Gaza: 20 reported dead in Israeli hospital attack

Summary

Global News Podcast — August 25, 2025

Host: Valerie Sanderson (BBC World Service)
Main stories: Israeli strike on Gaza hospital; Ukraine’s war front; Sudan’s Darfur violence; Vietnam typhoon; US troop deployment in DC; Mushroom poisoning case in Australia; Virginia Giuffre memoir; Death of Jerry Adler

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Overview

This episode presents urgent global news, focusing on the deadly Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza—killing at least 20, including journalists. It also covers the struggle for Donbas in Ukraine, ethnic violence in Sudan, Typhoon Kajiki in Vietnam, US troop deployment in Washington DC, the high-profile mushroom poisoning trial in Australia, the upcoming Virginia Giuffre memoir, and the passing of actor Jerry Adler. The podcast brings eyewitness accounts, expert analysis, and direct reporting from correspondents around the world.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Hospital

• [00:38-03:32]
  • At least 20 killed, including international journalists, in Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital, Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
  • Eyewitness Fadi Umar: Describes scene as “a new horrific crime,” suggesting journalists filming atop the hospital were targeted by a drone.
  • Israeli military confirms the strike in the area, stating regret for harm to uninvolved people and denying specifically targeting journalists.
  • Journalists killed:
    • Hossam al Masri (Reuters cameraman)
    • Mariam Odaka (Associated Press)
    • Mohamed Salameh (Al Jazeera)
  • Rescue worker also among the dead.
  • Notable quote:

    "The journalists were targeted by a drone. Journalists were taking their usual photos from the top of Nasser Hospital." — Fadi Umar, aid worker ([01:57])

Tensions Over Gaza Ceasefire Proposal

• [03:32-05:21]
  • Israeli military chief urges PM Netanyahu to accept ceasefire/Hamas hostage deal.
  • “Israeli military fears that going into Gaza City...endanger(s) the lives of the remaining hostages.” — Yolande Nel ([04:22])
  • Hostage support groups and most Israelis demanding ceasefire and hostage release.

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2. Frontline Report from Ukraine

• [05:21-11:57]
  • Only 30% of Donbas remains under Kyiv control; bloody fighting continuing.
  • U.S. pressure for possible land swap peace talks; Zelensky resists.
  • Quentin Somerville reports from Dobropilia: chaotic evacuations, Russian attacks on convoys, and destroyed neighborhoods loved and lost by residents.
  • Notable quote (evacuee Alexander, aged 80):

    "Sleepless nights... it bangs all night long. Every time I hear that, I must take shelter and then, you know, it's terrifying. Yes, I'm old, but I still want to live." ([08:24])

  • Medical stabilization point: half of soldier injuries from drones, many gunshot wounds; surge in badly wounded.
  • Senior Lieutenant Dima (surgeon):

    “In civilian medicine, we have time, we can think. Here, we don’t have time. We have to do something to save the life, and that’s it.” ([10:40]) "Tens of thousands of Ukrainian men have died for Donbas. Is it worth it? ...Yes, I think it is. Because it’s our country, it’s our land, and it’s our freedom." ([11:02])

  • Ongoing Russian slow advances, high casualties — a factor in negotiation calculus.

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3. Sudan: Darfur Civilians Killed and Food Crisis

• [11:57-14:57]
  • Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue ethnic cleansing in Darfur; at least a dozen civilians, including five children, killed fleeing Al Fasher.
  • Humanitarian blockade in South Kordofan and Darfur; true death and starvation figures believed to be higher than reported.
  • Dr. Mohammed Faisal Hassan (Sudan Doctors Network):

    “We believe the actual numbers are far more than whatever is being published... their local food ... isn’t enough. That’s why the numbers of malnutrition and mortalities are very uprising at this stage.” ([13:08-14:57])

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4. Typhoon Kajiki in Vietnam

• [14:57-17:39]
  • Over half a million evacuated; risk of catastrophic flooding and landslides.
  • Preparation superior to past disasters, but aftermath uncertain.
  • Sen Nguyen (Vietnamese reporter):

    “At least half a million people have been evacuated. The government has been trying to minimize the human impact... there will also be risk of landslides in at least 400 communes across six provinces.” ([15:22])

  • Comparing preparedness to last year’s devastating Typhoon Yagi.

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5. Mushroom Poisoning Trial in Australia

• [18:41-21:50]
  • Erin Patterson’s surviving victim, Ian Wilkinson, faces her in court—having lost his wife to the deadly meal.
  • Offers forgiveness despite suffering:

    “Now I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim and she has become a victim of my kindness.” — Ian Wilkinson ([19:02])

  • Family impact statements highlight grief, anger, and devastation.

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6. US: Troops on the Streets of Washington DC and Political Reactions

• [21:50-25:38]
  • President Trump deploys troops in DC, threatens National Guard in Baltimore; claims it’s necessary due to crime.
  • Maryland Governor Wes Moore opposes the move for cost, practicality, and constitutionality reasons, and refuses to authorize the state’s National Guard:

    “It is not sustainable... not scalable...it’s unconstitutional. ...I will not authorize the Maryland National Guard.” ([22:14])

  • Pamela Wood (Baltimore Banner):

    “People in Baltimore and Maryland see this as politically motivated. Some see this as racially motivated as well... people are defending their city and don’t want to see troops coming in.” ([24:31-25:03])

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7. Virginia Giuffre Memoir Announcement

• [25:38-26:54]
  • Memoir by Giuffre, a prominent Jeffrey Epstein accuser, to be published posthumously.
  • Prince Andrew maintains denial; publisher promises new disturbing details.

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8. Remembering Jerry Adler

• [26:54-29:00]
  • Actor best known for playing Hesh Rabkin on The Sopranos dies at 96.
  • Jerry Adler on how he joined The Sopranos:

    “(David Chase) gave me a call and he said he had a cameo that he wanted me to do... I said, sure, I would do anything for him. And he said, it’s called The Sopranos.” ([27:33])

  • Celebrated for a late-blooming acting career after starting in theater management.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “The journalists were targeted by a drone. Journalists were taking their usual photos from the top of Nasser Hospital.” — Fadi Umar, aid worker ([01:57])

• “Israeli military fears that going into Gaza City...endanger(s) the lives of the remaining hostages.” — Yolande Nel ([04:22])

• “Sleepless nights... it bangs all night long. Every time I hear that, I must take shelter.”
  — Alexander, Ukrainian evacuee ([08:24])

• “In civilian medicine, we have time, we can think. Here, we don’t have time.”
  — Senior Lt. Dima, field surgeon ([10:40])

• “We want to go home, to live in peace without this nightmare, this blood death.” — Senior Lt. Dima ([11:19])

• “We believe the actual numbers are far more than whatever is being published in the media and the official reports by the United Nations and the NGOs.” — Dr. Mohammed Faisal Hassan ([13:08-14:57])

• “It is not sustainable... not scalable...it’s unconstitutional. ...I will not authorize the Maryland National Guard.” — Maryland Governor Wes Moore ([22:14])

• “Now I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim and she has become a victim of my kindness.” — Ian Wilkinson, mushroom poisoning survivor ([19:02])

• “(David Chase) gave me a call and he said... he wanted me to do... I said, sure, I would do anything for him. And he said, it's called The Sopranos.”
  — Jerry Adler ([27:33])

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Selected Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:38] — Episode headlines and introduction
• [01:29] — Gaza hospital strike coverage begins
• [02:39] — Journalists named among the dead
• [03:32] — Discussion of Israel’s ceasefire debate
• [05:21] — Donbas frontline report / Ukraine segment starts
• [08:24] — Testimony from Ukrainian evacuee
• [10:40] — Ukrainian field surgeon’s account
• [11:57] — Sudan Darfur violence and famine
• [15:22] — Typhoon Kajiki in Vietnam
• [18:41] — Mushroom poisoning trial in Australia
• [21:50] — US Troop deployment in Washington DC and Baltimore
• [25:38] — Virginia Giuffre memoir announcement
• [26:54] — Jerry Adler tribute

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Conclusion

The episode offers a sobering tour of ongoing global crises—from Gaza to Ukraine and Sudan—illustrated by firsthand testimony and expert insight. It reinforces the immediacy and complexity of conflict, the resilience of those affected, and the deep human costs within the headlines. Briefly, it shifts to human stories of legal drama, civil rights, and cultural legacy, anchored in the day's most urgent events.

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Transcript

[Narrator/Reporter]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

[Maryland Governor Wes Moore]

This is the story of the Watt. As a maintenance engineer, he hears things differently. To the untrained ear, everything on his shop floor might sound fine, but he can hear gears grinding or a belt slipping. So he steps in to fix the problem at hand before it gets out of hand. And he knows Granger's got the right product. He needs to get the job done, which is music to his ears. Call clickgranger.com or just stop Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Valerie Sanderson]

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Valerie Sanderson and at 13 hours GMT on Monday 25 August, these are our main stories. At least 20 people, including several journalists, are reported to have been killed by Israeli strikes on a hospital in Gaza. We're on the front line in eastern Ukraine where tens of thousands of people have died trying to hold back Russia's invasion. Also in this podcast, in the US troops have begun carrying firearms on the streets of Washington, dc. The Democratic governor of Maryland condemns President Trump's threat to deploy them in Baltimore.

[Maryland Governor Wes Moore]

It serves as a distraction from the fact that the President's disastrous economic policies I am against this and I will not authorize the Maryland National Guard to be utilized for this.

[Valerie Sanderson]

We start in Gaza where two Israeli strikes have hit Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Amongst the panic and dense smoke, people scramble to help the injured after the blasts. As we record this podcast, at least 20 people have died, according to Gaza health officials. Among the dead are several journalists working for the international media. Fadi Umar is an aid worker who witnessed the attack.

[Narrator/Reporter]

What's happened today is a new horrific crime. Bombed twice by the incubation force at the Nasser medical complex in Khan Yuns and what we are seeing our eyes that the journalists were targeted by a drone. Journalists were taking their usual photos from the top of Nasser Hospital.

[Valerie Sanderson]

In a statement, the Israeli army confirmed it had carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital and would conduct an initial inquiry as soon as possible. The IDF said it regretted any harm to uninvolved individuals and did not target journalists as such. Ambidley's correspondent Yolan Nell, who's in Jerusalem, told me about three of the journalists who died.

[Yolande Nel]

Reuters confirmed that Hossam al Masri, a cameraman working for the news agency, was killed. He was operating their live camera feed, which is used sometimes by the BBC, and it shut down at the moment of the initial strike. Another Reuters worker was also injured. The Associated Press have said there'll be a statement about Mariam Odaka, who is a journalist working for that agency. There was also Mohamed Salameh, a cameraman for Al Jazeera. There was also a rescue worker among those killed. According to the reports that we have, it does seem that there was, after an initial strike, an attempt by, you know, some people to hurry to help those who had been wounded when there was a second strike. And there is live camera footage that shows a position, appears to be a live TV position that was attacked in one of these strikes.

[Valerie Sanderson]

And this comes, doesn't it, Yolande, on a day when Israel's top general has reportedly said that the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu should accept the ceasefire deal which Hamas agreed to last week.

[Yolande Nel]

Indeed. So there have been these increased signs of tension between the military and the government from which it's taking its orders. And this comes just as the Israeli prime minister is supposed to meet the Security Cabinet on Tuesday evening to discuss the war in Gaza and the new hostage deal proposal from regional mediators that Hamas accepted, very similar to one that Israel previously accepted. But it's not expected to agree to this deal, saying it's a partial one. It will only talk about a deal it says now, which involves freeing all the hostages at once and ending the war on conditions that Israel can accept, basically tantamount to the surrender of Hamas. But against that backdrop, reports say, based on classified discussions, that these BBC's not been able to verify that. The chief of staff, Eyl Zamir, speaking at a naval base on Sunday evening, said there's a deal on the table. It needs to be taken. The Israeli military has created conditions for a hostage deal. Now it's in Netanyahu's hands. You know, restating this argument, the Israeli military fears that going into Gaza City, conquering it, as the Israeli security Cabinet has ordered, will endanger the lives of the remaining hostages. It's believed that 20 out of 50 held by Hamas are still alive. And their conditions, according to the Israeli security establishment, are believed to be worsening, deteriorating. And the Hostages and Missing Families forum, the biggest hostage support group, has said the chief of staff voiced what most Israelis are demanding. They're getting ready for another big day of protests tomorrow demanding a ceasefire and hostage release deal ending the war in Gaza.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Yolande Nel in Jerusalem. It's a prize that Russia has long wanted and has been hard fought over. Only about 30% of Donbas in eastern Ukraine is still under Kyiv's control, and Moscow wants the rest in peace talks. Being pressed by the U.S. one suggestion is that Donbas could be swapped for land elsewhere, along with the freezing of the conflict along current front lines. President Zelensky insists it will take Russia another four years to overcome Ukrainian forces there. But Ukraine is under increasing pressure and the fighting is particularly fierce, taking a huge toll on both civilians and soldiers. Our correspondent Quentin Somerville reports from the frontline town of, of Dobropilia.

[Yolande Nel]

All that when you shut it in from the bus so we can pick them up.

[Quentin Somerville]

Universal aid. Ukraine are running evacuation convoys in and out of the town of Dopropilia, which is under Russian attack.

[Yolande Nel]

And these people, they must be out because it's children, because it's people who needs to stay alive. And secondly for the soldiers because they need to defend the city.

[Quentin Somerville]

So this evacuation convoy is going as fast as is it it can. Dopropelia is increasingly under Russian attack and they've been attacking aid convoys as well. Evacuation convoys. One was hit just a few days ago. We've just arrived at an apartment block. There are three people waiting to be evacuated. You know, you come into these neighborhoods where they're doing the evacuations and you see well tended gardens, roses in bloom. These are homes that people love and might never see again. There's one man, he looks quite frail. He has a bandage on his leg. He's, he's, he's about to leave, getting the vehicle. He's just saying goodbye to his son Jahad. Drone landed just a couple of hundred meters away, just beyond the rose bushes over there. Yeah, another explosion. There's been sick in the last and another one, 10, 15 minutes. We were warned that there were many drones flying overhead and it certainly seems that they are attacking the city. Just outside his apartment building is 56 year old Vitaly. He's been injured by an explosion. It was a Russian missile. That's why he's leaving today. We've actually had to come back to Vitaly's building. We're now in the corridor. The evacuation team just detected a drone directly overhead. So we've taken cover for now. Explosion it sounded like it wasn't that far away, but there's still one person to be picked up from this evacuation run. Crammed in the car beside me is Alexander, who's 80 years old. Alexander, why are you leaving today?

[Guy Pitt]

Well, those sleepless nights, it bangs and.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Bangs all night long.

[Guy Pitt]

Every time I hear that I must take shelter and then, you know, it's terrifying.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yes, I'm old, but I still want to live.

[Quentin Somerville]

This is a former kindergarten, but it's a place of safety now. It's a transit center. People are being brought here, mainly older people from the shelling in Constantinivka. And then they're being taken further west.

[Valerie Sanderson]

I arrived today and I haven't eaten anything, only liquid.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I have nothing.

[Sen Nguyen]

I already had noodles here, because you cook.

[Valerie Sanderson]

What's quicker? Some kind of porridge over the fire. That's it. And if it's almost ready and you.

[Sen Nguyen]

Hear shelling, you run to the basement.

[Quentin Somerville]

Small groups of Russian soldiers infiltrated Ukrainian lines around here. We've been told that they've been driven back, but it's come at great cost. Heading to Dopropilia. It's after dark. I'm just arriving at a medical stabilization point. They say it's best to retrieve their battlefield casualties at night. It's safer that way. This medical facility is underground for obvious reasons. They say that the shahed drones start attacking from about 10 o'. Clock. It's 10 past 9 now. They say here at this medical stabilization Facility, about 25% of the injuries they get are gunshot wounds. 50% come from drones. But most importantly, they say they've never seen so many very badly injured soldiers. They just brought a man in, a soldier. He's in a pretty bad way. It looks like a gunshot wound. About half a dozen doctors have him on the operating table. They're giving him oxygen. They're trying to find whatever's inside him. Senior Lieutenant Dima is one of the surgeons here.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I was mobilized in 2023.

[Quentin Somerville]

How does it compare to the work you did in civilian life?

[Senior Lieutenant Dima]

It's much different.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Because in civilian medicine, we have time, we can think. And here we don't have time. We have to do something to save the life, and that's it.

[Quentin Somerville]

You'll have seen a lot of patients, some who made it, some who didn't. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian men have died for Donbass. Is it worth it?

[Narrator/Reporter]

It's a complicated question. Yes, I think it is.

[Senior Lieutenant Dima]

Because it's our country, it's our.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Land.

[Senior Lieutenant Dima]

And it's our freedom.

[Quentin Somerville]

You know, the negotiations though, going on, you know, I have to get up. Don't pass. How did that make you feel?

[Narrator/Reporter]

It's painful. We have to stop it, but we don't want to stop it like this. We want. We just want to go home, to live in peace without this nightmare, this blood death.

[Quentin Somerville]

And this is why Russia doesn't want a ceasefire. It is slowly advancing, and it can sustain casualties at a much higher rate than Ukraine can. It's a ruthless calculation. The longer it keeps fighting on the battlefield, no matter what the loss is, the more it has to gain at the negotiating table.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Quentin Somerville reporting from the frontline town of Dobropillia in the Ukrainian region of Donbas. Paramilitaries in Sudan's Darfur region have been accused of killing more than a dozen civilians as they try to flee the besieged city of Al Fal, Russia. The Sudan Doctors Network accused fighters from the Rapid Support Forces of continuing a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Kalkatan Yebeltal has the latest.

[Quentin Somerville]

A statement by Sudan's Doctors Network says.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Among those killed by fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or aresf, were five children.

[Quentin Somerville]

The incident took place on the road between the besieged city of Al Fasher and Tawila. The ARESF has repeatedly been accused of targeting non Arab communities in Darfur, an allegation it dismisses.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese.

[Quentin Somerville]

Army has continued to intensify in parts of Sudan. On Sunday, the paramilitaries claimed downing a.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Military drone belonging to the army over Nyala in North Darfur.

[Quentin Somerville]

The army has not yet responded to the claim.

[Valerie Sanderson]

The escalating tensions are making the food crisis worse. Dr. Mohammed Faisal Hassan, who's from the Sudan Doctors Network, spoke to Rob Young.

[Senior Lieutenant Dima]

South Kore Dufan in western part of Sudan. What we're hearing the news over there are absolutely horrible, absolutely catastrophic. Parts of Kurdofan state, including South Kurdofan, is actually under the control of the Rapid Support Forces, which I will be call it like rsf. They are doing a massive blockade to the civilians and people who are living in there. So every report made by the NGOs on the United nations, they're covering like partial areas of Kordofan and Darfur. So whatever numbers that mentioned in these reports, they are actually only the numbers within their area of COVID So we in Sudan Doctors Network, we believe that the actual numbers are far more than whatever is being published in the media and in the official reports by the United nations and the NGOs. And the informations and the data there are almost impossible to get.

[Guy Pitt]

Although we're saying 46 people have died of malnutrition in South Cordofan in recent weeks.

[Quentin Somerville]

You're saying it's likely to be significantly greater than that?

[Senior Lieutenant Dima]

Oh, yeah, definitely. The actual numbers are far more beyond than that.

[Guy Pitt]

What is the availability of food like in South Kordofan?

[Senior Lieutenant Dima]

The numbers within August and July, the availability is nearly impossible because they're providing like a blockade and a siege for all these cities. So they're not allowing any, like, food or any humanitarian aids to come to these areas. So then people are there, South Kurdofan and even in Darfur, they are struggling so much, they have no food. They're nearly eating nothing now. So they just have their local food, whatever is there, which isn't enough. And that's why the numbers of the malnutrition and all these, like, mortalities are very uprising at this stage.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Dr. Mohammad Faisal Hassan, as we record this podcast. Heavy rain and strong winds have been battering coastal provinces in Vietnam as Typhoon Kajiki made landfall after moving west through the South China Sea. More than a half a million residents have been moved from their homes and schools and public buildings have been converted into temporary shelters. Our Vietnamese reporter in the region, Sen Nguyen, told me more.

[Sen Nguyen]

The eye of the storm is predicted to move further inland in a few hours. So I think that people will start seeing much stronger rains. At least half a million people have been evacuated. So I think the government has been trying to do as much as they can to minimize the human impact. Right now there are concerns that there would be river levels rising above the acceptable amount. And so people are concerned about how long the water will retreat after the storm. And there will also be risk of landslides in at least 400 communes across six provinces in Vietnam. And so I think a lot of people will be worried about the aftermath of how it will affect their livelihood in these provinces.

[Valerie Sanderson]

So they've evacuated half a million. Do you know if there are plans to evacuate more and if, you know, a lot of properties have been boarded up and airports and schools closed?

[Sen Nguyen]

Yeah. So there hasn't been news that more people will be evacuated at this moment, but flights have been canceled in affected provinces like Tanghua and Kwangbing at this very moment. I think the government is trying very hard to show sympathy, especially when the impact of Typhoon Yagi last year is still being felt right now.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Yes, tell us about that typhoon, because that caused quite a lot of damage, doesn't it?

[Sen Nguyen]

Yeah. So one big difference between Typhoon Typhoon Kajiki and Typhoon Jaggi is that Typhoon Jaggi happened in many northern provinces and so not so much in Central Vietnam. And people in Central Vietnam are actually more accustomed to living through many season of storms where they are. So people are more aware, more alert, and they know what to do, whereas for many provinces in the north, that's not necessarily the case. And so a lot of people were caught off guard, especially given that the intensity of type Typhoon Yagi, and that was the worst one we saw in 30 years. And there have been predictions that the wind powers of Typhoon Kajiki can be as powerful as Typhoon Yagi. But because of the preparation, there are hope that it will be less damages, but it's too soon to say right now.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Sanguin still to come in this podcast.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He gave me a call and he said he had a, a cameo that he wanted me to do.

[Quentin Somerville]

I would do anything for him.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He said, it's called the Sopranos.

[Valerie Sanderson]

I said, well, I just want to warn you, I can't sing. The American actor Jerry Adler, best known for his role in the Sopranos, has died at the age of 96.

[Maryland Governor Wes Moore]

This is the story of the wad. As a maintenance engineer, he hears things differently. To the untrained ear, everything on his shop floor might sound fine, but he can hear gears grinding or a belt slipping. So he steps in to fix the problem at hand before it gets out of hand. And he knows Granger's got the right product he needs to get the job done, which is music to his ears. Call clickgranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Next to Australia and the latest in the case of the mushroom poisoner that's made headlines around the world today. For the first time, Erin Patterson's surviving victim and relatives of the three people killed after eating a meal she'd cooked containing death cap mushrooms addressed her directly in court. Simon Atkinson is our reporter in Melbourne and told us more.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The first person we heard from today was Ian Wilkinson. He's the only person who survived that lunch back in 2023. His wife Heather was one of those who died, who continued consumed those death cap mushrooms which had been hidden inside parcels of beef Wellington. And what we got was a kind of a two part statement really, partly a tribute to his wife, somebody who he called the great mother to their four children. Somebody who's compassionate and brave, a delightful person. And his voice cracked when he talked about how difficult life was without her. He said, I only feel half alive without her now. But then when he addressed Aaron Patterson, he said he wanted justice, but he also offered forgiveness, which brought a gasp for many in the courtroom. He said he didn't bear Erin Paterson any ill will. He hoped she would use her time in jail wisely to become a better person and that he was praying for her. He said, now I am no longer Erin Patterson's victim and she has become a victim of my kindness. He also talked about how medically he's still not recovered at all from the ordeal he had seven weeks in hospital. Doctors didn't think he was going to survive. The next statement we heard came from Heather Wilkinson's daughter and Ruth Dubois. She was very angry that Erin Paterson had the opportunity to cancel her plans. She didn't have to go ahead with this murderous plot, she said, but she did it anyway. Another statement we heard was from Simon Patterson. Now, he is still the husband of Erin Patterson. He didn't go to the lunch he was invited, but bailed at the last minute. But his parents, Don and Gail, did go and they both died. He spoke how much he missed his parents, but also about the impact this had all had on the children that the couple shared together. He said they'd been robbed of hope for the kind of relationship with their mother that every child wants. Said it was very difficult for those kids, knowing that nearly everyone knew their mother had murdered their grandparents.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Was there any reaction from Erin Patterson?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, I mean, she sat and looked very intently, particularly as Ian Wilkinson was delivering his statement and also as the words of Simon Patterson were being read out during Ian Wilkinson's statement. At one point, she reached for some tissues and appeared to be crying. She looked very upset as well as those words of Simon Patterson were relayed about the impact on their children. But she didn't say anything. She wasn't given the opportunity to say anything and she was led away out of the courtroom. This afternoon, we've heard from some of her defence lawyers who've been making some recommendations and some comments about her conditions in jail. But she'll be back here on the 8th of September to be sentenced. And the judge, Justice Christopher Beale, is inevitably going to give her several decades in prison for those crimes.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Simon Atkinson in Melbourne, in the US Capitol, Washington, dc, troops have begun carrying firearms on the streets. President Trump has doubled down on deploying troops to other cities, accusing them of being weak on immigration and crime. He's threatened to send National Guard troops into another Democratic stronghold, the city of Baltimore in the state of Maryland. Its governor, Wesmore, hit back.

[Maryland Governor Wes Moore]

One it is not sustainable. You cannot continue this type of pace of operations, particularly when it's costing over a million dollars a day. The second, it's not scalable. You're not going to be able to do this in every single major American city, particularly when many of the cities that have the highest crime rates are the places that have actually deployed their National Guards to. Washington, dc. So who's going to go do the work in their cities? The third, it's unconstitutional. It's a direct violation of the 10th Amendment. And for a party that talks about state rights, it's amazing how they're having such a big government approach in the way they're conducting public safety. When we think about the fact that it serves as a distraction from the fact that the president's disastrous economic policies are making everything more expensive for everyday Americans, there is a multitude of reasons that I am against this and I will not authorize the Maryland National Guard.

[Valerie Sanderson]

To be utilized for this, pamela Wood, a reporter with the Baltimore banner, told the BBC's Victoria Uankunda. More about the president's plans.

[Pamela Wood]

President Trump has been criticizing a lot of American cities for their crime numbers. We know he sent troops and law enforcement into Washington, D.C. he has threatened to do it elsewhere and Baltimore is the latest target, alleging that it's crime ridden and infested and that he should send in the troops.

[Yolande Nel]

Is Baltimore the city you live in?

[Narrator/Reporter]

We are speaking to you from crime ridden and infested.

[Pamela Wood]

It is not as bad as President Trump makes it out to see. Yes, Baltimore, like many American cities, does have a high rate of violent crime, but it has been trending downwards very significantly the last few years. Governor Moore, the mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, police, community groups have worked together on a strategy to prevent crime and as well to hold offenders accountable. And the homicide rate in particular has been sharply declining the last couple years.

[Yolande Nel]

Are people seeing this as a politically motivated move by the president? Because it looks like it comes down to the politics. With the Republican president in charge of the government coming into conflict with what.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Is essentially Democrat led states and cities.

[Pamela Wood]

People in Baltimore and the state of Maryland really do see this as politically motivated. Some see this as racially motivated as well. Here in Maryland we have black leadership, we have a black mayor, we have a black governor. President Trump has gone after other black led cities. So it's both political and potentially some see it as racial as well.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And in general, how are people in Baltimore and Maryland feeling about these comments.

[Yolande Nel]

By the president that he might be.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Sending in the National Guard?

[Pamela Wood]

People are not taking it too well. Certainly people who live in Baltimore are very proud of where they live in their city. The progress on violence is something that people are rightfully proud of and people are defending about the city and don't want to see, you know, troops coming in, don't want to see President Trump meddling in Baltimore. People don't take it too kindly. And like Governor Moore the other day said to President Trump, if he's not going to try and help, if he just wants to hurt, then he should get our names out of his mouth. A slang term saying basically shut up and stop talking about us.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Reporter Pamela Wood from the Baltimore Banner. A posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who accused the British royal Prince Andrew as well as the disgraced financier Geoffrey Epstein of sexual assault, is to be published later this year. Ms. Giuffre took her own life in April at the age of 41. Prince Andrew, King Charles brother, has strongly denied any wrongdoing. Anissa Kadri reports. Virginia Giuffre was one of the most outspoken accusers of the convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. She alleged they trafficked her to London to meet the Duke of York when she was 17, which Prince Andrew has strenuously denied. Her publisher says the book will share intimate, disturbing and heartbreaking new details about her time with them. Prince Andrew reached an out of court settlement with Ms. Giuffre in 2022. This included a statement in which he expressed regret for his association with Epstein, but it contained no admission of liability or apology. Anissa Kadri, the American actor, director and producer Jerry Adler has died at the age of 96. He had a long career in film, theater and television, but as Guy Pitt reports, there's one role for which he'll be best remembered.

[Guy Pitt]

If anything defined the career of Jerry Adler, perhaps it was the groundbreaking New Jersey mob television series the Sopranos. Adler, already seven figures, played Hesh Rabkin, a loan shark and advisor to the mob boss Tony Soprano. His was one of the very few Jewish characters in a series about the Italian American Mafia.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Jews, because of the history, have common cause with the oppressed. Some Indians were deliberately given blankets tainted with smallpox. Died like flies.

[Guy Pitt]

Yeah, you want to talk bioterrorism, look who started it.

[Quentin Somerville]

Amen to that, my friend.

[Guy Pitt]

Years later, during COVID he told the Talking Sopranos podcast how the series creator David Chase had given him the role.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He gave me a call and he said he had a, a cameo that he wanted me to do and was I available. I said, sure, I would do anything for him. And he said, it's called the Sopranos.

[Valerie Sanderson]

And I said, well, I just want to warn you, I can't sing.

[Guy Pitt]

Other major television shows would follow the Good Wife, the Good Fight, but it was the Sopranos which put him on the TV map. His polished ease in front of the camera belied a late start to acting.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Acting.

[Guy Pitt]

Despite his roots in Yiddish theater, he was born in 1929 and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Another member of the huge Adler dynasty His cousin Stella Adler was the famed acting teacher. Jerry Adler began his career as a stage manager in 1950 before eventually starting to perform himself on screen. He made his mark in Woody Allen's comedy drama Manhattan Murder Mystery in 1993, though it was only his second cinema film film. He played Paul House, whom a married couple, Woody Allen and Diane Keaton suspect of murdering his wife.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Now look at these presidentials. Look at the color work.

[Guy Pitt]

Even the perforations are still Where's Carol?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I should really be going.

[Guy Pitt]

A clever, understated performer, he had a clear idea of what a theater director needed. No great surprise since he himself was one, directing notably the award winning Broadway revival of My Fair lady in 1976. His credits on stage and screen were numerous. He was still acting age 90, but it will probably be for Hesh Rabkin that he will be forever remembered.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Guy Pitt on Jerry Adler, who's died at the age of 96. And that's it from us for now. But there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, send us an email. The address is Global [e-mail] you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global Newspod. This edition was mixed by Andy Mills. The producers were Chaz Ger and Stephanie Tillotson. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Valerie Sanderson. Until next time, Bye Bye.