BBC News Briefing

15 July, 2025

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. In an exclusive call with BBC chief North America correspondent Gary O'Donoghue, US President Donald Trump has spoken of his growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin and revealed that he "trusts almost nobody". Our international business correspondent Theo Leggett speaks to aviation experts about which key details remain unknown following the publication of the preliminary report into the Air India crash. And finally, have a listen to the sounds made by plants when they're distressed.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump talks to BBC about Putin, Nato and his legacy

Donald Trump in the Oval Office on a pale yellow chair, wearing a blue suit, white shirt and red tie. He has a small US flag badge on his lapel and he appears to be talking

In the interview, Trump also affirmed his support for Nato's common defence principle. Credit: Getty Images

Donald Trump is "disappointed but not done" with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his repeated attacks on Ukraine and lack of progress on ceasefire talks, the US president has told the BBC in an exclusive interview. When asked whether he trusts Putin, Trump replied: "I trust almost nobody." Trump was speaking hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned of severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal in 50 days. In a wide-ranging phone call with Gary O'Donoghue, Trump also endorsed Nato and said he would define his legacy as "saving America".

What else Trump said

Listen: "I trust almost nobody," Trump says when asked about Putin.

Analysis: Trump's decision to make new weapons available to Ukraine marks a "turning point", writes diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams.

Moscow's reaction: "Russia will be relieved" that the tariffs against its trading partners won't kick in for 50 days, writes Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.

WORLD HEADLINES

A young boy wearing a white T-shirt, with black hair stands next to dozens of plastic bottles and containers which have been abandoned on the ground

Gaza father's outrage after Israeli strike kills son

Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Ahmed said his son, Abdullah, was queuing for water when he was killed by an Israeli strike.

Read more >

A woman wearing a blye and orange shirt has her brown hair in a bun and she has a fringe. She is operating machinery and there are huge rolls of paper in the background

China growth beats expectations

The economy did better than expected, even as tariffs and a prolonged crisis in the property market weigh on growth.

More on this >

Musk's Grok signs $200m deal with Pentagon

It comes just days after the AI chatbot sparked backlash for antisemitic posts, including praise for Adolf Hitler on X.

What happened >

An elderly man with a long white beard and bushy white eyebrows sits in a yellow and brown patterned chair. He wears a brown turban and white shirt and sits next to a cabinet with trophies in it

World's 'oldest' marathon runner dies in hit-and-run

Fauja Singh began running at 89 and ran nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013, when he retired aged over 100.

More on Singh >

Beyonce sings into a microphone on a stage. She has long dark blond hair, and is wearing a white leotard and gloves and tassled chaps on her legs.

Unreleased Beyoncé music stolen from car

Hard drives containing unreleased songs, show plans and future tour set lists were among the items stolen from a rental car.

What else was taken >

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

As theories swirl about Air India crash, key details remain unknown

A large red and orange tail fin of a plane sits amongst burnt debris and a building which appears to be missing a roof and shows burn marks.

All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the flight were killed when it crashed, and 19 people on the ground died. Credit: Government of India/Ministry of Civil Aviation Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau

The preliminary report into what caused the Air India plane crash last month, which left 260 people dead, raised questions about the role of the pilots. While it provided some answers, the findings also prompted a wave of speculation. Some experts within the aviation industry claim investigators have been highly selective in what they have chosen to say.

The ruins of Aenaria were buried in the sea for nearly 2,000 years, preserved underneath volcanic sediments

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Italy's sunken city

For centuries, Aenaria existed somewhere between history and myth.

Read now

And finally...

Research from Tel Aviv University suggests that animals react to sounds made by plants in distress. The sounds are outside the range of human hearing, but can be perceived by many insects, bats and some mammals. In these recordings, the sound frequency has been adjusted for the human ear - have a listen.

US Politics Unspun newsletter

No noise. No agenda. Just expert analysis of the issues that matter most, from North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher.

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– Alex

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