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BBC World Service

Where the world and America meet. Every weekday, this is The Global Story.

The world is changing. Decisions made in the US and by the second Trump administration are accelerating that change. But they are also a symptom of it.

With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption.

The Global Story

On Monday President Trump and the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference in which they made extraordinary new claims about autism. They suggested a potential link between the use of Tylenol during pregnancy and the development of autism. They also advocated spacing out childhood vaccinations.

The two men's interest in the link between vaccines and autism goes back decades but these claims did not originate in the US. They trace back to the UK in 1998, when disgraced former doctor Andrew Wakefield first published his now-debunked theory linking MMR vaccines to autism cases in children.

Today on the Global Story science journalist Adam Rutherford explains how the Wakefield vaccine conspiracy became the biggest medical disinformation disaster in recent history, and how these ideas found fertile ground in the Trump administration.

Producers: Viv Jones, Valerio Esposito
Executive producer: Annie Brown, James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: President Donald Trump, in front of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., delivers remarks linking autism to childhood vaccines and to the use of popular pain medication Tylenol for pregnant women and children, claims which are not backed by decades of science, at the White House. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The disgraced UK doctor behind autism misinformation

On Tuesday night, Donald Trump signalled a drastic U-turn in his position on Ukraine, claiming in a Truth Social post that Kyiv could win the war against Russia, and take back all the land it has lost. The Kremlin was quick to dismiss his assertion, saying it has, “no alternative” but to continue its offensive. 

So, is this just another rhetorical turn from the US president, or has something materially changed in Ukraine’s favour? Vitaly Shevchenko, Russia editor for BBC Monitoring, joins us to discuss. 

Producers: Hannah Moore and Valerio Esposito
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Why is Trump suddenly saying Ukraine can win the war?

Heads of state and high-level diplomats have descended on New York to attend the 80th annual United Nations General Assembly. During a meandering address, President Trump railed against immigration and green energy, claimed credit for a spate of recent diplomatic victories, and questioned the legitimacy of the UN as an institution. How right is the president about the diminishing power of the UN? And what is his vision for a path forward?

Today, Asma reports from the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where she speaks to BBC Diplomatic Correspondent James Landale and BBC New York Correspondent for the United Nations Nada Tawfik.

Producers: Samantha Chantarasak and Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: Annie Brown
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Editor: China Collins

(Photo: Donald Trump speaks during the general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Credit: Sarah Yenesel/EPA/Shutterstock)

Trump asks: What’s the purpose of the UN?

Apple is promising to make more products in the US, backed by a $600bn investment over the next four years. But after decades of relying on Chinese manufacturing that promise is going to be tough to keep. 
Today we’re joined by journalist and author Patrick McGee to discuss whether Apple can navigate the demands of Donald Trump’s America First agenda and disentangle itself from a made-in-China business model. 
Producers: Hannah Moore and Aron Keller
Executive producers: James Shield and Annie Brown 
Mix: Nicky Edwards, Travis Evans 
Senior news editor: China Collins
Picture: Apple CEO Tim Cook in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 9, 2025. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo

Can Apple cut ties with China?

World leaders are currently gathered at the United Nations in New York for the annual General Assembly. This year, the future of the Palestinian territories hangs in the balance: several nations like the UK, France, Canada, and Australia are formally recognising the state of Palestine for the first time. The Trump administration strongly opposes the move, warning that it could embolden Hamas and provoke Israel into annexing the West Bank.

How did some of Israel and America’s staunchest allies decide that the time is right to recognise a Palestinian state? We speak to BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams who has spent years reporting from the Middle East.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Viv Jones
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: Members of the U.N. Security Council vote on a draft resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 18, 2025. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Britain, Canada and others are recognising a Palestinian state. Why now?

At the height of the cold war in the 1970s, the Soviet Union set up an international song contest to rival Eurovision. It was called Intervision, and like its western counterpart, featured a bevy of cheesy songs, sequins and highly flammable outfits – albeit with a different political message. 

Intervision burned bright and fast – disappearing long before the fall of the Berlin Wall. But this weekend, with Russia still exiled from the Eurovision Song Contest because of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is reviving the competition, and the USA is due to compete. 

In today’s episode, BBC Moscow correspondent and Eurovision superfan Steve Rosenberg explores the intertwined histories of Eurovision and Intervision, and the politics behind Putin’s decision. 

Producers: Hannah Moore and Valerio Esposito 
Executive producer: Annie Brown 
Sound engineer: Travis Evans 
Editor: China Collins

(Photo: The international music contest Intervision at Zaryadye Park in Moscow. Credit: Maxim Shipenkov/EPA/Shutterstock)

Putin’s new Eurovision

President Trump is in the UK on a State visit, where he’s been hosted by the royal family and is set to meet with Prime Minister Starmer.

The two leaders appear to have a strong relationship. But there's one big issue that’s become a sticking point between them.

Increasingly, free speech in the United Kingdom is a hot button rallying cry among the conservatives in the United States. Why have Republicans in America become so obsessed with free speech across the Atlantic? Especially when a crackdown on speech is kicking off at home.

This programme includes language which some listeners find offensive.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Viv Jones and Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: Annie Brown and James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: US President Donald Trump on second State Visit to the UK. Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA

Credit: Father Ted/Hat Trick Productions/Channel 4

Why Trumpworld is obsessed with free speech in Britain

On Tuesday, as Israel launched its long-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza City, a United Nations commission of inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as "distorted and false". 

The report is a major moment in the ongoing debate over whether the situation in Gaza meets the legal definition of a genocide. We speak with BBC Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes about the evidence. 

Producers: Viv Jones, Xandra Ellin 
Executive producer: James Shield 
Mix: Travis Evans 
Senior news editor: China Collins 

Image: Displaced Palestinians evacuate Gaza City. Mahmoud Issa/ Reuters

Israel accused of genocide as Gaza City offensive begins

The assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk shocked America and exposed the depth of its political divides. Since a suspect has been arrested, the search for clear motive has only become more complicated. 

In today’s episode, the BBC’s Social Media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring examines the meaning of the inscriptions on the bullet casings associated with the murder. The markings take us into the dark corners of the internet, but what do they tell us about why Charlie Kirk was killed?

Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Aron Keller and Lucy Pawle 
Executive producer: Annie Brown
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: Utah Governor Spencer Cox. Cheney Orr/Reuters

The dark memes behind Charlie Kirk’s murder

France is in political turmoil. President Emmanuel Macron has just appointed his fifth prime minister in two years. But it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to form a government. There are calls for Macron's resignation amid nationwide protests and shutdowns. He is running out of options. Waiting in the wings is Marine Le Pen, whose far-right National Rally party has surged in popularity and seems poised to take power. On Sunday at a rally in Bordeaux, she repeated calls for new national elections. 

So how did this party, with its controversial history, rehabilitate its image? And what would the first far-right government since World War Two mean not just for France, but for Europe and the rest of the world?

Producers: Lucy Pawle, Sam Chantarasak
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: Marine Le Pen. Yoan Valat/EPA/Shutterstock

Why France might soon have a far-right government

President Xi Jinping said humanity faces "a choice between peace and war” as China paraded a huge arsenal of weapons – including nuclear missiles – in Beijing yesterday. 
 
Xi's military parade, watched over by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, seemed a provocation to the west – most notably, Donald Trump – and a signal of his will to redraw the world order, lessening China’s reliance on the US. 
 
In today's episode, the BBC's Celia Hatton considers: how long will China's friendships last with world leaders who have for years been its rivals? 
 
Producers: Hannah Moore and Lucy Pawle 
Executive Producer: James Shield 
Mix: Travis Evans 
Senior News Editor: China Collins

Image: Xi Jingping at a WW2 anniversary reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Florence Lo/Reuters

Xi’s axis of frenemies

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