The Debate

Was it enough for France’s minority government to pass the first hurdle of a trigger-happy hostile parliament that can pass a vote of no-confidence at any time? Reappointed prime minister Sébastien Lecornu offering a suspension of Emmanuel Macron's flagship reform, the raising of the retirement age. We'll review the general policy speech of a Lecornu who this time at least made it to the National Assembly. Last week, his initial coalition government imploded spectacularly after a mere 14 hours.   Lecornu may be willing to bend. But how about his boss? Through one-and-a-half terms in power, Emmanuel Macron has never really done compromise… that is until now. The French president knows that a snap election would further shrink his support in parliament Markets may be spooked by France’s spiraling public spending… but not as much as they are by the prospect of a prolonged political impasse or a populist wave. On that score, Macron’s not alone in refusing compromise. Just look at a splintered political landscape that goes from the far-right to the hard left. What does that say about the times we live? Can Macron compromise? What to make his cabinet and speech by Lecornu? We need two pie charts of the National Assembly: one that breaks down the blocs simply and a second that shows the Socialists. A suspension that's a concession. Sébastien Lecornu offering to freeze the retirement age that Emmanuel Macron forced through parliament in 2023 over the objections of trade unions and public opinion. In May of 2024, Emmanuel Macron's decision to dissolve parliament backfired with his center-right bloc losing seats, the far-right making historic inroads and the left banding together in an electoral alliance. That alliance has since fizzled but the makeup of the parliament now means that the Socialists with their 69 seats and the conservatives Les Républicains with 50 find themselves in the roles of kingmakers... This time, with Les Républicains leader Bruno Retailleau - a conservative with presidential ambitions - Sébastien Lecornu composing a cabinet with fewer political heavyweights. Do the Socialists implode if they compromise? What will the French accept in the name of reducing the deficit? What’s politically acceptable As for the far-right's Marine Le Pen, the National Rally leader in the parliament gesturing during a theatrical walkout during the speech that followed the PM's... during remarks by Conservative Laurent Wauquiez. Le Pen's party standing by its position from last week when she wasn't on the invite list for consultations at the presidential palace. Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Jean-Vincent Russo, Lila Paulou, Ilayda Habip and Charles Wente.

There are tears of grief, tears of anguish ... and on Monday, there are also tears of joy. For the first time in two years, Israelis and Palestinians are allowing themselves to exhale. We’ll discuss the return of the last hostages with our correspondent in Tel Aviv, the release of 2,000 prisoners from Israeli jails, the ramping up of aid into Gaza, and the silencing of guns. In a region accustomed to dashed hopes, could something positive emerge from what Donald Trump calls a peace deal? There was the hero's welcome for Donald Trump in Israel, hailed by both supporters and detractors of the Israeli prime minister. In his speech, Trump turned to the Israeli president and asked Isaah Herzog to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu in his corruption trial. In the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik, the love in continued with everyone from the leaders of France, Germany and the UK to those of Iraq and Indonesia present for the signing of the 20-point plan. Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Lila Paulou, Ilayda Habip, and Charles Wente.

Forty-eight hours after France’s new government collapsed after just 14 hours, caretaker Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is still trying to pull off the impossible and a strike a deal that can get a budget over the line before the end of the year and avoid a further spiralling of public borrowing costs. But for that, you need a compromise. To Lecornu's left, the Socialists want to go back on the 2023 pension reform; to the right, the conservative Les Republicains say "no way". We review the stumbling points and possible ways President Emmanuel Macron can avoid another snap election that's sure to further shrink his support in France's lower house of parliament, 18 months out from the election to pick his successor. The front-runner for 2027 is staying far from Paris on the PM's self-imposed deadline day for a compromise. The far-right's Marine Le Pen is instead claiming that all this haggling in the high halls of power smacks of a cabal. And while the left and the moderate right tear themselves apart, her National Rally party's been quietly canvassing constituents, anticipating their next trip to the ballot box. Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

On the second anniversary of Israel's worst day of bloodshed in its history, Hamas still holds hostages and Israel is still demolishing Gaza. Often during the past 731 days, panellists on this show have insisted it's impossible for the two sides to hear each other until the guns go silent. That's yet to happen. We ask about the faint hopes stirred by the US plan on offer, and about the impact of the longest war in Israel's history on its citizens, who are torn between those who support a defiant prime minister who wants a 'super-Sparta' state to take on all comers and those who reject a forever war and a messianic land grab in the West Bank.  Watch moreTwo years after October 7 attacks on Israel, war in Gaza drags on Here in France, home to both Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim populations, a commemoration has taken place to mark the October 7 terror attacks and the 51 French nationals killed on that day. Two years of killing innocent civilians in Gaza have eroded sympathy for Israel in French public opinion, particularly among young people.  Produced by Théophile Vareille, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.

Emmanuel Macron has lost his third prime minister in the 16 months since he dissolved parliament and lost ensuing snap elections. Sébastien Lecornu has broken a Fifth Republic record by lasting just 27 days as head of government.  We ask why Bruno Retailleau, the head of the Conservative Les Républicains party, first accepted to stay on as interior minister and then – faced with uproar in his own ranks – slammed the door 90 minutes later on Sunday night. As for the president, he's got three choices: try again to find a PM who can work with an opposition-led parliament, call snap elections as demanded by far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen, or, as the far left would have it, resign now. Macron has made it crystal clear that he's not leaving before 2027. So what can he decide to federate alliances, reassure markets and salvage the legacy of a disrupter who eight years ago broke the mould of French politics but now has to contend with uncompromising, fragmented formations? When Macron broke parties, did he also break the system? Produced by Théophile Vareille, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.

A long list of European states are contributing personnel and equipment to secure a pair of EU summits this week in Denmark. A spate of mystery drones in the buildup has exposed NATO's vulnerability to harassment and hybrid warfare. We ask about unexplained flyovers, ghost ships and Russian denials. We also about spiking tensions across the Baltic Sea, where the stakes have never been higher since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. From calls for "drone walls" to the return of conscription, how do Europeans beef up their own defence? And how much do they turn to NATO's historic guarantor, when the US seems to critics more interested in coveting Danish protectorate Greenland than defending against Russian expansion? Produced by François Picard, Aline Bottin, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

First his war secretary warned against wokism and "fat generals", before Donald Trump told hundreds of generals summoned for an unprecedented gathering of US top brass to expect more deployments to fight the "enemy from within". His bragging about federal troops sent to cities run by "radical Democrats" came amid a rambling speech, one that railed against the press and affirmative action but also included praise for firemen and Barack Obama's way of going down staircases without holding the handrail. We ask about the US commander-in-chief's intentions, and those of Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host who served as a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who declared war on beards, woke culture and anonymous whistleblowers, as well as women and unfit servicemen who can't meet physical training standards. So how should armies evolve? What's the role of the military when you're the world's biggest superpower, one that's never seen a coup in its 249 years of existence? Produced by Théophile Vareille, Jean-Vincent Russo and Ilayda Habip.

So far, Benjamin Netanyahu has been able to avoid almost any concessions in his dealings with Donald Trump. Instead, despite growing global outrage over the demolition of Gaza, Washington has always put the onus squarely on Hamas to first release the Israeli hostages. But did Netanyahu go too far with the targeting of a Hamas delegation hosted by US ally Qatar? Will the United States finally impose an end to the war? In its 21-point plan, the Trump administration is no longer pushing the mass deportation of Gazans and is even siding with Gulf states in rejecting an annexation of the West Bank.  So for his fourth trip to the White House since Inauguration Day in January, the Israeli prime minister finds himself squeezed between Trump and the far-right West Bank settlers who prop up his coalition. Read moreNetanyahu supports Trump's Gaza plan, but Hamas has yet to agree As for Trump, it's a choice between hardcore Evangelicals like his ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and the Gulf states who've raised billions for his ventures and those of his family, like son-in-law Jared Kushner, who's suddenly back in the foreground of negotiations. Who wins in this struggle between ideology and money? Produced by Marion Lory, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip and Guillaume Gougeon.

France's former leader Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail for his part in the illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by Muammar Gaddafi's Libya. He'll do prison time, even during his appeal. That's on top of his electronic bracelet he wore in a separate case of eavesdropping on magistrates. "I'm innocent," insists the former conservative leader.  Sarkozy still casts a long shadow over French politics and regularly advises current president Emmanuel Macron despite the four criminal cases against the founder of the Les Républicains party, whose current leader Bruno Retailleau also serves as Macron's interior minister. Is this verdict a triumph of a judicial branch of government that's independent of political pressures, or overreach as claimed by far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen, who's got legal issues of her own? We look at the facts and ask about the masterminds and bag men of the Libya corruption trial, one that harks back to a time when Gaddafi was back in the good graces of the international community, before Sarkozy himself led the charge to have the UN intervene and stop Gaddafi from quashing the Arab Spring rebellion out of Benghazi. How does Thursday's verdict sit here and there? Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Guillaume Gougeon and Charles Wente.

Donald Trump has surprised Ukraine and NATO allies with an apparent about-face on Russia at the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. We ask why the US president suddenly thinks Kyiv can win militarily, the same Trump who up until now blamed both sides for the war and most recently assured that Russian drones fired into Poland might be a mistake. We also ask what concrete steps to expect for Ukraine, and also frontline NATO members like former Soviet state Estonia after last weekend's 12-minute violation of its tiny airspace by Russian MiG fighter jets. But it goes beyond the eastern flank: major European airports have been hit by ransomware attacks and mystery drone flights. The hand of Moscow? There's no firm evidence yet, but with Washington's wavering, it doesn't take much to fuel the anxiety on this continent.  Produced by Théophille Vareille, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.

A fleeting flicker of hope soon to be snuffed out, or are fault lines finally moving in the Middle East? Donald Trump is addressing the United Nations on the heels of the recognition of a Palestinian state by France, Britain and a host of others. The US president condemned the move and blamed everything on Hamas. Has he given up on his Gaza Riviera scheme?  What's the alternative? Already on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron laid out steps for a two-state solution while Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto volunteered peacekeepers for when guns go silent. We examine options for both the current humanitarian emergency and paths to lasting peace. Read moreFrance recognises Palestinian state, Abbas vows Hamas will have 'no role' in governance Peace cannot be imposed from a conference hall in New York, but only from the protagonists themselves. Would Israelis and Palestinians still be willing to make concessions in the name of lasting peace? Produced by Ilayda Habip, Aurore Laborie, Théophile Vareille, and Charles Wente.

With Gaza under siege and the West Bank under threat, will the symbolic act of recognising a Palestinian state give its inhabitants reasons to hope or despair? Some 715 days since Hamas orchestrated the worst terror attack in Israel's history, what's clear is that Israel has since squandered sympathy with its incessant pummelling of Gaza and the unchecked land grabs by the state and Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Among the dozen nations recognising Palestine is former colonial power Britain, as well as France, which is home to both Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish populations. Is this a lone act of frustration directed as much at Israel as its main backer, the United States? Or can Europe move the conversation towards actual peace building? We ask our panel and gauge the mood with our correspondents. We also ask about the "us versus them" statements of Israel's prime minister in the face of calls for international isolation and sporting boycotts. Critics are comparing the pressure to that exerted on apartheid-era South Africa. But in this showdown, there is no Nelson Mandela figure. At least, not so far. Where is the leadership – on both sides – and the actors who can bargain in good faith? Produced by Andrew Hilliar, Ilayda Habip, Aurore Laborie and Charles Wente.

King Charles to the rescue? The president of the United States was wined and dined with all the pomp and circumstance of a state visit to Windsor Castle. We asked: honour guards, fighter jet flyovers, and celebrity royals – was it all part of a charm offensive aimed at wooing Donald Trump, whose worldview appears more aligned with far-right figure Nigel Farage than with Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer? For over a century, the so-called "special relationship" between the UK and US has often felt like a mismatch. But as Starmer prepares to sign major deals on technology, defence, and nuclear cooperation, just how mismatched is it today? Trump’s stance on global affairs – appeasement of Russia over Ukraine, unwavering support for Israel’s destruction of Gaza, and his aggressive approach to tariffs and trade – has pushed the UK to quietly edge closer to Europe. Yet in practice, is Britain becoming more – not less –dependent on the United States? Produced by Antonia Cimini, Aurore Laborie and Charles Wente.

First came October 7, 2023 and the bloodiest day of terror in Israel's history. Then came retribution. Since then, it has never stopped. Gaza is entering a new circle of hell with Israeli tanks entering the centre of its capital city and the apparent launch of a ground offensive. We ask why the spectacle is allowed to unfold. The consequences for Palestinians are all too obvious, but what about for Israelis? Does the flattening of Gaza kill off sympathy for a state founded in large part by survivors of the Holocaust? Here in Europe, the dark legacy of World War II and collaboration with the Nazis is a fading memory for the younger generation; the one that's the most vocal in calling out what it sees in Gaza. And after Sunday's disruption of the finale of the Tour of Spain cycling race, we ask what's next, starting with the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in a week's time.  Produced by Antonia Cimini, Aurore Laborie and Charles Wente.

It seems that summoning ambassadors for a scolding somehow won't be enough. After last week's unprecedented wave of Russian drones that landed in Poland, it's now Romania's turn to scramble fighter jets and call in the Kremlin's envoy. As Russia fills Ukraine's skies with ever-increasing unmanned devices, we asked why and whether Vladimir Putin is indeed testing frontline NATO states, who until now thought that the US had their backs. The US president can't bring himself to categorically condemn Russian aggression, even after a phone call with a new Polish counterpart who's a conservative fellow traveller. Speaking of fellow travellers, there’s the support of Vice President JD Vance for a German far right that again made historic inroads in Sunday's regional elections and the likeminded Elon Musk who spoke by video link to London’s largest far-right rally in decades. Caught between Russia's offensive and the illiberal winds blowing from across the Atlantic, what can cash-strapped Europeans do on their own to defend their own continent? Produced by Aurore Laborie, Henri Pierre Mafulu and Charles Wente.

If Charlie Kirk wasn't previously a household name internationally, he is now. Across the United States, flags are at half mast on government buildings after an assassination that bears the markings of a professional hit job. It was US President Donald Trump himself who broke news of the death of the 31-year-old MAGA influencer, on Truth Social. We ask about the circumstances of the shooting at a university campus talk in Utah, measure the impact – Kirk's powerful messaging could made his masculinist, anti-woke, nationalist views seem hip and cool to young people – and the backlash in a nation where social media-fuelled vitriol has led to these real-life shootings, like the one targeting Trump himself. Read moreTrump urges peace after Charlie Kirk killing as manhunt continues The US president has evoked wartime powers to militarise his response to immigration and crime. What kind of response to expect to the killing of a figure from the front lines of America's culture wars?

It's the first day on the job for the new French prime minister, and the long-announced date for a Yellow Vests-style day of protest against austerity. Sébastien Lecornu is taking over from predecessor François Bayrou, who also passed on the bigger political hot potato – a budget that still needs passing. Bayrou was undone by an opposition-led parliament.   The 39-year old Sébastien Lecornu is unknown to many, yet he's been in every government since Emmanuel Macron's second month in office back in 2017. Wednesday's Yellow Vests-inspired "Block everything" movement started on social media, adopted by the hard left, and is part of the pushback against further cuts to the welfare state in a nation still brooding over pension reform, the scrapping of the wealth tax and –more broadly – the disconnect between elites and the disenfranchised. Read moreCan Macron’s quiet power broker Sébastien Lecornu navigate France’s fractured politics as PM? Will naming a loyalist further stoke resentment against the term-limited Macron? Or can his quiet man succeed where previous heads of government have failed in striking deals with a hostile parliament? Lecornu may promise a new approach, but can Macron himself change, and resist the temptation to override eventual compromises? Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rachael Griffiths and Juliette Brown.

In 2017, he blew up the system. Now, can he keep it together? France's Emmanuel Macron had never run for public office before becoming president. And for a while, he seemed exempt from the crude reality of political horse-trading. Yet now, the same Macron who reigned supreme when he smashed the big tent centre-left and centre-right parties eight years ago is running out of road in his second term, with his baffling decision last year to dissolve parliament backfiring miserably and an even stronger opposition ousting the 47-year-old president's second prime minister in under a year on Monday. Macron had hoped that with Michel Barnier and then François Bayrou, he could stay in his comfort zone with a coalition that runs from traditional conservatives to the centre. But Monday’s vote at the National Assembly wasn’t even close. That vote was triggered to anticipate the bruising austerity budget battle that's still to come, not to mention this Wednesday’s Yellow Vests-inspired day of protest.  Beyond the choice of Bayrou's successor – now confirmed as outgoing defence minister Sébastien Lecornu – is it about Macron himself, the leader who promised Jupiter-like strength from on high and who now has to make concessions, or a democracy that's no longer so unique on a continent rife with populist pressures and fragmented political forces? Produced by Theophile Vareille, Elisa Amiri, Juliette Brown.

French MPs voted to topple the government of Prime Minister François Bayrou on Monday after the PM surprised even his own allies by calling a confidence vote to resolve a months-long deadlock over his austerity budget. Bayrou will tender his resignation on Tuesday morning, plunging France into fresh political turmoil.

Security guarantees for Ukraine have been agreed at the Paris meeting of the "coalition of the willing" to help Ukraine in its existential fight against Vladimir Putin's Russia. But how will Moscow respond? French President Emmanuel Macron said "we want fair, long-term peace" as he confirmed the announcement alongside Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter, at war since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, thanked the coalition partners for their backing and called for a swift and just end to the war. Ukraine's independence remains at stake, and protecting that going forward is the aim. No one thinks that Putin's quasi-imperial and wholly illegal ambition to capture the whole of Ukraine will suddenly stop if peace is reached. The guarantees, Macron said, include land, air and sea security and coalition members are ready to send troops if there is a peace deal to defend. If not, then it's a sanctions package against Moscow. The extent of the role of Donald Trump's America is yet to be revealed. A video call was held with the mercurial US president after the coalition's meeting.  Produced by Mark Owen, Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.