The Story

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.