The Global Story

Donald Trump has revealed that he personally called Gianni Infantino, the head of Fifa, to ask him to review the red card given to United States' star player Folarin Balogun. The striker had been given a one-match ban after a hard tackle against Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, but the punishment was suspended in time for the US to play their final 16 match against Belgium yesterday.
The decision has been widely condemned across the football world, with European footballing organisation UEFA, calling it, "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable", and former Fifa president Sepp Blatter writing on X, “Redcards are not overturned by political phone calls… Football must never become a playground for political power.”Infantino has insisted the decision was made independently by Fifa’s “independent judicial bodies”.
On today’s show, Tristan is joined by BBC football issues correspondent Dale Johnson and New Yorker staff writer Sam Knight, to explain the scandal, and how Infantino’s governance of Fifa has brought football and politics closer together.
Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin
Mix: Travis Evans
Video journalist: Matt Pintus
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Folarin Balogun of the U.S. looks dejected as he applauds fans after the match following their elimination from the World Cup, July 6, 2026. Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Blake Dahlin

President Trump will be attending a NATO summit in Turkey this week, where he’s likely to hear one consistent message from European leaders: the tide is shifting against Russia in its war with Ukraine. And not just on the battlefield.
Russian cities are being pounded by Ukrainian drones in ever increasing numbers. Fuel shortages have become widespread as key infrastructure has been targeted, with long lines seen at gas stations and trucks abandoned by the side of the road. Vladimir Putin recently made a rare admission; that his country is actually facing problems caused by the conflict, amid growing disquiet about Russia’s enormous economic problems.
In today’s episode we speak to Simon Shuster, staff writer at The Atlantic, and veteran reporter of Russia and Ukraine. And with the war starting to hit home, we ask if Putin is now on the backfoot?
Producers: Lucy Pawle and Hannah Moore
Executive producer: Bridget Harney
Mix: Travis Evans
Video producer: Matt Pintus
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Russia's President Putin meets with service members in Moscow, June 12, 2026. Photo Credit: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via Reuters

As the United States celebrates 250 years since its founding, this week The Global Story has been exploring the surprising and often hidden ways the US has shaped the modern world.
Today, we hear from you. Asma and Tristan put your thoughts and questions about America’s impact on the world to the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen, who has reported from more than 90 countries over the past 40 years, and to Celia Hatton, who hosts the BBC’s Global News Podcast and previously spent 15 years reporting from inside China.
Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Aron Keller and Hannah Moore
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: An illustration of a megaphone. Credit: BBC

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, all this week The Global Story is exploring the surprising and often hidden ways the US has shaped the modern world.
For decades in the US, “Made in China” signified a product that was cheap, poorly made, and, in some cases, produced through exploitative labour. But today, the label signifies something quite different in many American minds - state-of-the-art tech and luxury goods that even rival America, for arguably the first time in US history.
Often overlooked is the fact that China’s ascendance as an economic superpower was far from inevitable. Today we speak to historian Elizabeth Ingleson to trace the evolution of the Made in China brand and to explore what responsibility the United States had for awakening its own economic rival.
Producer: Xandra Ellin and Sam Chantarasak
Executive producer: James Shield
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, The Global Story is this week exploring the surprising and often hidden ways the US has shaped the modern world.
President Donald Trump’s attempts at regime change in Iran and Venezuela, controversial as they are, reflect the US’s long history of using both military and covert operations to achieve its goals abroad.
One of the forefathers of this approach to foreign intervention was Allen Dulles, the first civilian head of the Central Intelligence Agency, who used undercover – and often morally dubious – tactics to topple global leaders deemed unfriendly to America’s interests.
On today’s show, Tim Weiner, author of Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA and The Mission: the CIA in the 21st Century, joins Tristan and Asma to explain how Dulles' legacy played out through the ‘War on Terror’ and how it has helped shaped today’s US foreign policy.
Producers: Hannah Moore and Aron Keller
Mix: Travis Evans
Executive Producer: James Shield
Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: An illustration similar to the CIA seal. Credit: BBC