US President Donald Trump makes the longest-ever State of the Union address, claiming America's enjoying a golden age.
But will his message on the economy be enough to persuade voters worried about persistent high prices?
Also in the programme: Sri Lanka's former intelligence chief has been arrested in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 270 people; and we'll hear from the small Norwegian club inside the Arctic Circle that's shaking up European football.
(Photo shows US president Donald Trump delivering the State of the Union address at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. on 24 February 2026. Credit: Kenny Holston/Reuters)
In this episode, we look at what the release of lawyer Ahmed Souab means for freedom of expression and the people of Tunisia. The Tunisian lawyer and critic of he current government, has been serving a five-year sentence after warning that judicial independence in Tunisia was collapsing. His detention sparked anger among political and civil groups who saw it as part of a wider crackdown on dissent.
We also explore the myths, mysteries, and cultural significance of the Argungu Fishing Festival in Kebbi State, Nigeria. After a six-year break, some 50,000 fishermen gathered at the Matan Fada River, each determined to catch the biggest fish.
Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna
Producer: Ayuba Iliya
Technical Producer: Herbert Masua
Senior Producers: Bella Twine and Blessing Aderogba
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla
Plus: DoorDash to wind down Deliveroo and Wolt operations in Qatar, Singapore, Japan and Uzbekistan. And Spain ramps up pressure on Apple and Amazon in a yearslong antitrust case. Julie Chang hosts.
Silvana Estrada is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Veracruz, Mexico. She won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2022, and she’s been nominated for three others, including for her song “Como Un Pájaro,” which is the song that we talked about for this episode. It’s from her second album, which came out in 2025, but she started writing the song several years before that. So we talked about all the different versions of this song, and a couple of versions of Silvana herself, that emerged throughout the process.
Kasey Jernigan (Choctaw) interviewed and observed Choctaw women over a period of years about food and their relationships to it. She documents what she learned in those observations in her new book, “Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways and Indigeneity”. The book uses federal food and nutrition assistance as the jumping off point for an exploration of individual perceptions of food and colonial influences on Native health outcomes.
A quaint eatery in Arizona’s Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is attracting attention over and above the dozens of other frybread stands that dot reservation roadsides across the country. The Stand was just named one of USA Today’s 2026 Restaurants of the Year. It’s built by the same person who makes the frybread dough and serves the soup in a decidedly rustic setting.
Author, poet, educator and legal scholar Marique B. Moss (Photo: courtesy M. Moss)
Marique B. Moss explores her Black and Indigenous identity in her poetic memoir, “Sweetgrass and Soul Food”. She is among the Native people offering support to Minneapolis residents in the wake of the expanded immigration efforts from her space, Mashkiki Studios.
GUESTS
Dr. Kasey Jernigan (Choctaw), assistant professor of American studies and anthropology at the University of Virginia and the author of “Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways, and Indigeneity”
Michael Pollan is the author of A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness. Pollan joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss whether AI can ever become conscious and what that question reveals about the nature of mind. Tune in to hear a nuanced debate about whether consciousness is computable, where today’s LLMs fall short, and how researchers might actually test machine consciousness in the future. We also cover materialism vs. spirituality, the “hard problem” of consciousness, psychedelic experiences, and the emerging science of plant sentience. Hit play for a thoughtful, surprising conversation that brings the AI consciousness debate back down to earth while opening up some of its strangest possibilities.
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Last night, President Donald Trump strongly defended his tariffs in his State of the Union address. He made the case for future tariffs, despite the Supreme Court decision last week striking down the centerpiece of his tariff policy. Trump also expressed hope that import taxes will someday replace income taxes. Plus, Nvidia is looking to get back into the consumer market, and mortgage rates dipped below 6% this week.
President Trump talks up the state of the union. Democrats say the latest Trump tariffs amount to a massive tax hike. DNA and the search for Nancy Guthrie. CBS News Correspondent Peter King has those stories and more on the World News Roundup podcast.
From the BBC World Service: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says there is a great opportunity to develop ties with China following a meeting with its leader, Xi Jinping. Before the trip, Merz said there needs to be a fair competition and jointly agreed-upon rules between the two countries. Also, starting today, almost all visitors to the United Kingdom will need to apply for an electronic travel authorization that costs around $21 before entering the country.
Plus: Warner says Paramount’s newest bid could best Netflix deal. And Anthropic dials back AI safety commitments amid fierce competition. Daniel Bach hosts.
