The Story

The Times’ Money desk has been investigating the UK’s student debt system – and has discovered some bombshells. After being promised a loan that would be like paying a ‘phone bill every month’, graduates are weighed down by tens of thousands of pounds in ever-increasing debt. So how did we get here? And is there a plan to fix it?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: Mary Downer, Money reporter, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Sophie McNulty.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Plan 2 student loan interest is unfair, says Lucy PowellFurther listening: The Budget unpackedClips: BBC, Parliament Live, ITN, Channel 4 News, LBC.Episode artwork: Times Media.

AI researcher Zoe Hitzig quit her job at OpenAI this week over “deep reservations” about the company’s strategy, including their decision to pilot running ads on ChatGPT. In a rare interview, she gives her reasons for leaving the industry - a world with access to "an unprecedented archive of human candour". Meanwhile, another AI researcher, this time at Anthropic, also quit with a the stark warning that "the world is in peril". They just the latest in a series of high profile resignations. So what's going on - and what are the big fears for a world increasingly dominated by AI?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: Zoe Hitzig, former AI researcher at OpenAI.Mark Sellman,Technology Correspondent for the Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: ‘The world is in peril’: AI researchers quit with public warningsPhoto: Getty Images.

Danny Finkelstein's mother survived Bergen-Belsen. When far-right activist Nick Fuentes began spreading antisemitic, pro-Hitler ideas, our writer challenged him. He wasn’t ready for the onslaught that ensued.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryReady by: Danny Finkelstein, Times columnist, author and Conservative peer.Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Daniel Finkelstein: How the world’s antisemites turned on meClips: TalkTV, CBS.Photo: Tom Jackson for The Times Magazine.

It’s almost six weeks since America launched military strikes against Venezuela and captured its President over claims the country was flooding the US with drugs and migrants. But was this ever actually the intention, or is Trump more interested in syphoning off the country’s oil? Why is the old regime still in power – and what is life like for locals?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:  Stephen Gibbs, contributor, Latin America and the Caribbean, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Olivia Case and Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Ally of Venezuela’s opposition leader ‘kidnapped’ hours after being freedFurther listening: Prince William walks a tightrope in Saudi ArabiaClips:  The White House / X, BBC, NBC, CNBC, CBS / 60 Minutes, Sky News Australia.Photo: Getty Images.

It’s been almost a fortnight since the release of the Epstein files, and since then we’ve learned a lot about the disgraced financier’s connections to the rich and powerful. But what more have we learned about Jeffrey Epstein himself? Was he a foreign spy? And what do the files tell us about how the world is really run? 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: Josie Ensor, chief US reporter, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Micaela Arneson, Olivia Case. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Epstein’s victims: my six-year search for the truthFurther listening: Mandelson, Epstein and the fight for survival at No 10Clips: Sky, AP, TalkTV, ABC News Australia, ITV, LBC, New York Post, CSPAN, House Oversight Committee.Photo: Getty Images.

The Office for National Statistics has said that by 2029 it expects more deaths than births in Britain. Simultaneously migration could go into reverse soon, with more people leaving our shores than arriving. But how will a shrinking - and ageing - population affect our politics, our economy and our lives?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: Tom Calver, Data Editor, The Times and The Sunday TimesHost: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Could Britain’s population actually start shrinking soon?Further listening: Britain is in a cancer crisis. Will a new strategy fix it?Clips: Sky, ITN, BBC.Photo: Getty Images.

After a whirlwind week in Westminster, we've decided to bring you an extra dose of Whitehall gossip. Check out this week's episode from our sister podcast: The State of It.The prime minister thought it was all over for him this weekend, but a scrambled rearguard action has left him looking stronger than he has for some time. But to survive, Keir Starmer may now have no choice but to move leftwards. And there's much worse to come when the Mandelson files are released. Meanwhile, has Wes Streeting missed his moment to challenge the prime minister?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 TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesProducer: Euan Dawtrey.Executive Producer: Molly Guiness.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comFurther listening: The State of ItClips: Sky News.Photo: Getty Images.

It’s been a week of chaos in Westminster, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer fights for survival. The crisis he faces reached fever pitch on Sunday with the resignation of his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, followed swiftly the next morning by the departure of Tim Allan, his director of communications. On Monday afternoon, the pressure escalated further when Anas Sarwar, Labour leader in Scotland, became the most senior figure yet to publicly call for Starmer’s resignation. So can his government survive the next week ahead?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: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Harry Stott, Sophie McNulty.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: With Morgan McSweeney forced out, PM may not be far behindFurther listening: Mandelson, Epstein and the fight for survival at No 10Clips: Times Radio, BBC, The Telegraph, Sky News, ITV News, GB NewsPhoto: Getty Images, The Times, Dinesh Mehta

Prince William is making his first visit to Saudi Arabia this week to celebrate “growing trade, energy and investment ties” between the kingdom and the UK. But with a number of sensitive issues on the table – from defence and intelligence sharing to Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record – how will the prince walk the diplomatic tightrope? Should the UK be pursuing a closer relationship with the kingdom at all? 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: Roya Nikkhah, royal editor, The Sunday Times. Sir William Patey, former UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.Host: Luke Jones. Producers: Julia Webster, Micaela Arneson.  We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Prince William to visit Saudi Arabia as diplomatic ‘secret weapon’Further listening: Travelling with the Duchess in a war zoneClips:  NBC, BBC, HM Treasury.Photo: Dana Chan, Getty Images.