Trump officials accuse journalist of lying after Signal app leak published in full

Summary

Global News Podcast Summary

Title: Trump officials accuse journalist of lying after Signal app leak published in full
Host: Valerie Sanderson, BBC World Service
Release Date: March 27, 2025

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1. Introduction and Main Headlines

At the outset, Valerie Sanderson outlines the key stories for the day, highlighting significant geopolitical events and domestic issues. Notably, the focus is on the controversy surrounding the Trump administration officials and the accidental leak of sensitive information via the Signal messaging app. Other major topics include the conflict in Sudan, Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro facing trial for an alleged coup, and lighter news such as the recovery of a missing dog in Australia.

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2. Signal Gate Scandal: Leaked US Airstrike Plans

The centerpiece of this episode revolves around the "Signal Gate" incident, where sensitive discussions about planned US airstrikes on Yemen were inadvertently shared with a prominent journalist through the Signal app.

a. Overview of the Leak Valerie Sanderson introduces the scandal, explaining that senior Trump administration officials were embroiled in a heated exchange discussing operational details of airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen. These messages were mistakenly sent to journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, who subsequently published the entire conversation.

b. Government Response The Trump administration swiftly dismissed the leak as a hoax, asserting that no classified information was involved. Tulsi Gabbard, head of US National Intelligence, emphasized at [03:03] that the conversation contained no sensitive data:

“The conversation was candid and sensitive. But as the President, National Security Advisor stated, no classified information was shared.”

c. Congressional Grilling For two consecutive days, top security officials from the administration were questioned by the U.S. House Select Committee on Intelligence. Democratic Representative Jason Crow expressed frustration at [02:23]:

“It is completely outrageous to me … nobody is willing to come to us and say this was wrong, this was a breach of security and we won't do it again.”

d. Media and Public Reaction Jeffrey Goldberg published the leaked messages, revealing specific operational details, which intensified scrutiny of the administration’s handling of classified information.

e. Official Statements and Defense US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the mistake of including a journalist in the chat room but maintained that the information shared was non-classified. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt defended the administration's stance, stating:

“There were various reasons … no classified information was included … we are restoring American strength around the world.”

f. Insights from Gary O'Donoghue Senior North America correspondent Gary O'Donoghue provided an on-the-ground perspective, criticizing the administration for attempting to smear Jeffrey Goldberg and highlighting the internal pushback:

“They are fighting hard on this one. … they simply can't afford to lose a whole swathe of senior national security figures like this.”

g. Yemeni Perspective Faria Al Maslimi, a Yemeni research fellow at Chatham House, shared his dismay over the leaked messages. At [07:57], he condemned the casual language used to discuss warfare:

“It's criminal … it’s a telling of how inhuman wars have become.”

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3. Sudan Conflict Update

General Fatah Al Burhan announced that the Sudanese army has regained full control of Khartoum from the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF), marking a significant territorial gain after nearly two years of civil war. This development provides the military with a strategic advantage, although significant humanitarian challenges remain due to extensive damage in the capital.

Civilian Impact: Tulsi Gabbard highlighted the severe humanitarian crisis, with over 12 million displaced and millions facing hunger:

“Most of this acute humanitarian situation is in areas controlled by the RSF … famine conditions are in displaced people's camps around the city of Al Fashr.”

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4. Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro to Stand Trial for Alleged Coup

Brazil's Supreme Court has authorized a trial for former president Jair Bolsonaro and seven allies on charges of plotting a coup to undermine the electoral process and attack President Luiz Ignacio Lula. Despite Bolsonaro’s denial of any wrongdoing, claiming political persecution, the judges believe there is sufficient preliminary evidence linking him to the conspiracy.

Key Points:

• Supreme Court Ruling: Sufficient evidence for trial ([14:46]).
• Potential Sentencing: Up to 40 years in prison ([16:23]).
• Political Symbolism: First instance of a former president facing such charges.

Expert Commentary: Leandro Prazeres from the BBC in Brasilia emphasized the historic nature of the trial and its potential impact on Brazil's political landscape.

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5. Ukraine and US-Russia Sanctions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that the US would maintain strong sanctions against Russia, despite Moscow’s demands for their removal as a condition for a ceasefire in the Black Sea region. Speaking in Paris ahead of a Ukraine summit, Zelensky criticized US envoy Steve Witkoff’s understanding of the conflict, labeling his insights as superficial.

Highlights:

• Zelensky's Stance: Firm on maintaining sanctions ([16:46]).
• Critique of US Envoy: Labeling Witkoff as lacking expertise ([20:32]).

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6. Other Global News Highlights

a. Istanbul Interim Mayor Appointment Following the detention of Mayor Ekrem Imamolu, Istanbul's local government elected an interim mayor from the opposition CHP party. This move has ignited protests and calls for early elections amidst concerns over the erosion of democratic institutions in Turkey.

b. US Car Tariffs and Impact on Chile's Salmon Industry President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on all imported cars not manufactured in the US, escalating trade tensions with key partners. This move potentially benefits Chile's salmon industry, which might capture a larger share of the US market due to weakened competition from Canadian exporters.

c. Alcohol Store Policy in Uttar Pradesh, India The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh implemented a new online lottery system for liquor vendor licenses, prompting a frenzy of discounted alcohol sales. Vendors are offering "buy one, get one free" deals to clear out inventory before the policy change, leading to long queues and heightened consumer activity.

d. Missing Dog Found in Australia After 16 months, the miniature dachshund named Valerie was found alive on Kangaroo Island. Jarrod Karan of Kangala Wildlife Rescue confirmed the dog's identity and detailed efforts to safely capture her using cameras and feeding points.

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Conclusion

This episode of the Global News Podcast offers a comprehensive overview of pressing international issues, from political scandals in the US and Brazil to ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine. Additionally, it touches on impactful economic policies and lighter, human-interest stories that resonate globally. Notable quotes from officials and experts provide depth and varied perspectives, ensuring listeners are well-informed on the complexities of each topic.

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Notable Quotes:

• Jason Crow ([02:23]):

  “Nobody is willing to come to us and say this was wrong, this was a breach of security and we won't do it again.”

• Tulsi Gabbard ([03:03]):

  “No classified information was shared … This was a standard update to the National Security Cabinet.”

• Faria Al Maslimi ([07:57]):

  “It's criminal … it’s a telling of how inhuman wars have become.”

• Leandro Prazeres ([16:23]):

  “If found guilty, Mr. Bolsonaro could face up to 40 years in prison.”

• Gary O'Donoghue ([06:53]):

  “It doesn’t look particularly competent. It looks a bit sensationalist.”

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This summary aims to provide an engaging and detailed account of the podcast episode, ensuring clarity and comprehensive coverage for those who have not listened to the original broadcast.

Transcript

[Valerie Sanderson]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

[Zing Singh]

I'm Zing Singh.

[Simon Jack]

And I'm Simon Jack.

[Zing Singh]

And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Jarrod Karan]

The podcast exploring the lives of some.

[Simon Jack]

Of the world's richest people.

[Zing Singh]

In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names.

[Simon Jack]

Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few.

[Zing Singh]

And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire.

[Jarrod Karan]

That's good.

[Simon Jack]

Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[Zing Singh]

Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Valerie Sanderson and in the early hours of Thursday, 27th March, these are our main stories. Senior officials in the Trump administration have been grilled in Congress over how planned US airstrikes on Yemen were discussed in a group chat that accidentally included a prominent journalist. The military leader of Sudan says the army has regained full control of the capital, Khartoum, after nearly two years of fighting against the rival RSF Group. Brazil's Supreme Court says there's enough evidence for the former right wing president Jair Bolsonaro to stand trial for allegedly plotting a coup. Also in this podcast, the dog that went missing on Australia's Kangaroo island, she is definitely alive.

[Jarrod Karan]

You don't get too many little dachshunds running around with pink collars on over here.

[Zing Singh]

We begin in Washington with the continuing row over what some are calling signal Gate, in which sensitive texts discussing planned airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen were accidentally shared on the signal messaging app with a journalist. The Trump administration has dismissed the revelation of the leak as a hoax and insisted the chat didn't include any classified information. In response, the editor of the Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg, who received the texts, has now published the whole lot, including discussions of specific operational details. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, for a second day, the U.S. house Select Committee on Intelligence grilled top security officials about the leak. The Democratic representative, Jason Crow, demanded accountability.

[Simon Jack]

It is completely outrageous to me, completely outrageous to me that administration officials come before us today with impunity, no acceptance of responsibility, excuse after excuse after excuse, while we send our men and women downrange to do incredibly difficult, incredibly dangerous things on our behalf, and yet nobody is willing to come to us and say this was wrong, this was a breach of security and we won't do it again.

[Zing Singh]

But the head of US National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, continued to maintain that the messages that had been shared were not classified.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

The conversation was candid and sensitive. But as the President, National Security Advisor stated, no classified information was shared. There were no sources, methods, locations or war plans that were shared. This was a standard update to the National Security Cabinet that was provided alongside updates that were given to foreign partners in the region.

[Zing Singh]

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, now says inviting a journalist into the Signal chat room was a big mistake. But the White House has continued to push back. Here's Press Secretary Caroline Levitt.

[Simon Jack]

I would defer you to the Secretary of Defense's statement he put out this morning. There were various reasons. He listed things that were not included in that messaging thread that were not classified. And again, going back to the American public, do you trust the Secretary of Defense who was nominated for this role, voted by the United States Senate into this role, who has served in combat, honorably, served our nation in uniform, or do you trust Jeffrey Goldberg, who is a registered Democrat and an anti Trump sensationalist reporter? This President and this national security team are putting our national security and the American people first. We are restoring American strength around the world. And the results of this operation speak for themselves.

[Zing Singh]

I spoke to our senior North America correspondent, Gary O'Donoghue, who was in that briefing room.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

There's been a huge pushback. The Press Secretary, Caroline Levitt, in the briefing earlier, really going after the journalist at the centre of this, Jeffrey Goldberg, talking about him as a Trump hater, as a sensationalist, as a Democrat, really trying to do as much as possible to smear him, in effect. And that's been coming from some of the others involved in this as well. Some of those in the intelligence community were on that chat. J.D. vance, the Vice President, he's been saying things like that, as has Pete Hegseth, the Defense Secretary, who was also at the center of this, because in those messages that were published by the Atlantic, you know, he is the one who's giving a lot of the detail, which they still maintain wasn't classified, but was about the weapons being used, the times of strikes, giving some updates on what was happening in a pretty live situation. So they are fighting hard on this one. And I think there's a reason for that in particular, which is that if they give some ground on one of these individuals, then the questions will keep coming on the others. And they simply can't afford to lose a whole swathe of senior national security figures like this.

[Zing Singh]

And how did they come out of the grilling that they got at the House Committee, some of these security chiefs?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

I mean, it was a bit of a rerun of yesterday with the equivalent Senate committee, although Tulsi Gamba, the Director of National Intelligence, had to sort of slightly sort of alter her approach because these messages clearly mentioned different kinds of weapons. And that's something she was a little bit ambiguous on yesterday, whether or not she'd seen this detail. Again, she, much like John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, really sort of deflecting many of the questions towards the Defense Department and Pete Hegseth, very much driving in their own lanes, if you like, which may be a sign that they're not sure that his case is as strong as theirs. But this is a battle of wills, if you like, now, and it will depend, you know, what the President's view is. It always depends what the President's view is. To this point in time, he has stood by these individuals, but he doesn't like bad publicity. That's one more thing we know, and particularly when it detracts from his agenda and his feeling that these first two months have been enormously successful in terms of dominating the news cycle, flooding the zone, as they put it. This stuff does distract from that.

[Zing Singh]

And what's your sense? How damaging is it, do you think, for the Trump administration?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

It doesn't look good. It doesn't look, you know, particularly competent. It looks a bit sensationalist, if I can use that word. It looks like, you know, boys and their toys a little bit in that chat. You know, if you look at the detail of it, it wasn't terribly sober, was it? There were lots of sort of people sending emojis back and forth. We're talking about, you know, bombs and missiles flying here. The other risk, of course, for them is that in terms of morale in the armed services, there's been plenty of people, plenty of ex military types in the last few days saying, if I'd done this when I was in uniform, I'd have been court martialed. So there's a danger that this does undermine discipline in the military and may make some people think, well, if they can do it, why can't I?

[Zing Singh]

Gary O'Donoghue. Now let's get a Yemeni perspective on the incident. Faria Al Maslimi is a Yemeni research fellow at Chatham House, the foreign policy think tank in London. Just before the latest comments from Washington on Wednesday, James Menendez asked him what he thought when he saw the first batch of leaked messages about U.S. airstrikes on Yemen.

[Faria Al Maslimi]

If you are a political analyst who covers the Trump administration or the Middle east, you never really trust weekends or holidays. You never know when BBC World News will call you because a new war just broke out. But I must say, this was a whole another level the minute I read that in a Twitter and I thought at the beginning it was a spam. They didn't open it until I saw so many people. And the reason is because it was a scandalous in so many ways. It's a scandalous obviously in the security failure of it. You don't really wish that even for an enemy. You know, I have covered a lot of failed states, but this was a parody state, more or even worse than that. But beyond that, what shocked me also as a Yemeni, but also as a human being, is language being used to describe a war and a bombing that has people in the ground, ultimately dying civilians. It's criminal.

[Simon Jack]

Does that include the use of emojis? I mean, I'm just looking at some of them now. There's a sort of, there's a fist pump, there's the flame emoji and what did he make of that?

[Faria Al Maslimi]

It's a criminal, to say the least. And it's just a telling of how inhuman wars have became in a way. You have boys with toys celebrating in a way that you cannot believe it actually exists. And the other part about this is it Also, especially today, 26th of March, is it comes 10 years of a terribly failed Saudi Emirati military airstrikes on Yemen, actually. So you have also totally blind boys giving each other a thumbs up on a signal, celebrating in almost a very inhuman way, bombing. And at the same time, clearly not even you wouldn't assume reading history, but clearly didn't read the Twitter for the last 10 years to see how bad it went for others before them in Yemen.

[Simon Jack]

That brings me on to my next question. Have they got reason to celebrate? Has the bombing campaign and these strikes weren't the first? I mean, there's been quite a few in recent months. Has this series of airstrikes had any major impact on the Houthis and their ability to carry out attacks?

[Faria Al Maslimi]

I mean, obviously, first of all, this is one. This is. Even if it had any military success, ultimately this is one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world, bombing one of the poorest and most vulnerable and hungriest country in the world. So in a larger scheme of things, despite any military significance it has, it's somehow a big failure. But it's problematic for two other reasons. First, the Houthis as a group overall thrive over a war. This actually answers to their best wishes somehow in being in a direct war with the US but also because does.

[Simon Jack]

It boost their popularity?

[Faria Al Maslimi]

Obviously, I mean, the Yemenis did not welcome UAE and Saudi airstrikes, let alone the Americans or the Israelis. So of course it's not something popular. But it's also a failure because Yemen and the Houthis is a mountain country in most of where they control, so airstrikes doesn't work. And overall the Americans don't know how to fight a war in the mountains. You know, they didn't know it in Vietnam, they didn't know it in Afghanistan, and they will never know it in Yemen. It's a very significantly a self tilling of a failed military calculation in a very different ways.

[Zing Singh]

Faria Al Muslimi from Chatham House in London, next to Sudan and the country's military leader says the army has regained full control of the capital from its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. General Fatah Al Burhan landed at the newly recaptured airport in Khartoum and made the announcement from the presidential palace. This marks the military's latest territorial gain in the brutal two year civil war. Our Africa correspondent Barbara Petasha spoke to us from Port Sudan.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

It's been quite a day. The army had been making advances into Khartoum since seizing the presidential palace late last week. But things have moved very swiftly. They secured the international airport which is in the center of the city, after battling RSF holdouts there. And then they took control of other areas where there was still an RSF footprint and released footage which they said was RSF fighters leaving Khartoum at their last available exit. And then later in the day, the military leader, General Fateh El Burhan suddenly flew into this newly reclaimed airport and made an announcement from the historic Republican palace saying Khartoum is free. This palace being a potent symbol of sovereignty, political power. So it is a major victory for the army and they will probably be consolidating further as the days go on. And the capital has been hugely damaged. So there's a lot of work to do. But it will give the army a strategic advantage in the war going forward.

[Zing Singh]

But the rsf, it still holds, doesn't it, almost all the Darfur region in Western Sudan.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

That's right. The RSF has control of that vast region, almost all of it. And it's expected that the focus of the fighting will probably shift there. One of the big battlegrounds there has been the city of Al Fashr, which is the last capital, the last state capital still in the army's control that the RSF still doesn't have. Just this week, the army was accused of, or the air force was accused of killing dozens, if not hundreds of civilians when it bombed a market in North Darfur. So that is very much still an active battle zone. The war has taken a new turn with what's happened with Khartoum, but it's definitely not over.

[Zing Singh]

And tell us more about civilians, because the UN says this war, which has gone on now for two years, that it's created the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

Yes, more than 12 million people displaced, about millions and millions of people facing an acute hunger crisis, the famine declared in certain parts of the country. Most of this acute humanitarian situation is in areas controlled by the rsf. The army has been reluctant to let aid go through into these areas, and the RSF itself has also placed restrictions on it. So this has created a really big humanitarian crisis. Some of those areas that have been. Have said to be having famine conditions are in displaced people's camps around the city of Al Fashr and certainly in Khartoum. Khartoum was one of the areas that the UN had said would be facing famine conditions soon, given the fighting there, given the siege and the restrictions. So at least in Khartoum, it seems that that will be eased now and there will be relief for the people who were either unable or unwilling to leave during the war.

[Zing Singh]

Barbara Platasha In Sudan, Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro is to go on trial for allegedly plotting a military coup. The Supreme Court has ruled there's enough evidence for the case against Mr. Bolsonaro and seven of his allies to go ahead. He denies trying to block the inauguration of his successor, President Lula, and says he's the victim of political persecution.

[Simon Jack]

I hope to put an end to this today.

[Zing Singh]

It seems like there's something personal against.

[Simon Jack]

Me, and the accusations are very serious. They are baseless.

[Zing Singh]

Mr. Bolsonaro never publicly acknowledged losing the election back in 2022, and thousands of his supporters stormed government buildings after Lula took office. I heard more about what the panel of five judges in Brazil's Supreme Court said from the BBC's Leandro Prazeres, who's in the capital, Brasilia.

[Leandro Prazeres]

Overall, the judges have said that there is preliminary evidence that Mr. Bolsonaro was not just part of the conspiracy, but he was the leader of these criminal organization, and that's keeping him in power despite his defeat in the 2022 elections. At some point, one of the judges, Alexander de Moraes, who leads the case, he said that there will be credible evidence that Mr. Bolsonaro had discussed details of a decree intended to overturn the results, the elections, and that he was also aware of an alleged plan to kill the current president, Luiz Ignacio Lula.

[Zing Singh]

Da Silva so when is the trial likely to take place?

[Leandro Prazeres]

There is no indication so far about when the proper trial will take place, but experts and analysts here in Brazil have been saying that it's very likely that this trial will start to take place this year, especially because there is this feeling that this trial should not contaminate the environment of next year's election in Brazil.

[Zing Singh]

If found guilty, what sentence could he face?

[Leandro Prazeres]

Some law experts have been saying that found guilty, Mr. Bolsonaro could face up to 40 years in prison. They have also been saying that despite the result of the trial, what happened today is already politically symbolic as this is the first time a former president and also high ranking generals will be facing trial for an alleged coup attempt.

[Zing Singh]

LEANDRO Priseres the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says he hopes the US Will stay strong in the face of Russian demands to lift sanctions as a condition for a ceasefire in the Black Sea. Mr. Zelenskyy is in the French capital Paris ahead of a Ukraine summit on Thursday. Of some 30 leaders, he answered questions from a panel of European journalists, among them our international editor, Jeremy Bowen. Jeremy filed this report on Wednesday evening from Paris as he stood in front of the Eiffel Tower.

[Jeremy Bowen]

First of all, I think he feels among friends when he comes to Paris, when he speaks to European leaders. They've been lighting up the Eiffel Tower in the colors of the Ukrainian national flag, yellow and blue, clear deliberate gesture to contrast with the verbal dressing down he got when he was in Washington from President Trump and from his vice president, J.D. vance. Now, in this panel discussion I had with President Zelensky, we covered the whole gamut of the things which will be talked about here in Paris tomorrow at a European summit, the so called coalition of the willing, trying to work out what it is they can do. And so one question I asked President Zelensky was about but the fact that Europe, its defense capacity, especially compared to the United States, is really not right now up to it. Steve Witkoff, the envoy of President Trump, gave a very illuminating interview the other day and it seemed to suggest very strongly that they don't take the Americans don't take seriously the efforts that the British and the French are doing to try and to put together a force to give you some security guarantees. Witkoff said he ridiculed it. He said it was a posture, it was a pose. There was simplistic desire to sound like Winston Churchill, but bearing in mind the realities of European military weakness compared to the U.S. actually, do you think he's right?

[Leandro Prazeres]

Europe in the course of this war has strengthened itself, definitely has undergone audit of what it had. With now, European production will be increasing.

[Simon Jack]

In Europe very quickly.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Europe, from the point of view of.

[Zing Singh]

Cyber defense.

[Simon Jack]

Over the course of three and five years would be on par.

[Zing Singh]

With the United States.

[Jeremy Bowen]

And he actually went on to speak somewhat disparagingly of Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff's grasp of the facts of what the war is going on in Ukraine in general. He said that the Americans were parroting. He didn't use that word, but certainly repeating Kremlin talking points far too easily. But he said that Steve Witkoff actually was an expert at selling real estate. He was not an expert at trying to work out the way that the war went there. Now, considering that he is Trump's lead envoy not just on Ukraine, but on the Middle east as well, it is a sign that Zelenskyy, while he's saying the kinds of things the Americans want to hear and Trump wants to hear, he's not trying to disguise the facts that actually, as everybody knows right now, from a European perspective, and particularly from a Ukrainian perspective, the United States under Donald Trump is not a reliable ally, and it might not even be an ally at all.

[Zing Singh]

Jeremy Bowen in France.

[Simon Jack]

Still to come, the vendors are offering various discounts and deals, such as buying one bottle and getting another bottle free.

[Zing Singh]

What's happening at alcohol shops in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh? I'm Xing Singh.

[Simon Jack]

And I'm Simon Jack.

[Zing Singh]

And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Jarrod Karan]

The podcast exploring the lives of some.

[Zing Singh]

Of the world's richest people. In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names.

[Simon Jack]

Yep, Lebron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few.

[Zing Singh]

Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

That's Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[Zing Singh]

Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. The local government in Istanbul has elected an interim mayor to serve in place of Ekrem Imamolu, whose detention a week ago triggered huge protests. Nuriaslan is from Mr. Imomolu's centre left party, the CHP, which serves as the main opposition to President Erdogan's AKP. Yajin Karatepe is one of the CHP's members of parliament.

[Leandro Prazeres]

The political atmosphere in Turkey has unmistakably reached a tipping point, a moment where the long simmering erosion of democratic infrastructure has now erupted into full public consciousness. The arbitrary annulment of Mr. Imamoli's university diploma, a bureaucratic maneuver devoid of legal merit or procedural integrity, was not merely a clerical decision. It was the opening act of a calculated political drama.

[Zing Singh]

For more on the appointment of Istanbul's interim mayor, the BBC's Emily Wither sent us this report on Wednesday from the city.

[Simon Jack]

There have been concerns that the government would nominate an appointee. The head of the opposition, along with City hall staff, have been sleeping in the building since Mr. Imamolu's detention last Wednesday. With tonight being the holiest of Ramadan, it's expected that protests will be more muted after seven days of large anti government demonstrations. The CHP are calling for a large rally in Istanbul on Saturday for Turks to show their support for Mr. Imamolu and call for early elections.

[Zing Singh]

The US President Donald Trump has announced tariffs on car imports in a move set to fuel tensions with trading partners ahead of further promised levies next week. Since his return to the White House two months ago, Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on imports from major US Trading partners, Canada, Mexico and China, as well as a 25% duty on steel and aluminium imports. But he previously offered car manufacturers a temporary reprieve from the levies affecting North America. Speaking from the White House, this is what President Trump had to say about car tariffs. What we're going to be doing is.

[Simon Jack]

A 25% tariff on all cars that.

[Zing Singh]

Are not made in the United States. If they're made in the United States.

[Simon Jack]

There'S absolutely no tariff.

[Zing Singh]

We started off with a 2.5% base.

[Simon Jack]

Which is what we were at, and we go to 25%.

[Zing Singh]

And basically, as you know and as you've been seeing, not reporting as accurately.

[Simon Jack]

As it should be reported because it's a massive story.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

Business is coming back to the United.

[Zing Singh]

States States so that they don't have to pay tariffs.

[Simon Jack]

And I think also because of November.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

5Th, the election, they're very happy.

[Zing Singh]

Against this background, could President Trump's trade war provide an unexpected opportunity for Chile? After Norway, the South American country is the biggest producer and exporter of farmed salmon in the world. From Chile, Jane Chambers reports.

[Valerie Sanderson]

The salmon farming industry has transformed southern Chile, providing jobs for around 8,86,000 people indirectly and directly. This is Multi X's processing plant in the coastal town of Puerto Montt, 11 hours drive down south from Chile's capital, Santiago. They process fresh and smoked salmon.

[Leandro Prazeres]

My name is Javier Soto. I am the manager of the smoking plant.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Piles of salt in front of us the salt from the Atacama Desert, this.

[Leandro Prazeres]

Is our recipe we use. This is salty with combined with brown sugar. It depends on the recipe or what market we are selling the products. We use different amounts of salt and sugar. Okay, so this factory can produce 300 tons of final product per month.

[Valerie Sanderson]

The largest export markets are the United States and Japan.

[Leandro Prazeres]

We have six smokers for doing the recipes. The recipes can have 13 minutes or until six hours. It depends what market you are in. For example, Japan, they love the smell of in case of the US they prefer more the salty and so they shorter the recipe.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Now, the threat of 25% tariffs on Canadian salmon exports to the U.S. and trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe could help boost the already strong U.S. market for Chilean businesses. Around half of U.S. salmon imports came from Chile in 2022.

[Leandro Prazeres]

Chile has a free trade agreement with the United States.

[Simon Jack]

So. So in theory, there's no tariffs.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Matt Craise is the founder of Spheric Research, an independent research house which specializes in global seafood markets.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Canada has been historically the smaller but.

[Simon Jack]

Still quite significant seller of salmon to the US market.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

But there's a deep concern among the.

[Zing Singh]

Canadian sellers that they've lost the US market or they become less competitive in that US market.

[Valerie Sanderson]

But Chile may need more than just weaker competition. Arturo Clement, president at trade body Salmon Chile, says the industry needs more support to encourage investment.

[Leandro Prazeres]

Well, for us, it's been very difficult to grow because we have too many regulations. So what we need is we need to define a long term strategy regarding salmon farming.

[Valerie Sanderson]

Arturo is referring to unresolved issues about where the industry is allowed to farm and a planned new agriculture law which he thinks will be restrictive. There are also concerns over the use of antibiotics to tackle a bacterial disease. The industry stresses antibiotics are used within the law and there's no trace of them when the fish are exported. Back at Javier Soto's smoking plant, his colleague Armando Bowden says they have the capacity to meet more demand.

[Leandro Prazeres]

Today there are around 480 people working here. And when we are at our busiest times, we can have more than 900 people working here.

[Valerie Sanderson]

There could be an opportunity for Chile's salmon industry with the current global trade tensions, but it faces its own challenges.

[Zing Singh]

That report by Jane Chambers in Chile and now to India. And the sound you can hear is of scenes replicated across Uttar Pradesh, where long queues of people have been gathering outside liquor or alcohol stores. To find out why, Andrew Peach spoke to the BBC's Sumeda Pal in Delhi, who explained more about people being primarily attracted by the two for one deals and other massive discounts.

[Simon Jack]

It is primarily to also sell off the remaining stocks before the financial year ends so that any unsold liquor, if it exists, it is not seized by excise officials. And to avoid these losses, the vendors are offering various discounts and deals, such as buying one bottle and getting another bottle free. And a lot of price reductions are also happening. It is being triggered by a policy change, which is that in the last six years, licenses for alcohol were renewed through the vendors very easily. But this year, the state government has introduced something new. They're doing an online lottery system to allocate those liquor vendors.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

And as a result of these changes, as I understand it, you're going to end up with people who've been running liquor stalls for many years suddenly unable to carry on.

[Simon Jack]

Yes, there is a bit of a fear among the vendors. There are concerns among vendors that it's not so much that they'd not be able to continue the business, but it also pertains to the stocks that they have that they'd not be able to sell Those stocks post 31 March, and they will have to then destroy the remaining stocks if the government does not take it back. So that is a major concern among traders and among vendors. This has fueled these kind of exciting discounts and long queues that we're seeing in several cities. In addition to this, the liquor association has also filed a petition against the government. They were demanding that the government take back the remaining stock of alcohol. However, the government has not issued any direction on it yet, which is why the vendors are also trying to sort of sell their stocks and make a buck before the new policy kicks in.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Now, in most parts of the world, if you were suddenly doing a buy one, get one free deal on alcohol, you'd certainly have big cues of people trying to buy it. And it sounds like India is no different.

[Simon Jack]

Absolutely. And big posters have been put out, a lot of exciting offers. It is looking like, you know, absolute chaos. But a lot of people who are. Who consume alcohol, they're rejoiced because of this decision, and they're quite happy because they're queu to buy alcohol for as cheap as possible. So it is quite exciting for those. There are fewer people at ration shops and more people at the liquor stores today.

[Zing Singh]

Sumeda Pal in India, Kangaroo island, off southern Australia, is best known for its nature reserve featuring native wildlife such as sea lions, koalas, penguins, and the island's very own kangaroo species. But it now seems there's a small dog with a pink collar to add to that mix. Sixteen months ago, a miniature dachshund called Valerie ran off from its owners, who were on holiday. A search began, and for months there was no sign of the dog. But reports of sightings did start to come in, and it appears the miniature dachshund has been thriving. Jarrod Karen is director at the charity Kangala Wildlife Rescue, who's trying to capture her. So is he sure it really is Valerie?

[Jarrod Karan]

She is definitely alive. 100% sure it's definitely her. You don't get too many little dachshunds running around with pink collars on over here. When she first went missing and the owners called us, I was walking around with them and looking up in the sky, and there was about three or four eagles in the sky. And I remember saying to them at the time, look, I don't really want to say this, but that little dog's, you know, hasn't got a good chance. I'd say an eagle's probably already got it. And time went on and, you know, months and months later, this dog starts turning up where she is. She has an area where she can go to dams and get water. We have a fair bit of wildlife as roadkills, you know, the odd dead sheep and things like that. Obviously, the fact that she's, you know, kept out of trouble. She certainly looks well fed when I saw her, but as soon as she sees a car or a person, she's just gone. Yeah. So it's not like you can just sort of chase her down. You'd never catch her. We're in the process of, you know, establishing points where she comes into feed. We've got an array of camera to sort of make sure that we're getting her in there at a regular, you know, sort of pattern. And then after that, we'll be able to progress to actually getting her into the trap.

[Simon Jack]

You must have been in contact with. With the owners. I mean, what was it like when you.

[Jeremy Bowen]

When you broke the news to them?

[Jarrod Karan]

Look, they're very excited. They absolutely love that dog. Like, they were heartbroken when, when they left here and had to leave without her. It's like their child. If it comes off, it'll be a magical moment.

[Zing Singh]

Jared Karan, director of the charity Kangala Wildlife Rescue, speaking there to the BBC's James Menendez about Valerie the dachshund. And that's it from this Valerie. But there will 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 globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspot. This edition was mixed by Sid Dundon. The producer was Liam McSheffrey. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Valerie Sanderson. Until next time.

[Simon Jack]

Bye.

[Zing Singh]

Bye. I'm Zing Singh.

[Simon Jack]

And I'm Simon Jack.

[Zing Singh]

And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Jarrod Karan]

The podcast exploring the lives of some.

[Simon Jack]

Of the world's richest people.

[Zing Singh]

In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names.

[Jarrod Karan]

Yep.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few.

[Zing Singh]

And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

That's good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[Zing Singh]

Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.