The Story

In recent weeks, Kanye West, now known as ‘Ye’, has pulled off a number of bizarre stunts, including antisemitic rants and an inexplicable Super Bowl advert. Just a few years ago, the controversial rapper was a billionaire entrepreneur being invited to the White House, but has he now reached the point of no return? 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: Blanca Schofield, Assistant Arts Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Luke Jones. Clips: CBS News, MTV, The New York Post, Grammys, All Falls Down/Kanye West ft. Syleena Johnson/Roc-A-Fella Records/Universal Music Group, Gold Digger/Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx/Roc-A-Fella Records/Universal Music Group, Love Lockdown/Kanye West/Roc-A-Fella Records, Power/Kanye West/Roc-A-Fella Records, MSNBC, NBC News, ABC News, TODAY, The Download With Justin Laboy, Good Morning America, Fox News and ABC 7 Chicago. Photo: Getty Images Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since his election, Donald Trump has stunned the world with a series of moves that have upended the well-established post-war international order. He picked up the phone and brought Putin in from the cold, branded Zelensky a 'dictator' and suggested America will no longer continue to finance European defence. At this pivotal moment in history, Manveen Rana speaks to former foreign secretary, historian and Times columnist, Lord William Hague on why this marks the start of a new chapter and a much more dangerous period than we are used to living 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: Lord William Hague, former foreign secretary and Times columnist. Host: Manveen Rana. Further reading: Starmer must evoke Churchill to woo Trump Further listening: How the US signaled a new world order in 5 days Clips: Sky News, The Times, Wall Street Journal. Photo: Times illustration/Getty images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, 50 men were convicting of raping or sexually assaulting Gisèle Pelicot, including her husband who’d orchestrated the attacks. There was worldwide uproar and calls for changes to French rape laws. But with no imminent changes in sight, many of the rapists are appealing their sentences and at least six are already out of prison. So what's going on? And could any progress still come from this landmark case? 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 Tarrant, News Reporter, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Further reading: Wives stand by Gisèle Pelicot rapists — and some of them are free already. Image: Nina Krause, The Sunday Times. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was originally published in April last year. With young people in Britain and across the world increasingly reliant on smartphones, many teens now openly admitt they’re addicted to social media. Could an entire generation be suffering serious and irreversible damage? And is there anything we can do to reverse it? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/podcasts/the-story Guest: Helen Rumbelow, Times Feature Writer and Columnist. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: NBC News, ITV News, Bloomberg Technology. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Holly and Lucy are joined by Kat Denham, champion champion for The Times and The Sunday Times, as they navigate the tricky world of bank accounts mishaps. From Frozen accounts, lost payments & dormant savings, Kat shares the best ways to protect yourself from losing money. Contact Holly and Lucy: moneyteam@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. 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: thestory@thetimes.com 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: Host: Luke Jones. 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: thestory@thetimes.com 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. Clips: Newsweek, CBS News, The White House, WSJ News, Channel 4 News, Guardian News, The Associated Press. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com 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. Further reading: I’m a digital native — can I survive without my smartphone? Photo: Jude Edginton for The Times Magazine. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com 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. 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: thestory@thetimes.com 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. Clips: TikTok / aidenheaney, TikTok / hopeyoufindyourdad, TikTok / gaelaitor, TikTok / zoecsheehan, TikTok / drcatpsych, TikTok / louisohno. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com 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. 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. Further reading: How Gen Z fell for Bridget Jones (by Ceci Browning, 24)Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy review — our national treasure grows upClips: 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: thestory@thetimes.com 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. Further reading: 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: thestory@thetimes.com 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: Host: Luke Jones. Further reading: Gen Zers on why they’ve turned to God: ‘It’s beautiful waiting for sex’ Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the closed steelworks in Corby, Northamptonshire, were being cleaned up ahead of redevelopment, trucks ferrying debris away from the site released poisonous dust into the air. Dozens of children born during this time had malformed limbs and other issues leading to a decades-long fight for justice. Now their story, which came to national attention via the Sunday Times, is finding a new audience - in Toxic Town a Netflix drama - and families hope it will help others to join the dots. 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: Rosamund Urwin, Media Editor, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Further reading: Can Netflix bring justice to the town poisoned by dust? Clips: Sky News, BBC. Photo: Sunday Times illustration. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you - or someone you know - had a mobile phone snatched directly from your hand? It's a growing trend in London and other cities across the UK, as last Thursday, Met Police revealed they arrested 230 people and seized 1000 phones in just one week. So just who is behind this crimewave, and where exactly do the phones end up? 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: Host: Manveen Rana. Further reading: What really happens to your phone when it’s stolenHow your stolen iPhone ends up in one Chinese city marketFurther listening: What’s behind the rise in knife crime on our streets Clips: LBC, Sun Kissed Bucket List, Nikolay Tanev, Sky News. Photo: Metropolitan Police Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's Sunday Edition, we're looking back at this episode from March, diving into the fentanyl trade. This week, President Trump cited the fentanyl crisis in the US as his justification for threatening steep tariffs against Canada and Mexico. So how does fentanyl actually get into the US? Fentanyl kills 200 people a day in America, a deadly epidemic felt throughout the country. We trace the journey of chemicals from China, to the drug labs of Mexico to the streets of the United States. Can the tide be stemmed? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestory. Guests: Host: Manveen Rana. Further listening: China’s deadly role in America’s fentanyl epidemic Clips: CNBC, NBC News, ABC News, C-Span. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the political masterminds (and Hugo) are joined by Theo Bertram, who worked in Downing Street for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. After a new book by Times journalists Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund sheds light on the inner workings of Keir Starmer's government, is chief of staff Morgan McSweeney actually in charge? And should a new YouGov/Times poll showing Reform UK ahead of Labour for the first time cause everyone to panic? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday, a panel of global medical experts convened a press conference. They said they had found a different cause of death in every baby Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering. So what did they find? And what might it mean for Letby's case? 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: Caroline Wheeler, Political Editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Further reading: My research was misused to convict Lucy Letby — so I did my own inquiry. Further listening: Why some experts are doubting Lucy Letby’s conviction. Clips: Sky News, Telegraph. Photo: Times Media Ltd. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.