BBC News Briefing

1 May, 2026

Alex Binley

Hello. US President Donald Trump has claimed he does not have to comply with a deadline to seek approval from Congress for the US-Israeli war with Iran because hostilities have "terminated". We report on a nation that prides itself on its stance on African nationalism, but where residents say racism is still a problem. And take a look at some of the stunning images from one of the world's most valuable rare books.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump tells Congress ceasefire means he does not need their approval for Iran war

A close up image of Trump shows his head and shoulders. He has a neutral expression on his face and has small blue eyes and white hair. He is wearing a navy blue suit, white shirt and red tie.

Trump has claimed that 'every other president considered' the War Powers Resolution 'totally unconstitutional'. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

Friday is the 60th day since Trump formally notified Congress of the strikes against Iran. US law requires a president to "terminate any use of United States Armed Forces" within 60 days of a notification, unless Congress allows a continuation. However, the president has argued that hostilities with Iran have "terminated", owing to the ongoing ceasefire and so he does not need lawmakers' authorisation for the conflict. He also claimed that congressional approval for war "has never been sought before". However, others have questioned the administration's interpretation of the War Powers Resolution.

More on this

GET UP TO SPEED

A very blurry image taken from a distance shows a man in a dark grey T-shirt and light grey trousers about to push a woman wearing a long white dress and black head covering.

Israeli police arrest man after Jerusalem nun attack

CCTV shows the woman being shoved from behind and hitting her head on a stone block. Her attacker also kicks her.

What happened >

An elderly man wears a charcoal grey suit, white shirt and blue tie. He has white hair and is being escorted by two people wearing blue shirts, blue face masks and clear visors.

'Butcher of Bosnia'

close to death, say lawyers

Ratko Mladic, 84, was jailed for life for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Bosnian war in 1992-95.

More on the case >

A man wearing a black suit and bow tie and white shirt. He has short brown hair that is parted on the side and wears glasses with a black rim. He is lying on the floor on his side and gesturing with his hands towards a gold Oscar statue.

Missing Oscar found after airport 'kerfuffle'

Lufthansa said the award was safely in its care and was arranging its return, after the winner was forced to check the statuette it.

Read more >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Superdry: The co-founder of the clothing chain has been found guilty of rape after an attack on a woman after a night out in 2022.

Watch: This is the moment a 250kg (551lb) WWII bomb is detonated after it was found on a building site in Plymouth.

Banksy: Just how did the street artist manage to erect a statue in central London in the middle of the night?

AT THE SCENE

The Villages, Florida

Trump visit stirs up world's largest retirement community

Tom Samson sits on a patio in a red Rangers t-shirt and black baseball cap, while Dorothy Duncan stands behind him in a blue-button down shirt and glasses

Some residents, like Dorothy Duncan and Tom Samson, manage to get along despite disagreeing about politics.

Since Trump returned to office last year, politics has become an increasingly thorny issue in The Villages, the world's largest retirement community. The president is due to give a speech at a local rally on Friday, and it has created a buzz. Trump supporters are thrilled he's visiting, while the president's critics are planning protests. But one thing many agree on is that it's often better not to talk about it.

Sheila Flynn, reporter

The discourse is civil and the banter is friendly on this humid, overcast morning before Trump's visit, but across-the-aisle political discussions are few and far between, residents say. When Bob Carberry moved to the community 14 years ago, it was almost "apolitical," he says. But Trump's entry into politics changed all that, according to Carberry and nearly every resident who agreed to speak. "The emotional level of politics is something that's emerged probably more so in the last five years with Trump," Carberry says.

‌

"We'd have a block party and things like that, and then… some of the people started putting up Trump flags," Democratic golfer Thomas Bacher says. "And that just caused a big rift. We didn't have block parties anymore. People wouldn't talk to each other anymore."

Keep reading

Watch: Supporters and critics react ahead of Trump's visit.

Analysis: How divides have emerged at the heart of Trump’s Maga world.

Podcasters row: The fight over Christian nationalism in a small Tennessee town.

PICK OF THE WEEK

A nation built on pan-African principles faces questions about racism

Malama Muleba poses wearing a grey, three-piece suit and red tie. He has very short black hair and a goatee. He has his hand on a wall that is green and yellow.

Property manager Malama Muleba says some other property managers and landlords consider race when renting out houses. Credit: Malama Muleba

Zambia likes to think of itself as being at the forefront of African nationalism and the fight against colonial rule, however several black people in the country have told the BBC that racism remains a problem more than 60 years after independence from the UK. They say they feel like second-class citizens in their own country and give accounts of black people being passed over for jobs, snubbed at restaurants and disregarded by landlords. Zambia's government denies that racism is a problem.