The Story

This week, Taylor Swift announced her engagement to boyfriend of two years, NFL tight end Travis Kelce. So what can we expect at America's version of a royal wedding? Will there be hints or Easter eggs about it in her new album? And what could a stable love life mean for an artist who’s built a career on heartbreak?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: Sarah Ditum, writer, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Read more: Taylor Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce is an all-American love storyHappily ever after? The Disneyfication of America’s ‘royal couple’Taylor Swift’s $1m ring is so huge she’ll get a six-pack on her fingerClips: Fix, iHollywoodTV, ABC, New Heights podcast, CDC / Pfizer, E! Entertainment. Music: All Too Well / Taylor Swift / Republic Records, Bejewelled / Taylor Swift / Republic Records, You Belong With Me / Taylor Swift / Republic Records, So High School / Taylor Swift / Republic Records.Photo: Instagram / @TaylorSwift. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

President Trump announced on Truth Social this week that he had fired Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook. While most people had no idea who she was, her sacking could have a massive impact. The move is seen as part of the continued politicisation of the Fed, the US’s independent central bank and some economists fear it could be the start of a journey towards economic meltdown in America with global repercussions. 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: Mehreen Khan,  Economics Editor, The Times.Host:  Manveen Rana.Producer: Shabnam Grewal.Read more: Trump is rapidly tightening his grip on US central bankDollar weakens after Trump ‘sacks’ Fed governor Lisa CookClips: CNN, Bloomberg, The Legal Defence Fund.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Yesterday Nigel Farage unveiled Reform UK’s plans to tackle the issue of small boats and illegal migration. It's a problem that's driven European politics for almost a decade, we look to the continent for lessons they've learned on how it could be solved.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: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Edith Rousselot. Read more: Look to Sweden for bold policies on migrantsClips: Times Radio.Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com  

With the prospect of peace in Ukraine looking increasingly clouded following Donald Trump's attempts at inter-continental deal-making, the former head of the UK military, General Sir Nick Carter, tells Tom Newton Dunn that the US president doesn't understand his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Can Europe's leaders achieve some kind of security guarantee without US boots on the ground to back it up? And does Trump understand the lessons of history?Guest: General Sir Nick Carter, Former UK Chief of the Defence Staff.Host: Calum Macdonald and Tom Newton Dunn.Producer: Sophie McNulty.Clips: Fox News.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com     

Ron Hubbard is the biggest builder of underground bunkers, giving security to wealthy buyers who fear the world is coming to an end. And business is boomingThis 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: Bevan Hurley.Read by: Edward Drummond.Producers: Edward Drummond and Kate Lamble.Photo: James Breeden for the Times. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Bobby Cunningham was 31 when he became Head of Security at Wandsworth Prison, Britain’s most notorious jail, where he was tasked with fighting corruption. The Sunday Times's Whitehall editor Gabriel Pogrund reveals his dealings with organised crime.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: Gabriel PogrundHost: Manveen RanaProducers: Olivia Case, Edward Drummond, Shabnam Grewal.Read more: Revealed: the prison chief linked to organised crimeClips: BBC, Sky News.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com  

Chris Brain, the leader of a Church of England ‘sex cult’ known s the Nine O'Clock Service, has been found guilty of 17 charges of indecent assault, three decades after its collapse. Why did the Church fail to learn lessons from the scandal?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: Sean O'Neill, Senior Writer, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Edward Drummond.Read more: Chris Brain: ‘charismatic priest’ behind the Nine O’Clock ServiceClips: BBC.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com     

Pro-democracy campaigner, media mogul and British citizen Jimmy Lai has been imprisoned in China for five years and on trial for two. As the closing statements are made, what will happen to one of China’s most prominent critics? And can the UK government - or Donald Trump - step in to free 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/thestoryGuest: Cindy Yu, Columnist and Contributing Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: BBC, Hoover Institute / YouTube, Sky, The Guardian, CNN, FOX, AP, Max Media, Asia, The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom / Ron Holwerda / Acton Institute. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Nvidia's the first company to be worth more than $4trilllion, developers are being offered salaries in the billions, and companies that don’t even have a product are securing investments beyond their wildest dreams. Yet there were reports this week that Meta could downsize its AI division. Our resident silicon valley watcher says there's an AI bubble, and looks back to the dot com boom and bust, for answers on what happens when it bursts.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: Danny Fortson, US West Coast correspondent, The Sunday Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Olivia Case.Read more: Silicon Valley’s AI-fuelled madness has echoes of the dotcom crashListen to Danny every week on The Times Tech PodcastClips: First Post, YouTube / @InvestDive, Bloomberg, YouTube / Meet McKay, CNBC, YouTube / 100xEngineers, BBC, YouTube / Budding, Pets.com, MSNBC, YouTube / @scalacodeIN, Stanford eCorner, CNET, YouTube / @fortune.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com