Latest news with #Americast
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Newscast Mass Starvation Warnings in Gaza
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 East Steve Witkoff is in Italy for possible peace talks. Adam is joined by chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet and Americast host, Anthony Zurcher to discuss whether there is a diplomatic route to a ceasefire. 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: Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@ or send us a whatsapp on +44 0330 123 9480. New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Anna Harris and Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producers was Grace Braddock. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Need some respite in these bleak times? These shows had me sobbing at my radio
Being an audio junkie, my ears are currently filled with little else but war. I tip my hat to the excellent, reactive work done by podcasts such as The Daily T, Americast, The Rest Is Politics (both UK and US) and The News Agents, who all may as well be broadcasting live, 24 hours a day at the moment. Yet while all and sundry on social media demand that you 'do not look away' from Gaza or Tehran or Tel Aviv, sometimes you have to. It was with some relief that I tuned into Moominsummer Madness (Radio 4, Sunday), the latest of Radio 4's delightful adaptations of Tove Jansson 's work, and the ideal way to mark midsummer. The plot was beautifully absurd, with a volcano causing a great tsunami to flood Moominvalley, forcing the Moomins to take refuge on, of all things, a floating theatre. You could look for analogies about refugees and displaced people and resilience in the face of oblivion if you wanted to, but why on earth would you want to? The world hardly needs analogies on those subjects at the moment. As the Moomins pootled about the flooded valley, fretting about marmalade and lost toothbrushes, the best thing to do was to switch off entirely and give yourself to the unsettling weirdness of a tale set in a land where the sun never sets. As with all of Jansson's work, it's for children and yet, at the same time, not entirely for children. There is a tweeness about the Moomins, and a childlike optimism that can be off-putting if you're not quite in the right mood, but there is always a darkness around the edges. As the volcano erupted, Little My (Clare Corbett) talked of children's toys being burnt, while she later enquired how Snufkin (Alex Waldmann) was going to 'settle his score' with the dreaded park keeper: 'What are you going to do with him? Hang him? Boil him?' The miserable Misabel (Rosanna Miles) sobbed at the water's edge as she pondered the beauty of the moon and 'all the sadness there is'. It's like Paddington having an existential crisis. The Moomins had no idea what a theatre was, so had to learn the hard way via a haughty rat called Emma (Naomi Wirthner) who declared, horrified, 'You don't know a thing about theatre!' I have heard countless Radio 4 dramas in my time, but rarely have I heard a production that brimmed with such life and vigour. And I can't recall a time when I heard a voice cast having such a whale of a time, particularly Samuel West as Moominpappa, who learnt all about the stage and decided that he simply must write a play (we've all been there). The script – adapted by Robin Brooks – was a gem. 'A theatre is the most important sort of place in the world,' said Emma. 'It's where people are shown who they could be if they wanted, what they'd like to be if they dared, and what they really are.' 'You mean it's a reformatory?' replied Moominmamma (Ann Bryson). On the other side of the world, where the sun has disappeared, they celebrated midwinter. There is no better way to mark this than by listening to the World Service's annual Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast (Saturday), which was marking its 70th anniversary. Began in 1955 by Donald Milner, the broadcast is intended for the few dozen hardy scientists and support staff at British research centres in the Antarctic. It is nothing more than messages from loved ones and a few music requests, but each year it somehow manages to make me sob. Listening to it, I feel like Misabel, overcome by the beauty of human endeavour and connection. They have broadband at the bottom of the world now, yet there remains something mysterious and romantic about broadcasting to people stranded, for 12 months, on a windswept rock. Cerys Matthews introduced the missives from the UK, aimed at Rothera base and South Georgia (including Bird Island with its four inhabitants – I hope they like each other), a patchwork of jaunty 'hellos', choked-up parents, proud grandparents, woofs and miaows, homemade poems and shanties, and private jokes. It's heartwarmingly nerdy and impossible to pick a favourite message: 'Nick and Anne say, 'Hope you're having a *cool* time'.' 'Please get rid of that awful beard, love Mum.' 'Don't get too hammered David.' The one that sent me over the edge was five words long. 'Hello son. I love you.' Between the Moomins staging some hammy cod-Shakespeare and the families of British scientists beaming their messages of love halfway across the world, the radio offered up a different perspective on humanity this week. It was much needed.
Newsweek
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Jake Tapper Pinpoints 'Big Tell' in Joe Biden 'Cover Up'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Jake Tapper, who has co-authored a new book about Joe Biden, has broken down what he thinks is a "big tell" that Biden's decline was being covered up. The CNN reporter, along with Axios journalist Alex Thompson, has written a book called Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. Speaking to the BBC's Americast podcast, Tapper gave some examples of where Biden's decline was clear and how it was hidden from the public. Why It Matters Biden's time in office was plagued with rumors about his health, which all came to a head during last year's election. His age and health were dominant concerns among voters during his time as president, but the 82-year-old and the White House dismissed concerns about his mental acuity. Biden ultimately dropped out of the race as the Democratic Party's candidate presidential candidate against Trump after his disastrous performance in their only debate. What To Know Tapper said a "big tell" that Biden's decline was being covered up took place during and after a fundraiser in Los Angeles last year, when late-night host Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Biden and former president Barack Obama. There was a "20-to-30-minute conversation on stage" that was "only meant to boost Biden" but "there is no official campaign video released to the public of that," Tapper said. "It's shocking that that would happen, but only if you were trying to hide something from the public," Tapper added. He went on to describe how, when some video did escape, some of which showed Biden "wandering on stage and looking out into the audience blankly," the White House insisted they were "cheap fakes." "The White House suggests that it was fake - it wasn't fake, it was real," Tapper said. Tapper also told a story of how Biden did not recognize George Clooney backstage. President Joe Biden, second right, and first lady Jill Biden, right, greet CNN event moderators Dana Bash, from left, and Jake Tapper following a presidential debate with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, hosted... President Joe Biden, second right, and first lady Jill Biden, right, greet CNN event moderators Dana Bash, from left, and Jake Tapper following a presidential debate with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. More AP "And President Biden had known George Clooney, he had met him after 9/11 and had meetings with him, knew him personally," Tapper said. "And Biden walks into this event and he doesn't recognize George Clooney," Tapper continued. "It's very obvious to people in this small group that George Clooney is not a face he recognizes. And his aide has to say 'you know George'." "And it's obvious to people there that he doesn't recognize him," he said. "That's a shocking lack of memory." Newsweek has contacted the Biden office, via online contact form, for comment. Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden has rubbished the book as "unoriginal, uninspired lies." It comes after a press release issued from Biden's personal office on Sunday said that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone. What People Are Saying Former President Joe Biden, on X on Monday: "Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support." Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden wrote on X about Tapper's book: "Just read a copy of this silly book, and if anyone is curious for a review from someone who lived it first-hand: this book is political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class. "The ones who rarely enter the arena, but profit from the spectacle of those that do. Put simply, it amounts to a bunch of unoriginal, uninspired lies written by irresponsible self promoting journalists out to make a quick buck. It relies on unnamed, anonymous sources pushing a self-serving false narrative that absolves them of any responsibility for our current national nightmare." What Happens Next The former president and his family are reviewing treatment options by his physicians. Treatment for metastatic prostate cancer typically involves hormone therapy to suppress testosterone, which feeds the cancer's growth. Additional options may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy for bone metastases, and newer targeted treatments.
Daily Mirror
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC flagship show in huge presenter shake-up as two new faces join the team
The BBC has announced the changes to the programme that runs throughout the week and they will start imminently The BBC has announced a presenter shake-up as two new faces join one of its long-running flagship programmes. Newsnight has undergone the changes which will see main host Victoria Derbyshire, 56, continue to front the weeknight show every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. However, Radio 4 presenter Paddy O'Connell will present the programme on a Thursday while Radio 5 Live host Matt Chorley will take to the airwaves on Friday. Former Times Radio host Matt will continue with his duties at the radio station and will remain part of the team of the popular podcast, Americast. Both Paddy and Matt have spoken of their joy at joining the programme as its TV ratings continue to rise following a change in format last year, reports The Sun. Paddy said: 'Newsnight is the programme I've watched since I was eighteen and I'm awed to be joining the team growing the audience with the cracking work of Victoria Derbyshire. "Ten thirty pm is now the breaking news hour for the new world order, and I'll be there every Thursday in a frenzied news cycle turning to the best guests as we're all looking for answers." Meanwhile, Matt added: "I'm so excited to be joining Newsnight, a programme with such an incredible history which has been reinvented by Victoria and the brilliant team in the last year. "If you've ever shouted at the news 'well what does that mean?' the moment you hear that electric guitar of the Newsnight theme, you know you're going to get answers." He added: "After spending the week skulking about in Westminster, what better way to spend Friday night than passing on all the gossip and intrigue I've picked up, joined by smart, funny and surprising guests?" Since Kirsty Wark departed the programme last July, both stars have fronted the current affairs show on an ad hoc basis. They officially start their new roles this month while Newsnight's Political Editor, Nick Watt, Faisal Islam, and Katie Razzall will still continue to appear on-screen regularly.
Scottish Sun
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
BBC in huge presenter shake-up as two new hosts join flagship show – and they're very familiar faces
Will viewers still tune in after the huge format change? ALL CHANGE BBC in huge presenter shake-up as two new hosts join flagship show – and they're very familiar faces A HUGE BBC show has undergone a presenter shake-up as two new faces join the flagship programme. Victoria Derbyshire, 56, is known for her role as the lead presenter of the BBC Two current affairs show, Newsnight. 5 The BBC has chosen to shake-up the presenting line-up of Newsnight Credit: PA 5 Victoria Derbyshire will be joined by Paddy O'Connell and Matt Chorley Credit: BBC Now, the publicly funded corporation has announced a massive change to the presenting lineup. Victoria will continue to front the show every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. However, Radio 4 presenter Paddy O'Connell will present the programme on a Thursday. Former Times Radio presenter Matt Chorley will take to the airwaves on Friday after he joined Radio 5 Live earlier this year. He will continue with his duties at the radio station and will remain part of the team of the popular podcast, Americast. Both of the pair completely gushed over the programme as its terrestrial TV ratings continue to rise following a change in format last year. Paddy said: 'Newsnight is the programme I've watched since I was eighteen and I'm awed to be joining the team growing the audience with the cracking work of Victoria Derbyshire. "Ten thirty pm is now the breaking news hour for the new world order, and I'll be there every Thursday in a frenzied news cycle turning to the best guests as we're all looking for answers." Meanwhile, Matt Chorley exclaimed: "I'm so excited to be joining Newsnight, a programme with such an incredible history which has been reinvented by Victoria and the brilliant team in the last year. "If you've ever shouted at the news 'well what does that mean?' the moment you hear that electric guitar of the Newsnight theme, you know you're going to get answers." Moment visibly horrified Victoria Derbyshire recoils as Gregg Wallace's ghostwriter reveals stomach churning Eton Mess sex comment to her He added: "After spending the week skulking about in Westminster, what better way to spend Friday night than passing on all the gossip and intrigue I've picked up, joined by smart, funny and surprising guests?" Since Beeb veteran Kirsty Wark departed the programme last July, both stars have fronted the current affairs show on an ad hoc basis. They will also officially start their regular duties this month as Victoria continues in her Lead Presenter role. Newsnight's Political Editor, Nick Watt, Faisal Islam, and Katie Razzall will still continue to appear on-screen regularly. 5 Victoria will continue in her role as Lead Presenter three times a week Credit: BBC 5 She will take to the airwaves on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week Credit: Getty 5 Both Paddy and Matt have appeared on an ad-hoc basis since Kirsty Wark departed the show last July Credit: Getty Newsnight continues every weeknight on BBC Two at 10:30pm.
