A rundown of the most important global business stories you need to know for the coming day, from the newsroom of the Financial Times. Available every weekday morning.<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

FT News Briefing

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 second of a six-part series of interviews with leading historians and political analysts, Martin speaks to Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Anne Applebaum about the global stakes of November’s elections. They discuss the parallels between Trump’s America and other authoritarian regimes and what the US’s changing role means for Europe and Ukraine. Even if Trump suffers a political setback, can the US ever regain the trust of its allies?

To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to ‘Martin Wolf on the World’ wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch Martin’s podcast series on the FT’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@FinancialTimes

Host: Martin Wolf
Producer: Mischa Frankl-Duval
Senior producer: Laurence Knight
Executive producer: Manuela Saragosa
Video editor: Claire Justin
Senior Audio Engineer: Breen Turner
Broadcast engineers: Andrew Georgiadis
Podcast development: Laura Clarke
FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips

Learn more at www.ft.com/martin-wolf-on-the-world

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: What’s at stake for the world?

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.

US prepared for protracted stalemate with Iran

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.

Elon Musk’s $3.6tn gamble to merge SpaceX and Tesla 

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

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.

Israel pushes to restart strikes against Iran

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

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.

Can Big Tech calm investors' AI jitters?  

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

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.

French government in crisis mode after a weekend of riots

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.

Martin Wolf on the US midterms: Is American democracy safe?

UK Chancellor 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.

Investors fret over AI debt

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.

Zelenskyy doesn’t mince words about Trump

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.