The Explanation

Donald Trump’s false claim that migrants are eating pets in Springfield Ohio will go down in history as one of the most memorable political soundbites. Jack Brewster, Enterprise Editor at NewsGuard, has traced its origin. AJ Bauer, Assistant Professor, at the University of Alabama, explains how it became a meme. David Rennie has been The Economist’s correspondent in Beijing for the last 6 years. As his posting comes to an end, he reflects on political and cultural change in China, and what it’s been like reporting from a country with ever increasing media restrictions. Parmy Olson, technology columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, has just written a book about the AI arms race and the battle between Google’s Deep Mind and Open AI. At the heart of it, she says in “Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race that Will Change the World”, is the personal rivalry between two men. Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Simon Richardson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

The Department of Justice says it has busted a Russian plot to recruit popular right-wing influencers to convey its messages. Maggie Miller, Cybersecurity Reporter from Politico, and Catherine Belton, International Investigative Reporter for The Washington Post, discuss the case and the evolution of Russian disinformation tactics. Also on the show, as the public inquiry into what happened at the English hospital where Lucy Letby murdered seven babies begins, what impact are conspiracy theories having on the ongoing reporting of the story? Judith Moritz, North of England Correspondent for BBC News and James Coney, News projects editor, at The Sunday Times explain their approach. Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Simon Richardson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

From Squid Game to The Masked Singer, some of the most popular TV formats of recent years have come from South Korea. InSoon Kim, a Korean TV producer, and journalists Lucas Shaw and Regina Kim, discuss why. Also on the show, Catherine Philp, World Affairs Editor at The Times, explains how she went inside the Kursk region of Russia with Ukrainian forces. Francis Scarr from BBC Monitoring, tells us how the offensive is being reported on Russian state media. Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Producer: Simon Richardson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

Pavel Durov, the CEO of messaging app Telegram, has been arrested in France. For an executive of a big social media company to face a criminal enquiry is highly unusual. Mike Isaac, Tech Correspondent of The New York Times and Steve Rosenberg, Russia Editor for BBC News discuss the case. The Onion, the satirical news website, is relaunching a print edition. Its editor, Chad Nackers, explains the appeal of a traditional newspaper. A Chinese produced video game, Black Myth: Wukong, has become one of the most successful launches ever. Keza McDonald, Games Editor at The Guardian and Frankie Ward, e-sports host and broadcaster discuss this - and other gaming news. Presenter: Ros Atkins Producer: Simon Richardson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

To many, we're living through a golden age of TV. But behind the rich offerings for consumers lie several growing structural issues, from a market oversupplied by streamers desperate for subscriptions, to the consequences of the US actors and writers strike, to a downturn in the advertising spend that powers the UK industry. Ros talks to Broadcast Editor Chris Curtis; Stephen Lambert, Chief Executive at Studio Lambert, Andy Harries, CEO of Left Bank Pictures and Claire Lundberg, founder of CTL Scouting; at the Edinburgh International TV Festival. And we talk to Nayeema Raza from Semafor at the Democratic National Convention where Kamala Harris is about to accept her party's nomination for President - all at a time when the candidate is refusing to do media interviews. Presenter: Ros Atkins Producer: Simon Richardson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

As one of the smallest Supreme Courts in the world, do nine justices fairly represent the diversity of views in the US? Host Claire Graham talks to the BBC's senior North American reporter Anthony Zurcher about how the ratio of republican to democratic judges has changed over time. The controversy over lifetime tenures of justices is discussed with no set term limits or mandatory retirement ages and we find out why historical court decisions are being overturned.Produced by Cathy Young for the BBC World Service.

In recent weeks parts of the UK saw violent riots fuelled by misinformation online and anti-immigration sentiment. Some rioters have since been sentenced using evidence from social media. Nazir Afzal, a former Chief Crown Prosecutor, and Lorna Woods, Professor of Internet Law at the University of Essex, explain how it worked. Many of you may have seen Elon Musk’s interview on X with Donald Trump. What impact will his political views and his content moderation policies have on the social media platform? Lara O'Reilly from Business Insider fills us in. And we learn about the art of sports commentary from one of the BBC’s Olympics commentators, Andrew Cotter. Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Simon Richardson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

Consisting of 193 member states, the United Nations is a global organisation which strives for peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet. Founded in 1945, it provides a forum for the world's nations to come together, discuss issues and find solutions, which transcend national boundaries. The UN has successfully ended conflicts across the world and has won the Nobel Peace Prize over ten times. However it has been criticized for the alleged abuse of power by nations, inaction and failure to prevent armed conflicts. So in a rapidly changing world – is the UN fit for purpose? Host Claire Graham talks to the BBC North America & UN correspondent Nada Tawfik about the structure, purpose and future of the United Nations. Produced by Cathy Young for BBC World Service.

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has led to the erasure of women from public life. There’s a UN-led campaign to recognise it as “gender apartheid”, but the international community is divided and lacking leverage. Three years after the group took the capital Kabul, our experts explain what life is like for half of the population and why women have become a proxy for the nation’s image of itself. Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Twigg

In parts of the UK, violent protests broke out after the fatal stabbing of three young girls in the English town of Southport – rumours had spread that the suspect was an asylum seeker. Maria Breslin, editor of The Liverpool Echo, Priyanka Raval, reporter at The Bristol Cable and Stephanie Stacey, technology reporter at The Financial Times, have all been reporting the story. Also , a development in the ongoing saga of the Netflix show Baby Reindeer. The alleged subject of the drama is suing the streamer in a huge defamation lawsuit. Now Netflix’s lawyers have fired back - and the court documents are every bit as dramatic as the show itself. Jake Kanter, investigations editor at Deadline, has the details. And what qualities do you need to be a journalist? The National Council for the Training of Journalists say the younger generation lacks confidence when it comes to tasks like cold calling and phone interviews. Presenter: Katie Razzall Assistant producer: Lucy Wai Producer: Simon Richardson