The Story

The prospect of internal conflict, as depicted in Alex Garland’s new film ‘Civil War’, is no longer regarded as an impossibility in America. With millions of guns in circulation, militia membership on the rise, and citizens relocating along ideological lines, could the US descend into a new civil war?Guests:Sarah Baxter, Director of the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting.Barbara F Walter, Rohr Professor of International Affairs at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California in San Diego.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Civil War © 2024, A24  / Entertainment Film Distributors, Director Alex Garland, The Telegraph, The Washington Post, The Evening Standard, CNN, The Independent, CBC News.

A group of former teachers and a cryptocurrency trader are teaching at a suspected illegal school, Universallkidz in Manchester, in which children are being educated to become the next generation of conspiracy theorists. The Times’ Tom Ball went undercover as a teacher to find out more.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/podcasts/the-story Guest: Tom Ball, Reporter, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Find out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'Mentioned in this episode: Hope Sussex school trains next generation of conspiracy theorists

William Hague sits down with Azeem Azhar, entrepreneur, investor and one of the world’s leading thinkers on artificial intelligence, to discuss how tech could be the great equaliser, how we must control it and how the world will be unrecognisable in 5 years time. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/podcasts/the-story Guest: Azeem Azhar, entrepreneur, investor, author, thought leader.Host: William Hague.Further listening: Artificial intelligence: Our bright new future or the end of humanity?Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Find out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'

After two years of legal disputes and political debate, Parliament has approved the government's Rwanda bill to send asylum seekers from the UK to be processed in east Africa. The question now: when will the first plane to Kigali depart? And will this be a political win for Rishi Sunak who says he wants to 'stop the boats'? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/podcasts/the-story Guest: Aubrey Allegretti, Chief Political Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Find out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'Clips: BBC Parliament, ITV, BBC News. 

With young people in Britain and across the world increasingly reliant on smartphones, and many teens now openly admitting they’re addicted to social media, could an entire generation be suffering serious and irreversible damage, and what should we as a society do to stop it?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/podcasts/the-story Guest: Helen Rumbelow, Times Feature Writer and Columnist.Host: Manveen Rana. Email us: thestory@thetimes.co.ukFind out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'Clips: NBC News, ITV News, Bloomberg Technology.

India's PM Narendra Modi is favoured to win a third term as 970 million voters hit the polls in a six-week general election. Using an aggressive digital campaign, he’s doubling down on Hindu nationalism and promising more development. However, crackdowns on opposition and the press have intensified during his decade-long leadership, raising concerns about the future of India's secular democracy. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestoryGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Find out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'Guest: Philip Sherwell, Asia correspondent, The Sunday Times. Host: Maveen Rana. Clips: ANI, Reuters, DW News, BBC, CNN, The Wire, Brut India. 

The call came in the dead of night. “Are you on your own?” the man said. “I’ve got in with some bad people and they’ve locked me in a flat and they want £5,000 to release me.” The caller was Mark Menzies, the Conservative MP for Fylde in Lancashire. The Times investigation reveals a litany of allegations involving sex, drugs and a drunk dog. Mark Menzies disputes all the allegations, and says he “fully complied with all the rules for declarations.”This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestoryGuest: Billy Kenber, Senior Investigations Reporter, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Further listening: The council house row Angela Rayner can't shake.  Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Find out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'

Donald Trump has made history yet again, as the first American president to face a criminal trial. It’s one of four criminal cases against him - and the legal arguments already have experts divided. But what about the woman at the centre of it? What’s her story?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/podcasts/the-storyGuest: Jane Mulkerrins, Associate Editor, The Times Magazine.Host: Luke Jones.Clips: Forbes, Fox News.Email us: thestory@thetimes.co.ukFind out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'

Police are investigating whether Labour’s deputy leader broke “any offences”, including under electoral law, after Tory MPs alleged that she may have given false information about her main residence - an ex council house she purchased - a decade ago. Rayner, who has promised to resign if she is found to have committed a crime, said she “followed the rules at all times”. But how damaging could this row be to her - and to her party.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/podcasts/the-storyGuest: Kate McCann, Political Editor, Times Radio.Host: Luke JonesClips: BBC, Newsnight, ITV, 5 News, Sky News.Email us: thestory@thetimes.co.ukFind out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'