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Taylor Swift and her fiancé Travis Kelce have kicked off rumoured wedding celebrations at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

High-profile friends of the couple, from actress Lena Dunham to frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff were spotted Thursday evening in formal attire.

Aerial footage showed a stream of black SUVs pulling up to the venue with guests dropped off under a white canopy tent. Media speculation has dubbed the event both a pre-party and possible rehearsal dinner.

Around 100 people were expected at the event on Thursday, ahead of a much larger celebration on Friday boasting up to 1,000 guests at the arena.

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Two teenage boys who raped girls in Hampshire have been given four years' detention after the Court of Appeal changed their sentences. A third boy’s youth rehabilitation order was left unchanged.

The BBC UK correspondent Daniel Sandford was at the court and explains the reasoning behind the judges’ decision.

Plus, Morgan McSweeney, the elusive former chief of staff to Sir Keir Starmer has given his first ever media interview. He spoke to Political Thinking’s Nick Robinson about Labour’s lack of preparation for government and his response to allegations of a boys club in Number 10.

Nick joins Alex and James to unpack what we learned.

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00:00 Intro

00:53 Court of Appeal gives custodial sentences to two teenage rapists

03:05 What happened in court today

06:07 Why the appeal court judge ruled the original sentence was "unduly lenient"

08:39 The mother of one of the victims responds

12:07 Morgan McSweeney: who is he and why is he speaking now?

26:26 McSweeney's response to the 'boys club'

31:56 McSweeney on Starmer's first phone call with Trump

36:02 What McSweeney's experience means for Andy Burnham's team

It looks official: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are expected to celebrate their wedding this weekend.

Speculation about the ceremony has been rife ever since the couple announced their engagement in an Instagram post last August.

Swift, known for dropping hints to bigger plans in everything from her wardrobe to music and tours, has kept quiet about her upcoming nuptials, but that has not stopped the world from speculating.

All signs point to Madison Square Garden and a huge party in New York City.

Here's everything we know, and don't know about the rumoured wedding.

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How have 250 years of history shaped modern America?

As historic July 4th celebrations take place across the country this weekend we ask how does modern America compare to the vision of the Founding Fathers in the 18th Century? What does it means to be an American citizen today and has that changed over time? And is the July 4th celebration about more than parades and fireworks?

In this episode, Justin and Anthony talk to the historian Heather Cox Graham who writes a daily Substack on American politics and society and has started a video project - 250 to 250 - to mark the historic landmark. Today, we are bombarded by information at a frenetic pace but can a careful consideration of the past 250 years tell us more about the United States in 2026?

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Two teenage boys, convicted of rape in Fordingbridge, England, have been given four years' detention after the Court of Appeal changed their original sentences.

Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr says the boys' initial non-custodial sentences were "unduly lenient", and the trial judge undervalued the seriousness of their crimes.

Two teenage girls were raped - one in November 2024, and one in January 2025 - by the boys, then aged 14.

They were initially given Youth Rehabilitation Orders along with a third boy, then 13, who filmed parts of the second attack - his sentence remains unchanged.

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UK PM Keir Starmer has apologised on behalf of the British state for its role in historical forced adoptions in England and Wales.

An estimated 185,000 babies were taken from their mothers in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, with women pressured into giving up their children because they were unmarried.

In a statement in the House of Commons, Sir Keir said what happened to "tens of thousands of mothers, children and families" was "a stain on our history".

The apology comes after years of campaigning from mothers, adoptees and their wider families, and parliamentary reports into the issue.

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A new law has come into effect in China which critics say is aimed at erasing minority groups.

The government calls it the law for "Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" and says the legislation will strengthen social cohesion, for example by making Mandarin the language of education, official business and public spaces. But rights groups argue it's designed to force groups such as Uyghurs and Tibetans to assimilate with the Han Chinese majority.

Amnesty International has warned the law will “further institutionalise... policies of forced assimilation”. The UN rights chief Volker Türk has called for the law to be repealed, saying it will restrict freedom of language, education and religion.

We ask BBC Monitoring's China Media Analyst Kerry Allen about the powers this new law gives Beijing, why critics are concerned and whether it will expand China's ability to target activists living abroad.

New episodes of the Global News Podcast are published twice a day. You can listen here: https://link.mgln.ai/GNP-YT

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Russian forces have launched what Kyiv's mayor described as the "most massive" attack on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the full-scale invasion, killing at least 20 people and injuring around 90.

Ukraine said Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight, striking residential areas across the city.

Moscow said it had targeted military facilities in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure.

The assault comes as Ukraine renews calls for more air defence support from its allies amid intensified Russian strikes.

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We look at how US President Donald Trump made more than $1 billion from cryptocurrency in his first year back in office.

The president’s mandatory financial report revealed that he also earned millions from real estate and Trump-themed items. But the White House denies that he is profiting from the presidency. Alex and James are joined by chief North America correspondent, Gary O’Donoghue.

Plus, we look at a week of big rulings for the president in the Supreme Court, including a defeat for the president over birth right citizenship and decisions which expand the power of the presidency.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

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Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

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US President Donald Trump’s attempts at regime change in Iran and Venezuela, controversial as they are, reflect the US’s long history of using both military and covert operations to achieve its goals abroad.

One of the forefathers of this approach to foreign intervention was Allen Dulles, the first civilian head of the Central Intelligence Agency, who used undercover – and often morally dubious – tactics to topple global leaders deemed unfriendly to America’s interests.

On today’s The Global Story, Tim Weiner, author of Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA and The Mission: the CIA in the 21st Century, joins Tristan Redman and Asma Khalid to explain how Dulles' legacy played out through the ‘War on Terror’ and how it has helped shaped today’s US foreign policy.

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00:00 Introduction

04:13 Formation of the CIA

06:46 Allen Dulles

09:33 MK Ultra and Operation Artichoke

13:25 The Bay of Pigs

16:28 Counterterrorism operations post-Cold War

22:03 What next for the CIA?