More than 200 migrants from the US are being held in a high-security prison for terrorists in El Salvador, accused of being gang members. How did El Salvador become the repository for US deportees? And what does the friendship between President Bukele and President Trump tell us about the futures of both countries?

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: Stephen Gibbs, Contributor, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Further reading: The TikTok beauty influencer shot dead during livestream in Mexico

Clips: China Xinhau Español, NBC News, CNN, MSNBC, Guardian News.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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

Former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, and is now considering his options for treatment. The physical and mental health of the 82 year old has made the news frequently over the last year or so. In fact, questions about his mental capacity eventually forced him to step aside in favour of Kamala Harris. A new book reveals how Biden’s team kept him away from scrutiny and covered up his declining health. Manveen speaks to The Times’s assistant editor, David Charter, who has interviewed the authors. 

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: David Charter, Assistant Editor (US), The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Shabnam Grewal.

Further reading:

The fall of Joe Biden and how his team covered up his decline.

‘Original Sin’ review: How the democrats tried to hide Biden’s decline.

Key claims about Joe Biden’s health.

Clips: CNN, House Committee on the Judiciary, NBC, MSNBC.

Photo: Getty Images.

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

The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 has been one of the hardest to compile in recent years, thanks in large part to President Trump's tariffs. But it’s another government’s policies that the rich listers cite as their biggest concern. Why are the top 1% of earners so angry?

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: Robert Watts, compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List

Host: Manveen Rana

Producer: Rosie Stopher

Further reading: How the Sunday Times Rich List 2025 was compiled / The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 revealed

Clips: BBC, Times Radio, UK Parliament

Photo: Richard Pohle for Times Media Ltd

Get in touch: [email protected]

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

This episode was originally published in January.

Elon Musk has unleashed a huge political row in the UK over whether there should be a national inquiry into the gangs that groomed young girls for rape in a number of Britain's northern towns. But whilst the world's richest man accused the 'legacy media' of a cover-up, the scandal was actually exposed by Times journalist Andrew Norfolk. So how did he uncover the shocking story? And has enough been done to make sure it never happens again?

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: Andrew Norfolk, former Chief Investigations Reporter, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Emily Webb.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Image: The Times.

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

Katie and Danny are joined for a conversation with Jon McNeil. For a pivotal 30 month period, Jon was President of Tesla and worked closely with Elon Musk. And also just where is the EV market currently at? Is the future of driving autonomous? And how best to invest in our AI future?

Any thoughts or questions, get in touch - [email protected]

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

Lily Phillips, a 23-year-old from Derbyshire, made headlines after claiming to have slept with 101 men in a single day. She rose to household-name status largely thanks to OnlyFans. Lily Phillips says what she's doing is her choice and that she's a feminist, but some feminists are worried about what that says about young people's attitudes to female empowerment.

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: 

• Katie Glass, Feature Writer, The Times and The Sunday Times.
• Sarah Ditum, Contributor, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Jane Mulkerrins.

Producer: Euan Dawtrey.

Further reading: 

• What this woman tells us about porn
• Lily Phillips: Don’t blame me for how men have sex

Clips: NBC, I Slept with 100 Men in One Day © 2025. Director: Tom Willows.

Photo: Getty Images.

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

Last week, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, the first American chosen to lead the Catholic Church. In the weeks running up to his election, he openly criticised the Trump administration’s immigration policy and even had a row with Vice President JD Vance on X. Does this suggest that President Trump may be in for a bumpy ride from the world’s other most powerful American? 

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: Christopher Hale,  Democratic politician from Tennessee and Catholic nonprofit executive.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Edith Rousselot.

Further reading: 

• The real Pope Leo XIV — by those who knew him in Rome, Chicago and Peru
• Who is Robert Prevost? New Pope hit out at Trump administration weeks ago

Clips: Bloomberg, Reuters, Rome Reports in English Youtube, CBS News, EWTN Global Catholic Network, Khou 11, Guardian News.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected] 

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

New talks on Ukraine continue in Istanbul tomorrow and after months of taking Vladimir Putin's side, President Trump now seems much more supportive of Ukraine. So why the switch? And more than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, are we any closer to a deal or are both sides just putting on a show for Trump?

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: Professor Mark Galeotti, Historian, Author and Director of Mayak Intelligence. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Further reading: Zelensky ‘will only negotiate peace deal with Putin’ in Istanbul

Clips: Europe Pulse, FOX, YouTube / David Feldman, France 24, CTV News, NBC, Channel 4, Forbes, BBC, Amanpour and Company, Bloomberg, CBS, YouTube / Reuters. 

Photo: Office of the President of Uraine via Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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

In March this year, a team of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers accepted the Oscar for best documentary. Their film No Other Land is a glimpse into the reality of life in the West Bank, the most populous of the Palestinian Territories. Before the month was out, though, one of the people on that stage - co-director Hamdan Ballal - would return home to the West Bank and be attacked and detained by Israeli settlers and soldiers. Times reporter Venetia Menzies went to meet Hamdan and his co-director and star of the documentary, Basel Adra, to find out what life is like now for Palestinians in the West Bank. 

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: Venetia Menzies, ​​assistant data editor at The Times and The Sunday Times

Host: Luke Jones 

Producer: Hannah Varrall

Further reading: https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/palestinian-film-director-oscar-israeli-settlers-q62756r9v 

Clips: Oscars, No Other Land, CBS Chicago, France 24 English, Hollywood Reporter.

Photo: Basel Adra (Venetia Menzies)

Get in touch: [email protected]  

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

Two men have been found guilty of criminal damage, for the felling of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree in Northumbria. Constance Kampfner sat through the trial, in which the prosecution called what Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers had done, ‘a moronic mission to cause mindless vandalism.' The men were remanded in custody for their own protection after the verdict was announced. 

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: Constance Kampfner, Northern Correspondent, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones 

Producer: Hannah Varrall and Shabnam Grewal 

Clips: BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News, National Trust .

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected]     

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