Donald Trump and Elon Musk are trading blows again after Musk criticised the President’s ‘big, beautiful’ tax and spending bill. Trump has threatened to deport the world’s richest man and set his Doge 'monster' on him. So why does Musk hate the bill, and could this push him to set up a political party to challenge his new rival?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Lara Spirit, Washington Correspondent, The Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Further reading: Tesla sales go into reverse in fresh blow for Elon Musk

Clips: Fox, New York Post, MSNBC, BBC, United States Senate, CNN, ABC, AP, WCNC. 

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected]

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“I’ll just go and get some fresh seed” - we reveal growing concerns about mass sperm donation. One man found his father ran a corrupt fertility clinic, providing patients with samples of his own sperm. Another man discovered he has 50 children all over Europe. There has been at least one case of accidental incest. The growing scandal has provoked widespread horror in the Netherlands.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Senay Boztas

Host: Manveen Rana 

Producer: Shabnam Grewal 

Further reading: I am a father of 50 children, a new one gets in touch almost every week

Clips: WSJ.com, Times Radio, The Immaculate Deception - Somethin’ Else/ Sony Music Entertainment, Bloomberg, Youtube.com/@masteringknowledge 

Photo: Getty images

Get in touch: [email protected]     

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From dynamic pricing and VIP packages to ‘priority entry’, there seem to be more ways than ever to squeeze money out of music fans - and that’s not even to mention the sky-rocketing cost of a basic standing ticket. The Times' Jonathan Dean has been investigating why the cost of seeing some of our favourite artists has gone stratospheric, and whether the company Live Nation is to blame. 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Jonathan Dean 

Host: Luke Jones

Producer: Hannah Varrall

Further reading: How did Beyoncé tour tickets go from a small fortune to $25 each?

Johnny Depp: ‘I was a crash test dummy for MeToo'

Further listening: The making of Beyoncé – by friends, family and Team Bey insiders

Music:

Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (written by Finneas O’Connell, Billie Eilish O’Connell, published by Darkroom/Interscope Records, Kobalt Music Publishing) 

Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses (written by Duff McKagan, Jeffrey Isbell, Saul Hudson, Steven Adler, W. Axl Rose, published by Guns N Roses P&D)

505 by The Arctic Monkeys (written by Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys, published by Domino Recording Co)

Clips: Sky News, This Morning (ITV), BBC News, Channel 4 News, Adam Webb from FanFair Alliance, Reg Walker, ABC News, CBS News, The Cure (YouTube), BBC Music (YouTube)

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected]  

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After the most contentious week of Keir Starmer’s premiership so far, MPs will gather in the House of Commons later today to vote on the controversial benefits bill. Has the rebellion been effectively squashed? Or is this only the beginning?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Patrick Maguire, Chief Political Commentator, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Clips: Sky News, BBC Parliament, Guardian News, Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers/Freezing this Christmas, The London Standard, TalkTV, ITV/This Morning, Channel 4 News, Times Radio.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tomorrow 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani will be officially confirmed as the Democratic Party candidate for New York mayor, putting him in pole position to land the role in November. His win caused a political earthquake in America, personifying questions over the future direction of the party.  So who is this fresh new face of the Democratic party, and what does his rise tell us about the increasing popularity of left-wing economics?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor, The Times

Host: Manveen Rana

Producer: Hannah Varrall

Further reading: What Zohran Mamdani’s win means for the Democratic Party 

Further listening: Why the dollar is crashing – and why you should care

Clips: Pod Save America, Odd Lots (Bloomberg Podcasts), UNFTR Media, @HasanAbi (YouTube), @ZohranforNYC (YouTube), @mr.cardamom896 (YouTube), Eyewitness NewsABC7NY, CNN, MSNBC, PIX11 News, Fox 5 New York, @Zohran-k-Mamdani (TikTok), NBC News, C-Span2 Book tv, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, @JVPAction (Instagram), @emrata (Instagram), @BloombergTV (X)

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected]     

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was originally published in February.

In 2016, 24-year-old Gypsy-Rose Blanchard was sentenced to 10 years in the US State of Missouri, for arranging the murder of her mother. Her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, had Munchausen syndrome by proxy - a rare form of abuse where she would convince doctors that her daughter was ill - leading to unnecessary treatment. The harrowing details of what Blanchard went through have made her a media sensation - but should we feel sympathy for her? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Katie Gatens, Deputy Editor of News Review, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Samantha Chantarasak.

Further reading: Read Katie's full interview with Gypsy-Rose Blanchard 

Clips: KY3 News, The Act/Hulu, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard/Lifetime, The Kardashians/Hulu.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]    

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Danny meets up with Alex Blania, the CEO and one of the co-founders, alongside Sam Altman, of Tools for Humanity. Their project Worldcoin, aims to help us weed out AI imitators by verifying humans online. All you have to do is scan your iris on one of their orbs to get a unique biometric ID and some cryptocurrency.  

Danny and Katie also take on Tesla’s robotaxi rollout, and question whether it's right and proper for humans to fall in love with AI bots? Spoiler alert! The answer is probably not, for both your sakes.

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When Rob Burley started talking to an AI chatbot for feedback while writing his book, he had no idea where the conversation would lead, only 24 hours later.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Rob Burley, writer.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Further reading: Help! I’ve fallen for my chatbot! Is this the future of AI?

Clips: Neil Diamond/Forever in blue jeans, Sky News.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]     

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Trump’s golfing buddy Steve Witkoff was a property developer before Trump came to power. Now he’s the president's right-hand-man in all things diplomatic, including sorting the current crisis in Iran. Is he the right man for the job?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Louise Callaghan, Senior US Correspondent, The Sunday Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Further reading: How Trump’s team of rivals pulled him back from the brink

Further listening: Trump family inc.

Clips: Tucker Carlson / Fox / YouTube, BBC, YouTube / Professor Gerdes Explains, CBC News, CNBC, The Kremlin, FIIKSA, Kyiv Independent / Instagram, The Real Deal / YouTube, NBC, Channel 4. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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Has the crisis over Iran driven its already weakened leader to the brink? Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is unpopular but do the people of Iran want regime change from outside? And if he falls, what then for Iran?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests: 

• Professor Mohsen Milani, Author, The Making of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
• Fatemeh Jamalpour, Iranian Journalist.

Host: Manveen Rana, 

Producer: Shabnam Grewal. 

Further reading: 

Will Israel’s strikes on Iran bring about a regime change?

Iran needs regime change — I’d die for it, says Shah’s son

Iran’s Rise and Rivalry with the US in the Middle East: Iran's Rise and its Geostrategic Rivalry with the US in the Middle East by Mohsen Milani 

Further listening: Iran strikes back: what next?

Clips: BBC, ITN News, Coup53, MSNBC, ABC, Al Jazeera English, CBS, DW News.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]     

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.