The Story

The home secretary has said she has lost confidence in West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, after a "damning" report into the decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match with Aston Villa last year. Shabana Mahmood said the report from Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, identified widespread failings at the force. But how did we get here? What did this case teach us about the way policing and politics interact? And after yet another scandal, what next for the police?

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: Gabirel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Olivia Case and Taryn Siegel.

Read more: Plot to attack Maccabi fans ‘should have been treated as hate crime’

Clips: GB News, Sky, Parliamentlive.tv, Urban pictures.    

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

US secretary of state Marco Rubio will meet the Danish and Greelandic foreign ministers later today amid rising tensions over America’s desire to control the island. What would a US takeover mean for the future of Nato, and what do the people of Greenland make of being caught in a diplomatic tussle?

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 Gatens, Europe correspondent, The Sunday Times
• Oliver Moody, Berlin Correspondent, The Times & the Sunday Times

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producers: Edward Drummond and Sophie McNulty.

Read more: ‘We might leave Greenland for somewhere Trump can’t occupy’

What would a US takeover of Greenland look like? Four options examined

Further listening: Greenland, Colombia, Mexico: where will Trump strike next?

Clips: The Times, The New York Times, Sky News, The Associated Press, Nato News, CNN, Fox News, Reuters

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

Anti-government protests in Iran have entered their third week, with observers saying that thousands may now have been killed in an ongoing crackdown against the demonstrations. But could these protests really bring down the Iranian regime? Who in the opposition could step in to take its place? And what could the US achieve by striking 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:

• Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel correspondent, The Times.
• Rana Rahimpour, Iranian-British journalist.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Harry Stott, Micaela Arneson.

Read more: How Iran protesters are defying regime — secrets, lies and Starlink

Clips: Radio Free Europe, The Guardian, The White House / Youtube.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

The 40-year-old adviser to the US president has been the frontman of Trump's recent Greenland grab threats and capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. How did a kid from liberal Santa Monica become a hardline conservative? And how is his worldview shaping American policy?

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, The Times (US).

Host: Rosie Wright.

Producers: Taryn Siegel and Micaela Arneson.

Read more: What is ICE? How the controversial agency was formed

Further listening: How Trump became America’s most powerful president

Clips: The Washington Post, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, YouTube / @FiveFools, Univision, Instagram / Cultura Movement, Occupy HLN, YouTube / Clinton Milagro, EWTN.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

Bestselling author Sathnam Sanghera was addicted to social media for a decade. Now, like millions of us, he’s switching off. With figures showing the amount of time spent on social media peaking in 2022 and steadily declining ever since, could we be seeing the beginning of the end of social media? And, if so, how can you kick the habit for good?

Read by: Sathnam Sanghera, author and Times writer.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

Read more: I was addicted to social media — it ruled my life for 10 years

Photo: Mark Harrison for Times Magazine.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

It had it all: sex, lies, FBI stings, and the first presidential impeachment for over a century. Thirty years on from the most famous “office romance” in modern politics, Monica Lewinsky reflects, in her own words, on the impact of being 'that women'. With former president Bill Clinton’s conduct once again being questioned amid the Epstein files, we revisit 1998: the power imbalance, the media feeding frenzy, and the question that still lingers - who really paid the price? From global slut-shaming, to a life derailed at 24, this is the story of what happened next.

Guest: Jane Mulkerrins, Associate Editor, Times Magazine.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

Read more: Monica Lewinsky: I was called a bimbo and abused on a world stage

Clips: CNN, ABC, Fox News.

Photo: Aaron Richter for the Times Magazine.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

In December, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot ‘Grok’ rolled out a new image-editing feature on his social media site, X. It didn’t take long for users to exploit it, digitally undressing women and girls and spreading non-consensual deepfakes. But while a governmental backlash in the UK is growing, these photos are still flooding in. So how is this legal? And are we finally reaching a moment where the harms of AI can’t be brushed aside?

Update: As of this morning (9/1), X has disabled Grok’s image generation tool for non-subscribers. Grok wrote in a reply that this was done “to ensure responsible use and address recent concerns about misuse for inappropriate content.”

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:

• Emma Yeomans, news reporter, The Times.
• Chris Stokel-Walker, tech journalist and author. 
• Samantha Smith, columnist at The Catholic Herald.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Sophie McNulty, Harry Stott. 

Read more: Elon Musk’s AI undressing tool on Grok could be banned

Further listening: Is 2026 the year of the AI backlash?

Clips: NBC News, Fox News.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

After hitting Venezuela last week and capturing the country’s president, Donald Trump turned his attention to Greenland - the US says it’ll discuss ownership with Denmark next week. Trump’s also talked about getting involved in Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia. So which country might be next? What is the ‘Donroe Doctrine?’ And could this be the end of NATO?

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: 

• Michael Evans, contributor, The Times.
• Mogens Lykketoft, former Danish foreign minister and former president of the United Nations General Assembly.

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producers: Olivia Case, Micaela Arneson.  

Read more: What would a US takeover of Greenland look like? Four options examined

Further listening: Is Trump's attack on Venezuela about drugs, politics or oil? 

Clips: Palm Beach Post, The White House, Forbes, Sky, Global News, CNN, Bloomberg.     

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

2025 was a year of tumult for an increasingly unpopular Labour government, while insurgent parties to their right and left shot up in the polls. But what will 2026 have in store? Will Keir Starmer’s political downfall continue? And can the Greens and Reform continue their upward trajectories in the crucial local elections this May?

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: 

• Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times.
• Geraldine Scott, assistant political editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Harry Stott.

Read more: Here’s what lies ahead for Keir Starmer and Labour in 2026

Clips: Bloomberg, LBC, Sky, BBC, GB News, Reform / Youtube, Daily Mail / Youtube, Manchester Evening News / Youtube, The Independent / Youtube, Daily Express / Youtube, DRM News, The Mirror / Youtube, Conservatives / Youtube, Bold Politics with Zack.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

Today marks five years since the Jan 6 storming of the Capitol, and nearly one year of Trump 2.0. How has the US president already changed American democracy?

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: Taryn Siegel.

Read more: What has Trump done? Executive orders that matter — and one you missed

Clips: The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, CBS, Reuters, The Associated Press, The White House, Fox News, ITV News.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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