Miss Universe 2025 has been rocked by controversies and chaos, from stage falls and contestants storming out, to judges quitting and allegations of vote rigging – which the organisers deny.
The pageant – styled as a celebration of women of all backgrounds and nationalities – has suffered waning international attention in recent years, with many questioning the ideals of femininity it seems to espouse.
Could the drama of this year’s competition get people watching again?
BBC journalist and Miss Universe expert, William Lee Adams, joins us to discuss.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Hannah Moore
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch is crowned as Miss Universe 2025. Rungroj Yongrit/EPA
Americans have a glum view of the economy, but that is not expected to affect their consumer spending as holiday shopping kicks off.
According to a recent Fox News survey, 76% of Americans have a negative view of the economy. At the end of President Joe Biden’s term, this number was 70%. Yet while Americans appear to be losing faith in the vitality of the U.S. economy, they don’t plan on slowing their own holiday shopping habits.
The International Council of Shopping Centers reports that between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday, 235 million American adults are expected to spend $127 billion, for an average of $542 a person—a $13 increase from the average spent over the long holiday weekend last year.
Millennials are projected to be the biggest spenders, with the International Council of Shopping Center estimating the generation born between 1981 and 1996 will drop an average of $764 a person during the five-day shopping period.
So what’s the disconnect? Why do the same Americans who feel the economy is flooding appear to feel good enough about their personal bank account to go out and drop several hundred dollars in just a few days? Nicole Huyer, a senior research associate in The Heritage Foundation’s Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, joins this week’s edition of “Problematic Women” to discuss.
Also on today’s show, we discuss spending differences between men and women. Plus, will New York City-Mayor elect Zohran Mamdani actually be able to implement his socialist wish list in the Big Apple? And if he can, what will that mean not only for New York City’s economy, but the economic health of the nation.
Catch the conversation on this week’s edition of “Problematic Women.”
00:00 Welcome!
02:16 Generational Shopping Habit
11:20 Trump and Elon are Back?
19:02 Economic Long Game vs. Short Term Gains
20:28 Zohran Mamdani and NYC's Affordability Crisis
Armed gangs now control much of Port-au-Prince and more than a million people have been forced from their homes. In this Global News Podcast special, Nick Miles and Nawal Al-Maghafi hear from Haitians on the front line, including a pro-democracy activist, a feminist campaigner supporting survivors of sexual violence, and a medic trying to keep emergency services going in a city under siege. They tell us how people are resisting, what real change would look like, and why so many people still believe Haiti has a future worth fighting for.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.
Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.
Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Are you searching for your next favorite podcast? With an endless queue of options, it can be hard to choose. That’s where Lauren Gonzales, co-writer of the Pod Club newsletter, can help. The Pod Club newsletter aims to cut through the clutter and help you decipher what’s worth listening to. Sign up for the newsletter here: npr.org/podclub.
Venezuela has condemned as a "colonialist threat" President Trump's warning that its airspace should be considered closed. The US does not have the authority to shut another country's airspace and the foreign ministry described his social media post as an illegal and unjustified aggression. Also: the number of people killed as a result of Israel's military offensive in Gaza in the past two years has risen above 70,000 according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Palestinian territory; rescue operations are continuing in Indonesia after floods and landslides killed more than 300 people in Sumatra; and King Charles leads tributes to the British playwright and Oscar winning screenwriter, Tom Stoppard, who has died at the age of 88.
As friends and family gather this holiday season, there’s a warning for new parents. The CDC says cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, remain elevated this year. An unvaccinated infant died from the illness in Kentucky this week, while other states across the country are also experiencing a surge of cases. Ali Rogin speaks with pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Lorne Walker for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Venezuela has condemned President Trump's warning that its airspace should be considered closed. It called it a colonialist threat and an unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people. Mr Trump's post could lead to travel uncertainty and deter airlines from operating in the area. We hear from the capital Caracas.
Also in the programme: Celebrated British playwright Tom Stoppard has died; and Ukraine's battle against Russia's "shadow fleet"
(Picture: People shop at a market, after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and around Venezuela would be closed entirely, in Caracas, Venezuela. Credit:Reuters)
When the Missouri legislature began to redraw maps mid-decade, it reminded a reporter of a very specific movie scene.
The film was Air Bud, and although the plot focuses on a loophole that allows a dog to play basketball, some in Missouri say there are similarities to the battle over gerrymandering, and the result could have a lasting impact on the state’s government. Miles Parks speaks with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad. It was edited by Adam Raney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
A JetBlue plane plunged uncontrollably last month prompting the parent company to issue an order to inspect all Airbus A-320 jets. It’s bad timing for holiday travel. Afghans waiting for asylum say they are in limbo after the Trump administration paused all asylum decisions. This comes after an Afghan national killed a National Guard soldier and wounded another. Tips on how to tell a real video from one generated by AI.
After the kidnapping of hundreds of children, we hear from a Nigerian minister about the difficulties that the government has in providing security to the Nigerian people. The government has declared a nationwide security emergency and ordered the recruitment of 20,000 more police.
Also on the programme: President Trump has said he'll pardon the former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, who's serving a prison sentence in the United States on drugs and weapons charges; and an award winning children's programme about communist politics in Soviet era East Germany
(Photo: Nana Aisha Shemsudeen teaches her younger siblings and neighbors at her parents' house in Minna following the closure of all government schools due to insecurity in Niger State, Nigeria Credit: Marvellous Durowaiye)
