A half hour firework display. A half hourfirework display. It will be to show ill be lifetime said the president. His decision to speak ina said the president. His decision to speak in a few hours time from the Lincoln Memorial has drawn much criticism, 500 of the 15,000 tickets have gone to vips and the president big donors but its not so much the cost of descendents, thats bothering his opponent is a wider concern at the president will use what is a National Celebration to promote himself and attacked them. think the president needs to understand this is americas birthday, not his. This business of the money and military assets to use them asa the money and military assets to use them as a prop, to prop up a president ial ego is not reflecting well on our country. Every time the president has our country looking like the chest thumping loudmouth at the end of the bar it makes us all look smaller. 0ur the end of the bar it makes us all look smaller. Our country is bigger than that. Speaking just the other day with me is ron christie, former adviser to president george w. Bush, ican hearyou. Adviser to president george w. Bush, i can hearyou. Mike adviser to president george w. Bush, i can hear you. Mike you can hear me, ithink i can hear you. Mike you can hear me, i think we have sorted out our technical problems. We could all hear each other. We are the to go. Some of the Service Chiefs have expressed reservations about this because they are put in the middle ofa because they are put in the middle of a political fight just to highlight what we are talking about, here is a late night post on fox news. Military chiefs are concerned about the celebrations. It underlines there is nothing in america that is not political. Underlines there is nothing in america that is not politicalm 243 america that is not politicalm 2113 years america that is not politicalm 2113 yea rs into america that is not politicalm 2113 years into our independence, you would think americans would take a step back and say this is a day for celebration, this is a day when we look back in our history. Instead, it isa look back in our history. Instead, it is a participant, but outdated. Partisans on it is a participant, but outdated. Pa rtisa ns on either it is a participant, but outdated. Partisans on either side of the divide are getting on the fence and saying, the heck with you and your i think the tweet exemplifies that position. Who is driving that partisan divide . Naturally, as we just saw from Kamala Harris and pete buttigieg, they are using this to score political points as much as the president s supporters are . Matthew, good evening to you on this Independence Day. Your point is well taken. Look at what you saw one of the front runners said. He is talking about the president s eagle and and talking about the president oii and and talking about the president on personal terms. You would think oii on personal terms. You would think on this important day we can reflect oii on this important day we can reflect on why we are americans. Why is it so on why we are americans. Why is it so unique to be americans, on this day of all the days of the year, and givena day of all the days of the year, and given a toxic nature of politics, with the money involved and Many Democrats who are still so upset with donald trump is my collection to become president , that this is where we are. Just a quick note on that. It will depends on what he says today. If he goes off on a tangent and states attacking people in front of the link in memorial, they will be justified in what they said. Many editorials have noted that very point. Is this going to be about trumps eagle today are a historical reflection on who we are asa historical reflection on who we are as a country. The president has a thin needle to thread here. Will he find a way to unify americans, regardless of their politics, will he use this as a part is into an mechanism to rally the base and anger about half of the country . 0k, we will watch closely. Speeches are in about three hours time. So most americans will be taking the day off today. But not department ofjustice attorney, josh gardener. Mr gardner who was on holiday, away from washington, took a call yesterday from a federal judge who was following the president s twitter account. And this is the tweet that puzzled them. Trouble is the department of commerce has already started printing the census without the question. Because last week the Supreme Court ruled the administrations reasons for including it were specious. Not well reasoned. So when the judge got the department ofjustice lawyer on the phone yesterday here is how it went. Justice department lawyerjosh gardner then responded the census question is preferable to oui the census question is preferable to our uk audience, but it is how the strategy unfolds and what people do about it. People do not understand from day to day what the president s thinking is and this is an important transcript of how it happens. Battling, if i was the ceo or founder of twitter, i would be happy to recognise that domestic policy is formed on his platform. The issue is a serious one. Every ten years, we have to have an accurate accounting of how many people are in the United States. I see the term people, because that is very important. Republicans look at this and say, if you are here undocumented, you should not count in the census. Why is that important . The important thing here is how we apportion our congressional districts. Democrats we nt congressional districts. Democrats went all the number of people legal and undocumented to be counted because they believe it will give them, candidly, a legend point against republicans. A Justice Department attorney, who does not have jurisdiction because the commerce have jurisdiction because the Commerce Department regulates and controls the senses, and you find a bantering back controls the senses, and you find a ba ntering back and controls the senses, and you find a bantering back and forth with a federal judge. Bantering back and forth with a federaljudge. I do not know how this is going to end. Some say the Supreme Court heard last week to rule on this, others say we have until october. This is a story that is how it is going to unfold. He is going to be busy today, he will not get his 11th ofjuly, that is for sure. It will not surpise you that the Democratic Candidates for 2020 will not be at the salute to america here in washington, instead most will be campaigning out in iowa. And theres a lot of them joining us now is the columnist at the des moines register, rekha basu. Good afternoon, good evening to you. Thank you forjoining us here. Iowa is going to be the first state to caucus. It is going to therefore set the tone of the democratic president ial race. Is there any early sign of what that tone will be . Actually, i think that are you are pretty closely mirrors what is happening in the national scale, as faras happening in the national scale, as far as pulling. Vice president joe biden, former Vice President , far as pulling. Vice president joe biden, formerVice President , was bleeding heavily in the beginning when he first announced. He was 35 points up. He was leading. That is now down to 22 . Kamala harris coming off of her rather effective swipe at joe biden coming off of her rather effective swipe atjoe biden has been rising in the polls from a flat 6 to now 16 . She is in second place. Ithink that, like the rest of the country, as these debates are happening and people are getting more of a chance to focus on who these people are and how they interact and how they, as harris would call it, prosecute the case against donald trump, things are starting to settle. Does it already look as if that field is getting whittled away, even if candidates are not dropping out yet . It does. There are 24 candidates in this race and some have failed to get any traction. Some are stuck at 102 in the polls. They havent done anything that is likely to change that. Stuck at 1 . When you talk to caucus voters in iowa, and this is something you hear nationally, the progressive wing says they are looking for a new energy, new blood, and not in the vernacular, another old man to run against President Trump. In part, that is not really so trump. In part, that is not really so much about identity politics are discriminating against a demographic group, but rather there discriminating against a demographic group, but ratherthere is discriminating against a demographic group, but rather there is such a sense of outrage against some of the things that trump has done with regards to caging children and banning muslims and so on. There is a sense that what it is going to ta ke a sense that what it is going to take is someone who gets this risk really and feels the anger and can make the case against him effectively. Iowa is one of the wider states you can find. The population is less than 5 or so. It is interesting that a lot of people who are saying that i actually white men in the middle to older age. They are seeing really energy is and where the momentum with voters are and they think that is needed, a new voice and a way to galvanise people to turn out to vote, energise young voters, people of colour, who have not voted before because they did not voted before because they did not think there is much in it for them and now they have a substantial range of choices. We all know that iowa gets a disproportionate amount of attention in the election cycle but it is reciprocated by the people. We have seen that today, they are all out today. Democrats descend en masse. They get very much involved in it. They really do. That is one of the things that make iowa attractive as a place to campaign. It is so small. People get a chance to see candidates up close. Yesterday i was at the westie mines picnic and parade for the democrats in the park. It was sweltering. People were out there in droves, waving flags, eating hamburgers and listening to the two president ial candidates who spoke at that. Kamala harris and pete buttigieg. They really had the audience engaged. It was a great way to interact with people and pose for pictures. That is what gives iowa at this real detailed sense of politics. By the end of the election, everybody will have had the opportunity across the state to have seen every candidate at least twice. I do not know what 24 candidates this time, i am not sure if there is an interest in hearing every one of them. This is a politically engaged and civil minded state. A lot of people say they want to hear every single one in person. And they can. Thank you very much for your thoughts today. I hope the parades are going well in iowa. I hope the weather stays fine for them. I was looking at the Weather Forecast for washington and it is not going to be very good. There are thunderstorms on the way. Trump is due to speak in three hours time. If mayweather check is correct, the weather might go bad at the time. I went tojohns weather might go bad at the time. I went to johns house the weather might go bad at the time. I went tojohns house the other night ina went tojohns house the other night in a thunderstorm and i was drenched from the car to the door in seconds. These downpours i saw heavy when they come, it is thunderstorm season, and it will wipe out the parade. Surely he willjust drain the swamp. If he reigns on your parade, yes, we will know about it. Indeed, indeed. Well, if how the 4th ofjuly is being celebrated in washington is being seen as a political statement by some, where it is being celebrated in israel is just as controvertial. For the first time, the us embassy to israel has held its 4th ofjuly party in jerusalem after President Trump recognised the city as israels capital in a departure from long Time International policy. Palestinians and left wing israelis have criticised recent actions by the Us Ambassador in eastjerusalem which the palestinians want as the capital of their hoped for future state. Yolande knell is in jerusalem. Off with a bang. As the us embassy gets fired up for Independence Day, its close relations with israels right wing government is on display. It is wonderful to have the greatest power on earth not opposing the jewish state but supporting it. For these people, it really adds to the celebrations, taking place in jerusalem for the first time. Most israelis were delighted when the us moved its embassy to hear it last year. But palestinians were furious, saying their claims to the city were overlooked. And other changes have worried them since. Up for discussion at this gathering, washingtons latest efforts to broker a peace deal. We might get there if people stop pretending settlements, or what i like to call neighbourhoods and cities, i the reason for the lack of peace. Settle m e nts reason for the lack of peace. Settlements are seen as illegal under international law, although israeli authorities disagree. Left wing israelis worry about the us. This is the most delicate place of our conflict. You cannot come with sledgehammers and say, this is as real sovereignty. You should come with tweezers and settle this place ina way with tweezers and settle this place in a way that respects every person. Israel sovereignty. In a way that respects every person. Israel sovereignty. In new archaeological site was opened here under palestinian homes. While this White House Team is seen as pro israel, some see as losing its credibility as a peace broker with the palestinians, it could ultimately harm israels interests. You canjust imagine how those images will be seen on the opposite side in east jerusalem. The is really. Each tweet has been sent. Have a look. It looks to me one of those facebook videos that you put together yourself and not one you would expect to be put together by a government. That re emphasises the people just how special this relationship is at the moment. People just how special this relationship is at the momentm really does. When i saw that today, i was best out there for the bbc, andi i was best out there for the bbc, and i remember a conversation i had with a representative and they were talking about George W Bush he was then the president of the United States and they were saying, he is no friend of ours, for the palestinians, but when he gets replaced by a democrat, which is sure to happen and it might be barack 0bama or clinton, and when that happens it will be a different ride, a different story altogether. He could not possibly have imagined how much the us is and israel relationship would strengthen. You cannot just see that relationship would strengthen. You cannotjust see that in the video, but of the shots of the Us Ambassador bashing through that tunnel through jerusalem. Just how remarkable how strong that bond is at the moment. If you want to know how the palestinians are feeling, look how many turned out to the plan to piece that jared look how many turned out to the plan to piece thatJared Kushner set look how many turned out to the plan to piece that Jared Kushner set up look how many turned out to the plan to piece thatJared Kushner set up a couple of weeks ago. Well, when hes not at a hustings trying to become the next Prime Minister, jeremy hunt is also trying to carry out his dayjob but the foreign secretary waded into tricky waters when he warned china that it could face serious consequences over its treatment of protesters in hong kong. Jeremy hunt has said it would be a very serious matter if the uks 1984 agreement with china over hong kong were to be breached. When it was signed, britain and china agreed that hong kong should retain some autonomy and freedom. This meant that after the handover in 1997, hong kong would exist under a so called one country, two systems policy britian believes that the arrangement lasts until 2047. But china says its now just an historical document. Victor gao is Vice President of centerfor china and globalization in beijing. When i talked to him ealier i asked him whether there was anything that britain could do that china might be worry about . Anything that britain does to undermine the interest of china, and the uk friendship and cooperation will be a bad thing. It will not be in chinas interest but it will be against the fundamental interest of the british people. I hope the foreign secretary will really know what hes talking secondly, for uk to threaten bad consequences get china, i think he is over estimating the might of britain against china. China is a great country in the world, chinas economy is much, much larger than the United Kingdom and a major force to be reckoned with on the global stage. I hope britain will deal with china with dignity and decency and equality, rather than threatening china with bad consequences. I wonder whether the balance of trade which come into it at all. China exports some 55 billion worth of goods and services to the United States every year. United kingdom. Would britain be able to use that as leverage or is that not such an important amount for the chinese economy . that not such an important amount for the chinese economy . I think between china and the United Kingdom, the better ways to deal with each other with respect, to understand each others situation and to refrain from interfering in each others Domestic Affairs. China now has full sovereignty over hong kong and no foreign country has a right to interfere in the Domestic Affairs in hong kong, or in the relations between Mainland China and hong kong. So the foreign secretary should know the reality is on the ground, the reality on the ground. Rather than position uk as it has a big say on the internal affairs of hong kong. That is really farfrom the realities on the ground. A few miles from here, in south west london, a fairy tale is playing out. 15 year old cori gauff is through to the third ro