'It's an honour to be your friend' - Trump tells Xi

Summary

Global News Podcast – "It's an Honour to Be Your Friend" – Trump Tells Xi

BBC World Service | May 14, 2026
Host: Janat Jalil

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Episode Overview

This episode covers major breaking stories and current affairs from around the globe, with a primary focus on the diplomatic summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing. Other key topics include new revelations about Israeli-Emirati relations amidst the war with Iran, ongoing violence in Lebanon despite a ceasefire, the future of Hamas under Trump’s Gaza peace plan, the overturning of Alex Murdoch’s murder convictions in the US, and reflections on the legacy of late NBA star Jason Collins.

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Key Segments & Insights

1. Trump Receives Red Carpet Welcome in Beijing

(01:35 – 07:16)

• Context & Ceremony:

  • Trump welcomed in Beijing by Xi Jinping with elaborate ceremony at the Great Hall of the People.
  • Both leaders exchange unusually warm words, signaling a shift in public tone.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Trump: “It's an honor to be with you. It's an honor to be your friend. And the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before. Thank you very much.” (03:13)
  • Xi Jinping: Urges that the US and China "should be partners, not rivals." (02:49, paraphrased)

• Expert Analysis (Stephen McDonnell, Beijing Correspondent):

  • China’s ceremonial welcome aims to appeal to Trump’s affinity for spectacle and demonstration of status.
  • Trump's demeanor notably less bombastic than usual, showing deference to what he sees as a powerful equal in Xi.
  • Quote (Stephen McDonnell):

    “He’ll be criticizing China one minute and then praising Xi the next. He’s been doing this all along, partly because he likes a strong man figure... but when he comes here, he’s sitting across from a power equal and seems to realize it.” (05:16)

  • Substantive policy shifts or major deals are unlikely; symbolism and “optics” take precedence.
  • Trade détente, Boeing purchases, and reaffirming continuance of tariff suspension discussed as possible symbolic outcomes.

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2. Israeli-Emirati Relations Amidst Iran War

(07:16 – 11:44)

• The Claim:

  • Israeli PM Netanyahu claims he secretly visited the UAE during the war with Iran for a “historic breakthrough” meeting.
  • UAE swiftly denies meeting ever happened, calling Israeli statements “baseless.”
  • Context: recent reports of UAE’s covert operations against Iran, and news of Israel transferring Iron Dome missile systems to UAE.

• Analysis (Sebastian Usher, Middle East Analyst):

  • Propaganda motivations for Israel: boosts Netanyahu’s domestic and international standing ahead of elections.
  • “It is another way... to show just how central Israel now is to the security of the Middle East and how Arab countries are looking to Israel for their protection.” (09:25)
  • Sensitivity for UAE: fear of becoming a larger Iranian target, and reputational issues in the Arab world regarding open dealings with Israel.

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3. Lebanon: Ceasefire in Name Only

(11:44 – 15:59)

• Updates from the Ground (Hugo Bisheka, Middle East Correspondent):

  • At least 22 people (including 8 children) killed in Israeli airstrikes across South Lebanon despite a supposed ceasefire.
  • Overall, 400 killed since ceasefire was enacted; nearly 3,000 dead since Hezbollah began firing post-war onset.
  • Southern Lebanon remains under Israeli occupation, with mass displacement.

• Local Voices:

  • Civilians in war-affected villages describe support for Hezbollah as a necessity for self-defense amid devastation.
  • Quote (Local Resident):

    “War is ugly, but when it’s imposed upon you, you have to defend your country and your existence.” (13:26) “Who is Hezbollah? It’s me, you and her. We are Hezbollah. Hezbollah was created to defend my land.” (15:23)

  • Elderly residents express fear but determination to stay:

    “I am a bit afraid. I won’t deny that, but then I steady my nerves. Everyone gets afraid, but there are different levels of fear. We’re counting on God.” (14:19)

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4. Gaza: The Future of Hamas Under Trump’s Plan

(18:29 – 20:37)

• US Position (Nikolai Mladenov, Trump’s Gaza Peace Envoy):

  • Openness to Hamas playing a political role in Gaza, conditional on disarmament and ceasing armed activity.
  • Quote (Mladenov):

    “We’re not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement... What is not negotiable, however, is that armed factions or militias with their own military command and control systems, with their own arsenals or tunnel networks can exist alongside a transitional Palestinian Authority.” (19:31)

  • Israel counters, saying peace deal terms ban Hamas from all governance roles unless it disarms (which Hamas refuses).

• Key Insight:

  • There is a growing international expectation of a “choice” between successful peace implementation and the permanent partition of Gaza—an outcome seen as unwanted by Gazans and detrimental to Israel’s security.

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5. US: Alex Murdoch Murder Convictions Overturned

(20:37 – 24:50)

• Background:

  • The South Carolina Supreme Court overturns Alex Murdoch’s convictions for murdering his wife and son due to jury tampering by county clerk Becky Hill.
  • Hill influenced jury by instructing them not to believe Murdoch’s testimony, watch his body language, and expect a quick verdict.

• Further Controversy:

  • Becky Hill wrote a tell-all book, later pulled due to plagiarism and resulting in charges and probation for perjury and obstruction.

• Expert View (Verne Debusman, Reporter):

  • Murdoch family’s legacy as a local legal dynasty heightened trial interest.
  • Enormous public and media attention on the retrial is expected, with digital and social media engagement likely to mirror or exceed initial coverage.
  • Despite overturned murder conviction, Murdoch remains in prison for major financial crimes.

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6. France: Macron Marriage Rumors Resurface

(24:50 – 27:23)

• Incident Recap (Carla Conti, Reporter):
  • Viral video from 2025 showed Brigitte Macron appearing to slap President Macron after landing in Vietnam, which was dismissed as a joke at the time.
  • Newly published book claims argument was about texts between President Macron and Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani; both parties deny any affair.
  • Trump recently mocked Macron about the incident; Macron dismissed Trump’s comments as undignified.

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7. Tribute: Remembering Jason Collins

(27:23 – 31:27)

• The Legacy:

  • NBA’s first openly gay player, Jason Collins, dies at 47 from brain cancer.
  • Remembered for his 2013 coming out essay and as a trailblazer for inclusion in sports.

• Memorable Reflections (Jason Collins, 2015 Interview):

  • Quote:

    “My life is exponentially better... I feel like that’s part of my job right now, is to help create that environment so that other athletes feel comfortable to continue to step forward.” (28:16)

  • On being labeled "the gay basketball player":

    “There are so many other parts that make me unique and make me who I am.” (28:41)

  • On the fear surrounding being outed in the NBA:

    “You get that nervous rush, like someone punching you in the stomach... I would never forget getting off that bus. And when I finally got home, it was just like, oh, gosh. It was very tough.” (29:46)

  • Collins describes eventual acceptance from teammates and the joy of no longer hiding his identity during his final NBA season.

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Memorable Quotes

• Donald Trump to Xi Jinping:

  “It's an honor to be with you. It's an honor to be your friend...” (03:13)

• Hugo Bisheka (from the ground in Lebanon):

  “Whatever the ceasefire is, it is in peace. Not here. Not yet.” (15:59)

• Nikolai Mladenov on Hamas:

  “We’re not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement... What is not negotiable, however, is that armed factions or militias... can exist alongside a transitional Palestinian Authority.” (19:31)

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Timestamps Index

• Trump–Xi Summit: 01:35 – 07:16
• Israel–UAE Secret Meeting Dispute: 07:16 – 11:44
• Lebanon Ceasefire Violence: 11:44 – 15:59
• Gaza/Hamas and Trump Peace Plan: 18:29 – 20:37
• Alex Murdoch Convictions Overturned: 20:37 – 24:50
• Macron Marriage & French Political Rumor: 24:50 – 27:23
• Jason Collins Tribute: 27:23 – 31:27

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Tone & Language

The episode blends authoritative, factual reporting with probing analysis and, at times, direct testimony from affected individuals. Quotes and local voices offer a sense of immediacy and humanity, while political coverage remains formal but accessible.

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For more, listen to the full episode or contact the Global News Podcast at [e-mail].

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Janat Jalil]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janat Jalil and in the early hours of Thursday, 14th May, these are our main stories. Donald Trump receives a red carpet welcome from China's President Xi Jinping as they exchange warm words and hold a high stakes summit in Beijing. The Israeli Prime Minister says he's made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates during the Iran war, but the UAE denies this. The man tasked with implementing President Trump's peace plan for Gaza says Hamas can survive as a political movement, but only if it gives up its weapons. Also in this podcast, three years after a murder trial that inspired this miniseries,

[Alec Murdoch]

this is Alec Murdoch. I need police and an ambulance immediately.

[Janat Jalil]

A US Lawyer convicted of killing his wife and son has had the verdict overturned because of concerns that the jury was improperly influenced. We begin in China, where President Trump was greeted with pomp and pageantry ahead of his highly anticipated meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The two leaders took part in an arrival ceremony at the Great hall of the People before holding bilateral talks. In his opening remarks, President Xi said the two countries should be partners, not rivals. His warm words were echoed by Mr.

[Alec Murdoch]

Trump so I really look very much forward to our discussion. It's a big discussion there are those that say this is maybe the biggest summit ever. They can never remember anything like it. I can say in the United States, it's people aren't talking about anything else, but it's an honor to be with you. It's an honor to be your friend. And the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before. Thank you very much.

[Janat Jalil]

The summit is being dominated by the issues of trade, Iran, Taiwan and tech. After Mr. Trump's failed attempt to impose swingeing tariffs on China, his. His seeming inability to end Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and amid global concerns about the economic impact of the war he started in the Middle east, our Beijing correspondent Stephen McDonnell is following their talks.

[Stephen McDonnell]

China does know how to turn on these ceremonies, even for its main global competitor on the world stage. Or perhaps because this is China's main global competitor on the world stage, maybe it's even more incentive to really show off the heart of Beijing. And certainly for someone like Donald Trump, they know how to make him feel special. So he arrives in his motorcade with all the motorbikes in front. There's the guard of honor, the music. And Donald Trump seemed to especially like the little crowd of kids jumping up and down, shouting out, yeah, you know, there he was doing his signature Donald Trump thing, fist pump and giving them a little clap. So, like I said, I think China does know how to make him feel special. And from the comments we heard before, he has responded in kind with his glowing praise of his opposite number, Xi Jinping.

[Janat Jalil]

What do you make of that glowing praise? Because it's so different from the hard line he was taking when he's campaigning to be president? Is it a sign that his position is weaker than it was when he visited China last time nearly a decade ago?

[Stephen McDonnell]

Well, it is funny because Donald Trump, he does, on the one hand, you know, he'll be sort of China this, China that. Sorry about my bad impersonation of his, the way he pronounces the name. But he'll be criticizing China one minute and then praising Xi the next. He's been doing this all along, partly because he likes a strong man figure. He brags about his friendship with authoritarian leaders all over the world. And when it comes to Xi Jinping, it's no different. But, you know, it's interesting to see his body language. Normally he can be very bombastic, even rude in the presence of other leaders, but when he comes here, he's sitting across from a power equal and seems to realize it. So just the way that they shake hands, the way he sort of behaves in Xi Jinping's presence. It's like he wants Xi to like him and he sort of wants to feel like here we are where these two great figures and we can do deals, etc, etc. So he's certainly not the. The show offy Donald Trump that we see in other settings.

[Janat Jalil]

And talking of deals, what is likely to come out that's going to be concrete rather than just warm words and handshakes and charm?

[Stephen McDonnell]

The answer is possibly not much because, you know, there's this big delegation of CEOs from the US who have accompanied Donald Trump. I don't think we're going to see massive trade deals signed by them, perhaps some symbolic ones. I mean, if China agreed to buy a few more Boeing jets, that would make the US Government pretty happy. But I think people should be looking out, not so much for the specifics of the deals, but more the imagery associated with this and whether or not they can recast the relationship. I mean, one sign would be for them to reaffirm that the tariff war detente will continue. That in theory could run out in October. I know we have a few months to go, but that would be something. But like I say that the optics, though, are not nothing. And I think that is part of it for both of these governments.

[Janat Jalil]

Stephen McDonnell. Next to a claim and a counterclaim, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates at the height of the U. S. Israel war on Iran to meet its president. His office said the visit had led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the uae. But the Emirati state has denied this, calling the claims baseless. This comes after recent reports that the UAE had secretly carried out its own attacks on Iran in retaliation for the Iranian attacks on its oil facilities. The UAE is one of a number of Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel in what are known as the Abraham Accords. And on Tuesday, the US disclosed that Israel had shared part of its Iron Dome defense system with the uae. Our Middle east analyst is Sebastian Usher.

[Sebastian Usher]

Well, what we have from Mr. Netanyahu's office is essentially that he paid a visit during the war and it was secret and he had a meeting with the Emirati president. And it talks about a historic breakthrough being achieved at that meeting. No more information on that. There is some more information that the Israeli media is giving, not confirmed officially about where the meeting might have taken place, how long it lasted, etc. All of that, though, is undercut to, and obviously to quite a large extent by the fact that the UA Foreign Ministry has stepped out very quickly and denied the reports. Now, it says, it denies any reports about this meeting, saying they're baseless. Now, whether that was drafted while it was still being reported in the Israeli media before an actual statement by the Prime Minister's office is interesting because it's quite different to say that, you know, Israeli media reports are based. But to say that the actual Prime Minister of Israel is lying, which is what that would be, is intriguing to say the least.

[Janat Jalil]

And Sebastian, if this was a secret Visit, why did Mr. Netanyahu's office release this statement?

[Sebastian Usher]

I think this is about propaganda as much as anything else. I'm pretty sure that if this meeting did take place, and I think you'd have to say that the likelihood is that it did, Otherwise why would Mr. Netanyahu's office be putting out its neck like this? But as you said, it's a secret meeting. But I imagine the UAE very much wanted it to remain a secret meeting, didn't want it to be made public, which I think has led to that very swift response. From the Israeli perspective, it is another way as far as Mr. Netanyahu is concerned, both for his domestic audience, elections are due to come up soon and the world audience of just how central Israel now is to the security of the Middle east and how Arab countries are looking to Israel for their protection. I mean, this latest report comes after we heard from a US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, just a day or so ago, saying that the US essentially confirms that Israel had sent some of its anti ballistic missiles from its famed Iron Dome system to the UAE with personnel to help UAE fight back against those Iranian attacks.

[Janat Jalil]

And it's particularly sensitive for the UAE because there have been reports of it carrying out its own attacks on Iran.

[Sebastian Usher]

There's that, absolutely. I mean, I think the position pre war where the UAE didn't want to stir up Iran, I think that's gone. I mean, obviously the two sides now are at each other's throats. I think the uae, though, I mean, has two real concerns. One is it doesn't want to be even more in the target of Iran, which this would likely lead to also. I mean, though the UAE signed up to the Abraham Accords back in 2020, though it has diplomatic relations with Israel, though cordial relations with Israel go back years and years, business wise, they're very, very close to each other of the countries in the Arab world. And Israel I'd say they're probably the closest. But it's still a big embarrassment for an Arab country of this kind to host the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There were a coup times when Mr. Netanyahu was due to go to the UAE over the past few years since the Abraham Accords. Those didn't happen because of anger within the UAE over things that had happened in Israel. So this shows, still it's very sensitive as far as Arab governments are concerned, even ones, as I say, that have signed up to a peace deal with Israel.

[Janat Jalil]

Sebastian Usher Despite a ceasefire supposedly being in place in Lebanon, its health Ministry says 22 people, eight of them children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Strikes across the south of the country in the latest day of violence. Nearly 3,000 people have been killed since the Iranian backed armed group Hezbollah started firing at Israel in response to its war on Iran. 400 of them since the ceasefire came into effect less than a month ago. Israel has seized large swathes of south Lebanon, ordering residents to leave. Israeli and Lebanese officials urge you to hold another round of talks in Washington on Thursday to try to end the fighting. Here's this report from our Middle east correspondent, Hugo Bisheka.

[Jason Collins]

Let's just go.

[Hugo Bisheka]

The ceasefire was supposed to have stopped the war in Lebanon, but it hasn't. We were standing on the hilltop overlooking three small villages in the valleys of the south. But the explosions got louder and the buzz of an Israeli drone sounded closer. Arab Salim is a sleepy village that has been near the front line of many wars. Mostly deserted, it's caught up again in conflict. A few men gather in front of a small shop. Phones in hand, they check the messages with reports of Israeli airstrikes that keep coming in. The village is quiet, but not in peace.

[Local Lebanese Residents]

War is ugly, but when it's imposed upon you, you have to defend your country and your existence.

[Hugo Bisheka]

Hussein, a middle aged man, tall and kind, owned the only grocery here. It's now completely charred after an Israeli airstrike hit the building next door a month ago. He has now put up a Hezbollah flag outside.

[Local Lebanese Residents]

Be ahon Muslima. We are all civilians here, but the community supports Hezbollah because they're defending us. We're the ones putting Hezbollah flags over destroyed shops and buildings here in the village, not them. They're the only ones keeping us on our land.

[Hugo Bisheka]

Near the mosque, we meet two women, Fatima and Dunya, in their 80s, born here and determined to stay. How do you feel when you hear the drones overhead?

[Janat Jalil]

I am a bit afraid. I won't deny that, but then I steady my nerves. Everyone gets afraid, but there are different levels of fear. We're counting on God.

[Hugo Bisheka]

More than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon during the ceasefire. Israel says it is attacking Hezbollah for violating the deal. And Hezbollah has attacked Israel and Israeli troops in southern Lebanon with rockets and drones. We're standing at the last checkpoint of the Lebanese military on this road and on the other side is the so called yellow line. This is the part of Lebanon that is now under Israeli occupation and the Lebanese soldiers have told us that Israeli troops are operating from some of the

[Stephen McDonnell]

houses at the top of the hill,

[Hugo Bisheka]

not really far from here. Southern Lebanon is the heartland of Hezbollah. The group has been weakened and is under pressure to disarm, but it remains popular here.

[Local Lebanese Residents]

Who is Hezbollah? It's me, you and her. We are Hezbollah. Hezbollah was created to defend my land.

[Hugo Bisheka]

Rida lives in Tyre, the largest city in the south. An Israeli airstrike destroyed his business and his house and killed his brother and a dozen of his neighbors, all civilians. He says as long as the strikes continue, these sirens across the country will not stop. Whatever the ceasefire is, it is in peace. Not here. Not yet.

[Janat Jalil]

That report by Hugo Beika still to come in this podcast, a year after President Macron's slap from his wife made headlines around the world, a French journalist claims the reason was because she was jealous of his relationship with an Iranian actress.

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[Janat Jalil]

This is the global news podcast the top diplomat overseeing President Trump's peace plan for Gaza has said he can see a role for Hamas in the Palestinian territory as a political movement, but only if it disarms. Speaking to journalists on a visit to Jerusalem, Nikolai Maladanov, Gaza's high representative to the US Led Board of Peace, also said it would take a generation to clear the rubble in Gaza and rebuild it. Violence continues despite the ceasefire that came into force last year, with hundreds of people killed since then and most of Gaza's population camped out in abysmal conditions with Israel occupying more than half of the already crowded territory. Lucy Williamson, who was at the briefing, has more details.

[Lucy Williamson]

With Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza stalled in a fractured ceasefire, Mr. Mladinov said Israel's withdrawal depended on Hamas disarming and handing over power, but that the group could survive as a political party if it gave up its commitment to fighting Israel.

[NerdWallet Sponsor Announcer]

We're not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement. A political party that disavows armed activity can compete in national Palestinian elections. What is not negotiable, however, is that armed factions or militias with their own military command and control systems, with their own arsenals or tunnel networks can exist alongside a transitional Palestinian Authority.

[Lucy Williamson]

In response, Israel's government said the terms of the peace deal banned Hamas from any role in governing Gaza. Hamas has said it's committed to handing over power, but the group has so far refused to disarm. And Israel, which regularly carries out strikes in Gaza, has been extending the area under its effective control. In March, it marked out new areas where international organizations must coordinate their activities with Israeli forces, Mr. Mladinov said. Both sides now faced a choice, the peace plan or a permanent division of Gaza, something Gaza's people wouldn't want, he said, and which wouldn't deliver security for Israel.

[Janat Jalil]

Lucy Williamson it's the latest twist in a gruesome murder trial that has fascinated people in the United States and beyond. Three years after he was convicted of killing his wife and son by a court in South Carolina. Disgraced lawyer and Alex Murdoch has had his murder convictions overturned. The state Supreme Court ordered a new trial, saying a local county clerk had unfairly biased a jury against him in the original one. Such was the intense interest in the trial that it even inspired a drama miniseries.

[Alec Murdoch]

This is Alec Murdoch. I need police and an ambulance immediately.

[Janat Jalil]

Our reporter Verne Debusman told me more.

[Verne Debusman]

It's definitely a trial that I think kind of transfixed America. And even at the time of the trial, even before the conviction, it had kind of spawned a whole series of documentaries and books and podcasts and a lot of Internet discussion on Reddit. And now that's all taken kind of an abrupt turn. The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned that conviction for the murder of Alex Murdoch's wife and son, saying that a county clerk named Becky Hill had improperly influenced the jury. Essentially what they said was that she had made remarks to the jury, for example, that they shouldn't pay attention to anything he said in his own defense, that they should watch his body language carefully, that this trial shouldn't take long. And now the five members of South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously agreed that that pressure was improper on the jury. And then now they need to have a new murder trial again.

[Janat Jalil]

And this county clerk also published a tell all book about the court proceedings just a few months after the trial, which was then pulled because it had plagiarized other material.

[Verne Debusman]

Large portions of that book were plagiarized, often from news stories about the trial itself. She ended up facing charges for those and pled guilty to perjury charges and obstruction of justice charges. She was eventually sentenced to three years of probation and her career was essentially ruined by that. But it was really quite controversial at the time that someone who was a county clerk would then publish a tell all book about a trial in which she was present. It's become something of a trend for these kind of high profile court cases in the US but it was still considered legally very dicey and very controversial.

[Janat Jalil]

So now a new trial has been ordered for Alex Murdoch to tell us more about him. Because he was a big figure in his local community.

[Verne Debusman]

The Murdoch family was something of a dynasty in his little corner of South Carolina since the 1920s. They were considered kind of perhaps the most high profile family in the area. Everyone knew them. They were extremely influential in local politics and generally in local life, which is part of why the case got so much attention, because it was kind of this family legal dynasty had come crashing with, you know, very lurid details of the crime he was accused of, of murdering his wife and son to cover up financial improprieties that he was using then to feed his addiction to drugs and to fund a very lavish lifestyle.

[Janat Jalil]

There will be huge interest, won't there, when his new trial starts and he's

[Verne Debusman]

still serving two separate prison sentences of 27 years and 40 years for financial crimes, which also emerged during the investigation into the murders. But he will have to be retrain, tried for the actual murder of his wife and son. And I think that'll get enormous interest, not just in South Carolina, but across the US and around the world. Just given the details of that and how many twists and turns we've already had now, to have to kind of go through what was initially that was a six week trial, quite a lengthy one, to have to go through that all over again, I think it's going to get enormous interest and I think we'll likely see the same sort of social media following and Reddit threads about the ins and outs of the trial as we did in the first one.

[Janat Jalil]

Bernd de Bussmann. The French president's marriage has been the subject of intense interest since his ascent to power a decade ago because of the 24 year age gap, the fact that she was a teacher and he her pupil when they met. And last year, video of President Macron apparently being slapped by his wife Brigitte, as they were about to disembark from a plane went viral. They insisted they were just joking around, but now a French journalist has claimed that Brigitte Macron slapped her husband in a jealous row over texts that he was exchanging with an Iranian actress. Carla Conti reports.

[Carla Conti]

It was a moment that made headlines well beyond France in May last year, as Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron arrived in Vietnam. Cameras caught the French first lady pushing her hands into the president's face as the doors of the presidential plane opened. The Elysee initially suggested the video might be fake before President Macron accepted it was genuine and insisted he and his wife had simply been joking around regime. Macron later said she'd been tired after a turbulent flight and had pushed him away as he tried to make her laugh. Now a new book by Paris Match journalist Florian Tardif offers a different account in encoup Les Presques Parfait An Almost Perfect Couple. He claims the incident followed an argument over messages allegedly exchanged between President Macron and Gulsheifte Farahani, an Iranian born actress who lives in exile in France. Farahani is one of Iran's best known film stars and has been an outspoken critic of the country's theocratic regime since leaving Iran in 2008. According to Tardive, the relationship was platonic, but some of the messages allegedly went further than friendship. In an interview promoting the book, he claimed the president had sent Farahani messages, including one saying, I find you very pretty. The book says Brigitte Macron was upset not so much by one message itself, but by what it suggested. Her team denies that account and says she never checks her husband's phone. Farahani also denied rumors of an affair between herself and President Macron. The episode had already been revived by Donald Trump last month when the US President mocked Mr. Macron over it, saying he was still recovering from the right to the jaw, in his words. Comments dismissed by the French president as neither elegant nor up to standard, which were badly received in France.

[Janat Jalil]

Carla Conti and we end the podcast with a look back at the life of an inspirational figure in the world of basketball, Jason Collins, whose death was announced on Tuesday. At the age of 47, he'd been suffering from an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was the NBA's first openly gay player. Paying tribute, the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Colin's impact and influence extended far beyond basketball to make sports more inclusive. Collins first came out in 2013, writing an essay in Sports Illustrated. He began it with the words, I am a 34 year old MBA center, I am black and I am gay. Two years later, in 2015, he spoke to Lee James on Sports World on the BBC World Service about the reaction to him coming out.

[Jason Collins]

My life is exponentially better and I didn't know what to expect when I did make the announcement. I'm so glad that the support has been there not only for me, but for, you know, so many other people. And I feel like that's part of my job right now, is to help create that environment so that other athletes feel comfortable to continue to step forward.

[NerdWallet Sponsor Announcer]

And if most people listening will know you as the gay basketball player, are you comfortable with that?

[Jason Collins]

Yeah, of course. That was one of the biggest things that John Amici told me was that before my big announcement, everyone when they're asked what was my reputation? My reputation was being the pro's pro, a guy who would go out there and do the dirty work to help his team win. And he said that overnight, you're gonna have to become comfortable with everyone identifying you as the gay basketball player. And he said, just because people slap labels on you, that doesn't mean that's something that, you know. You have to think that that's the one thing that defines you. And that's not the only thing that defines me as being a gay athlete. There are so many other parts that make me unique and make me special, whether the fact that I'm tall, to being an African American, to being gay, to going to Stanford. You know, I'm proud of everything that makes me unique and makes me who I am.

[NerdWallet Sponsor Announcer]

I was reading in a recent article for the Players Tribune, an incident you described about when you were on a team bus. You were traveling on a road trip, and it fell silent when a teammate said to you, hey, Jason, how can we never see you with any women? Are you gay? He described how it fell silent. How did that make you feel?

[Jason Collins]

You get that nervous rush, like someone punching you in the stomach. I get that pit in your stomach. And at that point, I wasn't ready to come out. I was playing for the Atlanta Hawks, and I remember being on that bus and just saying, oh, no. Going into my. I call it my CIA cover story that, you know, I had a girlfriend, and she just never visited. I did have some friends from high school and college, women who were just friends, and they would come to visit me in Atlanta. And luckily, one of my teammates came to my aid when we were on that bus and said, oh, yeah, I saw Jason with. He thought that that was my girlfriend. No, she was just a girl. That was a friend. So that definitely saved me in that moment. But I would never forget getting off that bus. And when I finally got home, it was just like, oh, gosh. It was very tough. It was a very difficult path, because at that point when that happened, I hadn't yet told anyone, but it was just, you know, I hope that no one else has to go through that. I hope that, you know, if someone asks you if you're getting your set, yeah, you know, I'm getting this is who I am. Or, you know, it doesn't even get to that point. You just announce it. So that when, like, when I did and played with the Brooklyn nets in 2014, and, you know, it was cool. My teammates were able to, you know, see me after the game in the family room with my boyfriend, and, you know, to have that experience where even my boyfriend just like, you know, some other people, significant others, will travel on the road with him and hang out and just, you know, be part of the team, part of the family. And that's what I was able to experience in my last year in the NBA. And it was an incredible experience not to have to hide made who I am.

[Janat Jalil]

And that was basketball star Jason Collins, who has died at the age of 47. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email [e-mail] this edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Daniel Fox. The producers were Carlo Conti and Siobhan Leahy. The editor is Karen Mart. I'm Jeannette Jalil. Until next time. Goodbye.

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