

Sensemaker
The Observer
The Sensemaker from The Observer - one story every day to make sense of the world.Subscribe to The Observer today and get access to: Our podcasts before anyone else A daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a week Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword Recipes for every occasionFree tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or onlineClick here to subscribe today for just £1 for your first month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 19, 2024 • 10min
Ep 792: Biden: too old to be president?
When Joe Biden won the election in 2020 he was seen by many as the ‘safe’ option compared to Donald Trump. But during his presidency he’s become well-known for his gaffes and occasional stumbles. Many US voters are wondering: is 81 too old to run for president?To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 16, 2024 • 7min
Ep 791: Labour, Rochdale and the anti-Semitism row
Defending Labour’s long-held seat in Rochdale should have been a walk in the park. But with a fortnight still to go before the by-election there, the party has been forced to drop its candidate. How did Labour end up here?To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 15, 2024 • 8min
Ep 790: Zelensky fires his top general
After a year of tension between the two men, the Ukrainian president fired his top military commander. What does it tell us about Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan for the next stage of the war with Russia?To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 14, 2024 • 6min
Ep 789: Asylum hotels: hundreds evicted with a week’s notice
At the end of January almost 400 asylum seekers were given less than a week to leave the hotel they were being housed in. Where did they go and what does it tell us about the UK’s asylum system?To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 13, 2024 • 7min
Ep 788: EU farmers ramp up protests
Farmers across the European Union are throwing eggs at buildings and setting tires on fire. What do they want?To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 12, 2024 • 7min
Ep 787: Keir Starmer and the mysterious case of the £28bn green plan
Keir Starmer finally killed off Labour’s £28bn green plan. This may have ended months of will-he-won’t-he speculation about the future of the policy - but it has sparked a new debate about what the Labour leader stands for.To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 9, 2024 • 8min
Ep 786: 23andMe’s cybercrime crisis
A new class-action lawsuit is accusing the genetic testing company 23andMe of failing to protect the privacy of millions of its customers after the data identifying their ethnicity was posted on the dark web.To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 8, 2024 • 6min
Ep 785: Lewis Hamilton’s new era
Lewis Hamilton is the most successful Formula 1 driver in history. At the age of 39, he has decided to make the biggest move of his career, to Ferrari. To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 7, 2024 • 8min
Ep 784: Imran Khan imprisoned
Once a world famous cricket captain and playboy, Imran Khan became Pakistan’s prime minister in 2018. Now, ahead of the county’s election on Thursday, he’s been imprisoned for 14 years. Why?To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 6, 2024 • 6min
Ep 783: Kemi and the evil plotters
With Tory MPs casting around for solutions to their anticipated election defeat, cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch’s name keeps coming up as a potential leader. Just a few days ago she was denying any involvement in a plot to oust Rishi Sunak, it emerged she was in a WhatsApp group called the Evil Plotters. So what is the business secretary planning? To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


