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 podcastsA daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a weekPuzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crosswordRecipes for every occasionFree tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Trapped by the lifetime ISA: a costly catch for first-time buyers
6 mins; January 29, 2025
Why did Donald Trump pardon a convicted "drug kingpin"?
6 mins; January 29, 2025
Can redefining terrorism stop the lone wolf threat?
8 mins; January 28, 2025
Hopes and fears for a new Syria
8 mins; January 27, 2025
Will Trump succeed in deporting millions?
7 mins; January 23, 2025
The Prince, the press, and the payout
9 mins; January 22, 2025
Should England’s cricketers boycott Afghanistan?
9 mins; January 22, 2025
The second age of Trump
9 mins; January 20, 2025
Inside the fight to shut down an AI-powered “nudify” network
8 mins; January 19, 2025
A prospect of peace between Israel and Hamas
8 mins; January 16, 2025
How windfarms unwittingly cause chaos to the UK’s air defences
6 mins; January 16, 2025
TikTok’s fate: the countdown to a US ban
7 mins; January 15, 2025
Mark Zuckerberg bows to Donald Trump
8 mins; January 13, 2025
How Pokémon Go Powers AI
8 mins; January 12, 2025
Why rising borrowing costs spell trouble for Rachel Reeves
6 mins; January 09, 2025
The MAGA Effect on South Korea’s Democracy
8 mins; January 09, 2025
How do you free a killer whale?
7 mins; January 07, 2025
Gisèle Pelicot – a historic rape trial
7 mins; January 06, 2025
Sensemaker: Will 2025 be the breakthrough year for AI adoption?
8 mins; January 05, 2025
Denmark’s gold rush town
6 mins; January 03, 2025
A hard year for King Charles
5 mins; January 01, 2025
Joe Root – the greatest gets better
5 mins; January 01, 2025
Nara Smith and the trad wife renaissance
8 mins; December 31, 2024
The rise and rise of Kneecap
8 mins; December 30, 2024
How Baby Reindeer rocked British TV
8 mins; December 26, 2024
Gaza’s Vlogger
7 mins; December 26, 2024
Chappell Roan and the price of fame
9 mins; December 25, 2024
The woman behind ITV’s Mr Bates vs. The Post Office
6 mins; December 23, 2024
2024: The year of the sequel
7 mins; December 23, 2024
Luigi Mangione’s alleged 3D-printed gun
5 mins; December 19, 2024
Why does Lucy Letby’s new lawyer think she should be released?
9 mins; December 18, 2024
Why has Saudi Arabia been awarded the 2034 World Cup?
6 mins; December 17, 2024
The rise of memecoins
8 mins; December 16, 2024
Who is the lawyer suing Jay-Z?
10 mins; December 15, 2024
Syria's prisons
7 mins; December 12, 2024
Could Nigel Farage’s Reform party be backed by mega donors?
7 mins; December 12, 2024
France’s political tailspin
7 mins; December 10, 2024
How did Syrian rebels overthrow Bashar al-Assad?
6 mins; December 09, 2024
The assisted dying bill has passed its first House of Commons hurdle, what happens next?
7 mins; December 09, 2024
Are targets for the rollout of electric vehicles too high?
6 mins; December 06, 2024
Syrian rebels take back Aleppo
7 mins; December 04, 2024
Banana Art
7 mins; December 03, 2024
Russia’s new experimental ballistic missile
6 mins; December 02, 2024
Why has Kate Nash started an OnlyFans?
7 mins; December 01, 2024
Who do the Lords work for?
6 mins; November 29, 2024
The crisis in women’s healthcare
8 mins; November 27, 2024
Can an AI chatbot cure loneliness?
10 mins; November 26, 2024
What are Israel’s plans for northern Gaza?
8 mins; November 25, 2024
Why are there protests over Māori rights in New Zealand?
9 mins; November 24, 2024
No men, no sex: A feminist backlash to Donald Trump’s election
6 mins; November 22, 2024
Is the UK’s 5G network a myth?
5 mins; November 20, 2024
Does severe flooding in Spain signal a warning for Europe?
7 mins; November 19, 2024
Will an anti-vaxxer take over America’s department of health?
8 mins; November 18, 2024
The world’s loneliest penguin
8 mins; November 18, 2024
The resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury
5 mins; November 14, 2024
The case for funding climate action before disaster strikes
9 mins; November 13, 2024
Musk buys power
9 mins; November 12, 2024
Why will HS2 spend £100 million on a bat tunnel?
7 mins; November 11, 2024
How are Sudan’s neighbours coping with the country’s refugees?
7 mins; November 10, 2024
What lies ahead for Trump 2.0?
7 mins; November 08, 2024
How did Donald Trump pull it off?
7 mins; November 06, 2024
The US election: what’s happened so far?
7 mins; November 06, 2024
TikTok and the rise of ‘Algospeak’
7 mins; November 05, 2024
Why is big money backing Donald Trump?
6 mins; November 03, 2024
A generational Budget
8 mins; November 01, 2024
The battle of the sexes in the US election
6 mins; October 31, 2024
Why doesn’t prison work for women?
7 mins; October 30, 2024
Rachel Reeves changes the rules
7 mins; October 29, 2024
North Korean troops join Russia’s fight in Ukraine
7 mins; October 28, 2024
The press frenzy over Liam Payne’s death
6 mins; October 24, 2024
AI goes nuclear
7 mins; October 24, 2024
Just Stop Oil protest laws
8 mins; October 23, 2024
Why is Israel clashing with peacekeeping forces in Lebanon?
8 mins; October 21, 2024
Assisted dying: how could the law change in England and Wales?
8 mins; October 21, 2024
The Canary Island migrant route
5 mins; October 18, 2024
Introducing...The Animal Sensemaker
8 mins; October 17, 2024
The race to save the Amazon
6 mins; October 17, 2024
Riots, racism and British society
7 mins; October 16, 2024
Who is the real JD Vance?
7 mins; October 14, 2024
Too Cleverly? Inside the Conservative leadership race
8 mins; October 13, 2024
Did climate change make Hurricane Milton stronger?
7 mins; October 11, 2024
Will facial recognition technology transform policing?
8 mins; October 09, 2024
Big Tech's growing political influence
9 mins; October 08, 2024
One Year On From October 7. Part 2: Gaza, Hamas and the Palestinians
7 mins; October 07, 2024
One Year On From October 7th. Part 1: The Hostages
8 mins; October 06, 2024
The elite footballers threatening to strike
5 mins; October 03, 2024
The driving test backlog
8 mins; October 02, 2024
American abortion ban leads to woman’s death
8 mins; October 02, 2024
The death of Hezbollah’s leader
7 mins; October 01, 2024
Can Instagram make itself safe for teens?
6 mins; September 29, 2024
Why is the future of British TV drama in crisis?
8 mins; September 26, 2024
Is AI capable of reasoning?
6 mins; September 25, 2024
Israel’s new offensive against Hezbollah
9 mins; September 24, 2024
Labour’s tricky party conference
7 mins; September 23, 2024
Springfield under siege
5 mins; September 22, 2024
The return of Fyre Festival?
8 mins; September 19, 2024
Crisis at the Jewish Chronicle
9 mins; September 18, 2024
A West Bank Warlord
8 mins; September 17, 2024
Trump survives apparent assassination attempt
5 mins; September 16, 2024
Why Germany is introducing tighter border controls