The Story

Morgan McSweeney has told MPs that the revelations about Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein were like a knife through his soul. The more we learn about the appointment process, the madder it sounds. And the odd thing is that crucial decisions were not written down: there are no receipts. There's a mood building in the Labour Party that Keir Starmer will need to go big or go home: come up with a bold agenda, make the case for it and then deliver it. Has he got it in him?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHosts: Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times. Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times. Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times.Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson.Executive producer: Molly Guinness.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: McSweeney and Barton raise new questions over PM’s judgmentPhoto: Getty Images.

White House correspondents' dinner shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president. The White House says Saturday’s attack is the third 'assassination attempt' on Donald Trump in the last two years. But what do we know about Allen? And what does this all tell us about the rise of political violence in America? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:David Charter, assistant editor, US, The Times and The Sunday Times. Nick Bryant, journalist and author of Forever War America's Unending Conflict With Itself and the Substack History Never Ended.Host: Manveen RanaProducers: Julia Webster and Olivia CaseWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Cole Tomas Allen: who is the alleged gunman at correspondents’ dinner?Further listening: Can King Charles fix the special relationship?Clips: The Obama White House / YouTube, C-SPAN, OverDriveGamesAnime / YouTube, ABC, CBS, NBC, The New Yorker, KATU News.Photo: Getty Images.

This episode was recorded before the events at the White House Correspondents’ Association on Saturday.King Charles arrives in America today for a state visit to mark the country’s 250th birthday. But with US-UK relations at a low over Iran - and the Epstein scandal still looming large - the stakes are high. Last week Trump said the monarch could help repair the special relationship so will soft power bring the allies back together?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:Kate Mansey, assistant editor, The Times.Sir David Manning, former British Ambassador to America and former advisor to the Royal Household. Host: Luke Jones. Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: King’s US visit can ‘absolutely’ repair relations, says TrumpFurther listening: The Pope v TrumpClips: The Art of the Surge: The Donald Trump Comeback / Instagram, BBC, DailyMotion, The Royal Family Channel / YouTube, ABC. Photo: Getty Images.

Shane Christie was one of the brightest rugby stars in New Zealand before suffering multiple concussions, leading to a brain injury that would slowly take everything from him. And his experience is far from unique. In this deeply personal account, David Walsh talks to Shane's former partner, Holly Parkes, to ask, What happened? What does Shane's story reveal about the sport he loved deeply? And can rugby survive the fallout? This is part one of a two-part special investigation into the crisis facing this global game. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Holly ParkesHost: David Walsh, chief sports writer, The Sunday TimesProducer: Sophie McNultyWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: The concussion filesClips: Harlequins - YouTube.Photo: Getty Images.

Hidden in a quiet Belgian archive, century-old colonial maps of the Democratic Republic of Congo may hold the key to an estimated $24 trillion in untapped minerals. Now the United States, backed by Trump, together with the likes of Jeff Bezos, want them. The curators, however, are in no hurry to hand them over.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryWritten by: Madeleine Spence, deputy editor for News Review, The Sunday Times.Read by: Olivia Case.Host: Luke Jones. Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: The $24trn question: who owns these 100-year-old mining maps?Clips: DW, BBC.Photo: Getty Images, The Sunday Times.

The American Dream is as old as the United States itself. But as the country marks its 250th anniversary, with economic uncertainty, political turbulence and social divisions all on the rise, do ordinary Americans still believe? The Times and YouGov spoke to 1800 of them to find out – and we've got their analysis.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:  David Charter, assistant editor (US), The Times.Tom Calver, data editor, The Times and Sunday Times.Host: Rosie Wright.Producer: Callum Martin and Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: The American Dream is dying, Times poll revealsFurther listening: Five years on from the Jan 6 riots, how has the US president changed America?Clips: SullenToys / YouTube, Zohran Mamdani / YouTube.Photo: Getty Images.

Attacks targeting the Jewish community have surged in recent weeks, with synagogues and community centres being hit. Many people are feeling increasingly vulnerable, but what's behind this escalation? And how is it impacting Jewish people?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests: David Woode, crime editor, The TimesJosh Glancy, associate editor, The Sunday TimesHost: Luke Jones. Producers: Dave Creasey & Edward Drummond.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Jewish attacks ‘are why state-backed groups must be called terrorists’Further listening: Danny Finkelstein: How the world’s antisemites turned on meClips: Channel 4, BBC News, ITV News, Times Radio, Daily Mirror.Photo: Getty Images.

The shaky ceasefire between Iran and the US has been extended. Whether it lasts much longer or fighting resumes depends partly on Lebanon, where another fragile truce has been struck between Israel and the Iranian proxy group Hezbollah. So why is Lebanon so important to peace with Iran? And what happens if the ceasefire fails? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Jack Clover, assistant foreign news editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Luke Jones. Producers: Micaela Arneson, Edward Drummond. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: With war in its DNA, will Hezbollah ever disarm?Further listening: Trump’s ceasefire with Iran - what’s in it and what’s nextClips: Channel 4, The Guardian, CNN, Global News, Middle East Eye, Reuters. Photo: Getty Images.

Sir Olly Robbins dropped bombshell after bombshell when he spoke to MPs. Robbins, who was sacked as the Foreign Office’s chief civil servant, has accused Downing Street of placing the department under constant pressure to get Lord Mandelson through vetting. He also said the prime minister had tried to find an ambassadorial job for Matthew Doyle, another Labour peer who's been in trouble for a friendship with a paedophile. Where does it all leave Sir Keir Starmer?Plus, we reveal when the next tranche of Mandelson files will be published.Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesLara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday TimesProducers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry KitsonExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture credit: Parliament TVClips: Parliament TV