The Fourcast

Channel 4 News

A podcast from Channel 4 News taking an in-depth look at the biggest stories from Westminster, Washington and around the world. From global conflicts to the corridors of power, we expose, examine and interrogate what's really going on with the people who really know.

Watch the episodes here:
https://www.channel4.com/news/the-fourcast

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256 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes256

Newest first

May 7, 2025 · 31 min
Will India's missile strike on Pakistan lead to all out war?
Pakistan has described India's missile attacks that killed more than 30 people 'an act of war’, but India says it was retaliation for a terrorist assault in Indian-controlled Kashmir. So is an all-out war inevitable between these two nuclear-armed neighbours. In the past the US has acted as a peace broker, but is the Trump administration willing to involve itself in another foreign conflict? To discuss this, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined from Delhi by the Emmy-nominated journalist Barkha Dutt who has reported from the frontline in previous conflicts between India and Pakistan. And also by Ayesha Siddiqa from the Department of War Studies at King's College, London. She writes extensively on the Pakistan military after serving as the country's director of naval research. Produced by Calum Fraser, Holly Snelling, Rob Thomson
May 2, 2025 · 31 min
The War Room Co host: 'Trump government need to be pushing more'
Ukraine has now signed a mineral and natural resources deal with the US perhaps taking President Donald Trump a step closer to fulfilling his promise to secure peace there. But now his National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz is set to step down. So what do the American public think about the latest twists in the Trump 2.0 drama? And what about the MAGA faithful? One person tapped into the aspirations and some anger, at times, of Trump's most ardent supporters is Natalie Winters. She is a White House correspondent part of the 'new media' in The White House briefing room, though denied a membership to the professional body representing Washington Correspondents. She also Co-hosts The War Room podcast with right-wing provocateur Steve Bannon. She joins Mat Frei in Washington for The Fourcast to discuss how Trump 2.0 is unfolding. Produced by Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson and Holly Snelling
Apr 30, 2025 · 42 min
How Trump’s first 100 days changed the world - China, Canada, Ukraine
Donald Trump has reached his 100 day milestone but he might not be celebrating quite so loudly after Canadians voted in a new government aggressively opposed to his tariffs and talk of annexation, and new polling showed less-than-glowing approval ratings. The President called it fake news. But if his policies aren't proving altogether popular they have had a major impact on America's system of government and global economics - though he has missed his deadline for stopping the war in Ukraine. By a mere 99 days. To discuss all of this, and what the next hundred days might hold on The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi. Produced by Calum Fraser, Millie Teasdale and Rob Thomson
Apr 24, 2025 · 28 min
Will Kashmir attack cause new India-Pakistan war?
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated following a deadly attack in a tourist hotspot in Kashmir, with Indian Prime Minister Nerandra Modi saying he will pursue the attackers to the ‘ends of the earth’ after they killed 26 people. With India blaming Pakistan for the attack, retaliatory actions between the two countries have ramped up. India has cancelled visas, excluded diplomats and suspended a landmark water-sharing treaty - while Pakistan has halted all trade. So, what will Prime Minister Modi do next? Could this attack lead to a bigger conflict between these two nuclear armed nations? And how would this affect a world already reeling from wars in the Middle East and Europe. To discuss all this on the latest episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Manoj Joshi, who spent decades as a journalist in India and most recently advised the government on reforming the security forces, and our Foreign Affairs Correspondent Secunder Kermani. Produced by Holly Snelling, Calum Fraser and Rob Thomson
Apr 22, 2025 · 26 min
How to take on Trump’s ‘unhinged’ politics | Rutger Bregman
With the world still reeling from Donald Trump's tariffs, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed the UK's growth forecast and says the global economy will see a "significant slowdown" - add to that, wars in Europe and the Middle East, climate change and the promise and peril of AI. So is it possible to find hope amongst this constant chorus of doom and gloom? One person who thinks they have an answer is Rutger Bregman, a progressive historian famous for taking on the Davos billionaires. He joins Matt Frei on the latest episode of The Fourcast. Produced by Holly Snelling, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson
Apr 17, 2025 · 39 min
President Xi or Trump - who's the UK's biggest threat? | Fourcast
Following President Donald Trump’s tariffs and President Xi Jinping's refusal to back down, the world is in a new era and the UK has a decision to make. Does it line up behind the US President and freeze diplomatic relationships with Beijing? Or, with an increasingly radical leader in Washington DC, do they switch their allegiance? What does the UK do about China’s human rights record? In a world of strong men hostile to liberal democracies, where does the UK go? On this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalisation, and Baroness Helena Kennedy, a Labour peer who was sanctioned by Beijing for her role as co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Holly Snelling and Rob Thomson.
Apr 15, 2025 · 31 min
JD Vance would back Trump third term, says close friend
President Donald Trump’s second term is almost at 100 days. Unlike 2016, he is now surrounded by passionate supporters and close allies. One key figure in the second series of Trump is Vice President JD Vance, a pure believer in the MAGA movement. On this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Dr James Orr, JD Vance’s ‘British sherpa’, self-described ‘national conservative’ and leading intellectual figure of the right. Orr is the UK Chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation and an Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge. Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Vik Patel, Holly Snelling and Rob Thomson.
Apr 11, 2025 · 38 min
'This is amateur hour': Joseph Stiglitz on Trump tariffs and China
Economic relations between the US and China are effectively over as the world’s two largest economies trade blows in a tit-for-tat trade war that’s brought the global world order into a new era. As Xi Jinping calls on the EU to join him in opposing President Donald Trump’s ‘bullying’, where does this leave the rest of the world? Is globalisation over? On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, former adviser of Bill Clinton and former chief economist of the World Bank. Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Simon Stanleigh and Michael Saliba
Apr 10, 2025 · 35 min
How trade wars can lead to real wars | Trump China tariffs
President Donald Trump has authorised a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for all countries except for one, China. The president slapped a bespoke 145% tariff on Beijing, effectively ending trade between the world’s two largest economies. What does this new world order mean for the rest of us? Where will this tit-for-tat trade war end? Will there be any winners? Or could it escalate into something much worse? On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Fiona Hill, who was senior director for European and Russian affairs on the US National Security Council during the first Trump presidency and is now a senior fellow in the Centre on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Rob Thomson
Apr 3, 2025 · 33 min
Will Trump’s tariffs cause global economic crash? | Robert Kaplan
Donald Trump has announced global tariffs on an unprecedented scale, holding up a chart in the White House Rose Garden outlining what each country will pay and while the UK seems to have got off relatively lightly, almost nowhere has escaped America's determination to bolster its home-grown trade and manufacturing. Even the penguins that are the only inhabitants of a chain of remote Antarctic islands have been slapped with a 10 percent tariff. Prices in the US are likely to go up. The global economy faces a period of chaos amid plunging markets. But is a trade war inevitable? And could it spiral out of control and escalate into something much worse? For this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by the American author and commentator Robert Kaplan whose writing examines the nature of US power, and Channel 4 News Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi. Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Silvia Maresca, Rob Thomson
Mar 31, 2025 · 39 min
Is Israel already enacting Trump’s Gaza plan? Israel's deputy FM
Benjamin Netanyahu has said his intention is to implement Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, while Israel comes under intense criticism after the bodies of 15 emergency workers were discovered dead in southern Gaza and the UN says they were killed “one be one” by Israeli forces. Sharon Haskell is from the New Hope party in the Israeli parliament and she is the deputy foreign minister in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government. She spoke to Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the latest episode of the Fourcast. Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Calum Fraser, Girish Juneja, Rob Thomson
Mar 26, 2025 · 31 min
UK Economy - How Bad Is It? The Spring Statement Explained | Fourcast Live
The Fourcast breaks down a huge day for the UK economy and British politics, as Rachel Reeves delivers her Spring Statement with cuts to welfare and a new forecast from the OBR slashing the UK’s prospect for growth. Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi and our Senior Political Correspondent Paul McNamara to explain what this means for you and explore the political fallout. Produced by Girish Juneja, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak, Calum Fraser
Mar 19, 2025 · 33 min
Russian ambassador to the UK on Trump Putin talks and Ukraine’s future
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have spoken on the phone for over 90 minutes thrashing out a deal to halt the bloodshed in Ukraine, and Russia has now agreed to a 30 day energy and infrastructure ceasefire as well as negotiations on the implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea. In this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Russia’s Ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, about the talks between Russia and the USA over Ukraine, Europe's attempts to provide security guarantees and what there is to stop Russia wanting more territory if it gets everything it wants in this negotiation. Produced by Mariaelena Agostini, Helene Cacace, Calum Fraser and Ka Yee Mak.
Mar 18, 2025 · 30 min
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill hundreds, Francesca Albanese reacts
The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has been broken, as Israel launched overnight air strikes on Gaza that Hamas says has killed more than 400 people - sparking fears the region could be plunged into all out war once again. Francesca Albanese is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and her opinions have sparked controversy in the past. Israel officially banned her from entering the country in February 2024 after she wrote in a tweet “the victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel’s oppression”. Israeli officials condemned these words as “anti-semitic” and called on the UN to “public disavow” Ms Albanese. In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Ms Albanese about how she came to her conclusion that Israel is committing genocide, whether Hamas’ attack on October 7th was an act of genocide and what the international community can do to stop the bloodshed. Produced by Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson and Ka Yee Mak.
Mar 12, 2025 · 23 min
Ukraine Russia war: will Putin really accept Trump's deal?
President Zelenskyy has signed up to Donald Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia and in return American arms and intelligence have started flowing into Ukraine again, but the question now is whether Vladimir Putin will agree to a pause in hostilities. The Russian President knows every KGB trick in the book and is likely to resist giving up territory and prisoners. How does Donald Trump get him on board for a peace deal that lasts longer than the time it will take Russia to regroup and rearm? So far the main Russian response has been another barrage of missiles targeting cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. For this episode of the Fourcast Krishan Guru-Murthy is joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum who is in the city. Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
Mar 5, 2025 · 31 min
Russia Ukraine: will Trump’s peace plan just lead to more war? | Timothy Snyder
Donald Trump has read out a letter from Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Ukraine is ready to negotiate and the president says he's getting strong signals from Russia that it is also ready for peace, but - if that deal boils down to Ukraine surrendering territory, American mining companies extracting minerals from Ukraine, and no security guarantee - is that real peace? And would a deal like that hold? In this new world of strong man politics, has Ukraine been bullied and Russia indulged? And what does all this tell us about Trump's new world order? In this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by the American historian and writer Professor Timothy Snyder, who's an expert on Ukraine, Russia and eastern Europe, having written highly acclaimed books on tyranny and freedom. Produced by Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak, Silvia Maresca and Calum Fraser
Mar 4, 2025 · 31 min
Is Trump sacrificing Ukraine to Putin?
Donald Trump has suspended all military aid to Ukraine, in another move that has shocked Europe, thrilled Vladimir Putin and Russia and dismayed Ukraine, but Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now reached out to the US president in a bid to heal relations damaged by the bust up in the Oval Office last week. Will it work? Will Donald Trump change his mind, again? And what does Vladimir Putin really think of it all? In this episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour and Professor Mark Galeotti, author of several books about Russia including his latest ‘Forged in War: a military history of Russia from its beginnings to today’. Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
Feb 28, 2025 · 19 min
Did Starmer get anything for Ukraine from Trump 'love-in'?
Keir Starmer has met Donald Trump at the White House but will his flattering words and invitation from the King be enough to persuade America not to turn its back on Europe and help Ukraine in its fight against the army of Vladimir Putin - or will President Zelenskyy need to give up all his country’s mineral wealth too? In this special episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined at the White House by Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon and International Editor Lindsey Hilsum. Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
Feb 24, 2025 · 25 min
Russia Ukraine war: can Europe stop Putin on its own?
As the war between Russia and Ukraine hits its 3 year mark, Germany elects a new government to join its beleaguered neighbours in trying to get Europe – and President Zelenskyy - out of the mess caused by an aggressive President Putin on its East flank, and an antagonistic President Trump on its West. More money, for more troops, actually on the ground in Ukraine? It’s a move most of Europe seems reluctant to make, but can the continent avoid catastrophe by going it alone? In this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by the former German ambassador to the US Wolfgang Ischinger, and the former Ukrainian deputy defence minister Alina Frolova Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.
Feb 18, 2025 · 27 min
Ukraine peace talks: what do Russia and US really want?
America’s Marco Rubio and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov have met in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine war peace talks. The US says a peace deal must be "fair, enduring and acceptable to all the parties involved" - not that all the parties - like Ukraine or the Europeans - were invited by Donald Trump to the first round of the talks. So what do Russia and the US really want to get out from it? And will Russia be brought in from the cold internationally? To discuss this on this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Bronwen Maddox, the Director of the international think tank Chatham House, and Channel 4 News’ International Editor Lindsey Hilsum. Produced by Silvia Maresca, Ka Yee Mak and Rob Thomson.