The Story

South Wales has been a Labour heartland since the party formed over a century ago, but speak to people there today and you'll find support leaving in droves. So can Labour avoid an electoral car crash? Could the other main parties capitalise? Ahead of the Welsh Senedd elections next week, we travelled to Swansea to take the political temperature.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:
Professor Matthew Wall, professor of politics, philosophy and international relations at Swansea University and principal investigator of the 2026 Welsh election study.
Grant Berni, head of the Osprey’s supporters club.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producer: Harry Stott.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]
Read more: A walk round Pembroke Dock shows why Labour will lose Welsh election
Further listening: Get ready for a pub brawl, it's local election time
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
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Morgan McSweeney has told MPs that the revelations about Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein were like a knife through his soul. The more we learn about the appointment process, the madder it sounds. And the odd thing is that crucial decisions were not written down: there are no receipts. There's a mood building in the Labour Party that Keir Starmer will need to go big or go home: come up with a bold agenda, make the case for it and then deliver it. Has he got it in 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/thestory

Hosts: Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times. Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times. Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times.
Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson.
Executive producer: Molly Guinness.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: McSweeney and Barton raise new questions over PM’s judgment
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

White House correspondents' dinner shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president. The White House says Saturday’s attack is the third 'assassination attempt' on Donald Trump in the last two years. But what do we know about Allen? And what does this all tell us about the rise of political violence in America?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:
David Charter, assistant editor, US, The Times and The Sunday Times.
Nick Bryant, journalist and author of Forever War America's Unending Conflict With Itself and the Substack History Never Ended.
Host: Manveen Rana
Producers: Julia Webster and Olivia Case
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Cole Tomas Allen: who is the alleged gunman at correspondents’ dinner?
Further listening: Can King Charles fix the special relationship?
Clips: The Obama White House / YouTube, C-SPAN, OverDriveGamesAnime / YouTube, ABC, CBS, NBC, The New Yorker, KATU News.
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was recorded before the events at the White House Correspondents’ Association on Saturday.

King Charles arrives in America today for a state visit to mark the country’s 250th birthday. But with US-UK relations at a low over Iran - and the Epstein scandal still looming large - the stakes are high. Last week Trump said the monarch could help repair the special relationship so will soft power bring the allies back together?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:
Kate Mansey, assistant editor, The Times.
Sir David Manning, former British Ambassador to America and former advisor to the Royal Household.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producer: Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]
Read more: King’s US visit can ‘absolutely’ repair relations, says Trump
Further listening: The Pope v Trump
Clips: The Art of the Surge: The Donald Trump Comeback / Instagram, BBC, DailyMotion, The Royal Family Channel / YouTube, ABC.
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shane Christie was one of the brightest rugby stars in New Zealand before suffering multiple concussions, leading to a brain injury that would slowly take everything from him. And his experience is far from unique. In this deeply personal account, David Walsh talks to Shane's former partner, Holly Parkes, to ask, What happened? What does Shane's story reveal about the sport he loved deeply? And can rugby survive the fallout?

This is part one of a two-part special investigation into the crisis facing this global game.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Holly Parkes
Host: David Walsh, chief sports writer, The Sunday Times
Producer: Sophie McNulty
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: The concussion files
Clips: Harlequins - YouTube.
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.