The Fourcast: Recent Episodes
Channel 4 News
From Channel 4 News, an in-depth look at the news stories you need to know about; how the past shapes the present and what might lie ahead for us all.
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AI is increasingly being used to find vulnerabilities, exploit networks and carry out cyberattacks - but how autonomous are these systems really?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei asks whether we are approaching a world where AI agents can conduct cyberattacks with little or no human intervention. Could an AI maintain access to a network, evade attempts to shut it down or even copy itself?
Matt is joined by AI safety expert and author of Considerations on the AI Endgame, Dr Roman V. Yampolskiy, and Katie Moussouris, founder and CEO of Luta Security and a former contributor to the US government's ‘Hack the Pentagon’ programme.
They discuss the latest AI hacking incidents, whether governments need tougher regulation, who should be responsible when AI causes harm, and whether AI could ultimately become both the biggest cyber threat - and the best defence against it.
The war in Ukraine appears to have entered a new phase, as Kyiv has launched increasingly ambitious long-range strikes deep inside Russia, put mounting pressure on Crimea and sought to bring the war closer to ordinary Russians and Vladimir Putin.
But now the Kremlin is hitting back hard. In a missile attack on Kyiv this week, at least 17 people were killed. Now there’s reports of a Ukrainian plane in Leipzig, Germany, being targeted by an explosive-laden drone. It’s not clear who was behind the attack but reporting suggests it could be Russia. So are we witnessing a dangerous new phase of escalation?
On this episode of the Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by economist Timothy Ash from Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia programme.
Just a few months ago, Nigel Farage and Reform UK looked unstoppable. After sweeping the local elections and topping opinion polls, many believed Reform was on course for government. But has the momentum already begun to fade?
A string of controversies - including police investigations, questions over party finances, and a £5 million donation from a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire - has put Reform under growing pressure. With the party slipping in the polls, are these scandals finally cutting through with voters, or is this just another setback Farage will survive?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Tim Ross from Politico, former Reform UK spokesperson Gawain Towler and Labour strategist Claire Ainsley to examine what's gone wrong for Reform, whether Andy Burnham has given Labour a route back to power, why the Greens are also losing ground, and what the latest polling tells us about the future of British politics.
After around 50,000 migrants crossed into Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta, far-right politicians across Europe quickly branded the events an "invasion." But with most migrants already returning to Morocco and UK illegal boat crossings dropping to a five-year low—down 43% compared to 2025—what is actually driving the debate around European border control?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Director of the Migration Observatory Madeleine Sumption, Director of Politics at Ipsos Keiran Pedley, and Austrian migration expert Gerald Knaus.
They discuss whether the incident in Ceuta could drive a new surge for the far-right across Europe, how the UK could be affected and if immigration is still the hot topic for voters.
Despite his job seemingly looking assured just a few weeks ago, Gianni Infantino’s position as President of FIFA is now in jeopardy.
With the footballing federations of Europe, North America and Asia all rejecting Infantino’s plans to sell off part of the World Cup to private investors, pressure is piling on Infantino. Even the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Infantino is the “wrong man” to lead FIFA.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Channel 4’s Sports Reporter, Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, as well as Abiola Ijasanmi the former Chief Operating Officer from the Confederation of African Football.
They discuss whether Infantino has badly mis-read the situation and - could he actually could be forced out of this job?
The war between the United States and Iran has spread across the Middle East.
Fresh strikes in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt, alongside escalating Houthi attacks on international shipping, have raised fears that the region is entering a dangerous new phase. With Washington intensifying its military campaign and Iran relying on its network of allied militias, is this becoming a wider regional war?
On this episode of The Fourcast: Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Professor Madawi al-Rasheed from the London School of Economics Middle East Centre. They discuss why the Houthis are stepping up attacks, whether Saudi Arabia is being pulled into the fighting despite its efforts to avoid it, how Iraqi militias could become a new flashpoint, and whether the US has a long-term strategy, or is being drawn into another prolonged Middle East war.
Is there still a path to de-escalation, or are we witnessing the beginning of a conflict that could engulf the wider region?
Social care is the thorny issue which politicians have failed to solve for decades.
Today though, the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham put it back on the political agenda as he called for a ‘National Care Service’, saying that social care in the UK is “as unfair” as the healthcare system in the US.
On this week’s episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by the former Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Damien Green, Professor Richard Humphries who is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Health Foundation and the Liberal Democrat MP and Chair of the Health Select Committee Layla Moran.
They discuss why the current system is not fit for purpose, why previous efforts at reform have failed and whether Andy Burnham could be the one to finally solve it.
As thousands of people are forced to flee their homes amid devastating wildfires in France, Spain and Scotland, the climate emergency seems closer to people’s lives than ever.
Despite this, governments around the world are seemingly rolling back their efforts to end the fossil fuel pollution that is driving the climate emergency.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by environmentalist George Monbiot, Professor Liz Bentley from the Royal Meteorological Society and Fiona Macklin, Head of Climate at Apolitical.
They discuss what it will take to finally get politicians to start taking global heating seriously. And whether even when disaster is staring us in the face, if we as a people are really ready to make the changes necessary?
Months after many of his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs were declared illegal by the Supreme Court, Donald Trump has announced a fresh wave of tariffs against dozens of countries.
This time, using the allegation of “forced labour” by America’s trading partners, Trump is hoping his new tariffs will be less open to challenge in the courts.
But what will the impact be on American consumers already hit hard by the war in Iran? And can anyone take Trump’s trade policy seriously, when it can all change in an instant?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Australian-American economist Justin Wolfers, as well as Financial Times columnist and co-author of the book How to Win a Trade War, Soumaya Keynes.
The US and Saudi Arabia have reportedly signed a landmark deal that could pave the way for a Saudi nuclear programme, sparking fears it could eventually allow the Gulf kingdom to develop its own nuclear weapon.
President Donald Trump has denied that the agreement permits Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, and says any deal is dependent on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords and recognising Israel, a move many experts say remains unlikely.
Meanwhile, tensions in the region have escalated after Houthi attacks on Saudi ships in the Bab el Mandab strait pushed oil prices higher. Trump has warned that further attacks could trigger “major military punishment” against Iran and the Houthis.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Channel 4 News foreign affairs correspondent Jonathan Rugman to examine the US-Saudi nuclear deal, the growing confrontation with the Houthis, and what it means for the future of the Middle East.
Why has Volodymyr Zelenskyy reshuffled Ukraine's military leadership at a crucial moment in the war against Russia?
As Kyiv ramps up its long-range drone campaign deep inside Russia, Ukraine's president has appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi to lead the country's armed forces. Supporters say he's the innovative commander Ukraine needs for the next phase of the conflict—but why make such a significant change when the war appears to be swinging in Ukraine's favour?
On this episode of The Fourcast: Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban examine what Zelenskyy's military shake-up signals, whether Ukraine is rewriting the rules of modern warfare, and if drones can continue to shift the balance against Russia. They're joined by Orysia Lutsevych, Head of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, to discuss the challenges facing Kyiv, what Vladimir Putin may do next, and the wider security picture, including Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the emerging US-Saudi nuclear agreement.
Andy Burnham is Britain's new prime minister.
On his first day in Downing Street, he promised the biggest changes to Britain in 40 years, unveiled his vision for government and began assembling his cabinet. But what do those first decisions tell us about the kind of Prime Minister he wants to be?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Anushka Asthana examines Burnham's first speech and the challenges waiting in his in-tray. Can he rebuild trust in politics? How different is ‘Burnhamism’ from the Starmer years? And with Britain's public finances under huge pressure, can he improve living standards without returning to austerity or breaking Labour's tax promises?
Joining Anushka today are Neal Lawson, a close ally of Burnham’s who co-founded the influential left wing group Compass, political strategist Peter Hyman, who was at the heart of the Downing Street operation in the Blair years and a senior adviser to Keir Starmer in opposition, and Political Editor at the i Paper, Caroline Wheeler.
The World Cup final is here. But could this tournament be remembered more for its politics than its football - from Donald Trump's travel restrictions, to soaring ticket prices and growing criticism of FIFA's relationship with the White House, controversy has followed this World Cup from the very beginning.
At the centre of it all is FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Once elected promising to clean up football's governing body after the Sepp Blatter era, he's now facing mounting criticism from across the game. So, has Infantino gone too far? Could his grip on FIFA finally be weakening? Or is he more powerful than ever?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Jordan Jarrett-Bryan is joined by broadcaster and football journalist Kate Mason and Carl Anka from the Athletic.
President Donald Trump has U-turned on his threat to charge cargo ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz as much as 20% - but the US and Iran have continued trading strikes as Trump has told the US Congress that war has resumed.
So, can the US gain the upper hand? Will more US bombs and bullets really help? And has this whole episode proven that the memorandum of understanding, which was meant to end the conflict, was destined to fail.
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Defence and Intelligence Analyst, Mark Urban are joined by former US Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, who is now a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defence of Democracies.
Britain is getting hotter. But is the country ready?
After another record-breaking heatwave, experts estimate that thousands of excess deaths may already have been linked to the extreme temperatures. From overheating homes and buckling railways to schools, hospitals and reservoirs struggling to cope, questions are growing over whether Britain's infrastructure was ever designed for the climate it's now facing.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy asks why the UK remains so unprepared for extreme heat, what climate adaptation should actually look like, and whether the debate around Net Zero has become more political than practical.
He's joined by Professor Rebecca Willis from the University of Manchester, environmental lawyer and Uplift Executive Director Tessa Khan, and architect Smith Mordak to discuss how Britain can prepare for a warmer future and whether the country is running out of time.
Christopher Nolan’s newest blockbuster film The Odyssey, with a star-studded line up including Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland, hits the cinemas next week, and it’s already causing a stir.
But what is the film really about?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy sat down with Christopher Nolan and Tom Holland and explored the themes of revenge, the hero’s journey, homecoming, and asked how the Greek concept of Zeus’s law could be linked to the debate around immigration today.
Later Krishnan spoke to classicist Edith Hall to delve deeper into the epic tale.
Donald Trump says the ceasefire is over. After fresh US strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks on American military bases in the Gulf, hopes that the conflict was winding down have been thrown into doubt.
Trump has declared he no longer wants to negotiate with Tehran, raising fears that the Middle East could be entering a dangerous new phase.
So what do these latest attacks tell us? Is diplomacy finished? Could Israel escalate its military campaign? And what does renewed instability mean for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the wider global economy?
On this episode of the Fourcast Indicators Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by defence and intelligence analyst Mark Urban and also speaks to Hossein Kanani Moghaddam, founder of the Green Party of Iran and a former senior IRGC commander, to discuss Iran's response, the future of the regime, and whether there is any route back to diplomacy.
Nigel Farage is trying to take back control of the scandal around his finances. Facing mounting questions and a parliamentary standards inquiry which could prompt a recall petition and by-election he has pre-empted it all and forced one himself. He's pitching it as the people against the establishment - the chance to flick two fingers at the media and political opponents, and prove he's done nothing wrong. But will it work? Will it resolve any of the questions about who gave him money, why and why he didn't declare it? Is this a genius masterstroke by a brilliant tactician, or a desperate stunt by an angry man that could backfire? And is it effectively an admission that the inquiry will find he broke the rules? On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by the former Conservative now Reform supporting commentator Tim Montgomerie, former Reform Deputy Leader turned Farage critic and rival Ben Habib, who has shared a platform with far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and from More in Common the pollster Luke Tryll.
How far would an Andy Burnham government be willing to go to tackle inequality? In this episode of The Fourcast, economist and activist Gary Stevenson told us that the incoming prime minister will “fail” unless he is willing to properly tax wealth.
A former trader who made millions in the City, Gary Stevenson has gained a huge online following as one of the left’s foremost campaigners against inequality.
He spoke with Krishnan Guru-Murthy about his new Channel 4 documentary ‘How to Get Filthy Rich’ and told us whether he would be willing to work with a future Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Thousands of killers, rapists and sex offenders are among those who could be released early this September as the Government tries to tackle the crisis facing Britain’s overcrowded prisons.The plans have sparked a political row, with former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips calling for child rapists to be excluded from the scheme, while the Conservatives have accused the Government of putting victims at risk.On this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long speaks to Amy Clowrey, a solicitor who specialises in child sex abuse cases, Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers Association, and prisons minister Lord Timpson.What does the scheme mean for victims? How many offenders could be released? And is there another way to fix Britain’s prison crisis?
With Sir Keir Starmer just weeks away from leaving office, his government has finally released its long awaited Defence Investment Plan - but will it be enough to keep the UK safe?
On this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Channel 4's International Editor Lindsey Hilsum.
They discuss how the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have "completely changed" the nature of warfare, how Britain is betting big on drones - and if Vladimir Putin might be at risk of lose his prized possession: Crimea.
Andy Burnham is setting out what a Premiership under him could look like. The former Greater Manchester Mayor has said that he would set up a permanent “Number 10 North”, with greater powers handed to England’s regions.
So could the Manchester model work across the country? Why has “levelling up” repeatedly failed? And could moving power out of Westminster really make England richer?
To discuss this, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Hannah Peaker, Deputy Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation, Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and Channel 4 News Economics Editor Helia Ebrahimi.
Russia’s stock market has plummeted in recent days, hitting a three year low, mounting pressure on Vladimir Putin while Ukraine ramps up its long range drone attacks on critical infrastructure, including oil facilities around Moscow.
Are the costs of the war becoming unbearable for Russia? Is Ukraine finding new ways to fight back? And if Putin believes time is no longer on his side, will he escalate?
On this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Nina Khruscheva, professor of international affairs at The New School in New York.
Maggie Haberman has spent years covering Donald Trump - from his first presidential campaign to his return to the White House.
Now, in her new book Regime Change, written with Jonathan Swan, she examines how Trump has wielded power in his second term: his relationship with loyalty, his desire to shape history, and the people around him who help drive his decisions.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Maggie Haberman about Trump’s ambition to be remembered as one of the most powerful leaders in history, whether he is considering a third term, and what his presidency reveals about his character.
Donald Trump has frequently dismissed Haberman for writing false stories about him, which she rejects.
Is Trump changing the presidency - or trying to make the presidency about himself?
Keir Starmer is on his way out and Andy Burnham looks set to become Britain's next Prime Minister. After years as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham appears to have cleared the field, with Labour MPs rallying behind him and potential rivals standing aside. But what happens next?
Can Burnham turn his popularity into a successful premiership? Does he have a plan for Britain's sluggish economy, rising welfare costs and growing defence commitments? What exactly is "Manchesterism", and can it work across the whole country?
To discuss all of this and more, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is in Westminster, speaking to Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon about Burnham's path to Number 10, the likely shape of his government, the future of Labour, and what Nigel Farage and Reform UK make of the challenge ahead. He's joined by Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika, the i Paper's Kitty Donaldson, and Ipsos UK Chief Executive Kelly Beaver to assess what a Burnham premiership could mean for British politics.
Andy Burnham has won a thumping victory in Makerfield, proving he can, in certain circumstances, beat Nigel Farage’s Reform UK - but what about beating his own party leader Sir Keir Starmer?
The prime minister says he will stand and fight any leadership challenge. So, where does it leave the country? Will Starmer be forced to stand down, despite his defiant tone now? And what will happen if there is a leadership election?
On this episode of The Fourcast Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Keir Starmer’s biographer Tom Baldwin, Labour MP and Wes Streeting ally Rosie Wrighting, Labour MP and Andy Burnham supporter Dr SImon Opher and More In Common executive director Luke Tryl.
A $300bn plan to rebuild Iran. A ceasefire in the Middle East. And a new test for Donald Trump. But can this peace plan really work, and who is paying for it?
In this episode of The Fourcast: Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban examine the signals analysts are watching most closely after the Iran war - from the future of Iran’s economy and nuclear programme, to whether Israel will accept a new regional reality.
They’re joined by Channel 4 News Economics Editor Helia Ebrahimi to ask: who pays for Iran’s reconstruction? Can sanctions be lifted? What happens to the Gulf states? And does this mark a new balance of power in the Middle East?
A ceasefire has been announced between the US and Iran - but is this the end of the conflict, or just a pause before the next confrontation?
After days of missile strikes, threats and escalation, Donald Trump has celebrated the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and declared a diplomatic success. Iran says it has forced the US and Israel to accept defeat. Both sides claim victory - but who really got what they wanted?
On this episode of The Fourcast, we examine what the ceasefire means for Iran’s nuclear programme, Israel’s security calculations, and the wider balance of power in the Middle East.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Ali Ansari, director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews, former Israeli ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff, and Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum.
The World Cup has kicked off, with three red cards and a win for co-hosts Mexico while the USA face Paraguay later, but President Donald Trump is set not to attend America’s opening game.
Before a ball was even kicked, this tournament wasn’t short of controversies, from strict border controls and eye-watering ticket prices to the prospect of two countries who are at war with each other playing a game of football.
So, has the beautiful game’s biggest tournament become impossible to separate from global politics? Is this simply the reality of staging a World Cup across borders in an increasingly divided world - or are the doubters right that this World Cup could be spoiled by the drama off the pitch?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by our sports reporter Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, superfan Billy The Bee who is in Mexico right now and will head to America to follow England’s games and journalist Marcela Mora y Araujo.
While Washington insists pressure is working and Tehran claims resilience; attacks have continued, oil markets are moving, and ships are passing through the Strait of Hormuz despite repeated warnings of disruption.
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban unpack why oil prices haven’t exploded, whether Iran is losing one of its most powerful bargaining chips, and what the movement of ships in the Gulf tells us about what could happen next.
And what does the resignation of UK Defence Secretary John Healey tell us about how the UK is preparing for a more unstable world?
They’re joined by Yael Selfin, Fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and Chief Economist at KPMG, to ask whether markets are underestimating the risks - and what this could mean for fuel prices, inflation and the wider economy.
The family of Stephen Ogilvie, the victim of the Belfast stabbing, has called for calm and said they don’t want the “terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”, as Sudanese national Hadi Alodid was charged with attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife.
Last night, violence spread across parts of Belfast, with police attacked, properties damaged and communities left on edge after a video of the attack was shared online. Politicians and police have pointed to the role of social media, misinformation and outside agitators. But what is really driving the disorder?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long explores what's happening in Northern Ireland, why immigration has become such a political flashpoint, and whether far-right voices are helping fuel tensions online.
Jackie is joined by Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent at The Irish News, former Metropolitan Police officer Victor Olisa, and Robert Topinka, lecturer and researcher on far-right movements and online radicalisation.
The Nottingham attacks shocked Britain and raised urgent questions about mental health services, public safety and institutional accountability.
In this special edition of The Fourcast, Jackie Long is joined by the families of those killed in the attacks, alongside mental health experts, campaigners and policymakers, to discuss the findings of the Nottingham Inquiry and what must change to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber; Dr Sanjoy Kumar, father of Grace O'Malley-Kumar; and James Coates, son of Ian Coates, reflect on their fight for answers and accountability. They are joined by former Care Minister Norman Lamb, Professor at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London Dinesh Bhugra, and SANE Chief Executive Marjorie Wallace.
Can lessons finally be learned from Nottingham? Has enough changed since the attacks? And how do we balance compassionate mental health care with public safety?
Nottingham Police said they would consider any recommendations made. Nottingham Health Trust did not respond to a request for comment. The CPS said they were ‘fully engaging with the public inquiry’. During the inquiry, a representative from the University of Nottingham said that since Valdo Calocane had left the university, the university had “continued to refine and adapt its policies and processes, but any changes made have not been as a direct result of the attacks themselves.” The spokesperson added that: "The University does not take the view that any of the changes made would have had an impact on the devastating attacks which took place.” The Department of Health said that “whilst there has been significant investment in mental health services over the past ten years, demand has risen and outpaced the services available”, and acknowledged “a significant and ongoing rise in demand means there remains a substantial treatment gap”.
Donald Trump says he’d be “honoured” to meet the new supreme leader of Iran Mojtaba Khamenei as there’s little sign of progress in peace talks between Tehran and Washington.
So what do the people in Iran really feel about the US president, the war and their Islamic regime that has ruled for almost half a century?
Krishnan Guru-Murthy has travelled to Iran, speaking to supporters of the regime and, in a rare interview, one of its most prominent critics.
Sadegh Zibakalam is an Iranian academic and author who has spent years calling for reform of the Islamic Republic. He has been jailed, removed from university posts and banned from public speaking. In this episode of The Fourcast, he shares his views on Iran's leadership, its future, and its relationship with the West.
The death of Henry Novak has sparked more than just grief; it has ignited a fierce debate over the state of British policing and the "rage" currently gripping the nation. While the Prime Minister accuses Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of ignoring the Novak family’s pleas for unity, Nigel Farage claims the incident is proof of "two-tier policing" - a justice system he argues treats people differently based on who they are.
But is this a genuine case of systemic bias, or a tragic failure of training and human error in the heat of the moment? And as "identity politics" moves from university lecture halls into police training manuals, are we losing sight of the common ground needed to hold a diverse society together?
On today’s episode of The Fourcast, Ciaran Jenkins is joined by Sundar Katwala, Director of British Future, academic and author Lisa McKenzie, and former Policing Minister John Denham to ask: is Britain’s policing truly broken, or is it simply a mirror reflecting our deepest national divisions?
Economic growth is at the centre of British politics once again. Tony Blair says Labour needs a new plan. Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham are all setting out competing visions for the country's future. But after years of promises about prosperity, innovation and renewal, why do so many people feel the economy is no longer working for them?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long speaks to economist Professor Mariana Mazzucato, whose ideas helped shape Labour’s original pitch for power and whose new book, The Common Good Economy, argues that governments have lost sight of what the economy is actually for.
They discuss whether markets should serve society rather than the other way around, who gets to define the “common good”, and whether mission-driven government can survive in an era of political instability, nationalism, trade wars and rapid technological change. They also explore Labour’s record in government so far, Tony Blair’s intervention in the party’s future, the debate over net zero and growth, and whether AI could transform the economy as profoundly as the industrial revolution.
The ceasefire may be holding, but the indicators beneath the surface suggest the Middle East remains dangerously unstable.
As internet access slowly returns in Iran and diplomatic channels reopen, questions are growing about whether the US, Iran and Israel are genuinely moving towards a deal, or simply regrouping before the next escalation. Donald Trump is pushing for a wider regional settlement built around the Abraham Accords, while Iran is demanding access to frozen assets and Israel continues strikes in Lebanon.
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Mark Urban examine the signals analysts are watching most closely: the nature of recent US and Iranian strikes, the strategic importance of Lebanon’s ceasefire, and the growing pressure for political progress before the conflict spirals again.
They’re joined by Lina Khatib from Chatham House.
Sir Tony Blair has entered Labour’s civil war - and his message is brutal: changing the leader means nothing if the party still has no real plan for Britain.
In a sweeping essay, the former Prime Minister delivers a scathing critique of Keir Starmer’s government and questions whether Labour has coherent answers on growth, tax, welfare, Brexit, net zero and Britain’s place in the world. Blair argues the solution is a return to the “radical centre” - but what does that actually mean in 2026?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy examines whether Labour’s crisis is really about leadership at all. Would replacing Starmer with Wes Streeting or Andy Burnham solve anything? Should Labour move closer to Donald Trump or back towards Europe? And if the party forces a leadership contest now, does it risk opening the door to Nigel Farage and Reform UK?
Joining Krishnan are former Tony Blair speechwriter Phil Collins and Labour MP Zubir Ahmed, a supporter of Wes Streeting who resigned from government earlier this month, and Stewart Wood who was an adviser to Gordon Brown when he was Prime Minister and Ed Miliband when he was Labour leader.
Donald Trump says Iran must choose between signing a deal or facing fresh US strikes - but despite the threats, no attacks have come. So is this another case of “TACO Trump”, or are we actually watching the outlines of a peace deal emerge behind the scenes?
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Mark Urban examine rising oil prices, shifting sanctions policy, and growing pressure from Gulf states desperate to avoid another escalation in the Strait of Hormuz.
They discuss whether the US and UK are quietly easing pressure on Russian oil as energy markets tighten, what could happen to Iran’s uranium stockpile under a deal, and whether Trump and Netanyahu are still truly aligned as tensions grow over Israel’s conduct and strategy.
How bad is the economic hit from the Iran war going to be? If the talk around price caps on essential food items, and lifting sanctions on Russian oil and gas are anything to go by, then it could be very bad indeed.
The government says any price freeze will be voluntary after supermarket bosses called the idea ‘preposterous’ and ‘nonsense.’ But plans to continue to allow diesel and jet fuel to be imported into the UK from Russian oil refined in other countries will go ahead. The Conservatives call this a ‘betrayal of Ukraine.’
On this episode of the Fourcast, Jackie Long is joined by Channel 4 News' Economics Reporter Neil Macdonald, the economist Vicky Pryce and Tom Keatinge, the founding director at the Centre for Finance and Security at the think tank RUSI.
The World Health Organization has declared the latest Ebola outbreak an international emergency, as cases continue to rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda - including infections reported in the capital, Kampala.
The current outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. Fears are growing that this could escalate into a crisis on the scale of the devastating 2014 West Africa outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people.
In this episode of The Fourcast, we ask how serious the threat really is, whether the world is better prepared than it was a decade ago, and what lessons were learned from previous epidemics. Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Channel 4 News health editor Victoria MacDonald and Dr Oliver Johnson, who led an Ebola isolation unit in Sierra Leone during the 2014 outbreak.
What has Donald Trump got out of his two day trip to Beijing? There are some roses from the Chinese President Xi Jinping for the White House Rose Garden apparently. But a trade deal? An end to the war in Iran? The Strait of Hormuz reopened? That all seemed rather more elusive.
And what about Xi Jinping? Did he get to show that China is now America's equal on the global stage? Access to US tech and AI? Could he even have got the nod from Trump that Taiwan - and its threatened democracy - is now no longer a priority for the US?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Channel 4 News foreign affairs expert Jonathan Rugman, and Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law, now living in exile in the UK and on a Chinese wanted list.
A leaked Pentagon assessment claims China is using the Iran war to strengthen its position against the United States economically, militarily and diplomatically, US media is reporting.
Donald Trump is in Beijing for a summit with Xi Jinping, where the Chinese ruler has been warned that if the Taiwan issue is not handled carefully it could lead to a conflict between the super powers.
On this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by China expert and contributing editor at the Times Cindy Yu to dissect it all.
The battle for Number 10 is on.
After Angela Rayner announced HMRC had cleared her over the tax scandal that led to her resignation, attention quickly shifted to the growing leadership turmoil inside Labour. Following days of speculation, Wes Streeting announced his resignation from government but - so far - hasn’t challenged Keir Starmer for the leadership
In this episode of The Fourcast, we examine the names circling the leadership race - from Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband to junior ministers preparing potential bids - and ask whether Labour is heading for a brutal internal war just as it tries to convince voters it’s ready for power.
Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy are Senior Political Correspondent Paul Macnamara and Think Labour’s Alison Phillips to discuss who’s really plotting, who has momentum, and whether Starmer can survive the biggest challenge of his leadership so far.
Recorded before Andy Burnham announced he would stand in Makerfield.
It’s another febrile day in Westminster with Prime Minister Keir Starmer - for now - clinging on but he's far from safe as a succession of ministers have stepped down, with more expected to go.
On top of that, the man who has become the PM's nemesis in the north, Andy Burnham, is apparently down in London. Shopping? Plotting?
So it looks like Keir Starmer might just hit the current average tenure of British Prime Ministers - two years, but no more. Is this really the way to run a country in the middle of two wars and a cost-of-living crisis? And could anyone else really do any better?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by the Liverpool Echo's Political Editor Liam Thorp, who has co-authored a book with Andy Burnham on how to transform the country, and the Observer columnist Will Hutton.
Keir Starmer survives the day - but the pressure on his leadership is growing. Today, he attempted to shore up his position with a speech focused on his vision for Labour, saying his government must go beyond “incremental change” and be the party of a “stronger and fairer” Britain. But despite this, at least 55 Labour MPs have called on Starmer to set out a timetable for a leadership election to take place.
And inside Labour, the conversation has already moved on to who would replace him and two names dominate - Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting. Burnham says he should never have been blocked from returning to Westminster, and Streeting is openly being discussed as a potential frontrunner.
So with the party leadership in flux and the future of the Labour party once again up for debate - what happens now? In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Starmer biographer Tom Baldwin and Guardian columnist Zoe Williams about what today’s turmoil really means. Is Labour heading for a delayed but inevitable leadership contest, a Burnham ‘coronation’, or a messy fight over the party’s future?
Labour is reeling after bruising local election results - losing ground to the Greens on the left and Reform UK on the right - and questions are now swirling around Keir Starmer’s leadership. Is this just a difficult moment for Labour, or the start of something much bigger?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, former Keir Starmer Chief of Staff Sam White, and political strategist Scarlett Maguire to unpack what the results really mean. Is Labour facing a voter backlash, a messaging problem, or a full-blown leadership crisis?
And if pressure on Starmer continues to grow, what happens next? Could Labour really replace its leader - and who would even take over?
As Gulf leaders look to Beijing for guarantees Washington no longer seems able to give, China is suddenly at the centre of diplomacy around the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed and Iran’s foreign minister both arrived in Beijing within days of each other, seeking a way out of a blockade that has choked shipping routes, pushed tankers around the Cape of Good Hope, and rattled global markets.
So where does this leave Donald Trump’s efforts to revive a deal that could reopen the Strait, and what does the collapse of Project Freedom reveal about America’s standing with its allies in the Gulf and Europe?
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by former Senior Director at the US National Security Council during Donald Trump’s first administration Fiona Hill to examine China’s growing leverage over Iran, the Gulf states’ deepening unease with Washington, and the diplomatic pressure building ahead of the delayed Trump-Xi summit.
It’s the dirty secret at the heart of England’s waterways. The water companies publicly insist they are cleaning up their act, but privately they have been allowed to avoid prosecution for years through a little-known mechanism which lets a company admit fault and pay money to a good cause instead of facing criminal charges.
The Environment Agency says the payments are a “brilliant tool”, faster and simpler than taking a case through a lengthy court process. But Channel 4 News has uncovered how these payments have been used repeatedly by water companies accused of polluting rivers, allowing them to sidestep court, scrutiny, and conviction. Our investigation has also found that the Environment Agency has not completed a single prosecution of a water company for any pollution occurring in the last five years, despite almost two million sewage discharges.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson, who has been looking into this story, campaigner Fergal Sharkey, and whistleblower Robert Forrester, who has firsthand experience of how these cases are handled inside the system.
After a spate of attacks and foiled plots against British Jews since the the events of October 7th and the Iran war, including the stabbing of two men in Golders Green yesterday, many Jewish people say they do not feel safe in the UK any more.
So, why have we seen this horrifying rise in attacks? And what can be done about it?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy spoke to a range of guests from across the legal, cultural and security landscape: journalist Hadley Freeman, British-Israeli analyst and author Daniel Levy and former counter terrorism chief Nick Aldworth.
As the UAE decides to leave the powerful OPEC oil cartel, Pakistan has opened itself as a land corridor that could help Iran get around the Strait of Hormuz blockade - so where do these developments leave Donald Trump’s long term plans for the Iran war and the shape of the Middle East?
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators Matt Frei and Mark Urban delve into the latest developments in Washington and Tehran and look at how Hezbollah’s new drone tactics could be forcing Israel to recalculate it’s approach in Lebanon.
King Charles heads to Washington at a moment of extraordinary tension. The visit comes just days after an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump - and against the backdrop of a deepening war in Iran, strained UK-US relations, and growing questions about America’s global role.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy asks whether Britain’s most powerful tool, soft power, can hold up in the face of Trump’s unpredictable politics. From attacks on the UK Prime Minister and British troops, to disputes over sovereignty and trade, how should the King navigate a meeting with a president who thrives on disruption?
Krishnan is joined by Julie Montagu, Countess of Sandwich, Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, and former UK ambassador to the US Sir David Manning to discuss what’s at stake, and whether this royal visit can steady the so-called “special relationship,” or risk making things worse.
Donald Trump’s ceasefire with Iran appears to be holding - or is it? Iran has reportedly seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz as America attacks tankers and boats linked to Tehran - and then there doesn’t appear to be any hint of any imminent peace talks
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and defence analyst Mark Urban discuss whether the Iran war has reached a stalemate and ask, with China watching, has this all fatally undermined US power on the world stage?
They were also joined by economist Ann Pettifor who says a “global slump” is now inevitable - so how bad will it be?
Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador by Sir Keir Starmer to the US was a rush-job, carried out under an 'atmosphere of pressure' from 10 Downing Street and a 'dismissive attitude' to security vetting.
That's the claim of Sir Olly Robbins, the sacked head of the foreign office as he was grilled by parliament's foreign affairs committee.
So, is it now clear what happened behind the scenes?
No 10 denies Robbins’ characterisation of events, but could this still be damning for Starmer's premiership or has the PM's decision to sack his senior mandarin been vindicated?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Paul McNamara was joined by Labour MP Preet Kour Gill and also by one of Olly Robbins predecessors as head of the foreign office Lord Ricketts and former Labour advisor and political commentator Sonia Sodha.
In a world facing overlapping crises - from Sudan, to Lebanon to the wider issues in the Middle East - the demand for humanitarian aid has never been greater. But as needs grow, the global response is struggling to keep up.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Tom Fletcher, the United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, about the immense challenges of delivering life-saving support in today’s fractured world. How does the UN prioritise when everything is urgent?
With funding shortfalls, political barriers, and growing risks to civilians and aid workers, can the humanitarian system cope - and what happens if it can’t?
Peter Mandelson, the problem that won’t go away. Keir Starmer is once again fighting to save his political career, after saying he was not told Mandelson had failed security vetting ahead of his appointment as US ambassador.
So what really happened? Is this a failure of leadership or does it point to a deeper rot inside Westminster? And either way, can Starmer survive it?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, former chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
A Downing Street spokesman told Channel 4 News: “The Foreign Office have run this vetting process, and at no point, at any point in any part of this process was anyone in Number 10, PM or otherwise, informed by the Foreign Office that the recommendation of UK Security Vetting was for him not to pass his developed vetting.”
The ceasefire between the US and Iran is holding - for now. But beneath the surface, the signals tell a more uncertain story.
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei is joined by defence analyst Mark Urban and International Editor Lindsey Hilsum to examine the key signs shaping what happens next. From US military build-up in the region to Iran’s strategic use of the Strait of Hormuz, the question is whether this fragile pause is the start of a settlement, or simply a prelude to further conflict.
They explore the shifting balance of power, the role of regional players like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and the growing pressure on Israel as the war’s dynamics evolve. There is also a deeper question at play: what this conflict reveals about the limits of American power, and the future of global trade routes.
Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has come into force, but ships are reportedly still getting through, including a Chinese linked tanker.
So, what is actually going on right now? How long could this blockade last and what happens if American forces try to seize a Chinese linked vessel?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Alex Thomson is joined by retired US Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery and Times columnist and contributing editor Cindy Yu.
Hungary has woken up to a political earthquake. After more than a decade in power, Viktor Orbán has been defeated, with Péter Magyar securing a historic landslide victory in an election seen as a major test for democracy in Europe.
It’s a slap in the face for Donald Trump - after JD Vance called on Hungarians to support their incumbent leader. But did his attempt to raise support for Orban do the exact opposite?
Could this mark a turning point not just for Hungary, but for Europe more broadly? And does this result signal a shift away from populist politics - or is the bigger story still to come?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Hungarian journalist and disinformation expert Szilárd Teczár and political analyst Mujtaba Rahman to unpack how this happened - and what it means for the future of Hungary - and Europe.
What is really going on in Lebanon? Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran, Israel launched a massive wave of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah across the country.
Iran says Israel is violating the terms of the ceasefire - so could the peace talks set to be held tomorrow in Islamabad collapse before they’ve even started? And is this exactly what Israel wants?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined from Beirut by Lebanese journalist Rania Abouzeid and in London by Channel 4 News foreign correspondent Secunder Kermani, who’s just returned from Lebanon.
It’s uncertain whether the ceasefire Donald Trump brokered with Iran will hold after Israel launched a massive barrage of airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon leading Tehran to reclose the Strait of Hormuz.
US vice president JD Vance, who is leading the US delegation to Islamabad in Pakistan, has acknowledged that the ceasefire is “fragile”.
So is there any chance it could lead to a last peace? Is this a moment where a global economic crisis was averted at the last minute, or just postponed?
On this episode of the Fourcast Indicators Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by defence and intelligence analyst Mark Urban and Channel 4 News Economics Editor Helia Ebrahimi.
Wireless Festival has been cancelled, following the government’s decision to block Kanye West’s permission to travel to the UK.
The American rapper, who’s now known as Ye, was due to headline the festival in Finsbury Park in the summer.
He has a long history of antisemitic comments and actions, including writing a song glorifying Adolf Hitler. Mr West has blamed this on a brain injury and missed Bi-polar diagnosis.
He has apologised and says he has reached out to the Jewish community in the UK.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Keme Nzerem is joined by Dr. Toby Greene from the Board of Deputies of British Jews and music journalist Yemi Abiade.
NASA’s Artemis ll mission has blasted off to the moon - with the familiar rhetoric of exploration and human achievement. It’s the first crewed voyage out of low earth orbit in more than half a century - but behind the celebration - another story is taking shape.
The modern ‘space race’ is a high-stakes contest for military, economic and technological dominance here on earth. A contest where whoever controls orbit, controls everything below.
So what does Artemis tell us about this contest? About the collision of scientific aspiration, strategic military rivalry, and economic leverage?
How are the world’s governments, militaries and increasingly private companies shaping this orbital order?
On the latest episode of The Fourcast, Keme Nzerem is joined by Libby Jackson, Head of Space at London’s Science Museum, formerly head of space exploration at the UK Space Agency.
And Gabriel Elefteriu, Senior Research Fellow in Space Power at the Council on Geostrategy. His work is on defence space policy, and the global space power balance.
Is President Trump on the cusp of pulling out of the Iran war or about to double down with boots on the ground?
He’s lashed out again at his Nato allies threatening to abandon the alliance, raising questions not only about the future of the war, but the future of Western security itself.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei was joined by General Sir Patrick Sanders, who has had a 40 year career in the British Army and rose to Chief of the General staff in 2022, before retiring two years later. He has spent his career thinking about the hard realities of modern conflict, the limits of Western military power and what happens when the United States wavers. Sir Patrick is now the host of ‘The General and the Journalist’ podcast.
Donald Trump has told the UK to “go and get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz as Iran continues to block the crucial energy chokepoint and as reports circulate that the UK is to receive its last tanker of jet fuel from the Middle East this week.
So what are the real risks to the UK economy, energy security, and global position as this conflict rumbles on?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei speaks to the CEO of energy consultancy firm Qamar Energy Robin Mills and money journalist and former Sunday Times deputy money editor Holly Mead.
Welcome to Fourcast Indicators on the Iran War with Matt Frei and defence and intelligence analyst Mark Urban. Fourcast Indicators looks at the signals that analysts watch most closely - the tell-tale signs that suggest imminent and significant change may be coming.
This week we take a deep dive into the intelligence, military logistics, and the geopolitical fallout of the bombardment of Iran. We explore Donald Trump's domestic political struggles and the nervous reactions of the global markets. We also tackle the biggest strategic question of all: where is Iran's 440kg of enriched uranium and were they really just two weeks away from a nuclear bomb?
Social media giants Meta and Google have been found liable for building platforms that are addictive and a court has ordered them to pay millions in damages, but both firms say the case oversimplifies a complex issue and are expected to appeal the ruling.
In this episode of The Fourcast, we break down the case and what it could mean for the future of Big Tech. Is this a genuine turning point - a potential “Big Tobacco moment” for Silicon Valley - or just another legal challenge that tech giants will fight and ultimately move past?
Ciaran Jenkins was joined by tech journalist Chris Stokel-Walker and former Twitter head of news and journalism partnerships Vivianne Schiller.
President Trump is talking about deals to end the war with Iran, but Tehran says it’s “fake news” as they continue to exchange attacks with Israel.
So where does this war go from here, and what does an endgame actually look like?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei was joined by Dr Siavush Randjbar-Daemi, associate professor Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of St Andrews and retired US Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery.
Is Donald Trump backing down from a potential strike on Iran - or is this a strategic pivot? In this episode of the Fourcast, we unpack the latest twists in US-Iran tensions as Trump insists talks are “good and productive,” despite Tehran claiming a firm warning forced a retreat. With the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of the crisis and global markets reacting fast, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Are American boots on the ground inevitable in Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s war with Iran? With reports that over 2,000 Marines are being deployed, questions are growing over Washington’s strategy and whether the president has a clear plan.
Could the US attempt something as bold as seizing Kharg Island, Iran’s critical oil hub?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Nate Swanson, former National Security Council Iran desk official, and investigative journalist Ronen Bergman to unpack the latest developments and what comes next.
Saudi Arabia is warning it may retaliate against Iran after fresh threats to oil and gas infrastructure as Donald Trump’s administration desperately tries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
With strikes hitting key energy facilities across the Gulf, this conflict is no longer just military - it’s an economic war with global consequences.
So how far could this escalate? And what does it mean for energy prices, inflation and the world economy?
On this episode of The Fourcast Matt Frei is joined by The Economists defence editor Shashank Joshi and Channel 4 News’ economics editor Helia Ebrahimi.
18 days into a war that has reshaped the Middle East, the question that matters most is also the hardest to answer: who is actually winning. Washington says Iran is collapsing under the weight of thousands of strikes. Tehran claims it is bleeding its enemies and outlasting them. Oil prices are surging, missiles are still flying and the region is on edge.
In today’s episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is in Israel and he speaks to two people who understand this conflict from the inside out. Emile Hokayem, an analyst of regional security and military power. And Muhanad Seloom, a leading expert on Gulf politics and Iran’s security networks.
Across the battlefields of Ukraine, Gaza and now Iran, artificial intelligence is reshaping how wars are fought.AI is helping militaries process intelligence, identify targets and make decisions at a rapidly accelerating pace. Some believe this is the beginning of an AI revolution in warfare - one that could eventually lead to autonomous weapons and algorithmic battlefields.
So how far has this transformation already gone? Is Iran the first AI war and is the world ready for what’s coming? On this episode of The Fourcast,
Ciaran Jenkins is joined by Emelia Probasco, who was a Navy officer, later worked in the Pentagon and is now a senior fellow at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, and Arthur Holland Michel, an AI researcher and journalist.
The conflict in Iran is entering its second week, and the shockwaves are rippling across the globe - through global markets, shipping routes and regional security alliances. In the past 24 hours, multiple ships have been hit in the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade route effectively closed by Iran, and now the Iranian regime has said the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was “lightly injured” after an Israeli airstrike.
In today’s episode of The Fourcast, British‑Iranian comedian and cultural commentator Omid Djalili joins Krishnan Guru‑Murthy to explain why he believes that attacks by Trump and Israel on Iran could ultimately benefit the Iranian people if the Islamic Republic is removed.
The war in Iran is already sending shockwaves far beyond the battlefield. Stock markets are sinking, Brent crude has jumped above $100 a barrel, and G7 governments are considering tapping emergency reserves to steady the markets. Missiles landing close to critical Gulf energy infrastructure have sharpened fears that what began as a regional confrontation could tip the global economy into something far more dangerous.
The real question is whether this crisis can be contained, and if not, how vulnerable our economies really are - how fast could the world’s energy system start to break apart, and who would feel the pain first?
In today's episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Guy Laron, author of Oil Wars: The Struggle for Control That Has Shaped the Modern World and Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies.
It’s seven days since America and Israel launched a war against Iran - the Middle East is on fire, the Qataris are warning of a global economic disaster and Donald Trump’s White House is pumping out propaganda clips of their airstrikes spliced with Hollywood memes. So what kind of world do we now live in? And what could come next?
On the latest episode of The Fourcast Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by General Sir Richard Shirreff, Nato’s former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Chimène Keitner, who was a legal advisor in Obama and Trump’s administrations, and former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz, who worked in the National Security Council in Trump’s first administration and is now vice-chairman of the America First Policy Institute.
The war in the Middle East is rapidly expanding. Azerbaijan is now the latest country reportedly hit by Iranian drones while another missile barrage struck Tehran and Beirut overnight. The seas aren’t immune either: Iranian warships have been sunk, and a US oil tanker is reportedly on fire in the Gulf.
Now there are signs a land war could be beginning, with reports Kurdish fighters may have crossed into Iran - though commanders deny it, saying they would need US air cover first.
So can anything stop this bloody conflict from spiraling out of control?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Channel 4 News correspondents at the heart of the story: Foreign Affairs Correspondent Secunder Kermani in Tel Aviv, International Editor Lindsey Hilsum in Beirut, and US Editor Anushka Asthana in Washington.
The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran has already rattled the global economy. Gas prices have jumped 30% to a three-year high, oil is surging, tankers are stuck in the Strait of Hormuz and refineries across the region are under attack. Stock markets from London to Tokyo are tumbling, and hopes of interest rate cuts in the UK and US are fading fast.
So how serious is this economic shock? What happens if the conflict lasts weeks, as Donald Trump has suggested? And is Rachel Reeves’s newly claimed fiscal headroom about to disappear as energy prices spike?
Matt Frei speaks to our economics correspondent Helia Ebrahimi, and to Dr Neil Quilliam, a leading Middle East energy policy and geopolitics specialist at Chatham House. They explain how this war is reverberating through global markets, the risks to supply routes, the inflation threat, and how governments and central banks might respond.
The crisis in the Middle East is deepening by the day. The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader has triggered a regional shockwave, from missile launches to unrest in neighbouring states. But what does this moment really reveal about the Iranian state, its capacity for survival, and the calculations being made in Washington, Jerusalem, and Tehran?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to journalist Anshel Pfeffer and peace advocate Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini about the limits of decapitation strategy, why Western governments have so often misread the Islamic Republic, and the competing endgames now in play.
'Something massive is happening.' The words of the Green Party's new MP Hannah Spencer after her decisive win in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Is she right? Labour came a distant third and neither the Conservatives nor the Liberal Democrats managed to get even two percent of the vote. Arguably none of that was unexpected. But Reform UK, up until now seen as the populist insurgents ready to replace the mainstream parties, fell short by over 4000 votes. Not nearly the knife-edge result predicted. So is Nigel Farage in danger of running out of steam after diluting his party with Tory defectors? Could the Greens offer white working class voters a left alternative to kick the establishment? And is Labour going to have to move left, whether to take on the Green threat or their unhappy backbenchers?On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Zack Polanski after his win, and is joined by the ex-Tory now Reform commentator Tim Montgomerie, Sam White, who is a former Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer, and Natalie Bennett, one of two Greens peers in the House of Lords.
It’s the Bafta row that only deepens - sitting at the intersection of disability rights, broadcasting standards, the harm caused by offensive language, and the treatment of Black talent.
A racist slur shouted by a guest with Tourette's syndrome was broadcast during the recent Bafta ceremony, despite the TV event airing on a two-hour delay. The incident triggered widespread criticism, urgent questions for the BBC and Bafta , and renewed debate about how broadcasters handle sensitive language and disability. The BBC and Bafta have both apologised for harm and offence caused, and have launched separate investigations into the incident.
In this episode of The Fourcast, we examine how this moment has exposed deeper tensions around race, responsibility and broadcasting standards. Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Labour MP Dawn Butler to discuss why she has demanded answers from the BBC, and actor Eddie Marsan, whose son lives with Tourettes and is a patron of the charity Tourettes Action.
This episode includes discussion around offensive language and suicide.
A $15 million bounty, a failed capture, and a dead cartel leader. The killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes aka El Mencho by Mexican special forces has triggered a violent backlash across the country, with the CJNG torching businesses, blocking highways with burning vehicles, and spreading panic in major cities including Guadalajara, one of the host locations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Tourists have been told to stay indoors, airports have shut down routes, and Mexico’s government is once again being tested on whether it can maintain control.
On today’s episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by journalist Deborah Bonelle, Cecilia Farfán-Méndez from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, and Benjamin Smith, Professor of Latin American History at the University of Warwick and author of The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade, to discuss what El Mencho’s death reveals about state power, cartel dominance, US-Mexico pressure, and what this violence means for the world’s biggest sporting event.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, has been arrested and his brother, King Charles, says the police have his “full and wholehearted support” and the “law must take its course”.
So, what happens next for both Andrew and the Crown? Is this the biggest crisis the royal family has faced in modern history?
The King says it “would not be right” to comment further on the matter, but how long will he be able to hold that line?
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by historian Dan Snow and and former Editor of The Sun newspaper and Co-host of When it Hits the Fan, David Yelland.
In a week when a convincingly lifelike AI video of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt slugging it out went viral and caused a meltdown in Hollywood, unemployment stats in the UK have hit a five-year high with young people the biggest losers.
Are these two clear examples of how AI could threaten all jobs and livelihoods, no matter how much of a megastar you are? Or are we getting ahead of ourselves, and the UK’s employment slump is just the result of weak growth and higher business costs?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Channel 4 News Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi and Andrea Miotti, CEO of the campaign group Control AI.
The trial of Gisèle Pelicot shocked France - a case so disturbing it forced a national reckoning about consent, complicity, and the terrifying ordinariness of the men accused.But as the world continues to confront the vast scale of abuse linked to billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, it raises a deeper question: are these crimes the work of monsters, or do they reveal something far more disturbing about power, entitlement, and men?
In today’s episode of the Fourcast, Jackie Long was joined by French philosopher Manon Garcia, whose latest book, Living With Men, reflects on what she witnessed while observing Gisèle Pelicot's trial.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is once again at the centre of serious allegations connected to Jeffrey Epstein, with police now assessing whether a criminal case will follow over allegations he leaked documents to Epstein during his time as a trade envoy for the government. So could the former prince really face jail time?But beyond the legal questions lies a deeper one about power, privilege and accountability. Will this just be another royal scandal that fades with the news cycle, or a moment of reckoning for the Crown?On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Dr Tessa Dunlop, royal historian and host of the podcast Where Politics Meets History, and Professor Jeremy Horder - professor of Criminal Law at LSE.Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein; in particular he has denied the allegation he had sex with Virginia Giuffre when she was 17 and was trafficked by the US financier.
The government is in full-on leadership crisis - with pressure building on Keir Starmer to resign.
The Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was the first major figure to go over the top - saying there have been too many mistakes and Starmer should go. A lot of the cabinet are out declaring their support for the PM but it is clear things are moving fast. Starmer's Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney quit on Sunday over his advice to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Today the No 10 director of communications, Tim Allan, also quit. So what next - and if Starmer is going what and who should follow?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Polly Toynbee, a columnist at the Guardian, Tom Baldwin, former Labour communications chief who has also written a biography of Sir Keir Starmer, and Luke Tryl, executive director of the More in Common UK thinktank.
The Peter Mandelson Epstein files emails is the biggest scandal of Keir Starmer's time as Prime Minister, but is it the one to finish him off?The PM admits Peter Mandelson's ongoing relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein came up as part of the vetting process to appoint the disgraced peer as the UK's man in Washington, but he says Mandelson 'lied and lied again’, adding, ‘he betrayed our country and our party’.The government's invective shows their determination to distance themselves from the scandal but the stench of sleaze and corruption hangs heavy over the Labour government because of Mandelson - the man Keir Starmer was praising less than a year ago.Could it be the final straw for the Prime Minister's restless backbenchers?On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by Starmer biographer Tom Baldwin, the political commentator Zoe Williams and pollster and strategist Scarlett Maguire.
Elon Musk has stunned the tech and finance worlds by merging SpaceX with his AI company xAI, creating the most valuable private firm in history. The deal folds rockets, satellites, AI models, robotics, and even X, the social platform formally known as Twitter, into one sprawling empire ahead of a blockbuster IPO.
In this episode, Ciaran Jenkins speaks to economics correspondent Helia Ebrahimi, and Jacob Silverman, author of “Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley” about the forces behind the trillion-dollar valuation, the hype around space-based AI, and what Musk’s latest consolidation means for markets, regulation, and global tech power.
If you thought the Epstein Files would damage Donald Trump it is here in Britain where they have caused the most devastation. The most damning material yet about the former Prince Andrew include photographs that seem to show him on all fours over a woman on the floor, as well as humiliating emails from his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson to Epstein in which she appears to suggest he marries her. It all raises new questions about the conduct of certain Royals, the monarchy and the Palace’s handling of this over many years, and what this new low means for the whole institution.
Andrew has said nothing new - but consistently denies any wrongdoing, despite his financial settlement with Virginia Giuffre. Sarah Ferguson has previously expressed sympathy with Epstein’s victims.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy talks to biographer Andrew Lownie, whose work has explored the private world of the Windsors, and historian Kate Williams, who has charted the monarchy’s turbulent existence across generations.
Sarah Ferguson has previously said she “deeply regret” the involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and that she “abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf”.
A US carrier group is racing toward Iran. Trump’s statements are swinging between threats and vague offers of a nuclear deal. Inside Tehran, unrest is spreading, and the regime’s most powerful security institutions are showing strain. But how much do Western intelligence services really know about what comes next, and how dangerous is this moment?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Paul McNamara talks to David McCloskey, a former CIA analyst who spent years covering Syria, Iraq and Iran from inside the Agency. He explains why Trump is harder to predict than the regimes analysts usually study, how Israel has been able to penetrate Iran’s security apparatus, and what a US strike package would actually look like.
Keir Starmer is in Beijing meeting Xi Jinping, as Britain looks to reset ties with China. Is this a glimpse of a new world order - one where America’s traditional allies start to look elsewhere?
For some, it’s an inevitable response to the breakdown of the US-led order that could usher in a more balanced world that reflects growing power outside of the West. For others, it’s a dangerous shift accelerated by President Trump, that increases the risk of great-power war.
To discuss, I’m joined by Robert Kagan, a staff writer at The Atlantic and Washington foreign-policy insider whose ideas have shaped US strategy for decades, author and scholar Amitav Acharya, who has long criticised the US-led world order, and Nathalie Tocc, professor of practice at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Europe, and a senior fellow at Bocconi University’s Institute for European Policymaking.
Keir Starmer has blocked Andy Burnham’s bid to run in the Gorton and Denton by-election, but has he just delayed the leadership challenge many in Westminster believe is inevitable?
If there is a challenge, does the Labour Party risk descending into the same internal conflicts that helped bring down the Conservatives?
Starmer's latest foreign destination is China for a meeting with President Xi but is travelling the globe as an international statesman staving off restless Labour MPs?
Meanwhile, he says his relentless focus is the cost-of-living crisis but are the public, or his MPs buying it?
On the latest episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by our Senior Political Correspondent Paul McNamara, the I-paper's chief political commentator Kitty Donaldson, and Political Editor of the Liverpool Echo, Liam Thorp.
The government is weighing up whether or not to follow in Australia’s footsteps and ban social media for under-16s. Supporters argue that online safety efforts have failed and that children are being exposed to increasingly harmful content. Critics warn that a ban would isolate young people, let tech companies off the hook, and create a dangerous cliff-edge at 16.
Companies across the Big Tech sector have consistently said that protecting children is a priority, as is reducing the spread of disinformation on their platforms.
In today’s episode of The Fourcast, Cathy Newman speaks to Professor Kaitlyn Regehr, author of Smartphone Nation, and digital journalist Sophia Smith Galer, about what a ban would really achieve, whether regulation can ever keep pace with the platforms, and how algorithms amplify harm in ways that governments, and parents, struggle to control.
It was hoped the fall of Syria's former dictator Bashar al-Assad would usher in a period of stability, unity and perhaps - eventually - democracy.
But now the country enters a new and unpredictable phase as President Ahmed Al-Sharaa tightens his grip on power.In the north-east of the country the Kurds were the West’s key ally against Islamic State.
Now their control in the region is collapsing after days of fierce battles with government forces. A tentative ceasefire is in place but the fallout is far from clear, including the fate of thousands of ISIS prisoners and their families who were in Kurdish-controlled camps.Regional powers like Turkey and Iran, as well as China, Russia and the West are also jostling for influence.
Could these developments finally bring a period of calm and stability in Syria or just open the door to new dangers?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long was joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and Lina Khatib, Principal Analyst at geopolitical foresight company ExTrac.
As Donald Trump marks a year back in office, his threats against Europe and hard-line trade policies are pushing his allies to the edge - while China and Russia, once considered America’s enemies, watch on with apparent glee.
And if the UK once thought flattery was the best form of defence, the president has put paid to that with potentially crushing tariffs and a swipe at Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal - an agreement he had supposedly signed off on.
So how do we make sense of a global future in flux?On this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long was joined by geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan.
Donald Trump wants Greenland - and he’s willing to use tariffs to get it.
If European allies refuse to sell, the US president has threatened to escalate trade penalties, weaponising economic pressure rather than military force. The proposal has sparked alarm across Europe, with some leaders calling for the EU to deploy its so-called “trade bazooka” in response. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned that a trade war benefits nobody.
So is this just bluster - or the opening shot in a new phase of transatlantic economic conflict? And what would a trade war over a sparsely populated Arctic territory mean for the global economy?
On this episode of The Fourcast, we’re joined by Mark Leonard, Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, speaking as he travels to the World Economic Forum in Davos, and our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi is in the studio to break down the economic stakes.
It’s been quite the week in Westminster. A sacking, a defection, and a deepening crisis on the right. Robert Jenrick’s move to Reform has capped off a dramatic few days for the Conservatives. While Nigel Farage has celebrated the moment, calling it a historic realignment of centre-right politics in the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister has described the Conservative Party as a "sinking ship".
So what does this mean for the future of the Conservatives? And what does Jenrick’s defection mean for Reform - is there a real possibility that Reform could win the next election?
Donald Trump is once again threatening to annex Greenland, but is it different this time? What once sounded like a joke, now feels like a genuine test of how far Europe is willing to stand up to its most powerful ally.
So is President Trump actually a bigger threat to Nato than President Putin? And if so, what should Europe do about it?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long is joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and former Danish diplomat Jonas Parello-Plesner who led the foreign policy department at Denmark’s embassy in Washington from 2013 - 2017.
The Iranian regime is facing its most serious unrest in years - with protests sweeping Iran despite a near-total internet blackout and a deadly response from security forces. Donald Trump is threatening new tariffs, Western governments are debating whether to escalate sanctions and blacklist the IRGC and the German Chancellor says he believes the embattled Iranian government is in its "final days and weeks".One of the most outspoken voices on what should happen next is the comedian and actor Omid Djalili. Born in London to Iranian parents, he has been sharply critical of the regime, insistent that this is a genuine people’s uprising, and vocal about what he believes the international community must do next. He joined Matt Frei on this episode of The Fourcast.
Iran’s foreign minister insists the situation is “under total control.” But reports inside Iran tell a different story, with human rights groups warning of hundreds killed and thousands arrested as the regime tries to crush a new wave of nationwide protests. Internet blackouts make verification difficult, yet glimpses of the streets show anger not just at the authorities but at the symbols of state-backed power.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei speaks to Masih Alinejad, the Iranian American journalist and activist, about what she is hearing from inside the country and why she believes the demonstrations represent a deeper rupture with the Islamic Republic, and to Narguess Farzad, Senior Lecturer in Persian Studies at SOAS, to understand the wider cultural picture, the roots of Iran’s cycles of unrest, and whether this moment could mark a turning point. She explains how Iran’s young, highly educated population has reached its limit, why some mosques are now seen as symbols of oppression, and how the regime weighs controlled concessions against total brutality.
A fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis has ignited a battle over the truth. Federal officials say Renee Nicole Good tried to run over an immigration agent. City leaders say she was wrongly killed. And the videos circulating online raise more questions than answers
This confrontation unfolds as President Trump launches one of the largest immigration crackdowns in years, flooding Minneapolis with thousands of federal agents just months before the midterms. Schools have closed, protests are growing, and Washington and Minnesota are locked in a public fight over what happened on that street and why the city has become a political flashpoint.
A fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis has ignited a battle over the truth. Federal officials say Renee Nicole Good tried to run over an immigration agent. City leaders say she was wrongly killed. And the videos circulating online raise more questions than answers.
Iran is in the grip of its most intense unrest in years with protests spreading across the country and Donald Trump vowing that the US will defend Iranian protesters - prompting Tehran to accuse him of psychological warfare.
What began in Tehran’s bazaar over soaring prices and a collapsing currency has spread across 27 provinces, with inflation above 50% and a government struggling to contain anger over corruption and falling living standards.
Human rights groups say dozens have been killed and more than 1000 arrested, as police move into universities and the judiciary warns that any period of concessions is over.
So who will back down, the protesters or the regime? And what does this mean for the future of the Islamic Republic of Iran and it’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Professor Ali Ansari, a leading voice on Iran’s modern history, and Doctor Sanam Vakil, director of Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham house.
Venezuela has long been a country of contradictions, sitting on the world’s largest oil reserves while its economy collapsed around it. Now Donald Trump’s removal of Nicolás Maduro and Washington’s effective control of the country has pushed Venezuela back to the centre of global politics.
At stake is not only a vast energy prize but a bigger shift in how nations compete for resources,, from crude oil to the critical minerals shaping the future of technology.
To unpack what Trump’s move really means, what is happening inside Venezuela’s broken energy sector, and how this connects to a wider global race, Cathy Newman is joined by economics correspondent Helia Ebrahimi and Henry Sanderson, journalist and RUSI associate fellow.
What will 2026 look like around the globe? Will the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza ever happen, will Ukraine and Russia agree to Donald Trump's peace deal, and what about the World Cup?
To explore what and who will shape the world in 2026, on this final Fourcast episode of 2025, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by two of Channel 4 News' most experienced international journalists who have seen quite a few power shifts and peace deals in their time: Lindsey Hilsum and Jonathan Rugman.
Phase one of Donald Trump’s ceasefire in Gaza appears to be holding, but it's precarious as hundreds of Gazans have been killed since it began and hundreds of thousands remain homeless and displaced.The Israeli defence force still occupies much of the territory and Hamas have re-established themselves in some areas.So is phase two - with its transitional authority and international peace force looking any way possible?Benjamin Netanyahu says it's close, but what's the view of the Palestinians?One person who has reflected their concerns since the current conflict began is Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories. She has been an outspoken critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, accusing the government of genocide. It's made her powerful enemies including the Trump administration who have sanctioned her while the Israeli government accuse her of bias and have designated her persona non grata.She joined Krishnan Guru Murthy for this episode of The Fourcast.
As Ukraine prepares to present a revised peace proposal to Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is prepared to hold elections in months - a long-standing demand from Moscow.Meanwhile European leaders appear to be edging closer to seizing frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine.
So is the peace process entering a decisive phase - or is this just another round of political theatre?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to the Russian ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin and asks him what does the Kremlin actually want from a peace deal? Can Vladimir Putin really be trusted in a negotiation? And how would Russia respond if Europe takes its frozen billions?
China is in an age of rapid technology development with AI, robots and drones - and many fear this relentless progress, and Xi Jinping’s desire to reabsorb Taiwan, will bring it into direct conflict with the United States.
But is China’s rise as inevitable and smooth as its leaders want it to be?
Our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum has returned from a trip to China where she was Channel 4 News' correspondent for years.
She was wowed by technological progress - but also found a younger generation exhausted and overwhelmed by political pressure, depression and burnout.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Lindsey and Matt Frei were joined by economist Dan Wang, author of Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, who argues that China’s system has unique strengths - and dangerous weaknesses - in the race for technological supremacy.
The blaze that engulfed seven high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district was the deadliest the city has seen in over 70 years. At least 156 people have died, 30 are still missing, while 15 have been arrested for alleged manslaughter. Grief has overwhelmed the city and fuelled an uncontrollable anger towards those in power.
Today - almost a week after the fire - we ask how the tragedy unfolded, why Hong Kong is still enraged and what it tells us about the city that once prided itself on transparency and democracy.
Joining Matt Frei from Hong Kong are Tom Grundy, founder and editor of the local media Hong Kong Free Press, and Selina Cheng, chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.
For months after Vladimir Putin’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine, Western leaders predicted Russia’s economy was on the brink of collapse under sanctions - and yet it didn’t.
It transformed into a wartime economy, fuelled by military production, redirected trade routes, and deeper ties with China and India.
But now there are signs this may be changing - with industrial output slowing, inflation rising, and severe labour shortages as hundreds of thousands of working-age men have either died, emigrated or been mobilised.
And Western leaders are once again questioning how long Putin can bankroll his war machine.
So is Russia’s economy finally starting to buckle - or is this still wishful thinking from Ukraine’s allies?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Arkady Ostrovsky, Russia editor at The Economist, and Elina Ribakova, one of the world’s leading experts on sanctions and Russian macro-economics.
As Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver the budget on Wednesday, she faces the political nightmare of having to come back for more tax, having said she wouldn't and she's already made it clear that whatever she does the burden will fall on all of us, not just the rich minority - but the left and the Greens are demanding a wealth tax, while the right and Reform are demanding welfare cuts and tax cuts.
Voters are disillusioned, inflation is stubborn, services are still struggling and faith in the political centre is evaporating.
So how does the chancellor land her budget without causing a political crisis for Labour or a financial crisis on the bond markets?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan-Guru-Murthy was joined by Green Party leader Zack Polanski, Labour MP Rosie Wrighting, one of the new intake last year, and Rupert Harrison, a former advisor to George Osborne in the treasury and now at the US investment managers PIMCO.
With the budget just days away, Rachel Reeves is facing yet another black hole in the public finances - after ditching plans to raise income tax, it’s been widely reported that the government will go for a “smorgasboard” of tax rises and spending cuts to plug the gap, but critics on the left and right say it won’t address the deeper structural rot in Britain’s economy.
So on this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by two economists with radically different visions for how to turn the country around.
James Meadway, host of the Macrodose podcast and former economic adviser to John McDonnell, argues inequality is choking growth and that only a major reset of wealth, investment and a green industrial strategy can revive the UK.
Catherine McBride served on the last government’s Trade and Agricultural Commission and she thinks the real problem is over-regulation, high taxes and net-zero.
And Channel 4 News’ economics correspondent Helia Ebrahimi also joined the pod to cut through the political noise - and test whether any of their ideas actually add up.
US and Russian officials have drafted new proposals to end the Ukraine war but they would appear to require major concessions from President Zelenskyy over territory and weapons. Will they be acceptable to the Ukrainian President, and what about his forces fighting on the frontline?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei speaks to the award-winning filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov who has a new film just out that follows a brigade of soldiers as they attempt to liberate the village of Andriivka in the east of the country, the sort of place that would be included in the new Russian-controlled territory.
The NHS is facing one of its deepest crises - a string of maternity scandals, from Shrewsbury to Nottingham, Oxford to Leeds. Hundreds of babies have died or been left severely injured in hospitals meant to keep them safe.
So why does this keep happening? Is it about funding, training, or a system that protects itself instead of patients?On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru Murthy is joined by Jeremy Hunt MP, who was the Health Secretary between 2012 and 2018; Channel 4 News Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald who recently reported on a maternity scandal at Oxford University Hospitals. The Trust there has apologised to families and said it was committed to learning from mistakes; and Kayleigh Griffiths, whose daughter Pippa died in 2016 due to failings in care by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
Her investigation alongside another bereaved mother Rhiannon Davies into failings at the Trust led to Jeremy Hunt commissioning the Ockenden Review into improving maternity services across the country.
Griffiths has also been critical of the health watchdog - the Care Quality Commission saying its oversight of maternity services was 'not fit for purpose.'
The CQC said her complaints were being taken seriously and it was engaging with families directly.
Labour is facing an extraordinary rift at the top of government. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has strongly denied claims that he is plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying that attacks are a sign of a toxic culture at Number 10.
The story erupted after an anonymous briefing suggested Streeting could be preparing a leadership bid - a claim he has strongly rejected. But the row raises bigger questions: how loyal is the Cabinet? Who is really pulling the strings in No 10? And what does this internal drama mean for public trust and the Labour government’s ability to deliver?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Labour strategist and commentator, John McTernan, who was Tony Blair's political director, the pollster and director of Merlin Strategy Scarlett McGuire and the author and Guardian columnist Zoe Williams.
The BBC is in meltdown: both the Director General Tim Davie and the Head of News Deborah Turness have quit in the same weekend after a leaked memo accused the corporation of systemic political bias - an edit of Donald Trump’s speech ahead of the January 6thriots at heart of the memo.
The President has now piled in, threatening a billion dollar lawsuit.
So what is really going on? Was this a right-wing coup against public service broadcasting - or the consequence of genuine bias inside the BBC?
And could this crisis now reshape the future of impartial news - not just at the BBC, but across Britain’s media?
The BBC chairman Samir Shah has apologised for an “error of judgement” over the edit of the president’s speech and said that the corporation had taken action on other areas that had been highlighted in the memo - and would take further action if necessary.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by the political editor of the Sunday Telegraph Camilla Turner and the editor of Prospect magazine Alan Rusbridger.
While COP30 gets underway in Brazil - Donald Trump is ripping up climate policy, blasting his allies for falling for what he calls the ‘world's greatest con job’ and trying to get big business to follow his lead - and yet in New York, Zohran Mamdani - a left-wing populist unafraid to tout a green agenda - has just won the mayoral race and in the UK, the Green Party has surged under Zack Polanski.
So is the direction of travel really a climate rollback - or is a new left preparing to claim power and reclaim the climate argument?
With me, from the COP in Belém, is our Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson - and in London, the financial journalist and author Andrew Ross Sorkin, whose new book 1929 investigates the Wall Street crash.
After months of a “vicious cycle of mutual retaliation”, as Xi Jinping has put it, Donald Trump and China's president seem to have come to a truce after their first meeting in nearly six years.
Meeting in South Korea, Xi agreed to stop withholding China’s rare earth exports for a year and start buying soy beans from America again. While Trump said he would reduce tariffs and suspend port fees on Chinese ships.
But how long will this amicable relationship last? Will all of this signal a closer tie between the world’s two biggest economies?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Victor Gao, vice president of the Centre for China and Globalization in Beijing, and Dr Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China at Chatham House.
Is Keir Starmer’s immigration strategy doomed to fail? Despite tough language, a one-in-one-out returns scheme with France and speeding up the closure of asylum hotels, Labour continues to plummet in the polls.
So, why is it going so badly? Has Keir Starmer, as some of his critics say, just been playing into Nigel Farage’s hands by elevating the issue, or will it work out in the long run?
To discuss all this and more on the latest episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long is joined by Channel 4 News Communities Editor Darshna Soni - who’s just been to France to meet asylum seekers sent back under the government’s new deal and from Westminster by Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon.
Is the UK government complicit in the destruction of Gaza? That's the assertion in the new book by journalist and polemicist Peter Oborne, with both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak under fire for backing what he calls Israel's “criminal assault” following the Hamas attack of October 7.
What's more, he says, the British media played its part too: colluding with the government as well as misrepresenting or under-reporting those voices opposed.
On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Peter Oborne and Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former UK ambassador to Yemen, previously a UN monitor, and now a senior fellow at the foreign affairs think-tank RUSI.
As Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest meeting reportedly descended into another shouting match, the war in Ukraine feels as volatile as ever - and, according to some, more dangerous for the world than at any time since the Cold War.In this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Serhii Plokhy, professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard and author of The Nuclear Age. He warns that fear is once again driving nations towards the bomb - and that we could soon see dozens more nuclear-armed states. So is the world stumbling into a new nuclear era - and what does that mean for global security and for Ukraine’s fight to survive?
In 2011, Virginia Roberts Giuffre became known as the most outspoken victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Her campaigning against their abuse and trafficking helped to get justice for many women, but she was perhaps best known for a now-infamous photograph, taken when she was aged just 17, meeting with Prince Andrew. She claimed it was taken prior to one of three times she was forced to have sex with the King's brother. Encounters he vehemently denies took place but which have led to his public downfall, with Prince Andrew reportedly paying around £12 million to Roberts Giuffre, formally ending a civil case brought against him in the US without admitting liability. Earlier this year, Virginia took her own life. Before she died, she wrote a memoir, determined for the world to finally hear her story in her own words. In this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long speaks to Virginia’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, about the woman behind the headlines, the legacy she leaves, and the campaigning she wanted to be remembered for. They also express their frustration with the Metropolitan Police response - but the Met reiterated to Channel 4 News today that they do not consider themselves the appropriate authority to investigate alleged crimes in the UK related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.This episode includes conversation around suicide and abuse.
With the IMF warning that we’re in an AI bubble that could be worse than the dot-com crash if it bursts — and even OpenAI’s Sam Altman admitting the market is “kind of bubbly” — what happens to the global economy if the AI boom implodes?
Are we witnessing the next dot-com bust, or just the growing pains of a genuine technological revolution?
To discuss it all on the latest episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined from Silicon Valley by entrepreneur, author and futurist Jerry Kaplan, and from the World Bank Group annual meeting in Washington by our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi.
After two years of war, a deal has finally been struck. Hostages are coming home, Palestinian prisoners and detainees are being released, and Israel and Hamas have declared that the fighting is over. But can this really be the end?In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Israeli negotiator Gershon Baskin - a man who has spent nearly five decades talking to both sides of the conflict, including Hamas.From back-channel talks to the Trump administration’s surprise role, Baskin reveals how this ceasefire came together, what it means for Gaza’s future, and whether it can last.
After two years of relentless war, devastation, and loss in Gaza — a ceasefire has finally been agreed that will see all remaining Israeli hostages freed in exchange for thousands of Palestinian detainees.
It’s a stunning diplomatic breakthrough, driven by Donald Trump’s personal intervention — but can this fragile deal really end the war, or is it just another pause before the next explosion of violence?
In this special episode of The Fourcast from Hostage Square in Tel Aviv Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Palestinian filmmaker and journalist Yousef Hammash and former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy.
As Kemi Badenoch fights for her political life at the Conservative Party conference, the Tories face a growing threat from the right. With high-profile defections to Reform UK and deep internal divisions, is this the beginning of the end for the Conservative Party?In this episode of the Fourcast, Cathy Newman speaks with former deputy prime minister and Conserative MP Baroness Therese Coffey, and Lord Daniel Finklestein, columnist for The Times and also a Tory peer.
They unpack the party’s identity crisis and ask whether the Tories can survive or if British politics is undergoing a major and irreversable realignment.
The Conservative Party Conference is underway in Manchester where the Tories are in turmoil, trailing badly in the polls and staring down electoral oblivion as they are squeezed between Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride joins Cathy Newman on this episode of The Fourcast to explain how the Conservatives plan to regain momentum and rebuild their reputation as the party of economic competence — but is it too little, too late?
Nadine Dorries was once a Tory loyalist and Boris Johnson’s closest ally — now she’s defected to Reform UK, the party leading the polls under Nigel Farage.
She claims Farage is the only leader who can deliver the change communities need, but are Reform’s headline promises really workable?
And how does Dorries reconcile joining a party whose leader launches blistering attacks on her old boss, Boris Johnson?
She joins Cathy Newman for her first sit down interview since defecting.
Labour’s deputy leadership contender and Keir Starmer ally Bridget Phillipson joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy on The Fourcast to set out her vision for the party.
She talks about the threat from Reform UK and Nigel Farage, and how she would still hold Keir Starmer to account even though she’s a cabinet minister and widely believed to be the prime minister’s preferred choice. Plus - does she prefer Tony Blair or Gordon Brown?
Rachel Reeves’ big speech on the economy dominates the second day of the Labour Party conference. Ahead of the November budget, the chancellor warns that there will be harder choices and refuses to rule out tax rises. But with growth sluggish, polls tightening and Reform making gains, can Labour really deliver the change it promised?In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murphy speaks to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray to discuss the prospect of tax rises, and how Labour plans to tackle immigration, the cost of living and the UK’s growing debt.
Award-winning Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah was sacked after posts she made about Charlie Kirk on social media sparked a storm of controversy. Her dismissal has become a flashpoint in the debate over free speech, newsroom policies, and the future of press freedom in America.In this episode of The Fourcast, Karen Attiah speaks to Cathy Newman, reflecting on the circumstances of her firing, the political pressures facing journalists, and why she believes her case is a test for how far opinion writers can go in today’s media climate.
As a UN commission concludes that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and international pressure grows with more nations, including the UK, moving toward recognising a Palestinian state, is there any hope for a two-state solution?Can Israel and Palestine ever coexist side by side in peace, or has the violence, mistrust and the events of October the 7th and its aftermath made that dream impossible?In this special extended episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined in Jerusalem by Alan Baker, a former legal adviser to Israel’s foreign ministry who helped draft the Oslo Accords, Yariv Oppenheimer, a human rights lawyer, Dr. Hassan Jabareen, the head of Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights, and the former managing editor of the Jerusalem Post Tovah Lazaroff. In relation to some of the claims made in the podcast, Israel's Foreign Ministry has categorically rejected the UN commission's report calling it "distorted and false" and Israel has always strenuously denied all claims of genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid in relation to the Palestinian people.
A UN commission investigating the Gaza war has concluded that Israel is committing genocide, adding its voice to growing international concern from legal scholars and human rights organisations.
It doesn’t have the force of a court or the UN Security Council. But as a commission of eminent legal experts, its findings carry significant moral weight.
Arab Barghouthi is the son of Marwan Barghouthi, who is perhaps the most popular Palestinian leader in the occupied territories. He has been in jail for two decades after refusing to take part in the legal process that ultimately convicted him of being involved in attacks that led to the deaths of five people. He denied involvement.
In the podcast Arab Barghouthi makes claims about his father's alleged mistreatment in prison. The Israeli prison service has previously responded to these allegations by saying that they have been examined in court which concluded that there had been no violation of the law by the Israeli Prison Service. It also said that all detainees have the right to file a complaint that will be fully examined by official authorities.
Israel's Foreign Ministry has categorically rejected the UN commission's report calling it "distorted and false". Israel has always strenuously denied all claims of genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid in relation to the Palestinian people.
For the third time in his political career, Peter Mandelson has fallen from high office in a scandal linked to rich and powerful men - this time it was his relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that was his undoing.
Lord Mandelson was sacked from his role as UK ambassador to the US after leaked emails showed him offering support for Epstein even after a sex offence conviction.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister found 'the depth and extent of the relationship reprehensible.'
But questions are now being asked about Keir Starmer's judgement in appointing him in the first place given Lord Mandelson has attracted - some would say courted - controversy throughout his career.
He was widely considered to be doing a good job in Washington though, with a good rapport with President Trump. Is that relationship now damaged?
On the latest episode of the Fourcast, Cathay Newman was joined by the Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika, the author and political journalist Ian Dunt who has written extensively on Lord Mandelson and the film-maker Richard Sanders who produced the Dispatches documentary that first revealed the friendship between the two men.
Angela Rayner has resigned as Deputy Prime Minister following revelations that she failed to pay the correct tax on a new home.
But what does her departure mean for Keir Starmer, the Labour Party, and the future of the government?
In today’s episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Tom Baldwin, former Labour communications chief, Guardian columnist Zoe Williams and Sir Craig Oliver, ex-Director of Communications for David Cameron, to unpack the political fallout and what it means for Labour’s leadership.
The Green Party in England and Wales has a new leader and by an overwhelming majority members picked the candidate from the radical left-wing of the party - Zack Polanski.
His campaign focussed on poverty and Palestine rather than plants or the planet. He’s a former actor, a member of the London Assembly, though not actually a member of parliament.
So, is he now the voice of progressive populism that can take on Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn?
Nigel Farage has put mass deportations at the centre of his new immigration plan — promising to detain and remove hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers from the UK.
While Reform UK currently has only four MPs, polling suggests they could win the next election and be in a position to implement this.
It's a striking escalation in the rhetoric around immigration — raising the question of whether this marks a turning point in British politics.
Has anything like this been attempted before, is it even possible, and how does it fit into the long, often heated history of immigration policy in the UK?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Cathy Newman is joined by Jacqueline McKenzie, a partner at the human rights law firm Leigh Day who specialises in immigration and asylum cases, and journalist and author David Goodhart who is the head of demography, immigration and integration at the Policy Exchange think tank.
Donald Trump has just met both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the same week - two leaders locked in a war that has reshaped global security. For Putin, the meeting with Trump offered legitimacy and a chance to show that Russia is still a power the US must engage with. For Zelenskyy, it was about survival, pressing Trump to keep American support flowing as Ukraine fights for its future.So what really happened behind those closed doors and what does it mean for NATO, Europe and the wider world? In this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei speaks to Emily Ferris from RUSI and William Alberque, a specialist on arms control and NATO, to explore what Trump’s diplomacy tells us about the next phase of the war - and America’s role in it.
Charged with looking after the United Nations’ humanitarian projects - from Israel’s aid blockade in Gaza to the crisis in Sudan, Tom Fletcher was recently described as having the ‘toughest job in the world’. But he disagrees. “The toughest job in the world”, he says, “is sitting there watching your kid having his arm cut off in a hospital without an anaesthetic.”In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Tom Fletcher about why aid is not reaching those who need it most, in Gaza and beyond. He warns that global humanitarian needs are greater than ever, with crises in Sudan, Yemen and Ukraine, and makes a plea to the world to “step up” on Gaza crisis response.
Chris Bryant MP has lived many lives - from a childhood in Franco’s Spain to serving as a priest in the Church of England, and now more than two decades in Parliament. He reflects on growing up gay when it was still illegal, the abuse he endured as a young man in the National Youth Theatre, and how Section 28 drove him away from the Conservative Party.
In this episode of The Fourcast, he tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy what power looks like behind closed doors, and why speaking out about abuse matters.
This episode includes discussion about sexual assault. You can find where to access help and support with these issues at: www.channel4.com/4viewers/help-support
Is fashion the latest thing to be swallowed into politics, culture war and the backlash on woke?
Stick-thin models with protruding bones were the marketing choice of Zara for a new campaign - the ad has just been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority as irresponsible.
And the fallout from Sydney Sweeney's ad campaign for American Eagle jeans keeps growing - a few years ago accusations of white supremacy and promoting the right wing might have caused a share price to plummet.
But after Donald Trump described the ad as the hottest ad out there American Eagle stock rocketed. Are we back in the 90's or even the 30's?
Ad agencies have always looked for ways to get noticed - but is the war on woke also sweeping away years of progress on body positivity and diversity?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Katie Glass, who writes for the Times and Megan Jayne Crabbe - a writer, presenter and activist for body positivity and feminism.
The world's eyes are on Gaza as the enclave faces mass starvation, but the war there is also emboldening Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.Odeh Hadalin is a Palestinian teacher and activist who campaigned against illegal Israeli settlements and settler violence. He also helped make this year's Oscar-winning film No Other Land which documents Israeli attacks on the Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta.It was there that he was shot dead, reportedly after a confrontation between villagers and settlers who were using a bulldozer to destroy property.An extremist settler, previously sanctioned by the US, has been arrested.Around a thousand Palestinians have reportedly been killed in the West Bank in the last two years amid an increasing wave of settler and Israeli military violence.Joining Matt Frei on this week's episode of The Fourcast is the Palestinian film-maker Basel Adra. He co-wrote and co-directed No Other Land and was a friend of Odeh.
A year ago, towns across Britain were in flames as far-right anti-immigration protests turned into riots, while this week the Police Federation called recent protests in Epping a 'signal flare’ for further unrest.
So with the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats actually up and social media - not to mention certain MPs - pumping out inflammatory comments, is another summer flare-up inevitable?
And how do the police , the politicians and the protesters themselves distinguish between the genuine concerns of dispossessed communities, and the gratuitous violence of far-right racists?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long is joined by Sunder Katwala, director of the think-tank British Future which focuses on diversity and social inclusion, the academic Lisa McKenzie, who writes primarily about working-class communities and class inequality, and Adam Kelwick, imam of the UK's oldest mosque in Liverpool who came to prominence during last year's riots with his attempts at dialogue with protesters.
Donald Trump is under pressure, again, this time over his alleged ties to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. As the scandal grows, the Speaker of the House has shut down Congress, seemingly to avoid any further questions being raised on the floor.
Trump knew Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s and Epstein’s longtime pilot, Lawrence Visoski, has testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied ever being on the plane and there is no evidence he was involved in wrongdoing.
But now, even Trump’s usual allies in the alt-right world of podcasts and influencers are turning on him. So what happens when the support base that’s shielded Trump for years starts to crumble?
On today's episode of the Fourcast, David Pakman, host of The David Pakman Show and author of The Echo Machine, joins us to break it all down.
In America the Democrats are in crisis — leaderless, divided, and drifting after Donald Trump’s return to power, and on the left, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Bernie Sanders and the Democrat's New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani are seizing the moment, but is their radicalism the way to beat Trump's Maga bandwagon?
Or will they end up alienating the majority of working class America? Tim Ryan, a senior advisor for the Progressive Policy Institute, is the former Ohio Congressman who stood for the senate but lost to JD Vance. He also threw his hat in the ring for the Democrats Presidential nomination when Joe Biden won it. He wants to haul his party back to focus on what he sees as the central concerns of working class voters - their cost of living and the fairness of the system, as well as working with business not against it - what he sometimes calls more of a Bill Clinton style. But is that really the answer to a Democrat resurrection?
Donald Trump says he's 'disappointed' that Vladimir Putin keeps knocking down buildings in Kyiv despite all the great conversations they are having about ending the war in Ukraine, as the First Lady Melania Trump keeps pointing out to him.
So the president is ramping up the threats, offering 'top-of-the-line' weaponry to Ukraine and promising severe tariffs on Russia if there's no ceasefire within 50 days.Is that enough to get Putin to the negotiating table? Or just escalating an intractable conflict? And is Trump even serious about bumping his bestie in Moscow?On the latest episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Channel 4 News’ International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and historian and author Anne Applebaum.
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have announced a "one in, one out" migration deal which would see France send one asylum seeker with a British family connection to the UK for every migrant sent back.
Under the terms of the deal, up to 50 people a week could be sent back to France.
But what impact will the new deal really have?
In today's episode of the Fourcast, Senior Political Correspondent Paul McNamara speaks to Charlotte Khan from Care4Calais and Peter Walsh, senior researcher at the Migration Observatory, about whether we can really expect to see a change to the number of people crossing the English Channel by small boat.
What comes first - a peace deal or a peace prize? The war rages on in Gaza - another 40 Palestinians were killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes, but Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been unable to thrash out a ceasefire deal despite two days of talks in Washington, though he did nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel peace prize.
Meanwhile in Gaza families continue to struggle for food and water amid the constant bombardments and with an aid system that is failing to deliver. Israeli officials say they are working with the UN and other bodies to “ensure necessary aid crosses the border”. So who is to blame for this catastrophe? And what needs to be done to alleviate it?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Cathy Newman speaks to James Elder, global spokesperson for UNICEF, the United Nations agency providing humanitarian aid to children worldwide. He is just back from Gaza - his fifth visit to the territory since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023.
Sir Keir Starmer pulled Labour’s flagship welfare reform plans at the last minute - a humiliating U-turn after days of rebellion, confusion and rising anger across his own party.
The government narrowly avoided defeat in the vote last night, but the cost may be far greater than any lost vote. Dozens of MPs defied the whip, disability campaigners condemned the reforms, and what was once a central policy platform now lies in ruins. Critics say Starmer has looked weak, indecisive - even irrelevant - in the face of pressure from within.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei speaks to our social affairs editor Jackie Long and Channel 4 News’ Senior Political Correspondent Paul McNamara about the significance of what has just happened and what comes next. Has this bruising vote done lasting damage to Starmer’s premiership? and what will Rachel Reeves do now as another last minute U-turn has blown an even bigger black hole into the government’s finances?
Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance has dominated headlines and sparked a huge debate. The punk duo chanted “death to the IDF” to a live crowd of thousands, and millions more watched at home, as their set aired live on the BBC. The backlash was swift - some called it a bold act of protest, while others condemned it as deeply offensive and antisemitic. On-screen warnings issued by the BBC about discriminatory language were deemed “not good enough”, and both the festival and the BBC have since condemned the performance, issuing public apologies.In this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by journalist and founder of the Free Speech Union Lord Toby Young, and political activist Ash Sarkar - who was at the performance - to unpack the controversy. They discuss the reaction to Bob Vylan’s set, the BBC’s decision to broadcast it, and what this means for free speech and creative freedom in today’s media landscape.This episode of The Fourcast contains language that some may find offensive.
Does Westminster make good people awful or does it attract awful people? As far as Sarah Vine is concerned, it’s the former - corrupting those with the best of intentions, turning them “mad and toxic.”
For twenty years, Sarah Vine was on the frontline of UK politics - married to former Secretary of State Michael Gove, friend (and later, foe) of the Camerons and a tabloid columnist. She witnessed Brexit up close - so close in fact, that it cost her her marriage.
In this episode of the Fourcast, journalist and author Sarah Vine talks to Krishnan Guru-Murthy about her new book, ‘How Not to Be a Political Wife’. She talks about her ‘crush’ on Samantha Cameron and their devastating fallout, her view that MPs aren’t paid enough, the pressures of public scrutiny and the emotional toll of being married to power.
The ceasefire deal Donald Trump says he brokered between Iran and Israel already appears to be in jeopardy as the Israeli Defence Forces promise to "respond with force" after accusing the regime in Tehran of launching missiles at Israel.
Iran denies launching any missiles. The US president has expressed his fury at both countries and has called on them to pull back. So will the ceasefire hold? If so, what does this mean for the future of the region? Can the ayatollah’s regime survive? And will Donald Trump finally get the Nobel Peace Prize he’s been after for so long?
On the latest episode of The Fourcast from Washington DC Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Mark Kimmitt, former Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, and Negar Mortazavi, Iranian-American journalist & host of the Iran podcast, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy.
The United States and Israel have launched major airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and regime targets. Iran’s foreign minister is seeking diplomatic support in Moscow, while questions swirl around the true extent of the damage, and whether retaliation could spiral into a wider regional war.
In this episode of The Fourcast, which was recorded before the latest developments in Qatar, our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy in Washington and Foreign Affairs Correspondent Secunder Kermani in Israel, to discuss what damage the strikes have caused to Iran’s nuclear programme, whether regime change is the real aim what options Iran has to retaliate.
Israel and Iran have continued attacking each other overnight with more airstrikes, as both countries wait for Donald Trump to decide if America will bomb nuclear sites in Iran.
What will happen next if the US decides to attack? Will the Ayatollah’s regime fall? And what will Israel do if America doesn’t intervene?
To discuss all this and more on the latest episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by former Israeli Defence Forces general Amos Yadlin who also served as the head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate for five years.
The air war between Israel and Iran has continued overnight after President Trump issued more warnings to Iran - saying Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was an “easy target”. So will he actually follow through with this threat? Will America join the fight? And what is Israel’s plan if they don’t? To discuss all this and more on the latest episode of The Fourcast Matt Frei is joined in Tel Aviv by Israeli journalist Gideon Levy who is a controversial and divisive critic of Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As simmering tensions between Israel and Iran explode in a barrage of missiles and drones, Krishnan Guru-Murthy talks to journalist Jonathan Rugman and RUSI’s Middle East Security expert, Burcu Ozcelik about whether the conflict might escalate.
After a number of Iranian nuclear scientists and military leaders including the head of the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard were killed, Iran has retaliated with 100 drones fired into Israel with more promised.
So what will Israel's next move be with Prime Minister Netanyahu saying strikes could continue 'for as many days as it takes?'
Rachel Reeves has unveiled her long-awaited spending review, with the NHS and defence seeing the most gains while many other departments face cuts - so, is this the kind of spending programme that will transform the UK economy and help Keir Starmer see off the threat of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK?
In this special episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi and Luke Tryl, the director of the More in Common polling company.
As the clock ticks down to next week’s critical Spending Review, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is hitting the road, announcing infrastructure investments and focusing attention on Reform-leaning areas. Is this a last ditch effort to steady the ship?
In this episode of The Fourcast, we're asking: Has Labour already lost control, just months into government? And can Keir Starmer turn things around?
Joining Matt Frei in the studio is Anushka Asthana, wrapping up two decades at Westminster and releasing a new edition of her insider book Taken as Red. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Starmer’s Labour rose - and where it may be faltering.
Also joining us is political commentator Andrew Rawnsley, who was there for the early days of the Blair-Brown era.
Can any government succeed in today’s economic climate, or are the comparisons simply unfair?
The aid crisis in Gaza is deepening. This morning, Israeli soldiers opened fire near crowds of Palestinians approaching a new food distribution site in southern Gaza, the Israeli military confirmed. At least 27 people were killed and dozens more wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. This comes just days after a similar incident left 31 dead and nearly 200 injured, an event for which Israel has denied responsibility.
As famine looms and disease spreads through the devastated territory, civilians are caught in an increasingly desperate struggle for survival. Aid is scarce, humanitarian convoys are often attacked or held indefinitely at the Gaza border, and the infrastructure needed to deliver essential supplies has collapsed.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is in Jerusalem, speaking to Milena Ansari, a Palestinian lawyer and researcher with Human Rights Watch, and Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. They discuss how the crisis is unfolding, why so little aid is getting through, and who is being held accountable.
Elon Musk has announced an end to his time as the head of DOGE with a parting shot at his former boss Donald Trump over a bill that’s projected to add trillions to government debt - and now Donald Trump’s flagship tariff policy has suffered a major setback as a federal court ruled them illegal. The White House is of course appealing.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Evan Osnos, staff writer at the New Yorker, and Kenneth P. Vogel, reporter for the New York Times about crypto currencies, unprecedented pardons, and how this all fits into a wider pattern in President Trump’s administration.
Produced by: Freya Pickford and Calum Fraser
It’s been 600 days since the war between Israel and Gaza began, triggered by the October the 7th attacks carried out by Hamas; a moment that reshaped the landscape of the Israel-Palestine conflict.Now, we’re at a critical moment. Discontent is growing inside Israel - particularly among the families of hostages - who are calling for an end to the conflict, fearing that it’s harming the chances of their loved ones returning home.Meanwhile, international pressure is mounting. Reports suggest a rift between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, as countries like the UK, France, and Canada have spoken out strongly against Israel’s blockade on aid, calling its actions unacceptable. As public opinion shifts and political tensions rise, we take a closer look at where things stand - and where they might be heading.
The shooting of a couple who worked for the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC has sent shockwaves around the world, while in Gaza the UN says thousands of men, women and children are in danger of severe starvation after an 11-week aid blockade.
For this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to The Economist's Israel Correspondent Anshel Pfeffer and Palestinian journalist Nour Odeh.
They discuss the shooting of Israeli embassy staff in DC, growing condemnation of Netanyahu by Western leaders and mounting international calls to recognise a Palestinian state.
Produced by Freya Pickford, Calum Fraser and Alice Wagstaffe
It was one of the most shocking moments of the 2024 presidential campaign. President Joe Biden, at times appearing incoherent and confused, effectively ended his hopes of reelection as he stumbled through a debate against rival Donald Trump. It marked the beginning of the end of his campaign. He was ultimately replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris - a last-minute switch that failed to deliver the Democratic Party the White House.
To many voters, it was a shocking turn of events. But, as a new book argues, for White House and Biden family insiders, it was the public exposure of a secret they had long been trying to keep. Publicly, Biden’s team have refuted claims that he was unfit for reelection, insisting that “he was a very effective president.” But the question remains: did Team Biden cover up his declining health?
In an interview that was recorded before the announcement of Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis this weekend, Matt Frei speaks to CNN anchor Jake Tapper about his explosive new book, Original Sin, which examines the former president’s apparent cognitive decline and includes testimony from White House insiders who claim there was a deliberate “cover-up” to keep the truth from the American people.
Aseem Malhotra is a deeply controversial British doctor who has just been appointed as Chief Medical Adviser of the Make America Healthy Again campaign group co-founded by Donald Trump's health secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior.
It makes him one of the US Health Secretary's most influential medical advisers - and that's alarming doctors and academics around the world, because Aseem Malhotra, like RFK JR, goes against mainstream, established opinion on many topics.
Most controversially he opposes the MRNA covid vaccines, claiming they cause more harm than good, and wants to end their use in America, even though people are still dying with Covid around the world.
In the UK hundreds of people are dying with covid every month yet Dr Malhotra claims the virus is no longer deadly. He also supports RFK Junior's decision to reinvestigate discredited claims of a link between vaccines and autism, amid alarming levels of vaccine scepticism in America, and outbreaks of deadly measles.
For the latest episode of The Fourcast Krishnan Guru-Murthy talks to Dr Malhotra, but we also examine his claims and scrutinise them by hearing from Stephen Griffin, Professor of Virology at Leeds University - who is a leading scientist in Britain and believes claims being made by Dr Malhotra and RFK Junior are not just wrong but dangerous. Produced by Calum Fraser, Alice Wagstaffe, Georgina Lee, Rob Thomson.
Russia is celebrating Victory Day, with 29 foreign leaders including the Chinese President Xi Jinping joining Vladimir Putin in Moscow to commemorate the Soviet Union's part in the defeat of Nazi Germany 80 years ago.
But is President Putin about to enjoy his own victory if the US pulls out of peace negotiations over the war in Ukraine?
For the latest episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy talks to one man who thinks President Trump is doing everything in his power to make that happen.
The writer, historian and activist Vladimir Kara Murza has been poisoned and imprisoned for his anti-Kremlin campaigns. He was released from a Siberian jail last year as part of a prisoner exchange.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Toby Bakare, Rob Thomson
Pakistan has described India's missile attacks that killed more than 30 people 'an act of war’, but India says it was retaliation for a terrorist assault in Indian-controlled Kashmir. So is an all-out war inevitable between these two nuclear-armed neighbours. In the past the US has acted as a peace broker, but is the Trump administration willing to involve itself in another foreign conflict?
To discuss this, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined from Delhi by the Emmy-nominated journalist Barkha Dutt who has reported from the frontline in previous conflicts between India and Pakistan. And also by Ayesha Siddiqa from the Department of War Studies at King's College, London. She writes extensively on the Pakistan military after serving as the country's director of naval research.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Holly Snelling, Rob Thomson
Ukraine has now signed a mineral and natural resources deal with the US perhaps taking President Donald Trump a step closer to fulfilling his promise to secure peace there.
But now his National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz is set to step down. So what do the American public think about the latest twists in the Trump 2.0 drama? And what about the MAGA faithful? One person tapped into the aspirations and some anger, at times, of Trump's most ardent supporters is Natalie Winters.
She is a White House correspondent part of the 'new media' in The White House briefing room, though denied a membership to the professional body representing Washington Correspondents. She also Co-hosts The War Room podcast with right-wing provocateur Steve Bannon. She joins Mat Frei in Washington for The Fourcast to discuss how Trump 2.0 is unfolding.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson and Holly Snelling
Donald Trump has reached his 100 day milestone but he might not be celebrating quite so loudly after Canadians voted in a new government aggressively opposed to his tariffs and talk of annexation, and new polling showed less-than-glowing approval ratings.
The President called it fake news. But if his policies aren't proving altogether popular they have had a major impact on America's system of government and global economics - though he has missed his deadline for stopping the war in Ukraine. By a mere 99 days.
To discuss all of this, and what the next hundred days might hold on The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Millie Teasdale and Rob Thomson
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated following a deadly attack in a tourist hotspot in Kashmir, with Indian Prime Minister Nerandra Modi saying he will pursue the attackers to the ‘ends of the earth’ after they killed 26 people.
With India blaming Pakistan for the attack, retaliatory actions between the two countries have ramped up. India has cancelled visas, excluded diplomats and suspended a landmark water-sharing treaty - while Pakistan has halted all trade. So, what will Prime Minister Modi do next? Could this attack lead to a bigger conflict between these two nuclear armed nations?
And how would this affect a world already reeling from wars in the Middle East and Europe. To discuss all this on the latest episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Manoj Joshi, who spent decades as a journalist in India and most recently advised the government on reforming the security forces, and our Foreign Affairs Correspondent Secunder Kermani.
Produced by Holly Snelling, Calum Fraser and Rob Thomson
With the world still reeling from Donald Trump's tariffs, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed the UK's growth forecast and says the global economy will see a "significant slowdown" - add to that, wars in Europe and the Middle East, climate change and the promise and peril of AI.
So is it possible to find hope amongst this constant chorus of doom and gloom?
One person who thinks they have an answer is Rutger Bregman, a progressive historian famous for taking on the Davos billionaires.
He joins Matt Frei on the latest episode of The Fourcast.
Produced by Holly Snelling, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson
Following President Donald Trump’s tariffs and President Xi Jinping's refusal to back down, the world is in a new era and the UK has a decision to make.
Does it line up behind the US President and freeze diplomatic relationships with Beijing? Or, with an increasingly radical leader in Washington DC, do they switch their allegiance? What does the UK do about China’s human rights record? In a world of strong men hostile to liberal democracies, where does the UK go?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalisation, and Baroness Helena Kennedy, a Labour peer who was sanctioned by Beijing for her role as co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Holly Snelling and Rob Thomson.
President Donald Trump’s second term is almost at 100 days. Unlike 2016, he is now surrounded by passionate supporters and close allies. One key figure in the second series of Trump is Vice President JD Vance, a pure believer in the MAGA movement.
On this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Dr James Orr, JD Vance’s ‘British sherpa’, self-described ‘national conservative’ and leading intellectual figure of the right. Orr is the UK Chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation and an Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge.
Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Vik Patel, Holly Snelling and Rob Thomson.
Economic relations between the US and China are effectively over as the world’s two largest economies trade blows in a tit-for-tat trade war that’s brought the global world order into a new era.
As Xi Jinping calls on the EU to join him in opposing President Donald Trump’s ‘bullying’, where does this leave the rest of the world? Is globalisation over?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, former adviser of Bill Clinton and former chief economist of the World Bank.
Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Simon Stanleigh and Michael Saliba
President Donald Trump has authorised a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for all countries except for one, China. The president slapped a bespoke 145% tariff on Beijing, effectively ending trade between the world’s two largest economies.
What does this new world order mean for the rest of us? Where will this tit-for-tat trade war end? Will there be any winners? Or could it escalate into something much worse?
On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Fiona Hill, who was senior director for European and Russian affairs on the US National Security Council during the first Trump presidency and is now a senior fellow in the Centre on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Rob Thomson
Donald Trump has announced global tariffs on an unprecedented scale, holding up a chart in the White House Rose Garden outlining what each country will pay and while the UK seems to have got off relatively lightly, almost nowhere has escaped America's determination to bolster its home-grown trade and manufacturing.
Even the penguins that are the only inhabitants of a chain of remote Antarctic islands have been slapped with a 10 percent tariff. Prices in the US are likely to go up. The global economy faces a period of chaos amid plunging markets. But is a trade war inevitable? And could it spiral out of control and escalate into something much worse?
For this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by the American author and commentator Robert Kaplan whose writing examines the nature of US power, and Channel 4 News Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson
Benjamin Netanyahu has said his intention is to implement Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, while Israel comes under intense criticism after the bodies of 15 emergency workers were discovered dead in southern Gaza and the UN says they were killed “one be one” by Israeli forces.
Sharon Haskell is from the New Hope party in the Israeli parliament and she is the deputy foreign minister in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
She spoke to Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the latest episode of the Fourcast.
Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Calum Fraser, Girish Juneja, Rob Thomson
The Fourcast breaks down a huge day for the UK economy and British politics, as Rachel Reeves delivers her Spring Statement with cuts to welfare and a new forecast from the OBR slashing the UK’s prospect for growth.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi and our Senior Political Correspondent Paul McNamara to explain what this means for you and explore the political fallout.
Produced by Girish Juneja, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak, Calum Fraser
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have spoken on the phone for over 90 minutes thrashing out a deal to halt the bloodshed in Ukraine, and Russia has now agreed to a 30 day energy and infrastructure ceasefire as well as negotiations on the implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.
In this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Russia’s Ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, about the talks between Russia and the USA over Ukraine, Europe's attempts to provide security guarantees and what there is to stop Russia wanting more territory if it gets everything it wants in this negotiation.
Produced by Mariaelena Agostini, Helene Cacace, Calum Fraser and Ka Yee Mak.
The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has been broken, as Israel launched overnight air strikes on Gaza that Hamas says has killed more than 400 people - sparking fears the region could be plunged into all out war once again.
Francesca Albanese is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and her opinions have sparked controversy in the past.
Israel officially banned her from entering the country in February 2024 after she wrote in a tweet “the victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel’s oppression”. Israeli officials condemned these words as “anti-semitic” and called on the UN to “public disavow” Ms Albanese.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Ms Albanese about how she came to her conclusion that Israel is committing genocide, whether Hamas’ attack on October 7th was an act of genocide and what the international community can do to stop the bloodshed.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson and Ka Yee Mak.
President Zelenskyy has signed up to Donald Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia and in return American arms and intelligence have started flowing into Ukraine again, but the question now is whether Vladimir Putin will agree to a pause in hostilities.
The Russian President knows every KGB trick in the book and is likely to resist giving up territory and prisoners. How does Donald Trump get him on board for a peace deal that lasts longer than the time it will take Russia to regroup and rearm?
So far the main Russian response has been another barrage of missiles targeting cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. For this episode of the Fourcast Krishan Guru-Murthy is joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum who is in the city.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
Donald Trump has read out a letter from Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Ukraine is ready to negotiate and the president says he's getting strong signals from Russia that it is also ready for peace, but - if that deal boils down to Ukraine surrendering territory, American mining companies extracting minerals from Ukraine, and no security guarantee - is that real peace? And would a deal like that hold?
In this new world of strong man politics, has Ukraine been bullied and Russia indulged? And what does all this tell us about Trump's new world order?
In this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by the American historian and writer Professor Timothy Snyder, who's an expert on Ukraine, Russia and eastern Europe, having written highly acclaimed books on tyranny and freedom.
Produced by Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak, Silvia Maresca and Calum Fraser
Donald Trump has suspended all military aid to Ukraine, in another move that has shocked Europe, thrilled Vladimir Putin and Russia and dismayed Ukraine, but Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now reached out to the US president in a bid to heal relations damaged by the bust up in the Oval Office last week.
Will it work? Will Donald Trump change his mind, again? And what does Vladimir Putin really think of it all?
In this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour and Professor Mark Galeotti, author of several books about Russia including his latest ‘Forged in War: a military history of Russia from its beginnings to today’.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
Keir Starmer has met Donald Trump at the White House but will his flattering words and invitation from the King be enough to persuade America not to turn its back on Europe and help Ukraine in its fight against the army of Vladimir Putin - or will President Zelenskyy need to give up all his country’s mineral wealth too?
In this special episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined at the White House by Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon and International Editor Lindsey Hilsum.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
As the war between Russia and Ukraine hits its 3 year mark, Germany elects a new government to join its beleaguered neighbours in trying to get Europe – and President Zelenskyy - out of the mess caused by an aggressive President Putin on its East flank, and an antagonistic President Trump on its West. More money, for more troops, actually on the ground in Ukraine? It’s a move most of Europe seems reluctant to make, but can the continent avoid catastrophe by going it alone?
In this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by the former German ambassador to the US Wolfgang Ischinger, and the former Ukrainian deputy defence minister Alina Frolova
Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
America’s Marco Rubio and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov have met in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine war peace talks. The US says a peace deal must be "fair, enduring and acceptable to all the parties involved" - not that all the parties - like Ukraine or the Europeans - were invited by Donald Trump to the first round of the talks.
So what do Russia and the US really want to get out from it? And will Russia be brought in from the cold internationally?
To discuss this on this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Bronwen Maddox, the Director of the international think tank Chatham House, and Channel 4 News’ International Editor Lindsey Hilsum.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
As Trump is invited to Moscow and praises Putin after a call with the Russian leader about peace negotiations, his defence secretary Pete Hegseth says American troops will not go to Ukraine as peacekeepers as part of any future deal with Russia. He also announced Ukraine will never be part of NATO and needs to say goodbye to territory seized by Russia.
In this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei discusses all of this and more with Channel 4 News’ international editor Lindsey Hilsum.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Helene Cacace and Ka Yee Mak.
Donald Trump has spent the week turning the world upside down again - launching a trade war with China and claiming America will take over the Gaza Strip - and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is scrambling to work out how best to respond to the American president.
Sir Keir met with EU leaders earlier in the week for post-Brexit reset, but the prospect of closer ties comes just as Donald Trump has the EU in his crosshairs - saying he’ll slap tariffs on the bloc, while suggesting he might spare the UK.
So, the prime minister is walking a tightrope that stretches across both the Channel and the Atlantic, will he keep the balancing act going or topple over? In this week’s episode of the Fourcast, Gary Gibbon is joined by Michael Gove, cabinet minister under four Conservative Prime Ministers and now editor of the Spectator, journalist and biographer of Keir Starmer, Tom Baldwin. And head of the Europe programme at the Chatham House think tank, Armida van Rij .
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Rob Thomson.
Donald Trump, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, has said the US should take over Gaza, own it, and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East", but within hours of these comments Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Palestinians have rejected the suggestion outright.
So what is Donald Trump really up to? Is this a serious proposal, a negotiating position or the dreams of a reality show star on the world stage?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by our Foreign Affairs Correspondent Secunder Kermani and the Palestinian journalist Yousef Hammash, who reported from inside Gaza for Channel 4 News from October 2023.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Ka Yee Mak, Rob Thomson, Calum Fraser.
Donald Trump’s long promised trade war has begun, sort of - the US president threatened to slap tariffs on America’s biggest trading partners, before backtracking and striking a deal with Mexico and Canada. But a 10% tariff on Chinese goods has come into force and Beijing has retaliated by imposing hefty levies on a range of American imports and vowing to investigate Google over antitrust allegations.
So will Trump’s tariff wars totally backfire? And how should other world leaders, including Keir Starmer, react?
In this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and Erica York of the Tax Foundation think tank.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak and Amani Hughes.
In a major speech on growing the UK economy, Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she will make Cambridge and Oxford the “Silicon Valley of Europe” and build a third runway at Heathrow Airport - which is now backed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer even though he opposed it in the past. So will Labour deliver? Can Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves really get the economy firing again? And will it be enough to turn around their recent political woes?
Discussing this and more in this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Gillian Tett, Financial Times columnist, and Rupert Harrison, senior advisor at Macro Advisory Partners and former advisor to Goerge Osborne when he was chancellor.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson and Ka Yee Mak.
In Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos he said, again, that he wants a peace deal with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, again suggested Canada could become part of America and again raised the spectre of tariffs that economists say could devastate the global economy, so what is the new American president’s vision of the world order and how will he deal with China and Xi Jinping’s claims over Taiwan?
In his inaugural address President Trump said America would expand its territory, what does this actually mean? A future land grab? Or just a more aggressive American influence in parts of the world? And what does it mean for some of worlds’ other strongmen, who have their own expansionist ambitions?
In this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at the New School, and Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News’ international editor.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak and Amani Huges.
Hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America, he signed executive orders to take the US out of the World Health Organisation and the Paris Climate Accords; around 1,500 January 6 rioters were freed; a national emergency at the US-Mexico border was declared, he made the designation of two genders an official government policy and the TikTok ban was paused - and that’s before he made off-hand comments on whether the fragile ceasefire in Gaza will last.
To discuss all this and more in this edition of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Nayyera Haq, senior director of the Obama White House and Deana Bass Williams, a Republican strategist.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson, Gracie Jerome, Amani Hughes and Ka Yee Mak.
Donald Trump is set to be sworn in as President of the United States of America for the second time - but, from TikTok and the southern border, to Ukraine and the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza - he faces even bigger challenges than he did eight years ago.
Will he really end the Ukraine war on day one, pardon the January 6 rioters in the “first hour” and potentially bring back TikTok? And while his personal brand of right-wing populism is totally dominant now, will there be a progressive backlash or resistance?
In this week’s episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Channel 4 News's very own America experts - Siobhan Kennedy and Kiran Moodley.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak.
Israel and Hamas have finally reached a ceasefire deal over the war in Gaza days before Donald Trump takes over from Joe Biden as the next US president - but Benjamin Netanyahu’s government hasn't signed it yet - and while Palestinians in Gaza are celebrating, there’s still a chance it could be derailed.
Yet, if the deal holds, it will be a historic moment, but why has it taken so long and what’s next for the people of Gaza and Israel?
In this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and Foreign Correspondent Secunder Kermani to discuss all the unanswered questions.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Rob Thomson.
Amid turmoil in the bond market and a plummeting pound, Sir Keir Starmer has had to defend his chancellor Rachel Reeves while dealing with the resignation of the former anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq. So, can Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves turn it around?
The Prime Minister says it will take 10 years to solve some of the chronic issues facing the UK, but will he even get a second term with Labour's support sliding in the polls and Nigel Farage's Reform UK breathing down his neck?
In this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by the Financial Times’ columnist Katie Martin, psephologist Luke Try and Channel 4 News' political editor Gary Gibbon.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Silvia Maresca and Ka Yee Mak.
Silicon Valley’s billionaires are making headlines again as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg says he’s going to get rid of factcheckers on his social media platforms, while X’s Elon Musk continues to attack UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz - so have we entered a new age of political discourse?
In this episode of the America Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Albert Eisenberg, a political strategist who runs the messaging firm BlueStateRed, and Joan Donovan, assistant professor of journalism at Boston University, to discuss if Elon Musk is good for democracy and whether Donald Trump can rein him in.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson and Ka Yee Mak.
With the Israel Gaza war reportedly on the brink of a ceasefire and Iran reeling after the devastation of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the Middle East is on the cusp of a complete realignment in 2025.
Will Syria buck the trend of so many nations after the Arab Spring that have descended into chaos after the fall of a tyrant? The country’s new de facto leader Mohammed al-Jolani, who is now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, says he will be moderate and will stay out of his neighbours affairs. But will neighbouring powers stay out of Syria?
What will Iran do now that so many of its proxies have been devastated since October the 7th?
And if there’s a ceasefire in Gaza, what next for the Palestinians?
To discuss all this and more in this week’s episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei was joined by Channel 4 News’ Foreign Affairs Correspondent Secunder Kermani and Jonathan Rugman - who covered the Middle East for years at Channel 4 News and is a now a Senior Associate Fellow at the defence and security think tank Rusi.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Silvia Maresca, Ka Yee Mak
It’s a matter of days since Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria was toppled by a lightning-quick offensive led by the rebel group Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - and Syrians are still in a state of euphoria at their newfound freedoms, but also horror as evidence of Assad’s torture chambres are revealed.
Channel 4 News’ Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lindsey Hilsum have been on the ground in Damascus and in this week’s episode of The Political Fourcast they discuss what is really happening there and whether Syria can be rebuilt with Fuad Sayed Issa, founder of the charity Violet Organisation.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Ka Yee Mak, Calum Fraser.
Bashar al-Assad has fled Damascus to Russia where Vladimir Putin is reportedly sheltering the former Syrian dictator - for those Syrians who have defied Assad’s brutal regime for years this is a moment of celebration and hope, but also fear.
Will Syria manage to move on from more than a decade of war to become a democratic state, or will it descend into further chaos and violence like Libya and Iraq did after liberation from their dictators?
On this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Syrian filmmaker and journalist Waad Al-Kateab, whose documentary For Sama won numerous awards and was nominated for an Oscar, and Mazen Gharibah who is director of the Syrian British Consortium.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Silvia Maresca
Syrian rebels launched the biggest attack in years against President Bashar al-Assad’s government forces, reigniting a bloody civil war - but with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel Gaza conflict just next door, the world appears to be on the brink.
So, what’s going to happen next, why did the rebels launch their attack now and how will the rest of the world react?
On this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Dr Lina Khatib, Associate Fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, and our International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, who is in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Ka Yee Mak, Calum Fraser.
President Putin fired an experimental hypersonic missile at Dnipro - one of Ukraine’s biggest cities - and has talked about the nuclear option again. On the frontline, Ukraine appears to be losing ground by the day - in this episode of The Political Fourcast, we talk about how the Ukraine-Russia war is escalating.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Dr Hanna Shelest, Director of Security Programmes at the Ukrainian think tank Ukrainian Prism, and Channel 4 News international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, who is currently in Dnipro in eastern Ukraine.
Produced by Silvia Maresca and Girish Juneja.
A close ally of Boris Johnson and open critic of Rishi Sunak and Kemi Badenoch, Nadine Dorries examines the current state of the Conservative Party in this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast - and she also criticises the Church of England in the wake of the John Smyth scandal.
Warning: This episode contains content that some viewers might find upsetting.
Mrs Dorries says she was abused as a child by a vicar.
A Church of England spokesperson said: “We are truly sorry for the childhood abuse suffered by Nadine Dorries.
“We can confirm that the National Safeguarding Team has been in ongoing contact with her following her brave disclosure of this abuse by an Anglican vicar, now deceased.
“We have offered support and have left open the offer to speak further if she wants to do so. We are sorry that when the matter first came to the Church’s attention in 2015 that she did not experience the response she should have received.”
The Conservative Party was approached for comment.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Rob Thomson.
From Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the shape of Donald Trump’s administration is becoming clearer - and it’s like nothing America has ever seen before.
Firebrands, mavericks and disruptors make up the bulk of the government. The unifying factor? Their unwavering loyalty to the President-elect. So can they shake up the establishment to the benefit of ordinary Americans? Or will we just see over-reach, outrage and implosion?
In this episode of the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Jennifer Ewing from Republicans Overseas UK, Thomas Gift, Director of the UCL Centre on US Politics, and Channel 4 News Correspondent Kiran Moodley.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser and Rob Thomson.
It’s been a week since America voted to return Donald Trump to the White House, and there are already reports of new appointments - including Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz and Elise Stefanik. How will these people shape the way Trump deals with the world - what’s going to happen in Ukraine and the Middle East? And what will China do?
To talk about this in this episode of The American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Michael Martins, who worked in Trump’s first administration as a foreign policy advisor in the US embassy in London and now runs the Overton Advisory consultancy, and Channel 4 News’ International Editor Lindsey Hilsum.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser and Ka Yee Mak.
Donald Trump has won the election, beating Kamala Harris and the Democrats, and will be the next president of the United States - but what kind of leader will he be?
During the campaign we heard from generals that worked with him that he has fascist tendencies - was this all over the top, or are we actually about to see the American republic on the brink? And what next for the Democrat Party? What went wrong, again? Will there be a reckoning?
On this episode of the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by the Wall Street Journal’s senior political correspondent Molly Ball and The Atlantic’s staff writer Christine Emba.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak, Ed Gove.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are making their final pitch to voters, as an American election race that has seen assassination attempts and President Joe Biden stepping aside as a candidate enters its final day.
This is the tightest race in modern American history - so what comes next? Four years ago the world witnessed the horrors of rioters attacking Capitol Hill on January 6th - could it be worse this time? What will Donald Trump or Kamala Harris actually do if they win?
On this episode of The American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Channel 4 News’ Washington Correspondent Siobhan Kennedy and News Correspondent Kiran Moodley, who has been following the Trump campaign.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Ed Gove, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mac.
Kemi Badenoch is the new leader of the Conservative Party after beating Robert Jenrick in what is an historic moment - the first black female leader of one of the UK’s main political parties. But does she have any chance of winning the next election? Will she even hang on that long with the Tories’ history of ditching leaders who don't deliver? Are the Labour Party the real winners here?
On this episode of the Political Fourcast, Cathy Newman is joined by former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, former Conservative MP Laura Farris, who lost her seat to the Liberal Democrats in July, and Luke Tryll, Executive Director of the polling firm More in Common.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Rob Thomson.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are out trying to salvage their US election campaigns after a series of gaffes started by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico an ‘island of garbage’, followed by President Joe Biden appearing to say Trump’s supporters are garbage.
Will any of these missteps change the course of the race?
In this episode of the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Democrat state representative Dr Jasmine Clark and Republican strategist Eric Tanenblatt.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ed Gove, Ka Yee Mak, Dani Isdale.
After months of speculation, leaks, and endless criticism, Rachel Reeves has finally delivered Labour’s first budget in 14 years and it had £70 billion more in spending, £40 billion more in tax along with a lot more borrowing and a lot more debt. So, will it define this government? Will it deliver growth and fix public services? Is it what people voted for?
In this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by KPMG's chief economist Yael Selfin, Jonathan Ashworth, chief executive of Keir Starmer's favoured think tank, Labour Together, and Matthew Lesh of the Institute of Economic Affairs, the think tank most closely associated with the last prime minister to go for growth - Liz Truss.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak.
As the US election heats up Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remain neck and neck in the polls, but even as the Democrats have the likes of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift backing them, the mood music is not sounding so good in this crucial presidential election.
So how did we get here, what are the key issues motivating voters and can Kamala Harris or Donald Trump finally pull ahead in the final week?
In this week’s episode of the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Democrat state representative Andre Carroll and Dennis Powell, a Republican strategist and author.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ed Gove, Dani Isdale.
Assisted dying could very soon be legalised in the UK, with MPs being given a free vote by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a bill that’s just been introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
It’s a controversial issue with passionate feelings on both sides that has been debated - and rejected -by parliament before, but campaigners think this time they could get it over the line. So, is this bill a humane and logical step to relieve those in unbearable agony, or is it a slippery slope that distorts the value of life in the UK?
In this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Conservative MP Danny Kruger, who fronted a documentary on the subject with his mother Prue Leith, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine, a long-time campaigner for assisted dying, and Channel 4 News’ Health and Social Care editor Victoria MacDonald.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson.
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The Morgan McSweeney-Sue Gray saga, endless stories about freebies and gloomy economic forecasts ahead of Rachel Reeve’s first budget - so, how badly have Keir Starmer’s first 100 days gone and could the next 100 actually be worse?
On this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Cathy Newman is joined by Thangam Debbonaire, who was set to be a leading cabinet minister in Starmer’s government before she lost her seat in a shock result at the election, Faiza Shaheen, who was a rising star in the Labour Party before a public spat led to her running as an independent in July, and Channel 4 News’ senior political correspondent Paul McNamara.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Britain's first Muslim cabinet minister, has long been an outspoken critic of her own party over its attitudes towards Islam.
Last week, after an investigation was launched against her over a post on social media, she resigned the whip saying it is a reflection of ‘how far right’ the Conservative Party has moved since her time in office.
Warsi has just released a book, “Muslims Don’t Matter”, which is an impassioned polemic setting out her views on the hypocrisy and double standards applied to British Muslims.
In this episode of The Political Fourcast, she speaks to Cathy Newman about the Israel-Gaza war, Islamophobia in the UK and the Conservative Party's "disturbing" shift to the extremist right.
Produced by Silvia Maresca and Calum Fraser.
Conservative Party leadership favourites Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have found themselves embroiled in controversy over comments they’ve made during the Tory Party conference, while rivals Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly haven’t missed a beat to capitalise.
Meanwhile, the latest polling show’s Badenoch’s lead over Jenrick amongst party members has narrowed. And so the future of the UK’s most successful political party remains up in the air.
In this special episode of the Political Fourcast from Birmingham, Cathy Newman is joined by former Deputy Prime Minister and Liz Truss ally Thérèse Coffey, former Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Channel 4 News’ political editor Gary Gibbon.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson
Despite warnings to keep it clean, Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly have been quietly tearing chunks out of each other as they vie to be the next Tory leader at this year’s Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
But, what is the future of the Conservative Party? Pivot harder to the right to win back Reform voters or tact to the centre? Can any of the leadership candidates haul the party back from the brink? Or is the past the future? Boris Johnson’s autobiography is helpfully being serialised in the Daily Mail just in time to overshadow events here.
So, to dig into all this and more for this special edition of the Political Fourcast, Cathy Newman spoke to two party giants. Sir Graham Brady was the chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of back benchers for almost 15 years and he’s just released a book called Kingmaker giving an insiders account of the Tory leadership campaigns he presided over.
She also caught up with Grant Shapps, who’s held several cabinet positions over the years and could have been a candidate for the next Tory leader if he hadn’t lost his seat along with a huge swathe of his colleagues in the election.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson.
Sir Keir Starmer has made his speech on the penultimate day of the Labour Party Conference, and his first as prime minister. He’s pledged “national renewal”, homes for all veterans who need them, and defended the unpopular cut to winter fuel payments.
At the centre of his speech was “change” that Labour will bring, but are we any clearer on what that vision is? What was the speech really about? Will it change the course of the government and how people think about the Labour Party? And did it touch on what people were really looking for from the first Labour prime minister in 14 years?
Joining Cathy Newman from the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool is Leader of the House of Lords, Angela Smith, General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Nicola Ranger, and, Chief UK Political Commentator for the Financial Times, Robert Shrimsley.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Sarah Beale, Rob Thomson.
Rachel Reeves has just delivered her Labour conference speech as the UK’s first female chancellor, defending the “hard but fair” choices that Labour will have to make. She called Labour the party of “economic responsibility”, but there remains much discontent over winter fuel allowance cuts to pensioners, and then there’s a donation scandal that’s dressed much of the conversation at this year’s conference.
With a speech focused on business, there was one line that came up again and again: “that’s the Britain we’re building”. But how do you deliver change and growth if the railways aren’t working? And public services aren’t working? Where will the £16bn come from if taxes aren’t being raised?
To talk about all of this on day 2 of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool with Krishnan Guru-Murthy is Channel 4 News’ Political Editor, Gary Gibbon, and Economics Correspondent for Channel 4 News, Helia Ebrahimi.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Silvia Maresca, Shaheen Sattar, and Rob Thomson
Sir Keir Starmer was surely hoping Labour’s conference would be a celebration of his landslide election victory - but with bitter briefings against his chief of staff Sue Gray coming from within No 10, more stories of ministers taking freebie gifts and a potential union rebellion over the winter fuel allowance - the new prime minister could face a very different reception in Liverpool.
And on top of all these domestic issues, the war in the Middle East is on the brink of spilling over into a wider war - with many delegates at conference demanding a stronger position from this government on trying to bring about peace.
On this special edition of the Political Fourcast from Labour Conference in Liverpool, Krishna Guru-Murthy is joined by Labour’s Emily Thornberry, who has held several shadow cabinet roles over the years and has just become chair of the influential Foreign Affairs Select Committee, and Katy Balls - the political editor of The Spectator.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson
Elon Musk has been criticised over comments he made on Twitter/X in the wake of the apparent attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, saying "no one is even trying to assassinate" Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.
The White House has condemned Musk’s comments and he has since deleted them, saying they were a joke, but this is far from the first time Musk’s posts on X have caused outrage.
Since his takeover of the social media platform in 2022, he has become a bigger, louder and more controversial presence in US politics - now openly funding and supporting Donald Trump.
So what is Musk up to? What is his relationship with Trump really about? And what is he going to do next?
To discuss this on the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by New York Times journalists Ryan Mac and Kate Conger, who have just published a book called "Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter".
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson
A damning new report, commissioned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his health secretary Wes Streeting, has laid bare the shocking state of the NHS - crumbling buildings, outdated machines and thousands of patients unnecessarily dying because of long waits in A&E.
In response to Lord Darzi’s report, the PM says the NHS “must reform or die” - but what will that reform actually look like?
This is not the first critical report into the NHS - and Starmer’s is far from the first government to promise reform. So why would it be any different this time?
On this week’s Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy discusses how to fix the National Health Service with Labour MP Allison Gardner, who worked with the NHS as a scientific advisor on AI, Conservative MP Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, who worked as a Medical officer in the British army and later as a surgeon in the NHS, and Channel 4 News’ Health and Social Care editor Victoria Macdonald.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Shaheen Sattar, Calum Fraser, Helene Cacace.
The long anticipated presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris has happened - Trump says he won and afterwards Harris got a Taylor Swift endorsement - but how has it gone down with voters?
Joining Matt Frei on this episode of The American Fourcast to discuss all this and more are Christine Emba, staff writer at The Atlantic, and Republican strategist Kristin Davison.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Helene Cacace.
The Grenfell Inquiry into the tower block fire that killed 72 people in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea has delivered a devastating final report that names and shames many - but inquiries into infected blood, Covid and the Post Office have also revealed rot at the core of Britain’s institutions - so can and, more importantly, will anything be done?
To discuss the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry report and what it reveals about the state of modern Britain on this episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by Emma Dent Coad, who was the local MP at the time of the Grenfell fire and now sits on Kensington and Chelsea Council, Deborah Coles, director of Inquest who campaign on deaths involving state institutions, and Channel 4 News’ Social Affairs editor Jackie Long.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson.
Tim Walz, Barack and Michelle Obama, and even Oprah Winfrey have taken to the DNC stage to lay the ground for Kamala Harris’ run for the White House. But have the upbeat and optimistic speeches actually galvanised any support from the rest of America?
Harris fundraised four times as much as Trump in July, a whopping $500 million, as supporters were inspired after Biden’s resignation, but can she survive on vibes until election day? Is she the continuity candidate or can she bring anything new to the Oval Office?
Tim Walz issued a rallying cry at the DNC, saying “we’ll sleep when we’re dead”, while Michelle Obama warned against being complacent. If ‘Coach Walz’ and ‘Kamala is Brat’ Harris are looking to woo the voters in November, we ask whether a unity message may be needed to harness the vote of undecided Americans.
For this episode of The American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined at the convention in Chicago by former Obama White House Official Nayyera Haq; Joe Biden’s former chief of staff in the senate Susan Platt; and Channel 4 News’ Washington correspondent Siobhan Kennedy.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson.
Nancy Pelosi has been at the top of US politics for nearly 40 years - as the first, and only, woman in US history to serve as speaker of the House, she has played a central role in some of the most consequential American events of the last two decades, from the Iraq war to the US Capitol attack and Donald Trump’s impeachment.
In her latest book, “The Art of Power: My Story as America’s First Woman Speaker of the House” Pelosi gives a behind-the-scenes look at her formidable political career.
In this episode of The American Fourcast, she talks to Channel 4 News’s Matt Frei about what she’s learned about politics and power after nearly four decades in Washington, why Donald Trump is “dangerous” and what’s next for America as the Presidential election approaches.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson.
Kamala Harris has chosen Governor Tim Walz as her Vice President for the 2024 Democrat ticket.
After considering nearly a dozen candidates, Harris landed on Walz who has been described as having the most "progressive record" of any of the other contenders.
Walz was an early supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, championed abortion rights into state law, and expanded free school meals & paid worker leave - so it’s not wonder the Trump-Vance team have branded him a “dangerously liberal extremist”. Rest assured, the animosity is mutual - Walz’s profile exploded after he called Donald Trump and JD Vance "weird".
Joining Matt Frei to talk about it in this episode of The American Fourcast are the UK Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad, John Scardino, the Chairman of Republicans Overseas UK, Greg Swenson, and the Director General for think-tank RUSI, Karin Von Hippel.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson.
Vice President Kamala Harris is the favourite to be the Democratic nominee for president after Joe Biden’s shock decision to drop out of the race - but can she really beat Donald Trump?
Some polls suggest Kamala Harris is even less popular than Joe Biden, especially in the crucial swing states and like president Biden - she’s stumbled a few times in public - leading some to write her off - but has she been totally underestimated?
To discuss all this and more, Matt Frei was joined by Christina Emba, staff writer at The Atlantic, and Channel 4 News’ International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Nina Hodgson, Shaheen Sattar, Zahra Warsame, Millie Teasdale, and Rob Thomson
An assassination attempt, J.D. Vance - a relatively unknown Ohio Senator - picked as Donald Trump’s Vice President, and current President Joe Biden desperately clinging on to his own nomination - it’s been another huge week in American politics and there's still one day left at the Republican National Convention where Donald Trump is due to speak - so what will happen next?
We’re in Milwaukee where amongst the sea of red MAGA 2024 hats, some delegates are sporting fake white bandages on their ears - a nod to the injury that Trump sustained on Saturday night’s shooting.
Millennial Vice President hopeful J.D. Vance has made his first speech to the nation and reaffirmed his loyalty to Donald Trump - a change since reportedly calling him ‘America’s Hitler’ eight years ago.
But has the assassination attempt actually helped Donald Trump on his campaign? Will President Joe Biden definitely be the Democrat standing against him? And what’s the deal with all this new-found unity?
To discuss all this with Matt Frei on the first episode of The American Fourcast is Republican strategist Cassie Smedile, Washington Post reporter Azi Paybarah, and Channel 4 News’ Washington correspondent Siobhan Kennedy.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Silvia Maresca, Millie Teasedale, Zahra Warsame, and Rob Thompson
After a week-long victory lap in the UK, Sir Keir Starmer flew to America for the Nato summit where he met US President Biden and Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy - but his Western allies have been in a less celebratory mood than Britain’s new prime minister.
The far left and right are resurgent across Europe with France politically paralysed after Emmanuel Macron’s snap election gamble, while Joe Biden’s presidency is in near meltdown as Democrats turn on him after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump.
With wars in Ukraine and the Middle East threatening to spill over - the stakes couldn’t be higher.
So, how shaky is the Nato alliance right now and are the strains a sign of a wider decline in the West? The UK has a fresh-faced prime minister, but does it have any fresh ideas?
To discuss all this and more on this week’s episode of The Political Fourcast Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Liberal Democrats’ Mike Martin MP, Labour’s Mike Tapp MP, and Karin von Hippel, the director-general of the Royal United Services Institute think tank.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson.
The Conservative party have suffered their worst ever defeat and Keir Starmer has been swept to power in a landslide victory - but huge challenges are waiting in the new prime minister’s intray and while he has a massive majority now in Westminster, his support across the country is on shakier grounds.
Some of Labour’s big names, who thought they’d be helping to form a new government, are out - beaten by pro-Gazan independents and Greens.
And now Nigel Farage says that, after decimating the Conservative vote and plunging the party into chaos, he has his eyes on Labour.
So what does this all mean, and what next for British politics?
In this election special edition of The Political Fourcast Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy and psephologist Luke Tryl.
Produced by Shaheen Sattar, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
If the polls are to be believed, Sir Keir Starmer could be set to beat Rishi Sunak’s Conservative’s and gain a record majority in Parliament, but perhaps with one of Labour’s lowest shares of the vote.
Despite promises on tax, voters believe they will pay more, and are sceptical about things getting better. Turnout is expected to be historically low.
The Lib Dems are heading for a lower share of the vote than Reform but could get twenty times as many seats or more. Are these just the realities of our system or the warning lights on the dashboard for a democracy heading down the wrong road?
Look across the water to France and beyond - are we potentially storing up even more discontent and anger from people who might turn right next time?
In this episode of The Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy, former Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison and the SNP’s Mhairi Black to discuss all this and more.
Produced by Shaheen Sattar, Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
It’s less than one week until election day, and so far the headlines have been dominated by betting scandals, the rise of Reform, and Rishi Sunak’s D-Day blunder. So can the prime minister do anything now to avoid what many polls suggest could be the worst ever result for the Conservative Party?
He desperately wants attention to turn to Keir Starmer and what Labour would actually do if they win the election - and here could be an answer to that question in Wales where the Labour Party have been in power for decades. Keir Starmer even said once that Wales is a “blueprint” for a Labour government, although he doesn’t seem to want to repeat that comment much of late.
In this special episode of The Political Fourcast from Wales, Channel 4 News’s Ciaran Jenkins is joined by Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Welsh Secretary David TC Davies and shadow cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symmonds.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
Ed Davey has now joined Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak scrambling to check who in their party could get caught up in the betting saga - but is this story on the scale of the expenses scandal or Partygate or is it all just a bit of juvenile stupidity?
If it is, why are people at the heart of the UK’s biggest political parties making these kinds of decisions? And what does all this say about the election campaign?
Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss all this and more on The Political Fourcast is the ConservativeHome’s Henry Hill, pollster Scarlett Maguire and senior political correspondent Paul McNamara.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
The SNP have released their manifesto and, on the first page, they’ve promised again to make Scotland independent - but with polling suggesting that Labour are heading for a landslide victory, including a majority of the seats in Scotland, could this be the end of the independence cause?
Or, paradoxically, might it end up being the best thing for the independence campaign?
Support for Scottish independence has been decoupled from support for the SNP in the polls. So might a Labour government that sticks to Conservative spending limits be just the launch pad the independence campaign needs?
Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss all this and more on The Political Fourcast are the SNP’s Mhairi Black, Scottish Labour’s Pam Duncan-Glancy and chairman of the Scottish Conservatives Craig Hoy.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
Labour have launched their manifesto with just two things on the cover - a picture of Keir Starmer and the word “change” - but how much change are they actually offering when it comes to the big issues of the day such as Brexit, Ukraine, the housing crisis, climate change and the economy?
Labour appears to be on course to win power with a safety first strategy that promises relatively little, leaving us relatively little to hold them to account for.
And now the Conservatives are warning of the dangers of a Labour “supermajority”.
Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss this on The Political Fourcast are Labour’s Stella Creasy, the Green Party’s Sian Berry and Channel 4 News’ senior political correspondent Paul McNamarra.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
Rishi Sunak has unveiled his manifesto, promising billions in tax cuts and lower immigration - but after his D-Day disaster and Nigel Farage back in the game, is it enough to shift the dial in the election or even enough to stop the right-wing of his own party turning on him before polling day?
And with Reform creeping up in the polls, can Farage’s party really overtake the Tories to become the opposition? And what would happen then?
Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss this on this episode of The Political Fourcast are Conservative peer Jo Johnson, who helped write the winning Tory manifesto in 2015, Harriet Harman, former Labour Leader and Deputy Leader, and Reform UK’s Deputy Leader David Bull.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
Rishi Sunak has apologised and admitted it was a “mistake” to leave D-Day commemorations early, but many in the Conservative Party are already furious with the prime minister and Labour’s Keir Starmer has said he “has to explain” the decision.
So why did he do it? Having spent the campaign so far reaching out to the very voters who hold respect for history and veterans so dear.
Is this the moment the game is up and closing the gap on Labour becomes unrecoverable? Nigel Farage is already out there saying it shows Sunak isn't patriotic. With me Conservative Home’s Henry Hill, Boris Johnson’s former director of communications Guto Harri and Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson and Annie La Vespa
Devastating polling, the return of Nigel Farage and more talk of defections - it was almost looking like a truly nightmarish week for Rishi Sunak, but then came the TV leaders debate with Keir Starmer and the Conservative’s claim that a Labour government will raise taxes by £2,000 per household.
Keir Starmer failed to effectively deny the Conservative attack line until the second half of the debate and called it a lie.
Today, Labour are again saying it is a lie and the Treasury have distanced themselves from it - but, perhaps, as the old saying goes, a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has got its shoes on.
Two weeks into the election campaign, are we entering a new dirtier phase to this campaign?
Joining me in the Fourcast studio, Labour's shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry, the Conservative's Home Office Minister Chris Philp, and pollster Luke Tryl from More in Common.
Produced by Shaheen Sattar, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson and Silvia Maresca
Reports that Labour are set to bar Diane Abbott from standing in the general election have sparked outrage, with the veteran MP accusing Keir Starmer of purging the party’s left wing and alienating voters.
But is the Labour leader and his inner circle willing to lose left-wing voters, if it means they can concentrate on winning over disaffected Conservatives and bringing back Labour supporters who were put off by Jeremy Corbyn?
This week, Rishi Sunak has made a slew of policy announcements - national service for teenagers, cutting so-called “Mickey Mouse” university courses, and a tax giveaway for pensioners - this has left many wondering if the Tories have totally given up on young voters.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey was pictured falling - or jumping - off a paddleboard in Lake Windermere, but can the party make a splash across the country or is it just about a few target seats?
In this episode of The Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy talks about all this with the Liberal Democrats’ deputy leader Daisy Cooper, former Conservative Universities minister, Lord Johnson, and Meg Hillier, who was Labour Chair of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee and has been the MP in Diane Abbott’s neighbouring constituency for 20 years.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Silvia Maresca, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thompson and Nick Jackson.
Campaigning is underway after Rishi Sunak’s shock decision to call a snap general election - and the decision by Nigel Farage not to stand as a candidate for his Reform UK party might play to his favour - yet many are still puzzled by his decision.
The Conservatives are twenty points behind in the polls and even the prime minister recently admitted he’s unlikely to win. So why go now? And why in the rain? Does he have something up his sleeve? He says Labour don't have a plan. Do they? What are the issues, and who are the people that will decide this election?
To talk about all this and more on The Political Fourcast we’re joined by Conservative MP and former Levelling Up minister Dehenna Davison, Labour’s former Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw and pollster Luke Tryl.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thompson and Nick Jackson.
Are Labour and the Conservatives already prepping for the election?
Both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak are certainly behaving like they are.
The Labour leader launched his first steps to change Britain, but will that help the party on the doorstep? And this week saw more culture war issues being flagged by Conservatives. Rishi Sunak wrote about his horror at disturbing gender ideology being taught in schools as the government brought in new guidance and rules banning classroom teaching about contested gender identity issues.
To talk about this, on The Political Fourcast we're joined by Caroline Nokes, the Conservative Chair of Parliament's Women and Equalities Committee, and from Labour, the Former Culture Secretary, Ben Bradshaw, who is stepping down at the next election.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Annie La Vespa, Rob Thompson and Nick Jackson.
For the second time in a fortnight, the Conservatives have been dealt a jaw-dropping blow - another MP has defected. This time, it is Dover MP and rightwinger, Natalie Elphicke, who crossed the floor moments before Prime Minister's Questions, to join forces with the opposition.
The move has certainly sparked anger and confusion for both Labour and the Tories, and Keir Starrmer is being grilled by members of his own shadow cabinet over why he accepted Elphicke into the party.
Defections are a rare occurrence in politics, so what do the past two in two weeks tell us about Rishi Sunak’s ability to deliver at the next general election?
In this episode of The Political Fourcast, we speak to the SNP’s deputy leader in the Commons Mhairi Black, who’s announced she will stand down at the next election. And former Education Secretary Justine Greening, who had the Tory whip withdrawn after opposing Boris Johnson over Brexit in 2019.
They talk to us about why an MP might make the decision to defect from their political party, if a defection signals a political shift, and whether the UK needs political reform away from a first past the post system.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thompson and Nick Jackson.
The Conservatives are facing their worst local election results in 40 years - and yet it looks like Rishi Sunak may cling on after Ben Houchen secured a victory in the Tees Valley mayoral vote.
But what next for the Conservative Party?
Are they now in the worst of all worlds with a wounded leader facing defeat at the general election or can Rishi Sunak turn it around?
To discuss all this and more we are joined by Spectator editor Fraser Nelson, former Conservative Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and Labour’s Leader in the House of Lords Baroness Angela Smith.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
Rishi Sunak has pledged he'll ramp up Britain's defence budget and announced a £500 million military aid package to Ukraine, in the same week a long-awaited $61billion aid package from the US passed through Congress and the Senate.
But what is the West’s end game for Ukraine? Is there enough in these aid packages to turn the tide of the war as Russia appears to have gained the upper hand? What more can the West do? Here to discuss this on The Political Fourcast is former Armed Forces Minister James Heappey and shadow defence minister, Baroness Anderson. They talk to us about why today's young people in the UK may end up caught up in a future war, how Trump’s second Presidency could change the war and what this all means for the upcoming General Election.
Produced by Alice Wagstaffe, Silvia Maresca, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson, Calum Fraser, Nick Jackson.
This week on The Political Fourcast, another scandal hits the Tories - Mark Menzies MP loses the whip as the Conservative Party investigates claims that he misused campaign funds. He allegedly made a late night call to ask for money to pay off "bad people". He disputes the allegations and senior Tory MPs are telling voters not to rush to judgement. With upcoming local elections and a looming general election, the allegations risk damaging the party in government.
But is today’s story just another example in a long line of MPs from all parties flouting the rules?
Since 2019, there have been at least 10 cases of Conservative MPs that have either been suspended or quit over allegations of misconduct. Similarly, across the same time period, there have been at least four Labour MPs accused of misconduct, along with one from the SNP and one from Plaid Cymru.
This week, we speak to the SNP’s deputy leader in the Commons Mhairi Black, who’s announced she will stand down at the next election. And former Education Secretary Justine Greening, who had the Tory whip withdrawn after opposing Boris Johnson over Brexit in 2019. They talk to us about mistrust in politics, and why this “jaw dropping” scandal could be a “plague” on politics at large, and confirm what voters think of Westminster’s politicians.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson, Calum Fraser, Nick Jackson.
This week on The Political Fourcast - as war rumbles on in Gaza, we discuss how foreign policy affects domestic politics, and how the government’s decisions during the Israel/Gaza conflict could influence the outcome of an upcoming general election. Should Lord Cameron divulge the legal advice he has received over supplying arms to Israel? Why is the Labour party ignoring pleas to call for a ceasefire? And why did the Foreign Secretary make a house call to Donald Trump on his recent trip to the US?
Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy and political editor Gary Gibbon this week to discuss all this and more; Lord Charlie Falconer, a politician who was at the heart of Tony Blair's government the last time the party had a major falling out with its supporters over foreign policy during the Iraq war, and the Tory peer Nicky Morgan, a long-time ally of former Prime Minister and current Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
Produced by Alice Wagstaffe, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson.
With Rwanda flights unlikely to take off before the summer, if ever, could Rishi Sunak find himself in the departure lounge before any asylum seeker?
Discussing planes and plots on this week's episode of The Political Fourcast, we hear from former Universities Minister and now Conservative peer Jo Johnson, and Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP for Barking, who’s standing down at the next election.
They join Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Political Editor Gary Gibbon to talk about the Rwanda ‘gimmick’, whether or not the Conservative party have ‘hit the iceberg’, and the possibility that it won’t be Rishi Sunak who leads the Tories into the next general election.
Produced by Alice Wagstaffe, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson and Shaheen Sattar.
Will we have a May General election? Will there be massive Conservative defeat in any Election that we do have this year? And what’s the economy got to do with it?
Here to answer those questions are the Former Chancellor who gave us the infamous mini-budget of 2022, Kwasi Kwarteng, and the former Labour Party leader and Mother of the House, Harriet Harman. They join Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Channel 4 News’ Political Editor, Gary Gibbon to discuss Jeremy Hunt’s Budget announcement yesterday, income tax cuts, and why, in their view, the Conservatives are starting to look a lot like the Labour party.
Produced by Alice Wagstaffe, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson and Shaheen Sattar.
In the 110 days since the war started, over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive on Gaza, prompting the charity Oxfam to describe it as the ‘deadliest conflict of the 21st century’. It follows the October 7 attacks by Hamas that saw 1,200 people killed and around 240 taken hostage in Israel. There is huge pressure internationally for a new ceasefire and hostage release deal to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
In this episode of The Fourcast we speak with Jan Egeland, a former diplomat who helped draw up the 1993 peace agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Oslo Accords.
Egeland, who is now the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy that the scale of civilian carnage in Gaza makes it clear that this is not a conflict between equals. He also looks at the ‘hypocritical’ position of many Western governments who have been quick to call out Russia’s aggression on Ukraine but are not doing the same with Israel’s attacks on Palestine, and looks at how the conflict could worsen going forward if a two-state solution is not reached.
Produced by Shaheen Sattar and Alice Wagstaffe
A four day temporary cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been extended by two days, and brings a glimmer of relief and hope to Palestinians in Gaza. Momentum from this brings the possibility of even more Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees being released.
Over 14,000 Palestinians have been killed, one-third of them children, since the onset of Israel’s siege in Gaza on October 9th, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. It followed the October 7 attacks by Hamas that killed 1,200 people in Israel and around 240 were taken hostage.
In this episode of The Fourcast, we speak with the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot. He’s a part of the Palestinian Authority that governs areas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. We look at the wider ramifications of the Israel-Hamas war, and what it does to damage a secure and prosperous future for the Palestinians.
A warning, this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and warfare.
Pressure on Israel to pause fighting and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza is growing, with leaders around the world including President Biden calling for a multiple day long ceasefire. Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing in Qatar for the release of hostages - Netanyahu says he won't allow a ceasefire unless hostages are released.
The Israel-Hamas war has already killed more than 10,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas appointed Gaza Health Ministry, and Israel has come under fire for what the UN calls a collective punishment of Palestinians for the atrocities of Hamas.
In this special episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely. She's a member of the right-wing Likud party in Israel, and was Minister for Settlements before becoming Ambassador. We look at why Israel is continuing its bombardment of Gaza, what the endgame is - can Hamas really be eradicated? And whether she has any empathy for the Palestinians during this war.
In this episode of The Fourcast, our correspondents are on the ground with the very latest on the war between Israel and Hamas, as Israelis shelter from Hamas rocket fire and Gaza is pounded by the heaviest bombardment in its history. Secunder Kermani has been to the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which was targeted by the militants on Saturday, we hear an eyewitness report from filmmaker Yousef Hammash in Gaza, Matt Frei interviews Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan as he tries to justify the recent killings, and IDF Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner tells Matt, "the people of Gaza are not our enemy." And a warning, this podcast contains distressing material.
As Israel declares a ‘complete siege’ of Gaza, and the death toll in Israel continues to rise, we bring you the latest from the region, with Matt Frei reporting from Jerusalem and Krishnan Guru-Murthy live in London. In this special episode of The Fourcast, we hear from civilians trapped in besieged Gaza, speak to a man living in a “bad dream” as six members of his family are missing following Hamas's surprise attack, hear expert analysis from our Foreign Correspondent Lindsey Hilsum, and Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Israel’s Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, who explains why Israel feels justified in their decision to cut the power to the Gaza Strip.
At the Nato summit this week, the star attraction was President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. But while he knew he was among friends - and allies were keen to emphasise their continuing support - he came with a clear demand: let Ukraine join the Nato alliance.
But even before his arrival, the mood music suggested that Ukraine was not going to be offered membership to Nato, nor was it going to be given a clear timetable on how and when it could join.
With President Erodgan of Turkey also holding up Sweden’s membership, it seemed like Nato had some trouble ahead of the summit.
But then things changed. On the eve of the summit, Erdogan said he was stopping his blocking of Sweden’s application, and during the summit, President Zelenskyy appeared to accept that even if membership was not forthcoming, the head of Nato was clear that it might come one day.
But how might the war come to an end? And why can’t Ukraine join now, to deter Russia? In today’s episode, we put these questions to Emma Ashford, an expert on Russia and Europe at the foreign affairs think tank, The Stimson Centre. I spoke to her about Nato, the war, and how it might conclude.
The story of the sinking of the Titan submersible dominated news headlines. Five people killed underwater. That same week, our international correspondent Paraic O’Brian was also reporting on people drowning at sea.
In a small port in Tunisia, 11 people died after their boat, full of asylum seekers and refugees, capsized on its way to Europe.
One story, but it happens all the time.
It is an ongoing crisis in the Mediterranean, claiming lives every day, as the EU and other nations try to deter migration itself, wanting to avoid an influx in refugees.
On today’s Fourcast, we talk to Foreign Correspondent Paraic O’Brien about his time in Tunisia on the frontline of this crisis, and what the reaction by politicians, as well as the lack of reaction from the public, tells us about how we view migration today.
This episode includes distressing themes.
This hasn’t been the greatest week for Russia President, Vladimir Putin in two decades of power in the Kremlin.
A mutinous band of mercenaries that he himself created, charged up towards Moscow, denouncing his war in Ukraine and seemingly meeting little resistance on the way.
While he faced down Evgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner group, appearing to banish them to Belarus, it’s not all over for Putin.
In this episode, Hubertus Jahn, professor of the history of Russia and the Caucasus at Cambridge University, explains how the “mafia boss” in the Kremlin has seen cracks forming in his enterprise - and explores what might be next for Russia and its leader.
The Darién gap is a stretch of land between Colombia and Panama, an unavoidable section of the route from South America to Central America that thousands of migrants a week take, as they travel up to the Mexico / United States border.
It’s been called ‘hell on Earth’ because of its dense and dangerous jungle. There are no roads, just treacherous paths, rivers that can wash you away, vast swamps, steep mountains and deadly animals. And it’s lawless, with cartels and kidnappers taking advantage of the vulnerable migrants.
The fittest take days to cross, the feeble can table weeks and many do not make it at all.
And despite all of this, record numbers are still crossing.
Our Latin America correspondent Guillermo Galdos travelled that most dangerous of human trails, and in today’s episode of The Fourcast, he speaks about his journey, the people he met along the way.
In March this year, the owner of a hotel in the Leicestershire village of Kegworth signed an exclusive contract with the Home Office to use his hotel to house asylum seekers.
But the local community has been starkly divided over the arrival of dozens of their new neighbours. While some are welcoming, the arrival has also drawn angry protests.
In today's episode of The Fourcast, we speak to our Communities Editor, Darshna Soni, about how this town has become divided over immigration and whether the government’s mission to stop the boats is inflaming tensions - as Number 10 says it is trying to get a handle on net migration and its growing asylum backlog.
This episode contains reference to suicide.
This past week, the G7 - the group of the world’s richest democracies - gathered in Japan to discuss Ukraine, Russia, global affairs, and their increasing concerns about a rising power looking out at them from over the water: China.
This was some of the sternest wording from the G7, and China dismissed it as a smear.
But the West also doesn’t want to completely antagonise and cut off China, with the Australian Prime Minister saying lessons had to be learnt from history.
So, are we entering a new Cold War, where conflict is avoided but tensions remain? Or are we not far off from a catastrophic war?
On today’s episode, I speak to Graham Allison, a former member of Bill Clinton’s defence department and one of the preeminent national security voices in America. He speaks to me about his historical theory called Thucydides Trap, where throughout the past a rising power has often come to blows with an established one. Will China and America go the same way?
Producer: Freya Pickford
Sources: AP
For weeks now, the world has been waiting for Ukraine to launch their spring counter offensive against Russia.
But how much longer will we wait? Or has it already begun?
As the battle for Bakhmut rages on, Ukraine has made steady gains around that region - whilst Russian troops have retreated but stepped up strikes on the capital city, Kyiv, this month.
President Zelenskyy has toured European capitals asking for more weapons, securing from Britain long-range attack drones and missiles.
In today’s episode, I speak to our international editor Lindsey Hilsum about why the spring offensive might be slightly delayed, what Ukraine really wants from any advances, and the geopolitical factors at play that mean Ukraine has to strike soon or lose the momentum.
Producer: Freya Pickford
Fentanyl is killing at least seventy thousand Americans a year.
It’s a synthetic drug, it’s up to 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It’s also the biggest cause of death for Americans aged between 18 and 45: more than gun crime, more than road accidents.
But where is that supply of Fentanyl to America coming from?
And why are people taking it, when it’s so dangerous?
And are there any solutions to this deadliest of epidemics?
In today’s episode we speak to our Latin America correspondent, Guillermo Galdos, about the rare access he gained inside the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, where he witnessed the mass production of Fentanyl.
We also hear from journalist Ben Westhoff, who has spent years investigating the world of synthetic drugs in America and he explains why this crisis will get worse - even reaching the UK, before it gets better.
Producer: Freya Pickford
70 years on from the last Coronation, when Britain was still an empire and hardly anyone had a TV - what does Charles the Third’s crowning say about us today and the Britain of the future?
We know that the British do this type of pomp and ceremony better than anyone else, it defines who we are.
But is that true?
You may be told this is all ancient, but many of the royal ceremonies we witness are actually made-up rituals from the Victorian era used to legitimise the monarchy in modern British life.
Today we speak to the historian, Sir David Cannadine, an expert on modern British history who sat on the coronation committee, about how we got to this place of flamboyant royal symbolism - and what this modern coronation tells us about where we are today.
Sources: AP
Producer: Freya Pickford
The US Vice President Kamala Harris recently went on tour to Tanzania, Ghana and Zambia.
But she was not the only US official to visit the African continent recently: First Lady Jill Biden, the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen have all been in recent months.
And they’re not alone either; Turkey and China’s Foreign Ministers made five-nation tours of Africa earlier this year. Russia’s Sergei Lavrov has also made several trips to the continent over the last few months.
But why are countries courting African nations now?
In today’s episode, we speak to our international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, about why the Ukraine war has intensified and accelerated a new scramble for Africa, and whether amidst all this jockeying for influence - the people on the continent once again get left behind?
Donald Trump has arguably done it all in his 76 years, and as president he’s secured a lot of firsts.
But never has he been under arrest.
The 45th president of the United States stands accused of falsifying business records in order to cover up payments he made to suppress news stories he believed would hinder his bid to become president in 2016.
Trump pleaded not guilty and later left New York to fly back home to Mar-a-Lago in Florida, to deliver a defiant rally to his supporters.
He was told by the judge to not do anything, yet he continues to rail against the system. In today’s episode we speak to presenter Matt Frei who has been in downtown Manhattan for the past few days, soaking up the history and scandal, and ask whether this is really the right first case to bring against the former president - and whether it may just embolden him even more.
Producer: Freya Pickford
Sources: AP
In Israel, a constitutional crisis has seen thousands take to the streets, fearing that their rights could be eroded, as the government plans to weaken the powers of the highest court in the land.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu’s far-right coalition argues the Supreme Court is too powerful and they’re simply righting the wrongs of the system.
Protesters say the overhaul would erode Israel’s proud democracy and lead them towards a dictatorship.
After weeks of protests and pressure from all sides, Netanyahu finally backed down - but only slightly. He’s now paused the reforms ahead of the next session of parliament in a few weeks.
In this episode, editor in chief of Haaretz Esther Solomon unpicks Israel’s biggest protests in decades - and wonders whether Netayanhu’s pause is a chance for his side to regroup of yet more battles to come.
In Israel a constitutional crisis has seen thousands take to the streets, fearing that their rights could be eroded, as the government plans to weaken the powers of the highest court in the land.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu’s far-right coalition argues the Supreme Court is too powerful and they’re simply righting the wrongs of the system.
Protesters say the overhaul would erode Israel’s proud democracy and lead them towards a dictatorship.
After weeks of protests and pressure from all sides, Netanyahu finally backed down, but only slightly. He’s now paused the reforms ahead of the next session of parliament in a few weeks.
Today, editor in chief of Haaretz Esther Solomon unpicks Israel’s biggest protests in decades, and wonders whether Netayanhu’s pause is a chance for his side to regroup of yet more battles to come.
Rishi Sunak came into Downing Street back in October with a huge mess to clear up after the disaster of Liz Truss and her mini budget.
After a week that has seen him secure his own Brexit Deal as, Boris Johnson struggled in front of a privileges committee over partygate, has he started to turn it around - can Rishi Sunak have what it takes to win the next election?
In today's episode, Kiran Moodley speaks to our policy correspondent, Paul McNamara, about what Mr Sunak needs to do to win over the Red Wall - those Labour turned Tory voters from the last election - following an exclusive poll carried out by Channel 4 News and the polling company JL partners.
Sunak may have made Conservatives feel a bit more positive, but there’s still a long way to go before the next election, and is time on his side?
Producer: Freya Pickford
Three years ago this week, Boris Johnson announced a national lockdown to curb the spread of Coronavirus. But three years on, Covid and the impact of lockdowns continue to dominate our headlines.
This week, Boris Johnson faced a Commons inquiry on whether he misled parliament over the notorious lockdown parties, and just a few weeks ago, WhatsApp messages sent by Matt Hancock and others during the pandemic were leaked, with some claiming that they threw into question whether the government took the right path to control the pandemic. And there is still ongoing debate about whether this deadly virus began after a lab leak in China.
In today’s episode, Kiran Moodley speaks to Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald, as well Edinburgh University’s professor of Global Public Health Devi Sridhar, about whether the ongoing fallout and discussions around the pandemic have actually altered their views on what happened at the peak of the virus.
Sources: ITN, CNN
Gary Linker and the BBC have been dominating the headlines after the Match of the Day host was asked to step back from presenting after tweeting out criticism of the government’s language around refugees.
But what does this whole row mean for the BBC, and what does it say about the state of our media and its relationship to impartiality?
In today’s podcast, we speak with Adam Boulton, formerly editor-at-large of Sky News, whether he thinks the BBC has an issue over impartiality.
We were told to prepare for a “Winter of Discontent”, of strikes, rising prices, a coming recession with our economy set this year to shrink unlike all the rest. Even Russia was going to fare better than the UK.
But it has not been as bad as once feared - so what is going on?
In today’s episode, Business Reporter Neil Macdonald discusses the state of our economy ahead of next week’s budget and whether a slightly improved outlook means energy prices can remain low and strikes could even come to an end.
Producer: Freya Pickford and Alice Wagstaffe
China wants to be the biggest superpower of the 21st century. But does it want to provoke war, or play peacemaker?
This week the country announced that it was increasing its military spending, and its newly installed foreign minister warned that if the US did not change course soon, there would be conflict.
But China also recently published a 12-point plan for ending the conflict in Ukraine - despite not condemning Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelenskyy even said he would meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss the plans.
Is this the moment where Beijing asserts itself on the world stage after being locked away during Zero Covid for so long? Indeed, after Xi Jinping’s u-turn on that issue - is he now weaker - or in fact stronger?
In today’s episode, Kiran Moodley speaks to Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford and a leading voice in understanding the opaque world of the Chinese Communist Party, about China’s growing frustration with Moscow, the likelihood of a new Cold War, and what all that fuss about balloons was all about.
Producers: Freya Pickford and Alice Wagstaffe
This week, Rishi Sunak agreed a new Brexit deal with the European Union: the Windsor framework. Seven years after Britain voted in the referendum, is this the end of protocol conversation, trade deals, backstops, and late night votes? Does this mean we can finally all stop talking about Brexit? What exactly does the Windsor framework do? How is it different from before? And is this really the end of the Conservatives’ decades-long battle over its relationship with Europe? In today's Fourcast, our political editor Gary Gibbon delves into the details, ponders what Sunak did that others could not, and whether the DUP’s official silence means this may not be over yet. Oh and also - what about Boris Johnson? Producer: Freya Pickford and Alice Wagstaffe
Today marks one year since Russia began its latest invasion of Ukraine: one year since tanks rolled across the border, one year since missiles struck the capital and beyond, one year since the post Cold War world changed forever.
Now, the expected defeat of Ukraine is clearly a long way off, but any sense of how this war might end feels equally far from reality - with Joe Biden this week reaffirming the West’s commitment to Ukraine’s fight for as long as it takes - while Vladimir Putin used his state of the nation speech to double down on his worldview.
In today's Fourcast, our Europe editor Matt Frei speaks to us from Kyiv, the capital where he was last year when the first bombs fell, and where he was again this week to take in the latest, historic events in this 21st century conflict.
Sources: AP
Producer: Freya Pickford and Alice Wagstaffe
On Monday last week, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria. The WHO has called this the "worst natural disaster" in 100 years in its European region, and the death toll has now surpassed 35,000.
But that first quake was followed by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock 11 minutes later, while a 7.5 magnitude quake hit after 1pm. Three devastating earthquakes in nine hours.
There are countless tales of remarkable survival, but many, many more of terrible loss, families torn apart or gone entirely.
In today’s Fourcast, we speak to our two reporters on the scene, Emily Wither, and chief correspondent Alex Thomson, as they detail what they have seen, the stories they have told, and how on earth Turkey and war-torn Syria recover.
Sources: AP
Producer: Freya Pickford
2022 was the deadliest year for the Israel-Palestine conflict in nearly two decades, and just a month after Israel’s most conservative, right-wing government was formed - fronted by Benjamin Netanyahu - violence between Palestinians and Israel has flared up once again.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has set out a raft of measures to crack down on Palestinians who attack Israelis, including making it easier for Israeli citizens to carry guns.
In today’s episode we're joined by foreign correspondent, Secunder Kermani, who very recently returned from a trip to Israel and Palestine, where he spoke to people from both sides of this age-old conflict.
Secunder talks about what makes this new Israeli government ultra-conservative, how the conflict might develop and whether this might be the start of a third intifada.
Sources: AP
Producer: Alice Wagstaffe and Freya Pickford
Nearly a year after Putin invaded Ukraine, how might Western tanks change this war and should Nato countries go a step further and also supply Kyiv with fighter jets?
Moscow’s aggression has been roundly condemned by the West, but words have been plenty and military aid less forthcoming.
Having successfully fought back since the summer, now Ukraine wants to go on the offensive once more, and they need tanks to do it.
In today’s Fourcast, our Europe editor Matt Frei discusses what western tanks mean for Ukraine, why countries like Germany have been so reluctant to send them and whether this is all too little too late ahead of a possible Russian offensive this spring.
Producer: Alice Wagstaffe and Freya Pickford
Last year, Iran was rocked by some of the biggest protests the country has seen since the foundation of the Islamic Republic - as people were calling not just for women’s rights, but ultimately for regime change.
Yet how realistic is regime change in a nation where the crackdown against the protests has been brutal and where the leaders are unwilling to alter the theological and ideological basis of their power?
In this week’s episode of the Fourcast, we speak to the head of middle eastern studies at the Royal United Services Institute, Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi. She discusses whether the regime is weak right now and how worrying it is that as Iran becomes more ostracised from the west, it draws closer to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Sources: AP, Al Jazeera
Producer: Freya Pickford
NHS strikes, hospital waiting times and nurses walking out - it’s a conversation that has stretched back for years: the NHS in crisis.
Almost 55,000 people waited more than 12 hours in A&E last month.
And the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimates up to 500 people are dying a week as a result of these delays.
The government says its putting record funding into health and social care, but is this more than a crisis - is it an existential emergency for an NHS that needs major reform?
In today’s episode of the Fourcast we speak to our health and social care editor, Victoria Macdonald, about her experience on the frontline of the NHS, how we got here and what steps the government could take to improve the state of our NHS.
Producer: Freya Pickford
Last year there was of course one major story that transformed geopolitics - the war in Ukraine.
Putin’s war has had knock-on effects across Europe and the world, so how will this year play out? What could happen to that conflict and the rest of the world in 2023.
And what other global news stories can we expect to develop in 2023?
In today’s episode we speak to Channel 4 News’ foreign editor, Lindsey Hilsum, as she previews the year ahead in geopolitics - not offering predictions but focusing on what we should look out for this year, a year that could be pivotal especially to the future of the war in Ukraine.
Producer: Freya Pickford
This was the year where we saw Putin start a war in Ukraine, a winter of strikes, three prime ministers and two monarchs.
To look back at the past year and look a little bit ahead too, we sat down with our policy correspondent Paul McNamara, to take stock of the year that was 2022 - and the year that will be 2023.
Producer: Freya Pickford
Harry and Meghan’s documentary is now out in full and criticises the relationship between the monarchy and the media, and alleges racism in the treatment of Meghan Markle.
In today’s episode we speak to Anna Whitelock, professor of the history of the monarchy at City, University of London and Director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy, about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix series. We ask her about what the documentary says, the fall out and what it means for the future of the monarchy.
Sources: Netflix, AP
Produced by: Freya Pickford and Nina Hodgson
After 10 months of war, Russian advances and Ukrainian counter-offensives, winter weather has arrived in Ukraine.
Russia may have retreated from Kherson in early November but Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure over the last month signal a new phase of the war, as Putin weaponises the cold weather.
So as parts of Ukraine plunge into sub-zero temperatures and pressure mounts on Putin to negotiate, how might this war evolve as we enter the winter months?
In today’s episode of the Fourcast, we speak to our international editor Lindsey Hilsum - who is currently on her fifth trip to Ukraine since the war began - about what it’s like to be in the muddy trenches with Ukrainian soldiers, Russia’s culture war against Ukraine and if we can expect the war to slow down in the coming months.
Sources: AP
Producer: Freya Pickford
Three years after coronavirus was first detected in China, it remains the only major nation pursuing Zero Covid. So as maskless fans enjoy the World Cup and countries all over the world move on, China remains stuck and the people are protesting.
After the initial outbreak in Wuhan back in 2020, authorities were quick to clamp down on any emergence of the virus - pursuing a zero-Covid policy.
That has seen China officially record a low number of both cases and deaths, a message to the world of how to do it right.
But it’s all different, as the country is currently seeing a record number of cases.
Today, our present Matt Frei discusses the widespread demonstrations in China and the government’s move to ramp up vaccinations - is the government bending to the will of the people or does Xi Jinping remain all supreme?
Producer: Freya Pickford
It’s been one month since Rishi Sunak became prime minister of the United Kingdom and so he’s now just three weeks off lasting longer at Number 10 than Liz Truss did.
After the disaster of the mini budget, Sunak has been the safe pair of economic hands needed to calm things down, reassure the markets and try to get the Conservatives back on track after disastrous poll numbers.
But how long can the new prime minister keep the country and his party calm and quiet?
In this episode, our political editor Gary Gibbon looks at the first few weeks of the reign of Rishi and whether his autumn statement will be enough to shore up support and ensure the Conservatives aren’t thumped at the next election.
Produced by: Freya Pickford and Ka Yee Mak
Donald Trump has announced his Presidential run, undeterred by last week’s US midterm elections, where the red wave of Republican victories never came, and many in his only party blamed him for putting up bad candidates and spouting election lies.
In today’s episode, we’re joined by Patrick Murray, the Director of Monmouth Polling, one of America’s leading pollsters, to dig down into last week’s results and understand why the Democrats bucked the historical trends to have a very decent Midterms, and why the Republicans appeared to miss an open goal and a chance to win comfortable majorities in both Houses of Congress.
Sources: AP, NBC
Producer: Nina Hodgson
This week Chinese president Xi Jinping told his military to prepare for war in what he called an increasingly “unstable” security environment.
China just had its 20th party congress, with Xi Jinping securing an unprecedented third term in power. And amid rising tensions between China and the US, the first in-person meeting between Xi and Biden has been confirmed next week.
But with no immediate loosening of the zero-Covid policy, we ask what’s next for Xi?
In this week’s episode of the Fourcast, Yu Jie, Senior Research Fellow on China at Chatham House, tells us about the recent Communist Party Congress in China, the rule of Xi Jinping, and where next for this superpower.
Sources: MSNBC, AP
Producer: Freya Pickford
Has anything really changed since COP26?
In the year that Russia invaded Ukraine, triggering a global energy crisis, we’ve also seen the drastic impact climate change is having on our planet: with catastrophic flooding in Pakistan, a megadrought in the US and record-breaking heat waves across Europe.
With COP27 fast approaching; diplomats from across the world will gather once again to try and get global warming under control. Including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who after saying he’d be a no-show, U-turned to say he would attend after all. But as the global heavyweight gather can we expect real change to take place as a result?
In today’s episode of the Fourcast we bring you an extended interview with one of the world’s most famous environmental activists, teenager Greta Thunberg. She spoke with Channel 4 News presenter, Jackie Long, about the release of her new book, The Climate Book.
She also talks about COP27 and why she feels hopeful about the fight against climate change. And how, above all else, now is the time not to become complacent in making change happen.
Produced by: Freya Pickford
The US midterms are approaching and polls suggest the Republican Party could take control of the House and could even secure the Senate too. But has the party gone from the grand old party of Abraham Lincoln to more like a Donald Trump fan club? What comes next?
In today’s episode, we speak to the Republican pollster and strategist Whit Ayres, about the shifting nature of the party, from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump.
We ask him whether the Republican Party is now fully beholden to Trump or whether there are signs his grasp is weakening.
Sources: AP Archive, AP, CNN
Producer: Nina Hodgson
The US midterms are approaching and polls suggest the Republican Party could take control of the House and could even secure the Senate too. But has the party gone from the grand old party of Abraham Lincoln to more like a Donald Trump fan club? What comes next?
In today’s episode, we speak to the Republican pollster and strategist Whit Ayres, about the shifting nature of the party, from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump.
We ask him whether the Republican Party is now fully beholden to Trump or whether there are signs his grasp is weakening.
Sources: AP Archive, AP, CNN
Producer: Nina Hodgson
Last week, the United Nations General Assembly held a vote to condemn Russia’s illegal annexation of four regions in Ukraine. The resolution was supported by 143 countries but four voted against and 35 abstained.
As bombs reigned down on Ukrainian cities and killed civilians, why is it that 39 nations either still support Russia, or remain neutral in this war?
Today, our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum tells us about the countries that still back Moscow and explains whether any of them are beginning to change their minds as the war doesn’t go to plan for Putin.
Produced by: Freya Pickford
Liz Truss was always inheriting a difficult job, with a war in Ukraine, a cost of living crisis and a party in need of a fresh start after 12 years in power and the scandals of Boris Johnson.
She’s certainly made a mark. Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget has been anything but mini, it’s had a huge impact on the markets, mortgages, gilts, and the pound.
It’s also had an impact on how her party and the public view her and that’s what could be really lethal.
Today, our political editor, Gary Gibbon, takes us through the first few weeks of Liz Truss’s leadership and how it could be ending before it’s even got started.
Produced by Nina Hodgson and Ka Yee Mak
Russia's Vladimir Putin is obsessed with his legacy. He has compared himself to Peter the Great, the tsar who founded St Petersburg and created the modern Russian empire.
That was Putin’s plan but with Ukrainian forces now pushing back and Russian men fleeing the country, it’s not going the way he had hoped.
So is he losing his hold on power?
We speak to Angela Stent, an author, professor and an expert in all things Russia and Putin. She explains that while Putin’s legacy is damaged and his hold on power is slightly weaker - it’s too early to say if this is the beginning of the end for the Russian leader.
Sources: AP Archive
Produced by Freya Pickford
Russian President Vladmir Putin is expected to announce the annexation of four regions of Ukraine - just like he did with Crimea in 2014. But this isn’t total deja vu, because this time, he’s on the backfoot and he's in trouble.
Following months of stalemate after his failure to take the capital Kyiv, Putin’s forces were surprised by a Ukrainian counteroffensive that either pushed his forces back, or made them flee.
And so now, he’s had to hold sham referendums and initiate a partial mobilisation to try to turn things around. But can he?
In today’s episode, we speak to our presenter and Europe editor Matt Frei in Kyiv about how this point in the war is arguably one of the most pivotal moments for all sides in this bitter conflict.
Produced by: Nina Hodgson, Heidi Pett
Camera in Kyiv: Ray Queally
Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia’s first military mobilisation since World War Two. He also warned he would use "all means [he has]" to defend Russian territory, raising concerns around the world and saying it wasn’t a bluff.
With the United Nations General Assembly taking place this week, Nato leaders attacked Putin’s announcement. But Nato-Russia relations weren’t always quite so frosty.
In this episode we speak to Lord Robertson, the tenth Secretary General of that alliance, who met Putin 9 times and says that Putin even discussed joining Nato at one point in their conversations.
We ask him whether Putin has changed or whether he and the West completely miscalculated what the Russian leader was up to.
Sources: AP Archive, CNBC
Produced by: Freya Pickford and Nina Hodgson
For the past few days, young and old, Britons and beyond, David Beckham too, have descended on London to join what must be the world’s longest queue. The line to file past Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second’s body as she lies in state at Westminster Hall.
At one point, the queue reached capacity, it was five miles long and the wait was 14 hours and so for several hours no one could join the queue. So they formed a queue for the queue. When queuing resumed, the wait was even longer, 24 hours.
This feels novel and baffling, but it is incredibly British.
In today’s episode, Kiran braves the long queue himself and tells us what it’s like to stand in the longest queue in the world.
Producer: Freya Pickford
On Wednesday, the body of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will travel in a public procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, carried on a gun carriage, with King Charles leading the procession behind his mother’s coffin, which will be draped in the Royal Standard.
Once in Westminster Hall, the coffin, topped with the Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre, will lie in state for four days, with each corner guarded 24-hours-a-day by soldiers from units that serve the Royal Household.
When the Queen Mother lay in state two decades ago, thousands lined to view her coffin. Many more mourners are expected to pay their last respects to our longest reigning monarch before the funeral on Monday.
In this episode of the Fourcast we speak to our presenter, Cathy Newman, who broke the news of the Queen's death on Channel 4. We look back on the historic days we have witnessed since and ahead to a new era under King Charles.
Sources: AP
Producer: Freya Pickford
This was a day we knew would come, but which somehow remained inconceivable. The Queen, the only monarch most of us have ever known, has died at 96.
Today, we will hear from some of the many tributes from around the world, as we enter a period of historic mourning for our monarch. And speak with the Royal Historian Ed Owens about this moment in our history, what we can learn from the past as we enter a completely new present without a Queen whose reign was historic in so many ways.
Sources: AP Archive
A nation constantly under the threat of a much larger power.
A nation with an invasion always at the back of its mind.
A nation that does have allies, but is still not sure whether those friends will help if war comes.
Taiwan, on the face of it, appears just like Ukraine.
But with tensions rising in the region because US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could make a controversial visit there this week, any future conflict would engulf the two great superpowers of this century - the US and China.
In today’s episode of the Fourcast, our International editor Lindsey Hilsum puts the current flare up into context as geopolitics comes to terms with a future where Beijing is King.
Sources: AFP News Agency, NewsNation, NowThis News
Producer: Freya Pickford
Thousands of people are jetting off on their first holiday abroad in three years, but will you actually make it to your destination?
Cancelled flights, hour-long delays, never-ending queues - this was not the postcard ending we were promised.
So is our travel industry in chaos?
Today, Minnie Stephenson speaks to travel journalist and international global trotter Andy Mossack about why our airports are under the most pressure they’ve ever experienced.
Sources: ITV News, France 24, Al Jazeera
Producer: Rachel Evans
Inside the Houses of Parliament, they make the rules for the rest of us but, with claims of harassment and bullying, is it time Westminster got its own house in order?
After an exclusive Channel 4 News investigation reveals claims of bullying and sexual harassment in Parliament, right across the political spectrum, we spoke to our presenter and Investigations Editor Cathy Newman about the scale of misconduct in Westminster.
(The testimonies you will hear have been voiced by actors)
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
Inside the Houses of Parliament, they make the rules for the rest of us but, with claims of harassment and bullying, is it time Westminster got its own house in order?
After an exclusive Channel 4 News investigation reveals claims of bullying and sexual harassment in Parliament, right across the political spectrum, we spoke to our presenter and Investigations Editor Cathy Newman about the scale of misconduct in Westminster.
(The testimonies you will hear have been voiced by actors)
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
We’re down to the final two. We know our next Prime Minister will be either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak.
But what will the party and country look like with someone new at Number 10?
And is this simply a coronation for a leader who is set to lose the next election whenever that might be?
Today, our political editor Gary Gibbon details what to expect from the weeks ahead in the Tory leadership election - and whether the party is ready to properly start a new chapter after Brexit, Covid and Boris - or whether the Tories need time in the wilderness to find their bearings.
Sources: LBC
Producer: Rachel Evans
The hearings into the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th 2021 are yet to finish and the revelations have been stunning.
But the hearings are just one issue among many right now in America: the end of Roe versus Wade, an increasingly conservative Supreme Court, and a Donald Trump who still looms large.
On Today’s episode we’re in Washington DC with Christine Emba, a columnist and editor at the Washington Post to talk about what all this could mean for not just November's elections, but the future of American democracy.
Produced by: Freya Pickford
Sources: CBS News, Washington Post, US Pool/Congress Committee
Donald Trump’s slogan ‘America First’ wasn’t just about nationalism at home, it also meant isolation abroad. So, Joe Biden was always clear when he came into power that America was back on the world stage, no longer the unpredictable supower that it was under Trump.
In this episode we speak to the Atlantic Council’s Christopher Preble, who leads a team that analyses and questions American policies abroad. He tells us about Trump’s ability to rip up the rule book and to go against diplomatic norms and how he has left a lasting legacy which has placed China front and centre as America’s new enemy.
Produced by: Joe Lord-Jones
Sources: The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, CBS, ‘Washington pos
On the 5th of June this year, a 10-day search for two men began in the deep of the Amazon.
British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira had travelled into the rainforest as part of research into Phillips’ new book: “How to Save the Amazon”.
Both had championed the cause of Brazil’s indigenous communities against those forces threatening their very existence.
In today’s episode, we talk to Latin America Correspondent Guillermo Galdos, who was with the team when they discovered the men’s belongings.
Producer: Freya Pickford
Sources: PBS, Euro News, Guardian
It took seven months of Partygate, a disgraced MP, 50 resignations, one sacking, but it did eventually happen.
He never said the word resign, and he’s still sticking around inside Number 10, but the days of Boris Johnson’s premiership are certainly numbered, while his days as Tory leader are done and dusted.
Today, our presenter and investigations editor, Cathy Newman, unpacks why Johnson finally decided to step down, what state he leaves the party and country and who might be the person to pick up the pieces.
This podcast was recorded on Saturday June 9.
Producer: Freya Pickford
Sources: The Independent
For more than 15 years, the extremist group Al Shabaab has been fighting a bloody insurgency in Somalia.
They are one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organisations - responsible for killing hundreds of people including innocent civilians.
Our Africa correspondent, Jamal Osman, is the first journalist that has been allowed to film the group in years, speaking to one of the group’s leaders about why they continue to kill and hurt fellow Muslims in Somalia.
Today, Kiran talks to Jamal about whether Al Shabaab is changing its tactics to appeal to a wider base - and whether the West is paying enough attention to these types of groups as Africa becomes the frontline of Islamic terrorism in the world.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Producer: Rachel Evans
We all know that the War in Ukraine has up-ended peace in Europe and shaken geopolitics on the continent.
Nowhere more so that in Germany - where the Chancellor spoke of a turning point - with the country pledging to ditch its ties to Moscow and arm Ukraine.
But months later, that turning point appears to have been more words than action - with European allies frustrated with Germany’s apparent inability to fully commit to the Ukrainian cause.
Today, our Europe Editor Matt Frei looks at the reasons why Germany’s past means it is more hesitant to fully commit to a European conflict - and whether that will finally change as this war drags on.
Sources: DW News, France 24
Producer: Rachel Evans
It was a decision that America knew was coming. Jubilation from those who want abortion banned across the US but a devastating blow for those who’ve fought for women to retain the right to choose.
The Supreme Court has reversed five decades of legal protection for abortion rights created by the 1973 landmark judgement, Roe v Wade that gave women the constitutional right to have an abortion.
Now, the Supreme Court with it’s Conservative majority has done what pro-life campaigners have desired for 50 years, taken that right away from women, and handed it back to the states. And nearly half of them will ban abortion outright, even in cases of rape and incest.
In this episode of The Fourcast we speak to Professor Mary Ziegler, who has written extensively on abortion rights in America, and to Tamaya Cox-Toure, part of the Amerian Civil Liberties Union in Oklahoma, about the ramifications we’re already seeing in her state and beyond.
Sources: AP, CSPAN
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
The war in Ukraine continues, with no end in sight.
Ukraine says to end this war they need weapons from the west - that’s the only way they can win. But Kyiv says that they’re not getting what they want and when they want it.
So, how long will this war drag on and what does victory look like for Ukraine, for Russia and for the West?
Today we speak to Lindsey Hilsum, our international editor, who spent weeks in Ukraine since the war began and has covered countless conflicts around the world.
She tells us about why peace isn’t always peace, why some European leaders are going “wobbly” and why poets understand so much more than journalists.
Produced by: Nina Hodgson and Rachel Evans
Sources: France 24
It’s just over a year since 23-year-old Gracie Spinks was found dead after reporting being stalked by her colleague Michael Sellers.
Her family says a new Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation (IOPC) seems to confirm their worst nightmare that police didn’t fulfil their duty to investigate properly and that their daughter’s death might have been preventable.
In today’s episode our reporter Anja Popp tells Minnie about what happened to Gracie, the findings of the IOPC report and how Gracie’s family are now fighting for change in the name of Gracie.
If you have been affected by any of the issues covered in that report, you can find a range of places to seek help by visiting channel4.com/support
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
Rwanda is of course in the news because back in April, the UK government confirmed a £120m deal to deport adults who arrived illegally into the UK after January 1st this year to this African nation. And last week’s attempt to start this policy failed.
The Home secretary has said the Rwanda deal will act as a deterrent for people smugglers, while also allowing those sent there the opportunity to “build their lives”.
But can asylum seekers really do that in a nation that has a shocking human rights record, particularly when it comes to LGBTQ+ people?
Rwanda’s high commissioner Johnston Busingye says: “There’s no doubt that we [Rwanda] are a work in progress, every country is, but the Rwanda of today is unrecognisable from the country the world was introduced to in 1994.”
In this episode, we’re going to focus on how this immigration policy is of particular concern to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, who are fleeing persecution.
Producer: Freya Pickford
The age-old issue of misogyny in the world of Westminster has continued to rock British politics this year.
From an MP’s resignation after watching porn at work to a sexist article which suggested deputy labour leader Angela Rayner used a “Basic Instinct ploy” to distract the prime minister in the commons, the Houses of Parliament is suffering from its own internal crisis.
There have been a myriad of sexual misconduct claims, three MPs have recently lost the whip for sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault respectively. And another has been accused of rape.
So why is misogyny in 2022 still plaguing parliament? And after a series of sexism scandals is it time, like many have suggested, that HR arrived in the House of Commons?
Today, we will speak to the women inside Westminster - high-profile politicians from both sides of the political spectrum and a renowned female journalist - who can give us an insight to where it’s all gone wrong and whether this is time for a radical change in the culture of British politics.
Sources: STV, Sky News, ITV news
Producer: Rachel Evans
In 2020, the biggest killer of children in America was not cars, nor cancer, but guns.
Yet in the 23 years since Columbine, the 15 years since Virginia Tech, the ten years since Sandy Hook, the four years since Parkland, nothing from Congress.
Following the Uvalde shooting, senators on both sides have hinted at some possible legislation. Is change coming?
We speak to Matt Frei, who has spent years reporting on the US, covered many presidential elections and unfortunately many mass shootings. We discuss whether there is a fundamental problem with America’s democracy, where the majority want one thing, but the nature of its political system means that the minority often gets the last word.
Sources: AP
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
Before the bunting had been taken down and the Jubilee stage dismantled, at 8am the morning after the Platinum celebrations, a rude awakening for Boris Johnson.
A confidence vote that threatened his leadership of the party and with it the country.
Johnson survived, but his margin of victory was smaller than that of Theresa May’s before him, and she was forced out just months later. Does the same await Johnson?
This week, he’s been defending his record, announcing new policies and aiming to move on - but is the clock ticking - or will he once again defy the odds?
Gary Gibbon returns to analyse the past week in Westminster.
Producer: Rachel Evans
Many Muslims in India say they are experiencing a wave of persecution as Hindu extremists carry out a campaign of intimidation to stop interfaith marriages between Hindus and Muslims.
Violence waged by mobs who believe Muslims are tricking Hindu women into marriage as an attempt to turn India into a Muslim republic.
India's Hindu nationalist government say they oppose violence and the BJP say that they have introduced laws in response to a particular kind of crime of which a large number of instances have been reported. In these cases, Muslim men have misrepresented their name and religion to marry women of other faiths, thereafter revealing their true identities and coercing their wives to covert their religion.
But critics say are actually designed to stamp out interfaith marriages.
We speak to Mandakini Gahlot, our reporter and her producer in India about how falling in love with the wrong person can ruin your life.
Sources: One India, Times Now
Over the 70 years the queen has reigned as monarch, Britain’s landscape has transformed. All of this has had a huge impact not only on us but wildlife and the place we call home.
In today’s episode we talk to our Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson about how and why Britain’s land has evolved during the queen’s 70 years on the throne and ask what next for the British countryside.
Producer: Freya Pickford
Sources: AP
As Jubilee celebrations begin, calls for the Queen to be removed as Head of State in at least six countries in the Caribbean are being heard loud and clear.
But why is this happening now? And what does it say about the royal family’s and Britain's influence across the world?
In today's episode, Ayshah Tull speaks to people from across the globe who can help us understand how strong the level of feeling is towards the royals on the other side of the Atlantic and we will discuss how easy it is to cut ties with the past.
Sources: BFI, BBC, ITV
Producer: Rachel Evans
Back in February, in sunny Orlando, Florida, a large group of Republicans got together at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, to discuss what their movement needed to do next to change America.
Former President Donald Trump, the keynote speaker at the event, described Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy as brave, but repeated his admiration of Vladimir Putin, describing him as a smart, strong leader.
In this revisited episode from March, we look at where American conservatives stand on Russia and Putin, why some seem to admire the man who invaded Ukraine, and whether they are more concerned with enemies at home than those abroad.
Sources: NBC, Fox News, Twitter/@BenLorber8
In its long history, there have been landmark, controversial Supreme Court decisions: Plessy v. Ferguson, Bush v. Gore, Shelby v. Holder. Yet arguably none has divided Americans, defined the parties, and affected the lives of millions of women more than one particular ruling on the 22nd of January 1973: Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right for women to have an abortion.
Since then, those opposed to abortion have campaigned to chip away at that decision, in the hope that one day, when the conditions are right, they can knock down that ruling completely. Is that day almost upon us?
In this revisited episode from Ocotober 2021 Professor Mary Ziegler, the author of the book “Abortion and the law in America,” talks to me about the history of abortion in the United States, and about recent laws in Texas and Mississippi that could profoundly change the law of the land on this key issue for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Sources: CBS NEWS, MSNBC, ITN.
It was the moment we’ve been waiting for for six months. The report from civil servant Sue Gray into parties at Number 10 during the three lockdowns.
37 pages, 16 events, nine photos.
But what did it say and was it worth the wait?
Our political editor, Gary Gibbon, explains all.
Producer: Freya Pickford
To its supporters, Bitcoin is the biggest revelation in finance in a thousand years. To its critics, it’s a giant Ponzi scheme.
So is Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies, the future of finance? How secure are the blockchains that they’re built on? And will we all be buying art through NFTs, non fungible tokens, in the future, rather than paintings for our walls?
In this revisited episode from December 2021, we speak to our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi about cryptocurrency, the future of our financial system, and how she could have been a Bitcoin success story - if only she could find the key to the crypto she bought.
Sources: Twitter/@jjames_ak, BBC News, Reuters
Last week Blackpool’s Jake Daniels said he was gay.
It was the first time a male British footballer - still playing the game - had said that in 32 years.
Given the wide acceptance of LGBT people in Britain today, and the fact there are many out and proud athletes in other sports - why is football - male professional football - so far behind?
Producer: Freya Pickford
Sources: Sky News, Good Morning Britain, GB News, ITN, Norwich City Football Club
Pakistan is in the midst of what some are calling a ‘gender violence epidemic.’
Hundreds if not thousands of women are murdered, kidnapped and assaulted each year. And conviction rates are extremely low.
But Pakistani women are demanding action to address the vast scale of violence.
Our reporter Fatima Manji went to the country’s capital Islamabad to meet the female police officers on a mission to transform policing for women.
And a warning this episode contains descriptions of violence, including sexual violence that some may find upsetting.
Produced by: Holly Snelling
Finland’s Parliament has overwhelmingly endorsed joining Nato, while Sweden’s ruling party has broken with 200 years of neutrality to follow their Nordic neighbours in jumping on the alliance bandwagon.
The Ukraine War has forced this profound geopolitical moment - but why are the Finns more keen on the move than the Swedes?
In today’s podcast, we travel to Helsinki.
In April 2015, a victim was stabbed 13 times in a park in Leicester town centre.
The case was solved with the help of CCTV, but that’s not the end of the story.
The parents of the man convicted for the crime insist this was a case of mistaken identity. They also believe racial bias caused their son’s misidentification on CCTV.
Forensic experts have also raised serious concerns about the quality of CCTV analysis in the criminal justice system as a whole.
In today’s episode we speak to Channel 4 News producer, Zahra Warsame, about how she learnt about the case, how CCTV evidence is used in the criminal justice system and why it could be contributing to innocent people being put behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit.
Producer: Freya Pickford
For the first time in 101 years, a nationalist party is in the majority in Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin said the country was entering a “new era” as they overtook the DUP.
It’s a seismic moment in Northern Irish history.
Today, our policy correspondent Paul McNamara looks into how we got here - how Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol has divided unionists, and how yet further stalemate is perhaps why many people are tired of the old nationalist/unionist labels and just want centrist politics that gives them a functioning government.
Producer: Rachel Evans
The European Union has had many different names but it’s always had one goal: a united, peaceful Europe.
That has usually meant closer political and economic ties.
But for some it has also meant getting closer on defence and security and for some that in turn has meant the creation, one day, of a united European army.
So has the war in Ukraine shifted the dial towards a European army?
In today’s episode with Elisabeth Braw, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, talks us through the history as well as the pros and cons of any future united army for the EU.
Sources: EuroNews, France 24, Newsnight, Sky News
Produced by: Joe Lord-Jones
Just how polluted is the air we breathe in the UK? Other than the smog we can see it’s sometimes impossible to visualise what some call the ‘invisible killer’.
Channel 4 News was shown new modelling which suggests the majority of UK households are in areas which break the World Health Organization's own guidelines on dangerous air pollution levels.
In today’s episode, we speak to reporter Keme Nzerem who originally broke this story, about the politics of air pollution, why it’s damaging to our health and its links with poverty.
Producer: Freya Pickford
Ecuador has become the new frontline in an escalating drug war.
And ordinary people are the ones paying the price as the country’s murder rate doubledlast year.
Rival drug cartels have taken over Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil, in a bid to control lucrative new drug routes to Europe and the United States.
Our reporter, Guillermo Galdos, visited the once peaceful city for Unreported World, and spent two weeks with the local police, who are now outgunned and outnumbered.
Today, Krishnan talks to Guillermo about what has driven Ecuador to become a major player in this bloody turf war and what can be done to stop it.
Warning: this episode contains content some may find disturbing.
Sources: CGTN
Produced by: Rachel Evans
More than 1 million people in the UK are on Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT and the vast majority of them are women who need it to deal with menopause symptoms.
But a shortage of specific types of HRT has left women struggling. In this episode of The Fourcast we speak to Kate who had a hysterectomy at 44 which caused her to go into surgical menopause about what life is like with and without HRT.
We also speak to our Health and Social Care Editor, Victoria MacDonald about why, as demand for prescriptions has more than doubled since 2017, supply of some products has not kept up.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this report, help and support is available at channel4.com/support.
Sources: Channel 4: Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause and Davina McCall: Sex, Mind and the Menopause
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
It’s the news that was everywhere for one day and then sort of faded away. A bit like a viral tweet you might say, it dominated, and then we just scrolled on.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, reached a deal to buy Twitter.
The right were happy, the left were mad. And Twitter was the perfect place for everyone to sound off.
But the deal isn’t done and there’s still a long way to go.
We talk to our Washington Correspondent, Siobhan Kennedy, about who exactly is the man behind this mega takeover. We also talk to the former head of news at Twitter, Vivian Schiller, about free speech, the law and social media.
Sources: Sky News, TED, Fox News, CNN
Produced by: Freya Pickford
Giving your second-hand clothes to a charity shop or recycling centre is surely a good thing, isn’t it?
Well some of those items, which eventually end up abroad, are causing an environmental disaster in West Africa.
Slums and beaches are overflowing with clothes from countries such as the UK that can’t be sold.
And this is affecting everything from the livelihoods of the traders to the seafood eaten across the entire west coast of Africa.
Today, Krishnan speaks to reporter Ashionye Ogene, who has been to Ghana for Unreported World to see first-hand how the West’s addiction to fast fashion is destroying livelihoods as well as leaving a mark on the country’s landscape for hundreds of years to come.
Producer: Rachel Evans
Sources: ITV News, CBS News
As the war in Ukraine enters its third month and Russia begins the new phase of its invasion, where does this all end? Or moreover, where is it heading?
Russia says it's focusing on the east and south, but why the missile strikes in Odessa?
And what does Russia want now and what can it even get, given that the Ukrainians feel emboldened as the Western powers increase their support?
Today, our international editor Lindsey Hilsum reports from eastern Ukraine as she unpicks the messaging and the military movements in the war.
Sources: AP
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
Inflation is at a 30-year high right now, and it could go even higher.
Prices were going up even before the war in Ukraine and so now the forecasts are even worse, not helped by parts of China shutting down as a new wave of Covid there takes over.
It’s all pretty gloomy, and the International Monetary Fund says the world must brace itself for an economic slowdown and a potential wave of social unrest.
In today’s episode of The Fourcast, our Business and Global Trade Correspondent Paul McNamara explains how inflation is impacting farmers and businesses and how high prices are passed onto us. And whether there is anything governments can do in this perfect storm of an economic crisis.
Sources: Sky News
Thailand has gone Crypto crazy. Just last year investing in Crypto currencies increased four-fold in the country.
Ordinary people are jumping on the Crypto bandwagon to try and make money fast. But the world of traditional finance is wary of this new technology as some really do risk it all and lose it all.
Jonathan Miller was in Thailand for Unreported World to meet a new generation of innovators tearing up the rule book.
Today, we’ll discuss if this 21st century temple to the future of money is an example to be followed across the world or whether real regulation and protections are needed to stop people from potentially getting hurt.
Sources: BBC News
Producer: Rachel Evans
A close, contested election. Weeks of uncertainty. An election that some felt wasn’t legitimate. A Supreme Court divided and politicised. A new president that some felt wasn’t the true winner.
Not 2020 and beyond, but 2000 in America.
Andrew Rice, the author of “The Year That Broke America”, unpicks 12 months that will live in infamy - and when everything came down to Florida.
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
Sources: CNN, CBS News, ITN Archive
Emmanuel Macron will face Marine Le Pen in the second round run-off of the French Presidential election.
It’s all a bit deja-vu, a repeat of last time in 2017, but is a second term on the cards for the incumbent President?
In the end, the future of France hinges on one question; what is greater here, fear of Le Pen the right-wing nationalist or hatred of Macron the incumbent.
In this episode of The Fourcast Channel 4 News Presenter and Europe Editor Matt Frei talks about what to expect ahead of the presidential vote in France on Sunday the 24th of April.
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
Sources: INA Archive, AP
It’s the largest maternity scandal in NHS history, hundreds of babies and some of their mothers could or would have survived had they not been failed.
A landmark review into the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust has revealed, “a catalogue of tragedies”, according to the senior midwife, Donna Ockendon, who led the review.
The Ockenden review has revealed a toxic culture, a lack of compassion and a failure to listen to mothers and their needs at maternity services at one of England's NHS trusts.
Today, Minnie Stephenson speaks to our Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald about what this report uncovered and asks whether the public can have faith in maternity services across England.
A warning, this podcast contains testimony that listeners may find distressing.
And if you are affected by any of the issues in this report, go to channel4.com/support where you can find a range of places to seek information and help.
Produced by: Rachel Evans
Finland is a European country that shares an 800-mile border with Russia. It has a standing army of nearly 300,000 and can call on 900,000 reservists, and wartime shelters that can accommodate 80 per cent of its population of only 5.5 million.
In today's episode, we Iook at the history of a nation that has long been caught in the middle of the great powers of Europe and yet has managed to secure its independence through realpolitik and a comprehensive all hands on deck approach to defence.
And despite having this comprehensive security policy, the war in Ukraine has meant something seismic could now happen.
Finland is flirting with joining Nato.
Sources: AP
Produced by: Freya Pickford
You might think that Russian troops retreating from parts of Ukraine was good news, but then we saw what they left behind. As the full horror of this war is revealed, Russia has moved to its so-called phase two: a focus on the east and south.
Is that a retreat? Or is it a regrouping? And is yet more horror to come?
Today, presenter and Europe editor Matt Frei looks at the ongoing war of words on both sides, what the West can do in response to alleged war crimes, and where this conflict goes next as we look at a possible prolonged battle with no winners.
Produced by: Freya Pickford
Sources: The Guardian, Fox News, The Independent
The government has committed to banning so-called conversion therapy but announced that the ban would not include trans people.
100 organisations pulled support for the UK’s first international LGBT conference, before the government cancelled the event altogether.
The government have said that they ”will carry out separate work to consider the issue of transgender conversion therapy further.”
But how does that make the LGBTQ+ community feel?
Today, we speak to a survivor of so-called trans conversion therapy, a former government adviser, Jayne Ozanne, and the chief executive of Stonewall Nancy Kelley.
Sources: ITV News, Sky News
Produced by: Nina Hodgson
In 2020 the National Trust released a report that found 93 of its properties had links to colonialism and slavery.
The report did not tell properties to do anything like change names or tear down statues. But the backlash was still fierce and the head of the Trust recently said she received death threats.
We look at what the report actually said, what properties have done in response, and we hear from the group that has led the campaign against the report.
President Biden said Nato had never been more united, just what Vladimir Putin didn’t want, but is he right?
Today, Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations explains how Nato failed to placate Russia in recent years, what next for the alliance, and will America really put Europe back at the centre of its foreign policy?
Sources: ITV News
Twelve parties. Twenty fines. But no names were revealed.
Downing Street won’t say whether Boris Johnson will resign if he’s one of the people issued with a fixed penalty notice over the lockdown breaching parties held at Downing Street and Whitehall, as the Metropolitan police continues its investigation.
Our Political Editor Gary Gibbon joins us to discuss the latest developments from the ongoing partygate saga and whether time is now on Boris Johnson’s side as he looks more and more likely to cling onto power.
Was the invasion of Ukraine by Russia inevitable?
Were the plans of Vladimir Putin always there out in the open?
Does this all go back to 1989, when a KGB officer in Dresden saw the Soviet Empire begin to crumble and felt bitter at its inability to fight for itself?
Today, we speak to the historian, Professor Mary Elise Sarotte, the author of “Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate,” about the life and mind of the Russian leader who has upended the world order in mere weeks.
Sources: ABC News
In Russia money means power.
And that’s why in this war, to punish Russia for invading Ukraine, the West’s main weapon isn’t its military but economic sanctions.
The war has shone a light on Oligarch wealth used to purchase super yachts, mega mansions and private jets.
But will targeting the rich really hurt Putin?
Today we speak to Channel 4 News’ Ryan Ramgobin about the origins and influence of these wealthy figures and ask whether these sanctions are really affecting their lavish lifestyles?
Sources: ABC News, France 24. Sky News
Just a few weeks back, Mariupol was a bustling city in south-eastern Ukraine, overlooking the Sea of Azov. Home to just under half a million people.
Now, it is basically no more.
Most people’s homes have been destroyed. Half the city has fled and even those who have managed to leave have faced a treacherous journey to some form of safety.
Our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum has spoken to dozens of survivors from Mariupol, to tell their story and provide evidence of atrocities that many believe are war crimes.
We've all seen the horror of this Russian invasion of Ukraine. We know the truth of the situation, the lies of the Kremlin.
But what about in Russia itself, where Vladimir Putin's version of reality reigns supreme?
What is the reality that Russians are being fed and who is still taking the risk to speak out?
Today, we speak to the investigative journalist Yevgenia Albats, who's seen many of her outlets shut down or blocked, but continues to report the truth from inside Russia.
Sources: France 24, CNN, MSNBC, BBC News
When Vladimir Putin announced the start of this war, he said that one of his aims was to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine.
What is he talking about, given that Ukraine is run by a popularly elected Jewish President whose grandfather’s three brothers and parents were all shot dead by the Nazis.
In today’s episode of the Fourcast, we speak to Professor Jason Stanley, the author of How Fascism Works and How Propaganda Works. He explains the offensive, illogical and dangerous thinking of Vladimir Putin.
Sources: Bloomberg
Two years ago, we were all plunged into the first lockdown of three. Today, daily Covid cases are far higher than back then as we deal with another wave of infections. Yet all restrictions in England have gone, with some remaining in the rest of the UK.
Vaccines have made our lives safer and more normal, but what lessons have we really learnt from this pandemic?
Our Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald looks at what living with Covid looks like here in the UK. We also discuss why Hong Kong, China and New Zealand are seeing such sharp rises in Covid cases now, after two years of pursuing zero-Covid policies.
Sources: AP, Telegraph
Modern warfare is defined not just by military advancements, it’s defined by rolling news coverage on TV, on radio, online, on our phones.
And in this current 24/7 theatre of war, journalists and reporters have been criticised for the way they are framing this conflict.
On this podcast, Marcus Ryder from the Sir Lenny Henry Centre of Media Diversity tells us about what he thinks has been wrong with the media’s coverage of Ukraine and what can be done to change it.
Sources: UNTV, NBC News, BBC News, ITV News, CBS News
Since the start of this war in Ukraine, our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum has been across the country. She is now in Kyiv, where residential buildings are being hit and those who remain are making their city a fortress to repel any Russian invasion.
In today’s episode, Lindsey calls us from her hotel in Ukraine’s capital to reflect on the past weeks of war, the devastation she has witnessed, the pain she has seen, and the unrelenting determination and patriotism of the Ukrainian people.
Six years since her arrest in Tehran. Six years away from her husband Richard and young daughter, Gabriella. But now Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is finally home.
But how did we get here?
How was a charity worker from Hampstead, northwest London, detained for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Iranian government? And why did it take so long to get her out?
We speak to Rebecca Ratcliffe, Nazanin’s sister-in-law about what is next for Nazanin and her family as they look ahead to a brighter future.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the TV comedian turned Ukrainianleader, standing up to Putin.
But the man who’s become the face of Ukraine’s resistance against Russian invasion came to power in 2019 with little political experience other than playing a fictional president on Ukrainian TV.
Today, we speak to the Economist’s correspondent Oliver Carroll, who has been charting the rise of Zelenskyy, as we delve into the wartime leader’s history, psychology and ask what will he do next?
Sources: KvartaL 95, Politico, StudioCanal/Hayday Films, CBS News, Sky News
It’s been three weeks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
As people in Ukraine call for more help, and the West imposes sanctions on Russia, how might this all play out?
On today’s episode of The Fourcast, Georgina Lee from our FactCheck team talks through four possible ways the war in Ukraine might end.
Russia is at war with Ukraine, with cities under siege, civilians being killed, and millions fleeing the country.
While western allies have provided some military aid to Ukraine, they have mainly responded with a different type of weapon. An economic war. Sanctions on Russia.
Our business and global trade correspondent Paul McNamara explains those sanctions and asks if that will be enough to stop Putin.
In the space of just two weeks, the lives of Ukrainians have been completely transformed, upended, changed forever.
Some remain there to resist the invaders, but more than two million have left in just two weeks.
Our correspondent, Paraic O’Brien, has been travelling along the border of Ukraine since the war began, speaking to people as they make a journey they thought they would never have to make.
When the war began in Ukraine, the people in the capital city of Kyiv had to make a decision, to stay or to flee.
Thousands of people packed up their lives and left the city. Sasha, a journalist living in Kyiv was one of them.
This is his story.
Sources: UA:PBC Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, AFP, Oleksandr Ielstov
In a matter of days, Europe and the world has been transformed.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has upturned the post-Cold War consensus that has dominated our lives for three decades.
Is the West itself despite all this a stronger entity? Where does America lie in all of this? And what about Russia, the old enemy turned new menace today?
Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the American foreign policy think tank, the Atlantic Council, takes Kiran through the geopolitics of then and now and tries to unravel what went wrong, as well as what could happen in the next few months.
Sources: ABC Nightline
Are we heading for nuclear war with Russia? Russia has invaded Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin has told all his generals to put their entire armed forces, including nuclear team, on high alert.
But could the UK and its Western allies end up at war with Russia?
In this episode Georgina Lee from our FactCheck team explains how close, or not, the world is to a possible nuclear conflict.
Sources: BBC NEWS
| Last week in sunny Orlando, Florida, a large group of Republicans got together at the Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, to discuss what their movement needed to do next to change America. Mr Trump, keynote speaker at the event, has described Ukraine's President Zelenskyy as brave, but repeated his admiration of Vladimir Putin, describing him as a smart, strong leader. In today’s podcast, we look at where American conservatives stand on Russia and Putin, why some seem to admire the man who invaded Ukraine, and whether they are more concerned with enemies at home than those abroad. Sources: NBC, Fox News, Twitter/@BenLorber8 |
A week is a long time in war.
The Ukrainian resistance has been strong, but the Russian response, led by an increasingly isolated Vladimir Putin, has become just like his bombardment of Syria.
Our Europe editor Matt Frei has been on the ground in Ukraine ever since the war began, witnessing missiles hitting tower blocks in Kyiv and seeing thousands flee their homeland from the relatively safe western city of Lviv.
Sources: AFP
We’re almost a week into a war in Europe.
Vladimir Putin, in his quest for land and legacy, has begun bombing civilian areas in Ukrainian cities.
But his war appears to not be going to plan. The Ukrainian army is strong, the resistance is strong and the West has united against Russia with sanctions and support.
But what will Putin do next?
Today, Kiran Moodley speaks with foreign affairs correspondent Jonathan Rugman about the Russian advance on Kyiv, what’s going on in Putin’s mind, and whether the Western squeeze on Russia will bring this to a close.
Sources: NBC News, BBC News.
Can we finally see the light at the end of the Covid tunnel?
After nearly two years of living with strict lockdowns and curbs on our civil liberties, all remaining domestic restrictions have now been removed from law in England.
Today, Minnie Stephenson talks to our Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald as we try and make sense of the past two years.
With Boris Johnson himself not ruling out the possibility of new variants in the future, we ask is this really the right time to be ending all restrictions?
Are we right to be treating Covid like flu or are we all breathing a sigh of relief too soon?
Russia has invaded Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that Moscow's response will be "instant" if anyone tries to take Russia on.
People have been trying to flee the capital Kyiv as Ukraine urges the UN "to do everything possible" to stop a full-scale war.
In today’s podcast, we bring you reports from on the ground in Ukraine, on the day when war came to
Europe’s shores once more.
The Duke of York has reached a settlement with his accuser Virginia Giuffre over her civil sex assault case in the United States.
The Prince has always denied the allegations and did not admit any liability. But the settlement left many questions for other victims of Andrew’s former friend, the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Our Investigations Editor Job Rabkin breaks down the Prince Andrew settlement and asks whether this really is the end of the story.
Sources: BBC Newsnight, NBCNews
Sir Keir Starmer is approaching two years as Labour leader.
He has sought to rebuild the party after the divisions of Brexit, the chaos of Corbyn and the disaster of the 2019 election. Labour would need to gain more than 100 seats to claim an outright majority next time the British public goes to the polls.
So are his plans for change working or is he simply benefitting from Partygate scandals under Boris Johnson?
Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman talks about her recent sit down with Sir Keir Starmer and her assessment on whether the former lawyer has the passion and vision to make Labour a party of government once again.
There was a catalogue of police mistakes, police crimes, and a belief the Met was rotten. Then the inquiries, reports, and apology after apology.
And yet still the head of the Metropolitan Police Service, Dame Cressida Dick, stayed in place. Until last week.
Today, Simon Israel, our former Senior Home Affairs correspondent, looks back at the tenure of Dame Cressida Dick and the long journey to change the culture in the Met Police and discusses whether the canteen culture that has been revealed over the past few years, can really be weeded out.
Boris Johnson has announced that all Covid rules could be scrapped next week in England, but with daily Covid cases still high and millions of people still unvaccinated, how should scientists and the government talk to those who are hesitant to get the coronavirus jab?
On today’s episode we speak to David Halpern, Chief Executive of the Behavioural Insights Team, about why some people have not yet had the Covid vaccine.
We also ask him what more the government could do to ensure as many people as possible get the jab, and why people in some countries have adhered to Covid rules better than in others.
Image based abuse, so-called ‘revenge porn’, can be soul-destroying for victim-survivors, leaving them feeling violated and humiliated.
The government says the new Online Safety Bill will make the UK ‘the safest place in the world to be online’ but critics argue that it’s not clear or robust enough to stop abusers.
Minnie Stephenson has been speaking to victims and finding out why so few abusers face prosecution.
For weeks and weeks, there has been tension on the border between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides accusing the other of aggression.
But after all this time, talk and tanks, what’s the truth: is war coming ?
Paraic O’Brien explains the views from the border, and tries to figure out the facts from the fiction as world leaders continue to figure out a way through this geopolitical drama.
In the summer of 2021 desperate people in Kabul tried to board the last flights out of the Afghan capital as the Taliban took control.
At that time, a man called Pen Farthing was fighting to get the staff from his animal charity and 150 animals on a plane out.
After a public campaign for help from the public and the government, a plane suddenly left Kabul taking the animals and Pen Farthing to safety.
But how did they manage to get out when so many were left behind? And was the Prime Minister involved?
Sources: Sky News, Metro, LBC, GMB
Rape is being used as a deliberate weapon in the civil war in Ethiopia.
Thousands have been killed in massacres, thousands more have fled and countless women and girls have been violently raped.
Today, we speak to our Africa correspondent Jamal Osman about the stories he’s uncovered from this ongoing civil war that gets so little coverage - and we talk to Donatella Rovera, a senior investigator at Amnesty International, about whether justice will ever come to those whose lives have been scarred forever.
Warning: this episode contains distressing content and accounts of rape.
If you’ve been affected by the detail in this podcast, you can seek help by going to channel 4.com/support
For weeks, Westminster has been waiting for the Sue Gray report. How many parties? Was Boris Johnson there? Was ABBA played? After all that time, we’ve only got 12 pages. But there’s a Met Police investigation to come and maybe more from Sue Gray herself. Our political editor Gary Gibbon looks back at the week that was in Westminster.
Sources: BBC News, ITV News
With inflation rates in the UK at a 30 year high, energy bills set to increase at a record rate in April, how is the government responding to the cost of living crisis?
And why could Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine mean we have to pay higher gas bills in the UK?
On today’s Fourcast, we speak to our Business and Global Trade Correspondent, Paul McNamara, about why the UK’s cost of living is soaring, meaning many people are having to choose between heating or eating.
Sources: DW News, Bloomberg, BBC News
The day the statue of Edward Colston fell in June 2020 was a defining moment for Bristol.
It was also a defining moment for Britain’s relationship with its past as well as its approach to protest.
Recently, the four people accused of causing criminal damage to the statue were acquitted. To some it was justice, to others it represented a system that’s flawed.
In today’s podcast, our Home Affairs Correspondent Andy Davies details the legacy of Colston and the government’s response to the statue’s toppling.
And we hear from one of the Colston Four themselves as well as the former Lord Mayor of Bristol about the pivotal moment in the city’s history.
Sources: BBC Breakfast, ITV News
A coroner’s report this week identified “very serious and very basic investigative failings” by the Metropolitan Police over the investigations into the killing of four young men by the serial killer Stephen Port between 2014 and 2015.
Police repeatedly missed opportunities that might have stopped Port.
The families of his victims said they were “incensed” that the jury had not been allowed to consider whether homophobia might have played a role in police failings.
In today’s episode, correspondent Minnie Stephenson details what went wrong and how innocent men died.
Sources: BBC News
Tomorrow, plan B measures end in England, with face masks no longer needed in public places and Covid passports dropped after only a few weeks in use. Boris Johnson said the Omicron wave had peaked nationally.
But before Christmas, newspaper headlines were full of fears about millions of cases a day and the NHS being overwhelmed like never before.
That did not happen - so what’s going on and were the Covid models wrong?
FactCheck’s Georgina Lee explains it all.
Sources: DW News, BBC News, The Telegraph
Why was Prince Andrew friends with a convicted paedophile and a now convicted sex trafficker? Did he go to Pizza Express in Woking and will Virginia Giuffre get her day in Court?
Our Investigations Editor Job Rabkin walks us through the civil trial, the history of the Prince and the paedophile and what’s next for the man ninth in line to the British throne.
Sources: BBC Newsnight, BBC Panorama, ITV News, ITV: Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile, Sky News
From Make America Great Again to Make America Normal Again.
It’s one year since Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President promising to end the late-night tweets, the endless firings, the fake news, the fake science, and the threats to American democracy.
But how has he fared 12 months on?
In today’s episode, our Washington Correspondent Siobhan Kennedy details the highs and lows, and with Biden’s poll numbers struggling, will his party hold onto the House and Senate in the November elections?
Sources: Biden Inaugural Committee, The Independent, TODAY, CBS News, BBC News, News Nation Now, CNN, Washington Post, Fox News
Talks between Russia and Western powers over the situation in Ukraine finished in a “dead end” last week, with Vladimir Putin’s forces still amassed on the border, threatening war.
With the US Secretary of State in Kiev right now trying to de-escalate tensions, can conflict be avoided?
Europe editor Matt Frei asks whether the West can stop Russia, and he talks about what he’s seen on the ground in Ukraine.
She was once feted as the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire who promised that her blood testing start-up would transform the future of healthcare but now Elizabeth Holmes has been found guilty of four counts of fraud.
Holmes, who managed to dupe some of the world’s richest and most powerful businessmen, now faces decades in jail.
Today, Kiran speaks to our economics correspondent Helia Ebrahimi about the unravelling of a once Silicon superstar - and what this tale tells us about the world of start-ups and high-level investors.
Sources: Sky News, HBO, Bill Clinton Initiative, CNBC, CNN, CBS, entrepreneurship.org
Sources: Sky News, CBS News, Daily Mail, BBC News
Boris Johnson admitted he did attend a gathering during the first lockdown.
He apologised for spending 25 minutes at the Downing Street garden drinks in May 2020, but said he thought it was a “work event” rather than a party.
He has rejected some MPs' calls for his resignation, saying we should wait for the inquiry from senior civil servant Sue Gray.
But what’s next for Boris Johnson - and who is Sue Gray?
Our Political Correspondent Gary Gibbon guides us through the last week in Westminster.
The Australian Open hasn’t started yet, but there has already been drama and back and forth.
Not on the court, but in the court.
Novak Djokovic, the reigning champion, thought he could enter Australia despite not being vaccinated.
But his visa was cancelled and he was detained, possibly read to be deported. But a judge decided that his treatment was unreasonable and he was allowed to stay.
Australian journalist Georgie Tunny takes us through the past crazy week down under, and Heidi Larson, the director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, discusses what this all means for how we treat the unvaccinated.
Sources: Sky News, CBS News, Daily Mail, BBC News
It’s been nearly two years of lockdowns, restrictions, variants and vaccines; a global pandemic that nobody saw coming, and that continues to dominate our lives. So what can we expect from the year ahead?
Today, we talk to our Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald about what we might see in the next few weeks and months, as we tackle the Omicron wave and its effect on staff shortages, and ask where next for this country when it comes to learning to live with Covid.
Last year we saw political scandals, supply issues, petrol fares, energy companies going bust and a general sense that things aren't really going to plan. So what will 2022 bring us both politically and economically in the UK?
Will this new year see Boris bounce back or Labour become a credible force for a general election that could come sooner rather than later?
To preview 2022 and the fall out from 2021, Kiran talks to our business and global trade correspondent Paul McNamara.
Sources: ITV News, Sky News, The Guardian, Evening Standard
Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of grooming and trafficking underage girls for the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
For the victims, this is a rare moment of justice after so many years living in silence and fear.
But it may also just be the start of more questions about the network that Epstein and Maxwell operated: who else was involved and what does this mean for Prince Andrew, a friend of both the guilty parties.
On today’s Fourcast, our investigations editor, Job Rabkin, details what we learnt from the trial and the testimonies from the key witnesses - and we look ahead to the next chapter in a story that is not yet over.
ABC: Good Morning America, Woman’s Hour, Reuters
Last year there were many huge foreign news stories, the Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis that followed, conflict in Ethiopia, China’s rise as the superpower of the 21st Century and the threat of cyber warfare.
But what might we see happen in the world in 2022?
To look back at what happened last year and discuss what might happen in the year to come, we talk to our International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum.
In China, many women have had enough. There’s a feminist awakening, as groups challenge laws and customs, which they believe are entrenched in sexist ideas.
But as the movement grows, the ruling Communist Party wants to shut it down, labelling these liberal attitudes as opposition to their growing nationalist agenda.
In this revisited episode from August 2021, we speak to the reporter Jessie Lau who tells us about the women on the front line of China’s feminist fightback, and whether the #MeToo movement in China can prevail.
Sources: YouTube: TanWeiwei, DW News, CNN, ITV News
Black women are four times more likely to die in childbirth than women of other ethnicities, with many reporting that they’re being dismissed and neglected by healthcare professionals throughout pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.
So, could inducing pregnant Black women and bringing their birth forward early address that problem? That’s what one prominent medical committee, NICE, proposed this summer.
In this revisited episode from September 2021, we speak to a doctor who says it’ll make birth safer for mums and babies, and a campaigner who says that early induction is not the solution to a deep and complex issue, rooted in racism and inadequate healthcare for Black mothers-to-be.
A warning, this episode includes discussion about maternal death and stillbirth.
Italy was the first European country to feel the full force of Covid-19. Stark images of army trucks carrying bodies, ICU wards beyond capacity and the deserted streets of Milan and Rome, were a ringing alarm bell to Europe, of what was to come.
In this episode from August 2021, Antonello Guerrera, a journalist for the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, talks about how those scenes are embedded in the minds of Italians, forming a solidarity and caution that could mean they are more likely than others to embrace vaccinations and vaccine passports, and reflects on whether recent sporting triumphs represent a redemption for the country, after the despair of 2020.
Sources: Sky Sports, Andrea Bocelli, CGTN, NBC News, France 24
On 8 December, there was a momentous transfer of power in Europe. Angela Merkel stepped down as Chancellor of Germany after 16 years - handing power to Olaf Scholz.
This peaceful transfer is taking place in a nation that - after the turmoil of Brexit, Trump and populist uprisings across Europe - has become THE liberal democratic bastion of the free world.
It is a remarkable feat for modern Germany.
From the evil of Nazism, the horror ashes of conflict and the divisions of the Cold War - to this: a nation that embraces coalitions, embraces millions of refugees and embraces a united Europe.
How did we get here?
In today’s episode, John Kampfner, the author of “Why the Germans Do it Better”, explains how Germany became great again.
Sources: DW News, CBS, BBC News, British Pathe
It’s the variant that’s threatened Christmas, triggered a record-breaking vaccination drive, and seen Covid measures tightened.
But how much do we know about Omicron? How effective are boosters? Are you less likely to get severely ill than you are from Delta? What can we learn from the place the variant was discovered, South Africa, and what does their data mean for the UK?
Today on The Fourcast, we speak to our Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald to hear how our hospitals are coping; Shabir Madhi, a professor of vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg to analyse the Omicron data from South Africa, and Professor Ravi Gupta, a clinical microbiologist at the University of Cambridge, who warns that the South Africa data might not be particularly relevant to the UK after all.
Sources: BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News
He’s an icon of broadcast journalism, trusted to deliver the news to the nation for almost half a century. The face of facts, authority, and empathy. But as 2021 comes to an end, so too does Jon Snow’s time at Channel 4 News.
So in his final week at Channel 4 News, today on The Fourcast, Kiran Moodley looks back at just a few of the many highlights of his incredible career. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to interviewing Nelson Mandela, as we celebrate a man who’s been at the front line of history in the making for 45 years.
Sources: ITN / Channel 4 News
He has rewritten the history books to affirm his place in China’s national narrative and is set for another decade in power.
But who exactly is the Chinese Premiere, Xi Jinping? And what is his guiding political thought?
In today’s podcast, we talk to SOAS’ Olivia Cheung to explain his rise to power and what his first decade in office tells us about his priorities both home and abroad - from a crackdown on dissidents and the Uyghur people - to an expanding Chinese empire that could one day include Taiwan.
South Africa, along with ten other African nations, has been taken off the red list - a list of countries that the UK strongly discouraged travel to and from, requiring an expensive, lengthy stay in a government-approved hotel on return, should you make the trip.
Scientists in South Africa said that travel "ban" never made any sense and that the country was being punished for its excellent genomic surveillance, which identified the Omicron variant early.
It was another setback for a nation on a continent that has struggled to get vaccines compared to the West.
In today’s episode, we speak to the health journalist Pontshoe Pilane in Johannesburg to find out more about South Africa’s Covid journey: from harsh lockdowns that have exacerbated inequality to the struggle to get jabs in arms that means financial incentives and even mandates are now on the cards.
Sources: CBS/CNN/MSNBC
Boris Johnson has announced Plan B in England. Working from home is back on the cards and masks are now compulsory in more settings. But is it time to make Covid vaccines mandatory too?
Austria is doing it for all adults. The United States has made vaccination mandatory for all federal workers. But the WHO has said compulsory vaccines should be an "absolute last resort"
Today Kiran talks to Fact Check’s Georgina Lee about what happens when governments throw away the carrot and pick up the stick instead and make rules that enforce masks and even vaccinations.
Sources: The Telegraph, Daily Mail, MSNBC
It’s the party that everyone’s talking about… if it ever took place. And if indeed there was a party at 10 Downing Street on the 18th of December 2020, it may well have broken the law against gatherings at the time.
The prime minister and senior cabinet members denied it took place for days.
But a video of Allegra Stratton, the prime minister's then spokesperson, joking about the “fictional” event with “cheese and wine” and “no social distancing” blew the story and scandal wide open.
Political Editor Gary Gibbon, seemingly more in the know than Boris Johnson himself, gives us a rundown on the backlash and explains why it has angered both the public and the Conservative Party so much.
Sources: ITV News, BBC News, Channel 4 News, Sky News
To its supporters, Bitcoin is the biggest revelation in finance in a thousand years. To its critics, it’s a giant Ponzi scheme.
So is Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies, the future of finance? How secure are the blockchains that they’re built on? And will we all be buying art through NFTs, non fungible tokens, in the future, rather than paintings for our walls?
Today we speak to our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi about cryptocurrency, the future of our financial system, and how she could have been a Bitcoin success story - if only she could find the key to the crypto she bought.
Sources: Twitter/@jjames_ak, BBC News, Reuters
Last week saw the start of one of the most highly-anticipated and talked about trials in history: the United States versus Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell stands accused of sex trafficking and grooming. The prosecutors this week argued that she, along with the prolific sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, were partners in crime in sex abuse.
She denies this and has pleaded not guilty to eight charges of sex trafficking and other crimes.
In today’s podcast, our Investigations Editor, Job Rabkin, details not just how we got here, but what the victims allege, and how Ghislaine Maxwell’s team will try to avoid her being sent to prison for the rest of her life.
A warning: this episode contains content that some listeners may find distressing.
Sources: NBC News, ABC News, WUVR-TV
Since the murder of Sarah Everard, it has come to light that a number of police officers abuse their positions to target women, and a recent episode of Channel 4’s Dispatches programme revealed the shocking scale of that abuse.
In the past four years, nearly 2,000 police officers, special constables and PCSOs in the UK have been accused of some form of sexual misconduct.
Dispatches interviewed dozens of women who were victims, and the programme asked whether enough was being done to investigate these crimes.
On today’s podcast we speak to the investigative journalist, Ellie Flynn, about the widespread police sexual misconduct and police-perpetrated domestic abuse in the UK.
And a warning - this podcast contains themes that some listeners may find distressing.
Ever since Boris Johnson marched into Number 10 after his 2019 landslide, he has promised to level up.
But the government was accused of ‘betraying’ the North recently after scrapping parts of their plans for HS2 - the high-speed rail service that was meant to transport the region’s infrastructure.
Number 10 argued their revised plan for the project was still "one of the biggest single acts of levelling up of any government in history"
But what exactly is levelling up and do voters really understand it or even care about it?
Our political correspondent Liz Bates explains how a political slogan and manifesto promise is now considered important enough to have its own government department.
55 years since Barbados achieved independence from British rule, tomorrow the country will make history by becoming the first country in almost three decades to sever ties with the British Royal family. Today, Ayshah Tull asks what this move means for the Royal family but also for the status of ‘global Britain’.
We speak to Guy Hewitt, former High Commissioner of Barbados in London about why, after decades of discussions, Barbados has decided now is the right time to depart with the past and start the next chapter in the country’s history.
And we talk to Dr Christopher Sabatini, senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, about what concrete changes this could bring for the people of Barbados and whether countries around the world will follow suit.
Sources: ITV News, Sky News, Television Jamaica
When it comes to Covid, what starts in one country, quickly spreads to another. As Europe is gripped by a fourth wave, and sees civil unrest as some protestors say “no” to new restrictions, will we see infections, and tempers, peak in the UK too?
Here in the UK, our Delta wave came much earlier in the summer, and our boosters are working - although cases remain high. So has the UK’s path through the pandemic taken a different turn to the rest of Europe? Are we on top of it, or do we need Covid passports, or vaccine mandates to keep things under control?
On today’s Fourcast, our Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald explains why the cases are rising in Europe and asks whether the compulsory jab mandates seen on the continent are coming to our shores next.
For some parts of Africa, climate change is already destroying populations, causing unpredictable rains, failing crops and starving livestock. And now, as the battle for resources intensifies, it’s fuelling terrorism and war.
One of the worst areas affected is the Sahel, a swathe of arid land crossing central Africa, where temperatures are rising by 1.5% more than the global average.
Conflict over diminishing resources is driving jihadi violence in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Today, our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum reports on her recent trip to Niger.
Last week, Azeem Rafiq gave a devastating account of the racism he faced at Yorkshire Cricket Club, and it's turned the cricket world upside down.
Is this a watershed moment for English cricket? Or is there a deep-rooted racism in the gentleman's game that's too entrenched to eradicate?
In today's episode, Rafiq sat down with our sports reporter Jordan Jarrett-Bryan to discuss his cricket career and what he hopes will change after his story.
And a warning, this episode contains some upsetting language and themes.
Two sisters, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, were brutally murdered by a stranger in North West London in June 2020. And what followed on from that tragedy is unimaginable.
An inadequate police response that meant their bodies were found, not by officers, but by the boyfriend of one of the sisters. And then, the unthinkable; two police officers found guilty of misconduct, after they took photographs of the murdered women and shared them in a WhatsApp group, actions that the Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick described as “unprofessional, disrespectful and deeply insensitive.”
Today, our former Senior Home Affairs Correspondent Simon Israel comes out of retirement to tell the story of what happened that night and the shocking events that followed, and what it tells us about the so-called “canteen culture” in the Met Police.
In Wales right now there are stories of people waiting for hours in agony as ambulances struggle to reach patients.
A backlog in demand for help after months of lockdown, and Covid cases still stubbornly high, the situation is bleak ahead of winter.
And even when ambulances do arrive and take patients to hospital, there are sometimes no beds left inside.
Our Home Affairs correspondent, Andy Davies has been out with one paramedic crew in south Wales as they tried to cope with this unprecedented crisis.
They think it’s all over. But is it?
COP26 was billed as our last chance to save the planet from climate catastrophe. To keep 1.5 alive. So did world governments rise to the challenge?
Climate journalist Simon Roach explains all the details in the Glasgow Climate Pact.
The most exclusionary summit ever.
That’s the cry from critics here at the COP26 climate conference – with accusations that voices from the Global South and climate activists aren’t being heard.
Today we speak with Namibian activist Ina-Maria Shikongo and UN Youth Climate Delegate Sophia Kianni, on their experience at COP26, and to London Mayor Sadiq Khan on whether politicians are doing enough.
Westminster is once again in crisis, amid the chaos surrounding the Owen Paterson lobbying affair.
The MP was found to have broken the rules and was meant to be suspended, but MPs voted to overturn the system rather than suspend their colleague, only to then U-turn the next day. Mr Paterson maintains he did nothing wrong but has resigned his seat.
The crisis has thrown up questions that have been asked before: should MPs be lobbyists? Should MPs have second jobs? Who should oversee the conduct of MPs? Who should be allowed a seat in the Lords? Is the Prime Minister shirking responsibility or are his poll numbers immune to scandal?
Correspondent Paul McNamara discusses what exactly Owen Paterson did, whether the system is broken, and what this all tells us about not just what MPs are up to, but what this government thinks it can and cannot get away with.
Are you sick of the five day grind? How does a four-day week sound?
Around the world, companies are trailing the four-day week, with one study in Iceland proving to be an “overwhelming success”. Researchers said that the trials, in which workers were paid the same amount for shorter hours, showed that productivity remained the same or even improved in most workplaces.
In today’s episode, we speak to one of the researchers behind that trial, as well as to a company in Scotland where they have already switched to a four-day week. Does it really work, and could it soon be coming to an office near you?
Sources: WBTV, ITN
Cobalt is an essential component for things like electric cars and rechargeable batteries. And cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo is fuelling the planet’s green revolution - but at a heavy price. In the copper belt around the city of Kolwezi, Africa Correspondent Jamal Osman tracks down the men who are risking their lives to work the mines, and the families living with the life changing consequences of these risks.
In this podcast, Jamal tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy about his recent trip to the DRC for Unreported World, and what he found there.
COP26 has only just begun, but has it already ended?
The big leaders have gone home, leaving their major commitments on the table. Some aim for net zero carbon by 2050, some 2060, others 2070. Disappointed? You’re not alone. We all know that urgent action needs to be taken now.
There is some good news: more than 80 nations have pledged to cut methane emissions and world leaders have promised to end deforestation by 2030.
Is it too little too late, or are we finally making progress?
Today, our climate journalist Simon Roach breaks down what COP26 has offered so far, and what hope he has for the rest of the conference.
Booster Covid jabs are now being given in the UK to over-50s, those with underlying health conditions, and health and social care staff.
But what are they, how much protection do they offer and will we all need to have a third dose of the vaccine at some point? Today, FactCheck's Georgina Lee tells us everything we need to know about boosters and discusses whether we should really be jabbing Britons three times when parts of the world haven’t even had one dose yet? Sources: Sky News, DW News, ABC News, NBC News
Mexicans are the biggest consumers of surgery drinks in the world. But the country’s sugar obsession is causing what health officials are calling a diabetes emergency.
In some poor towns across the country, Coca-Cola is even more available than fresh water.
Our reporter, Guillermos Galdos went to Chiapas for Unreported World, the poorest state in Mexico, where people drink on average two litres of sugary drinks a day, and Coca-Cola is King.
He met the families in the thick of a diabetes crisis and also encountered people who in fact use Coca-Cola to treat illnesses, believing the drink has special healing powers.
So why are fizzy drinks so popular in this part of the world and what will happen if the sugar epidemic continues?
Rishi Sunak presents his Autumn Budget today, with some of the sweeteners already released; public sector pay rises and a hike in the national living wage.
That fits in with Boris Johnson’s vision: to completely transform our economy with a revolutionary new model of high wages, high skills and high productivity.
But will this work? Or will it be made redundant with higher costs of living?
In today’s podcast we talk to our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi to explain if Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak can deliver on their new economic model and create a brighter future.
Newcastle United's Saudi Arabian backed takeover is being hailed by many fans in the city as a great moment the chance for the sleeping giant to finally reach the summit of the Premier League.
But for critics and indeed other fans, this is the last straw. The moral bankruptcy of a billionaire business that was once a simple game at the heart of the community.
In today's podcast, we hear from our chief correspondent, Alex Thompson, who as a Newcastle fan we have allowed to drop his normal impartiality to give his thoughts on his club's new owners. And Kiran sits down with the author, Joshua Robinson, about how we got here. How a sport dominated by decaying grounds and violent fans in the 80s became a global phenomenon that has become the plaything of billionaires and autocrats, with accusations of sportswashing.
Sources: Sky Sport, BBC Sport, France 24
Georgia's surrogacy industry is booming, as prospective parents from around the world turn to clinics with modest prices to help provide their dream of a family. But does this largely self-regulating industry safeguard the thousands of women who are turning to surrogacy to make a living?
Anja Popp went to Georgia for Unreported World, and found a largely unregulated surrogacy market, where wealthy couples can have multiple babies at the same time, and where there is no shortage of vulnerable women to meet the demand.
Sir David Amess was a working class Plaistow boy made a proud Essex man, who sat in Parliament for nearly 40 years.
A man who put the people first and who was more at home walking the streets of Southend West than Westminster.
While listening to his constituents at his weekly surgery, he was killed.
This week, MPs from all sides and from all backgrounds paid their respects to a great parliamentarian.
Political Correspondent Liz Bates talks about the past few days in UK politics, as we all come to terms with another politician killed in our democracy.
The first ever vaccine for malaria has been approved by the WHO and will now be rolled out across sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions, in a bid to save thousands of children’s lives.
A chance to change the course of a disease that in 2019 killed more than 260,000 children in Africa.
In today’s podcast, Dr Mary Hamel, who leads the WHO’s malaria vaccine implementation program, talks about the effectiveness of this vaccine and whether one day we really could see the eradication of malaria.
Sources: ITN, WHO, AP
Year after year, the NHS faces a deluge of “winter pressures”, as seasonal illnesses are passed around and beds fill up.
But with the ongoing pandemic and a huge backlog already adding pressure, will the NHS cope this year? And what are the government’s plans to get us through it?
Today, our Health and Social Care editor Victoria Macdonald talks us through the government’s plan this winter, and asks whether the Covid Plan A, which focuses on vaccines and boosters, will be enough to stop us from resorting to Covid Plan B, and the more extreme measures that dominated our lives for most of the past 18 months and ruined Christmas last year.
For decades, there has been a delicate peace off the coast of China. In recent days, that peace has felt at its most fragile, with talk of the worst relations in 40 years and murmurs about a coming invasion, a coming war on the island of Taiwan.
And a new pact between the Americans, the British and the Australians has heightened tensions like never before.
In today’s podcast, we speak to both our international editor Lindsey Hilsum and Dr Jie Yu from Chatham House about the ongoing tensions in the region, the history behind that fragile peace in Taiwan - and whether we are on the cusp of conflict or simply the start of a truly 21st century cold war.
Sources: DW News, ABC News, France 24
Just over a year ago, Belarus, known as the last dictatorship in Europe, saw some of the biggest protests in its history. They followed yet another presidential election where Alexander Lukashenko was the apparent victor, his sixth straight win in 26 years.
But this time the opposition was led by three, inspiring women, who not just challenged the president’s authority more than ever before but made many people in Belarus feel change was possible.
Today, our correspondent Paraic O’Brien looks at the past year in Belarus, what the effect of the clampdown by Lukashenko has done to the opposition movement, and whether recent events, from the sentencing of one of the key leaders to the infamous Ryanair arrest, show that real change is still a long way off in Minsk.
It's been nearly two weeks since the results of the German election came in. And still, Angela Merkel remains in post at the Chancellery in Berlin. With no knock-out winner in these elections, what type of government do Germans exactly want and what will they actually get? In today's episode, our Europe editor Matt Frei explains the 2021 election results that saw the SPD emerge from the ashes of 2017 and Merkel's party record their worst result since World War Two. And in an election framed as a climate election while the Greens doubled their votes, will their failure to not finish in the top two mean they have to dilute their radical policies to enter into government? And does that mean this is not a change election, but more a continuity one? Sources: BBC News, The Guardian
What does £20 mean to you? For some families, it’s the difference between the cupboards being full or empty.
At the start of the pandemic, the government introduced the Universal Credit uplift, an extra £20 a week for the people who needed it most. From today, that benefit ends.
In today’s episode, our Social Affairs Editor Jackie Long explains why the number of people receiving Universal Credit has doubled since the start of the pandemic, and asks what the ending of the uplift could mean, amidst rising costs of living and worries about a long winter ahead.
Can you remember the fear and confusion of January 2020? A mystery illness swept across the globe and governments scrambled to contain it.
Looking back, what did we get right and what did we get wrong?
Today, in his last appearance on The Fourcast, FactCheck guru Paddy Worrall will cut through 18 months of pandemic noise and lay out the truth.
What predictions were accurate and what early thinking was just plain wrong? And what has Covid has taught him about the world of vaccines and misinformation? Ultimately, are we wiser now than we were back then?
Sources: ITN, MSNBC
In its long history, there have been landmark, controversial Supreme Court decisions: Plessy v. Ferguson, Bush v. Gore, Shelby v. Holder.
Yet arguably none has divided Americans, defined the parties, and affected the lives of millions of women more than one particular ruling on the 22nd of January 1973: Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right for women to have an abortion.
Since then, those opposed to abortion have campaigned to chip away at that decision, in the hope that one day, when the conditions are right, they can knock down that ruling completely. Is that day almost upon us?
Today, Professor Mary Ziegler, the author of the book “Abortion and the law in America,” talks to me about the history of abortion in the United States, and about recent laws in Texas and Mississippi that could profoundly change the law of the land on this key issue for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Sources: CBS NEWS, MSNBC, ITN.
Panic buying at petrol stations has forced queues up and down the country and closed forecourts, with key workers struggling to make their shifts. The army is on standby to help out. And the trouble doesn’t stop there. There’s a global gas shortage that has forced prices up and caused UK energy companies to go bust.
In today’s podcast, we talk to Business and Global Trade correspondent Paul McNamara to explain what’s going on with fuel, gas and our cost of living. The government says this won’t be like the 1970s all over again, but will it?
Sources: ITN, BBC News, Al Jazeera
A few weeks back, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation made their recommendation on whether healthy 12 to 15-year-olds should get the Covid vaccine.
Yet the chief medical officers of the four nations made their own assessment and said it was best to give a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine to that age group.
Now that may seem a bit confusing, so our FactCheck reporter Georgina Lee is going to explain it all: the benefits and risks of vaccinating both children and adults with the Pfizer jab.
It’s been just over a month since the Taliban took Kabul. Some fled Afghanistan, not wanting to see what their new lives might look like. Others stayed out of choice or because there was no other option.
And there was talk of a new, reformed Taliban that's less strict and less restrictive of women's rights than the regime of the 1990s, but what is life like now in the new Afghanistan?
Kiran speaks to our international editor Lindsey Hilsum, who recently spent two weeks in the country to find out who makes up the new administration, what the future holds for women and girls and what life was really like in the last 20 years in the cities and countryside. Sources: BBC News, The Guardian
The perilous nature of our planet, our future, is evident.
A recent UN report said that human activity is changing our climate in unprecedented and irreversible ways.
So what can be done? Many catastrophes are here now. Others are already locked in.
This autumn is the United Nations Climate Change conference, when the countries of the world will gather in Glasgow to negotiate a way forward.
We talk to our climate journalist, Simon Roach, about whether this November really is the planet’s last best hope to stave off this crisis - and whether that hope will be met with real, concrete change.
Sources: CGTN, CNA, COP26, ITN
It was all going so well for the United States and Covid-19. Before the summer, vaccinations were rising and cases falling. It looked normal.
And then the Delta variant hit, cases rose, hospital wards began to fill again, and with all that, the death toll increased.
With vaccinations hitting a wall, with some governors refusing to impose new restrictions and fake news rife, President Biden introduced a vaccine mandate.
Our Washington correspondent, Siobhan Kennedy, looks at the summer of Delta in the US, the new policy from the Biden White House - and how this will play with a country where the party lines are even more rigid when it comes to the approach to Covid.
For more information on the Covid vaccine, read Factcheck.
Sources: CNN, NBC News, MSNBC, 11ALIVE, WPTZ.
There’s the impossible and then there’s the completely unbelievable. This past week has been all about Emma Raducanu.
We talk to the sports journalist and commentator Anne-Marie Batson about the young powerhouse that is Emma Raducanu, what she means for the British game and the game in general, as well as why female tennis players are such huge superstars compared to those from other sports? And whether Raducanu represents the young face of modern Britain - or whether that will add to the weight of pressure on someone who should be left alone to enjoy her career and her talent. Sources: Prime Video, Channel 4, ITN, ABC.
With ever more devastating hurricanes and floods, Miami is set to be transformed if not submerged: sea levels could rise more than 30 inches by 2060, putting over 100,000 properties by the sea at risk.
And so, some are already moving to higher ground elsewhere in the city. And that has its own consequences.
Today, reporter Kate Fisher details climate gentrification, where the rich move to safer ground and force other communities to bear the brunt of the climate disaster. Sources: CCN, NBC 6, ABC Local 10 News
Caution: This episode contains references to drug use.
You may know it as an illegal party drug. But there's growing research to suggest that psychedelic drugs could be used , in a clinical setting, as treatments for depression, addiction and PTSD.
Some clinical trials seem to show that these substances, when combined with therapy, can be effective for some of those who find antidepressants and other forms of therapy unhelpful.
But this is a drug that has had proven negative-side effects such as addiction and bladder issues.
Today, we look at one particular drug, ketamine, as the UK's first ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinic prepares to open, and our reporter Keme Nzerem meets one person who's found this treatment transformative.
Could this clinic mark a shift in the way we view psychedelics? Or is it an expensive, under-researched and unproven experiment?
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this episode, you can find information and support on our website: channel4.com/support
Sources: BBC News, ITV News, PBS News Hour, ABC News.
Black women report being dismissed and neglected by healthcare professionals throughout pregnancy, childbirth and beyond - and are four times more likely to die in childbirth than women of other ethnicities.
So could inducing pregnant Black women, bringing their birth forward early, address that problem?
That’s what one prominent medical committee, NICE, has proposed.
Today we speak to a doctor who says it’ll make birth safer for mums and babies, and a campaigner who says that early induction is not the solution to a deep and complex issue, rooted in racism and inadequate healthcare for Black mothers-to-be.
And a warning, this episode includes discussion about maternal death and stillbirth.
It’s 20 years since a clear, sunny morning in downtown Manhattan was transformed at 8:46am.
Four planes were hijacked on the east coast of the USA: two hit the World Trade Center. One hit the Pentagon, the heart of the country’s defence. Another went down in western Pennsylvania. It was a day that left nearly 3,000 dead.
It was a day that changed everything: from the way we live and travel and the threats we fear, to the global world order and modern terrorism. All of which still lives on today, from New York City to Kabul.
In today’s episode, Jon Snow takes us back to that fateful, generation-defining day, and recounts his visit to Ground Zero in November 2001. And a warning: this content contains distressing themes.
Downing Street has said the government will introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded indoor venues in England and Scotland from the end of September, subject to votes in both parliaments.
For some, this makes sense: a public health measure that allows us to return to normality safely, and perhaps acts as an incentive to get vaccinated.
For others, it’s a threat to our way of life, and as we have seen in some countries where they’ve already been introduced, people are angry.
We look at the pros and cons of Covid passports, and turn to Israel, a country that has been using a type of domestic Covid passport since February.
Sources: Reuters, DW News, News For All, YouTube: Clive Harris
For more than a year, Australia and New Zealand were sanctuaries away from the pandemic world.
But the Delta variant snuck in through Australia’s strict quarantine borders and called the whole strategy of Covid elimination into question.
With lockdowns affecting half of the population in Australia - and some tired of the endless cycles - the country has now shifted focus: Australia says suppressing Covid to zero is impossible and vaccinations will allow them to live with the virus.
But that shift has not been repeated in New Zealand. Jacinda Ardern has stuck to her original plan, believing strict and quick lockdowns combined with increased vaccinations can completely suppress the Delta wave.
What's next for both nations as they go their different ways?
Sources: Sky News, DW News, 7:30, 7 News
First it was Nando's, then McDonald's, and finally Greggs. Supply issues at major chains have forced a shortage of milkshakes and chicken, with the problems this summer seen as a warning of what's to come.
We speak to Business and Global Trade Correspondent Paul McNamara to discuss why there aren't enough lorry drivers and workers - and why the British workforce isn't queuing up to take the vacancies.
How bad could this all get? Could it damage our economy? And is this just the tip of the iceberg as we head for the winter months - with another Covid wave possible?
In China, women have had enough. There's a feminist awakening as groups challenge laws and customs, which they believe are entrenched in sexist ideas.
But as the movement grows, the ruling Communist Party wants to shut it down, labelling these liberal attitudes as contrary to their growing nationalist agenda.
Today, we speak to the reporter, Jessie Lau, who tells us about the women on the front line of China's feminist fight back and we ask whether the MeToo movement in China can prevail.
Sources: YouTube: TanWeiWei, DW News, CNN, ITV News
Italy was the first European country to feel the full force of Covid-19. The images of army trucks carrying bodies and of deserted streets in Milan and Rome were the first inkling we had, in Europe at least, of what was to come.
Antonello Guerrera, a journalist for the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, talks about how those scenes are embedded in the minds of Italians, forming a solidarity and caution that could mean they are more likely than others to embrace vaccinations and vaccine passports.
And do the recent sporting triumphs represent a redemption for the country, after the despair of 2020?
Sources: Sky Sports, Andrea Bocelli, CGTN, NBC News, France 24
Our climate is changing, and the consequences are playing out right before our eyes.
As the UN issues a "code red for humanity", Anja Popp is on the front line of our warming planet, reporting on floods in Germany and fires in Greece. In today’s episode of The Fourcast, she tells us what it’s like to witness the devastating consequences of climate change up close.
And our climate journalist Simon Roach explains what the recent IPCC report means and what, if anything, can be done about our rapidly warming planet.
If you thought the summer of sport was over, think again. It’s not just the football that’s back, it’s the Paralympics tomorrow.
But just like with the Olympics, with Covid cases increasing in Tokyo, there will be no spectators to watch the athletes.
Today, our sports reporter Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, who is out in Japan, tells us what we can expect from Team GB, who have finished in the top three in every Paralympics since the turn of the century.
We ask how much has the Paralympics changed minds in society about people with disability - and do we finally put these games on a similar level to the Olympics?
Sources: CNN, World Watch News
Afghanistan is once again under the control of the Taliban, 20 years after the US Army and its allies forced them into retreat. When Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of US troops, there were immediately concerns that this could all happen. And yet no one foresaw the shocking ease at which Taliban forces swept through the country, taking city after city, and eventually the capital Kabul.
We’ve been here before: when the Russians left in 1989, the Soviet-backed regime lasted just a few years. This time, the American-backed administration lasted mere weeks. Why was it so easy for the Taliban to regain control? And is this really a new-look Taliban - or is the future still just as bleak for the women and girls of Afghanistan?
In today’s episode, we once again chat with our international editor Lindsey Hilsum about where this leaves the West’s status as defenders of freedom and liberty, and we ask, what was the point of the last 20 years of bloodshed?
Last month, UNESCO stripped Liverpool of its World Heritage status, saying that developments along its waterfront were damaging the historic value of its docks.
The last decade has seen the Liverpool skyline transformed - with new buildings popping up alongside the famous Three Graces.
Yet the latest batch of modern high-rises and a new football stadium have pushed UNESCO to their limit - and yet the council are pushing on regardless.
This is about heritage versus regeneration, about trying to re-energise a city as well as ensuring the past is preserved.
How do you do that and please all sides?
In this episode, we spend time in Liverpool speaking to those on both sides of the debate to figure out how a city can become the perfect mix of the modern with the historic.
More than 75 per cent of adults in the UK have had both doses of the vaccine and more than 90 per cent have Covid-19 antibodies, either from infection or vaccination.
At the beginning of the pandemic, scientists speculated that around 60 to 70 per cent of people might need to be immune to the virus to hit the “herd immunity” threshold.
This is the point where so many people are immune to the virus that it can no longer spread through the population and goes into decline.
Clearly this hasn’t happened, as a third wave of coronavirus infection is still raging in the UK. Why?
FactCheck’s Patrick Worrall goes through the data.
The Pride parade in London: it’s all about inclusion, openness, community - a beautiful, vibrant safe space where everyone can be who they want to be.
But that has recently been called into question.
Pride in London, the non-profit volunteer organisation that controls the parade and much more - has been accused of not taking diversity seriously, of creating a hostile environment, and of bullying - all mainly towards people of colour.
And now that has come to a head with eleven volunteers resigning from Pride - resulting in five directors standing down, forcing the organisation to apologise and commit to reform.
Pride in London admit that they have not done enough for Black, Brown and Asian people, and say they are committed to being actively anti-racist.
Today, we hear from two of those volunteers who left - and ask what Pride in London needs to do to make sure it can once again be the progressive, inclusive face of the queer community.
Just weeks after the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have taken more than half of Afghanistan's around 400 districts. More than 1500 civilians have died. Thousands more are fleeing. And many young girls are being forced into underage marriage by the Taliban. Today, we speak to our international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, who has recently been to Afghanistan herself. We ask how close Afghanistan is to falling under Taliban control. We discuss what this means not just for the people of Afghanistan, but the geopolitical consequences as Pakistan and China look to assert control in the space left behind by the Americans. Sources: DW News, Sky News, NewsX, Republic World https://www.channel4.com/news/the-fourcast
A year later than planned, dominated by Covid concerns and with a Japanese population that didn’t want it to even take place, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have come to an end.
And it’s been another year of success for Team GB. From the swimming pool to the BMX track, from the diving board to the dressage, the four nations brought home 22 golds, 65 medals in total and came fourth in the overall table.
Since Beijing 13 years ago we’ve climbed up the medals league: 47 in 2008 to 65 in 2012 to 67 in 2016. In Atlanta in 1996 we won only one Gold medal and finished 36th in the medal table behind North Korea.
In today’s episode, our sports reporter Jordan Jarrett-Bryan takes us not just through the events in Tokyo, but the revolutionary changes of the National Lottery and UK Sport in the 1990s that has paved the way to Team GB’s success.
Sickle cell disease is a painful blood condition that affects thousands, mainly among those with an African or Caribbean family background. A painful disease that is not known by many - even healthcare professionals. The recent case of Richard Okorogheye, a 19 year old found dead in Epping Forest, has revealed the difficulties and discourse around sickle cell, the struggle of shielding for the past year, and the lack of understanding around this condition.
In this revisited episode, our Health and Social Care Producer Toby Bakare talks about living with the condition, how he has found shielding this past year, and about the shocking stories of medical racism where Black pain is not taken seriously.
Sources: Sky News, 5 News
Today we're looking back at a two-part series on Northern Ireland that originally aired in May 2021.
In part one, Paraic O’Brien looks at recent unrest, and explores how even though Northern Ireland’s youth weren’t around during the Troubles, the stories they are told strengthen the bonds of Unionism today.
And in part two, we discuss the impact of Brexit, the Irish sea border, and demographic shift which could see Catholics outnumbering Protestants for the first time in Northern Ireland’s history, throwing the future of the nation into doubt.
As some say the call for a border poll on a United Ireland is growing, what would it take to get to that point, and O’Brien asks: what would it mean to be a Unionist, if the Union no longer exists?
In this revisited episode of The Fourcast: Serena Barker-Singh spent weeks digging into a landmark report on race, commissioned by the government after the death of George Floyd.
Boris Johnson said this report was going to look at all aspects of inequality in our society. It was a big ask, but an exciting one; a race report to end all race reports, written by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.
In this three-part special, we hear her findings.
When England dropped almost all Covid restrictions nearly two weeks ago, people piled into venues and businesses and hospitality celebrated what felt like the end of the pandemic and a new beginning following the success of the vaccine rollout.
But for some with complex health conditions, it felt like it was starting all over again, leaving them feeling abandoned and unprotected.
Today on The Fourcast we speak to a representative of the hospitality industry, to ask if "Freedom Day" can save businesses on the edge, and a chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patient, who’s been forced to go back into shielding.
The Covid pandemic has seen NHS staff become heroes as they worked round the clock to save lives and ensure the system didn't buckle.
But the focus on coronavirus has left many patients waiting for surgery that has had to be postponed.
In the second episode of our two-part series on the NHS in crisis, we ask whether hospitals in England are going to be cope in the weeks and months to come when another Covid wave looks likely, and staff try to address an ever-growing backlog.
Sources: BBC News, Sky News
It's been an unprecedented year for our national health service, the first global pandemic to hit during its 73-year existence.
But is the worst yet to come? With a waiting list of five million cancelled surgeries and GPs flooded by patients wanting appointments. Can the NHS cope with the backlog caused by the coronavirus?
And what about those who still haven't even come forward with their problems or their illnesses? The roughly seven million who never made themselves known for fear of catching the virus, as well as for fear of putting added pressure on an under-strain NHS.
In the first episode of our two-part series on the NHS in crisis, we look at primary care and the GP practices that are trying to get back to normal when normality still feels so out of reach.
Sources: BBC News, Sky News, ITV News, IGPM
In the UK there is a general 24-week time limit to have an abortion. But if the fetus has a substantial risk of having a series physical or mental disabilities once born, that time limit does not apply. A woman with Down's Syndrome is leading a high court case to challenge these laws. Today's episode of The Fourcast is all about actor, presenter and dancer Reuben Reuter. He talks to Kiran about the misinformation and risks that stand in his community's way. Sources: RTE Radio, CBS, Benefit Cosmetics UK
Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury, Telford and East Kent.
Those are the names of hospital trusts where the failures in maternity care have been exposed. And now, sadly, there’s one more – Nottingham University Trust.
A joint investigation by Channel 4 News and Shaun Lintern at The Independent exposed a maternity service accused of bad care and neglect after dozens of babies were left with brain damage or tragically died. They found from 2010 to 2020, at least 46 babies have suffered brain damage and 19 have been stillborn at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust maternity units.
But this story of poor care of mothers and babies, one of repeated failures to investigate deaths of babies in maternity units, is one we’ve heard many times before.
So why do we keep getting it wrong?
Is there something fundamentally wrong with the way babies are born in this country?
Sources: BBC News, ITV News, 5 News
It was all meant to be historic. A once in a generation moment. 55 years of hurt no more. Whatever the result, England had finally broken that painful barrier and made it into a final.
And yet even before a kick of the ball, something was rotten around Wembley Way. After hours of drinking all day last Sunday, people smashed through flimsy fences, they pushed through turnstiles, they kicked, they punched, and they made their way into those hallowed seats. All without a ticket. And then after the defeat, the racism online. How did it come to this? That a summer of hope and joy could turn so ugly in mere hours? Today, we look at what happened in and around Wembley last Sunday - as well as what happened online - and ask what it all says about the English of today.
Many dream of owning a second home - especially as the workforce ditches the office, and people consider alternative living and working arrangements.
But what if your second home was driving up property prices, making buying a home impossible for local people, or endangering the language and culture of the area?
Our home affairs correspondent Andy Davies has visited towns in Wales where some say that second home ownership is a threat to their very identity.
Myanmar’s military junta has taken full control of the “blood jade” mines, worth billions of dollars, fuelling conflict in the region.
And as the Generals and other armed ethnic insurgencies line their pockets, migrant artisanal miners risk their lives in appalling conditions, toiling in the rubble of what the Junta leave behind.
Our Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Miller has been looking into the industry that’s been called “the biggest natural resource heist in modern history.”
Sorry to be a downer - but while the football is now over - Covid definitely is not - and is a month of sporting socials to blame?
For nearly three months, cases were declining across Europe. But not anymore.
The risk of a new wave on the continent is growing. Yet England is set to ditch masks and social distancing and will allow full capacity football matches.
That’s despite Japan banning spectators from most events at this summer's Olympics - and despite recent data showing that men in England have been more likely to test positive for Covid recently because they’ve been watching the football together
So was Euro2020 behind some of the rising cases in the last few weeks in Europe and what does the data say about how risky large-scale events are when it comes to Covid?
Despite rising Covid infections and the threat of new variants, the UK government promises when England exits lockdown on July 19, it will be for the very last time.
But is that a promise they can keep? And will vaccine boosters be the key that will lock the door behind us on the way out?
We speak to Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, and Stephen Reicher, Professor of Psychology at the University of St Andrews and member of the Sage subcommittee advising on behavioural science, about what the next few months could look like.
Sources: ITN, BBC
Last month an election happened that you might not have known about. It was for hereditary peerages in the House of Lords and it gave three men a right to sit in our Parliament for life. There were only 36 people who voted in that election. When Tony Blair whittled down the hereditary peers from several hundred to just 92, they were meant to only sit there for a few years. Yet here are, 21 years later, and nothing has changed. We speak to a hereditary peer, a life peer and a constitutional expert to understand why it’s so damn hard to try to change a House that is one of the largest parliamentary bodies in the world - only beaten in number by the Chinese National People's Congress.
In this exclusive investigation: a senior ExxonMobil lobbyist has been captured on camera claiming that the oil giant is using its power and influence to water down US climate legislation.
And not just that. In this Greenpeace UnEarthed investigation, exclusively reported by Channel 4 News, the senior lobbyist revealed that ExxonMobil secretly uses “forever chemicals” in some products.
ExxonMobil is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, and a major contributor to carbon emissions.
They say they’re committed to a greener planet, to having a carbon tax, and that they’re listening to the science when it comes to climate change.
But is there more to the story?
Today, our chief correspondent Alex Thomson asks if this dying industry could take the planet down with it.
South America's biggest country has been struggling with pandemic since the start. Brazil reached a grim milestone of half a million deaths from the virus.
And it's this number that's been written on signs at demonstrations all over the country. Some Brazilians have become so exasperated they're out on the streets, putting them at risk to the virus, to protest against the man they blame for this covid-19 crisis, President Jair Bolsonaro, a president who is known for craving alternative facts.
Matt Hancock is health secretary no more, after footage revealed he’d broken the Covid rules during an affair with an aide.
While he may be gone, he leaves behind many questions about his handling of the Covid pandemic, particularly when it comes to care homes.
Georgina Lee from our Fact Check team has looked into his past claims: did he really not have a list of homes in the country? Was the number of Covid positive patients sent back to care homes from hospitals really incredibly low?
And also: did he break the law or just Covid guidance during that infamous kiss?
These are the issues that will dominate a future inquiry - and Matt Hancock’s legacy will once again come under scrutiny.
Institutionally corrupt. That’s how the Metropolitan Police have been described after a review into an unsolved murder of a man called Daniel Morgan in the 1980s, a now infamous crime committed 34 years ago, that's still not been solved.
Our Home Affairs Correspondent Andy Davies has been looking into the panel's findings, which leave many asking, who can we trust when the institutions meant to protect us failed so badly in their duty?
Sources: Channel 4: Murder in the Car Park, ITV Wales News
Ghislaine Maxwell will go on trial later this year accused of helping convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein recruit, groom and sexually abuse girls under the age of 18.
Ms Maxwell has denied all of the charges.
Yet the question is why is this taking place in the United States given that one of the victims in Maxwell’s case claims the alleged abuse happened in London?
A new Channel 4 News investigation has more than half a dozen claims that young women and girls are alleged to have been targeted, trafficked, groomed, or abused in the UK by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, over a period spanning more than a decade.
And the Met Police was contacted - but decided to do nothing.
Girls being constantly sent nude images, sexist name-calling, harassment, rape, a climate of fear, an over-sexualised culture that has become the normality in schools across the country.
That's the conclusion of Ofsted's recent report into sexual harassment, which revealed that for some children, incidents are so commonplace they see no point in reporting them.
Our social affairs editor, Jackie Long, asks: how did we get here and why are our schools no longer safe spaces?
Warning: This episode contains reference to sexual abuse and includes distressing testimony some listeners may find upsetting.
Sources: BBC News, ITV News
The United States is set to make the 19th of June - known as “Juneteenth” - a national holiday. The day commemorates the emancipation of slaves.
It marks a shift in American society; of the nation recognising past injustices. And it comes shortly after Joe Biden became the first US President to mark the anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
100 years ago, the city in Oklahoma saw a prosperous Black neighbourhood burned to the ground and innocent citizens killed. There were no arrests, no justice. There was just silence.
We talk to the historian Dr Scott Ellsworth and Anneliese Bruner about those events - and the America of today.
Sources: AP, ITN archive, CNN