The Today Podcast

Tensions between Washington and Beijing threaten the global economy, but could it escalate into a more serious conflict?

Nick is joined by former spy Nigel Inkster, now a senior advisor on China and Cybersecurity at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, to discuss whether it risks becoming a new Cold War (2:25).

They also talk about what Chinese President Xi Jinping wants (8:31), his desire to achieve “reunification” wit...

The president has paused the introduction of higher tariffs on goods from most countries, but continues to ramp up the trade war with China.

What caused the change of heart? Nick speaks to the BBC’s Economics Editor Faisal Islam. (2:19)

And before the news about the pause on those tariffs broke Nick was joined by Carla Sands, a former economic advisor to Donald Trump who was US Ambassador to Denmark, to find out what he is trying to...

Marine Le Pen has been convicted of embezzling EU funds, potentially ruining her plans to run for the French presidency in 2027.

Marine Le Pen was seen as the frontrunner to replace Emmanuel Macron at that election so the judge’s decision to ban her from standing for public office for the next five years has led to a backlash from her supporters and right-wing European allies.

Nick and Amol talk to Yascha Mounk, an expert on populism...

Messages accidentally sent to a journalist by senior members of the Trump administration reveal information about strikes on the Houthis in Yemen and what Vice President JD Vance privately thinks about America’s European allies. Nick and Amol talk to James Orr, who Vance once described as his “British sherpa”, about the vice president's views and how much influence he has on President Trump (7:12).

And after a huge response to last ...

Adolescence has sparked fresh discussion about the impact social media and misogynistic influencers have on young boys, so we thought you’d like to hear Amol’s full interview with Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty.

He spoke to them before the series was released about what inspired Stephen to make it, the issues it raises, Owen Cooper’s standout performance and how each episode was filmed in one-shot.

And make sure you listen to this w...

A series about a teenage boy who is accused of murdering a girl from his school was the most watched show on Netflix last weekend. Meanwhile the former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has said that he fears young men are spending too much time gaming, gambling and watching porn.

Amol spoke to Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty, who star in the Netflix series, and in this episode of The Today Podcast he delves deeper into what it m...

Voters seem to be giving Keir Starmer a bit of credit for the role he has been playing on the world stage, so is it a sign that the prime minister is getting better at politics?

Former Labour cabinet minister Lord Blunkett tells Amol what he makes of the prime minister’s recent performance, why he thinks the government is right to cut the welfare budget and what lessons it could learn from Alastair Campbell about spin (2:15).

Amol al...

In the first six weeks of his second term Donald Trump has rewritten US foreign policy, fractured the Nato alliance, dismantled parts of the US government and signed various presidential orders on everything from border security to diversity programmes.

In this episode Nick and Amol are joined by Brian Klaas, professor of global politics at University College London and a writer for The Atlantic magazine, who thinks Trump is underm...

Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement that he is increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP has defence experts taking a sigh of relief, whilst humanitarian workers are left despairing. Nick and Amol are joined by former US military strategist Rachel Ellehuus, the new director general of defence think-tank RUSI, to explore how the UK – and Europe – will contain Russia without so much American support.

Plus, Theresa May’s former chief of...

Donald Trump has accused Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky of being a “dictator” and doing a “terrible job”.

After a week in which the US President brought Russia's Vladimir Putin in from the cold, Nick is joined by the BBC’s former diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall and the former UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt.

What do they make of Trump appearing to blame Kyiv for the war? And how should Keir Starmer respond?

To get Am...

New research has found that young people seem to be disillusioned with life in Britain, so Amol (Millennial) and Nick (Baby Boomer) are joined by Labour MP Nadia Whittome (Generation Z) and former Conservative minister Lord Willetts (Baby Boomer) to discuss why that might be - and what can be done about it.

And Nick explains how he discovered that his X/Twitter account had been hacked after a tweet was posted saying that he and the ...

The prime minister has rejected the idea that Britain will have to choose between Brussels and Washington, but with the US president threatening the European Union and other allies with tariffs, how should Keir Starmer deal with him?

And what should he do about Donald Trump saying he wants the US to “take over” Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East”, which would mean resettling the almost two million Palestinians who...

From his childhood in Seattle to the current state of the world and the alliance between President Trump and the billionaire owner of X, Bill Gates joins Amol for an extended interview about his new memoir, Source Code.

Reflecting on his life, Gates describes childhood adventures with friends, what it was like founding Microsoft and explains the key qualities he looks for in budding entrepreneurs. Together Amol and Gates discuss the...

The Chancellor has backed the expansion of Heathrow and picked a fight with bats in her pursuit of economic growth. Nick is joined by fellow Today presenter Justin Webb to talk about his interview with Rachel Reeves on Thursday morning’s Today programme.

They discuss her new approach, whether Keir Starmer's government is taking a leaf out of Donald Trump’s book and why political interviews are much better face-to-face.

To get Amol an...

Nick reports from Jerusalem on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and Amol is joined by the former head of MI6 to talk about global security now that Donald Trump is back in the White House. Sir Alex Younger, who was Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service from 2014 until 2020, explains why he thinks we are “moving into the era of the deal” and why that makes the world “more hazardous”. To get Amol and Nick's take on ...

After Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States he immediately set about signing executive orders on everything from immigration to climate change so in this episode we answer your questions.

Amol and Nick are joined from Washington DC by fellow Today presenter Justin Webb to discuss the return of the Make America Great Again agenda, whether President Trump could still be prosecuted for alleged crimes afte...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she will go ‘further and faster’ in the search for economic growth after a week of market turbulence that pushed up the cost of government borrowing.

Nick and Amol are joined by Today business presenter Sean Farrington to explain what bonds and gilts are and why they matter so much. They also talk to Paul Mason, former economics editor and Labour Party supporter, about what Rachel Reeves could do next.

T...

After listener Margaret got in touch asking about Steve Rosenberg’s life in Moscow as the BBC’s Russia Editor, Nick and Amol sat down with him to find out how the country has changed over the years that he has lived there and what it’s like reporting from Russia now.

They talk about the challenges he faces, how he reports impartially and accurately on Vladimir Putin, how he relaxes and what it was like playing the piano for Mikhail ...

The billionaire owner of X has made misleading claims about Keir Starmer’s handling of the grooming gangs scandal and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has announced the end of independent fact-checking on Meta’s platforms in the US. The move comes as Zuckerberg and other tech executives seek to improve relations with US President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office later this month.

In this episode Amol and Nick talk to Vivian Schill...