Sensemaker

The Observer

The Sensemaker from The Observer - one story every day to make sense of the world.

Subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 to get 50% off your annual subscription:

Early access, bonus content and ad-free listening to our podcasts
A daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a week
Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword
Recipes for every occasion
Free tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

1,388 episodes
Updated June 19

Episodes1388

Newest first

Jul 12, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 128: A star lawyer in the dock
Tom Girardi was such a famous lawyer that he was portrayed as a character in a Hollywood movie. But then rumours started to emerge that his clients weren't getting all the money he'd won for them in settlements.
Jul 9, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 127: A vaccination anthem
Vax That Thang Up could be the sound of summer 2021. It's a pro-vaccination remake of Juvenile's 1999 hip-hop classic.
Jul 8, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 126: Slow justice for the Stockwell Six
Why it took 50 years for the unjust conviction of six men – made up by a corrupt copper – to be overturned.
Jul 7, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 125: The rise of REvil and ransomware
Ransomware attacks - taking over computer networks and blackmailing their owners - has become huge business.
Jul 6, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 124: A tragedy in Miami
As 28 people are confirmed dead and 117 are still missing in the rubble, America is asking: what went wrong at Miami's Champlain Towers?
Jul 5, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 123: Canada's terrible secret
Thousands of unmarked graves have been found in Canada at former residential schools for children from indigenous families. The true scale of the scandal is still emerging.
Jul 3, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 122: A bitter by-election
Labour won this week's by-election after a very hard-fought campaign. And the party wasn't only fighting its opponents.
Jul 1, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 121: Why Bill Cosby was freed
Comedian Bill Cosby was jailed for sexual assault - one of the highest-profile stars held to account after the #MeToo movement. So why has he just walked free?
Jun 30, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 120: China's rap patriots
China's ruling party are about to celebrate their 100-year anniversary. But their new anthem isn't quite what you'd expect...
Jun 29, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 119: A political affair
Matt Hancock's resignation as Health Secretary has triggered a bout of political infighting. Who's going to win?
Jun 28, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 118: The paranoid pioneer
John McAfee invented anti-virus software and made millions. Last week he took his own life in a Spanish jail, convinced that politicians and the FBI were out to get him.
Jun 25, 2021 · 4 min
Ep 117: Britney's back
Britney Spears's speech to a court about the conservatorship that runs her life has made headlines. But it's also raised an important question: who gets to decide if you can have a child?
Jun 24, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 116: Drama in the DUP
In just 2 months, Northern Ireland's DUP has toppled a leader, elected a new one, forced him to resign... and elected another new one. Huh?
Jun 23, 2021 · 4 min
Ep 115: A moment of pride in the NFL
No professional American footballer has ever come out as gay while he was still playing. That changed this week thanks to Carl Nassib.
Jun 22, 2021 · 4 min
Ep 114: Blame the burrito
The American track star Shelby Houlihan has lost her place at the Olympics after testing positive for a steroid. She blamed a Mexican takeaway.
Jun 21, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 113: China's racy but radical tabloid
How a salacious newspaper – full of gossip and dramatic crime stories – is getting the Chinese authorities really worried.
Jun 18, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 112: The new face in the fight to control big tech
Joe Biden has just appointed a 32 year-old law professor called Lina Khan to cut big tech down to size
Jun 17, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 111: Murder and corruption
A 34-old unsolved murder has led to the Metropolitan Police being labelled 'institutionally corrupt'.
Jun 16, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 110: Israel's Houdini
Has Israel's longest-standing prime minister run out of road? Or does he have another trick up his sleeve?
Jun 15, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 109: Football's duty of care
After Christian Eriksen collapsed on the football pitch, it was left to the players to decide whether to carry on with the match.