The killing of Charlie Kirk triggers shockwaves through the US, sparking grief, anger, and debate over politics, political violence and America’s future. On this live episode, Caitríona Perry, Courtney Subramanian, and Bernd Debusmann Jr discuss the killing of Charlie Kirk, reaction from across the political divide, and what it signals about the depth of polarization in the US. Every Friday, The President’s Path explores the state of US politics — in Washington and beyond. We dig into the key is...
Sep 15, 2025•26 min
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC’s unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses whether the latest political crisis in France is a sign of long-term decline, examines the reasons for the simmering tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, and looks at the ways in which Russia is trying to win over opinion around the world. Producer: Kate Cornell Executive Producer: Benedick Watt Commissioning Editor: Vara Szajkowski
Sep 12, 2025•26 min
Super Mario Bros reaches its 40th anniversary. First released in 1985, the Nintendo title redefined video game design and propelled Mario from a supporting character into a global icon. Keza MacDonald, video games editor at The Guardian and author of a forthcoming book on Nintendo, outlines its creation and cultural significance. In Russia, a state-approved messaging service called Max has been made mandatory on all new devices, while WhatsApp and Telegram face restrictions. Eva Hartog, Russia r...
Sep 11, 2025•23 min
Trump enters a new political season as Congress returns from its summer recess. Sumi Somaskanda, Caitríona Perry, and Courtney Subramanian look at challenges to his agenda. Every Friday, The President’s Path explores the state of US politics — in Washington and beyond. We dig into the key issues shaping America and uncover what’s on the minds of those closest to power. You can contact us at: path@bbc.co.uk Producer: Gregory Zhygalov Editor: Adrian Chiculita
Sep 05, 2025•25 min
France’s Prime Minister, François Bayrou, has called a parliamentary confidence vote after his proposals to abolish two public holidays triggered widespread opposition. The unrest has coincided with the emergence of a grassroots movement, ‘Bloquons Tout’, which began on messaging apps and is now pushing its message through social media. BBC News Paris Correspondent Hugh Schofield assesses how French media outlets are reporting the crisis, while Paola Sedda, associate professor of Information and...
Sep 04, 2025•23 min
Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington DC draws equal parts praise and concern. Caitríona Perry, Sumi Somaskanda, and Courtney Subramanian examine crime data, community reactions, and the politics behind the move. Every Friday, The President’s Path explores the state of US politics — in Washington and beyond. We dig into the key issues shaping America and uncover what’s on the minds of those closest to power. You can contact us at: path@bbc.co.uk Producer: Gregory Zhygalov E...
Aug 29, 2025•25 min
A number of publications, including Wired and Business Insider, have withdrawn articles initially attributed to a freelance journalist named Margaux Blanchard. Press Gazette first reported the concerns after an editor flagged a suspicious pitch. The true identity of the writer and whether AI authored the pieces remain unclear. Jacob Furedi, editor of Dispatch, and Dr Glenda Cooper, Head of Journalism at City St George’s, University of London, discuss. The new football season arrives alongside ch...
Aug 28, 2025•23 min
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for ending several international conflicts and continues to present himself as a global peacemaker. Sumi Somaskanda, Courtney Subramanian, and Bernd Debusmann Jr examine the president's efforts to broker deals in Ukraine and Gaza, his broader foreign policy approach, and how these initiatives align with his stated ambition to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. Every Friday, The President’s Path explores the state of US politics in Washington and beyond. We di...
Aug 22, 2025•25 min
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington for talks with Donald Trump and other European leaders. The timing coincided with Anushka Asthana’s first day as US editor for Channel 4 News, who describes her early impressions of covering the American political landscape. Meanwhile, independent Russian broadcaster TV Rain, operating in exile from Amsterdam, also reported intensively on the Washington meetings. Ekaterina Kotrikadze, news director and anchor, TV Rain, explains how the or...
Aug 21, 2025•23 min
Donald Trump will not be on the ballot in next year’s midterm elections, but his policies will be put to the electoral test. On this episode, Sumi Somaskanda, Courtney Subramanian, and Bernd Debusmann Jr explore how the President’s latest actions on immigration and economy could shape Latino voter behaviour in the 2026 midterms. Every Friday, The President’s Path explores the state of US politics — in Washington and beyond. We dig into the key issues shaping America and uncover what’s on the min...
Aug 15, 2025•25 min
Four Al Jazeera journalists and two freelance journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, prompting renewed scrutiny of press freedoms and the treatment of reporters in conflict zones. Israel claims one of the journalists, Anas al-Sharif, was affiliated with Hamas. Media rights groups have rejected the allegation, and questions remain about access restrictions and the role of freelancers. Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Oren Persico, staff writer at ...
Aug 14, 2025•23 min
From Texas walkouts to TikTok-savvy governors, Democrats are embracing a bold new playbook to reshape America’s political map. On this episode, Sumi Somaskanda, Bernd Debusmann Jr, and CBS News’ Caitlin Huey-Burns ask whether this more aggressive approach will work. Every Friday, The President’s Path explores the state of US politics — in Washington and beyond. We dig into the key issues shaping America and uncover what’s on the minds of those closest to power. You can contact us at: path@bbc.co...
Aug 11, 2025•25 min
A new Taiwanese television series depicts a fictional Chinese military invasion. Zero Day Attack has prompted debate over censorship, political influence and media independence. Chris Buckley, China and Taiwan correspondent for the New York Times, outlines the production’s background and the reaction it has provoked. A whistleblower leak of internal Tesla documents has led to renewed scrutiny of the electric carmaker’s safety record and corporate culture. The files include thousands of alleged c...
Aug 07, 2025•23 min
President Trump continues to air a broad set of grievances, from the Biden administration and Barack Obama to the media, autopens, and even windmills or paper straws. On this episode, Caitríona Perry, Sumi Somaskanda, and Bernd Debusmann Jr trace the themes behind Donald Trump’s most vocal complaints. Every Friday, The President’s Path explores the state of US politics in Washington and beyond. We dig into the key issues shaping America and uncover what’s on the minds of those closest to power. ...
Aug 01, 2025•26 min
A growing concern among digital commentators is whether artificial intelligence is irreversibly distorting the internet. Once a conspiracy, dead internet theory now reflects widespread anxiety about AI-generated content and its impact on online authenticity. AI-written articles, spam-like social posts and misinformation have contributed to fears that human-created content is being overwhelmed. Alex Hern, AI writer at The Economist, explains how user behaviour mimicking algorithms helped the idea...
Jul 31, 2025•23 min
From tariff threats and deals to controversial immigration policies and rising global tensions, Donald Trump’s first six months back in the White House have been anything but quiet. Caitríona Perry, Sumi Somaskanda and Bernd Debusmann Jr. explore the highs and lows of the first months of Trump’s second term and try to predict what lies ahead. Every Friday, The President’s Path explores the state of US politics — in Washington and beyond. We dig into the key issues shaping America and uncover wha...
Jul 25, 2025•25 min
In Epping, just outside London, protests have taken place near a hotel housing asylum seekers. While mainstream news outlets reported the story, a video filmed by YouTuber Wesley Winter attracted hundreds of thousands of views online. His presence - and the reaction to other journalists on the ground - has reignited debate over who the public trusts to shape stories like these. Wesley Winter reflects on how he works and what drives his audience. Agence France-Presse says its journalists in Gaza ...
Jul 24, 2025•23 min
Under mounting pressure from his own base, US President Donald Trump says he has ordered the Justice Department to release additional documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Pro-MAGA supporters and media outlets are now divided, torn between a grassroots push for transparency and a party leader eager to move on. Trump has even turned on his own allies, declaring that “some stupid Republicans, some foolish Republicans, have fallen into the net.” On this episode, Caitríona Per...
Jul 18, 2025•25 min
A legal order known as a superinjunction prevented UK media from reporting a government data breach that exposed nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate after the Taliban takeover. Larisa Brown, Defence Editor at The Times, recounts the legal constraints she faced and the broader implications for press freedom. A new ITV format blends natural history with reality TV by placing celebrities in shark-infested waters. Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters was produced by Plimsoll Productions. C...
Jul 17, 2025•23 min
Oasis returned to the stage in Cardiff for the first time in over a decade, drawing both fan excitement and media access concerns. While audience members were able to livestream from inside the venue, accredited press photographers faced time-limited licensing agreements on how long their images could be used. Andy Moger from the News Media Coalition and Metro’s Danni Scott discuss the band’s approach. During President Macron’s state visit to the UK, attention turned to the media's role in cover...
Jul 10, 2025•23 min
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC’s unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses US President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy in his second term, examines reaction in Israel to the country’s conflict with Iran, and looks at the controversial new project to create artificial human DNA from scratch.
Jul 04, 2025•26 min
The BBC’s decision not to broadcast a Gaza war documentary, later picked up by Channel 4, has prompted scrutiny over its editorial standards. The film, made by Basement Films, features testimony from medical staff in Gaza. Former Channel 4 executive Dorothy Byrne critiques the BBC’s stance. A live-streamed Glastonbury performance by punk band Bob Vylan included chants that Keir Starmer called "appalling hate speech", leading to a BBC apology for not halting the stream sooner. Chris Banatvala, a ...
Jul 03, 2025•23 min
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses whether the Iranian regime has successfully weathered the storm caused by the attacks by Israel and the United States, examines the state of the NATO alliance, and looks at the ferocious gangland culture of Cape Town in South Africa.
Jun 27, 2025•26 min
Iranian authorities are accused of targeting journalists at BBC Persian by intimidating their family members in Iran. Correspondent Behrang Tajdin outlines the psychological toll, allegations of harassment and surveillance in London, and the broader campaign affecting relatives of BBC staff, which the National Union of Journalists has called “proxy punishment.” Hong Kong’s diminishing press freedom is starkly represented by the case of Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily. The pro-democracy pap...
Jun 26, 2025•23 min
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC’s unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses whether Israel’s attacks on Iran could lead to regime change, assesses the effectiveness of the G7 in dealing with international crises, and examines what the consequences might be of a global drop in human fertility.
Jun 20, 2025•26 min
Coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict has been shaped by restricted access and challenges for international journalists. With few media outlets able to base reporters inside Iran, coverage often relies on external analysis, satellite imagery, and information that is difficult to independently verify. Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist, and Shayna Oppenheimer, Journalist at BBC Monitoring, discuss. Netflix’s new documentary “Grenfell: Uncovered” marks the eighth anniversary of the Gre...
Jun 19, 2025•23 min
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC’s unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses Donald Trump’s decision to deploy troops to tackle protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles, examines the impact at home of Russia’s war casualties in Ukraine, and looks at shocking evidence of life in Syria’s prisons under former leader, Bashar al-Assad.
Jun 13, 2025•26 min
The advertising industry is facing dramatic change, after Meta announced new AI tools that will let anyone make ads. Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital, and Alex Dalman, Co-chair of the Advertising Association’s AI Taskforce, discuss whether the industry faces an existential threat. Dan Snow is the TV historian turned media mogul, whose network History Hit celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. With a streaming service, a YouTube channel, and popular podcast, Dan reflects ...
Jun 12, 2025•23 min
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC’s unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses the impact of the election of a right-wing president in Poland on the country’s government, examines the long-term effects of the ongoing civil war in Sudan, and looks at the ongoing attempts by the Chinese authorities to suppress the memory of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Producer: Kate Cornell Executive Producer: Benedick Watt Commissioning Editor: Vara Szajkowski
Jun 06, 2025•26 min
NPR, one of America’s most prominent public broadcasters, is facing potential funding cuts following moves by President Trump. The administration alleges a lack of impartiality, prompting legal action by NPR to defend its editorial independence and mission. Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, outlines the organisation's stance and shares her plan for survival. The Hajj in Mecca has become a huge media event but reporting from it poses significant logistical and editorial challenges. With two million pi...
Jun 05, 2025•23 min
