Today in Focus
1,722 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 days ago - ★★★★★ - 649 ratingsHosted by Michael Safi and Helen Pidd, Today in Focus brings you closer to Guardian journalism. Combining personal storytelling with insightful analysis, this podcast takes you behind the headlines for a deeper understanding of the news, every weekday. Today in Focus features journalists such as: Aditya Chakrabortty, Alex Hern, Alexis Petridis, Andrew Roth, Emma Graham-Harrison, George Monbiot, Jim Waterson, John Crace, John Harris, Jonathan Freedland, Kiran Stacey, Larry Elliott, Luke Harding, Marina Hyde, Nesrine Malik, Owen Jones, Peter Walker, Pippa Crerar, Polly Toynbee, Shaun Walker, Simon Hattenstone and Zoe Williams. The podcast is a topical, deep dive, explainer on a topic or story in the news, covering: current affairs, politics, investigations, leaks, scandals and interviews. It might cover topics such as: GB, Scotland, England and Ireland news, the environment, green issues, climate change, the climate emergency and global warming; American politics including: US presidential election 2024, Biden, Trump, the White House, the GOP, the Republicans and the Republican Party, the Democrats and the Democratic Party; UK politics including: UK election 24, Parliament, Labour, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer; culture; the royals and the royal family, including King Charles III and Prince Harry; HS2; the police and current affairs including: Ukraine, Russia, Bangladesh, Israel, Palestine, Gaza and AI.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
‘The government failed’: Dominic Cummings takes aim at No 10’s Covid response
May 27, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 32.8 MBFormer aide lashed out at every aspect of the government’s approach and Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock in particular. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
‘The government failed’: Dominic Cummings takes aim at No 10’s Covid response
May 27, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 32.8 MBFormer aide lashed out at every aspect of the government’s approach and Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock in particular. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Is Britain becoming a hostile environment for EU citizens? | Podcast
May 26, 2021 02:00 - 27 minutes - 42.1 MBAs Covid travel restrictions begin to be lifted, a new, far less welcoming post-Brexit attitude is greeting EU citizens at the UK border. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Is Britain becoming a hostile environment for EU citizens? | Podcast
May 26, 2021 02:00 - 27 minutes - 42.1 MBAs Covid travel restrictions begin to be lifted, a new, far less welcoming post-Brexit attitude is greeting EU citizens at the UK border. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Two lives changed by the death of George Floyd
May 25, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 46.3 MBA year ago, the murder of George Floyd caused outrage in Minneapolis – and kicked off a protest movement that spread across the world. How do the young Black people at the heart of the story live with his legacy?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Two lives changed by the death of George Floyd
May 25, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 46.3 MBA year ago, the murder of George Floyd caused outrage in Minneapolis – and kicked off a protest movement that spread across the world. How do the young Black people at the heart of the story live with his legacy?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The pandemic scam artists making millions during lockdown – podcast
May 24, 2021 02:00 - 24 minutes - 38 MBWhen Rose got an email about a missed parcel, she thought nothing of arranging a new delivery – a mistake that would ultimately cost her thousands. The Guardian’s money editor, Hilary Osborne, reveals the scale of a lucrative new scam. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The pandemic scam artists making millions during lockdown – podcast
May 24, 2021 02:00 - 24 minutes - 38 MBWhen Rose got an email about a missed parcel, she thought nothing of arranging a new delivery – a mistake that would ultimately cost her thousands. The Guardian’s money editor, Hilary Osborne, reveals the scale of a lucrative new scam. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Life inside Gaza during 11 days of bombardment
May 21, 2021 02:00 - 36 minutes - 54.8 MBGuardian journalist Hazem Balousha describes living in, and reporting from, Gaza, under heavy bombardment until a ceasefire began on Friday, while historian Rashid Khalidi discusses the history of the Palestinian struggle for statehood. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Life inside Gaza during 11 days of bombardment
May 21, 2021 02:00 - 36 minutes - 54.8 MBGuardian journalist Hazem Balousha describes living in, and reporting from, Gaza, under heavy bombardment until a ceasefire began on Friday, while historian Rashid Khalidi discusses the history of the Palestinian struggle for statehood. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Rio de Janeiro’s deadliest police raid
May 20, 2021 02:00 - 28 minutes - 37.1 MBGuardian Latin American correspondent Tom Phillips visits Jacarezinho, one of Rio’s biggest favelas, the day after police carried out the deadliest raid in the city’s history. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Rio de Janeiro’s deadliest police raid
May 20, 2021 02:00 - 28 minutes - 37.1 MBGuardian Latin American correspondent Tom Phillips visits Jacarezinho, one of Rio’s biggest favelas, the day after police carried out the deadliest raid in the city’s history. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Apple versus Epic: how the Fortnite app led to a legal showdown
May 19, 2021 02:00 - 27 minutes - 43 MBAs Apple takes on games developer and Fortnite creator Epic, UK technology editor Alex Hern describes a battle of the tech titans that could reshape the app industry. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Apple versus Epic: how the Fortnite app led to a legal showdown
May 19, 2021 02:00 - 27 minutes - 43 MBAs Apple takes on games developer and Fortnite creator Epic, UK technology editor Alex Hern describes a battle of the tech titans that could reshape the app industry. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How worrying is the India coronavirus variant for UK plans to unlock this summer?
May 18, 2021 02:00 - 23 minutes - 36.8 MBMonday’s change in the rules was supposed to be a moment of celebration – but the new variant spreading in the UK meant it came with a cautionary note. Can the next stage of the government’s ‘irreversible’ plan go ahead?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How worrying is the India coronavirus variant for UK plans to unlock this summer?
May 18, 2021 02:00 - 23 minutes - 36.8 MBMonday’s change in the rules was supposed to be a moment of celebration – but the new variant spreading in the UK meant it came with a cautionary note. Can the next stage of the government’s ‘irreversible’ plan go ahead?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Big Short author Michael Lewis on the inside story of America’s failed Covid response
May 17, 2021 02:00 - 28 minutes - 37.1 MBThe author and journalist Michael Lewis discusses reporting on a group of individuals who tried to alert the US government to the dangers of its inaction as coronavirus cases began to rise at an alarming rate. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Big Short author Michael Lewis on the inside story of America’s failed Covid response
May 17, 2021 02:00 - 28 minutes - 37.1 MBThe author and journalist Michael Lewis discusses reporting on a group of individuals who tried to alert the US government to the dangers of its inaction as coronavirus cases began to rise at an alarming rate. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Are Israel and Palestine on the brink of another war?
May 14, 2021 02:00 - 26 minutes - 35.3 MBOliver Holmes, the Guardian’s Jerusalem correspondent, discusses what has prompted the worst unrest in Israel and Palestine since 2014. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Are Israel and Palestine on the brink of another war?
May 14, 2021 02:00 - 26 minutes - 35.3 MBOliver Holmes, the Guardian’s Jerusalem correspondent, discusses what has prompted the worst unrest in Israel and Palestine since 2014. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why is the UK slashing its international aid budget?
May 13, 2021 02:00 - 28 minutes - 43.7 MBBoris Johnson’s government has blamed the Covid crisis for its decision to cut its international aid budget, but is there more to it?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why is the UK slashing its international aid budget?
May 13, 2021 02:00 - 28 minutes - 43.7 MBBoris Johnson’s government has blamed the Covid crisis for its decision to cut its international aid budget, but is there more to it?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Can Labour survive Britain’s political realignment?
May 12, 2021 02:00 - 28 minutes - 43.6 MBAfter another set of disappointing election results, columnist John Harris asks if Labour can ever reconnect with voters in its former heartlands, where support is increasingly swinging to the Conservatives. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Can Labour survive Britain’s political realignment?
May 12, 2021 02:00 - 28 minutes - 43.6 MBAfter another set of disappointing election results, columnist John Harris asks if Labour can ever reconnect with voters in its former heartlands, where support is increasingly swinging to the Conservatives. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Post Office scandal – part 2
May 11, 2021 02:00 - 38 minutes - 57.2 MBJanet Skinner was jailed for false accounting after being wrongfully accused by her employer, the Post Office, of responsibility for the loss of more than £59,000. Now, with her conviction quashed, she and others are demanding answers. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Post Office scandal – part 2
May 11, 2021 02:00 - 38 minutes - 57.2 MBJanet Skinner was jailed for false accounting after being wrongfully accused by her employer, the Post Office, of responsibility for the loss of more than £59,000. Now, with her conviction quashed, she and others are demanding answers. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Post Office scandal – part 1
May 10, 2021 02:00 - 32 minutes - 49.7 MBWhen a computer system installed by the Post Office went haywire, it led to the convictions of scores of subpostmasters for theft and false accounting. Lives were wrecked. But after a devastating ruling by the court of appeal, the full truth can now be finally told about the extent of the great Post Office scandal. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Post Office scandal – part 1
May 10, 2021 02:00 - 32 minutes - 49.7 MBWhen a computer system installed by the Post Office went haywire, it led to the convictions of scores of subpostmasters for theft and false accounting. Lives were wrecked. But after a devastating ruling by the court of appeal, the full truth can now be finally told about the extent of the great Post Office scandal. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Noel Clarke and the allegations that have shaken the film and television industry
May 07, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 39.3 MBJournalists Lucy Osborne and Sirin Kale discuss the allegations of verbal abuse, bullying and sexual harassment by 20 women against Clarke. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Noel Clarke and the allegations that have shaken the film and television industry
May 07, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 39.3 MBJournalists Lucy Osborne and Sirin Kale discuss the allegations of verbal abuse, bullying and sexual harassment by 20 women against Clarke. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How Jewish parents used Guardian ads to save their children’s lives
May 06, 2021 02:00 - 38 minutes - 48.9 MBThis month is 200 years since the Guardian was first established in Manchester. For the Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger, a part of that history is deeply personal. In 1938, there was a surge of classified ads in the Guardian as parents – including his grandparents – scrambled to get their children out of the Reich. What became of the families?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How Jewish parents used Guardian ads to save their children’s lives
May 06, 2021 02:00 - 38 minutes - 48.9 MBThis month is 200 years since the Guardian was first established in Manchester. For the Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger, a part of that history is deeply personal. In 1938, there was a surge of classified ads in the Guardian as parents – including his grandparents – scrambled to get their children out of the Reich. What became of the families?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The fight for Hartlepool
May 05, 2021 02:00 - 40 minutes - 61 MBHartlepool has sent a Labour MP to parliament in every election since 1964. But as old allegiances fray, Anushka Asthana looks back at how this previously thriving shipbuilding town has lost out over successive governments and wonders if the ‘red wall’ seat could be about to go blue at tomorrow’s byelection. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The fight for Hartlepool
May 05, 2021 02:00 - 40 minutes - 61 MBHartlepool has sent a Labour MP to parliament in every election since 1964. But as old allegiances fray, Anushka Asthana looks back at how this previously thriving shipbuilding town has lost out over successive governments and wonders if the ‘red wall’ seat could be about to go blue at tomorrow’s byelection. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
America’s gun debate – why we’re getting it so wrong
May 04, 2021 02:00 - 29 minutes - 38.2 MBAbené Clayton, a reporter on the Guardian’s Guns and Lies in America project, examines why the debate on guns in the US does not treat shooting victims and their families equitably, and the impact that can have on communities. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
America’s gun debate – why we’re getting it so wrong
May 04, 2021 02:00 - 29 minutes - 38.2 MBAbené Clayton, a reporter on the Guardian’s Guns and Lies in America project, examines why the debate on guns in the US does not treat shooting victims and their families equitably, and the impact that can have on communities. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why have sperm counts more than halved in the past 40 years?
May 03, 2021 02:00 - 24 minutes - 32.8 MBDr Shanna Swan has spent more than 20 years examining how chemicals in plastics are causing our fertility to decline – and what we can do about it. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why have sperm counts more than halved in the past 40 years?
May 03, 2021 02:00 - 24 minutes - 32.8 MBDr Shanna Swan has spent more than 20 years examining how chemicals in plastics are causing our fertility to decline – and what we can do about it. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Scotland’s election: a stepping stone to independence?
April 30, 2021 02:00 - 25 minutes - 39.8 MBConstitutional questions have dominated the Scottish election campaign. As voters go to the polls next week, Libby Brooks assesses whether they will give the SNP a majority and a mandate for a new independence referendum. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Scotland’s election: a stepping stone to independence?
April 30, 2021 02:00 - 25 minutes - 39.8 MBConstitutional questions have dominated the Scottish election campaign. As voters go to the polls next week, Libby Brooks assesses whether they will give the SNP a majority and a mandate for a new independence referendum. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Cash for curtains: how damaging are the allegations involving Boris Johnson? –podcast
April 29, 2021 02:00 - 27 minutes - 36.2 MBFor months, information has been leaked to the press from inside Downing Street, including allegations Boris Johnson was given the cash – which has not yet been published in any declarations – to do up his official residence. The Guardian columnist Rafael Behr discusses how damaging this could be for the prime minister. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Cash for curtains: how damaging are the allegations involving Boris Johnson? –podcast
April 29, 2021 02:00 - 27 minutes - 36.2 MBFor months, information has been leaked to the press from inside Downing Street, including allegations Boris Johnson was given the cash – which has not yet been published in any declarations – to do up his official residence. The Guardian columnist Rafael Behr discusses how damaging this could be for the prime minister. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Inside Afghanistan as troops prepare to leave after the US’s longest war
April 28, 2021 02:00 - 23 minutes - 31.5 MBFawzia Koofi is an Afghan politician who for the past few years has been one of the few women in peace talks with the Taliban. Last August she was wounded in an assassination attempt. She discusses the attack and the threat the Taliban pose to women’s rights, while the Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger, discusses the legacy of the US ‘forever’ war. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Inside Afghanistan as troops prepare to leave after the US’s longest war
April 28, 2021 02:00 - 23 minutes - 31.5 MBFawzia Koofi is an Afghan politician who for the past few years has been one of the few women in peace talks with the Taliban. Last August she was wounded in an assassination attempt. She discusses the attack and the threat the Taliban pose to women’s rights, while the Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger, discusses the legacy of the US ‘forever’ war. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
India’s Covid disaster: a crisis for the world
April 27, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 46.3 MBA catastrophe is unfolding in India as hospitals run out of oxygen, the Guardian’s south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, reports from Delhi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
India’s Covid disaster: a crisis for the world
April 27, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 46.3 MBA catastrophe is unfolding in India as hospitals run out of oxygen, the Guardian’s south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, reports from Delhi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Seaspiracy controversy: should we stop eating fish?
April 26, 2021 02:00 - 31 minutes - 48 MBThe Netflix documentary on the impact of commercial fishing has received celebrity endorsements and a huge audience around the world, but it has also attracted criticism from experts who accuse it of making misleading claims. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Seaspiracy controversy: should we stop eating fish?
April 26, 2021 02:00 - 31 minutes - 48 MBThe Netflix documentary on the impact of commercial fishing has received celebrity endorsements and a huge audience around the world, but it has also attracted criticism from experts who accuse it of making misleading claims. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Chaos and collapse: European football’s not-so-super league
April 23, 2021 02:00 - 24 minutes - 37.8 MBPlans for a breakaway super league rocked European football this week as fans, politicians and the game’s governing bodies united in fury. After two chaotic days, the whole scheme had collapsed. David Conn looks back on a week of humiliation for football’s richest clubs. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Chaos and collapse: European football’s not-so-super league
April 23, 2021 02:00 - 24 minutes - 37.8 MBPlans for a breakaway super league rocked European football this week as fans, politicians and the game’s governing bodies united in fury. After two chaotic days, the whole scheme had collapsed. David Conn looks back on a week of humiliation for football’s richest clubs. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus