Sensemaker

Valerie Huber, a little-known but influential activist, has spent years shaping policies to restrict access to abortion. Now Donald Trump is back in the White House her influence will be felt globally.  Writer: Phoebe Davis  Producer: Casey Magloire Host: Claudia Williams Episode photography: Joe Mee Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

What's behind an Israeli military operation and surging settler violence in the West Bank following the Gaza ceasefire? Writer: Lilly Cheslaw Producer: Katie Gunning Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many young people saw the Lifetime ISA as their ticket onto the housing ladder. But with soaring property prices and a rigid price cap, thousands are now facing unexpected penalties - some are losing thousands in government withdrawal fees.  Writer: Barney Macintyre Producer: Patricia Clarke Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace that facilitated drug sales using Bitcoin. What does his freedom tell us about the future of cryptocurrency? Writers: Xavier Greenwood  Producer: Casey Magloire Photography: Joe Mee Host: Claudia Williams Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of the Southport murders, the UK Government is reviewing its terrorism strategy and considering adopting a broader definition. But will this stop lone wolf attacks in the future? Writer: Cat Neilan Producer: Ada Barumé Host: Claudia Williams Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time since 2000, Syria has ushered in a new year without President Assad as their autocratic head of state. But what's next for the country? Two Syrians share their hopes and fears for the future.  Writer: Ada Barumé  Producer: Ada Barumé Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before last year’s election Donald Trump vowed to carry out the biggest mass deportations in American history, targeting millions of undocumented immigrants from day one of his presidency. Five days since his inauguration… does it look like he will succeed? Writer: Serena Cesareo Producer: Serena Casareo Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Yesterday Prince Harry settled his long-running legal battle with Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group. It’s being hailed as a victory for the royal, but who has actually won? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member  a...

The England men’s cricket team faces calls to boycott an upcoming match against Afghanistan in protest of the Taliban’s oppressive policies, particularly their human rights abuses against women and girls. But should athletes be forced to take a stand? Writers: Phoebe Davis and Andrew Butler Producer: Casey Magloire Photography: Joe Mee Host: Tomini Babs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Donald Trump is sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. What did his Inauguration Address tell us about the direction he is setting for America and the world – from immigration and climate change to the future of Ukraine? Writer: David Taylor Producer: Rebecca Moore Host: Tomini Babs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month, the UK government vowed to crack down on explicit AI deepfakes by going after the people who create them. But the story of a popular “nudify” app highlights why tackling the issue is so challenging. Writer: Patricia Clarke Producer: Patricia Clarke Photography: Joe Mee Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 15 months of conflict, could this week’s ceasefire deal mark the beginning of the end of one of the deadliest wars in modern history? Writers: Lilly Cheslaw and Rebecca Moore. Producer: Katie Gunning.  Photographer: Joe Mee.  Executive producer: Jasper Corbett.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Offshore windfarms are powerful generators of clean energy and are a key part of Labour’s green energy pledge. But these colossal turbines can blind the UK’s defence systems. What does this mean, and what can be done about it? This episode was written by Elaine McCallig Mixed by Casey Magloire. Photography by Jon Jones.  Executive producer is Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

The ongoing legal battle over TikTok’s future could see the app banned from Sunday. As political and legal pressures mount, TikTok's 170 million American users are left wondering if their beloved platform will survive. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on Apple Podcasts for early acc...

Silicon Valley is changing. Big tech executives are looking at  another term under Donald Trump and deciding its time for a shake-up. It’s out with the old and in with the new.  Writer: Barney Macintyre Producer: Patricia Clarke Photography: Jon Jones Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Niantic, the company behind the game that took the world by storm in 2016, is building a massive geospatial AI model that could end up powering robots – all using player data.  The company behind the wildly popular augmented reality game has been quietly helping to train a massive AI model by collecting user data to build a detailed 3D map of the world. While this geospatial model could...

What are bond yields and why does their rise risk derailing the Labour government’s plans for the UK? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member  and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more If...

South Korea faced a major crisis when President Yoon imposed martial law late last year. Why do his supporters rally behind him with American ‘Stop the Steal’ flags? Writer: Eleanor Biggs Mix: Casey Magloire Photography: Jon Jones Host: Casey Magloire Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the closure of the marine zoo they live in, France's last two captive orcas, Wikie and Keijo, face an uncertain future. Could relocating them to a proposed whale retirement home in Canada be their best option? Writer and producer: Claudia Williams Executive producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the end of last year fifty one men went on trial in France in connection with the drugging, rape and assault of 72-year-old Gisele Pelicot. After a trial which lasted nearly four months, all were convicted and sentenced, including her ex-husband. What impact will the case have on French laws round consent? Writer: Serena Cesareo Producer: Ada Barume Host: Claudia Williams Executive Producer: Re...

Despite Silicon Valley promising Artificial Intelligence would revolutionise our daily lives, the reality has been slower to unfold.  Writer: Patricia Clarke Producer: Rebecca Moore Host: Casey Magloire  Executive Producer: Matt Russell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If 2023 was the year weight-loss injections such as Ozempic or WeGovy took over Hollywood, then 2024 was the year they went global. What does that mean for Novo Nordisk, the Danish company making them? And can it live up to the hype? Writer: Claudia Williams Producer: Claudia Williams Photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

The King's first full year on the throne has been marked by his illness. Along with that of his daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales. What does this year tell us about the state of the royal family? Writer: Xavier Greenwood Producer: Xavier Greenwood Photography: Lola Williams Executive producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How England cricket’s greatest batter got even better in 2024. Writer: Andrew Butler. Producer: Lola Williams Photography: Lola Williams  Executive producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The tradwife movement, led by influencers like Nara Smith, sparked intense online debate throughout 2024, particularly following Donald Trump's presidential election victory. What does it tell us about the year? Writer: Jess Swinburne Producer: Jess Swinburne Host: Casey Magloire  Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.