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

Over the past decade, elite universities have become home to a network of influential conservative think-tanks fighting against the “woke secular creed”. Meanwhile, at Opus Dei student centres, the next generation of ambitious leaders hear similar moral teachings creep into partisan politics. Is it just ideas that link the two – or more?

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Opus Dei’s founder taught his followers that spiritual formation is a continual development of character. But some find that the views spread by Opus Dei do not always match the Church’s official teaching – particularly its attitudes towards women and homosexuality. Insiders describe a complex youth recruitment network that offers some clues to the kind of person Opus Dei molds – and what kind of person it is interested in.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

We meet Sarah – a young girl drawn to Opus Dei’s message that professional work can be a path to holiness. At 18, Sarah says goodbye to her family and moves into an Opus Dei centre to learn how to make her work an offering to God. But what she experiences there feels different to the organisation she thought she knew. Sarah chafes at unexpected rules, unquestioning obedience and dehumanising treatment.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Introducing Opus Dei, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei exists to help people get closer to God, but some members say they found other agendas – and unexpected harm – entangled in that spiritual mission. The first episode of Untold: Opus Dei launches on March 25. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

In this special bonus episode from The Financial Times, "The Broker" tells the story of how a failed baseball hopeful and disgraced stockbroker reinvented himself as one of America’s most consequential modern arms dealers.

From a family-run warehouse in Virginia Beach, Will Somerindyke built his company into a crucial conduit in the Pentagon’s covert supply chains — sourcing Soviet-era weapons for wars in Syria and Yemen before emerging as a central player in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

As artillery shells became the most sought-after commodity of the war, he placed a multimillion-dollar bet on reviving crumbling Cold War factories in the Balkans, transforming himself from middleman to manufacturer.

Based on months of reporting, The Broker traces Somerindyke’s rise through the shadow world of privatised warfare — where geopolitics, profit and personal ambition collide — and reveals how modern conflicts are sustained not only by soldiers on the front lines, but by entrepreneurs who move the weapons behind the scenes.

This piece, written by the FT’s Miles Johnson, host of Hot Money Season 2: The New Narcos, was originally printed in FT Weekend.

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

How much do we really know about ageing? For decades, scientists have been trying to understand the biology of the ageing process - what happens to our bodies as we get older? And is it possible to slow that process down or even stop it all together?

In this series of Tech Tonic, the FT’s Hannah Kuchler and Michael Peel look into the past, present and future of longevity - the wellness movement focused on extending and bettering your quality of life. Episode 1 follows Hannah as she speaks with UCL professor David Gems about the history of ageing research, and then with longevity researcher Matt Kaeberlein to discuss how the industry has developed - including current drugs that could have anti-ageing effects. Plus, Michael visits the Reviv clinic in London where he experiences, first hand, the growing consumer interest in the longevity craze. 

To listen to the rest of the series, find Tech Tonic on your favourite podcast platform by clicking here!

Clips: @DaveAspreyBPR, @drjoshaxe, @HealthCoachKait, Hevolution, Pom, Purina, Garnier, 4G antioxidants, @ChrisWillx, @lexfridman, ABC News, C-Span, CBS, ITV This Morning, Wired UK, The Dissenter, Will Tennyson

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

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

Swamp Notes: The Bethlehem Project is a new FT podcast series that tackles some of the US’s biggest political and economic issues through the lens of one city: Bethlehem Pennsylvania. The city is a politically divided area in a critical swing state, and reflects a lot of conversations happening nationally. The first episode tackles what happens when immigration enforcement comes to town, and the second episode explore what it's like growing up in Donald Trump's America.

Subscribe to Swamp Notes here.

Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts 

This is a repeat of episodes published on Swamp Notes, a sister podcast of Untold, on Nov. 10 and Dec. 17, 2025 respectively.

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

A toddler in Leeds died from lead poisoning. Laura Hughes speaks to doctors in the UK to learn what must be done to prevent it from happening again. She learns that truly addressing the problem will be a massive undertaking. It would require a complete overhaul of the housing, environmental and food standards systems. But first, we need to find out where the lead is. 

Learn more about Untold: Toxic Legacy.

For more information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

The UK has some of the oldest housing in the world. Although the use of lead paint is banned, what happens to the paint already on your walls? Laura Hughes speaks to families fighting for answers and the children poisoned by their own homes. She learns that it’s not only old homes that pose a serious risk.

For more information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Laura Hughes receives a tip that horses are dropping dead in Wales. As she investigates, she finds decades of academic studies researching the problem. She learns these aren’t isolated incidents. Something is spreading across the countryside. It’s undetectable to humans, nobody knows it’s there — until they fall ill.

For more information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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