Sensemaker

Last year Boris Johnson announced a lockdown and Christmas was cancelled. This time round, things are looking up. But as food, fuel and toy shortages worsen, will Christmas be cancelled again?You can get the Sensemaker newsletter as an email delivered to your inbox once a day. It’s our editors’ pick of the stories that matter most right now, and why, in brief. You can sign up here for free. Or, if you’d like to join Tortoise as a fully-fledged member, activate your 30-day free trial to access all our journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the Taliban took over in Afghanistan, the UK agreed to take thousands of refugees. What's happening to them? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right wing extremists have started to turn to cryptocurrencies as they've been sidelined by big financial institutions. But they might prosper in the shadows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pfizer makes one of the most important vaccines against Covid-19. Did it go beyond supporting its own vaccine and start undermining others? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After almost three years, a tit-for-tat row over the arrest of a Huawei executive for fraud has finally come to an end. Two men called Michael paid a heavy price. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A shocking report into the birth and death of a baby in prison has sparked a debate about whether prison can ever be a safe place for pregnant women. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heidi Crowter has Down's Syndrome. She fought to change a UK law which allows women with a Down's baby to have an abortion much later in pregnancy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The streaming giant has bought the rights to Roald Dahl’s estate. Is this the start of a new cinematic universe?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The looming energy crisis erupted this week. Gas prices rocketed and more energy suppliers went bust. So why didn't we see it coming? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Apple and Google removed a voting app developed by the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, just as Russians head to the polls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GB News faces an uncertain future. Its star and chairman, Andrew Neil, has left. Viewer figures make for grim reading. So is there an audience for an 'anti-woke', Fox News style channel? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of Shamima Begum is one of the most notorious examples of radicalisation in Britain. Now she’s back in the news, why is her appearance getting so much attention? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When an internal presentation by Instagram was leaked this week, it showed the social media giant knows how harmful its platform can be. So why aren't they being transparent about it?The aim of the Molly Rose Foundation is suicide prevention, targeted towards young people under the age of 25. The foundation connects those suffering with the help, support and practical advice they need: https://mollyrosefoundation.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

... so how is Boris Johnson going to prepare for the possible rise in Covid cases? This week, he announced his plan. The question is: will it work, and will we avoid another lockdown? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK's home secretary, Priti Patel, has announced plans to authorise "pushbacks" of migrant boats in the English Channel. It is a policy condemned as dangerous and... possibly, illegal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arsene Wenger, the former Arsenal manager, is leading the charge to hold the World Cup every two years not four. Is this an innovation too far from one of football's change-makers? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Syria descended into a bloody and brutal civil war ten years ago, many multinational companies pulled out of the country. One stayed. Now, it's facing allegations that it was complicit in crimes against humanity.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

El Salvador has become the first country in the world to make Bitcoin legal tender. Will it come to regret its decision? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was a real concern at the start of the pandemic that lockdowns would lead to a spike in suicides. But recent figures show an opposite trend. It’s a positive shift, but the question is: why? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government has just put up National Insurance to help pay for the NHS to recover from Covid and to improve social care. Did they choose to increase that particular tax because a lot of us don't know what it is? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Schools in England have gone back this week, and there's real worry about a surge in Covid infections. What can we learn from what's happened to infections this summer?You can get the Sensemaker newsletter as an email delivered to your inbox once a day. It’s our editors’ pick of the stories that matter most right now, and why, in brief. You can sign up here for free. Or, if you’d like to join Tortoise as a fully-fledged member, activate your 30-day free trial to access all our journalism.For more information on today's episode, visit tortoisemedia.com/listen. Transcripts of each episode will be made available on the same day.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A big opioid case has been settled in court. Purdue Pharma, one of the drugs companies behind the opioid epidemic has been dissolved, and the family that ran it agreed to pay a mammoth $4.5 billion court settlement. The payout will go to help victims of the crisis, but is money enough? What about justice? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Kabul fell, the Foreign Secretary tripped up. Dominic Raab was famously on holiday. But was it an accident that he became front-page news? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Orleans gets its fair share of hurricanes and Hurricane Ida was one of the biggest. But it did less damage and killed fewer people than Hurricane Katrina. Is New Orleans finally learning the lessons of past disasters? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Molly Mae turned reality TV into real success Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She was once a female Silicon Valley icon. The world's youngest self-made billionaire. Now, she's a disgraced former CEO, on trial for fraud. Is this where the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos finally ends? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A little-known US law, brought back in by Donald Trump, has caused a surge in migrants from Mexico. It's not what President Trump intended.You can now get the Sensemaker newsletter as an email delivered to your inbox once a day. It’s our editors’ pick of the stories that matter most right now, and why, in brief. You can sign up here for free. Or if you'd like to join Tortoise as a fully-fledged member, activate your 30-day free trial to access all our journalism.For more information on today's episode, visit tortoisemedia.com/listen. Transcripts of each episode will be made available the same day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Camille Abousleiman, the lawyer trying track down the truth in the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

R&B star R. Kelly has been put on trial for alleged sexual abuse, three decades after his first conviction. Why did it take so long to get to this point? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Tokyo Paralympic Games are about to start. But with the city under its fourth state of emergency, enthusiasm is beginning to wear thin. So what price are Tokyo’s residents paying for the Games? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Haiti was hit by a deadly earthquake and then, a few days later, a huge storm. It's not the first time the country has faced a catastrophe... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has blocked a mask mandate for the state's schools, going against advice from the Center for Disease Control. But with a fourth Covid wave causing more hospitalisations, can the state really afford to "get back to normal"? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jake Davison, an 'incel' who was radicalised online, killed five people with a licensed gun. Should social media checks be a part of gun ownership? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does a new Taliban regime mean for women and girls in Afghanistan? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia's triumphant Olympians are returning to a month-long quarantine as the country hits its third wave of Covid infections. What's gone wrong? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a 'code red' report. Disaster is coming faster than we thought. But will leaders act fast enough? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Virginia Giuffre was under the age of 18, she claims Prince Andrew forced her to have sex with him. He's always denied it. But her lawyer is now convinced the case will come to court. Is he right? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just months after US President Joe Biden announced he’d be withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan, the country is in chaos. How serious is the Taliban threat? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fires have ripped across the island of Evia, in Greece. And when help finally came it was too little, too late.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Belarusian human rights activist Vitaly Shishov was found hanged in a forest on the outskirts of Kyiv in Ukraine it was reported as suicide. His friends were immediately suspicious. They think it might be a political murder. Why? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bumble has announced it will be offering free therapy to anyone who experiences sexual assault from someone they meet on the app. Is this a meaningful change, or just smart PR? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With coronavirus cases and hospitalisations both falling in the UK ... could we really have sent Covid packing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Four police officers have taken their own lives since the Capitol riots in Washington DC in January, but their deaths are not considered "in the line of duty". Why? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Krystina Timanovskaya is a Belarusian sprinter who fell out with her coaches in Tokyo. She got so worried about the fall-out that she's applied for political asylum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

India has a terrible track record at dealing with sexual violence against women. The case of a high-ranking politician helps explain why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grime artist Stormzy has been supporting Black students at Cambridge university. He's making an impact, and it's part of a wider change at elite British universities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simone Biles is the greatest female gymnast ever. By talking openly about mental health she may have changed elite sport forever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When protestors invaded the US Capitol on Jan 6th the country was shocked. Why do some of its politicians not seem to want to get to the truth about that day? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the UK does well at the Tokyo Olympics, there's a reason why: money. Britain pays for its elite sports to do well. But it turns the taps off if they don't. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Israel was best in the world at vaccinating its people against Covid. Now, as the country opens up, sceptics are claiming that what's happening in Israel means vaccines aren't very effective. They're wrong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.