Newscast

Today, Sir Keir Starmer is en route to Washington for his first White House meeting with President Donald Trump.

James speaks to Chris about what the Prime Minister will be hoping to achieve, what the potential pitfalls are and why it’s so significant.

Plus, the government’s climate watchdog released a new report today looking at what the UK needs to do to reach its net zero target by 2050. James is joined by the chief executive of the Climate Change Committee Emma Pinchbeck and the BBC’s climate editor Justin Rowlatt.

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.

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://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Today, we look at the news that the UK will increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

The surprise announcement from Sir Keir Starmer comes ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump later this week. The increase will come at the expense of the UK’s foreign aid budget which will be cut by 0.2%. James and Alex explain how it will work.

Plus, James and Alex are joined by the former CEO of Music UK and political advisor Jamie Njoku-Goodwin and composer Max Richter to discuss the government’s proposals on AI in music.

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.

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://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Today, we look at French president Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with US president Donald Trump on the future of Ukraine.

Speaking with reporters at the White House, Trump said Russian president Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal to end the war.

James and Alex are joined by the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/NbuxWnmY

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://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Chris Gray with Anna Harris and Teodora Agarici. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at the projected election results from Germany.

The conservative Christian Democrats (CDU)/CSU party will be the largest party in the next German parliament with 30% of the vote and will look to form a coalition government, though not with the party that looks to have come second, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

That’s because of a pact among the parties further to the centre not to work with those who they view as too extreme.

Europe editor Katya Adler gives her take from Berlin. Katja Hoyer, historian, journalist and author of Beyond the Wall: East Germany 1949-1990, puts it into historical context. Patrick English, director of political analytics at YouGov explains what the numbers tell us.

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.

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://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Addressing the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow today, Sir Keir Starmer said "peace only comes with strength” and said the UK must spend more on defence. But how far is he prepared to go to protect Ukraine when he goes to Washington next week?

Laura, Paddy and Joe discuss what tools the UK government has at its disposal to negotiate or flatter Donald Trump ahead of their hugely significant meeting.

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://discord.gg/NbuxWnmY

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by George Dabby with Bella Salteil. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing for a trip to Washington on Thursday that he hopes will move Donald Trump away from a quick deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and get European allies back at the negotiating table.

The prime minister will have to walk a diplomatic tightrope in order to avoid the crossfire between Washington and Kyiv and repair transatlantic relationships.

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://discord.gg/NbuxWnmY

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by George Dabby with Teodora Agarici. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham

The past week has seen international diplomacy turned upside down as the US began talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The decision to exclude Ukraine - and Europe - from these talks led to an emergency summit in which European countries sought to establish some influence over the process.

But with the US and Ukrainian presidents embroiled in a dispute that led to President Trump calling President Zelensky a “dictator”, is their relationship beyond repair? And will Ukraine have any say over the terms of a peace deal?

Newscast, Americast and Ukrainecast gathered in the studio for a special collaboration to unpack the enormous shift in international politics that’s unfolding.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/NbuxWnmY

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://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren and Anna Harris. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we discuss Germany’s upcoming elections.

With concerns about immigration and the economy dominating, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) could increase their seat share in the Bundestag. But can they get power?

Adam speaks to BBC Europe editor, Katya Adler, and German historian and author, Katja Hoyer.

And, Ukrainian President Zelensky and the US Chief Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg are holding talks in Kyiv, but a scheduled press conference with the two of them was cancelled. Mark Urban, former Newsnight diplomatic and defence editor looks at why.

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.

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://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Today, we look at what looks like an increasingly hostile relationship between President Trump and President Zelensky.

In a press conference on Monday evening, US President Donald Trump has appeared to accuse Ukraine of being responsible for the war with Russia. In response President Zelensky has accused Trump of living in “disinformation space”.

Adam is joined in the studio by the former armed forces minister, and Conservative MP, James Heappey for an in depth interview on the state of the negotiations, and how we got here.

Plus, the Treasury has warned of a “bumpy” road to lower inflation after an unexpected jump to 3%. Adam and Alex speak to Claer Barret, Consumer Editor of the Financial Times and host of the Money Clinic podcast.

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.

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://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Today, Russia and the US hold peace talks in Saudi Arabia, but a noticeable absentee was any representative of Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergi Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have agreed to appoint teams to start negotiating the end of the war in Ukraine after talks in Saudi Arabia. Speaking after, Lavrov said his country wouldn’t accept peacekeeping forces from Nato countries in Ukraine.

Are relations between Russia and the US thawing? And are we on the brink of a deal? We speak to the BBC world affairs editor, John Simpson.

And, President Trump has said he wants access to Ukraine’s rare minerals. But what exactly are they? We speak to Dr Julie Klinger, author of Rare Earth Frontiers: From Terrestrial Subsoils to Lunar Landscapes.

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.