Today in Focus

1,722 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago - ★★★★★ - 649 ratings

Hosted 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.

Daily News News politics leadership health entrepreneurship news interview business entrepreneur culture comedy
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

The birdwatcher fighting racism in public spaces – podcast

April 01, 2024 02:00 - 27 minutes - 36.4 MB

A Central Park birdwatching incident went viral after Christian Cooper filmed a white woman threatening him. Now he is using his platform to share his passion for nature. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The birdwatcher fighting racism in public spaces - Podcast

April 01, 2024 02:00 - 27 minutes - 36.4 MB

Who screwed millennials: a generation left behind – Full Story podcast

March 31, 2024 02:00 - 21 minutes - 29.3 MB

Guardian Australia’s Full Story co-host Jane Lee and reporter Matilda Boseley investigate the mystery of who screwed young people out of affordable housing, education and secure work. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Ten years of equal marriage – what has it changed?

March 29, 2024 03:00 - 35 minutes - 53.1 MB

It’s a decade since the first same-sex marriages were performed in England and Wales. What have they meant for LGBTQ+ people?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

How gangs took control of Haiti

March 28, 2024 03:00 - 31 minutes - 40.2 MB

Haiti has erupted into violence after gangs laid waste to the capital and forced the prime minister to resign. But Haitians are wary from bitter experience of outside forces intervening to find a solution to the crisis. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The assisted dying debate: Paola’s story – podcast

March 27, 2024 03:00 - 30 minutes - 39.8 MB

Paola Marra ended her life last week in Switzerland after being told by doctors she could not be guaranteed a pain-free death from bowel cancer in the coming months. Robert Booth reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The assisted dying debate: Paola’s story

March 27, 2024 03:00 - 30 minutes - 39.8 MB

Terrorism and the battle for the truth in Moscow

March 26, 2024 03:00 - 25 minutes - 33.3 MB

Footage of four gunmen appears to support Islamic State’s claim that it masterminded the worst terrorist attack in Russia in two decades. But the Kremlin has put Ukraine in the frame. Andrew Roth reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The rise and fall of Vice Media

March 25, 2024 03:00 - 27 minutes - 42.4 MB

Vice Media is laying off hundreds of workers and no longer publishing journalism on its website. Sirin Kale and Sam Wolfson discuss their time at the company. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Shining a light on London’s men-only Garrick Club

March 22, 2024 03:00 - 24 minutes - 33 MB

The Garrick Club is one of London’s original gentlemen’s clubs. Among its members are the most powerful people in the country. Yet in 2024 women are not welcome to apply for membership. Amelia Gentleman reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The silencing of climate protesters in English and Welsh courts

March 21, 2024 03:00 - 24 minutes - 38.1 MB

The court of appeal ruled on Monday that the ‘consent’ defence could not be used in the cases of climate activists. Sandra Laville reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

How serious are the plots against Rishi Sunak?

March 20, 2024 03:00 - 28 minutes - 37.7 MB

Recent missteps from the prime minister have added to Tory MPs’ concerns about their disastrous poll ratings. But are they ready to act against Rishi Sunak? Pippa Crerar reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Why are Indian and Nepali men ending up on the frontline in Ukraine?

March 19, 2024 03:00 - 24 minutes - 32.4 MB

Hundreds of young Indian and Nepali men are ending up on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. Their families want answers. Hannah Ellis-Petersen reports from Delhi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

What happens when you put a nursery in a care home?

March 18, 2024 03:00 - 32 minutes - 50.1 MB

At Belong Chester, residents spend their days with nursery-age children. What effect does it have on the wellbeing of both groups? Helen Pidd reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

What do the Tories consider extreme?

March 15, 2024 03:00 - 26 minutes - 40.9 MB

Michael Gove is rewriting the government’s definition of ‘extremism’ but his actions have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Columnist Rafael Behr reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The princess and the pictures

March 14, 2024 03:00 - 29 minutes - 38.1 MB

An edited family photo of the Princess of Wales with her children on Mother’s Day has fuelled an intensifying swirl of conspiracy theories around the royal couple. Archie Bland reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

How an infamous ransomware gang found itself hacked

March 13, 2024 03:00 - 33 minutes - 50.2 MB

LockBit was a sophisticated criminal operation, offering the tools needed to steal a company’s data and hold it to ransom. Then it was itself hacked. Alex Hern reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The Ministry of Defence’s multimillion pound Saudi defence deal

March 12, 2024 03:00 - 26 minutes - 34.5 MB

Documents released in a Serious Fraud Office court case showed suspicious payments on Saudi Arabian defence deals going back decades. David Pegg reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Black Box: the hunt for ClothOff – the deepfake porn app

March 11, 2024 03:00 - 46 minutes - 69 MB

For the past six months, the Guardian journalist Michael Safi has been trying to find out who is behind an AI company that creates deepfakes. Deepfakes that are causing havoc around the world, with police and lawmakers baffled about how to deal with them. And in trying to answer one question, he has been left with a bigger one: is AI going to make it impossible to sort fact from fiction? Subscribe to Black Box, a new Guardian audio series on artificial intelligence, for all the remaining epis...

Black Box: The connectionists

March 08, 2024 03:00 - 40 minutes - 50.4 MB

Scientist Geoffrey Hinton set out to understand the brain and ended up working with a group of researchers who invented a technology so powerful that even they don’t truly understand how it works. This is about a collision between two mysterious intelligences – two black boxes – human and artificial. Subscribe to Black Box, a new series on artificial intelligence, for more episodes. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Jeremy Hunt’s election year budget – podcast

March 07, 2024 03:00 - 20 minutes - 33.1 MB

What does the spring budget mean for the public’s finances and the general election to come? Heather Stewart reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Gaza’s hunger crisis

March 06, 2024 03:00 - 25 minutes - 34 MB

Children are reported to be starving in Gaza as insufficient aid supplies crawl into the territory. Meanwhile, as Ramadan approaches, peace talks are faltering. Patrick Wintour reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Why IVF is under attack in Alabama

March 05, 2024 03:00 - 28 minutes - 44 MB

After an Alabama supreme court judgment, the biggest IVF clinics in the state closed, leaving prospective parents desperate. Jessica Glenza reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Is ill-health holding back the UK economy?

March 04, 2024 03:00 - 27 minutes - 35.9 MB

Growing numbers of people are leaving the jobs market because of long-term illnesses. It’s coming at a huge personal and national cost, says economics editor Larry Elliott. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Black Box: the collision

March 01, 2024 12:00 - 14 minutes - 21.1 MB

The beginning of a new series that explores seven stories and the thread that ties them together: artificial intelligence. In this prologue, Hannah (not her real name) has met Noah and he has changed her life for the better. So why does she have concerns about him?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

How the cost of living changed the way we eat out

March 01, 2024 03:00 - 24 minutes - 38.5 MB

Restaurants across the UK are struggling with rising rents, food prices and customers tight on cash. How can they attract loyal diners? Grace Dent and Tony Naylor report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The Conservative party’s problem with Islamophobia

February 29, 2024 03:00 - 30 minutes - 39.3 MB

Tory deputy chair Lee Anderson was suspended from the party after suggesting London’s mayor Sadiq Khan was being controlled by Islamists. But why can’t the party call his comments Islamophobic? Archie Bland reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Saldo: Ukraine’s gangster governor – part 3

February 28, 2024 03:00 - 31 minutes - 40.6 MB

The liberation of Kherson city ended months of brutal Russian rule. But across the Dnipro River, occupation governor Volodymyr Saldo finds there is are still money-spinning opportunities to be found. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Saldo: Ukraine’s gangster governor – part 2

February 27, 2024 03:00 - 30 minutes - 39.5 MB

Russia’s invasion changed everything for Ukrainians – and for one man it presented an opportunity to reboot his political career and reclaim lost power. Tom Burgis reports from Kherson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Saldo: Ukraine’s gangster governor – part 1

February 26, 2024 03:00 - 26 minutes - 35.3 MB

Vladimir Saldo was swept from Ukraine’s parliament after the Maidan revolution appeared to end his political career. By 2022, police were preparing a case against him as a suspect in a contract killing. Then Russia invaded and everything changed. Tom Burgis reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

How a ceasefire vote led to two days of chaos in the Commons – podcast

February 23, 2024 03:00 - 30 minutes - 46.1 MB

All parties were calling for a pause in the conflict. So why did MPs storm out and why is the speaker facing calls to quit? Kiran Stacey reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Is an uprising by Europe’s farmers sowing the seeds for the far right?

February 22, 2024 03:00 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MB

Furious farmers across Europe have blocked roads and railways as part of protests against new regulations and cheap imports. Jon Henley reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Why the NHS needs Martha’s rule

February 21, 2024 03:00 - 36 minutes - 46.9 MB

Following a campaign by her family in memory of Martha Mills, the NHS is introducing Martha’s rule giving hospital patients in England access to a rapid review from a separate medical team if they are concerned with the care they are receiving. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The shocking death and extraordinary life of Alexei Navalny

February 20, 2024 03:00 - 28 minutes - 43.8 MB

The opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner was Putin’s fiercest critic. What does his death in a Siberian prison tell us about Russia today? Andrew Roth reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Deported and disgraced: the students wrongly accused of cheating

February 19, 2024 03:00 - 40 minutes - 51.4 MB

In 2014, the Home Office revoked the visas of 35,000 students accused of cheating in an English language exam. The consequences for those wrongly accused was devastating. Amelia Gentleman reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Why is it becoming so hard to retire in the UK?

February 16, 2024 03:00 - 28 minutes - 44 MB

Everyone agrees the state pension system needs reforming – so why is changing it so hard?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Israel’s threat to Gaza’s last refuge

February 15, 2024 03:00 - 27 minutes - 42.3 MB

What does the Israeli ground invasion threat mean for the million refugees sheltering in the city of Rafah? Ruth Michaelson reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

What on earth is going on in the Rochdale byelection?

February 14, 2024 03:00 - 24 minutes - 38.1 MB

An antisemitism row has led to Labour withdrawing its support for its candidate; a disgraced former Labour MP is running for Reform – and a political troublemaker is back. Helen Pidd reports on the chaos. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Is Biden too old to be president?

February 13, 2024 03:00 - 24 minutes - 38 MB

Joe Biden’s age is increasingly becoming a political liability – even though Trump is just four years younger. David Smith reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Why does the UK lag behind on cancer care?

February 12, 2024 03:00 - 26 minutes - 35.1 MB

Britain’s cancer survival rates are improving but the UK still lags behind comparable countries. The Guardian’s health editor, Andrew Gregory, reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Labour’s £28bn green policy U-turn

February 09, 2024 03:00 - 28 minutes - 37 MB

Keir Starmer has abandoned his totemic pledge on green investment amid fears it opens the party to attacks on its economic credibility. Is he being too timid? Kiran Stacey and Fiona Harvey report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Why the military are the real winners of Pakistan’s election

February 08, 2024 03:00 - 29 minutes - 45.6 MB

After loudly criticising the army, Imran Khan, reported to be Pakistan’s most popular politician, has been hit with several jail sentences. Mehreen Zahra-Malik reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Why is generation Z so divided on gender?

February 07, 2024 03:00 - 28 minutes - 43.4 MB

Studies on the attitudes of young people between the age of 16 and 29 show a serious split towards both feminism and influencers such as Andrew Tate. What’s behind it?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The murder of Brianna Ghey

February 06, 2024 03:00 - 30 minutes - 39.2 MB

A year on from the murder of Brianna Ghey, her killers have been sentenced, and her mother is leading an extraordinary campaign of compassion. Helen Pidd reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The disposable vape ban

February 05, 2024 03:00 - 23 minutes - 36.9 MB

Vapes are often used by smokers to help them quit cigarettes, but in recent years more British children have taken up the habit. So is a ban the right course of action? Sarah Boseley reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The deal that could transform politics in Northern Ireland

February 02, 2024 03:00 - 30 minutes - 39.3 MB

A deal agreed with the DUP will allow power sharing to resume in Northern Ireland, with Sinn Féin as the largest party. Rory Carroll reports from Belfast. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Is Britain fit to fight a war?

February 01, 2024 03:00 - 22 minutes - 36.3 MB

The British army has been struggling to attract applicants for years. Why don’t young people want to sign up? Dan Sabbagh reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

What’s gone wrong at Boeing?

January 31, 2024 03:00 - 32 minutes - 41.8 MB

A terrifying mid-air blowout of a door plug at 16,000 feet (4,900 metres) left passengers fearing for their lives on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month. It’s just the latest crisis for Boeing so what has gone wrong? Jeff Wise and Gwyn Topham report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Will the ICJ ruling change anything in Gaza?

January 30, 2024 03:00 - 21 minutes - 34.6 MB

The ICJ’s interim ruling – which said aid must be allowed into Gaza – was quickly followed by shocking allegations from Israel that employees of one of the biggest aid agencies in the territory were involved in the 7 October attacks. What does this mean for people in Gaza? Patrick Wintour reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The mothers and wives of Russian soldiers daring to defy Putin

January 29, 2024 03:00 - 24 minutes - 33 MB

Partners and parents of conscripted fighters are demanding that their loved ones come home. What does it say about Russian support for the war? With Pjotr Sauer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Today in Focus

Episodes

Guests