FT News Briefing - Financial Times

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US prepared for protracted stalemate with Iran Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

Global stocks sold off as AI spending fears flare up, Brazilians will vote this weekend in a close presidential race, and the US is prepared for a lengthy stalemate in the war with Iran. Plus, how banks are reacting to a potential tax rise from UK chancellor John Healey, and why are western pharmaceutical companies heading to China?

Mentioned in this podcast:

Meta sell-off drags US tech stocks lower as AI spending fears flare up

US prepared for protracted Iran stalemate

Should UK banks be taxed more?

Lula turns to selfie videos in Brazil election fightback

Flávio Bolsonaro, scion of a Brazilian political dynasty now eyeing victory

China’s rapid human trials draw western drugmakers — and safety concerns

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

The FT News Briefing is produced by Sonja Hutson, Saffeya Ahmed, and Josh Gabert-Doyon. Our editor is Marc Filippino. Our video producer is Zachary Alfred. Our show is mixed by Sam Giovinco and Alex Higgins. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello, Vanessa Brown, Peter Barber and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Flo Phillips 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.

Elon Musk’s $3.6tn gamble to merge SpaceX and Tesla Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Meta plans to create a new class of non-voting shares, Mathias Döpfner, chief executive and co-owner of Germany’s Axel Springer, has sought to acquire a stake in TikTok’s European operations, and US envoy Steve Witkoff discussed resuming peace talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine. Plus, can Elon Musk pull off a merger of SpaceX and Tesla?

Mentioned in this podcast:

Meta to create new non-voting share class

Tesla’s profits slip on weaker vehicle sales

Politico and Telegraph owner pitched deal to buy European arm of TikTok

Rockets, robots and risk: Elon Musk’s $3.6tn gamble to merge Tesla and SpaceX

What Elon Musk stands to gain from a Tesla-SpaceX merger

Trump envoy floats Ukraine talks and summit with Putin and Xi

Italy’s buffalo mozzarella production grinds to a halt in truckers’ strike

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

The FT News Briefing is produced by Sonja Hutson, Saffeya Ahmed, and Josh Gabert-Doyon. Our editor is Marc Filippino. Our video producer is Zachary Alfred. Our show is mixed by Sam Giovinco, Kelly Garry and Alex Higgins. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello, Vanessa Brown, Peter Barber and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Flo Phillips 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.

Israel pushes to restart strikes against Iran Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

The leaders of Ukraine, Finland and Norway hailed progress in talks in Oslo on Tuesday, SpaceX and Tesla are studying a merger, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing to restart large-scale strikes on Iran. Plus, UK gilts are catching back up with their peers after a sharp sell-off earlier this year.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Finnish president hails progress in talks about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine

SpaceX and Tesla boards are exploring potential merger

Benjamin Netanyahu pushes to resume strikes against Iran

Gilt market catches up with peers as investor worries over Budget ease

Alberta voters reject separation from Canada, early results show

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Can Big Tech calm investors' AI jitters? Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

Protests across Europe over the high cost of living have turned increasingly disruptive, investors are racing to buy credit default swaps to protect their portfolios in the event the AI boom unravels, and Big Tech starts releasing their earnings reports this week. Plus, India’s second-richest man will try to pull off the country’s biggest initial public offering and Saudi Arabia has postponed its flagship “Davos in the desert” investment conference following Houthi attacks.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Violent protests multiply across Europe

French bond sell-off intensifies after violent protests

‘Cheap’ credit default swaps become bellwether hedge for AI sentiment

Ambani looks to pull off India’s biggest IPO

Saudi Arabia to postpone ‘Davos in the desert’ after Houthi attacks

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

French government in crisis mode after a weekend of riots Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

France is reeling after "unprecedented" violent riots, America’s debt-laden $10tn AI infrastructure boom is a reckoning for the data centre build-out underpinning the US economy, and Albertans gear up to vote today on whether to leave Canada.

Mentioned in this podcast:

France reels after ‘unprecedented’ violent riots

Macron faces political firestorm after riots

‘The Switzerland of North America’: Albertans vote on leaving Canada

America’s $10tn AI infrastructure boom is starting to fray

Microsoft pulls plug on Nscale data centre deal

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

Until 28th October you can save on a standard annual digital subscription at ft.com/briefingsale

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Martin Wolf on the US midterms: Is American democracy safe? Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

As Americans prepare to vote in the November 3 midterm elections, FT chief economics commentator Martin Wolf asks what the result will mean for Donald Trump, the future of US democracy and America's place in the world. In the first of a six-part series of interviews with leading historians and political analysts, Martin speaks to the scholar and former Republican adviser Robert Kagan, who has spent a decade warning about Trump's authoritarian ambitions. They discuss how Trump has accumulated so much power, whether America's democratic institutions can still constrain him, and what might happen if Republicans lose control of Congress. Could these elections mark a turning point for American democracy or has the country already gone too far down the road towards authoritarianism?

Watch the full episode now on the FT’s main YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@FinancialTimes or search for ‘Martin Wolf on the World’, wherever you get your podcasts

Host: Martin Wolf

Producer: Mischa Frankl-Duval

Senior Producer: Laurence Knight

Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa

Video Editor: Richard Topping

Audio engineering: Breen Turner

Broadcast engineers: Andrew Georgiadis

Podcast development: Laura Clarke

FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Investors fret over AI debt Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

UKChancellor John Healey has dropped his strongest hint yet of higher taxes on banks, and Anthropic secured a credit rating one notch below investment grade earlier this year. Plus, investors are losing confidence that revenues from the AI boom will be sufficient to support the vast debt piles financing data centres.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Healey signals Budget bank tax raid

Anthropic secured highest junk credit rating in June

Anthropic tells investors quarterly revenue up nearly 50% to $16.8bn ahead of IPO

Investors dump data centre bonds as AI borrowers face ‘Darwin moment’

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

The FT News Briefing is produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval Sonja Hutson, Saffeya Ahmed, and Josh Gabert-Doyon. Our editor is Marc Filippino. Our video producer is Zachary Alfred. Our show is mixed by Sam Giovinco and Alex Higgins. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello, Peter Barber and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Flo Phillips 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.

Zelenskyy doesn’t mince words about Trump Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized US President Donald Trump in an interview with the FT, US inflation jumped to 3.7% and leaked emails reveal that Freshfields law firm considered a carve-out of itsAI unit that would be worth billions. Plus, leading AI labs are responding to the alleged bugging incident at OpenAI and salmon producers are changing up the diet for their fish.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Ukraine to resume strikes on Russian refineries, Zelenskyy says

US inflation jumps to 3.7% as Iran war drives up prices

Freshfields partners explore carve-out of AI unit worth ‘billions’, leaked emails reveal

US arrests Saudi employee of OpenAI for allegedly bugging its offices

He linked Saudi Arabia to Silicon Valley. Then OpenAI found a bug wrapped in toilet paper

Salmon producers start feeding chicken to fish

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

The FT News Briefing is produced by Sonja Hutson, Saffeya Ahmed, and Josh Gabert-Doyon. Our editor is Marc Filippino. Our video producer is Zachary Alfred. Our show is mixed by Sam Giovinco and Alex Higgins. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello, Peter Barber and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Flo Phillips 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.

France’s Marine Le Pen readies for fight with EU Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen is gearing up for a fight with the EU if elected president next year, investors in Accenture cannot decide if AI will be an existential threat or an incredible boost, CoreWeave is chasing insurers’ vast pools of capital, and the US Treasury has fined Bank of America more than $1bn for “egregious and continued” money laundering and sanctions violations. Plus, can Saudi Arabia stop the Houthis?

Mentioned in this podcast:

France’s Marine Le Pen gears up for fight with EU

Will Accenture survive or thrive in the age of AI?

CoreWeave targets ‘unlimited’ insurance money to fund AI build-out

Bank of America fined $1.2bn over money laundering failures

Military briefing: can Saudi Arabia stop the Houthis?

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

The FT News Briefing is produced by Sonja Hutson, Saffeya Ahmed, and Josh Gabert-Doyon. Our editor is Marc Filippino. Our video producer is Zach Alfred. Our show is mixed by Sam Giovinco and Alex Higgins. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello, Peter Barber and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Flo Phillips 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.

An election supercycle could push Europe to the right Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

The IMF is warning that the world’s leading economies need to take “urgent” action to rebuild their public finances, Pakistan is stuck in a tricky place as its ally Saudi Arabia fights off the Houthis, and Mark Zuckerberg says Meta has caught up with rivals at the “frontier” of AI. Plus, a number of elections in Europe could fundamentally shift the EU, and the UK has imposed new sanctions on Iran over a security incident at a RAF base.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Top economies heading for biggest budget deficits since Covid, IMF warns

Pakistan’s hard choice on Saudi Arabia’s war

Riyadh defiant as Houthis launch new missile strikes on Saudi Arabia

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta has reached AI ‘frontier’

The election supercycle set to drag Europe right

UK imposes new sanctions on Iran over RAF Fairford incident

India’s Narendra Modi faces ‘bitter pill’ as Cockroach protests mount

Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com

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

The FT News Briefing is produced by Sonja Hutson, Saffeya Ahmed, and Josh Gabert-Doyon. Our editor is Marc Filippino. Our video producer is Zachary Alfred. Our show is mixed by Sam Giovinco and Alex Higgins. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello, Peter Barber and David da Silva. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Flo Phillips 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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