The BBC's daily news podcast, Newscast dives into the day's biggest news stories so you're never out of your depth.
Newscast picks the brains of BBC News experts so you're ready if someone picks yours, covering the latest news, developments in politics in Westminster and beyond.
Newscast is hosted by trusted politics and news journalists including Adam Fleming, BBC Political Editor Chris Mason, Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell.
You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.
Catch Newscast seven-days a week and watch on BBC One at 23:40 on Thursday night or later on BBC iPlayer.
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Straight off the back of the Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump hosted Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House as he pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine. The last time they met in the Oval Office, it ended in an argument in front of the world's media. It was a friendlier encounter this time, with Zelensky handing a letter to Donald Trump from his wife to the First Lady, Melania Trump. It was soon followed by a meeting of major European leaders, all of whom travelled to Washington ...
On this episode of Old Newscast, we look at how the Oslo peace process failed. Changes in Israeli leadership and disagreement on issues like Jerusalem, Palestinian statehood and Israeli settlements undermined the process and continue to echo today. Adam speaks to Jane Corbin from BBC Panorama and BBC Chief International Correspondent who were reporting during the peace process. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. I...
On this episode of Old Newscast, we go back to September 13 1993, when long term enemies Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister and Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO shake hands on the White House lawn. They shook hands after decades of violence and publicly acknowledged a peace process that produced a set of agreements known as the Oslo Accords. The handshake came about after a series of secret negotiations held in Norway, where negotiators from both sides lived together until they came to ...
The first face to face meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin since the war in Ukraine started is over, with Donald Trump saying “we didn’t get there” on a Ukraine deal, or a ceasefire. The meeting lasted three hours, with the US president insisting progress was made, and Putin saying he is “sincerely interested” in ending the war, but without giving details. The two leaders both addressed the media at the end of the summit, but didn’t take questions. In a special collaboration, Adam wa...
Today, all eyes are on Alaska where American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet. Face-to-face for the first time in six years and joined only by their translators, President Trump says he'll know within minutes if there is a deal to be done to end the war in Ukraine. Adam is joined by Lord Kim Darroch, the former UK Ambassador to the United States and former National Security Advisor, and Catherine Belton, Russia reporter for the Washington Post and author of P...
Today, we ask what happens next following the mass arrests of those demonstrating in support of the proscribed terrorist group, Palestine Action. Over 500 people were arrested on suspicion of breaking terrorism laws in London on Saturday. The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that those in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation “Don’t know the full nature” of the group. Joining Adam to discuss is the BBC’s home and legal correspondent, Dominic Casciani. Meanwhile, new GDP figures show ...
Today, we’re looking at a virtual meeting between European leaders and Donald Trump, two days before he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Trump said afterwards that Russia would face "very severe" consequences unless it halted its war in Ukraine. Alex joins to talk about the UK’s involvement, Ukrainecast’s Vitaly Shevchenko is with Adam in the studio, and Europe correspondent James Waterhouse is in Berlin, where Volodymyr Zelensky was wi...
Today, Adam speaks to the former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon. Ahead of the release of her new book, 'Frankly', Nicola Sturgeon reveals details her time in office, her row with JK Rowling over gender in Scotland, her relationship with Alex Salmond, and her sexuality. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.co...
Today, we’re looking ahead to Friday’s meeting in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, as Trump hints at a potential land swap to end the war in Ukraine. Trump announced the meeting last Friday, the same day of his self-imposed deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or else face more US sanctions. Meanwhile, European allies have rallied behind Ukraine in a renewed show of support, insisting that any peace talks with Russia must include Kyiv. Joining Adam to look ahead to the talk...
On this episode of Old Newscast, we look at how Vladimir Putin changed Russia, his relationship with the west, and what led to his war in Ukraine. Adam is joined by the BBC’s Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, and author and Russia reporter for The Washington Post, Catherine Belton. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/...
On this episode of Old Newscast, we look at how an unknown bureaucrat with a mysterious past unexpectedly rose to president of Russia. Adam is joined by the BBC’s Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, and Russia reporter for The Washington Post and author, Catherine Belton. They discuss how chaos in Russia in the 1990s allowed Putin’s rise to power, Boris Yeltsin’s surprise resignation and why Putin refused to campaign. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say...
Today, Newscast was recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe in front of a live audience. Adam is joined by James Cook, Scotland Editor, Des Clarke, Host of Breaking The News, and Ailbhe Rea, Associate Editor at Bloomberg UK, to discuss Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to take control of Gaza, plus how Keir Starmer has responded. Plus, they chat about JD Vance arriving in the UK for his summer vacation and Kemi Badenoch confessing to Amol Rajan that she exposed a classmate for cheating on an exam. And the cas...
Today, Newscast was recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe in front of a live audience. Adam was joined by the First Minister of Scotland John Swinney. We covered his meeting with Donald Trump, his plan for Scottish Independence and his policy on the Loch Ness Monster You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunity...
Today, Newscast was recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe in front of a live audience. Adam was joined by Kirsty Wark, former Newsnight host, and James Cook, Scotland editor and friend of the podcast. They chat about the BBC’s decision to air the new series of Masterchef, which was filmed before hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode were sacked, and Kirsty’s role in exposing Gregg Wallace’s behaviour. Plus an AI MP and what are the polls saying about Holyrood 2026? You can now listen to Newscast on a s...
Today, Newscast was recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe in front of a live audience. Adam was joined by Americast’s Sarah Smith and friend of the podcast James Cook to discuss all things Trump. They chat about what it’s like being part of the President’s press pack, why Sydney Sweeney’s jeans are so controversial, plus what last week’s Truth Social posts about nuclear submarines were all about. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to pla...
Today, Newscast was recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe in front of a live audience. Adam was joined by friends of the podcast Brian Cox, actor, and James Graham, playwright and screenwriter, who are putting on the play Make It Happen at the Edinburgh International Festival. They discuss re-imagining the 2008 financial crisis for the stage in Edinburgh, and Brian’s portrayal of the ghost of economist Adam Smith, plus the news of Storm Floris and Kate Forbes’ resignation as an MSP. Newscast brings y...
Today’s Old Newscast looks at the full effect the expenses scandal had on the British public. Adam is joined again by Chris Hope and Jo Coburn to assess its legacy, and why the story had such a lasting impact on British public life. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere New episodes released eve...
Today’s Old Newscast focuses on 8 May 2009 - the day that The Daily Telegraph publishes the first in a long series of stories about MPs expenses. We hear how the information that changed the way the British public view politics was leaked. Adam is joined by two people who were reporting at the heart of the story - former Whitehall Editor of the Telegraph, Chris Hope, and Jo Coburn - then of the BBC. This episode tells the story of what led to that day - disgruntled off duty soldiers, a ‘bunker’ ...
Today, a landmark result from the Supreme Court rules that lenders won't have to pay compensation to millions of motorists over car finance loans. The Court determined dealerships weren't duty-bound to act solely in the interests of their customers, overturning a previous judgement that ruled in favour of consumers. It was a long and complex verdict so Adam is joined by political correspondent Helen Catt and Theo Leggett, international business correspondent, to help break it down. And, Global s...
Today, US President Donald Trump has said that Canada’s move to recognise a Palestinian state threatens a trade deal between the countries. The news comes as US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. Canada’s announcement follows similar plans by the UK and France from earlier this week. So are the US now becoming increasingly isolated in their position? Adam and Alex are joined by Gary O’Donoghue, Chief North America Corresponden...
Today, a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia's far eastern coast has triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific. The quake struck near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula at about 11:25am local time on Wednesday (00:25 BST) and is thought to be one of the most powerful ever recorded. Around two million people were ordered to evacuate in Japan, Russia, and Hawaii - although many of those warnings have since been downgraded. Joining Adam live from Tokyo is Shaimaa Khalil, the BBC’s Tokyo Corre...
Today, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets certain conditions, including a ceasefire and a commitment to a long-term peace process. Adam is joined by Lyse Doucet and Alex Forsyth to explain the day’s events. It comes the same day as a major alert from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warning of "the worst-case scenario of famine” playing out in Gaza. David Miliband, the CEO of the In...
Today, Trump and Starmer have met in Scotland and held a joint press conference covering a range of topics from aid in Gaza and the war in Ukraine, to wind energy. The US President met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a golf course owned by Trump. Speaking as the two men met, President Trump said he was reducing the 50 day deadline given to Vladimir Putin to agree a deal with Ukraine to “10 or 12 days”. Trump also said a ceasefire in Gaza is possible and disagreed with Prime Minister Nethanyahu...
Over the summer holidays, we’ve brought back Old Newscast - where we pick big news days in history and look at what happened and the consequences. In this episode, that day is 11 February, when Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years. Former Southern Africa correspondent Fergal Keane joins, with his former producer and BBC Africa bureaux editor Milton Nkosi. Listen to yesterday’s episode to hear the details of the day itself. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If y...
Marking a significant moment in history, this Old Newscast episode delves into Nelson Mandela's release from prison on February 11, 1990, after 27 years. Featuring former BBC Southern Africa correspondent Fergal Keane and Africa Bureau editor Milton Nkosi, the discussion highlights the chaotic yet choreographed day, the surprise of seeing the formerly banned icon, and the profound impact of his first public address. The episode also explores the brutal realities of apartheid laws, the global reaction, and the geopolitical shifts, including the end of the Cold War, that influenced his release and subsequent negotiations, setting the stage for South Africa's future.
Today, Adam and Chris takeover the Listening Post at Latitude Festival in Henham Park to discuss the day’s news in front of a live audience. The government is under pressure as resident doctors begin a five-day strike in England after failing to reach an agreement over pay. The Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged them not to follow their union down a “damaging road”. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is arriving in Scotland for a five-day private visit where he will meet with the Prime Mini...
Today, we discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 100 international aid organisations say the population is facing mass starvation and call on Israel to allow access. A number of news agencies including the BBC have released a statement calling for Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza, expressing concern for their journalists “who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families.” Against this backdrop, Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle Ea...
Today, we look at protests across Ukraine after President Zelensky signed a new law which critics say weakens the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies. Demonstrations in cities across the country became the largest anti-government protests to take place in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022. Adam is joined by Vitaly Shevchenko, Ukrainecast host, and Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine forum at Chatham House, to discuss Ukraine’s history with government corruption and why th...
Today, Sir James Cleverley has returned to the front bench after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch reshuffled her top team. Adam and Chris discuss the changes to the shadow cabinet and whether they will help the Conservatives in the fight for dominance of the right of British politics. Today, their opponents Reform, led by Nigel Farage announced a Tory defection at the Welsh Royal Show. Plus, the UK government has announced a new deal with OpenAI to use AI in public services. The agreement...
Today, the long-awaited review of the water sector in England and Wales has finally been published, and it proposes the most sweeping reforms since privatisation over 30 years ago. Authored by Sir Jon Cunliffe, the report makes 88 recommendations, including scrapping the current regulator, Ofwat, and introducing stronger environmental regulation. Adam and Chris are joined by the BBC’s business editor, Simon Jack, to unpack the findings of the 465-page report. Meanwhile, the UK and over 20 other ...
