The Story

What do we know about the experimental treatment President Trump was given? And although he isn't the first president to fall ill in office, have the past week's events challenged the usual norms around the president's health?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests: David Charter, US editor, The Times.Dr Bob Wachter, Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School and co-author of A Reader's Guide To The 25th Amendment.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: Fox News, BBC, CNN, ABC7.'Blue Lobster' by Daniel Birch is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (looped from original).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.

Three years on from the Grenfell tower tragedy, are building safety standards really what they should be?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Martina Lees, Senior property writer for the Times and Sunday Times.Danielle Mikkelsen, school teacher, mother of two and victim of a devastating block fire.Host: David Aaronovitch"Metal Drone" by Daniel Birch is licensed under CC BY 4.0"Elk" by Meydan is licensed under CC BY 4.0This 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 decision by the government to prevent fans from attending football matches in the UK has left many lower league clubs facing an uncertain future. What's it like to play for a National League and just how important are local clubs to their towns?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests: Gregor Robertson, Times sport columnist and co-host of the Game podcast. Host: David Aaronovitch .Clips used: GTFC Official.'Blue Lobster' by Daniel Birch is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (looped from original).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.

Last month the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke on US television urging voters to come out for the November presidential election. For some, they were getting involved in politics and overstepping the mark. For others, the couple were just expressing themselves in their new roles. So, who's right?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests: Valentine Low, Royal Correspondent for The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: BBC, ITV, Evening Standard, Time Magazine, Fortune.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 Green New Deal is a divisive idea for the economies of the future, derided by the right as ill thought out, its left wing proponents see it as a way of saving the environment while keeping up economic growth. Manveen Rana has been speaking to the co-authors of a new book on the subject, Professors Robert Pollin and Noam Chomsky.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests:Robert Pollin, Professor of economics and co-director of the political economy research Institute at University of Massachusetts Amherst Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Laureate Professor at the University of ArizonaHost: Manveen Rana.Clips used: AP, The Hill.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.

Life in lockdown has left many dreaming of an escape from the 9 to 5, the office, the commute, just our own living rooms. Thom D’Arcy is one who got away from it all when he left on a sailing trip in 2016 and only just returned.Guests: Thom D’Arcy, sailor.Host: Manveen Rana. "Somnolence" by Kai Engel is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (looped from original)"The road we use to travel when we were kids" by Komiku is licensed under CC0 1.0 (looped from original)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 last two reporters working in China for Australian media have flown home after a drawn out diplomatic standoff. Their exit means for the first time since the mid-1970s, there are no accredited Australian journalists in the country. Why have relations between Australia and China deteriorated?Guests: Bernard Lagan, The Times Australia correspondent. Mike Smith, China correspondent for the Australian Financial Review. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: Channel, BBC, ABC News.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.

On paper, he’s a success — he’s nailed life’s goals. So why is Matt Rudd, and so many middle-aged men like him, unhappy? Guests:Matt Rudd, Deputy Editor of The Sunday Times Magazine, columnist and author of Man Down. Host: Luke Jones.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.

During lockdown those living alone have faced greater risk, not only to their health but also their finances. According to the Dementia Society the condition has worsened for many during the pandemic, and the isolation of lockdown has also exposed many to telephone scams.Guests:David Byers, Times Money Deputy Editor.Paula Saunderson, cares for her mother.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clip used from: The Express.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's been six months since MPs voted for the Coronavirus Act, a set of laws that gave the government sweeping powers over almost every aspect of daily life. Now a rebellion is brewing. Some MPs want more of a say over the prime minister's coronavirus strategy. Guests: Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor, The Times.Steve Baker, Conservative MP for Wycombe.Host: Ross Kempsell. Clips used: TalkRadio and Sky News.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.

She was a top Soviet spy and a colonel in the Red Army, who had plotted to kill Hitler and sent secrets from the British atomic bomb programme to Stalin. So how did Agent Sonya - or Mrs Burton to her neighbours - evade MI5 for so long?Guests: Ben Macintyre, associate editor and columnist, The Times, and author of Agent Sonya: Lover, Mother, Soldier, Spy.Rosa Ellis, interactive journalist, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: David Aaronovitch."Merfolk Music Box" by Komiku is licensed under CC0 1.0 (looped from original)"Melancholic Ending" by Soft and Furious is licensed under CC0 1.0 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.

On Friday, US Supreme court justice and 87-year old five foot pop culture icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. With her passing, a prized vacancy on the highest and most influential court in the US has opened up. Who is going to fill it and what will it mean for the future of American politics? Guest:Henry Zefffman, Washington Correspondent for The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Clips used: BBC, The Kennedy Center.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.

Tensions between Greece and Turkey have reignited this summer over a gas dispute, with the country's leaders trading rhetorical blows. But how precarious is the situation and could they be sleep-walking into a war in the Mediterranean?Guest: Hannah Lucinda-Smith, The Times' Istanbul Correspondent. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: Aljazeera, France24, DWNews.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 Holyrood committee investigating the Scottish government's handling of complaints against Alex Salmond has continued to make headlines. But what does it mean for the future of the SNP and Scottish Independence? Guest: Kieran Andrews, The Times' Scottish political editor. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: Scottish Parliament, BBC, 5 News, Telegraph, Guardian, The Nine (BBC Scotland).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 an event exclusively for subscribers to The Times and The Sunday Times via Times+, Kim Darroch, former UK Ambassador to the US, has a conversation with Manveen Rana.Find out more here. 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 the UK, 60,000 people have reported coronavirus symptoms that last more than three months. Artist Monique Jackson is one of them. What do we know about long covid, and how is the COVID Symptom Study app helping us fill in the blanks?Guests:Monique Jackson, artist with long tail covid.Prof Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, co founder of ZOE Covid Symptom Study app.Host: Manveen Rana. With reporting from Asya Fouks.You can download the ZOE Covid Symptom Study app here.And you can follow Monique Jackson’s Corona diary on Instagram.Additional Music: Broke for Free and Chris Zabriskie (licensed under Creative Commons).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.

With less than 50 days until the US presidential election, Donald Trump's relationship with the US military has become strained. But how is the fallout impacting his hopes of returning to the White House?Guests: Henry Zeffman, Washington Correspondent, The Times.Admiral James Stavridis, Retired US Navy admiral and Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: Think Progress, Fox News, CNN, The View, Good Morning America, ITV News, Illinois Channel TV, ABC News, Twitter, NBC News, Arirang News.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: the story of one French athlete with dreams of attending the Olympics. Her hopes were put in jeopardy when she was accused of doping, but everything is not as it seems. Host: David Aaronovitch. Guest: Adam Sage, Paris correspondent for The Times. 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.

How does Andrew Wakefield’s pseudoscience help us understand our modern post-truth crisis?Guest: Brian Deer, former Sunday Times investigative reporter, author of The Doctor Who Fooled the World: Andrew Wakefield's War on Vaccines.Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips used: Channel 5 and ET Canada. 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 sudden rise in coronavirus cases has sparked alarm and a strengthening of public health measures. As of today, much of the UK is living by "the rule of six". Could this be the beginning of a second wave?Guest: Tom Whipple, science editor, The Times.  Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Times Radio, CBS News, Sky News, BBC News.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 Sunday Times journalist Decca Aitkenhead went to report from a Jamaican magic mushrooms retreat last year, she arrived a sceptic – but left feeling profoundly changed.Guest: Decca Aitkenhead, chief interviewer, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.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.

Anthony Fauci is the most important doctor in America, and he's the public face of the battle against Covid-19 in the US. Does President Trump listen to his advice?Guest: Rhys Blakely, science correspondent, The Times.  Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: CNN, NBC, MSNBC, Sky News, US National Library of Medicine.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.

On August 20th, Russia's most prominent opposition politician was taken ill on a flight after a suspected Novichok poisoning. Alexei Navalny was put into an induced coma and flown to Germany. What does this latest incident mean? And why was Angela Merkel's government keen to take him to Berlin? Guest: Edward Lucas, Times columnist. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: The Sun, DW News, BBC.Additional Music: Mystery Mammal, Daniel Birch and Chris Zabriskie (licensed under Creative Commons).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.

Brexit’s back. Trade talks resume today following two bombshells: a leak that Downing Street is preparing to tear up parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, and the prime minister’s statement that no deal would be a "good outcome" for the UK. Is Britain headed for no deal?Guest: Oliver Wright, policy editor, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky, BBC, Euronews, DW News.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.

What are the longterm effects of Covid-19? Times’ journalist Roger Boyes spent weeks under sedation in the intensive care unit after being diagnosed with covid-19 in March. He is one of the thousands who were put on a ventilator for lifesaving treatment at the height of the pandemic.Guests:Roger Boyes, Times Diplomatic Editor.Dr Joel Meyer, ICU consultant.Dr Alex Quigley, clinical psychologist.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: BBC.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.

Jeremy Corbyn’s journey from the backbenches to party leader is well known. But this week sees the publication of a book that takes us down the other side of the slope, and shows how, late last year, the Corbyn project imploded.Guests: Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall correspondent, The Sunday Times.Patrick Maguire, Red Box reporter, The Times.They are both the authors of "Left Out: The Inside Story of Labour Under Corbyn".Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips used: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, GQ, Joe, Al Jazeera.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 students all around the country return to school we explore the issues facing pupils, teachers and parents. Guests: Sian Griffiths, Sunday Times Education and Families editor.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: BBC, The Sun.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 Britain went into lockdown fears about health infection rates and the catastrophic impact on the economy set in, but something else was taking hold. We've been speaking to the anti-racism charity, The Monitoring Group, and they've noticed an alarming trend: a rise in racist hate crime. Guests:Suresh Grover, The Monitoring Group.Dorothea Jones, The Monitoring Group.Host: Manveen Rana. 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.

Steve Bannon, Trump’s former campaign chief, appeared in Manhattan federal court via video last week. He was arrested and charged for allegedly siphoning money from a fundraising campaign to build the president’s controversial border wall with Mexico. He pleaded not guilty. Today we take a look into his past to separate the man from the myth. Guests:Josh Glancy, Washington Bureau Chief for The Sunday Times.Sebastian Gorka, Former Deputy Assistant to the President in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: CNBC, DW News, CBS News, Ruptly, The Sun, CNN, Sky News, Al Jazeera.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 US is nearing the finish line of a much anticipated election campaign, and the conventions made headlines this week. It's Trump v Biden for the soul of America, but what about their running mates? We put Mike Pence and Kamala Harris under the spotlight. What do we really know about who they are and what they want? Guests: Henry Zeffman, Washington correspondent for The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: CBN, Mike Pence’s Instagram, NBC News, CNN, The Guardian, Joe Biden’s Twitter, ABC News, CBS Philly, Politico, CNBC, Roll Call, Inside Edition, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, KCRA News, Fox News.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.

Two weeks ago, Alexander Lukashenko claimed to win a sixth term as president of the Republic of Belarus. But after his 26 year rule, many in Belarus have had enough. Since the August 9th election, the country has seen widespread protests which have been met with mass arrests and repression. We follow four young Belarusians caught up in history.Host: Manveen Rana.Guests: Aliaksandra Yushkevich, student.Kseniya Tarasevich, journalist.Evgeniy Ganchits, project manager.Tanya Alipchikova, PR manager.There's a full interview with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the ex-teacher who ran against Lukashenko, in today's paper.Clips used: BBC Radio 4, euronews, Belsat TV, Nexta.Additional music: Peremen! By the band Kino.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.

Last week Dido Harding, the former amateur jockey and TalkTalk boss who since May has been the head of the ramshackle NHS Test and Trace programme, was put in charge of England’s new pandemic response agency. Sunday Times business reporter Sabah Meddings traces Harding’s rise to the top of one of the most important organisations in the country.Host: Manveen Rana.Guest: Sabah Meddings, pharma, consumer and leisure correspondent for The Sunday Times.Clips: BBC News, Talkradio, Sky News, BBC Radio 4, UWE Bristol, The King’s Fund, OECD.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 confidential report has identified a string of murder-suicides that could in fact be the work of a serial killer who attacks vulnerable elderly couples with extreme violence. Could this killer still be at large? And could a pattern of behaviour truly have been missed for 15 years?Guests: David Collins, Northern correspondent, The Sunday Times. Jonathan Calver, Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.George Arbuthnott, deputy Insight editor, The Sunday Times. Additional music by Jordan Powell licenced under Creative CommonsThis 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.

Sales of camping gear have jumped as more Britons opt to holiday within the UK this summer due to coronavirus. Today we take you under canvas in the great British outdoors. Guest: Ben Machell is a feature writer for The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.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 the past week the Education Secretary has defended the use of an algorithm to produce A-level grades, categorically ruled out a U-turn and then completed said U-turn. But what if this is just the most high-profile example of algorithms creeping into our everyday lives?Guests: Steven Swinford, deputy political editor, The Times.Timandra Harkness, author of Big Data, Does Size Matter?Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips: BBC News, Evening Standard, Sky News, Times Radio.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 Afghan war could finally be limping to an end, and a peace deal with the Taliban could now be on the horizon. But will some of the most dangerous Taliban fighters have to be released back into society?Guest: President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: BBC, Channel 4, CSPAN.Additional Music: Jordan Powell, Nihilore (licensed under Creative Commons).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 eyes of British news crews are trained on migrants crossing the Channel in boats, Lampedusa on Europe’s southern border is seeing far greater numbers of migrants coming from a new country of origin: Tunisia. What brings these families to Italy?Guest:Tom Kington, the Times Italy correspondent.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: Euronews, Tele Studio 98, TRIS, La Republica, BBC News, Home Office.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.

An MP has been accused of rape - and questions are again being asked about the role of whips in protecting parliamentary staff. Historically, the whips have a reputation as the shadowy brokers of backroom deals and the keepers of secrets. But is the notorious office where the real power in Westminster truly lies?GuestsEsther Webber, Red Box reporter.Anne Milton, former MP and deputy chief whip.Host: Manveen RanaClips used: BBC, the National TheatreThis 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 NRA is one of America's most powerful lobby groups. Now it has become the target of a lawsuit brought by New York's attorney-general. The organisation stands accused of "years of self-dealing and illegal conduct" by its top executives. The lawsuit could spell the end of the NRA, but could it change minds about the role of guns in American society?  Guests: Henry Zeffman, Washington correspondent for The Times. Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: History Channel, C-SPAN, ABC7NY, Bloomberg, CNN, NRA, Reagan Library, Global News, CNBC, ABC News, Jared Law.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's official: the UK economy is back in recession. This week we've heard of record-high job losses and a sharp economic downturn - but the worst could still be to come.Guest: Gurpreet Narwan, economics correspondent, The Times.  Host: Manveen Rana.  Clips: BBC, ITV, Sky News.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 has ordered firms to stop doing business with social media giant TikTok over security concerns. Microsoft was the front-runner to buy the company, but now Twitter has emerged as a possible suitor. What has made the app so popular and so controversial?Guests: Danny Fortson Sunday Times west coast correspondent.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: NBC, Tik Tok, ABC Australian, Biteable, France 24, CNBC, Fox News, Huffington Post, ABC News.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 one heart-stopping moment last Tuesday, Beirut, a city that’s seen its share of wars, was rocked by the biggest blast in its history. Now that international donors have pledged a quarter of a billion euros in aid for Lebanon, can the country begin to rebuild?Guest Richard Spencer, the Middle East correspondent for The Times.Ghadi Sary, Middle East consultant and journalist. Melissa Ajamian, instructor in the Department of Political Studies at the American University of Beirut.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: FRANCE 24, BBC, CBC, CNN, Sky News.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.

At the eastern end of the Sunset Strip is a hotel called Chateau Marmont. For many years it's been the favourite hang-out spot of movie stars and writers; but now the Chateau’s owner has announced the hotel is about to become a private members club. What does the change mean for the future of the iconic venue?Guests:Shawn Levy, author of The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont.Jenn Hoffman, former US Weekly reporter.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: OSSA, TMZ, WGN News, CineStars, CBS News, Graham Norton Show, Access Hollywood, Movieclips, Warner Bros Entertainment.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.

75 years ago this week, a devastating atomic bomb changed world history. What can we learn from these events? Guest:Koko Kondo, Hiroshima bomb survivor and peace campaigner.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: NBC, Imperial War Museum, US Army.You can hear more first-hand memories of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end of the Second World War by listening to Voices of War at Imperial War Museums’ website iwm.org.uk/victoryThis 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.

Stories about the persecution of China’s Muslim Uighur minority have been in the news in recent weeks. We hear the story of one man living in Turkey: Abdurehim Parac, a Uighur poet in exile.Guests: Hannah Lucinda Smith, Times Istanbul correspondent.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: France 24, Sky News Australia, BBC, Channel 4 News, South China Morning Post, Al, Jazeera, PBS, CNBC.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 High Court case been brought by a young man whose family were shot dead by a rogue SAS unit in Afghanistan. The trial has led to the release of documents which suggest a horrifying pattern of night-raid killings, cover-ups and ‘collective amnesia’ by soldiers in a crack army special forces unit.Guests:Jonathan Calvert, Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.George Arbuthnott, Deputy Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.David Collins, Northern Correspondent, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen RanaClips used: Guardian, CNN, BBC.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.

Why did the Duke and Duchess of Sussex really quit royal life? A new book purports to take readers into their inner sanctum. Guests:Valentine Low, Times Royal correspondent. Andrew Billen, Features writer.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: CNBC, ABC, NBC, Euronews, ITV.Additional music: Meydan (licensed under Creative Commons).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.

Wiley - rapper, producer and godfather of grime - has been dropped by his management following an antisemitic Twitter tirade. In the wider conversation that followed, were Black British Jews left out?  Guests:Nadine Batchelor-Hunt, journalist and podcaster. Will Hodgkinson, chief rock and pop critic for The Times.  Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: Sky News interview with Wiley, 5 News, i24 News and Smithsonian channel.Song credits: Asylum, Warner, INCredible, Sony.Additional music: Nctrnm (licensed under Creative Commons).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.

13 year old Christopher Kapessa died in July last year after he was pushed from a bridge over the Cynon river in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales. The Crown Prosecution Service concluded that it was a “foolish prank”. Did racism play a role in his death and the subsequent police investigation?Guests: Alina Joseph, mother of Christopher Kapessa.Hilary Brown, lawyer for Alina Joseph.Suresh Grover, founder of The Monitoring Group.Jude Lanchin, solicitor at Bindmans.Additional music: Jordan Powell (licensed under Creative Commons).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.

How do you pick a potential vice president of the USA? With less than a hundred days to go until the American elections, the Democrats still have one major decision to make: Joe Biden’s running mate. Stories of our Times presenter Manveen Rana speaks to The Times' US Editor David Charter about who might get the nod and what their choice might say about Biden's campaign.Guests: David Charter, Times US Editor.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: CNBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, NBC, HBO, California Assembly, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Karen Bass.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.