What You Need To Know

By ITV News

The quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories. Our team of specialist correspondents plus guests bring you information and analysis you can trust so you get What You Need To Know in minute... more

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FAQs about What You Need To Know:

How many episodes does What You Need To Know have?

The podcast currently has 686 episodes available.

What You Need To Know episodes:

March 03, 2026 Who does Donald Trump want to run Iran?
After US and Israeli strikes on Iran, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, and the Middle East is in chaos. But who will replace the Supreme Leader?
As Tehran faces a power vacuum, who is likely to be Donald Trump's desired candidate and what is his ultimate long-term aim for Iran.
Will we see a new Supreme Leader, an internal revolution, or a return to the Iranian monarchy?
Here's what you need to know about who could lead Iran, and how President Trump is influencing the country's future.
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10min
February 24, 2026 How the Ukraine conflict rewrote the rules of war forever
From FPV drones, to leaderboards for kills and captures, to large-scale cyber warfare, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has rewritten how modern combat is fought. As we reach four years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the stalemate between Putin and Zelenskyy continues to push military tech to its limits.
So how is this new technology impacting soldiers on the battlefield and people living in the rest of Europe? And how will these four years of innovation define the future of warfare across the globe?
Sam Leader tells you what you need to know.
Contributions from:
James Rogers - drone expert
Lauren Sukin - Associate Professor, U.S. Foreign Policy
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10min
January 29, 2026 Can new deal with China help tackle Britain's small boats crisis?
Could China be key in tackling the small boats crisis? Keir Starmer has been meeting President Xi Jinping in Beijing and is hoping a new security pact will be a game-changer, with more than half of small boat engines made in China.
The Prime Minister is also pledging to put more money in British pockets through a better relationship with China. So will it work and what are the risks?
Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen tells Paul Brand what you need to know.
...more
14min
January 26, 2026 How do you stop teens carrying knives?
People carrying knives are more likely to end up as victims. Weapons escalate arguments and confrontations - sending them out of control.

Videos of violence, rapidly shared on social media, can strike fear into teens watching. But for some, far from putting them off carrying a weapon, it has the opposite effect, even when knife crime is falling.

Police and schools across the country are grappling with this viscious cycle.

So how can you stop teens carrying knives?

North of England Reporter Jonathan Brown and Senior Producer Eleanor Gregory tell Lucy Watson what you need to know.

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Jonathan and Eleanor's teen violence investigations:

On the front line with police tackling teen violence - https://youtu.be/b6tXl5_uUEU?si=cD-coyIdRpc6SRmT

Inside a school lockdown as teachers drill for knife attack https://youtu.be/mWdsNPsbnZk?si=aZDVHCMQ-O-O_HkC
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19min
January 22, 2026 House of Lords backs under-16s social media ban: what do teens think?
Opposition parties are demanding it, the government is consulting on it, the House of Lords have voted in favour of it and it's splitting opinion amongst bereaved families.

But what do young people themselves think of a ban on social media for under-16s?

Westminster Political Reporter Lewis Denison tells Faye Barker what you need to know.
...more
16min
January 19, 2026 Why Prince Harry is suing the Daily Mail
Prince Harry is back in the UK, and back at the High Court.

The Duke of Sussex is leading a high-profile group of claimants against the publisher of The Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday over claims of phone hacking, and other illegal information gathering.

Elton John, Liz Hurley and Baroness Doreen Lawrence are amongst the others suing Associated Newspapers Limited.

Associated Newspapers Limited denies the allegations. So what can we expect from the trial?

Royal Editor Chris Ship tells Faye Barker what you need to know.

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Here more from Chris on the Talking Royals podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/@ITVNewsTalkingRoyals?sub_confirmation=1
...more
16min
January 15, 2026 How Trump action on Iran risks regniting trade war with China
With Donald Trump blowing hot and cold on whether the US will strike Iran or not - how will this uncertainty and unpredictability play out with Iran's biggest trading partner - China?

At least two thousand people have been killed in the Islamic Republic's brutal crackdown on protests, which were sparked by the country's soaring inflation and crippling price rises.

In response the US President initially announced a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran.

So could it spell the end of the US-China Trade war truce? And what would that mean for the world?

From Beijing, ITV News Asia Correspondent tells Lucy Watson what you need to know.
...more
13min
January 12, 2026 Would upgrading ketamine to Class A stop the drug's surge?
Would upgrading ketamine to class A stop the drug's surge? The cheap, widely available drug can shred and shrink users bladders' - leaving them constantly rushing to the toilet.

It can even kill, with Friends actor Matthew Perry and drag star The Vivienne both dying after taking the drug in recent years.

The government is deliberating on whether to reclassify the drug from class B to class A, bringing harsher punishments for supply AND possession.

Steve Rolles from Transform Drug Policy Foundation and Digital Reporter George Hancorn join Lucy Watson to discuss whether reclassification would put people off.
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21min
January 08, 2026 Why Birmingham can't end its bin crisis one year on
It's been a whole year since Birmingham's refuse workers first went on strike. Since then bin-bag-lined streets, rats and horrible smells have all become an unwanted feature of the UK's second city.

But the union and council have not been in negotiations since the summer.

So why are they still in deadlock and will they ever resolve Birmingham's bin crisis?

ITV Central's Lewis Warner tells Lucy Watson what you need to know.
...more
14min
January 05, 2026 Will Trump's Venezuelan oil gamble pay off after ousting Maduro?
Captured amid gunfire in Caracas, Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro has now appeared in a New York court to face multiple drugs and wepaons charges.

The US accuses him of leading a cartel responsible for flooding their country with cocaine and fentanyl - which he has always denied.

Meanwhile, President Trump has made it clear there's another substance at the top of his mind: oil.

“We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country,” Trump said.

He even told reporters that he had tipped off US oil giants before the attack.

So what exactly is his plan Venezuela's vast oil reserves...and will it work?

International Editor Emma Murphy tells Paul Brand what you need to know.
...more
14min

FAQs about What You Need To Know:

How many episodes does What You Need To Know have?

The podcast currently has 686 episodes available.