Global News Podcast - Trump pledges to 'kill people' in drug cartels

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

President Trump says declaration of war on drug cartels by Congress is not needed. Mr Trump said his government is just going to kill people smuggling drugs instead. Thirty-seven people have been killed so far, with no evidence provided that the boats were used for drugs-running. Also, the US Department of Defense publishes its "new generation" of approved journalists, after the mainstream media walked out in protest over stricter rules. Stars from the NBA are among those who've been arrested in an investigation into alleged illegal gambling. A record-breaking heat wave in 2023 left two vital coral species "functionally extinct" in Florida's vast Coral Reef, according to a new study. There are calls for Prince Andrew to travel to the US and testify about his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. There has been a drastic spike in the number of fishermen being killed at sea in South Korea. Trailblazing black ballerina Misty Copeland has retired from the American Ballet Theatre.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: [e-mail]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. The world is on the brink, wars, contentious elections, disinformation spreading at warp speed, and Donald Trump is at the centre of it all. But what does it mean for the rest of us? Every week on Pod Save the World, former Obama raids, Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vita cut through the noise to explain how global power is shifting. No jargon, no homework, just clear, honest conversations about what's happening, and why it matters.

Each week, Tommy and Ben break it all down with experience know-how and way more sports references than you'd expect from two foreign policy guys. Tune in to Pod Save the World every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts, or catch it on YouTube.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Charlotte Gallagher in the early hours of Friday, the 24th of October. These are our main stories. President Trump says the U.S. will just kill people as it wages what he calls a war on those he claims are smuggling drugs there. I don't think we're going to necessarily

ask for a declaration of war. I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. The FBI has arrested dozens of people, including two leading figures in U.S. basketball, after an investigation into gambling fraud, including rigged poker games. Also, in this podcast, will the EU ever release seized Russian assets for the Ukrainian war effort? And? Unlike other areas of the world where there are multiple species that can function as branching corals, here we only have two. Why the loss of two critical coral species off Florida is a warning for the world. President Trump insists a declaration.

of war against alleged drug cartels from South America isn't needed, and his government is just going to kill people instead. We're going to tell him what we're going to do, and I think they're going to probably like it, except for the radical left lunatics. And, Mr. President, if you are declaring war against these cartels and Congress is likely to approve of that process, why not just ask for a declaration of war? Well, I don't think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We're going to kill them.

You know, they're going to be like dead. Okay. As part of this, there have been air strikes on vessels off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia, alleged to belong to drug cartels. Mr. Trump says operations against the cartels on land will be next. The BBC's Luis Fajado is in Miami and has been telling me more. This seems to be a continuation and, as you say, an escalation of the rhetoric of the U.S. government regarding its intentions in Venezuela. The U.S. had suggested before that it was contemplating the possibility of actions directly against drug cartels, according to them, in the mainland, not only in the coastal areas, as has been the case up to now, as vessels being attacked in the Caribbean and in the Pacific

by U.S. forces. And this whole perspective or this possibility of U.S. attacks against the U.S. attacks against mainland targets has also fueled the discussions and the comments in Latin America about what the real intentions are from the Trump administration. Some people suggest that even though the Trump administration has presented this as a crackdown on cartels, allegedly their real intention would be to place pressure on the government of Venezuela and President Nicolas Maduro, which they are very strongly against. and the expectation by some people that this pressure might lead to some kind of political change in Venezuela.

And we know, obviously, that there has been U.S. military strikes on boats off Colombia, off Venezuela. But now he's talking about possibly going into the ground, some kind of land strike against Venezuela. How is this legal? The U.S. president has said that he intends to inform Congress about his potential. actions in Venezuela. However, he has made the point of saying that he doesn't need to. The U.S. has been treating in the last weeks the drug cartels as what they refer to as very dangerous foreign terrorist organizations. The U.S. government was saying that the drug cartels were the equivalent of ISIS in the Western Hemisphere. Of course, this is, in general, this offensive against

drug trafficking and particularly their earlier decisions to send military strikes against suspected drug traffickers using these vessels in the Caribbean and now in the Pacific are a matter of great legal controversies. Some critics of the Trump administration's policies suggest that that is something more like of extrajudiciary executions. And also in the political real, there are several governments in Latin America, but certainly the Venezuelan government, but also the governments of Colombia and Mexico that are complaining about this militarization and this new position of describing the cartels as military targets that would, in theory or the possibility even,

of leading to direct military action by the U.S. in the South American mainland. Luis Fajado in Miami. For Donald Trump's critics, his desire to sideline the mainstream media and some say control the narrative that reaches the public has long been a source of concern. What's going on at the Pentagon right now is being held up by his detractors as an example of this. After all the major news outlets walked out in protest over tighter reporting rules, a new list of more than 60 approved journalists, largely from far-right platforms, has been published. The Department of Defence says it's protecting national security.

Will Chalk has been looking into this and told me, for the Pentagon, it's a case of Outwith the Old and in with the new. The old in this case includes basically every established news outlet, including, we should say, the BBC. So last week was the deadline for all journalists to sign up to this new reporting policy, which, amongst other things, included the clause that said employees, including people in the military, could only say things to the media that have been pre-approved by the department.

And it went a bit further, too. Journalists were also told they're not allowed to ask for any information that hadn't been pre-approved. Now, reporters who refused to sign up, including from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and traditional Trump supporters, such as Fox News,

they all had their passes revoked and effectively a barred from the building. Now, the Trump administration said these changes were needed to crack down on leaks that could put the US in danger. We heard from Defence Secretary Pete Hesith. He said Pentagon Access was a privilege,

not a right, while Donald Trump called the press dishonest and disruptive. So who is going to be allowed into the Pentagon to report? Well, the department has called it the new generation of press corps. It's got more than 60 journalists on, and they are largely from far-right platforms. They've all signed up to this agreement. It includes a number of high-profile conspiracy theorists.

Pro-Trump influencer Brianna Morello, for example, is from the conspiracy theorist Info Wars program. Among other things, the program lost a civil court case for falsely claiming the Sandy Hook School shooting never happened. The Pentagon has said the approved journalist represent a broad spectrum and that they'll be able to circumvent the lies of the mainstream media and get real news directly to the American people. Now, of course, for critics of Donald Trump,

this changing of the guard does the exact opposite of that and restricts the media to parroting official government lines whether they're true or not. Will chalk. EU leaders have failed to reach a final decision on plans to release billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's war effort. President Zelensky urged them to support the idea. We need to use any kind of Russian money for Ukrainian production

and increase it. It's cheaper and quicker. And we speak first of all about long range. It's about drones. It's about electronic warfare, systems of electronic warfare, and it's about missiles. But European leaders instead agreed to move forward cautiously. International law forbids the direct seizure of Russian assets. The bloc agreed to discuss financial support for Kiev in its next summit in December. Our Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse spoke to us from Brussels.

This gathering of EU leaders is turning into what is going to be a long day. The agenda has been packed. They've discussed investing trillions of dollars in defence to prepare for future Russian aggression, but as ever, it is Ukraine and how to support it that has dominated. There is a broad consensus that European allies should support Ukraine with a glaring hole in Kiev's finances. It's got a budget gap of tens of billions of dollars over the next couple of years. But where things start to fall down is over how. A big proposal today that is being discussed and still debated is using frozen Russian assets in the form of a sizable cash deposit in a Belgian central bank, using that to provide Ukraine with a sizable loan. It's not as simple

as that under international law, which effectively rules the seizing of sovereign assets like this is illegal. And so there is the lingering possibility that European members might have to pay Russia back every penny once the war is over. And that is making some members for feel extremely uneasy. President Zelensky has been here as well. Ukraine is not an EU member, although it would certainly like to be, and the bloc has made it clear that it would like Kiev to join its ranks in the future. But he has said, look, discussions will take place. I hope a positive decision is made because he wants Russia to be forced to talk, to compromise, to deviate from its course, from its continued full-scale invasion. We're told discussions

who could go late into tonight. We will see what comes. President Zeletsky will head to London tomorrow where he will meet King Charles before being hosted by the so-called coalition of the will-in. This collection of countries that have pledged security guarantees and troops for Ukraine after the war is over. But there are big question marks still over what they could provide with or without US support. James Waterhouse. A record-breaking heat wave in 2023 left two vital coral species functionally extinct in Florida's vast coral reef. a new study published in the journal Science. It means the third largest barrier reef system in the world is in decline, something the report calls a stark warning. Stephanie Prentice reports.

The Florida Reef Tract, which runs along its southeastern coast, is often called the beating heart of the state's coastal ecosystem, home to thousands of species, as well as being the coastline's natural line of defence from the forces of the Atlantic. It's propagated by Elkhorn and Staghorn corals, two fast-growing framework-building structures. But now, scientists say they're functionally extinct, meaning present, but unable to fulfill their role in the ecosystem. That's because of a heat wave two years ago, where water temperatures reach 32 degrees in some areas causing mass coral bleaching. A team of divers investigating the impact of this recently,

said they were horrified at what they saw. One of them was assistant professor John Parkinson from the University of South Florida, who told us why Elkhorn and Staghorn corals are essential. They are the two branching species that we have. If you think of how corals are shaped, these ones are branching. They have lots of fingers and great space for fish to swim in and out of.

Unlike other areas of the world where there are multiple species that can function as branching corals, here we only have two. Along with others, he's trying to find solutions. Marine biologist and conservationist Colin Ford has been modelling genetically engineered coral as one option, but says years of research are needed. We're entering a completely uncharted territory,

really making do with the best that we can, and it's really going to take a moonshot to come up with the solutions that might allow staghorn and elkhorn corals to flourish in South Florida again. Another idea, moving corals in from the Caribbean. The problem with that, recent research described the world's coral reefs as an almost irreversible die-off, describing coral loss as the first tipping point in climate-driven ecosystem collapse.

With global temperatures rising, conservationists are sounding the alarm. But for Colin Ford's team in Miami, searching for solutions, there's hope mixed in with reality. some strains that are surviving against all odds. And we just need to understand, we need to understand their secret. Stephanie Prentice with that report. Still to come, as trailblazing dancer Misty Copeland steps down from the American Ballet Theatre, we hear from the other black ballerinas she's inspired. We were so few. I saw so few people that looked like me. I saw so few people who had hair like me. So it's kind of

Kind of, you know, when you're young, you question, like, am I allowed to be here? Like, am I wanted here? The world is on the brink. Wars, contentious elections, disinformation spreading at warp speed, and Donald Trump is at the center of it all. But what does it mean for the rest of us? Every week on Pod Save the World, former Obama aides, Ben Rhodes, and Tommy Vita cut through the noise to explain how global power is shifting. No jargon, no homework, just clear, honest conversations about what's happening and why it matters.

Each week, Tommy and Ben break it all down with experience know-how and way more sports references than you'd expect from two foreign policy guys. Tune in to Pod Save the World every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts, or catch it on YouTube. words of the director of the FBI, Cash Patel, mind-boggling. Mafia families, professional athletes, rigged poker games, x-ray tables, and an awful lot of stolen money. It's not hundreds of dollars. It's not thousands of dollars. It's not tens of thousands of dollars. It's not even millions of dollars. We're talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery. Thirty-four people have been arrested, including a star player and coach in the National Basketball Association or NBA.

Authorities say the five major crime families in New York are also involved. Our North America correspondent, Nomia Iqbal, told me more. Well, first you have the sports betting case, and then you have the rigged poker game case. So in the sports betting case, six defendants are accused of taking part in this insider sports betting conspiracy that basically exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams, according to the U.S. attorney overseeing it. He basically said it's one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting was widely legalised in the US, which was 2018, by the way. And then the rigged poker game case, that involves 31 defendants and that involves former professional

athletes. And they're all basically accused of using technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in these illegal mafia-backed poker games in New York. And some of the defendants have been charged in both cases. And suspects are beginning their court appearances today, aren't they? They are. So you've got Terry Rosia, he's the Miami Heat Guard. He was arrested in Florida, accused of participating in this illegal sports betting scheme using insider NBA information. He's accused of faking an injury that was part of the fix, part of a scheme to help sports betters according to this federal grand jury indictment.

Basically, you can't rig a game as it's too complicated, but you know, you can bet that a guy he usually scores high in a game might not. So that's what he's accused of. You've got the Portland Trailblazer coach, Chauncey Billups, who was arrested in Oregon. He's charged in a separate indictment, alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that was backed by Mafia families.

And then Damon Jones. He's a former assistant coach, and it's alleged that he used his proximity to the LA Lakers in the 2022-2020 NBA season to give out non-public information for the purpose of play. placing wages on games or certain players. And then you've got people from alleged high-ranking mobsters to money launders,

all appearing in court as well. And given that you've got these big names in the NBA allegedly involved, has the league said anything? They have. And they released a short statement saying that they're in the process of reviewing the federal indictments. Terry Rosier and Chauncey Billups, they said, are being placed in immediately from their team, I'm just quoting to you their statement.

The NBA goes on to say we'll continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities and they end the statement by saying that they take these allegations with the utmost seriousness and the integrity of our game remains our top priority. Nomia Iqbal. There are calls for Prince Andrew to travel to the US and testify about his links to the convicted sex offender Geoffrey Epstein with lawmakers saying his name has come up several times in victim evidence. Prince Andrew has always denied any involvement.

in the crimes of Epstein and his associate Galane Maxwell. Our North America editor, Sarah Smith, has been speaking to the Democrat Suhas Subramanium of the Powerful House Oversight Committee. The Epstein scandal is a running sore in American politics. Protesters at anti-Trump demonstrations this weekend were demanding government files on him be released. The president just can't seem to escape the controversy. Now, Prince Andrews' relationship with Geoffrey Epstein is under greater scrutiny as well. Lawmakers trying to uncover the true extent of Epstein's crimes

want to interrogate the Prince about what he knew. Members of Congress are pushing to have a powerful committee issue a formal invitation to Prince Andrew to give evidence. What information do you think he could give you that would benefit your inquiries? Well, I would imagine that he has names. He has information about how Jeffrey Epstein and Galane Maxwell trafficked these young women. He has information about who was trafficked and also how this can never happen again. I'm sure you know, he strenuously denies ever having sex with Virginia Goufrey and any other kind of wrongdoing.

How do you know he necessarily has any information that you would want to hear? You know, we've had many victims come forward and his name has come up. And I would say that if he did nothing wrong, if he wants to clear his name, he can come forward and he can swear himself in and he can testify and talk. about why he may have been framed, why she would have been lying, for instance. If that's what he thinks, then he should come forward and make that clear to us. The fact that he's being silent about coming to us as well as coming to others, it leads me to believe that he was probably involved, as well as the testimony of the victims and the stories of the victims themselves. The U.S. Congress does not have the power to compel foreign citizens to give evidence,

but a public invitation would increase the pressure on Prince Andrew. We are not going away. Women who say they were abused by Epstein are campaigning to have all the information the U.S. government holds on him made public. Many of Donald Trump's top lieutenants promised they would do that during the election campaign. Seriously, we need to release the EFstein list. That is an important thing. How is that that my father can be convicted of 34 crimes, but no one on Epstein's list has even been brought to light? I'm trying to figure out how that's possible, right? Donald Trump's well-documented friendship with Epstein adds to the controversy over why he will not publish the files.

It's widely believed they remain secret because they contain the names of rich and powerful men, possibly including Prince Andrew. We have to have all the names, exactly how this happened, and how it can never happen again, because if we cover up this crime, then more crimes like it will happen in the future, and the rich and the powerful will believe that they can get away with anything.

Sarah Smith, there's been a drastic spike in the number a fisherman being killed at sea in South Korea. Last year, more than 100 died after their boats capsized or sank. The government has investigated and its pinpointed climate change as one of the main causes, alongside other factors like the country's ageing workforce. Our sole correspondent, Gene McKenzie, has been investigating. I'm on a tiny port now on the south coast of Korea. It's 4 o'clock in the morning, so it's still dark and very misty. And we're heading out to sea with Pakyong-il, who has been farming anchovies now for 25 years. We've ridden about 20 minutes out to sea to nets, which they've had out here overnight,

and they're pulling them in now. Wow, there's no fish. This should all be fish, but look, they're all jellyfish. This is really bad. This is a sign that South Korea's seas are changing. They're warming much faster than the global average. and some of the species fishermen rely on to make a living and migrating. We used to fill 50 to 100 of these boxes a day with anchovies,

but today we've only got two. It's not enough to even cover our costs. The sea is a mess. Nothing makes sense anymore. This is forcing fishermen to travel further to catch enough into deeper or perilous waters. Last year, more than 100 fishermen were killed. when their boats capsized or sunk in the waters around South Korea.

Alarmed, the government investigated, and it's found that not only are fishermen taking bigger risks, but the seas themselves are becoming more dangerous. The winds and waves appear to be getting stronger and more unpredictable. I'm at one of the main ports on Jeju, which is an island of the coast of Korea. Over the past year or so, the seas around Jeju have experienced particularly bad weather. I've come down to the harbor to meet Mr. Hong, who owns more than 10 boats here on the island. In February, one of his ships capsized in rough seas, killing five of the crew members on board.

The waves came suddenly in different directions, and within 10 seconds, the boat flipped. It felt like the sky was falling. I couldn't handle it. It really feels like the climate is changing. The waves are getting rougher. Climate scientists agreed. that warmer seas are creating the conditions for stronger typhoons. But it's still too early to link rougher winds and waves.

For that, they need more data, they tell us. I've come to meet two women. One of them lost their husband, the other one their father, in a fishing boat accident earlier this year. Ian is still distraught about her father's death. She thinks blaming the climate is too easy and wants the boat owners to take more responsibility for their crew. the boat owners have insurance, so even if the boat sinks, they can get compensated.

But when our loved ones die, they can't come back. Back at the port in Jeju, government inspectors arrive at short notice to check Mr. Hong's other boats. The authorities know there's little they can do about the weather, so they are now trying to make the boats safer. But this offers little comfort. to those whose livelihoods and lives are now on the line. That was Jean McKenzie. The American Ballet Theatre is one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world. But until 2015, it had never had a black principal ballerina.

It was Misty Copeland who broke that ground. And since then, she's been acclaimed as an inspiration for dancers of colour everywhere. Now, 43 years old, Misty has given her final performance at the company this week, but says she's not retiring altogether yet. Two younger black ballerinas, Nea Faith and Erica Low, have been telling us how Misty's legacy has helped shape their careers

and how much work they're still to do. I just turned 24 years old and I have experienced segregation. And, you know, I went to a dance school in Toronto, which is a very diverse city in Canada. And the black dancers were physically separated from our non-black counterparts. We were forced to learn all of our choreography offered videos while the non-black dancers could work with our teachers and choreographers.

And when we didn't perform as well, it was made to be a point about our race and how black dancers didn't belong in ballet. I've been to auditions where I was cut before being able to dance because I didn't look the part. And this really has been a long-standing issue in the dance world. What was so beautiful about Misty and her legacy and her trajectory is that she really broke through. these barriers and rose to the top of this industry. And as she rose, she brought all of us alongside with her. She's been such a mentor for me and so many others, has opened doors for all of us and continues to inspire future generations. And I was at her farewell gala last night, speaking to the artistic and executive directors of American Valley Theater, just about her legacy

and the trail that she's blazed. And there are now even more black dancers who have risen to the principal role. And I truly do not believe that would not, that would be possible without Missy's advocacy, her life, her legacy, and her dedication to continue to inspire future generations. I just, I feel like, you know, from the time I started ballet, we were so few. I saw so few people that looked like me. I saw so few people who had hair like me. So it's kind of, you know, when you're young, you question, like, am I, am I allowed to be here? Like, am I wanted here? I remember for years I chemically straightened my hair because I remember one teacher saying like we don't want any frizzies we don't want any curls like the hair needs to be slick back every day and so for years I was chemically straightening it only for that purpose and it was wasn't until I was about 20 when I realized wait I can do all of this with my natural hair so even feeling more accepted with my hair was a big journey I had to go through and having flesh toned tights is such a Even to this day, you kind of wonder, like, am I going to be allowed to wear flesh-tone tights for this ballet, or is it just going to be a pink tights, and I just have to figure out and, like, you know, come to terms with, you know, this pink tights used to be representation of skin tone, and that's kind of how it came about in the ballet world.

It matched more so the fair skin dancers. So, of course, now I feel so much more comfortable in my flesh-tone tights and would love to wear it on the daily, but it's still not, it's not the standard to have that available. to feel so beautiful in my fleshstone sight. It's honestly something I'm so grateful for now and something that wasn't the standard back then. So I'm grateful for that. And, yeah, I think we will see more dancers of color as we become more accepted

and seen as beautiful and just as talented as the person next to us. That was Nea Faith and Erica Lau. And that's all from us for now, 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, you can send us an email. The address is Global Podcast at BBC.co.com. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global NewsPod. This edition was mixed by Chris Cazaris and the producer was Will Chalk. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Charlotte Gallagher. Until next time, goodbye.

The world is on the brink, wars, contentious elections, disinformation spreading at warp speed, and Donald Trump is at the centre of it all. But what does it mean for the rest of us? Every week on Pod Save the World, former Obama aides, Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vita cut through the noise to explain how global power is shifting. No jargon, no homework, just clear, honest conversations about what's happening and why it matters. Each week Tommy and Ben break it all down with experience know-how. and way more sports references than you'd expect from two foreign policy guys.

Tune in to Pod Save the World every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts, or catch it on YouTube.