Today in Focus

40 Episodes
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By: The Guardian

Hosted by Michael Safi and Helen Pidd, Today in Focus brings you closer to Guardian journalism. Combining storytelling with insightful analysis and personal testimonies, the podcast takes you behind the headlines for a deeper understanding of the news, every weekday. Today in Focus is unmatched in both scope and depth, delivering analysis and storytelling from right across the planet. With a global network of over 900 journalists and five dedicated editions covering news in the US, UK, Australia, Europe, and beyond, the Guardian offers comprehensive reporting across every continent. Most recently we have introduced new correspondents in the Caribbean, South America...

Ulaanbaatar: a warning from the coldest capital on Earth
Last Friday at 2:00 AM

Tracey McVeigh heads to Mongolia to find out about the country’s increasingly brutal winters and dry summers, while Badruun Gardi reflects on how the changes threaten the nomadic way of life. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Is it time for a wealth tax on the super-rich?
Last Thursday at 2:00 AM

After changes to the welfare reform bill failed to save money, the millionaire Dale Vince thinks it’s time for people like him to contribute more to the public finances. Arun Advani explains how a wealth tax could work and if it’s time for Labour to introduce one. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Can we trust nuclear power again?
Last Wednesday at 2:00 AM

Dr Tim Gregory argues that nuclear power is safe, relatively cheap and the only realistic route to achieving net zero targets. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Trump’s big beautiful betrayal
Last Tuesday at 2:00 AM

Ed Pilkington explains the president’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and what it will mean for millions of poorer Americans who voted for him last November. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


A rogue fertility clinic, stolen eggs, and an unlikely friendship
Last Monday at 2:00 AM

Jenny Kleeman reports on the IVF clinic in the US that stole women’s eggs to get other women pregnant. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Guilty... and not guilty: understanding the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs verdict
07/04/2025

The rapper faced charges often levied at mafia bosses. Anna Betts explains what the jury heard, and Andrew Lawrence tells Nosheen Iqbal what the verdict means for the music mogul. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


The truth about Iran’s nuclear programme
07/03/2025

After 12 days of bombing by Israel and the US last month, opinions vary about the extent of the damage caused to Iran’s nuclear facilities. Patrick Wintour and Rouzbeh Parsi explain why and what could happen next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


A humiliating day for Keir Starmer in parliament
07/02/2025

Helen Pidd talks to Kiran Stacey and a host of Labour MPs on a day of high drama in Westminster, as parliament votes on the government’s proposed disability cuts. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


The French town that banned its tap water and the chemicals that could be in yours
07/01/2025

Phoebe Weston heads to Alsace, eastern France, to hear about a ban on drinking water caused by dangerously high levels of ‘forever chemicals’. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


What to watch, read and listen to this summer
06/30/2025

Nosheen Iqbal talks to our culture critics Ben Beaumont-Thomas, Catherine Shoard and David Shariatmadari about the hottest music, film and books this summer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Labour’s controversial welfare bill
06/27/2025

Guardian columnist Frances Ryan on the reality of being disabled in the UK and the impact of the government’s proposed cuts. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Afraid of Israel, angry at the regime: Iranians on 12 days of war
06/26/2025

The analyst Ellie Geranmayeh and voices from inside Iran talk about their experiences of the last 12 days and what it will mean for the future of the regime. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


The protest group the UK government wants to brand terrorists
06/25/2025

The home secretary has announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action under terrorism laws. Haroon Siddique reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Trump keeps Starmer out of the loop on Iran
06/24/2025

Guardian deputy political editor Jessica Elgot on whether the UK government – despite calling for de-escalation for weeks – might be dragged into the turmoil in Iran This episode was recorded before Trump’s announcement late on Monday that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Why Trump bombed Iran
06/22/2025

The United States has joined Israel in its attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. Michael Safi hears from reporter Hugo Lowell and world affairs correspondent Andrew Roth on what happens now. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Israel and Iran: where is the conflict heading? – Today in Focus extra
06/20/2025

The Guardian’s senior international correspondent Julian Borger reports from Tel Aviv as the Israel-Iran conflict enters its second week and the world awaits Donald Trump’s decision on whether the US will enter the war. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Film-maker Adam Curtis on why this moment feels so weird
06/20/2025

The award-winning film-maker talks to Michael Safi about the big ideas that have run out of road. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


What Israel’s new war means for Gaza
06/19/2025

As the world’s attention moves to Iran, what are Israeli forces doing in Gaza? Emma Graham-Harrison reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


The Air India crash and the miracle of seat 11A
06/18/2025

Aviation journalist Jeff Wise on the crash of flight AI171, in which at least 270 people died, and how one passenger in seat 11A managed to survive. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Israel’s war with Iran: what does it want?
06/17/2025

It has been five days since Israel attacked Iran and the civilian death toll is rising, but its goal is unclear. Julian Borger reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Arise, Sir David Beckham
06/16/2025

Zoe Williams goes through the highs and lows of David Beckham’s career, and asks why it took so long for him to receive a knighthood. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


‘A declaration of war’: Israel’s strike on Iran – Today in Focus Extra
06/13/2025

The Guardian’s senior international correspondent Julian Borger reports from Jerusalem the morning after an unprecedented Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Donald Trump v Los Angeles
06/12/2025

The US president called out the national guard and put marines on standby after protests against immigration raids began. Two Angelenos explain why the city won’t back down. Andrew Gumbel reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


NHS, houses, nuclear submarines: Labour sets out its spending plans
06/12/2025

Economics editor Heather Stewart explores the winners and losers of the government’s spending review. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


250 days on hunger strike: Can Laila Soueif secure her son’s freedom?
06/11/2025

Who is Alaa Abd el-Fattah and why are British diplomats trying to obtain his release? Patrick Wintour reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Trump, Musk and the end of a bromance
06/10/2025

Andrew Roth details the explosive falling-out between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and what it tells us about the future of the US presidency. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Trump deploys the national guard in LA – Today in Focus Extra
06/09/2025

The Guardian’s US live news editor in London, Chris Michael, on the president’s shock decision and what could happen next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Australia’s mushroom murder trial
06/09/2025

Justice and courts reporter Nino Bucci talks through the trial that has gripped Australia – of the woman accused of murdering three of her relatives with poisoned mushrooms over a family meal. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance – episode 1
06/07/2025

Three years ago the British journalist Dom Phillips and the Brazilian Indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips investigates what happened in the first episode of a new six-part investigative podcast series. Find episode 2 – and all future episodes – by searching for ‘Missing in the Amazon’. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


The Swiss village buried by a glacier collapse
06/06/2025

Tess McClure reports on a landslide in Switzerland that left one person missing and destroyed a village. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Is AI about to steal your job?
06/05/2025

Should we believe the warning that AI is about to upend the jobs market? Chris Stokel-Walker reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


A trip to Musk city
06/04/2025

Guardian US southern bureau chief Oliver Laughland heads to Starbase, Texas, to visit the home of Elon Musk’s company SpaceX as it votes on whether to become its own city. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Keir Starmer needs you: Britain readies for war
06/03/2025

Former Guardian security editor Richard Norton-Taylor talks through the strategic defence review and Britain’s new plans to be ready for war. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Making America pregnant again: the pro-natalist movement
06/02/2025

Moira Donegan on the different groups of people who want the US population to produce more babies. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


What happened to body positivity?
05/30/2025

Jenny Stevens and Gina Tonic discuss the rise of #SkinnyTok and the popularity of weight-loss drugs. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


The OpenAI empire
05/29/2025

Technology journalist Karen Hao, who has been reporting on OpenAI since 2019, compares the company’s unprecedented growth to a new form of empire. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


On trial for having an abortion
05/28/2025

Nicola Packer, with Guardian north of England correspondent, Hannah Al-Othman, describes her four-and-a-half-year ordeal after being prosecuted for having an abortion in the UK. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


A horrifying end to Liverpool’s parade: Today in Focus Extra
05/27/2025

Guardian football correspondent Andy Hunter on how celebrations in Liverpool turned into horror and disbelief. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


Will Netanyahu bow to pressure from his allies?
05/27/2025

Israel’s allies are beginning to change their rhetoric on Gaza, but will any action follow? Patrick Wintour reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus


My son Max, the boy who came back to life
05/26/2025

Guardian journalist Archie Bland describes the day his seven-week-old son stopped breathing, and the life he has led in the two years since. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus