• China lends Cuba a helping hand
    Apr 7 2026

    The US and Iran rejected each other’s peace proposals, EU officials are urging governments to avoid excessive support to offset surging energy prices, and the value of buyouts by private equity groups fell by more than a third in the first quarter of the year. Plus, Cuba is offsetting power blackouts and shortages with the help of soaring imports of solar technology from China.


    Mentioned in this podcast:

    US and Iran reject each other’s proposals to end war

    EU warns capitals against turning energy crunch into fiscal crisis

    Private equity buyouts slump as AI fears and war dent dealmaking

    Power-starved Cuba deepens reliance on Chinese solar tech


    Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts


    Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by Marc Filippino, and produced by Saffeya Ahmed and Sonja Hutson. Our show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    10 mins
  • Counting the costs of Trump’s immigration crackdown
    Apr 6 2026

    In a special edition of the FT News Briefing, reporter Guy Chazan explains the cost of US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. We hear from business owners and people affected by the policies in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas.


    Mentioned in this podcast:

    The economic cost of Trump’s migrant crackdown

    Sources: White House, Fox, ABC


    Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts


    Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted by Victoria Craig and produced by Marc Filippino. Our show was mixed by Alex Higgins. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    13 mins
  • Swamp Notes: The economic fallout of ‘liberation day’
    Apr 4 2026

    America’s tariff regime affected all aspects of life from the global economy to the day-to-day of average business owners. In this special episode, the FT’s US Economics Editor Claire Jones explains what changed, and what didn’t, because of those tariffs.


    Mentioned in this podcast:

    Listen to the rest of our Liberation Day series

    Listen to Swamp Notes


    Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts


    Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by Marc Filippino, and produced by Henry Larson. Our show was mixed by Kelly Garry. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    12 mins
  • Robert Armstrong on coining the Taco trade
    Apr 3 2026

    President Donald Trump fired US attorney-general Pam Bondi, and private credit investors are requesting their money back from Blue Owl Capital at an alarming rate. Plus, the FT’s Robert Armstrong continues our series on Trump’s tariffs with analysis of the Taco trade theory a year later.


    Mentioned in this podcast:

    Donald Trump fires US attorney-general Pam Bondi

    Blue Owl struck by $5.4bn of redemption requests

    Taco trade theory and the US market’s surprise comeback

    Listen to the FT News Briefing’s tariffs series here


    Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts


    Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by Marc Filippino, and produced by Saffeya Ahmed and Sonja Hutson. Our show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann and Michael Lello. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    13 mins
  • The shifting geopolitics of Trump’s tariffs
    Apr 2 2026

    US President Donald Trump updated Americans on the war in Iran, and Chinese government bonds have sidestepped a global debt sell-off since the start of Washington’s conflict with Tehran. Plus, in part four of our tariff anniversary series, the FT’s Gideon Rachman explains how Trump’s tariffs reshaped the geopolitical landscape.


    Mentioned in this podcast:

    Donald Trump offers mixed messages on war in Iran

    Chinese government bonds emerge as lone war haven

    Listen to the FT News Briefing’s tariffs series here


    Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts


    Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted by Sonja Hutson, and produced by Fiona Symon, Victoria Craig, and Saffeya Ahmed. Our show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann andD avid da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    13 mins
  • How a small US business navigated Trump’s tariffs
    Apr 1 2026

    Foreign central banks have slashed their holdings of Treasuries at the New York Federal Reserve to the lowest level since 2012, and a preliminary estimate showed that Eurozone inflation jumped to 2.5 per cent in March. Plus, we hear from two small US business owners about how they have navigated a year of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.


    Mentioned in this podcast:

    Foreign central banks sell US Treasuries in wake of Iran war

    The ECB’s three-pronged monetary strategy

    Trump tariff tracker: US trade, markets and the economy

    Listen to the FT News Briefing’s tariffs series here

    Chris Giles on Central Banks


    Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts


    Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by Marc Filippino, and produced by Fiona Symon, Victoria Craig, Saffeya Ahmed, and Sonja Hutson. Our show was mixed by Kent Militzer. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    12 mins
  • The rocky legal future of Trump’s tariffs
    Mar 31 2026

    Swiss lawmakers have assured senior UBS executives that they will water down stringent new rules and the Trump administration took its first step in opening the more than $10tn US retirement marketplace to private markets. Plus, as part of our series marking one year since so-called Liberation Day, the FT’s Stefania Palma explains the rocky legal future of US tariffs.


    Mentioned in this podcast:

    Swiss lawmakers signal compromise on $22bn UBS capital plan

    Trump to take first steps in opening retirement funds to private markets

    The Supreme Court sends tariffs on a turbulent descent

    Listen to the FT News Briefing’s tariffs series here


    Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts


    Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by Marc Filippino, and produced by Saffeya Ahmed, Victoria Craig, and Sonja Hutson. Our show was mixed by Kelly Garry. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    11 mins
  • How Trump's tariffs ripped up the global trade order
    Mar 30 2026

    US President Donald Trump has said he wants to ‘take the oil in Iran’ and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island. Uncertainty about what happens next in the war is sending nervousness through global markets. Plus, this week marks one year since President Trump’s so-called Liberation Day announcement. How has the global trade landscape changed since then?


    Mentioned in this podcast:

    Donald Trump says US could ‘take the oil in Iran’

    Global markets recoil as Marco Rubio warns war in Iran could stretch for weeks

    US bond market shows signs of strain as Iran war sparks Treasury tumult

    How has the global economy changed since ‘liberation day’?


    Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts


    Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted by Victoria Craig and produced by Nisha Patel and Marc Filippinio. Our show was mixed by Alex Higgins. Additional help from Peter Barber. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    13 mins