Beyond Today

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Could one phone call end Trump’s presidency? Oct 01, 2019

Show notes

Impeachment proceedings have been launched against Donald Trump after a whistleblower said the US president pressured the leader of Ukraine into investigating one of his main Democratic challengers.

In a telephone conversation Trump asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into Joe Biden, the man Trump may well face in the 2020 presidential election, and connections Biden’s son had in Ukraine.

The whistleblower’s allegations mention Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani as the person who was essentially running the Ukrainian evidence-gathering operation. Giuliani was the ‘hero’ mayor of New York, guiding the city through the horrors of 9/11. But now he’s seen as a more-than colourful character wheeled out to defend his boss to the end.

As the proceedings gain momentum, we ask The Atlantic’s White House correspondent, Elaina Plott, whether a phone call could bring down America’s most divisive president, and the details of a fiery exchange she had with Giuliani in the back of an Uber.

Presenter: Matthew Price Producers: Harriet Noble and Alicia Burrell Mixed by Nico Raufast Editor: John Shields

Why raise a child gender neutral? Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Parents Jake and Hobbit have taken the unusual decision to keep the sex of their baby secret. They say "gender bias is unconscious" and that this is the only way to mitigate against it, not even telling the child’s grandmother their sex until they were 11 months old.

When Beth Mcleod covered their story for the BBC’s Inside Out West programme the couple received a huge backlash. We look into why they decided to go public, and what it is about both gender and parenting that provokes such a strong reaction.

Presenter: Tina Daheley Producer: Duncan Barber Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Alain de Botton: do we need God back? Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

At the end of another overwhelming week of news, it’s time for bit of perspective. Ten years ago philosopher Alain de Botton founded The School of Life, a collective of psychologists, writers and philosophers mulling over life’s big questions to its 5 million YouTube subscribers. Alain argues that the news doesn’t give us the information we need to live happy lives and explores why we feel lonely and why our relationships fail. He argues that secular societies have discarded the useful bits of religion and tells us why, when it comes to ritual, sacrifice, service and communion, we could do with bringing it back. Plus, the king of romantic philosophy tries a dating app for the very first time and explains why there’s no point even trying to find the ‘right’ person.

Sexual assault: what happens after students speak out? Sep 26, 2019

Show notes

There were more than 700 allegations of sexual misconduct at British universities over the last academic year, according to an investigation by the BBC’s File on 4 programme. Since that documentary aired last week, the team has received a moving response from student survivors of sexual assault who came forward to speak about their experiences.

The University of Leicester is one of the academic institutions which is trying to tackle the problem of sexual misconduct on campus. Despite investing millions into welfare services the university has received 29 reports of sexual assault since records began in 2015, including seven last year.

In this episode we hear the stories of three University of Leicester students who are sexual assault survivors and who tell us what they’re doing to make change. We also talk to BBC producer Kate West about her findings from the File on 4 investigation.

In the UK, the rape crisis national freephone helpline is 0808 802 9999. Further information and support for anyone affected by sexual assault can be found through BBC Action Line.

Presenter: Matthew Price Producers: Philly Beaumont and Seren Jones Editor: John Shields Mixed by Nicolas Raufast

Sexual assault: why reveal your name? Sep 25, 2019

Show notes

On January 17 2015 at California’s Stanford University a young woman went to a party. A few hours later, she was found unconscious beside a bin. She had been sexually assaulted.

To protect her identity in court, the victim was known as Emily Doe. We knew little else about her. We knew a lot about her attacker: he was Brock Turner, a student and swimmer, and his sporting prowess became part of his defence.

The case caught global attention when BuzzFeed published Emily Doe’s 7,000-word victim statement. The post received 11 million views in four days, yet the writer remained anonymous. Until now.

This month Emily Doe revealed herself as Chanel Miller, a 27-year-old literature graduate and artist. In this episode we speak to BBC reporter, Lauren Turner, who met Chanel to talk about why she wanted the world to know her name.

In the UK, the rape crisis national freephone helpline is 0808 802 9999. In the US, the national sexual assault hotline is 1-800-656-4673. Further information and support for anyone affected by sexual assault can be found through BBC Action Line

Presenter: Matthew Price Producers: Alicia Burrell and Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Will fear save the planet? Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg made a passionate speech at the UN this week, accusing world leaders of failing to act on climate change. She told them: "You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you."

It’s hard to remember that a year ago we had not heard the name Greta Thunberg, that she was just a lone teenager staging her solo climate strike outside the Swedish parliament on Fridays. Now she’s having the camera trained on her to gauge her reaction as Donald Trump walks by and her speeches are being broadcast around the world.

What Greta says is scary, but that’s the point. In this episode we speak to David Wallace Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth. David, like Greta, has spent a lot of time going through climate studies and talking to the scientists who’ve measured where we’re heading. In this episode he tells us how much our future remains in our hands.

Presenter: Matthew Price Producer: Duncan Barber Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

What’s happening in the Supreme Court? Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

On Tuesday we’re expecting that the judges of the highest court in the land will rule on whether Boris Johnson’s decision to shut down parliament ahead of next month’s Brexit deadline was legal or not. Scottish judges have already declared it unlawful

Just a few weeks ago very few of us could name the most recent Supreme Court case, but it’s suddenly the centre of attention. The live-stream of the first day of the hearing there last week was watched by more than 4 million viewers making this arguably the World Cup final of constitutional law. Today we’re asking more about the remit of the Supreme Court: why cases about access to toilets make the cut, who is in charge, and how Supreme Court justice Lady Hale came to be nicknamed the ‘Beyoncé of the judiciary’. The BBC’s Dominic Casciani and former barrister and legal journalist Afua Hirsch have been paying very close attention to recent proceedings, and came to the studio to answer our questions.

Presenter: Tina Daheley Producer: Lucy Hancock Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Emma Barnett: why talk about periods? Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

Emma Barnett’s becoming one of the most respected broadcasters in the country. She presents for 5 Live and Newsnight, and can make her interviewees - often politicians - feel very awkward just by asking them simple questions they stumble around trying to answer. Emma got in touch to ask us if we wanted to talk to her about periods, because she’s just written a book about them. And we said “yes please”.

Presenter: Matthew Price Producers: Philly Beaumont and Jessica Beck Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Cryptoqueen: why did she disappear? Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

Dr Ruja Ignatova is the founder of the cryptocurrency One Coin that promised to change money forever. Within two years of launching the company she claimed to have 3.5 million members and hundreds of thousands of investors, with offices all round the world holding events and seminars in major cities. She even packed out Wembley Arena. But in 2017 Dr Ruja got a plane to Athens and hasn't been seen since. Georgia Catt, a BBC producer, and technology writer Jamie Bartlett have been on the search for Dr Ruja for the last year and have just started a podcast series about their investigation for BBC Sounds. They came into the Beyond Today studio to tell us all about her.

Presented by Tina Daheley Producer: Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Did one family create the opioid epidemic? Sep 18, 2019

Show notes

Purdue Pharma is the company that has become synonymous with the opioid epidemic in the United States. The firm, which is owned by the wealthy Sackler family, produces the highly addictive and highly profitable drug OxyContin. This week the company filed for bankruptcy.

We trace the rise and fall of the dynasty from New York to Kentucky via Glasgow with Chris McGreal, author of “American Overdose: a Tragedy in Three Acts”.

Presented by Matthew Price Producers: Jessica Beck and Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

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