>> this is "bbc world news america." >> funding of thisresentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs,d repoint financial.we >> how dhape our tomorrow? it starts with a vision. we see its ideal form in our mind, and then we begin to chisel. we strip away everything that stands in the way to reveal new possibilities.

ap purepoint financial, we have designed our moderoach to banking around you -- your plans, your goals, your dreams. your tomorrow is now. purepoint financial. >> and now, "bbc world news." laura: this is "bbc world ne reporting from washington, i am laura trevelyan. safe at last -- how anl internatioam in thailand pulled off a miraculous rescue anngwhat is next for the you boys and their coach. e nomination, now the sales pitch. donald trump's pick for the supreme court heads to capitol hill to make his case. plus, celebrations in paris as france is through to the world cup final, beating belgium in a nailbiter.

ura: welcome to our viewers on public television here in the u.s. and also around the globe. after 18 days of drama that gripped the world, the cave in thailand is empty at last.d all 12 boys eir soccer coach have been rescued after an risky operation fraught with difficulties. they posted on their facebook page, "we are not sure if this is a miracle, a sign, or what." one thing is for surwas an international effort. this report by the bbc's jonathan head contains flash photography. jonath: would this be the day that saw all the boys and their coach out safely? with the sky darkening, it had to be today. helicopters in the aernoon told us they were getting ready.

then the telltale flashing lights. this is the second ambulance we reve seen, and behind it, the third, on this, weoping the last day of this truly remarkable operation. every ambulance we have seen so meant another life saved. inde the cave, dozens of divers have been working in wet, claustrophobic cons to support the rescuers. there has not been a cave rescue this big or ambitious . the bo were fed and treated underground by an army medic to strengthen them for the difficult journey out. even though some divers said it was too dangerouto try. only the threat of renewed flooding forced them to push ahead.

tball men run the boys' f am. 17 days of worry, up on the boys found,when the boys were wns when they couldn't get t, were over. >> i want to hug them first, i want to cheer them on, i want to tell them how worried i have been. i don't know what to say. jonathan: we had some thing else to tell the coach. an invitation from manchester unit to the rescued boys to visit next season. this is the man who has run the rescue operation from the start. thai bureaucrats rarely get this kind of reception, but he pulled off a rescue the whole country had longed for. >> today thais, team thailand, the government, the private

sector, and the media have been supporting one another while the international community has been providing moral suppor we accomplished a mission that was seen by many as impossible. it was the first tim the world. jonathan: everyone involved in this huge and complex mission was celebrating. these are engineers who had been diverging streams to lower water levels in the caves. people came out to cheer the ambulances as they brought the last of the boys to the hospital safe and sound. only a week ago when they were found trapped and exhauste who would have believed this was possible? jonathan head, bbc news,he nort thailand. for the latest on the rescue and the health of the boys and their coach, i spoke earlier what is the condition of the

boys tonight after the ordeal? jonathan: if you look at the haweather now, you can see the operation is just in time with this much rain. theris a high risk the caves will flood again. they are getting rest now. by all accounts the condition -- we have not heard any suggestion that there's anything seriously wrong with any of the boys. we don't ow the details of the five including the coach who just came out. but the eight who ca out the past two days, couple of them have a slight lung infection. otherwise they are eating well. they are eating only light, soft food at the moment. they have been infections they might have picked up in the cave. of course, their systems are weakened by the lack of food and the long time in darkness and cold. these are very, very precious live the thai authorities are taking no chances. they are strictly quarantined. even their parents have not been allowed to gnd see them. they've only seen them so far through a glass window, although they will be allowed to go in

in the next few days. aside om that, as far as we can see, the doctors say they will have to spend at least seven days in hospital. they canno go home before that time. after that it is quite possible they will go home perfectly healthy, as though nothing had happened to them. this is a quite remarkable escape for these boys and a stunningly good enng. the rescue the boys and their coach against all the arts has been hailed as a model of o what a te international cave experts and divers working authorities to make it happen. walsh explains how th folded off. -- how the pulled it off. fergus: heroes all, the 90 vers who took part in th search-and-rescue, including thai navy seals, british cave divers, and other international orperts. it has gripped the's attention.

the brish cave rescue council said seven of its divers had been part of the core rescue team helping to bring the ys out. >> they have done something that we all thought was barely possible, and they pulled it off. fergus: the challenge, getting the 12 boys and their coach 2.5 miles through the narrow a flooded caves to safety.it egan 17 days ago when the boys and their coach went missing. they had gone to write their names on the walls of the caves, a huge international rescue operation began. they were alone for nine dayswo until found byritish cave divers. this was the moment. >> how many of you? 13? brilliant. fergus: on july 6, a former thai navy seal died while returning to the cave, underli tng how perilo rescue would be. then on sunday, the first 4 boys were rescued.

each was accompanied btwo expert divers for the five-hour or more trek. through the flooded they were strapped underneath one of the divers. part, 38e narrowest ntimeters wide, they had to squeeze through alone with their air tank in front of them. at home in brighton, the mom of a diver listening to the moment her son and another br ver discovered the missi thai boys. >> i'm proud of him. he is a kind, modest person, and i knew they would do a good job. i kept my fingers crossed for both of them. rg: all the thai navy seals and the international divers are safely out. monsoon rains will flood thee

caves for months to come. fergus walsh, bbc news. laura: the story of the great escape there. president trump's pick to becomt the upreme court justice is on capitol hill today hours after his selection was revealed on primetime tv. brett kavanaugh met with the republican leadership who will guide him through his confirmation hearing v democrats haowed to fight his nomination, fearing that he a could turn the court in more conservative direction, especially over abortion. republicans hold a narrow maerity in the senate and h to confirm him before the noveer midterm elections. judge kavanaugh is a well-known figure in washington who rose to prominence when he served under ken starr, the independent cosel who investigated president clinton. spoketime ago mr. starr with my colleagues katty kay and christian fraser. katty: what was he like to work with? a pleasure, privilege, extraordinarily bright, but also

humble even though he w always at the top of his class academically.kn you would not that from chatting with him. s, lett's justou gejob done, very focused. he wouldn't take these cases one at a time, and he will listing was himself -- he would take these cases one on time and he will distinguish himself ot.the supreme katty: will he be someone difficult for democrats to vote against? ken: that is the huge question right now. the answer should be no because judge kavanaughed has ama magnificent record as a judge. some will be subject to controversy and the like. 12 years of11 or service. it is universally acclaimed as being in the middle of the jurisprudence of the unid states, inherited from the mother country in no small measure. he goes about hisork and such an amiable way that he i bvery

well-likhis colleagues. he was recruitedaro teach at halaw school by now-justice elena kagan. he is a man for all seasons. katty: democrats are already saying that if justice kavanaugh becos a supreme court justice, reproductive and abortion rights inhis entry on the chopping block -in this country are on the chopping block, and he will do everything he can to oppose gun control. his that fair -- ken: no -- excuse my interruption for it is quite polemical right now. it shouldn't be. have beenurg could roundly criticized by conservative republicans on the other side of the fence, and yet she was confirmed almost unanimously. i hope that the voices that have been ring will be quieted somewhat by his come i'm confident, very reassuring performance as a future justice during his confirmation

hearings. i think he will make very clear, open-minded and i need t hear every case on the merits, which is exactly the way hcihas been as uit judge or court of appeals judge. christian: after your investigclion into bill ton's, he wrote in 2000 and the presidential investigations are so onerous that they get in the way of presidential duties. if they do something dastardly, the impeachment process is available. which makes me president has picked somebody th republicans can get around or someone who will look after his own interests. ken: well, i think his reflection -- it was an academic-type reflection as opposed to a judicial reflection -- represented the culmination of years of study including reflecting back on other investigations that affected the presidency of the united states. the watergatenvestigation, iran contra. those were deeply controversial

and they deflected the president om his or her important duties for i ink what judge kavanaugh was saying, the way i read it, is let's leave this to congress. if congress believes there is a reason to estion the fitness of the president, let the people's representatives do this. much more democratic with a small d approach, as opposed to reliance on criminal law, which in our country i think we do over much. i think there is wisdom in what judge kavanaugh wrote. laura: that was ken starr speaking earlier. in other news, the new look british cabinet has met following the resignation of senior ministers. foreign secretary boris joson and brexit secretary david davis on monday. prime minister theresa may wasted no time in reshuffling. boris johnson will be replaced by jeremy hunt. rape,t accounts of gang perfecting death --

accounts of gang rape and throats being slit are described in the recent u.n. report on south sudan. udan army said it had not received the reportom and cannot cin. hollywood star george clooney has received minor injuries in a scooter crashnside in you. in scooter -- scter crash sardinia. he is recovering at home. president trump has arrived in brussels ahead of a much-anticipated nato summit. he has been trying to persuade european nations to spend more money on defense, taking to twitter before he left and once he landed to make the point. mpted a rebuke from the head of the european council, who told mr. trumphi to valu allies, because he doesn't have that many. apfrom brussels, schadler -- katya adler reports. the self-appointed

dealmaker in chief has landed on european soil. long-awaited, but also kind of dreaded by his allies here who wonder after the iran deal and the climate change records can will nato be the next transatltic agreement to be trampled by president trump? tweets this- his morning were not encouraging for the "nato numbers do not add up," he fumed. esident trump points to europeans is the worst offenders. tops militarys spending charts. this year seven european countries ll hit the nato target of 2% of gdp, but a host of others are nowhere near, including three ofhe eu's economies, germany, italy, france. forget dades of peace and transalta corporation. tary-general has honed in on cash and flattery ahead of tomorrow's summit in

the hope of persuading donald trump of nato's merits. >> nato is a good deal for all 29 allies. i have thanked president trump for his leadership on defense spending, and it is having a clear impact. alls aand started to increase, and more allies and 2% of gdp on defense. katya: donald trump's ambivalence nato and general unpredictability has europeans spooked. they have relied on the u.s. for security since the second world war, but feel now nothing can be taken for granted. russia, centerbottacks, croser terror, the eu is beginning modest to boost its own defense capabilities. today oeu s lrsmedeigithd nea op blood european words for the -- with bnt european words for the u.s. president. >> dear president, tru america

does not have and will not have a better ally than europe. spend on defens many times more than russia and much as china. america, appreciate your allous. after all,on't have that many. katya: at nato heddquarters, pa agenda meets leaders tomorrow. a show of unity is what really matters most. the question hanging hl vy here -- wnald trump deliver? katya adler, bbc news, brussels. laura: you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come on tonight's program, britain's royal air force turns 100, and it is celebrating its centenary in the sky with a spectacular display. laura: in japan can at least 155

people have died in floods andla slides triggered by torrential rain in the west of the country. about 2 million people have been evacuated after rive burst their banks. rescuers are digging through my and rubble trying to f survivors. hiroshima, one of iroshima, one of the worst hit areas. e are waterfalls of mud. wade throughs roads that to reach people trapped in their homes. as the death toll in western japan continues toise, emergency workers have joined in helping with the recovery effort. it has been thest w flooding in more than three decades. dozens of people are still missing. thinks the cleanup will take at least six he has no money," insurance will pnsuranceand hopes

willay up. rescue workers struggling to restore utilities. power supplies are down, and hundreds of thousands of people are without water. isthan has lived in the area for 80 years, but has never seen floods like this. pindustriduction has been hard hit. workers at this factory producing sake of having to destroy damaged stock. company bossesta think it will months to return to normal output. tens of thousands of people are living in emergency shelters in temperatures up to 33 degrees centigrade. this president is -- this resident is staying here now because his home has been flooded up to the second floor. he c there's no electricity, no water, and no gas. for him and many others, places like this will be their home for some timto come.

laura: in st. petersburg, russia, a battle has been -- a battle between two european soccer teams for a place in the world cup final eed with france beating belgium. it was a nailbiter, wasn't it? reporter: it was. some of the best attacking players in the world, kevin de bruyne. but it was the defender who was th hero, samuel umtiti with the goal. belgiumirst half, dominated the possession. there was a great save.

gelgiumr thatl, struggled to break through the france defen. it was nailbiting, but i aays felt that france were in control. they are back in the world cup final for the first time since 2006, aiming to win the world cup for the second td e in history e first time since 1998, 20 years ago. a brilliant night for france. laura: it certainly is. let's look ahead to tomorrow's semifinal betwn england and croatia. who is your money for that one? reporter: i have seen croatia a number of times during this tournament live, and they have really good players. but i think they will be really tired going into this game. in the knockout rounds, two penalty shootouts. two matches 120 minutes long followed by a penalty shootout. they beat denmark, russia, andau looked eed after the game with russia in sochi. that will be a big factor in is game. england needed penalties in the

second round of two beat colombia. then with swedea it was a lot er. i think it could make a big difference. having said that, the pressure wille on the england players there's a huge amount of expectation in england now. team started without a l of hype, but the hype has been built up again and the players possibly will be feeling the nerve. absolutely intriguing. talking to tour de france fans, they want england in the final. they were calling it the battle of the channel. laura: john bennett, thanks much for joining us. can england win tomorrow? britain's royal air force has enjoyed a grand birthday celebration in london. ndthouof people gathered outside buckingham palace to watch them mark 100 years of service. earlier they marked the centary at westminster abbey robert hall has more. robert: telling a 100-year story with aircraft. fr the sedate progress of

wartime icons to the thunder of today's sleek technology, months of preparation brought a procession from past to future. >> it's great. really impressive. great to see so many. >> wonderful. i wish i was up there again flying. >> to say thank you for everything they have done over the years.rt rothe raf plan for the centenary was to commemorate, celebrate, and inspire. at westminster abbey, e queen, whose father had flown with the fledgling raf in 1918, joined family to and the raf remember those who served in the air and on the ground. >> i remember my grandfather's

family, killed in 1943. my grandfather's brother, chance corporals who commanded the royal air force. and my father, who flew low-level sorties in bur. i read his lbook again last week. how right and proper that we should each remember all who served. robert: this was also a day to celebrate the present. as the crowds joined the men and women of the 21st-century raf, parading their new colors outside buckingham palace, the queen spoke of her own links ucth the service. queen elizabeth:family tradition continues to this day. the duke of edinburgh, the prince of wales, and te of cambridge all earned their wings and wear them with great pride. robert: this journey has takene thf from the first world war to space'

motto, through adversity to the stars, lies at the heart of this birthday. robert hall, bbc news. laura: the royal air force turns i am laura trevelyan. 100. thanks for watching "world news america." >> with the bbc news app, our vertical videos are designed to work around your lifestyle, so you ca swipe your way to 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 possible by the freeman foundaon, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, and purepoint financial. >> how do we shape our tomorrow? it starts with a vision. we see its ideal form in ouren mind, and th we begin to ytisel. we strip away everhing that stands in the way to reveal new

possibilities. at purepoint financial, we have designed our modern approach to banking around you -- plans, your goals, your dreams. your tomorrow is now. purepoint financial. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.

captioniws sponsored by hour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. si the newshour tonight, the battle begins: prent trump's pick for the supreme court, judge brett kavanaugh, meets senators at the capitol ahead of a contenous confirmation. then, the trump administration misses the ddline to reunite some separated families and faces more setbacks after a judge rects long-term detention of migrant cldren. and, going beyond the basics-- as the me-too movement brings the issue of consent to the forefront, schools re-shape their sex education. >> i just think it's really important that people know not only how to be safe like from things like pregnancy and s.t.d.'s but also sort of how to feel empowered to ask for what t ey want. >> woodruff: all td more on tonight's pbs newshour