he flies off the handle a little too quick but he will get the job done. i think things are coming around and they will work together and it will happen. laura: this state, like others in the midwest, boarded the trump trained with his promise of change and new jobs in spire hope. internal squabbling over health care reform is not what people expect now that republicans are in the driver seat. laura trevelyan, bbc news, lima, ohio. tim: could there be life outside the planet is the question often asked about space and today nasa says they make have a lead -- they may have a lead. that's all the conditions needed for living organisms. the discovery was made by a spacecraft. decade, qasim he has shared the wonders of saturn and its moons. continueson that

to make astonishing discoveries about saturn. beneath its icy service is a deep ocean. great jets of water blasting out of it contain ingredients needed for life. in fact nasa scientist say on the floor of the ocean there may be -- like these on earth making hydrogen -- so there could be life. this is a significant finding, because hydrogen could be a source of chemical energy for any microbes that could be -- in the ocean. this is a very exciting finding. rings, is with its perhaps the most striking of the planets. the spacecraft is one of the largest ever into deep space.

it stands seven meters tall and has been on an epic journey. it left earth in 1997, beyond .ars, weaving pass jupiter it has been studying saturn ever since. spacecraft now orbits inside the famous rings. we now know that they are rocks raising from tiny specks to the size of houses. this will give us of use of the rings and of saturn itself. discovery will get closer to the rings than ever before, but the instruments were built back in the early 1990's and the scientists aren't sure they will work. >> the reason i am nervous is that the final -- designed with my instrument and mind and gravity in mind. the intermune's are getting old,

just like we are -- the instruments are getting old, just like we are. i'm excited by it, but rather unsettled as well. the cloudsill skim before burning up in the next few months. not contaminate the rings. with no idea if anything is alive on it, that will be known until a future mission may be decades away. this becomes one of the likeliest places in the solar system to find life beyond earth. we go, ifbefore you throw a coin backwards into -- from's fountain,

subsidizing a supermarket for rome's needy. keep throwing those coins in. thank you very much. tim willcox. plenty more on that story on the website, bbc.com/news. see you soon. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, and aruba tourism authority. >> 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, the trump administration faces several crises overseas. we examine america abroad and the international challenges facing the new president. then, we return to mexico, where the country is strengthening its southern border against central americans fleeing north to escape violence and poverty. >> there's a private security company that prevents migrants from getting on the train, and they have built these concrete barriers, just a few inches from the edge of the train. >> woodruff: and, learning history through song. high school students compose a choral history lesson about world war ii japanese-american internment camps.