The Global Story

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, all this week The Global Story is exploring the surprising and often hidden ways the US has shaped the modern world.

Today, we are joined by Roman Mars – the host of 99% Invisible and the new BBC series A History of the United States in 100 Objects – who sets out his theory of how the US used design to shape the world in its image.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak

Executive producer: James Shield

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Image: An illustration of a US city rising high above the world’s surface)

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, The Global Story is launching a landmark series exploring the surprising and often hidden ways the United States has shaped the modern world.

For two decades, PEPFAR, the US program to curb AIDS/HIV, enjoyed support and financial backing from both Republicans and Democrats, saving an estimated 26 million lives in what is described as the largest ever commitment by any nation to address a single disease.

Previous presidents - including Donald Trump in his first term - continued to praise and support the effort. But last week, the State Department announced that it would be ending its support for PEPFAR in South Africa. The UN has warned the decision could end up costing lives.

US officials told the BBC that the funding cut was in part a response to South Africa's alleged failure to protect the white-minority Afrikaner community, an accusation Pretoria rejects.

Asma speaks to the BBC’s Senior Africa Producer Ed Habershon about what drove this decision and what the impact could be.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Valerio Esposito and Aron Keller

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Richard Kenny

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Bottles of antiretroviral ARV drugs used to prevent HIV. Credit: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

The United States has been a staunch ally of Israel for decades, and Americans used to be steadfast in their support for the country. But in recent years - and recent weeks - the special relationship between the two counties has come under fire.

Several polls indicate that Americans have increasingly negative views of Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. And as the midterms approach, support for Israel is on the ballot in some races.

Asma briefs Tristan on shifting US public and political opinion on Israel. And Jon Donnison discusses how fluctuating US sentiment on Israel is affecting domestic Israeli politics.

(Photo: President Donald Trump (R) gestures with an extended index finger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) as they stand face to face in front of an Israeli flag. Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Growing concerns over young people using anti-aging products, have prompted industry regulators in Italy to investigate claims that some brands are using young influencers to promote skincare products to other children.

Investigators say that the practice is linked to the broader issue of ‘cosmeticorexia’ - a new term coined by some healthcare professionals to describe an obsession with skincare.

Asma speaks to the BBC’s health and wellbeing reporter Ruth Clegg, about how harmful skincare is for the social media generation.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Tom Bage

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Young content creator Ellie-May. Credit: Sophie/BBC)

Britain has had six prime ministers in the past decade. It’s about to get a seventh after Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday. The country used to be seen as a bastion of political stability. But this latest resignation comes ten years - almost to the day - that Britain voted to leave the European Union.

In this episode we speak to The BBC’s Adam Fleming, Brexit expert, and host of the BBC podcast Newscast. And we ask if Britain is still experiencing the same political forces that produced Brexit.

Why Britain keeps losing prime ministers: bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct8mks

Producer: Sam Chantarasak and Lucy Pawle

Editor: James Shield

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces his resignation outside 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, June 22, 2026. Credit: Jaimi Joy/Reuters)

During the pandemic, for the first time in most of our living memories, the balance of power shifted from employer to employee. By 2021, the percentage of people in the US quitting their jobs was the highest it had been in decades, with tens of millions of people quitting in a single year, confident that they could find something better elsewhere - a trend dubbed ‘The Great Resignation’.

Five years on, and the quitting rates are way down. People are staying in jobs longer, if they are lucky enough to have one. Why?

On today’s show, Tristan is joined by Anthony Klotz, a professor of organisational behaviour at University College London and author, who coined the term ‘The Great Resignation’ and Sarah O'Connor, a columnist for the Financial Times and author of We Are Not Machines: The Fight for the Future of Work, to explore how the world of work has been changed by AI, political and economic instability, and to consider how we can better enjoy the jobs we are in.

Producer: Hannah Moore

Mix: Travis Evans

Executive producer: James Shield

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Woman working on laptop at home)

On Wednesday, President Trump met with Iranian leaders to sign an initial memorandum of understanding towards ending the months-long war. In a press conference after the signing, Trump was triumphant. Specifically, he touted the deal’s firmness on one of the US’s key priorities: ensuring that Iran can never develop a nuclear weapon.

Whilst Iran has agreed to “not procure or develop nuclear weapons," there are many questions left unanswered. What does it actually look like to police the weapons programmes

Today, we speak to someone intimately familiar with the weapons inspection process: President of the Institute for Science and International Security, David Albright. In the 1990s, Albright worked in Iraq with the UN, investigating the nation’s weapons programme under Sadaam Hussein.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Cat Farnsworth

Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a press conference during the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, June 17, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein

On Sunday, Colombia will elect a new president. A Trump-endorsed outsider, Abelardo de la Espriella, nicknamed ‘The Tiger,’ is now ahead in the polls, and within striking distance of the presidency. His platform promises a military crackdown on narcoterrorism and closer collaboration with the United States.

Many Latin American nations have shifted to the right in recent elections, and the Colombia vote is seen as a crucial litmus test for the wider region’s political landscape. Could Colombia be the next country in Latin America take a hard turn to the right? And how might that benefit President Donald Trump? We speak to BBC South America correspondent, Ione Wells.

Producers: Viv Jones and Xandra Ellin

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Video producer: Matt Pintus

Senior news editor: China Collins

Phto: Colombian right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella. REUTERS/Cesar Quiroz

Global fertility rates are at record lows globally, and governments around the world are urging couples to grow their families.

Under Viktor Orbán’s leadership, Hungary implemented some of the most aggressive pro-natalist policies in the world — including generous subsidies for couples who promise to have children, lengthy paid maternity leave, and thousands of dollars in interest-free loans.

But does paying people to have kids actually work? We speak to BBC populations correspondent Stephanie Hegarty about the possibilities and limitations of pro-natalist government policies.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Hannah Moore

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A mother holding the feet of her baby. Credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire