Today, we look at the new hate crime law in Scotland and the killing of three British aid workers in Gaza. Police Scotland say that comments made on X by JK Rowling about Scotland’s new hate crime law are not being treated as criminal. The author described several transgender women as men in a challenge to the new crime of "stirring up hatred" against protected characteristics such as transgender identity. But what does the new law actually mean? James Cook is joined by political...

Today, four of the BBC’s top political brains preview the local elections coming up on May 2. Adam and Chris are joined by Alex Forsyth and Henry Zeffman to chat about what they will be looking out for in the lead-up to the local elections, how the results could shape the political landscape for the general election and nerd out about a weekend of “rolling psephological fun”. Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam...

Today we look at the price of chocolate and why it has increased so much this year. Earlier this week the price of Cocoa hit $10000 per metric ton - the highest level ever. This is being felt in the price of Easter eggs, with some products going up in price by over 50%. Adam is joined by the BBC’s Faisal Islam alongside Professor Elizabeth Robinson, Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Associate Director for Responsible Business at the...

Today we look at the increase in sewage spills into England’s waterways and how the Competition and Markets Authority is trying to prevent ‘greenwashing’ by fashion companies. Adam is joined by BBC climate reporter Esme Stallard to help explore these two stories. BBC Panorama and Countryfile journalist Joe Crowley speaks to Adam and Esme about the amount of sewage in Britain’s rivers and seas. And BBC Newsbeat’s Pria Rai, explains why fashion companies are promising to change the way they...

Today, Adam discusses the news that 3.8 million smart meters in Great Britain are not working properly. BBC Breakfast Business presenter Nina Warhurst and CEO of Energy UK Emma Pinchbeck join Adam to talk about the customers who’ve received wrong readings, how suppliers should respond and how far the UK’s energy infrastructure is from being truly ‘smart’. And International Editor Jeremy Bowen is in Jerusalem and speaks to Adam about diplomatic relations between the US and Israel, following...

Today, the UK government has formally accused China of being behind what it called "malicious" cyber campaigns against MPs and the Electoral Commission. Adam and Chris are joined by The Spectator’s Cindy Yu to discuss what we know so far about the cyber-attacks and the impact this could have on the UK’s diplomatic relations with China. And Adam speaks to Wales’ new First Minister Vaughan Gething about the issues in his in-tray. You can join our Newscast online community here:...

Today, we’ve heard the chancellor commit to keeping the triple lock pensions system in place, if the Conservatives win the next election. It means the increase in the state pension will rise by the highest rate out of average earnings growth, inflation, or 2.5%. Laura, Paddy and Henry also discuss whether the government should be counting a drop in inflation as a win. And, the three of them discuss how traditional media is reflecting on its own role in the frenzy of speculation about the...

Today, security correspondent Gordon Corera joins Paddy and Laura to discuss the news from Moscow, President Putin’s address to the nation and some of the questions that remain about the attack. And, following the Princess of Wales’ video statement revealing she is receiving treatment for cancer, we hear from You, Me and the Big C host Steve Bland about how to support families affected by cancer. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere ...

Today we look at the news that the Princess of Wales has been diagnosed with cancer. In a video statement Princess Catherine says she is in the early stages of treatment after cancer was found in tests. Details of the cancer have not been disclosed, but Kensington Palace says it is confident the Princess will make a full recovery. The Princess's statement explains that when she had abdominal surgery in January, it was not known that there was any cancer, but she sent a positive message,...

Today we look at a long awaited report, which says women born in the 1950s affected by changes to the state pension age should receive thousands of pounds in compensation. The report suggests the so called Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women, should receive a payout of between £1,000 and £2,950. Some 2.6 million women were affected by the change in the pension age, and if everyone got the upper end of that, the government would face a bill of up to £7.7bn. Neither the...

Today, we look at the drop in the rate of inflation from 4% to 3.4%. Joining James Cook, are Faisal Islam - who’s come straight from interviewing the Prime Minister - and Dharshini David to discuss what it all means: for you, for the Prime Minister’s electoral fortunes and for the economy. And we discuss the latest twist in the news surrounding the Princess of Wales. James speaks to Russell Myers, Daily Mirror Royal Editor, who broke the story reporting an alleged breach at the private...

Today, Chris Mason has sat down with the Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves for Newscast. She’s given the annual Mais lecture to financiers in the City of London, where she set out Labour’s economic plan if they were to win the election. The Mais lecture is a prestigious gathering where chancellors, shadow chancellors and Bank governors have outlined their principles for running the economy in front of an audience of City financiers and economists. And, we find out about the shortage places...

Today, we look at the return of Banksy after a new mural appeared overnight on a building in North London. And we look at why some potato-sized lumps on the seabed could be so valuable. Crowds have gathered in Finsbury Park to see the latest Banksy, a green spray painted tree mural on an empty building. What is its message? And does the artist still have the appeal they once did? Adam speaks with James Peak, the creator of the BBC Radio 4 series, “The Banksy Story.” Plus, the dispute...

A senior cabinet minister has denied the Conservative Party has a problem with race after accepting at least £10m from a donor who is accused of racism. The Transport Secretary Mark Harper was talking to Laura. Paddy’s been speaking to Labour’s Dame Margaret Beckett - who first served under Harold Wilson’s government in the 1970s, and a youth parliament member Dev Sharma who said he’s no longer considering a career in politics due to polarisation. Henry Zeffman helps the two of them unpack...

Hear Laura’s full interview with Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer. In this wide-ranging conversation he reveals he and his sister suffered violent punishments at home - and, after weeks of speculation online around Kate Middleton’s health and whereabouts, he explains whether he thinks the pressures on the current Princess of Wales were more potent than those on his sister. If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this episode, you can find help and support here...

Earl Spencer tells Laura about the abuse he and Diana suffered as children… In his new book, A Very Private School, Spencer reveals that he and his sister were abused as children. Plus, he suggests that press attention suffered by his sister was ‘more dangerous’ than the attention online surrounding the current Princess of Wales. And Chris Mason is literally quizzed by Paddy and Laura about Vaughan Gething, who will replace Mark Drakeford as Wales’ first minister after winning the Welsh...

Today is the first day of voting in Russia's presidential election which is all but certain to hand Vladimir Putin another six years in power. Adam is joined by Catherine Belton, journalist and author of Putin’s People, and former British Defence Attaché to Moscow John Foreman. They discuss the tactics used to fixed the election, Macron’s failed attempts at diplomacy and how interested Rishi Sunak is in foreign policy. You can join our Newscast online community here:...

Today, we look at the prime minister ruling out a general election on May 2nd, the same day as the local elections. And we look at what extremism means after a new definition was revealed by the government. After days of speculation in Westminster, Rishi Sunak has told ITV News there won’t be an election on May 2nd to coincide with the local elections. Adam and Chris discuss whether this means the election will now definitely be in autumn, and why rumours of a May election had grown this...

Today, we look at the prime minister’s refusal to return a £10 million donation from a Conservative donor who reportedly said MP Diane Abbott “should be shot”. Plus are women who freeze their eggs being “misled” by some clinics? PMQs was today dominated by the ongoing row surrounding alleged comments made about the former Labour MP Abbott by tory donor Frank Hester. The PM said Mr Hester's alleged comments were "wrong" and "racist", but he told MPs his "remorse should be accepted". Diane...

Today, we look at the reaction to the alleged comments made by Tory donor Frank Hester as well as warnings from a watchdog that pet owners are overpaying for medicines. Adam and Chris discuss the reported remarks by Frank Hester, who has donated £10 million to the Conservative Party, after Rishi Sunak’s person described the donor’s comments as “racist”. Mr Hester's company said he "accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had...

Today we look at Lee Anderson defecting to Reform and the Kate Middleton photo that everyone’s talking about. The former deputy chairman of the Conservatives became Reform’s first MP. The party’s leader Richard Tice explains why he wants Lee Anderson in the party. Plus the BBC’s royal correspondent, Daniella Relph, and disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring explain what caused picture agencies to reject that photo of the Princess of Wales and her children. You can...

Today, we look at the highlights from the 2024 Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles. Oppenheimer was the big winner of the night taking home seven Oscars while Ryan Gosling stole the show with his performance of ‘I’m Just Ken’. Emma Stone won Best Actress for her performance in Poor Things and Al Pacino caused confusion with his announcement of the winner of Best Picture. Adam is joined by the BBC’s culture editor Katie Razzell, Radio 1’s film critic Ali Plumb and Emma Vardy drops in from the...

Today, we look at whether Labour’s plans for the economy are substantially different to the government’s or not. And we get an update on the Princess of Wales. The shadow chancellor told Laura she would be "methodically" looking at ways to pay for Labour's existing spending pledges. But Reeves did not rule out making cuts in some areas. So how different are Labour’s plans to the government’s? Adam and Laura discuss with chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman. And the first official...

As the dust settles on the spring budget, Laura and Adam discuss disquiet among some Cabinet members. And Laura reveals some remarkable Westminster gossip.... Plus, we reflect on Theresa May’s time at Downing Street, as she joins nearly 60 current and former tory MPs that have decided to quit ahead of the next general election. Would she have handled Covid differently if she was still in charge? You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere ...

Today we look at the announcement that Theresa May will leave the commons at the next election with two former close colleagues. Ali Donnelly, her former deputy spokesperson tells Adam what it’s like to receive a death stare from her. Former political adviser Cleo Watson says Brexit prevented her focussing on her real priorities. Plus two mayors of the North West, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram speak to Adam about how they want to change the UK’s political system. You can join our...