Morning briefing Friday 17th July

0:00This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwCWC. Staying competitive means getting ahead, not just keeping up. So how do business leaders cut through the noise and focus on what really matters? PwC takes you further with tech, from optimising the systems that put your data to work, to scaling AI from proof of concept to competitive edge. PwC helps you meet tomorrow's tech demands, so you can compete at a speed that rewrites the rules. Discover more at pwc.co.uk. This is your Times Radio morning briefing for Friday 17th July. The next Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is facing his first internal party revolts, despite not officially being in the top job yet, as questions are being raised by his pick for Chancellor.

0:50It's understood he's going to appoint Shabana Mahmood over Ed Miliband, despite the fact she's never held an economic position in government. He's now facing a challenge from his core support on the Labour left. He's said to have made the decision after being warned Miliband risked becoming a lightning rod for criticism. Former Treasury economist James White spoke to Times Radio and said people are unsure of what Mahmood's views on the economy are. I don't think people do know very much about her from an economic policy perspective and that's not to blame her because she hasn't been in a senior role where that's been relevant really and it does expose the reality of where we are in this slightly strange political dynamic right now, which is we have a new prime minister coming in, but in the grand scheme of things, coming in relatively swiftly, without a clear vision for what that world's going to look like.

1:41US President Donald Trump has alleged China carried out the largest compromise of election data in history. He said it started during the 2020 election cycle, resulting in China's acquisition of 220 million US voter files. He called it an unprecedented election security nightmare. Tonight I'm announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure. This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes, and really exposes like levels never thought possible, to hacking, exploitation and foreign interference.

2:27A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said Beijing has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections of the US. With protesters taking to the streets of Kiev, President Zelensky's government may be facing its biggest internal political crisis of the war so far. It's been triggered by the Ukrainian leader's removal of his reformist defence minister, Mikhailo Fedorov. Zelensky is now facing a revolt by members of his own ruling party, who signalled they would refuse to approve his initial nominee for Ukraine's new defence chief. A former adviser to Zelensky, Igor Novikov, spoke to Times Radio about why the defence minister was so respected.

3:05He's credited and rightfully so for a lot of good things that happen to Ukraine, for anything and everything digital that we have. And also, since focusing his attention on the war, he's the guy behind the drones, the interceptors and pretty much anything innovational and technological that we have here. Shops that sell high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s will face fines of up to £2 ,500 when a ban comes in for England next April. It'll cover drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine per liter, including Red Bull, Monster and Prime. Tea, coffee and standard soft drinks are not affected. Don't forget, you can set the Times Radio News Briefing as your flash briefing on Alexa.

3:48This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwC. AI is everywhere. In the news, in our hands, but return on investment, not so much. So how do you get beyond the hype and deliver AI that powers reinvention and growth across your business? Strong foundations unlock AI's potential. That's why PwC takes you further with tech, strengthening the data quality, processes and workflows that shape how well AI performs. PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale. Discover more at pwc.co.uk. This is Hannah Burner, the co-host of Giggly Squad.

4:33We could all just stay in bed scrolling through other people's vacations forever, but where is the fun in that? The best memories come from stepping outside of your little bubble and being open to the unexpected. And what better way to be open to the unexpected than finally booking that trip to Europe? You guys know I'm a Delta girly. Every time I go, I get my Delta headphones. And when I fly to Europe, Delta treats me like a queen and they'll treat you too. I was always a little nervous about navigating a foreign country. but then I realized it's so important to grow and see different cultures and to put yourself in different situations and Delta held my hand the whole time.

5:12Being away just helps you put life into perspective and your little worries are not so bad. Travel really is the best way to discover something new about yourself and grow from the experience. Step outside your comfort zone this summer, get some Delta headphones and fly with Delta Airlines. They truly are the best way to get to Europe and they just make the whole journey feel so comfortable and seamless. Go book your next chapter right now at delta.com.