Today in Focus
1,722 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 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.
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Episodes
Michelle Mone and the PPE Medpro investigation
January 26, 2024 03:00 - 32 minutes - 42.1 MBAfter the peer admitted to lying about her involvement in lucrative government PPE deals during the Covid crisis, the fate of her high-profile lingerie company raises further questions. David Conn reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why the UK needs to eliminate measles … again
January 25, 2024 03:00 - 21 minutes - 34.4 MBIn 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the UK had successfully eliminated measles from its shores. But the country has since lost that status and cases of the infectious disease are rising rapidly in some areas. Nicola Davis reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The terrifying, far-right ‘masterplan’ sparking protests across Germany
January 24, 2024 03:00 - 28 minutes - 44.6 MBThe far-right party AfD has met neo-Nazi activists to discuss mass deportations. Why is the party still so popular? Kate Connolly reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
New Hampshire primary: the last chance to stop Trump?
January 23, 2024 03:00 - 21 minutes - 29 MBFollowing the withdrawal of Ron DeSantis from the race, only Nikki Haley now stands between Donald Trump and the Republican nomination for the presidency. David Smith reports from Manchester, New Hampshire. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Freedom theatre – and the fight for Palestinian culture
January 22, 2024 03:00 - 32 minutes - 49.3 MBWhat does the raiding of a theatre in the West Bank tell us about the dangers Palestinian artists are facing? Emma Graham-Harrison reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The race for the moon
January 19, 2024 03:00 - 23 minutes - 32 MBThe space race of the 20th century put the first person on the moon. Now a new race to the lunar surface – with new global players – is just getting going. Robin McKie reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Cocaine, gangs and murder: Ecuador’s 10 days of terror
January 18, 2024 03:00 - 27 minutes - 42.2 MBJust a few years ago it was one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America. But last week drug gangs stormed a live TV broadcast and unleashed a wave of terror. Tom Phillips reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Houthis and the Red Sea crisis
January 17, 2024 03:00 - 23 minutes - 31.7 MBAttacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen have been met with airstrikes from the UK and US. Patrick Wintour reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Will South Africa’s genocide case against Israel succeed?
January 16, 2024 03:00 - 32 minutes - 41.6 MBSouth Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza at hearings in the international court of justice. Chris McGreal reports on what happens next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Reform UK: the party frightening the Tories from the fringes
January 15, 2024 03:00 - 22 minutes - 30 MBThe rightwing populist party and successor to Ukip has Conservative voters in its sights. Ben Quinn reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Chinese shadow over Taiwan’s election
January 12, 2024 03:00 - 29 minutes - 46 MBHow are presidential candidates in Taiwan responding to the ongoing threat of invasion from China? Amy Hawkins reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
A new law to exonerate Post Office victims
January 11, 2024 03:00 - 26 minutes - 30.1 MBAfter a primetime TV drama moved the Post Office Horizon scandal up the political agenda, Rishi Sunak has acted to push through a law that would quash the convictions of hundreds of wrongly accused employees. Pippa Crerar reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The UK government v junior doctors
January 10, 2024 03:00 - 26 minutes - 41.5 MBAfter the longest continuous strike in NHS history, the latest industrial action in England is finally over. What next? Denis Campbell reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The release of Oscar Pistorius
January 09, 2024 03:00 - 37 minutes - 56.2 MBOscar Pistorius, the former South African Paralympic and Olympic athlete, was released from prison on Friday. Journalists Tim Rohan and Margie Orford report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: The Post Office scandal, part 2
January 08, 2024 17:05 - 38 minutes - 48.6 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. With her conviction quashed, she and others are demanding answers. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: the Post Office scandal – part 1
January 08, 2024 17:00 - 32 minutes - 42.3 MBWhen a computer system installed by the Post Office malfunctioned, it led to the convictions of scores of subpostmasters for theft and false accounting. Lives were wrecked. After an ITV dramatisation brought new attention to the case, the Metropolitan police said they had commenced a criminal fraud investigation in relation to the Post Office. Today we re-run our episodes from 2021 on the scandal in full. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Culture 2024: what to watch and listen to this year
January 08, 2024 03:00 - 34 minutes - 52.2 MBCulture critics Peter Bradshaw, Tshepo Mokoena and Gwilym Mumford look ahead to the best of the year in film, TV and music. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Bombs, boat sinkings and assassinations: is the Middle East descending into war?
January 05, 2024 03:00 - 28 minutes - 43.7 MBBeyond the conflict in Gaza it has been a violent few weeks in the wider Middle East, from attacks on shipping in the Red Sea to bomb blasts in Iran and a killing by drone in Beirut. Julian Borger explains what may happen next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why are there so few Black sperm donors in the US?
January 04, 2024 03:00 - 24 minutes - 39.1 MBA lack of donors is creating problems for prospective parents. What is behind the shortage? Lisa Armstrong reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
2024: what happens when US and UK elections collide?
January 03, 2024 03:00 - 31 minutes - 48.3 MBUK and US elections don’t usually happen in the same year. So what happens when they do? Jonathan Freedland delves into history books and what lessons they have for 2024. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How to reboot your memory for 2024
January 02, 2024 03:00 - 31 minutes - 40.3 MBCognitive neuroscientist Charan Ranganath, author of Why We Remember, explains how memory shapes our daily existence – and how to get the most out of it. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: Cost of the crown part 6 – how King Charles profits from the assets of dead citizens
January 01, 2024 03:00 - 29 minutes - 38.6 MBAn archaic custom allows the king’s estate to absorb the assets of people in the north of England who die without a will or a known next of kin. Maeve McClenaghan investigates. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: Cost of the crown part 5 – the coronation of Charles III
December 31, 2023 03:00 - 35 minutes - 44.8 MBJonathan Freedland examines what the coronation means to the modern-day UK. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: Cost of the crown part 4 – calculating the king’s wealth
December 30, 2023 03:00 - 37 minutes - 47.5 MBMaeve McClenaghan and the reporting team reach the end of their investigation and make the calculations that reveal the vast personal fortune of King Charles III. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: Cost of the crown, part 3 – the hidden history of the monarchy and slavery
December 29, 2023 03:00 - 27 minutes - 36 MBDocuments recently unearthed by historians have shown how the British royal family had ties to transatlantic slavery. Maeve McClenaghan reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: Cost of the crown part 2 – duchies, diamonds and Dalís
December 28, 2023 03:00 - 37 minutes - 47.4 MBAny attempt to understand the extent of royal wealth will need to account for the value of their land and their most valuable treasures. Maeve McClenaghan sets off to uncover what is held by the crown and what belongs to the family privately. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: Cost of the crown part 1 – valuing the royal family
December 27, 2023 03:00 - 32 minutes - 41.4 MBIn the first part of an investigative miniseries on royal wealth, Maeve McClenaghan sets off on the trail to uncover how much public money is spent on the Windsors – and what they do in return. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: From Blair to Starmer: Labour’s path to power, part 2 – podcast
December 26, 2023 03:00 - 23 minutes - 31.7 MBLabour went into the 1997 general election full of confidence. Now, 26 years on from that famous victory, Kiran Stacey hears as those who helped craft it look ahead and ask if it is time to be more radical. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: From Blair to Starmer: Labour’s path to power, part 1
December 25, 2023 03:00 - 26 minutes - 35 MBIn 1996 Labour was a year out from an election after more than a decade out of power. Its leader, Tony Blair, was surrounded by advisers and strategists plotting their way to victory. Kiran Stacey hears how they did it. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How the Guardian covered 2023
December 22, 2023 03:00 - 36 minutes - 55.5 MBThe Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, talks about how the newspaper covered a year that witnessed the Israel-Gaza war, the coronation of King Charles, the rise of AI and record high temperatures. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The ‘cruel’ new visa rules set to break up families
December 21, 2023 03:00 - 27 minutes - 36 MBGovernment attempts to bear down on record migration figures will target family visas for those earning lower incomes. Robert Booth reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
John Crace’s political year
December 20, 2023 03:00 - 27 minutes - 43 MBThe Guardian’s parliamentary sketch writer, John Crace, reflects on the year’s events in Westminster. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Ukraine’s fight for funds to keep Russia at bay
December 19, 2023 03:00 - 24 minutes - 32.4 MBAs the Ukraine war heads into a new calendar year, the country is battling not just the Russian army but also on the diplomatic front, to secure further aid from its allies. Luke Harding and Dan Sabbagh report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Barclays and the battle for the Telegraph
December 18, 2023 03:00 - 28 minutes - 36.9 MBThe Barclay family may still legally own the newspaper titles, but politicians alongside some of the world’s richest men are contesting who will control them in the future. Jane Martinson, author of You May Never See Us Again: The Barclay Dynasty, reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How Madonna changed pop culture for ever
December 15, 2023 03:00 - 31 minutes - 40.4 MBIt’s 40 years since Madonna began scandalising and delighting fans and critics around the world. But is she still misunderstood? With Mary Gabriel. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Is Israel deliberately trying to make Gaza uninhabitable? – Podcast
December 14, 2023 03:00 - 29 minutes - 44.9 MBWith 40% of homes destroyed in the strip, legal experts are raising the question of ‘domicide’ – but what it is it, and is it taking place in Gaza?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Rishi Sunak, Rwanda and the rebels
December 13, 2023 03:00 - 24 minutes - 32 MBThe prime minister faced down rebels within his party to win a vote on his controversial bill to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. But more trouble awaits him in the new year. Kiran Stacey reports from Westminster. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why Argentinians are gambling everything on ‘anarcho-capitalist’ Javier Milei
December 12, 2023 03:00 - 28 minutes - 44.3 MBThe libertarian economist won the election with his radical ideas. Can he deliver? Tom Phillips reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The stories behind Europe’s unmarked migrant graves – podcast
December 11, 2023 03:00 - 34 minutes - 52.3 MBWhat happens to the people who risk everything to get to Europe – and don’t survive the journey? Ashifa Kassam reports from Lanzarote. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Sellafield: Europe’s most toxic nuclear site
December 08, 2023 03:00 - 36 minutes - 54.5 MBThe Guardian’s investigation into safety concerns at Europe’s most hazardous nuclear plant. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Revisited: a conversation with Benjamin Zephaniah
December 07, 2023 17:00 - 33 minutes - 42.6 MBThe British poet Benjamin Zephaniah died this week after a short illness. Here we revisit a conversation between Zephaniah and George the Poet from 2020. They discussed why, having been born a generation apart, their work was exposing racial injustice. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The lives and lies of George Santos
December 07, 2023 03:00 - 23 minutes - 37.3 MBThe US politician was accused of telling extraordinary lies about everything from his previous jobs to his religion. Why did it take so long to boot him out of Congress? Adam Gabbatt explains. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Boris Johnson v the Covid inquiry
December 06, 2023 03:00 - 25 minutes - 39.3 MBAfter accusations of erratic decision-making during the pandemic, the former prime minister will finally face the inquiry. Aletha Adu reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why are so many councils going ‘bankrupt’?
December 05, 2023 03:00 - 27 minutes - 42 MBNottingham council is the latest to in effect declare itself bankrupt, and one in 10 county councils in England are at risk of following suit. What does it mean for the services that so many people rely on? Jessica Murray reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why is the Israel-Hamas conflict so deadly for journalists?
December 04, 2023 03:00 - 32 minutes - 41.3 MBMore reporters are said to have been killed in this conflict than any in decades. Jonathan Dagher, from Reporters Without Borders, discusses what it means for public understanding of the region. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Israel-Gaza: a week of tearful reunions and an uneasy truce
December 01, 2023 03:00 - 26 minutes - 35.4 MBAs Israeli hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, the intense fighting was paused this week. Jason Burke reports on an emotional few days and what happens next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The secret plan to ‘hook’ the developing world on oil
November 30, 2023 03:00 - 25 minutes - 33.6 MBAs the Cop28 climate summit begins in Dubai today, a secret Saudi Arabian plan to get poorer countries ‘hooked on its harmful products’ has emerged. Damian Carrington reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Geert Wilders and Europe’s lurch to the far right
November 29, 2023 03:00 - 32 minutes - 49.4 MBHow did far-right politician Geert Wilders win so many seats in the Dutch election? Jon Henley and Senay Boztas report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How King Charles profits from the assets of dead citizens
November 28, 2023 03:00 - 29 minutes - 38.3 MBAn archaic custom allows the king’s estate to absorb the assets of people in the north of England who die without a will or a known next of kin. Maeve McClenaghan investigates King’s estate to transfer £100m into ethical funds after bona vacantia revelations. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The spy tech firm managing NHS data
November 27, 2023 03:00 - 30 minutes - 39.6 MBPalantir, the US spy-tech firm co-founded by the billionaire Peter Thiel, has won a contract to handle NHS data. It’s a deal that has left privacy advocates such as Cori Crider with serious questions. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus