welcome to the programme. it was budget day here in britain today. a big set piece annual event in which the chancellor stairs into the crystal ball, and tries to predict the future and how best to steer the uk economy through it. the obstacles in his way are common to europe and the united states. high inflation, higher interest rates, and since the pandemic, an intractably acute labour shortage. this graph trackjob vacancies across europe since august 2022, historically high after the pandemic, but you will see the uk, the red line at the very top, is struggling more than most. with 1.1 million vacancies. if more people are employed, more people are paying tax. the good news for the chancellor is that the uk will swerve recession this year thanks to growth returning by the summer. but the economy will still contract by 0.2%. and any brighter news, is tempered by slower growth over the long term. mr hunt said the uk would only grow by 1.8% next year and byjust 2.5% in 2025
hour. we ll get her reaction to what is happening on capitol hill and more. and bombshell new claims that the biden administration obstructed the years long investigation into hunter biden related to tax fraud and gun ownership case. i m harris faulkner. an i.r.s. supervisor is making those claims now asking congress for whistleblower protection. that person calls the hunter biden investigation infected by politics. the attorney for that i.r.s. agent says the protected disclosures would include details which contradict sworn testimony, a clear conflict of interest, and an abundance of preferential treatment adding fuel to the house republicans fight to hold the biden family accountable. james comer says the administration may have been working overtime to try to protect hunter biden and adding this about the president. i don t see how joe biden could not be compromised. these family members aren t energy experts. they weren t on boards. at least with burisma hunter actuall
on the growing controversy and what the future holds for women s sports and the fight to keep it fair. sandra: and for most americans no greater measure of success than buying a home. only under president biden your success will now mean higher mortgage rates and you ll have to help folks who don t have good credit scores. larry kudlow does not like it one bit. defaulting i can ruin my own credit. did we forget about 2008? sandra: good question, larry. he had a lot to say on this controversy move as we were learning about it last night. so, he is here for round two on america reports. welcome back as we roll into a second hour. sandra smith in new york. john: john roberts in washington. as you can imagine, larry has a lot to say coming up. by the year 2000, we should succeed in seeing that every 8-year-old can read independently. today 40% of our nation s 8-year-olds are not reading as well as they should. and that is the main reason we have launched america rea
to increase energy production, but critics warn about significance damage to the environment and a risk of earthquakes. better access to gps and more appointments. the health secretary sets out her plan for the nhs in england, but some doctors warn the changes will do little to improve patient care. and at least ten people have been killed following another day of protests in iran over the death of a young woman in custody. hello and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. five british captives who were being held by russian backed forces in ukraine are believed to be back in the uk after being released last night. the prime minister, liz truss, confirmed a prisoner exchange had been negotiated by saudi arabia. before being freed, two of the men, aiden aslin and shaun pinner, had been sentenced to death by russian backed separatists. emma vardy reports. we just want to let everyone know that we are now out of the danger zone and on our way home to ourfamilie