Today in Focus

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 and Africa.

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Episodes

Finding a cannabis farm in your house

How a rogue letting agency destroyed homes and caused hundreds of thousands of pounds in damage. Sirin Kale reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Mar 10, 2025•30 min

Revisited: the spy cops scandal (part 2)

The Guardian’s Paul Lewis and Rob Evans on investigating one of England’s most covert police units and learning that they were using the identities of dead children. Frank Bennett reflects on the impact of discovering that a police spy had stolen his dead brother’s identity to infiltrate two leftwing organisations, and to deceive a woman into a sexual relationship The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed is available now on ITVX . Help support our independent journalism at theguardia...

Mar 09, 2025•35 min

Revisited: The spy cops scandal (part 1)

Guardian investigative editor Paul Lewis and investigative reporter Rob Evans detail their decade-long investigation into undercover policing. At least 139 officers were given fake identities to monitor the inner workings of more than 1,000 political groups. Jessica, a former member of one of those groups, describes the impact of discovering that a man with whom she began a relationship in 1992 was actually an undercover cop The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed is available on IT...

Mar 08, 2025•46 min

Inside the Islamic State prisons the west is trying to forget

Michael Safi travelled to north-east Syria to speak to IS foreign fighters imprisoned there. And discovered that a change in the US administration, and USAid funding cuts, means there is a growing fear of prison breaks. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Mar 07, 2025•37 min

Exposed: listening in on a $35m phone scam

What can a major leak teach us about how call-centre fraudsters work? Simon Goodley reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Mar 06, 2025•37 min

How far will Trump’s embrace of Russia go?

The US has suspended all military aid to Ukraine. What does this mean for European security? Andrew Roth reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Mar 05, 2025•27 min

Trump v Zelenskyy: the view from Ukraine

What do Ukrainians make of the two presidents’ fractious meeting – and would they support a Trump-led peace deal? Luke Harding reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Mar 04, 2025•25 min

The doctors detained in Gaza: ‘He was dragged from the operating theatre’

Doctors in Gaza say they have been targeted for doing their jobs, detained and even tortured. Annie Kelly reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Mar 03, 2025•32 min

Joy, hope and murder in free Syria

Syria has a new leader, and for thousands it is a time of celebration and optimism. But old enmities and fears about what comes next haunt the country. Michael Safi reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 28, 2025•44 min

Can Spain make immigration a vote-winner?

How much is immigration responsible for Spain’s economic growth? Ashifa Kassam reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 27, 2025•23 min

Undercover in the House of Lords

A Labour member of the House of Lords offered access to ministers during discussions about a commercial deal worth tens of thousands of pounds, an undercover investigation can reveal. Henry Dyer reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 26, 2025•31 min

Can the ‘special relationship’ survive Donald Trump?

Keir Starmer is travelling to the White House for a high-stakes meeting. But will he have any influence over the US president? Patrick Wintour reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 25, 2025•25 min

The murder and legacy of the world’s first openly gay imam

How did Imam Muhsin change the lives of queer Muslims? Jamie Fullerton reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 24, 2025•22 min

A German election road trip with the far right on the up

Today in Focus presenter Helen Pidd hits the road in Germany before Sunday’s federal elections, talking to voters across the country about the rise of the far right. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 21, 2025•33 min

Has Hezbollah really been defeated?

Israel’s war has left many Lebanese people contemplating what once seemed unimaginable: is Hezbollah finished? Michael Safi reports from Beirut. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 20, 2025•32 min

Will British troops be sent to Ukraine?

Keir Starmer says he is willing to deploy British forces to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement. But are they prepared? Dan Sabbagh reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 19, 2025•23 min

How Trump left Ukraine and Europe reeling

The Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent, Shaun Walker, talks through a seismic week, as the president sidelined Kyiv and other European capitals from negotiations on the ending the war and then called into question the future of US support for Europe’s security altogether. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 18, 2025•25 min

The man with Elon Musk’s chip in his brain

When Noland Arbaugh was left paralysed he signed up for an implant created by Musk’s Neuralink company that would allow his mind to directly interact with computers. Jenny Kleeman reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 17, 2025•39 min

Shon Faye on love and dating as a trans woman

For Valentine’s Day, Hannah Moore speaks to Shon Faye, author of Love in Exile, on her evolving understanding of love. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 14, 2025•26 min

What Trump’s assault on USAid means for the world

What will the world look like without US foreign assistance? Nesrine Malik reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 13, 2025•23 min

Why giving up the Chagos Islands could cost Britain £9bn

Eleni Courea discusses the UK’s historic deal to sign sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and why some inside the Labour party are now regretting it. Campaigner Olivier Bancoult outlines why he hopes the deal will go ahead. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 12, 2025•28 min

Lucy Letby and the medical experts who believe she is innocent

She was called the worst child serial killer in Britain in modern times. So why are medical experts saying her conviction is unsafe? Josh Halliday and Felicity Lawrence report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 11, 2025•41 min

How Trump made ‘diversity’ a dirty word

Has the US president won the battle against diversity, equity, and inclusion? Lauren Aratani reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 10, 2025•29 min

Going bald in an increasingly hairy world

With the rise of hair transplants, many men are opting out of baldness. But why is it so hard to accept this natural part of ageing? Stuart Heritage and Rudi Zygadlo explain. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 07, 2025•27 min

Gaza, trade wars and the chaos of Trump diplomacy

The Guardian diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, talks through Donald Trump’s latest moves on the world stage, from proposing the US takes over Gaza to starting trade wars with America’s biggest trading partners. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Feb 06, 2025•25 min

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