The US government has been shut down for more than a week, and Democrats and Republicans are locked in a political blame game. Shutdowns are nothing new in US politics, but this time President Trump has made an unusual threat: to permanently cut hundreds of thousands of jobs and shutter entire government agencies. Is this just a new bargaining tactic to put pressure on Democrats or part of a bigger project to remake the American government? 

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: Micaela Arneson and Olivia Case.

Read more: Trump warns Democrats the ‘grim reaper is coming’

The revenge shutdown: Trump vows to inflict maximum pain on Democrats

Clips: CBS, ProPublica, Democracy Now!, @realDonaldTrump / TruthSocial, ABC, MSNBC, NBC News.

Music: (Don't Fear) The Reaper / Blue Oyster Cult / Columbia.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected] 

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When 29-year-old Sophie Rottenberg took her own life, her family later discovered she’d been confiding in a chatbot called ‘Harry’ things that she wasn’t telling any human.

This episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. If you’re in the UK, you can call Samaritans free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org. If you’re in the US, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org.

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, Commissioning Editor for News Review, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Edith Rousselot.

Read more: My daughter used ChatGPT as a therapist, then took her own life

Photo: Courtesy of the family

Get in touch: [email protected]

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Two years ago Hamas fighters launched a terror attack on Israel, killing more than 1,000 people and taking around 250 hostage.The Hamas-linked Gaza health authorities say tens of thousands have been killed in the subsequent war, which has devastated the area and led to catastrophic food shortages. 

In the UK today, members of the Jewish community will commemorate the victims of October 7th, while pro-Palestine protests take place on university campuses across the country. How can we protect vulnerable communities while allowing legitimate protest? Should the police be given increasing powers to intervene, or does that pose a threat to democratic freedoms? 

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: Matt Dathan, Home Affairs Editor, The Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana.   

Producer: Shabnam Grewal, Micaela Arneson. 

Clips: Times News, 10 Downing Street, The Guardian, Suella Braverman via Twitter. 

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected]

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What's the future for an unpopular party governed by an unpopular leader? That's the question no one will be asking quite so bluntly at the Conservative Party conference this week in Manchester– except possibly The Times political editor Steven Swinford. He discusses whether leader Kemi Badenoch’s days are numbered and explains how the Tories could beat Reform at their own game. 

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: Steven Swinford, Political Editor, The Times. 

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Micaela Arneson, Olivia Case. 

Clips: GB News, Kookydave via YouTube. 

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected]

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

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, thousands of children have disappeared from their homes. Separated from their families, many were sent to ‘re-education’ camps in Crimea, others, deep into the heart of Russia. So just what is it like for those children?

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

WARNING: This episode contains reference to sexual violence, torture, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Written and read by: Jane Mulkerrins, Associate Editor of The Times Magazine.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

Clips: ITV News, France24, Sky News, DRM News, BBC News, Russian National Anthem. 

Photo: Eva Pentel for The Times Magazine.

Read more: I was kidnapped by Russia at 16 — like so many Ukrainian kids 

Watch the film.

Get in touch: [email protected].

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

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Each episode is hosted by The Story released as a bonus weekly series on Saturdays.

High in the Arctic, beneath Greenland’s ancient ice, lie caves that hold clues to our planet’s past and its future. Climate researcher and Rolex Awards Laureate Gina Moseley leads daring expeditions into these hidden worlds to uncover how our climate has changed over hundreds of thousands of years. She tells Adam Vaughan why exploring these frozen frontiers matters to us all.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Host: Adam Vaughan, environment editor, The Times

Guest: Gina Moseley, climate researcher and Rolex Awards Laureate

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

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

On Thursday morning, a suspected Islamist terrorist, Jihad al-Shamie, was confronted by police outside Heaton Park synagogue in Crumpsall on Yom Kippur. He had with him a knife and a fake suicide bomb. Two people, Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, were killed. One of the victims was shot and killed by police, as they opened fire on al-Shamie.

This is a special episode of The Story to bring you the latest on this attack.

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: Ali Mitib, News Reporter, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Olivia Case and Micaela Arneson.

Read more: Manchester synagogue attack — follow live.

Clips: Sky, BBC, Times Radio, PA, X / @chiefrabbi, The Independent.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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

Doctors who’ve been disciplined or had their licence revoked for misconduct or incompetence have been able to work in the NHS. A Times investigation has found more than 20 doctors, who are banned in various countries, but have somehow acquired the right to treat patients here – sometimes with devastating consequences. 

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: George Greenwood, Investigations Reporter, The Times

Host: Manveen Rana

Producer: Shabnam Grewal 

Read more: The doctors banned from practising abroad cleared to treat in NHS

Further listening: Dubai Unlocked: The convicts secretly investing millions in the Emirates

Get in touch: [email protected]

This episode includes references to sexual abuse. If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse, help is available. 

• The Survivors Trust provides support and signposting for women, men and children who are survivors of rape, sexual violence or childhood sexual abuse. Phone: 0808 801 0818 or visit the Survivors Trust website 
• Survivors UK provides support for men and non-binary survivors of sexual abuse Survivors UK website 

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This week The Times is launching a new politics podcast. We're dropping the first episode here -- subscribe to The State of It for free, wherever you get your podcasts, to tune in every week.

Welcome to The State of It, coming to you from Liverpool where the Labour Party is finishing its annual conference. Keir Starmer's team seem happy after his leader's speech, but what are his MPs really saying about him? Was he wise to call Nigel Farage a racist? How will Rachel Reeves balance the books in November's budget? Oh, and which cabinet ministers excelled at last night's karaoke?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times.

Featuring:

• Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times
• Caroline Wheeler, political editor, The Sunday Times
• Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times
• Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday Times

Producer: Euan Dawtrey

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump have agreed to a 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza. But hardliners on both sides are already condemning it. So what chance does it have? And how does Tony Blair fit in?

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: Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel Correspondent, The Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Clips: AP, Twitter / @netanyahu.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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