>> this is "bbc world news america." >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, kovleroundation, 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 mind, and then we begin to chisel.we trip away everything that stands in the way to reveal new possibilities.

at purepoint financial, we have designed our modern approach to banking around you -- your plans, your goals, your oweams. your tomorrow is purepoint financial. >> and now, "bbc world new" laura: this is "bbc world news america." reporting from washington, i am laura trevelyan. safe at last -- how an international team in thaila pulled off a miraculous rescue and what is next for the young boys and their coach. first the nomination, now the sas pitch. donald trump's pick for the supreme court heads to capitolll o make his case. plus, celebrations in paris ass francerough to the world cup final, beating belgium in a nailbiter.

laura: welcome to our viewers on public television here in the u.s. and also aroundhe globe. after 18 days of drama twot gripped thd, the cave in thailand is empty at last. all 12 boys and their soccer coach have been rescued after an risky operation fraught with difficulties. they postedei on facebook page, "we are not sure if this leis a mira sign, or what." one thing is for sure, it was an international effort. this report by the bbc'sth jo head contains flash photography. jonathan: would this be the day that saw all the boys and their? coach out safe with the sky darkening, it had to be today. helicopters in the afternoon reld us they were getting y.

th the telltale flashing lights. this is the second ambulance we have seen, and behind it, the third, on this, we are hoping the last day of this truly remarkable operation. every ambulance we have seen so far has meant another life saved. inside the cave, dozens of divers have been working in wet, claustrophobic conditions to support the rescuers.er has not been a cave rescue this big or ambitious before. the boys were fed and treatedd undergroun an army medic to strengthen them for the difficult journey out. even though some divers said it was too dangerous to try. only the threat of renewed flooding forced them to push ahead.

these men run the boys' football team. 17 days oforry, up on the boys found,when the boys were downs when they couldn't get out, were over. >> i want to hug them first, i want to cheer them on, i want to ll them how worried i have beeninel to tell the coach. an invitation from manchester united 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 fis. >> today tteam thailand, the government, the private

sectorand the media have been supporting one another while the international community has been providing moral support. we accomplished a mission that was seen by many as impossible. it was the first time in therl wod.an jonaeveryone involved in this huge and complex mission was celebrating. these are engineers who had beee diverging s to lower water levels in the caves. people came out to cheer the ambulances as they brought the lait of the boys to the hospal safe and sound. only week ago when they were found trapped and exhausted, who would have believed this was possible? jonathan head, bbc news, northern thailand. laura: for the latest on the rescue and the health of the boys and their coach, i spoke earlier with jonathan head.

what is the condition of the boys tonight after the ordeal?na an: if you look at the weather now, you can see that the operation is just in time with this much rain. there is a high risklohe caves will again. they are getting rest now. by all accounts the condition -- we have not heard any suggestion that there's anytonng seriously with any of the boys. we don't know the details of the five including the coach who just came out. but the eight who came out the past two days, couple of them have a slight lung infection. weherwise they are eating . they are eating only light, soft food at e moment. they have been monitored for 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 lives. ine thai authorities are t no chances. they are strictly quarantined. evir parents have not been allowed to go in and see them. they've only seen them so far through a glass window, although they will be allowed to go in t in the nw days.

aside from that, as far as wese ca the doctors say they will have seven days in hospital. they cannoto 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 boya stunningly good ending. the rescue of the boys and their coach against all the arts has been hailed as a model of what a team of international cave experts and divers working authorities to make it happen. fergus walsh explains how they .lded o -- how they o pulled itff. k part in thechall, the 90 sear-and-rescue, including thai navy seals, british crse diand other international experts. it has gripped the world's attention.

the british cave rescue council said seven of its divers had c been part of te rescue team helping to bring the boys 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 and flooded caves to safety. it began 17 days ago when the boys and the 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 days until found by two british cave divers. this was the moment. >> how many of you? 13? brliant. fergus: on july 6, a former thai navy seal died while returning to the cave, underlining how perilous the rescu owould be. thsunday, the first 4 boys were rescued.

each was accompanied by two expert divers for the five-hour or more trek. through the flooded sections, they were strapped underneath one of the divers. part, 38e nrowest centimeters wide, they had to squeeze through alone with their air tank in front of them. at home in a diver listening to the moment her son and another british diver discovered the missing thai boys.pr >> i'd of him. he is a kind, modest person, and i knew they would dod job.fi i kept mers crossed for both of them. fergus: all the thai navy seals and the international divers are safely out. mission accomplished before the oon rains will flood the

caves for months to come. fergus walsh, bbc news. laura:he story of the great escape there. esident trump's pick to become the next supreme court justice is on capitol hill today hours after his selection was retialed on prime tv. brett kavanaugh met with the republican leadership who will guide him through his confirmation hearing. democrats have vowed to ght s nomination, fearing that he could turn the court in a morens coervative direction, especially over abortion.ic republans hold a narrow majority in the senate and hopei to con him before the november midterm elections. judge kavanaugh is a well-known figure in washington who rose to prominence when he served under ken starr, the independent counsel 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 brigt also quite humble even though he was

always at the top of his class icacadly. you would not know that from chatting with him. s, let's justiou get the job done, very focused. he wouldn't take these cases one at a time, was himself -- he would take these cases one on time and he will distinguish himself on the supreme court. katty: will he be someone difficult for democrats to vote agait? ken: that is the huge question right now. the answer should be no because judge kavanaugh has amassed a magnificent record as a judge. some will be subject to controversy and the like. 12 years of11 or service. it is universally acclaimed as beingn e middle of the jurisprudence of the united states, inherited from the mother country inl no sm measure. he goes about his work and such an amiable way that he is very

well-liked by his colleagues. he was recruited to teach at harvard law school by now-justice elena kagan. he is a man for all seasons. katty: democrats are already saying that if justice kavanaugh becomes a supreme court justice, reproductive and abortghts in this 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 wasonrmed almost unanimously. i hope that the voices that have been rising will be quieted come i' by his confident, very reassuring performance as a future justice during his confirmation hearings.

i think he will make very clear, i'm open-minded and i need to hear every case on the merits, which is exactly the way he has been as a circuit judge or court of appeals judge. christian: after your investigation into bill clinton'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 wonder that the president has picked somebody thatca repub can get around or someone who will look after his own interests. ken: h well, i thi reflection -- it was an academic-type reflection as opposed to a judicial-- reflectn epresented the culmination of years of study including reflecting back oatother investns that affected the presidency of the united states. the watergate investigation, iran contra. those were deeply controversial and they deflected the president

from his or her important duties for i think 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 question theitness of the president, let the people's representatives do this. chore democratic with a small dro ah, 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 kenea starr spng earlier. in other news, the new lookbi british cat has met following the resignation of senior ministers. foreign secretary boris johnson and brexit secrery david davis monday. prime minister theresa may wasted no time in reshuffling. boris johnson will be replaced by jeremy hunt. rape,t accounts of ng perfecting death --

counts of gang rape and throats being slit are described in the recent u.n. report on south sudan. the south sudan army said it had not received the report and cannot come in. hollywood staorgeey cloon has received minor injuries in a scooter crash inside in you. his scooter -- scooter 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. it prompted a rebuke from the ad of the european council, who told mr. trump to value his allies, because he doesn't have that many. from brussels, cap schadler -- katya adler reports. the self-appointed

dealmaker in chief hasd on european soil. long-awaited, but also kind of ddreadeli by his here who wonder after the iran deal and the climate change records can willt nato be the nex transatlantic agreement to be trampled by president trump? ms. tweets -- his morning were not encouraging for the "nato numbers do not add up," he fumed. presidentrump points to ropeans is the worst offenders. tops militarys spending charts. this year seven european countries will hit the nato target of 2% of gdp, but a host of others are nowhere near, including three of the eu's biggest economies, germany, aly, france. forget decades of peace and transaa corporation. nato's secretary-general has ohoned cash and flattery ahead o' tomorrow'summit in

the hope of persuading donald trump of nato's merits. >> nato is a good deal for all 29 t allies. i hanked president trump for his leadership on defense spending, and it is having a clear impact. all allies and started to increase, and more allies and 2% of gdp on defense. katya: donald trump's ambivalence on nato and general unpredictability has europeans spooked. they have relied on the u.s. for security since the second world war, buteel now nothing can be taken for granted. russia, center attacks, cross-border terror, the eu is beginning modestly to boost its own defense capabilities. today eadersig--ned ah cooperat bnt european words for the u.s. president. >> dear president trump, america

does not have and will not have a better ally than europe. today europeans spend on defense many times more than russia and as much as china. america, appreciate your allies. after all, you many.have that katya: at nato headquarters, packed agenda meets leaders tomorrow. a show of unity is what really matters most. the question hanging heavy here -- will nald trump deliver? katyase adler, bbc news, br. 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 centenath in the sky spectacular display. laura: in japan can at least 155

people have died in floods and la tslidesggered by torrential rain in the west of the country. about 2 million people have been evacuated after rivers burst their banks. rescuers are digging through my and rubble trying to find one ofima, iroshima, one of the worst hit areas. there are waterfalls of mud. wade throughs roads that are now rivers trying to reach people trapin their homes. rn the death toll in weste japan continues towoise, emergencers have joined in helping with the recovery effort. it has been the worst flooding in more than three decades. doze missing.le are still thinks the cleanup will take at least six months. he has no money," insurance will insuranceand hopes

will payp. rescue workers struggling to restore utilities. apower supplies are dow hundreds of thousands of people are without water. an has lived in the area for 80ne years, but has r seen floods like this. industrial pduction has been hard hit. workers at this factory producing sake of having to destroy damaged stock. company bosses think it will tal months to return to nor output. tens of thousands of people are living in emergencyheers 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 cannot go back because there's no electricity, no water, and no gas. for him and many others, places like this will be their home for some time to come.

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

goal, belgium struggled to break through the france defense. it was nailbiting, but i alwaysw felt that frane 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 time in history and the first time since 1998, 20 years ago. a brilliant night for france. laura: it certainly is. let's look ahead ttomorrow's semifinal between england and croatia. who is your money on for that one? s reporter: i han croatia a number of times during this a tournament liv 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 shooto. they beat denmark, russia, and looked exhausted after the game with russia in sochi. that will be a big factor in this game. enand needed penalties in the

second round of two beat colo then with sweden it was a lot easi. i think it could make a big difference. having said that, the pressure will be on the england players. there's a huge amount of expectation in england now. team started without a lot of hype, but the hype has beenin built up 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 caing 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. thousands of people gathered outside buckingham palace to watch them mark 100 years of service. earlier they marked the centenary at westminster abbey. robert hall has more. robert: telling a 100-ye story with aircraft. from the sedate progress of

wartime icons to theer of today's sleek technology, monthi of prepa 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. robertthe raf plan for the centenary was to commemorate, celebrate, and inspire. e queen,inster abbey, 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 grandfathers brother, chance corporals who commanded the royal air force. and my father, who flew low-level sorties in burma. i read his logbook again last week. how right and proper that we should each remember all who served. robert: this was alsa day to celebrate the present. as the crowds joined the men and women of the 21st-century raf, parading their new colors ckoutside bugham palace, the queen spoke of her own links with the service. queen elizabeth: suciofamily tradcontinues to this day. the duke of edinburgh, the prince of wales, and the de of cambridge all earned wings and wear them with great pride. robert: this journey has taken the raf from the first world war to space.

it's motto, through adversity to the stars, lies at the heart of this birthday. robert hall, bbc news. laura: the royal air force turns velyan.ura t 100. thanks for watching "world news america." >> with the bbc news app, our vertical videos are designed to work around your lifestyle, so ayu can swipe your way to the news of the day an up-to-date with the latest headlines you can trust.wn ad now from selected app stores. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation,vl 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 our mind, and en we begin to chisel. we strip away everything that stands in the way to reveal new

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

captioning sponsoredury newsho productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, the battle begins: presiderump's pick for the supreme court, judge brt kavanaugh, meets sed tors at the capitol aheaof a contentious nfirmation. then, the trump administration misses the deadline to reunite some separated families and faces more setbacks aftea judge rejects long-term detention of migrant childn. 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 they want. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour