The Story

Labour Together, the think tank which helped Sir Keir Starmer become prime minister, has been accused of paying a PR firm to investigate Sunday Times journalists. The subsequent report contained personal information and false claims about Whitehall editor Gabriel Pogrund’s faith and family background, including the incorrect suggestion he was part of a Russian conspiracy to bring down Starmer. So why did a political organisation pay for a smear campaign against journalists?

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:
Emanuele Midolo, investigations reporter, The Sunday Times.
Ben Clatworthy, Whitehall editor, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Julia Webster, Micaela Arneson.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Labour activists paid for smear campaign against journalists
Clips: BBC, Times Radio, Channel 4 News, ITV News, Sky News, GB 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.

The Times’ Money desk has been investigating the UK’s student debt system – and has discovered some bombshells. After being promised a loan that would be like paying a ‘phone bill every month’, graduates are weighed down by tens of thousands of pounds in ever-increasing debt. So how did we get here? And is there a plan to fix it?

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: Mary Downer, Money reporter, The Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producer: Sophie McNulty.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Plan 2 student loan interest is unfair, says Lucy Powell
Further listening: The Budget unpacked
Clips: BBC, Parliament Live, ITN, Channel 4 News, LBC.
Episode artwork: Times Media.
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.

AI researcher Zoe Hitzig quit her job at OpenAI this week over “deep reservations” about the company’s strategy, including their decision to pilot running ads on ChatGPT. In a rare interview, she gives her reasons for leaving the industry - a world with access to "an unprecedented archive of human candour". Meanwhile, another AI researcher, this time at Anthropic, also quit with a the stark warning that "the world is in peril". They just the latest in a series of high profile resignations. So what's going on - and what are the big fears for a world increasingly dominated by AI?

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:
Zoe Hitzig, former AI researcher at OpenAI.
Mark Sellman,Technology Correspondent for the Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.
Producer: Dave Creasey.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]
Read more: ‘The world is in peril’: AI researchers quit with public warnings
Photo: Getty Images.
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.

Danny Finkelstein's mother survived Bergen-Belsen. When far-right activist Nick Fuentes began spreading antisemitic, pro-Hitler ideas, our writer challenged him. He wasn’t ready for the onslaught that ensued.

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

Ready by: Danny Finkelstein, Times columnist, author and Conservative peer.
Producer: Dave Creasey.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]
Read more: Daniel Finkelstein: How the world’s antisemites turned on me
Clips: TalkTV, CBS.
Photo: Tom Jackson for The Times Magazine.
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 almost six weeks since America launched military strikes against Venezuela and captured its President over claims the country was flooding the US with drugs and migrants. But was this ever actually the intention, or is Trump more interested in syphoning off the country’s oil? Why is the old regime still in power – and what is life like for locals?

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:  Stephen Gibbs, contributor, Latin America and the Caribbean, The Times and The Sunday Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Olivia Case and Harry Stott.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]
Read more: Ally of Venezuela’s opposition leader ‘kidnapped’ hours after being freed
Further listening: Prince William walks a tightrope in Saudi Arabia
Clips: The White House / X, BBC, NBC, CNBC, CBS / 60 Minutes, Sky News Australia.
Photo: Getty Images.
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.