Today, Laura and Paddy speak to a packed sofa of financial experts ahead of the government’s crucial budget announcement.

Former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, General Secretary of Unite the Union Sharon Graham, and former Chief Economist at the Bank of England Andy Haldane are in the Newscast studio to assess the runners and riders of economic policy that could be announced by Rachel Reeves on Wednesday.

Plus, how much of a moment of political jeopardy is this for the government? And what happens if they don’t pull it off?

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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

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Rufus Gray. The social producers were Darren Dutton and Grace Braddock. The technical producer was Antonio Fernandes. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, the former deputy cabinet secretary, Helen Macnamara, speaks to Newscast about the findings of the recent module of the covid inquiry which found that the UK did "too little, too late".

Helen had a front seat for those momentous decisions that shaped the direction of the country during the pandemic, and has previously told the inquiry herself that a "toxic" environment affected decision-making during the crisis.

She gives her reflections on life inside Downing Street at the time, the inquiry’s findings, and how much has changed 5 years on.

Warning: this podcast contains strong language

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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

Today, the home secretary makes second big change to migration policy in a week.

Shabana Mahmood has announced the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain will be extended from five to 10 years, and will apply to the estimated 2.6 million who arrived since 2021. The changes will not apply to people who had already obtained settlement. Adam, Joe, Faisal and Sarah Montague, presenter of the World at One, discuss this plus more Labour leadership questions and preview the budget.

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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

Today, the latest report from the covid inquiry has found that the government did “too little, too late” to prevent deaths during the pandemic.

Chair of the inquiry, Baroness Hallett acknowleged that Boris Johnson’s government faced “unenviable choices” but said that 23 000 deaths could have been potentially avoided and added that regular rule breaking by officials undermined the public’s trust.

BBC health reporter Jim Reed and Dr Catherine Haddon programme, director at the Institue for Government, join Adam to unpick the report.

Plus, Adam is joined by Rachel Kyte UK special representative for climate who’s leading the UK’s delegation in Brazil at COP 30.

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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

Today, John Healey joins the podcast after a Russian ship suspected of mapping undersea cables pointed lasers at RAF pilots tracking its activity near UK waters. The Defence Secretary gave a speech at Downing Street that morning describing the move as “deeply dangerous.” It comes on the same day that a report from MPs says that the UK lacks a plan to defend itself from a military attack.

Adam and Chris speak to John Healey about the escalating threat to the UK, lifting the lid on what conflict looks like in a world of undersea drones and cables, and what is being done to shore up UK military defences in what Healey calls a “new era of threat.”

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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

Today, the CEO of Google gives a rare interview to discuss AI, economic risk, climate change and much more.

Faisal Islam has been speaking to Sundar Pichai, the head of Google’s parent company Alphabet, about the future of the AI bubble.

The tech boss warned that “no company is going to be immune” if the AI bubble bursts after its current period of boom. This comes as some analysts expressed fear that stock markets are heading for a repeat of the dotcom bubble burst of the late 1990s.

They also discussed the environmental cost of powering AI, the potential risks to jobs and whether the UK will benefit from the current boom. BBC economics editor Faisal Islam joins Adam in the studio.

You can listen to a longer version of the interview with Sundar Pichai here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mh56kj

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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

Today, the home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced sweeping changes to the UK's asylum policy, including plans to return asylum seekers to their home country if it is deemed safe.

Under the new plans, most people will have to wait 20 years to apply for settled status, and the deportation process will be sped up for failed cases, including for families with children. The reforms have recieved tentative support from the oppostion but will likely face resistance closer to home, with a number of Labour MPs publicly criticising them.

Adam and Chris break down the politics and director of the Migration Observatory Madeleine Sumption joins Adam to dive deep into the white paper.

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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

Today, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaks to Laura about the government’s new immigration plans.

Under the plans, people who are granted asylum will need to wait 20 years before they can apply to settle permanently. Plus, refugee status will be cut from five year to two-and-a-half years and then regularly reviewed thereafter.

Laura, Paddy and Henry discuss the new proposals, plus the ongoing rumours about the Labour leadership.

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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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

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Adam Chowdhury. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, Laura and Paddy discuss President Donald Trump’s decision to continue with legal action.

The BBC apologised to the president, saying it had unintentionally given "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action" and said it would not be broadcast again. However, they would not pay financial compensation.

Chief North America correspondent Gary O'Donoghue joins us to talk about where we are with the legal proceedings, how much Americans care about this issue, and the political impacts after Trump said that Sir Keir Starmer was “embarrassed”.

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.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

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

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Adam Chowdhury. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Adam is joined by Chris, Faisal and Ailbhe Rae, Political Editor of The New Statesman to wrap up the week.

This episode of Newscast was recorded as part of our 25-hour Podcast-a-thon for Children in Need.

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Joe Wilkinson. The social producer was Grace Braddock. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.