Trump says every adult American will get $5,000 if Republicans win midterms

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1:13I'm Jane Hill. We are less than eight weeks from the US midterm elections. With President Trump rallying supporters at an unusual convention in Texas, we hear from one of his most loyal supporters, Steve Bannon, and talk to a democratic strategist and ask whether, as that famous political saying goes, it's all about the economy, stupid. Debate has been raging this week about how fast AI is developing. We're finding out whether concerns about artificial intelligence are bringing together people of different political persuasions. And does professional tennis need a refresh? The Australian Open has a new boss and he's been questioning the scoring system and length of matches.

1:54One sports watcher will give us her take on what he's said. And we start this evening in Dallas in Texas, where Republicans have gathered for a convention in the run-up to the US midterm elections, which are now less than eight weeks away. Please welcome the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Joe Gruters. Tonight, you're also here from Vice President J.D. Vance, laying out exactly why this November matters. And before the night is over, we'll hear once more from the greatest Republican messenger of our lifetime, the leader of America's comeback, our 45th and 47th president, Donald J.

2:34Trump. Well, President Trump spoke overnight on the first evening of proceedings. And as you heard there, he's back on stage again in the next few hours. These elections, of course, are a key test of his popularity halfway through his second term in the White House. A third of seats in the upper house the Senate are up for election, along with all the seats in the lower house, the House of Representatives. The latest polling suggests 35 % of voters currently approve of President Trump, 61 % disapprove. Could those figures be one of the reasons he made that bold and expensive promise to the crowd during his address to the party faithful last night?

3:15If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for$5 ,000. Well, there are nearly 270 million adults in the US, meaning that that promise would cost the government some$1.3 trillion. The president's caveat is that the Republicans would need to win both houses of Congress and the money would have to be spent inside the US. Well, our North America editor, Sarah Smith, is at that convention in Dallas. Evening to you, Sarah.

3:59I mean, the timing even of this convention is unusual, isn't it? Just give us your sense of the mood, the atmosphere, what people are saying to you. Yeah, this is a completely extraordinary event, Jane. It's very, very unusual for a party to hold a convention in a midterm election year. Usually they only happen every four years in a presidential election year. And in those instances, they have formal party business to conduct, not least nominating their presidential candidate. This is more of a political rally than it is a party convention. There's no party business being done, but there are speeches from candidates, from members of the Trump administration, and both nights from Donald Trump himself.

4:42He treated us to a speech that was almost two hours long last night, and he will be closing out the convention when he speaks after his Vice President J.D. Vance again tonight. And the most eye-catching thing that he said last night was that extraordinary promise to pay$5 ,000 to every American citizen if the Republicans win both houses of Congress in the midterm elections. Now, that maybe gives you a clue as to how he is feeling about these midterm elections. He has felt the need to throw this convention in order to try and attract publicity to his party's campaign and now to make this promise, which, of course, he says is not a bribe, that would be against the law, but merely a commitment to pay this money to taxpayers if the Republicans win.

5:30But it's been very controversial, as well as being something of a surprise. Quite prominent members of the Republican Party are pushing back hard, saying the country simply cannot afford a$1.3 trillion spending pledge like this. We've had no details from Donald Trump about how he would pay for it. We're talking about a situation where the US national debt at over$40 trillion is higher than it's ever been. And it's not at all clear that Donald Trump would even manage to persuade his own party to vote in favour of this Trump dividend if indeed they do manage to retain control of both houses of Congress.

6:05So it's a pretty controversial as well as very surprising pledge that he produced out of his back pocket last night. Yes, really interesting. Well, there's lots more to come there. Clearly, we'll let you get back to it. Thank you very much, Sarah Smith, there at that rally convention in Dallas, Texas. And as Sarah said, that real eye-catching announcement of$5 ,000. Well, The World Tonight's Sean Lay has been speaking to Steve Bannon, a long-term supporter of Donald Trump, of course, and a former White House chief strategist. Steve Bannon told Sean that he, in fact, wasn't in favour. of the president's unexpected announcement of a cash giveaway.

6:43Look, the economic policy, it's a 10-year story here, right, of populist nationalist policies, including tariffs, which are the centerpiece of the economic program to be a forcing function to bring high-value-added manufacturing back to the United States. I think if you stick to what Secretary Besant has put out there and Peter Navarro, which are the building blocks of nationalist economics will do just fine. With$40 trillion in debt and$2 trillion deficits every year, I strongly believe that if there's excess of tariff money, that that should go back to pay down the debt and to try to get the 10-year treasury to keep it below 5%.

7:20So no, I'm not a supporter of$5 ,000 cash payments to the American citizens. Now, I just don't think it's practical. Right, I mean, because the doge payments never happened, did they? And the tariff payments we were told would happen, didn't? I just wonder if that's just part of the theater, part of the circus that exists around Donald Trump, part of how he keeps himself in the headlines. Listen, he's a unique in American history as far as a political figure because he didn't come up through politics. You can see with the convention, I can tell one thing to the haters, of which I include BBC, of the MAGA movement.

7:54The vibe and the energy coming out of this convention is going to be quite extraordinary. We are going to have we have a very tough path ahead of us, but it's going to come down to about 20 seats in the House. And it's going to come down to a handful of seats in the Senate and a couple of governorships. I strongly believe right now that we will hold the House by a seat or two as I see it. Oh, yeah, it's going to be very tough. Don't get me wrong. But we have advocated for the beginning for President Trump to take charge here and put himself on the ballot. The reason is the Democrats, they have very smartly and they are running a very smart campaign.

8:24they've nationalized this election around Donald Trump. Well, if they're going to do it, the advisors around President Trump continue to have this like it's a persuasion election. This is not a persuasion election. This is all about turnout. Fine, but has he left it too late? No, I know because it's not because it's it's like 20 to 25 House seats of those over half. He won overwhelmingly in 24. So you have to win about half of those seats to hold the House. And I'm saying hold the House by one or two seats. And in holding the House, remember, you're not going to have a massive legislative program.

8:57I'm talking about just hanging on so that the House does not turn into an impeachment machine. Well, that's what I was going to ask you, because that's the risk, isn't it, if you don't succeed in the way you hope. And at the moment, the polls suggest, and of course, they are only polls, they're not votes, but they suggest a similar outcome to 2018. I mean, that would be a pretty miserable last couple of years. Sean, if they win by even a seat or two, the White House will become Fort Apache. It'll be an onslaught every day from every different direction. They're going to come after the White House, the administration and the MAGA movement far worse than they came after it in the Biden years.

9:37And you're hearing that from a guy that went to federal prison for four months. Everything is about the House. You've been very clear. You're opposed to this war continuing. How do you think it's going to end? I mean, we heard the president say yesterday, oh, lend as soon as the midterm elections are over. Really? If he already doesn't know, I was a naval officer, first destroyer to the Persian Gulf in 1979 during the hostage crisis when I was a young naval officer. I have adamantly opposed this war from the beginning. That's why I went back to the White House to try to talk the president out of it.

10:09I do agree with the president about getting the nuclear weapons or potential nuclear weapons, because they're not real, out of Persia. That being said, this is the Greater Israel Project's war against the Persians. I'm adamantly opposed to it. The good news, I think, is that Scott Besson's a safe pair of hands. He's in charge of the economic warfare. I think the kinetic part, I hope, is behind us. I'm a strong advocate that we just, you know, wipe our hands of the whole mess. You're all done, just as I am, to remember James Carville, during the election that Clinton won against George H.W. Bush, saying it's the economy, stupid.

10:43When you look at the economy, 41 % of Americans saying they are concerned or very concerned about buying groceries. They've endured the highest inflation since April 2023 was in May of this year, 4.2%. The trend is downwards. It's going down, but people aren't feeling it. Has the White House got the tone right or does it appear to Americans right now to be tone deaf on this issue? Sean, it's a great question. I think if you go back and look before the Iranian excursion, as President recalls, if you go back to February 27th, every trend line we had, including on affordability and inflation, were coming our way.

11:20One of the reasons affordability is coming our way is because of deportations and sealing the border. Remember, illegal alien inflow of$20 million during Biden's watch drove up rents, drove up prices, et cetera. So with that enforcement and other things we were doing, the trends were coming in our direction. Of course, the war took that out of kilter. The inflation numbers this morning were not particularly great. And I think there has to be a big focus on this. This is driven mainly by government spending. And we are on an unsustainable path. $40 trillion and$2 trillion a year is unsustainable.

11:55It's coming up in the 10-year treasury. People's lives are getting more expensive because their credit card, their student loans, their house loans. When the 10-year Treasury gets close to 5%, you've got a problem. Steve Bannon there talking to Sean Lay. Well, what about the Republicans' opponents and their approach to these midterms? Christy Setzer is a Democratic strategist and president of New Heights Communications, a Washington, D.C. public affairs firm. And she joins me live. Hello, Christy from London. Very good evening to you. Hi, and to you as well. Thanks for having me. Well, as we look ahead to the midterms, not really that far out now, What are you making of what Donald Trump has done here as a strategy?

12:35Essentially, that message of vote Republican and you can get$5 ,000. I mean, that's the kind of promise that could cut through to voters at the moment, isn't it? I mean, I think if anybody were paying attention, perhaps, but even if they were. Look, the$5 ,000 bribe, I think we should openly call it, is the latest in this desperate series of attempts to get votes at the 11th hour because Donald Trump, he may be delusional. He may be suffering from dementia, but he even he understands that he cannot run on his record right now. Look, Donald Trump narrowly won in 2024 because Americans had a bit of a hangover from inflation, from COVID.

13:21They thought he could do a better job with the economy. They had this sort of rosy view of the first couple of years of his presidency before COVID hit. And he's showing them that he can't. In general, look, the president doesn't have a decisive impact over the economy. But in this case, what we're seeing has actually been about Donald Trump's choices. It's been about gas prices are higher because he started a war of choice in Iran and we're starting fights, needless tariff fights with our allies. So guess what? Certain other goods and expenses are up right now. The price of groceries are up. And even if you think Donald Trump should be spending his time on, I don't know, beautifying a ballroom in Washington, D.C.

14:08instead of working on these things, mostly what people vote on is the economy. So I do believe that this$5 ,000, again, bribe, which again is likely legal and likely runs afoul of election laws, is not going to catch people's attention. They're going to see right through it. I mean, we don't yet know what the situation is in regard to election years. But I mean, the Biden administration made grants, made payments during the COVID pandemic, for example. That's OK. So look, if they wanted to do this in some sort of official way, they obviously could. They control the presidency. They control both houses of Congress.

14:47Some would say they control the Supreme Court. So that could happen. And frankly, if I were in Congress, I might as a Democrat put that, you know, put that to the test. I might introduce a bill that says, sure, let's give every American five thousand dollars right now. We'll call it the Donald Trump reelection fund, whatever he wants. And I would be very surprised if Republicans in Congress actually go for it. The president actually signs it into law. He's had a number of these sort of promises to the American people that he's made. And he does not have a tendency to follow through on them. I mean, Christy, you're a strategist.

15:27So let's talk about what do you make of this Republican strategy of pretend Trump is on the ballot? That's what they've been saying to people there. I mean, you heard Steve Bannon. He thinks it's all about turning out the base. Is that actually quite a clever strategy, getting out your base, getting them to the polling station? Well, I mean, if it's a strategy, it's the same one that Democrats have, because, look, midterm elections are different than presidential elections. Midterm elections are always a referendum on the party in power. So even when the president's party does not also control Congress, even when they've not ruled in such an openly kind of authoritarian way, it's still an up or down vote on how do you think the president is doing.

16:14So that is what is motivating Democratic and anti-Trump voters right now. Obviously, a number of independents and even some Republicans. There is a massive enthusiasm gap between people who are opposed to the way that Donald Trump has done his presidency and his supporters who have told pollsters again and again and again that they're just not as motivated this time. Christy, we must we must leave it there. Thank you so much. Christy Sensor, Democratic strategist. We will talk again, I'm sure, before those midterms in eight weeks' time. Thanks for your time.

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17:54Now we'll turn to one of our main stories here in the UK today because some parents whose babies died or were harmed by poor maternity care in Nottingham say they've lost all hope that the NHS will hold to account any of the people they say were responsible for the failures. An independent review of maternity services at the Nottingham University Hospital's NHS Trust, published in June, found that 155 babies could have survived if they'd had better care. A further 105 newborns suffered serious harm because of the failings. Dozens of former executives at the Trust refused to take part in the review.

18:33Now the BBC has tracked down two of them. Our social affairs correspondent, Michael Buchanan, has spoken to them and just a little earlier, he came into the studio and reminded me what had happened at the Nottingham Trust. This was the fourth review into maternity care in England in little more than a decade. It published in the summer and it found significant maternity failings going back in the main to about 2010. A lot of babies, as you've said, who could have survived with better care, There are a lot of babies as well who could have had a better life if they had received better care. And fundamentally what the Orkenden Review found is that women weren't listened to, problems weren't escalated, problems weren't recognised.

19:14And then when things go wrong, there was no investigation. And so therefore there was no learning. One of the things that she wanted to do, Donna Orkenden, was to speak to a lot of former executives at the Trust, because this lasted a number of years and dozens of them simply refused to cooperate with them. There was no compulsion for them to do so, but we do know that the current leadership of the Trust in Nottingham had written to them on at least three occasions encouraging them to cooperate. And one of those who did not give evidence was Dr Keith Gerling. Remind us of his role. So he was the medical director at Nottingham between 2017 and 2024 and we know that he knew about the problems in maternity care because we've spoken to people who told him.

19:54So, for instance, he was alerted to a staffing crisis in maternity services in 2018. we know that other families had spoken to him and said look it's not just your staff we say you've got problems here we as families have experienced poor care at the trust as well we asked dr girl if he'd do an interview with us he said he didn't want to do that but we still had questions for him so i managed to track him down he's girling bbc news can i ask you why you chose not to do anything i've got no comment do you have any message for the families who were harmed by poor maternity care in Nottingham? He didn't answer that question at all and we just continued to walk down the road me asking one or two other questions him protecting himself from the rain with an umbrella.

20:40I did however get reactions from Jack and Sarah Hawkins they were both clinicians at the Nottingham Trust and they say they told Keith Gurling back in 2017 that maternity services were unsafe their daughter Harriet had been stillborn the year before due to poor care. I played them the footage of the very brief conversation with Dr Gerling and this was their response. Makes me feel physically sick to see him. He did nothing and to watch him walk and hide behind an umbrella like a scared person, he's no idea of what our lives are like and yet he can't even give you an answer. It's absolutely pathetic.

21:20Why are we having to defend and fight for the lives of the dead and harmed of Nottingham and he just gets to put his umbrella in a reporter's face and say nothing. He knew. We told him. Jack and Sarah Hawkins there, whose daughter was stillborn, they're talking there about Dr Gerling. He's not the only person by any means who didn't give evidence. You have tracked down someone else as well. Yes, there was a number of them, as I said, dozens of them didn't give evidence and some of them who did give evidence my understanding is that they didn't really fully explain what had happened during their tenure in office and one of the people that we were looking to speak to as well as a former chairman called Eric Morton he was in place the chairman of the trust between 2017 and 2021 and we know as I say that in 2018 he was sent this letter as well from staff more than 50 maternity staff wrote to Eric Morton saying we need more staff on these units or else there will be significant harm.

22:26Again, we asked him if he'd do an interview. Again, he chose not to do so, so I asked him a few questions as we walked down the street. You were written to, specifically in 2018, warning of a staffing crisis on maternity units. Why didn't you do anything about it? Because I didn't receive the letter. I found the letter two years later. I was told all this to Ockenden. I'm not saying anything else. Do you feel you fail the families in Nottingham? He didn't say anything to that, but Sarah Hawkins, who we've heard of earlier and who lost her daughter in avoidable circumstances in 2016, she did have something to say.

23:00What a horrible man. When he's responsible for so, like, death and harm across all of Nottinghamshire, and his attitude absolutely stinks, this is, like, a prime example of why we need a public inquiry. Like, these people need to be brought in to give evidence. They can't just jump ship when they don't like it. Sarah Hawkins again. And her comment about a full public inquiry. Now, people weren't compelled to give evidence here because it wasn't a public inquiry. So that could potentially make the difference. But do you think there's any chance of a public inquiry? Well, technically, the government hasn't ruled it out.

23:38And Wes Streeting, who was health secretary in England two health secretaries ago, he was particularly perhaps open to this. At the moment, the government's plan is to announce a task force, the outcomes of a task force that they're chairing by December, which is meant to come up with a plan for improving maternity care across England. It certainly wouldn't be enough for the families who are pushing for a statutory inquiry. I should also add that the two people that we spoke to were not the only people who refused to engage with the Ockenden Review. There were other executives who took a similar attitude.

24:09And it's across the board that a lot of the Nottingham families are hoping that the statutory inquiry that they're pushing for will force these people to actually engage. Michael Buchanan, our social affairs correspondent. Now, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says he's begun a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper Haaretz and some of its journalists after the paper reported that he'd received an explicit advance warning about what turned out to be the Hamas attacks of October 7th, 2023, but that he did nothing with the information. The warning is alleged to have come from the president of the UAE in a 45-minute phone call with Mr Netanyahu in late September that year.

24:52Benjamin Netanyahu adamantly denies the report but it's landed amid campaigning for national elections at the end of next month with the prime minister seeking a record seventh term in office. Leiza Berman is the diplomatic correspondent for the Times of Israel And just a little earlier, I asked him to outline the details of that alleged phone call. There have been a series of questions about what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew, what he didn't know, and his responsibility for the October 7th attacks. Now, Netanyahu has made the case that his security services failed him, and he ultimately was not responsible that the Shin Bet intelligence service, that the army did not alert him in time of some warning signals on the morning of October 7th And had they woken him up, he could have taken action to stop it.

25:40And that has been really his message throughout the war since October 7th, 2023. This new article from the Haaretz Daily really flips us around. It alleges that the UAE's president, Mohammed bin Zayed, actually in a 45-minute phone call warned Prime Minister Netanyahu that Hamas leader Yechia Senwar was planning a major attack. He told him allegedly at the end of September 2023. And according to this article, Netanyahu failed to give that warning to Shin Bet, to the IDF and to the security services. And perhaps had they known about that particular, very specific warning, they could have taken different action ahead of the attack and perhaps even prevented it.