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pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" . former football star o.j. . simpson who was acquitted of his ex-wife's murder in one of america's most high-profile trials dies at the age of 76. iran and israel trade threats amid fears of retaliation from last week's israeli strike. japan's prime minister makes an appeal to u.s. lawmakers for leadership on ukraine and other global conflicts. ♪ welcome to world news america. o.j. simpson, the former nfl superstar, controversially

acquitted of double murderer in the 1990's has died of cancer. he was 76 years old. in the 1970's, o.j. simpson was a record-breaking running back for the buffalo bills and san francisco 49ers, but it was his criminal record that obscured his prior achievements. in 1994, he was accused of a double murder in los angeles. this low-speed police chase and subsequent murder trial were among the most widely covered events in u.s. history. about 100 million americans tuned in for the verdict which saw a jury declared oj not guilty in the murders of his ex-wife and her friend. his legal issues the not end with the acquittal. he wound up spending almost nine years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping charges. our correspondent looks back at his life. >> watched by millions, o.j. simpson famously led police on a car chase through los angeles after becoming the main suspect in the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. from an impoverished childhood,

he had gone on to become one of the greatest american football players and amick -- in history and a hollywood actor. he will forever be remembered by his nine month televised trial for the double murder that transfixed america. accused of killing his former wife in a jealous rage, at one point, o.j. simpson was shown struggling to try on a pair of gloves found at the crime scene. >> if it doesn't fit, you must acquit. >> not guilty of the crime of murder. >> the trial ended in a not guilty verdict which racially divided the country. seen in some communities as a case of a white police force trying to frame the star. the journalist who first interviewed him after his acquittal said his life story continued to intrigued audiences long after o.j. simpson disappeared from public life. >> it is a bit surreal. we all can go in any moment, but to think about as you read who o.j. simpson was, this star

running back, arguably the greatest running back of all time in his time. then, to become a pitchman and a movie star. then, the tragedy that be felt the goldman family. >> he did go to jail later, charged with armed robbery after a confrontation in las vegas with two sports memorabilia dealers. he was released in 2017 after nine years behind bars. his family wrote on social media that he died of cancer on wednesday, surrounded by his children and ground triggered -- grandchildren. o.j. simpson will be remembered for his rags to riches story and tragic fall from grace which left the unresolved question in pop culture ever since over whether justice was ever truly served. bbc news, los angeles. sumi: we can speak to cbs news correspondent, one of the few reporters to cover all three of o.j. simpson's trial.

good to see you. the murder trial became such a spectacle in the u.s. and around the world. it seemed to be a lightning rod, highlighting issues of race, celebrity and media. what made it become that? steve: he was such a celebrity. we rarely have celebrities of his level being charged with murder, so that by itself made a big case. then, you had the racial aspect. he was black, the victim was white. los angeles had just gone through the very racially dividing rodney king trial. that was part of this as well. there were so many different aspects. he was wealthy. he was not a poor black man. he had a team that was nicknamed the dream team. all these different aspects, i think, led to a remarkable trial that people are still debating all these years later. you have people not necessarily everyday, but people talking about did o.j. simpson do it and people are still divided all these years later. sumi: that appears to be the case.

as we talk about his legal battle, it also seemed to overshadow his incredibly successful football career. tell us more about that. steve: he was a great football player at the university of southern california. he won the heisman trophy, led his team to the rose bowl and he went to the national football league. as a professional, he was the first player to gain 2000 yards in a season. was very successful on the field, although his team never achieved much. what i feel showed o.j. simpson's level of importance, he became a pitchman for hertz. he was the spokesman. you would see him run through the airports try to catch his rental car. that was the bit he did all the time. he was really the first african-american pitchman advertising spokesman that really hit a level of acceptance by both white america and black america. he really broke through the glass ceiling. that was a racial breakthrough that he was involved in. then, the trial itself became so

racially divided. sumi: given all of that, how do you think o.j. simpson will be remembered? steve: obviously, there is a part of him that is a great football star. there's a bit of a level of if you want to talk about the history of advertising, but the overwhelming memories will be this trial that just transfixed the nation. you heard in the report, 100 million people watched the verdict being read on live tv. i was there, except for one day i was at the trial all the time. there came a second trial, the civil trial where he was charged with the deaths of nicole brown simpson and ron goldman. that was not a criminal trial and the levels of necessary proof were much different. in a criminal trial, proof beyond a reasonable doubt. in a civil trial, just a preponderance of evidence, which is generally just 50%. he was found liable. you have decisions that pleased both sides. those who felt he was guilty,

those who felt he was not guilty. then years later, the kidnapping and armed robbery trial in las vegas. he was found guilty. he was sentenced to nine years in prison. some people felt in the end, he got his just due, it just was not for the trial they felt he should have been guilty for. sumi: steve federman, great to have you on. steve: thank you. sumi: there's a lot more on o.j. simpson on our website. you can hear more reflections on our latest special episode, the life and death of o.j. simpson, out now on the bbc sounds app or wherever you get your podcasts. now, the top official at the u.s. agency or international development testified before congress and said famine is underway in northern gaza. under growing pressure to allow more aid trucks into gaza, israel says it will open a new crossing to the north.now, israel is bracing for an iranian counteroffensive after israel destroyed an iranian consulate in cereal last week.

the white house said it will continue to support israel amid threats from iran and its proxies in the region. >> obviously, we have seen the threats coming from iran. so, we have made ourselves very clear where we stand in supporting israel security. that is ironclad. that does not change. we communicated to iran that the u.s. had no involvement in the strike that happened in damascus and we warned iran not to use this attack as a pretext to escalate further in the region or attack u.s. facilities or personnel. we will be super mindful not to speak beyond that from here. sumi: let's speak about all of this with sabrina, deputy press secretary at the u.s. department of defense. great to have you back on bbc news. i want to ask you about the white house saying it has communicated to iran it was not involved in the strike. the u.s. is urging china to push iran not to retaliate. can you give us a sense how big the threat is right now that

iran could strike israeli or even u.s. targets in the region? sabrina: thanks for having me on. we have communicated privately, as you saw the white house detail and we have been very public that we had nothing to do with that strike that occurred in damascus. our mission, our goal, our footprint in the middle east is there to defeat isis. that is our mission. that is why we have forces in iraq and syria. look, this conflict has been contained to gaza. we don't want to see it spread beyond that. at the very beginning when october 7 happened, we reinforced that message of deterrence and we continue to do that. our forced posture has not changed in the region, and we have urged very publicly and privately to iran that we have not had anything to do with that strike that you are referencing that occurred in damascus. sumi: the head of u.s. forces in the region is discussing this threat with israel's defense minister, army chief.

can you tell us that all what form to such an attack by iran could take? sabrina: as you can appreciate, i will not get into hypotheticals here. iran has been very public. we are monitoring what's happening in the region. we take threats very seriously from iran, but i cannot forecast what an attack might look like. all i can tell you is we have forces in the region, and if they are attacked or they feel threatened, they will respond. sumi: when the president has said the u.s. has an ironclad commitment to protecting iran, what does that mean in terms of u.s. support? sabrina: the president said we have an ironclad commitment to protecting israel and their self-defense, so any incoming attacks were to be targeted or coming to the vicinity of u.s. forces, you have seen u.s. forces engaged. we have seen us do dynamic strikes that we continue to do in the red sea and the gulf of aden when the houthis launched missiles at commercial vessels. those are what we call d dynamic strikes.

we don't know when an attack might look like. all i can tell you is we remain postured and ready should our forces be attacked. sumi: let's talk about the strike on the iranian consulate in syria. we know they said it was a violation of international law. the u.n. condemned it because it was an attack on diplomatic premises. as we talk about escalation, should israel be held accountable for this strike? sabrina: we didn't have anything to do with that strike, so i have to refer you to the israeli government to speak to any actions they have taken. when i can tell you is we don't want to see this escalate. why our forces are in syria and iraq -- we are there to defeat isis. to combat this terrorist organization that has remnants in iraq and syria. so, that is our mission focus. that is what we remain focused on every day. attacks on our forces distract from that mission so we don't want to see this widen out to a

regional war or wider regional conflict beyond what's happening in gaza. sumi: the war is continuing in gaza and the head of usaid samantha power told lawmakers that famine is likely underway in gaza. we know there is growing pressure from some u.s. lawmakers, senator sanders for example, to condition any further military aid to israel on humanitarian aid to gaza. this is ultimately president biden's decision but are there any developments on the ground, let's say a ground invasion into rafah that could change the pentagon's posture on this? sabrina: you have heard this administration be very clear. we do not believe a ground operation in rafah is imminent right now, and we don't want to see a ground operation in rafah without a credible plan from the israelis on how they will protect a very densely populated area which is in rafah. our priority right now is making sure humanitarian aid is getting in. we know the humanitarian

situation in the north is getting dire by the day. you have seen is to air drops with other partner organizations, dropping food and meals into gaza. we are a few weeks away from setting up what we are calling a floating pier which will allow more aid trucks to get into gaza. that is our priority. we don't want to see this minute terry and situation get worse. so, that is why we are focused on efforts to really flood the zone, to flood aid in on not just us but other partners in the region. sumi: we will have to leave it there but thank you so much again for joining us today on bbc news. sabrina: thanks. sumi: japan's prime minister kishida emphasize the u.s. role in international affairs in a first speech to a joint congress session in nine years. he praised the japan-u.s. alliance for upholding peace but warned ukraine could be east asia tomorrow, telling lawmakers

that without u.s. support in ukraine, the result could embolden china. he also met with republican speaker of the house mike johnson, as $60 billion in aid for ukraine remain stalled in congress. mr. johnson has not brought that up for a vote because hardliners have threatened to oust him if he does. it comes as the u.s. host and major trilateral meeting with japan and the philippines where washington is aiming to show support for manila and tensions rising with china in the south china sea. the u.s. has condemned chinese coast guard ships are what he calls coercive and unlawful tactics against philippine vessels. the three countries are excited to announce new naval exercises along with australia. i spoke with the former ambassador to japan earlier about the prime minister's message. ambassador, we saw the japanese prime minister say the world needs the united states to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations. what did you make of this

passionate message that the japanese prime minister brought to the u.s.? >> i think it is true to begin with and it is nice to hear. the american people need to hear that. this is a very difficult moment around the world. it is a very dangerous moment around the world, and what we have is an ally, two allies that are true to each other. and they tell each other what they need to hear and they experience things together. what is happening now is this alliance is coming closer and closer together, and it is being welcomed on both sides of the pacific. i am talking about the japanese public and the american public. sumi: let me ask you about one of the specific threats, which is the war in ukraine. he was delivering that message to some republicans in congress who have been skeptical of more aid for ukraine. he said ukraine of today may be east asia of tomorrow. there, he's referring to china's influence in the region. do you think u.s. lawmakers see that as an apt comparison? >> i hope they do.

it is important that we reinforce our need to help ukraine. and we cannot sit back and let putin win this war. japan was very forward thinking. when it happened, the immediately recognized the threat that this could be asia someday if we don't put a stop to aggression. and, that is really a message that the american people need to hear more. and hopefully, we will get some aid to ukraine sometime soon because it is a dire situation. if we don't get that aid, we are going to worry our allies around the world that we are not there when they need us. sumi: why is more aid to ukraine from the u.s. so important to japan? >> because they see, it is a bad neighborhood. you've got kim jong-un in addition to xi jinping who are being very aggressive.

and the japanese public is well aware of what happened in hong kong and what could happen in taiwan. and if the united states is seen as a weak-kneed, then we are going to have problems. we are not trying to wage a war, we are trying to deter a war. we do that by standing up to aggression in ukraine. nato has done that, the united states has done it, japan has done that. that's important for the peace of the world. sumi: speaking of the neighborhood, the u.s. relations with china have grown ever more tense. how is japan navigating its relationship with beijing? >> japan is a major trading partner with china, as are we. there is the factor of the economic part. people in japan understand that if the united states is not there, they are in a very precarious position. having said that, the japanese

self-defense forces are top-flight. what we are talking about now are things i can only imagine 10 or 20 years ago. you are talking about an alliance where you have control together places where we are putting people closer together so we can make this work better. the defense of taiwan is going to have implications in japan, it will have implications all over asia. we will see xi jinping doing things like what happened in hong kong. when you see the south china sea being militarized. those are very worrying things to happen, and hopefully, the united states can quiet whatever doubt there might be. sumi: we will have to leave it there but really interesting conversation, ambassador. thank you so much. >> pleasure to be here. sumi: turning to the race for the white house. vice president harris and former president donald trump are in

pennsylvania in the coming days trying to shore up support in the battleground state. joe biden won in 2020 and so did donald trump in 2016. polls this year have the candidates and neck, and that is where we find caitriona perry in pennsylvania. great to see you. caitriona: we were in michigan a couple days ago, we have come through ohio and now we are in pennsylvania near lake erie behind us. taking the temperature really of voters here in these key battleground states. it was pennsylvania that ultimately fell for joe biden in 2020, putting him over that 270 mark of the electoral college votes and putting him into the white house. as it was in that cycle as it is now, economic issues like inflation, the cost of living are matters that dominate, as we've been hearing from voters here. erie, pennsylvania, formerly a rustbelt hotspot. as jobs left, so did the people.

the population has declined by 40,000 since the 1970's. the cost of living a problem, as food prices have risen by almost 25% in four years. rising faster in pennsylvania than in any other state this year. erie is a swing county in this swing state. as presidents battle to win it, some local people battle to survive. >> we had hard times with president trump. and we are still struggling with president biden as well. caitriona: charities step in to help those struggling. >> quite the ordeal. caitriona: megan is 31 and has eight children. she comes to this food pantry a few times a week and couldn't survive without it. >> it is like a godsend. and we are definitely blessed to have it here. i do get food stamps and

medical. i don't get cash. i just survive on that. work when you can and it is definitely hard to work a lot because of all the children. it is a struggle to stay afloat, but god's been blessing us and we been doing it. caitriona: she is not alone. demand has risen dramatically for the services of this home house of erie. >> my goodness, it has risen tremendously this year. i have seen unemployment dropped. however, there has been an increase when it comes to the food that is in the supermarkets and whatnot, the prices have gone up. it does matter. if you are asking me today, it will swing to the republicans. caitriona: much of the food comes from the second harvest food bank. it serves 9.5 million meals each year in this area.

>> a truckload of green beans. caitriona: the latest government figures show one in eight people in erie don't have enough to beat. for children, that is one in six. a quarter of the people helped by this service our children. >> we have seen a 33% increase in neighbors in need for food assistance. in the last four years, it is the highest amount of people we've ever seen needing assistance from our food bank. during covid, people have supplemental food stamps and they had extra benefits that made it easier for them to stretch the dollar. those sorts of things have been removed and now people are really feeling the increase of inflation, the cost of gas, the cost of rent. caitriona: erie is considered a bellwether county because of its mix of urban and rural, industry and agriculture, declining populations and recent immigrants embracing this city. joe biden won here by 1% and inb 2020.

donald trump i 1.5% in 2016. both parties agree it can be close again this year. the mayor of erie. >> it will be interesting to see what happens this year. typically, they say pennsylvania goes whatever direction erie goes. that has happened the last few years now. i'm really hoping that we support president biden and get him in for another term. caitriona: the trump operation here is small. biden has already open several campaign offices. the chair of the republican party says a recent law extending mail-in ballot could play a role. >> unfortunately, republicans don't like that. they resisted significantly. the democrats, and i am not saying they are bad people, but they accepted it. most of our effort is to try to get republicans to realize it is better to vote than not. if it means you have to use the mail-in ballot, go for it.

caitriona: with such narrow margins, every vote will count, as will every appearance. president biden has already visited the state four times. on saturday, donald trump will come for the third time to visit the keystone state that is a key to the white house. if you look at the polling across pennsylvania in the last month or so, joe biden is ahead, and donald trump in others. interestingly when a third candidate is on the ballot like rfk jr., that margin narrows even tighter. the president, the vice president, the former president have been making trips to the state of pennsylvania, but residents here are expecting them to come here too. what they want to hear from both presidents is how they will improve the cost of living for voters here regardless of who gets the second term. sumi: thanks so much. very interesting reporting on the ground in pennsylvania. that is our program today.

thank you for watching world news america. stay with us. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. tonight, the white house announces the largest expansion of background checks for gun purchases in decades. o.j. simpson, the star football player and actor whose arrest and trial for murder captivated the nation, has died of cancer. and the leaders of japan t