The Story

Lord Maurice Glasman was the only Labour politician to be invited to Trump’s inauguration after striking up a friendship with JD Vance. So who is he and why is his 'Blue Labour' movement seen by Starmer's inner circle as the medicine to tackle the rise of Reform?

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, Political Columnist, The Times and author of Get In:The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Emily Webb.

Further reading: To take on the right, will Labour go blue?

Clips: GB News, NBC, PBS, UnHerd, Together, ABC Australia, The Guardian.

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 British-Indian novelist Sir Salman Rushdie has faced his alleged attacker in court, after he was stabbed multiple times in 2022 during a public lecture in New York state. Hadi Matar, accused of assault and attempted murder, denies the charges. The author is no stranger to threats: in 1989, Iran's Supreme Leader called for his death, after deeming his novel The Satanic Verses blasphemous. Will this attack on Rushdie, a symbol of free speech himself, threaten freedom of expression?

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:

• Will Pavia, New York Correspondent, The Times.
• Robbie Millen, Literary Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times. 

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Samantha Chantarasak.

Further reading: Salman Rushdie trial: I was dying, author says as he recounts attack

Clips: BBC News, WION, CNN, The Daily Show, Cream Cakes, American Express, CBC News, University of Vermont.

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.

As the United States and Russia seem to be hurtling towards a bilateral peace negotiation over Ukraine, European leaders gathered in Paris in an attempt to come up with their own response. With both Ukraine and Europe edged out of these discussions, is this the moment that the US rethinks its post-war alliances?

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: Catherine Philp, World Affairs Editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Edith Rousselot.

Clips: Newsweek, CBS News, The White House, WSJ News, Channel 4 News, Guardian News, The Associated Press.

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.

A year ago Times columnist James Marriott ditched his smartphone to escape the endless notifications from his apps. How has he managed without a device many of us feel is indispensable? And could it be a more desirable future?

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: James Marriott, Columnist, The Times. 

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producer: Edward Drummond.

Further reading: I’m a digital native — can I survive without my smartphone?

Photo: Jude Edginton 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.

When Donald Trump took office, he appointed Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency - or DOGE - a new agency designed to radically slash federal costs. Since inauguration day Musk has done just that, laying off thousands of staff, freezing America's entire international aid programme and gaining access to the $6 trillion Treasury payments system. So what will the fallout be? And with an unelected official wielding such unprecedented power - and the courts fighting back - are we seeing the beginnings of a major constitutional crisis?

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: Hugh Tomlinson, Washington Reporter, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case and Edith Rousselot.

Further reading: Donald Trump lashes out as ‘political’ judges block his orders.

Further listening: Trump’s Gaza bombshell

Clips: Bloomberg, ABC News, Sky, The Guardian, Fox. 

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.

Official figures show that for the first time, people are leaving dating apps. So why the exodus? And could future apps - with AI and augmented reality - be any better at matchmaking?

This episode first ran on January 7 2025.

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

Guests:

Hannah Skelley, Fashion Writer and Stylist, The Times. 

Dr Liesel Sharabi, Associate Professor of Human Communication and Director of the Relationships and Technology Lab at Arizona State University.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Clips: TikTok / aidenheaney, TikTok / hopeyoufindyourdad, TikTok / gaelaitor, TikTok / zoecsheehan, TikTok / drcatpsych, TikTok / louisohno.

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.

Ahead of the Paris AI Action Summit, Katie and Danny are together in London for a special interview with the man who is synonymous with Artificial Intelligence - Sam Altman. He is the studio talking all things OpenAI, President Trump, Elon Musk, DeepSeek and the future of life and work.

Listen to Katie and Danny's follow-up to their interview with Sam Altman as they reflect on the conversation and Elon Musk’s bid for OpenAI, which came just hours after Altman left the studio.

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.

Bridget Jones is back in cinemas with her fourth outing Mad About the Boy, 24 years after her film debut. The messy heroine is the quintessential Gen X icon: too much booze, cigarettes, dodgy office romances and an obsession with the thigh gap. So why is she still winning over new fans decades 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: Ceci Browning, Assistant Literary Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producers: Samantha Chantarasak, Emily Webb.

Further reading:

• How Gen Z fell for Bridget Jones (by Ceci Browning, 24) 
• Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy review — our national treasure grows up 

Clips: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy/Universal Pictures, Bridget Jones’s Diary/Universal Pictures, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight/CBC, Barbie/Warner Bros. 

Photo: Universal Pictures. 

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.

President Trump stunned the world and horrified his Arab allies when he proposed that the US should take over Gaza and rebuild it as the "riviera of the Middle East." But where did the idea come from and could it actually happen?

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: Josie Ensor, US correspondent, The Times

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Edith Rousselot.

Clips: The Times, MSNBC, CNBC, Global News, The Guardian, Fox News, “America, Baby!” podcast

Photo: Kobby Barda, Israeli historian who shared an image of the plan for the reconstruction of Gaza City on social media.

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 Times has unveiled a landmark survey of Generation Z. What are their attitudes towards modern Britain, sex, drugs and… mental health? 1 in 3 young people have sought help for their mental health and a growing number are on long-term sickness. So what’s going on?

If you or someone you know has been affected by suicide or needs to talk to someone, please get in contact with the Samaritans online https://www.samaritans.org/ or call them for free on their 24-hour helpline 116 123.

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:

• Lara Spirit, Red Box Editor, The Times.
• Tanya Marwaha, mental health campaigner and Beyond Youth board member.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Emily Webb.

Further reading: Gen Zers on why they’ve turned to God: ‘It’s beautiful waiting for sex’

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.