Global News Podcast - Washington gears up for Trump inauguration

Episode Date: January 20, 2025

Crowds brave freezing cold ahead of Trump's inauguration. He's promised to sign dozens of executive orders on his first day to push through his radical agenda. Also: the Gaza ceasefire is holding into a second day.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Hello, I'm Katya Adler, host of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Each weekday, we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the world. From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart, from the movements of money and markets, to the human stories that touch our lives, we bring you in-depth insights from across the BBC and beyond. Listen to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. This is The Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Jackie Leonard and at 14 Hours GMT on Monday the 20th of January these are our main

stories. Washington is gearing up for Donald Trump's second inauguration as US President. The ceasefire in Gaza is holding into a second day. Much needed aid trucks are coming into the territory. And an Indian man found guilty of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata has been sentenced to life in prison. Also in this podcast do you fancy a job in the Antarctic? Switch cars for skidoos, roads for open seas and have an office looking out at icebergs, whales and even penguins. As we record this podcast, Inauguration Day is getting underway in Washington. Freezing temperatures mean that the ceremony will now be held indoors and following the oath of office, President Trump will then address the nation. In his final rally on Sunday,

he promised to sign a series of executive orders on his first day in office. Some of his targets include illegal immigration, slashing environmental regulations and eliminating diversity policies from the military. From Washington the BBC's Nomi Iqbal sent this report. Ladies and gentlemen the 47th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. What a good feeling. We're like winning, don't we? Walking onto stage at the Capitol Arena, Donald Trump was where he wants to be, ready to reclaim power. At noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline.

And we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride. Bringing it all back. Once and for all, we're going to end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington, a failed administration. We're not going to take it anymore. As always, his bombastic style pleased the tens of thousands of people inside. We're outside the arena where Donald Trump was inside holding his rally.

Tens of thousands of people came here. Not everyone could get in and so many people were just queuing outside. They were very very excited just to be here to see Donald Trump return to power. I think someone like Trump comes around once in a lifetime. Roger Rehorn has come from Georgia. Everything was thrown at him, not only about the impeachment one and two and all the lawfare and he's still standing so that says a lot about a man. It says a lot about a man's character. Samantha Drake from Missouri is wheeling a cart of Trump hats, buttons, scarves and badges. I don't love his rhetoric sometimes.

I don't think that he's the best speaker and he should stay away from social media. But I think that he did put good policies in place. I'm looking forward and hoping that he'll do that again and things will end up being better. This overall is a very happy Trump crowd, unlike four years ago. happy Trump crowd, unlike four years ago.

A mob loyal to Mr. Trump broke into the Capitol in support of his false claims the 2020 election was stolen. He's promised to pardon those convicted. Other big promises include carrying out mass deportations and ending global wars. The coldest inauguration day in four decades is coming to Washington DC. The freezing weather has forced Donald Trump's inauguration to now take place inside the capital, the first time that's happened in 25 years.

So he won't get the crowds he loves to see, but he does plan to hold another rally. This year marks 10 years since Donald Trump first announced his run for the White House and his return underlines what once seemed impossible. Donald Trump has dominated American politics and will continue to for the next four years. And we are going to make America great again. That report by Nomiya Iqbal. So just how interested are ordinary Americans in today's handing over of power to Donald Trump? Another of my BBC colleagues, Justin Webb, has been finding out.

We've come to the Silver Diner just outside Washington DC. It's in suburban Maryland. We're going to talk to people here about politics in the inauguration but first of course brunch. You want a side of turkey bacon or you want turkey bacon inside the armlet? I'll have a side of turkey bacon. Yes ma'am. You want ranch, blue cheese, honey mustard, a thousand dollar or a balsamic vinaigrette? Ranch? Yes ma'am. My name's Carol, this is my husband Rick, and we're from Massachusetts. Away from the politics, I just wonder whether a lot of Americans, including people who didn't vote for Donald Trump,

want this to be the beginning of something that's good for the country. Well yeah, I think we're Americans, and even if we didn't vote for him, that's why we live in America because everyone votes and you don't get your way all the time. So yes, we all hope for the best. Are you going to watch it on the TV? I am. Do you think a lot of people will? I mean, even those who didn't vote for it?

Yes, I do. Yes. It's always an exciting time to see. My name is Jared, I'm from Arlington, Virginia. I'm Nanaya, I'm from Woodbridge, Virginia. I'll just say that I'm going to be avoiding watching it because this is just the most right-wing party, gaining power, awful upon awful upon awful. You're nodding your head at that.

I'm not planning on watching it, no. Why not? I didn't vote for this party to be in power, so I have no feelings towards it. The inauguration, is that a big part of your life? Is that a big part of your day on Monday? No. Why not?

The election is over. We know where the political parties stand on the different views or whatnot. So I think the hard work has been done. This is just a formality. Anthony Covington. I'm originally from upstate New York, Sullivan County, but I just moved down here to Maryland.

I do think it is a big day just because we're getting a new president. I am excited to see what he's going to Maryland. I do think it is a big day just because you know we're getting a new president. I am excited to see what you know what he's going to bring. Hopefully we can get this economy back and running again. I didn't vote for him but he's our president so you got to back whoever the president is. Do you think a lot of Americans including a lot of people who didn't vote for him, maybe some people who really dislike him will still be hoping that this day is a success, the inauguration, and that actually something of what he wants to do works. Well, hopefully they do. At the end of the day, you know, we're all American. So, you

know, hopefully people can get past their biases of what he did in the past, you know, and just can focus on what he can do for us as a whole. Some views from people at a diner in Maryland just outside Washington DC. The fragile ceasefire in Gaza is in its second day. On Sunday, three Israeli hostages were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners. Their release was the first of several due to take place over the next six weeks if the ceasefire holds until a total of 33 hostages are returned and about 1,900 Palestinians freed in exchange. Adam Manit is the cousin of Tsaki Edan, one of the Israelis who's on the list of hostages

to be released in this ceasefire deal. He described his mixed feelings today. Like most of the hostage families, we will have been feeling the full spectrum of human emotion, seeing those clips and especially seeing the reaction from their loved ones to seeing them alive and walking on their two feet. So it was a momentous day for all of us and because we've been working so closely together with all the families and our fates are so intertwined, it feels like our own family have been returned to us. So it was a momentous day for all of us. You know, people ask me when I'm going to be going to Israel and I always tell them when when Tzachy comes

home. But the thing is, I don't know if I'll be going to a funeral or to a reunion. Our correspondent Mark Lowen is outside the Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv. The three released hostages have just spent their first night of freedom in the wing just right in front of me, above the door. And when I'm told that they and their families stayed here overnight, they were given a private room, living room, a private chef as well to cater to their every need. And even though they had an initial assessment last night, the medical evaluation and the medical tests really in earnest begin today. I'm told that although it appeared that their condition is stable

on the outside, of course what is happening inside after 15 months of captivity is altogether less clear and so there are extensive medical tests that they will undergo as well as psychological counseling and trauma counseling. Obviously there is a great deal of concern to protect the privacy of these three women. Have we actually heard anything from them yet? Emily Demary, who is the British-Israeli dual hostage, has just posted a message

on Instagram. Her first, appears to be her first message since she was released. On a black background, she thanks God, her family, her girlfriend. She said, you broke my heart with excitement, with your support. And she said that she has returned to her beloved life, and she's called herself the happiest person in the world, which is pretty extraordinary words for somebody who has just spent 15 months in captivity in Gaza. The scenes that we saw last night when they were reunited with their families,

Emily Demary, Romy Goenen and Doren Steinbrecher, all three of them, were, I mean, they were clearly, there was a mixture of like overwhelming joy, they were weeping, there was an immense amount of relief. But I was also struck, Jackie, by the pictures of their release in Gaza because the cars that they were travelling in were just surrounded by Hamas fighters. There was a frenzy of Hamas gunmen all around them with machine guns in the air and balaclavas. And it was very much a clear message from Hamas that despite Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli Prime Minister's stated aim of the total annihilation of Hamas, over 15 months of war, yes, Hamas has been severely weakened, but they are still very much there.

And I think that that was a very clear message from them, a kind of PR message that they are determined to have a stake in Gaza's future. They are still the dominant there and they have not been destroyed. Yes, within Israel obviously there is a great deal of joy and relief but also the shape of this deal still has many critics. Yes, I mean the fact that yesterday in the end passed off successfully after an almost three hour delay in the ceasefire coming into place with the release of the Israeli hostages and then the release of dozens of

Palestinian prisoners late into the night is the model that will now be followed every week of the first week phase of the ceasefire agreement with three or four hostages reached every weekend in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners. And, you know, clearly it can work, as we saw yesterday. But it is still fragile. And on day 16 of that first six-week phase, the two warring sides will start to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire deal, which will be the release of the remaining living Israeli hostages and Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and discussions on Gaza's future.

So those are very, very difficult issues. There will be extreme disagreement over that and there are fissures within the Israeli government over the plans for Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza. So, you know, plenty of obstacles and stumbling blocks to come but a moment of relief and a moment of hope as the ceasefire deal got underway yesterday. That was Mark Lowen in Tel Aviv. In Gaza, the sound of daily Israeli bombardment has now stopped, for the moment at least. Mahmoud Rostom is a third-year student in Gaza who became a citizen journalist during the war.

He described the feeling after the ceasefire took effect. It's the first time to wake up early for me because during the war I couldn't sleep because you know the bombs are everywhere and anywhere but this time yesterday I slept early because of the feeling of being safe for the first time since 477 days and I wake up early I saw the children in my neighborhood playing football for the first time. I can see the people that are selling local desserts as before the war. It was like I was born again. And humanitarian aid is once again moving across the border into Gaza.

Up to 600 trucks a day are expected. Sam Rose is acting director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza. The aid trucks started flowing at 11.15 so as soon as the ceasefire came into effect those trucks started flowing. Trucks have been able to go backwards and forwards to the crossing points in southern Gaza today so we're expecting a major uptick in the volume of aid that's come in and of course it's far easier for us to go and collect that aid because many of the problems that we've faced so far in the war go away when when the fighting stops. We're no longer moving

through an active conflict zone. We no longer have to coordinate all these movements with the Israeli authorities because we're going through a conflict zone. And we've not today, and it's too early to say whether this will hold, but we hope that it will. We've not faced any major problems with looting and criminality. We've been able to go into the crossing relatively freely, and we've been able to go out, importantly, using the routes that we want to use to get the aid to our warehouses and out to people. We've not yet been able to cross into northern Gaza.

The aid reaching northern Gaza has come in from the north and people themselves have not been able to get to northern Gaza. But we have capacity inside Gaza. As UNRWA, we were running large scale aid programs before the war. We have the networks. We have the community acceptance, we have the people on the ground who can do this work. In many ways, the distribution of supplies,

supplies that have been outside Gaza for several months, this is the easy bit. We've got to move away from thinking about people's needs in Gaza as a function of the volume of aid, the number of aid trucks that get in. Real rebuilding process here will take an awful lot of time. We're not just talking about food, healthcare, buildings, roads, infrastructure. We've got individuals, families, communities that need to be rebuilt. The trauma that they've gone through, the

suffering, the loss, the grief, the humiliation and the cruelty that they've gone through, the suffering, the loss, the grief, the humiliation and the cruelty that they've endured over the past 16 months. This is going to be a very, very long road. Every person in Gaza has been traumatised by what's gone on. Everyone has lost something. Most of those homes are now destroyed. Most of the roads are now destroyed. It's going to be a long, long process of rehabilitation and rebuilding, but we absolutely have to make it work. Unruh's acting director in Gaza, Sam Rose. Still to come... I have some power in my voice, some colour, and so I'll be endeavouring to deliver the

most impactful, stirring and moving performance that I can. The opera tenor who will sing the national anthem at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony. I'm Sarah Trelevin, and for over a year, I've been working on one of the most complex stories I've ever covered. There was somebody out there who was faking pregnancies. I started like warning everybody. Every doula that I know.

It was fake. No pregnancy. And the deeper I dig, the more questions I unearth. How long has she been doing this? What does she have to gain from this? From CBC and the BBC World Service, The Con, Caitlin's baby. It's a long story, settle in. Available now.

Last August, the body of a 31-year-old trainee doctor was found in a hospital in Kolkata where she worked. The woman, who can't be named for legal reasons, had been resting after a 36 hour shift when she was attacked. Her rape and murder sparked an outcry and a wave of protests in India. Today a court has sentenced Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer, to life imprisonment for the crime. Roy says he's been set up, as our correspondent in India, Samira Huss Hussein explained. He has continuously said that look that he's being framed for this, that he is not responsible for this crime. And that was certainly something that he was advocating even today in court. Now remember on the table in terms of possible sentences was life in prison, which is what

he received, but also there was a possibility of him being sentenced to death. Now, the death penalty is in fact legal here in India. And that was certainly something that many people, especially people working at the hospital and even reportedly the victim's family was suggesting that he should see the death penalty just given the brutality of the crime. But in the end, the judge decided to sentence him to life in prison. I gather that there was a huge police presence outside the court. Tell us a bit more about reaction to the case.

When this happened back in August, so you know, not even six months ago, I mean, the brutality of what happened and the fact that it was a healthcare worker, a doctor trainee, an incident happened after a grueling 36-hour shift, and then her body was found half naked and she was severely beaten and she was found by a colleague. Just all of these sort of issues put together, the pieces of information together, and it really struck a chord, not only with the doctors working at that particular hospital but just across the country when it comes to safety of health care workers but it was more specifically safety of women and that's really what sparked so much outrage and what was really interesting is just how

many doctors went on strike and for how many several weeks doctors were on strike to really sort of demonstrate how angry they were about the lack of safety measures for doctors or any health care workers, so much so that the Indian Supreme Court actually mandated an investigation or a study into increasing safety for health care workers. Samira Hussain, the football team Botafogo, Brazilian and South American champions, has been forced to remove a symbol from their main sponsor on their shirt

because it became associated with a powerful criminal gang. The symbol used by the gambling company V-Bet is a hand gesture making a V sign, which is also now used across Brazil to show support for the CV gang. Last month three teenagers were killed at a seaside resort in northeastern Brazil after being spotted by criminals doing the V-sign while posing for a picture. Our America's regional editor Leonardo Roscher told Andrew Peach why

this seemingly meaningless hand gesture had become so offensive. That's something recent. These gangs they evolve all the time. They have new symbols to identify them. These gestures were developed in prison when prisoners had to communicate from a distance using silent language and they developed that. The gesture itself wasn't offensive in Brazil. The older generation was associated with the Second World War and victory in Churchill, others with peace and love, the hippie generation. But many people are unaware of that, like those people who were killed. The V of course stands for the CV. And the other main gang that operates in Brazil, the PCC that came from São Paulo, they have a variation of

three finger gestures to symbolise the three letters, the PCC, the three letters. It's all a bit silly but it's extremely dangerous. And the CV gang, the PCC gang, are battling over territory presumably. Yes, these gangs created in the 80s and the 90s, they're not gangs anymore. They're major big criminal organization that have a lot of impact on politics. The PCC is deeply involved in illegal mining in indigenous lands in the Amazon. They're very powerful. And what they have done now going beyond the idea of just selling drugs is they control territory a bit like mafia style and they charge people who live in the area protection money they force people to buy for example gas

canisters or water or beer from them and that's why it's so important for them to have the territory and when people show the wrong gestures at the wrong place that's seen as a sign of disrespect. And obviously quite a big reaction from the football club, they've changed their shirt. What about the reaction more widely in Brazil? Well, what I found interesting is that the reaction has been quite muted. I don't know if it's out of fear, people are really terrified of those gangs, or because violence has become normalised in the country. People who are from there, they know those symbols.

They know, for example, that the red color is associated with the red command, the CV. The black color is associated with the police. And actually the club was informed of these implications of this hand gesture by the fans who posted messages online. Otherwise they wouldn't have known about that. But I think it's a sign of how deep the situation is, how serious the violence is in Brazil. That was Leonardo Rocha. Today the third Monday in January is sometimes known as Blue Monday, considered by some to be the most depressing day of the year, the combination of bad weather, broken New Year's

resolutions and unhappiness at work. And if you're feeling it, apparently there's a good chance you're stuck in a groundhog career where you are repeating the same work over and over. Dr David Oxley has written a book about it. We start to ask questions about are we trapped in some sort of corporate captivity or are we in service of something that's really worth it? Are you trapped in a groundhog career? When we look at the research on this, unlike Blue Monday, where the research is maybe a little bit sketchy, the truth of the data shows that something like 62% of us say that the work that we do isn't fulfilling, and a staggering 20% of us say it's a source

of misery in our existence. The idea that work is putting you through that sort of stress is somewhat questionable, particularly given the explosion of career opportunities we've seen in the last 20 or 30 years. So if you feel that you are stuck in a groundhog career and need a change of scene, how about applying for a job in one of the most remote places on the planet? Frankie McCamley has the details. One research organisation is now looking for people who want to swap everyday UK life for something new and switch cars for skidoos, roads for open seas and have an office looking

out at icebergs, whales and even penguins. The British Antarctic Survey wants people to fill roles including carpenters, chefs, electricians and plumbers working in some of the most remote places on Earth. The team promise zero regrets and lifelong friendships paired with a contribution to science that will help provide a critical understanding of our ever-changing world. Frankie McCamley. Just days before his inauguration as US President, Donald Trump launched his own cryptocurrency and now so has his wife. The Trump coin and Melania coin tokens both quickly soared in market capitalisation to several billion dollars. Meme coins are often seen as a means of speculative trading. The project was coordinated

by CIC Digital LLC, an affiliate of the Trump organisation, which has previously sold Trump branded shoes and fragrances. Joe Tidy is our cyber correspondent and he explained really patiently how crypto schemes work. Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that don't have any backing of financial institutions or banks. They are decentralised, peer-to-peer money. So the whole idea of Bitcoin, which was the first cryptocurrency, was that it could be like sending an email. So I could send you a bit of Bitcoin over the internet and it's between me and you. No interference by any of these pesky financial institutions. Of course, the industry has developed a great deal since Bitcoin developed. Now there are thousands of different cryptocurrency coins. If there's enough buzz about it, the value goes from

absolutely worth zero per coin to worth something per coin. In the last few days, the incoming president, Donald Trump, and now his wife, First Lady Melania, they've launched their own meme coins, they call them. So these are coins that are marketed for the fun of it. There's no intrinsic value at all. But both those people have been posting on the internet. And of course, many people have gone and spent lots of money on them. I'm looking at the Melania coin and it's shot into the top 100 cryptocurrency coins out there, closing in on number 59, which is Fartcoin. So that

kind of gives you an idea of the kind of industry that we're operating in here. So no intrinsic value at all, but we were hearing numbers like billions being bandied around. Why is he doing it? In his previous term as president, Donald Trump said that cryptocurrency seems like a scam to me. He has since come round to the idea of cryptocurrencies. During the campaign, he became the first campaigning potential president to offer cryptocurrency as a potential donation method. And he got lots of money from crypto people. And he went to a crypto conference and said that he wanted to make America

a crypto hub. He wants to buy a reserve of Bitcoin for the American purse. And he wants to decrease the regulation to encourage industry. So I suppose releasing a coin is just the next step in that, in a sense. And let's be honest as well, a way to potentially make a quick buck. Potentially, is there a conflict of interest here? He's not president yet. And also he has kind of rewritten the rules on what is able to be done in office. So when he was in charge of his businesses, obviously giant hotel chain with Trump, golf courses, all that kind of thing, he did the presidency and he kept that business running,

taking a step back and letting his family do it. And now he's got this cryptocurrency company, which will obviously benefit from policies he puts in place. Now he's got a crypto coin, which will obviously benefit from him pumping it and making the value go up and up. But he hasn't taken the oath yet. So if he wants to release a coin, I imagine that that's perfectly legitimate thing to do. Celebrities do it all the time. That was Joe Tidy. And that brings us right back to where we began, Donald Trump's imminent inauguration. As per tradition, the ceremony will end with the national anthem. And the

singer chosen to perform it is the opera tenor Christopher Marchio. Tim Frank spoke to him ahead of his big moment. It's just first and foremost a privilege to have been asked to perform at an event like this, at a particularly historic moment. I think that rather than being nervous per se, I just feel imbued with a sense of responsibility to deliver a performance that really honors our great nation, but also uses the universality of music to really try and unite the nation going forward for the next four years. Do you really think performing the National Anthem at the end of the inauguration ceremony can bring the country together?

Well, no one occurrence or one particular contributor, I think, can quite get that job done completely. But it's my humble hope to contribute to other efforts underway that hopefully collectively can achieve that noble goal and move us together in that right direction. As far as Donald Trump is concerned, you would agree, Christopher, you're in a bit of a minority in the artistic community because I know you're a massive believer in the man. Absolutely. You're incredibly enthusiastic about who he is, what he stands for. And I mean, you will be aware that a lot of artists in all sorts of fields, but music

is certainly one of them, they are not fans of the man. No, they're not. There obviously is a tendency in the artistic community towards a liberal sensibility in recent years, maybe even a more overtly leftist progressive sensibility. And for myself, I just have always, my entire life from childhood, was precociously politically aware, and I always had very conservative values at my core. And so really, President Trump has been the first president in my lifetime that has consistently adhered to those standards. I support him wholeheartedly without necessarily feeling the need to throw it in everybody's face at every opportunity in an obnoxious

way. Everybody knows precisely where I stand on President Trump that I'm 1000 percent loyal, unconditionally so. But at the same time, I think that there's a way to go about expressing your support that is mindful of and respectful of, you know, where other people are coming from, because that gives you the room and the flexibility to hear what their concerns might be, and then polemically to maybe address some of those concerns and change some hearts and minds. And really that's something that in my private life and also in my professional life I endeavour to accomplish. And what about Donald Trump? I mean, do you think that you might be able to persuade him to sit through an entire opera?

You know, I really don't know if he's ever done that. I know he loves opera, so as far as sitting through an entire one, I think the breadth and gravitas of his responsibilities might make that a little bit difficult, at least over the next four years. But I do know that opera is featured prominently on his playlist. So I'll do my best to give him the best operatic experience possible whenever I see him. That was Christopher Marchio and you can hear much more about the inauguration in a special edition of the Global News podcast in a few hours. But that's it from us for now. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, do please send us an email.

The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on x at Global News Pod. This edition was produced by Judy Frankel and mixed by Nora Hull. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jackie Leonard and until next time, goodbye. ever covered. There was somebody out there who was faking pregnancies. I started like warning everybody. Every doula that I know. It was fake.

No pregnancy. And the deeper I dig, the more questions I unearth. How long has she been doing this? What does she have to gain from this? From CBC and the BBC World Service, The Con, Caitlin's baby. It's a long story. Settle in. Available now.