Today in Focus
By The Guardian
Today in Focus brings you closer to the Guardian's journalism. Our award-winning morning edition hosted by Helen Pidd, Nosheen Iqbal and Annie Kelly combines on-the-ground reporting, insightful analysis and personal testimony from the people at the heart of the stories that matter, to give you a deeper understanding of the world we live in. And to make sense of a rapidly-changing news cycle, our new evening edition 'The Latest' hosted by Lucy Hough, brings you up to speed on the big news story of the day in just 10 minutes. Available on YouTube and all podcast platforms.
Episodes (20)
Today in Focus
‘A husband expects a yes’: wife schools and the Christian nationalist movement
A new wave of Christian conservative influencers is reshaping the cultural landscape by redefining womanhood through the lens of submission, not empowerment. Elena Dimopoulos, a Guardian journalist, infiltrated the world of 'wife schools'—online courses teachi
Today in Focus
‘Sit back and relax’: Trump insists Iran deal close despite strikes – The Latest
President Trump's call for 'sitting back and relaxing' amid escalating Middle East tensions is revealing more about his domestic political pressure than diplomatic strategy, according to The Guardian's diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour. Despite Trump's confide
Today in Focus
The party dragging Nigel Farage further to the right
The rise of Restore Britain, a new far-right party led by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, is reshaping the UK's political landscape by pushing mainstream discourse further to the right. Despite polling at just 2-7% nationally, the party's influence is disprop
Today in Focus
Nicola Sturgeon’s ex and his £400,000 shopping spree
Nicola Sturgeon is grappling with a seismic political and personal crisis after her ex-husband, Peter Murrell, pleaded guilty to embezzling over £400,000 from the SNP using stolen party funds. The scandal, which includes luxury purchases like a £124,000 motorh
Today in Focus
How the murder of Henry Nowak is being exploited by the far right – The Latest
The murder of 18-year-old Henry Novak in Southampton has become a flashpoint in a growing national crisis over racial division and political exploitation. While the horrific footage of Novak's final moments—where he repeatedly cries 'I can't breathe' while bei
Today in Focus
Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker: the US commentators banned from the UK
Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, was abruptly banned from entering the UK at London's Heathrow Airport despite having traveled there multiple times before without issue. The ban, confirmed by the Home Office, cited his presence as 'not conducive to the pub
Today in Focus
How the myth of ‘two-tier policing’ took hold
The death of 18-year-old Henry Novak, stabbed by Vikram Digwa and left dying while police dismissed his pleas for help, has been weaponized by the far right to promote the myth of 'two-tier policing'—the false claim that white people are systematically discrim
Today in Focus
Outrage in Albania over Kushner-Trump $1.6bn luxury resort – The Latest
A $1.6 billion luxury resort project by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on a pristine 1,400-hectare private island off Albania’s coast has ignited nationwide outrage, not just for its environmental destruction but for the glaring conflict of interest it represe
Today in Focus
The criminal cartels cashing in on the World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, arrives amid a stark paradox: a global celebration of sport unfolding in the shadow of one of Mexico’s most violent criminal organizations, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). In Guadala
Today in Focus
Can Badenoch’s culture war win back Reform supporters? – The Latest
Kemi Badenoch, the UK's first Black female leader of a major political party, is pushing to abolish the Public Sector Equality Duty—a legal requirement for public bodies to consider equality impacts in their decisions—framing it as a tool of 'identity politics
Today in Focus
‘Grandpa in a bunker’: is Putin losing control?
The Kremlin's recent release of a video showing Vladimir Putin casually meeting his high school teacher has sparked intense scrutiny over whether the Russian leader is losing control. Journalist Pyotr Sauer, reporting from Armenia, reveals a growing sense of d
Today in Focus
The view from Belfast after a night of violent protests - The Latest
In the wake of a violent knife attack in Belfast that left a man blind, a night of widespread unrest erupted across the city, fueled not by the crime itself but by a toxic mix of racial resentment, historical trauma, and online incitement. Journalist Rory Carr
Today in Focus
Mehdi Hasan on Donald Trump’s big, beautiful birthday
Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the US’s 250th anniversary are being marked not with national unity, but with a grotesque spectacle: a UFC cage fight on the White House lawn, a gold-plated ballroom, and a billionaire’s vanity project. Mehdi Hassan, The Guardi
Today in Focus
Defence secretary quits with ‘blistering’ swipe at Starmer - The Latest
The resignation of Defence Secretary John Healy has sent shockwaves through the UK political landscape, with his blistering public statement accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to commit to national security due to insufficient defence spending. He
Today in Focus
On the ground in the Belfast riots
In the wake of a violent uprising in Belfast sparked by a knife attack on a British citizen, immigrant communities—particularly from Uganda, Sudan, Romania, and Ukraine—found themselves under siege. Two Ugandan care workers, Samaya and Stella, described being
Today in Focus
In Makerfield for the byelection that could change everything
The by-election in Makerfield isn't just a local contest—it's a potential seismic shift in British politics. With Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, stepping into the fray to reclaim his old seat, the race has become a proxy battle for the soul of
Today in Focus
Will US-Iran peace deal hold? – The Latest
The U.S.-Iran peace deal, brokered by Pakistan and announced with fanfare by Trump, is unraveling under scrutiny despite its public celebration. While Trump declares victory and promises oil flow, the agreement remains shrouded in secrecy—no text exists, key d
Today in Focus
How the murder of my sister, Jo Cox, changed Britain
Ten years after the murder of MP Jo Cox, her sister Kim Leadbeater reflects on a moment that shattered her family and exposed the deep fractures in British politics. The assassination of a pro-Europe, social justice advocate by a far-right extremist during the
Today in Focus
The scramble to convince Trump to back Ukraine – The Latest
European leaders are scrambling to steer Donald Trump toward a peace deal on Ukraine that doesn’t hand Moscow a strategic victory, even as they grapple with his transactional approach to diplomacy. At the G7 summit in the French Alps, Trump’s recent praise for
Today in Focus
Will a ban keep the UK’s kids off social media?
The UK's newly announced ban on social media for under-16s has sparked a national debate over whether such a sweeping measure is effective, ethical, or even enforceable. While the government frames it as a bold step to protect children’s mental health, critics
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