The Fourcast

Thousands of killers, rapists and sex offenders are among those who could be released early this September as the Government tries to tackle the crisis facing Britain’s overcrowded prisons.The plans have sparked a political row, with former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips calling for child rapists to be excluded from the scheme, while the Conservatives have accused the Government of putting victims at risk.On this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long speaks to Amy Clowrey, a solicitor who specialises in child sex abuse cases, Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers Association, and prisons minister Lord Timpson.What does the scheme mean for victims? How many offenders could be released? And is there another way to fix Britain’s prison crisis?

With Sir Keir Starmer just weeks away from leaving office, his government has finally released its long awaited Defence Investment Plan - but will it be enough to keep the UK safe? 
On this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Channel 4's International Editor Lindsey Hilsum. 
They discuss how the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have "completely changed" the nature of warfare, how Britain is betting big on drones - and if Vladimir Putin might be at risk of lose his prized possession: Crimea.

Andy Burnham is setting out what a Premiership under him could look like. The former Greater Manchester Mayor has said that he would set up a permanent “Number 10 North”, with greater powers handed to England’s regions. 
So could the Manchester model work across the country? Why has “levelling up” repeatedly failed? And could moving power out of Westminster really make England richer?
To discuss this, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Hannah Peaker, Deputy Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation, Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and Channel 4 News Economics Editor Helia Ebrahimi.

Russia’s stock market has plummeted in recent days, hitting a three year low, mounting pressure on Vladimir Putin while Ukraine ramps up its long range drone attacks on critical infrastructure, including oil facilities around Moscow. 
Are the costs of the war becoming unbearable for Russia? Is Ukraine finding new ways to fight back? And if Putin believes time is no longer on his side, will he escalate? 
On this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Nina Khruscheva, professor of international affairs at The New School in New York.

Maggie Haberman has spent years covering Donald Trump - from his first presidential campaign to his return to the White House.
Now, in her new book Regime Change, written with Jonathan Swan, she examines how Trump has wielded power in his second term: his relationship with loyalty, his desire to shape history, and the people around him who help drive his decisions.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Maggie Haberman about Trump’s ambition to be remembered as one of the most powerful leaders in history, whether he is considering a third term, and what his presidency reveals about his character.
Donald Trump has frequently dismissed Haberman for writing false stories about him, which she rejects. 
Is Trump changing the presidency - or trying to make the presidency about himself?