US Supreme Court rules against Trump's global tariffs
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 20 February 2026
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs have been struck down by the US Supreme Court, in a major blow to the President's economic agenda. With a 6-3 majority, judges ruled that President Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed the levies using a law reserved for national emergencies.
Also: an AI summit in India has ended without a global agreement on governing the technology, after strong opposition from the United States. British police continue to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after the former Prince was released under investigation. Iran says it will be ready to submit its plan for a possible nuclear agreement with the US in the next two or three days. The BBC has identified the names of more than 180,000 Russian soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine. In a world first, lion DNA has helped to convict poachers in Zimbabwe. And Spanish construction workers have finished work on the tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona.
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
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to the Global News Podcasts. |
| 0:08.0 | You're listening to the Global News Podcasts from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.4 | Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 16 hours GMT on Friday the 20th of February. |
| 0:17.7 | The US Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump's tariff policy, delivering |
| 0:22.0 | a significant blow to his economic agenda. British police continue to search the former home |
| 0:27.4 | of Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor. And BBC analysis of Russian war casualties in Ukraine find that |
| 0:33.6 | 2025 is likely to be the deadliest year so far. |
| 0:40.6 | Also in the podcast, |
| 0:45.1 | we were able to demonstrate that those body parts were linked to a specific line, |
| 0:47.4 | to the specific line that had been killed illegally. |
| 0:50.4 | A breakthrough in tackling wildlife poaching. |
| 1:01.9 | Just before we came into the studio, the US Supreme Court delivered a significant blow to President Trump's economic agenda, striking down a major part of his tariff policy. |
| 1:07.2 | He's often said that tariff is his favourite word and on his return to the White House |
| 1:11.5 | wielded them as a diplomatic tool to try to bend other nations to his will on a range of |
| 1:16.9 | issues. But according to the Supreme Court, he doesn't have the power to do so. Rather, |
| 1:22.1 | it is up to Congress. President Trump had been warning that such a decision would be an |
| 1:27.0 | economic and national security disaster with catastrophic consequences. |
| 1:31.4 | But the judges ruled against him by six to three. |
| 1:34.3 | Justin Wolfers is a professor of economics at the University of Michigan. |
| 1:38.0 | He says it is an extraordinary day for the global economy. |
| 1:41.8 | First of all, countries don't pay tariffs. I want to be really clear on that. |
| 1:45.3 | Who has paid tariffs is the American companies who brought it in. |
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