Today - 25/03/2009

Presented by Evan Davis and Sarah Montague. North America editor Justin Webb reports on Barack Obama's latest moves to tackle the economy. Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King has warned the government against further spending to stimulate the economy. Economics editor Stephanie Flanders discusses his comments. Reporter Zubeida Malik talks to two grandmothers about caring for their grandchildren. Correspondent Rebecca Jones reports on Picasso's Guernica, a 'picture of carnage, chaos and confusion'. Judy Hardogan of the School Food Trust and Neil Porter, the chairman of the Local Authority Caterers Association, discuss the new standards covering the nutrient content of school meals. More than half a million people took part in the RSPB's 30th Big Garden Birdwatch this year. Reporter Tom Feilden describes the event. Thought for the day with Professor Mona Siddiqui. Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson discusses the Obama presidency so far. Former minister Geoffrey Robinson, chairman of the shadow Monetary Policy Committee Professor David Smith and Hugo Dixon of BreakingViews.com evaluate Mervyn King's warning against further significant government spending to stimulate the economy. In an hour long press conference, President Obama urged Americans to be patient and look beyond 'short-term interests' when it comes to economic recovery. Reporter Matthew Wells watched the press conference with a couple in their suburban home in New Jersey. The Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission, Lord Jay, explains why the criteria by which peers are appointed is to be amended. A study by Harvard and Manchester Universities has concluded that the British people are ready for a black prime minister but the British political system is not. Professor Robert Putnam and Michael Eboda, of Powerful Media Ltd, discuss the report. Chief executive of Grandparents Plus Sam Smethers says we should 'recognise and reward' grandparents who care for their grandchildren. A 'new' short story by Mark Twain, The Undertaker's Tale, is to be published in the Strand magazine, 99 years after his death. Evan Davis discusses Twain's work with the Strand's managing editor, Andrew Goolli, and Professor Peter Messent. A tapestry version of Picasso's Guernica is coming to London's Whitechapel gallery. Art critics Andrew Graham-Dixon and Sister Wendy Beckett discuss the impact of the painting.