Today in Focus

By The Guardian

What's Today in Focus about?

Hosted by Anushka Asthana, Today in Focus brings you closer to Guardian journalism. Combining personal storytelling with insightful analysis, Today in Focus is The Guardian's daily podcast that takes you behind the headlines for a deeper understanding of the news, every weekday.

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In conversation with Benjam...

07.15.2020

Benjamin Zephaniah and George the Poet are two of Britain’s most successful contemporary poets. They discuss why, despite being born a generation apart, their work is still exposing racial injustice. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Today in Focus episodes:

07.14.2020 Is the UK's ‘golden era’ of relations with China now over? China and the UK have clashed in recent months over a draconian new security law in Hong Kong and the Chinese tech company Huawei. The Guardian’s Tania Branigan examines whether a much-promoted ‘golden era’ between the two countries is at ...
07.13.2020 Facebook, white nationalists and becoming the target of a hate campaign In November, Julia Carrie Wong reported on the continued presence of white nationalist organisations on Facebook – and a weeks-long campaign of racist and sexist harassment followed. She discusses the impact it had on her and why she believes Facebook ...
07.10.2020 What would annexation of parts of the West Bank mean for Palestinians? The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has proposed permanently seizing Palestinian territory by annexing swathes of the West Bank - a violation of international law. Journalist Mariam Barghouti and PIPD executive director Salem Barahmeh describe how this would formalise a ...
07.09.2020 The Leicester garment factories exposed by Covid-19 A spike in cases of Covid-19 in Leicester has led Guardian reporter Archie Bland to its garment factories. He discusses a story that goes beyond the pandemic and into workers’ rights, appalling factory conditions and the ethics of fast fashion. ...
07.08.2020 Are the police failing BAME communities? Bas Javid joined the Avon and Somerset police in 1993. Last year he became a commander at the Met. He reflects on his experiences as a BAME officer and discusses the use of stop and search, which has been cited ...
07.07.2020 Taking on Sir Humphrey: can the civil service be reformed? Michael Gove has set out his plans for a revolution of Britain’s permanent bureaucracy, the civil service. But as former Downing Street chief of staff Jonathan Powell argues, it is easier said than done. Help support our independent journalism at ...
07.06.2020 Maria Ressa and an attack on the free press in the Philippines One of the most prominent journalists in the Philippines has been convicted of ‘cyberlibel’ in a court process condemned by human rights groups. Journalist Carmela Fonbuena in Manila describes the chilling effect the verdict has had on free expression. Help ...
07.03.2020 How one neighbourhood in London lost 36 residents to Covid-19 Guardian reporter Aamna Modhin meets residents from Church End, a small, deprived neighbourhood in Brent, north London. She examines how housing pressures, in-work poverty and racial inequalities contributed to the deaths of 36 residents from Covid-19. Help support our independent ...
07.02.2020 The scandal of millions of Americans being deprived of running water – podcast Guardian US environmental justice reporter Nina Lakhani reports on her landmark investigation into America’s water crisis, revealing that millions of Americans are facing unaffordable bills for running water and risk being disconnected or losing their homes. Help support our independent ...
07.01.2020 Why hasn't Boris Johnson released the Russia report? Parliament’s intelligence and security committee produced a report into alleged Russian interference in UK politics. It was supposed to be published before December’s election, but the UK prime minister withheld its release. Now, six months later it still hasn’t seen ...
06.30.2020 Lockdown easing: why the UK is better prepared for a second wave This Saturday, lockdown measures in England will ease further, with people able to get a pint in a pub, have a haircut and see another household indoors. The Guardian’s heath editor, Sarah Boseley, looks at whether another lifting of restrictions ...
06.29.2020 Understanding white privilege with Reni Eddo-Lodge Reni Eddo-Lodge has become the first black British author to top the UK bestseller list with her 2017 book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. In an exclusive interview with the Observer’s Nosheen Iqbal she talks ...
06.28.2020 How damaging is John Bolton's scathing account of Donald Trump's presidency? The publication of former US national security adviser John Bolton’s White House memoir has caused a sensation. Jonathan Freedland assesses the lurid claims of cosying up to authoritarian leaders as well as descriptions of the ‘stunning’ ignorance of Donald Trump. ...
06.26.2020 After a decade of austerity: what now? Columnist John Harris has spent the past decade touring the country and reporting on what devastating budget cuts have meant to communities. Looking back, he sees some signs of hope amid the devastation. But will the government change its approach ...
06.25.2020 How damaging is John Bolton's scathing account of Donald Trump's presidency? The publication of John Bolton’s White House memoir has caused a sensation. Jonathan Freedland assesses the lurid claims of cosying up to authoritarian leaders as well as descriptions of ‘stunning’ ignorance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
06.24.2020 How did Jordan end up with the highest smoking rate in the world? When international correspondent Michael Safi began looking into why Jordan had become the country with the highest smoking rates in the world, he began to uncover what public health advocates have described as widespread interference in policymaking by multinational tobacco ...
06.23.2020 Rethinking the police: what can the US learn from Newark? The New Jersey city had one of the worst reputations for police violence in the US, but as the Guardian’s Ankita Rao discovers, it is leading the charge for reform under a new mayor. Help support our independent journalism at ...
06.22.2020 Is spyware technology helping governments hack phones? WhatsApp has accused an Israeli spyware company of hacking 1,400 of its users, including journalists, human rights activists and diplomatic officials. As new allegations emerge, Guardian US investigations correspondent Stephanie Kirchgaessner discusses how she first discovered the story. Help support ...
06.19.2020 Why is Trump's comeback rally in Tulsa: the site of a massacre? The president’s decision to hold his first rally since the coronavirus lockdown in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has ignited fresh controversy. The city was home to one of America’s worst ever acts of racial violence in 1921, a moment marked in recent ...
06.18.2020 Stranded at sea: the crew members trapped on cruise ships Guardian US reporter Erin McCormick describes why thousands of crew are still stranded on cruise ships after coronavirus bought the industry to a standstill in March. Will Lees describes how it took him 82 days to get back to Canada ...
06.17.2020 How is Keir Starmer changing the Labour party? When Keir Starmer was elected as Labour’s new leader in March he was pitched straight into the coronavirus crisis and denied even the chance to hold a victory party. But with public disquiet setting in over the government’s response, Starmer’s ...
06.16.2020 Facebook v Twitter: how to handle Donald Trump As protests erupted throughout the US, Donald Trump posted incendiary comments to social media. While Twitter hid the president’s post, Facebook took no action. The Guardian’s Alex Hern looks at what happened next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
06.15.2020 A journey to Greece for solo IVF during the pandemic – podcast Laura Barton has always known that she wanted to have children. After years of miscarriages, and a breakup from her partner last year, she decided to embark on solo IVF. In early March, as the world shut down, she found ...
06.12.2020 How the disappearance of Madeleine McCann became a national obsession The disappearance of a three -year-old British girl at a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007 quickly became a global news story as the hunt for her grew ever more extensive. Thirteen years later, with the mystery still unsolved, German police ...
06.11.2020 Britain's reckoning with its racist past UK Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place across the country. They have not just been about solidarity with the US or racism in Britain today, but also about the need to address Britain’s past and the impact of ...
06.10.2020 The Rees-Mogg conga: how has the pandemic changed parliament? MPs have been on a crash course in video conferencing in recent months as the pandemic meant access to parliament was severely restricted and remote voting was permitted for the first time. But with Jacob Rees-Mogg leading attempts to revert ...
06.09.2020 Is British theatre about to go out of business? Every year, 34 million people go to the theatre, double the number that attend Premier League football. But lockdown and physical distancing rules mean the industry is on the edge of collapse. The artistic director of the Pitlochry theatre, Elizabeth ...
06.08.2020 The sounds of melting icebergs and whale songs: a journey into Antarctica The effects of global heating are in evidence everywhere across the islands of Antarctica – from penguin colonies to melting glaciers. The Guardian’s global environment editor Jonathan Watts witnessed how conditions are changing quickly. Help support our independent journalism at ...
06.05.2020 Looking back on the protests that have shaken America Guardian US reporter Kenya Evelyn looks back at the 11 days of protest that started in Minneapolis over the killing of George Floyd, but quickly spread across the rest of America and then the world. Help support our independent journalism ...
06.04.2020 From Anfield to Cheltenham: did major events cost lives? A series of high-profile sporting events went ahead as scheduled in mid-March even as Covid-19 was being declared a pandemic. The Guardian’s David Conn investigates the scientific reasoning behind the decision, while Liverpool fan Simon Renoldi reflects on the loss ...
06.03.2020 The death of George Floyd: will anything change? Protests have exploded across the US after a video showed Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, an African American man, despite his pleas that he could not breathe. Floyd lost consciousness and ...
06.02.2020 England is easing out of lockdown – is it safe? Health officials and even government scientists have warned against the easing of the coronavirus lockdown in England, saying it could lead to a surge in infections. David Hunter, professor of epidemiology and medicine at the University of Oxford, looks at ...
06.01.2020 The coronavirus crisis in Britain's prisons As Britain faced an unprecedented lockdown, the situation for the 80,000 people in prison was even more stringent. David Adams was recently released from jail and describes how prisoners were confined to their tiny cells for more than 23 hours ...
05.29.2020 Hong Kong: the end of one country, two systems? Protesters have take to the streets again, this time over a national security law that is set to be imposed by Beijing. Verna Yu and Lily Kuo look at how the standoff compares with those of Hong Kong’s recent history. ...
05.28.2020 The scandal of Covid-19 in care homes Why did so many people die in care homes? That may be the most urgent question of the likely public inquiry into the UK’s Covid-19 response. Rob Booth, the Guardian’s social affairs correspondent, on the government failures that led to ...
05.27.2020 Brexit: Is the UK headed for a no deal? For the past few months UK and EU negotiators have been locked in talks trying to thrash out a trade deal before 1 January. But after the chief negotiators, Michel Barnier and David Frost, exchanged testy letters last week, the ...
05.26.2020 Why Dominic Cummings won't resign The prime minister’s senior adviser has provoked national outrage by admitting travelling hundreds of miles to stay with family at the height of coronavirus lockdown. The Guardian’s Matthew Weaver reveals how he helped break the story. Help support our independent ...
05.25.2020 The killing of Ahmaud Arbery On 23 February Ahmaud Arbery, a young black man, was shot dead by two white men in Brunswick, Georgia. But it was only when a 36-second video of the killing was leaked on 5 May, generating nationwide outcry, that three ...
05.22.2020 Otters, badgers and orcas: can the pandemic help rewild Britain? Sound recordist Chris Watson shares the birdsong from his English garden, while environmentalist George Monbiot looks at how the pandemic might be an opportunity for rewilding. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
05.20.2020 Will millions of children really be returning to school in June? Oli de Botton is a headteacher of a large state school in Newham, east London. Like many teachers across the country, he is tackling the daunting task of getting ready for the return of some of his students in early ...
05.20.2020 The scientific race to understand Covid-19 In the five months since the world learned about Covid-19, it has killed hundreds of thousands of people. In that time, what have scientists found out – and what do they still not know? Coronavirus – latest updates See all ...
05.19.2020 How coronavirus led to rough sleepers being housed in hotels Amelia Gentleman reports on life inside the hotels that are now housing some of the more than 5,400 homeless people across England and Wales. It is part of an unprecedented emergency operation to get all rough sleepers off the streets. ...
05.18.2020 Farce and tragedy: how an audacious coup attempt in Venezuela backfired An attempt earlier this month to remove Nicolás Maduro from power ended in farcical failure as a seaborne invading force was captured easily following a series of mishaps. World affairs editor Julian Borger tells the bizarre story. Help support our ...
05.15.2020 Blind Date takeover: looking for love in lockdown part 2 In the concluding part of our Blind Date takeover, two more couples meet remotely for a socially distanced evening of drinks and dinner. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
05.14.2020 Trump versus Biden: the 2020 pandemic election The US election campaign is usually in full swing by this stage of the political cycle, but the coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to rallies and fundraising events. David Smith in Washington looks at how the race between Donald ...
05.13.2020 What does the biggest economic slump in 300 years mean for Britain? As the chancellor announces plans to extend the unprecedented scheme to pay the wages of millions of workers, whole sectors of the economy remain shut because of Covid-19, causing a recession unseen in Britain for centuries. Larry Elliott explains what ...
05.12.2020 Track and trace: will the government's new app work? Tracking and tracing the movements of people with symptoms of Covid-19 is key to the next phase of ending the lockdown. But as the government trials a contact-tracing app on the Isle of Wight, Alex Hern reports on concerns about ...
05.11.2020 Is coronavirus being used to turn India into a surveillance state? South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen reports on the implications of people downloading an app designed to help control the spread of Covid-19 in a country where civil liberties were already being eroded. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
05.08.2020 Blind Date takeover: looking for love in lockdown part 1 Lockdown has changed the way we date. Is it possible to form the same kind of connection through a screen? To find out, we set up six strangers on three virtual blind dates .... Help support our independent journalism at ...
05.07.2020 Reopening Mississippi: America's poorest state begins lifting lockdown Despite rising coronavirus case numbers, the US state of Mississippi is moving out of lockdown and reopening parks, restaurants and other non-essential shops. Oliver Laughland went to the resort of Biloxi to see how residents were responding Coronavirus – latest ...

Older episodes

Today in Focus

What's Today in Focus about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Today in Focus episodes:

Is the UK's ‘golden era’ of relations with China now over?

Facebook, white nationalists and becoming the target of a hate campaign

What would annexation of parts of the West Bank mean for Palestinians?

The Leicester garment factories exposed by Covid-19

Are the police failing BAME communities?

Taking on Sir Humphrey: can the civil service be reformed?

Maria Ressa and an attack on the free press in the Philippines

How one neighbourhood in London lost 36 residents to Covid-19

The scandal of millions of Americans being deprived of running water – podcast

Why hasn't Boris Johnson released the Russia report?

Lockdown easing: why the UK is better prepared for a second wave

Understanding white privilege with Reni Eddo-Lodge

How damaging is John Bolton's scathing account of Donald Trump's presidency?

After a decade of austerity: what now?

How damaging is John Bolton's scathing account of Donald Trump's presidency?

How did Jordan end up with the highest smoking rate in the world?

Rethinking the police: what can the US learn from Newark?

Is spyware technology helping governments hack phones?

Why is Trump's comeback rally in Tulsa: the site of a massacre?

Stranded at sea: the crew members trapped on cruise ships

How is Keir Starmer changing the Labour party?

Facebook v Twitter: how to handle Donald Trump

A journey to Greece for solo IVF during the pandemic – podcast

How the disappearance of Madeleine McCann became a national obsession

Britain's reckoning with its racist past

The Rees-Mogg conga: how has the pandemic changed parliament?

Is British theatre about to go out of business?

The sounds of melting icebergs and whale songs: a journey into Antarctica

Looking back on the protests that have shaken America

From Anfield to Cheltenham: did major events cost lives?

The death of George Floyd: will anything change?

England is easing out of lockdown – is it safe?

The coronavirus crisis in Britain's prisons

Hong Kong: the end of one country, two systems?

The scandal of Covid-19 in care homes

Brexit: Is the UK headed for a no deal?

Why Dominic Cummings won't resign

The killing of Ahmaud Arbery

Otters, badgers and orcas: can the pandemic help rewild Britain?

Will millions of children really be returning to school in June?

The scientific race to understand Covid-19

How coronavirus led to rough sleepers being housed in hotels

Farce and tragedy: how an audacious coup attempt in Venezuela backfired

Blind Date takeover: looking for love in lockdown part 2

Trump versus Biden: the 2020 pandemic election

What does the biggest economic slump in 300 years mean for Britain?

Track and trace: will the government's new app work?

Is coronavirus being used to turn India into a surveillance state?

Blind Date takeover: looking for love in lockdown part 1

Reopening Mississippi: America's poorest state begins lifting lockdown

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