The hunt for the 100ft wave

After thirteen years, Jamie Vardy is leaving Leicester City. His time at the club is an example of not one, but two underdogs succeeding against the odds. Could anything like this happen again in the Premier League?To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan, go to https://nordvpn.com/newscast. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There’s no risk with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tesla saw their stock price soar with President Trump's election. But since January, it has come plummeting back down. Has Musk crashed Tesla?Reporter: Giles WhittellProducer: Matt RussellSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan, go to https://nordvpn.com/newscast. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There’s no risk with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The radical climate protest group Just Stop Oil delighted supporters and infuriated opponents in equal measure. But then the government began to crack down on them. So where are they now?Reporter: David TaylorProducer: Matt RussellArtwork: Lola WilliamsSound design: Dominic DelargyEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The brutal circumstances of Sara Sharif’s death were described by the judge that sent her killers to prison as torture. But when it emerged that the two adults who murdered her were granted parental responsibility by a family court judge four years earlier, the finger of blame began to wander. Who could have saved Sara Sharif? Reporter: Louise TickleProducer: Ada BaruméArtwork: Lola WilliamsSound Design: Dominic DelargyEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Ad: Go to www.incogni.com/slownewscast for your exclusive discount.Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]: Go to www.incogni.com/slownewscast for your exclusive discount. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Police officers aren’t allowed to strike or join a trade union. They rely instead on an organisation called the Police Federation to represent their interests. It’s a surprisingly powerful body that ultimately affects the way all of us are policed. This is the story of how it lost its way. Reporter: John SimpsonProducer: Katie GunningSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Blythe Walker SibthorpEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]: Go to www.incogni.com/slownewscast for your exclusive discount. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

North Korean troops are in combat, likely for the first time since the Korean war in the 1950s. Not in Korea, but in Europe. Because last summer Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in Kursk, Russia. Since then, Russia have retaken most of the land taken. To do so, Russia looked towards North Korea.This is the story of Kursk...and how North Korea came to play a potentially key role in the war.Reporter: Claudia WilliamsProducer: Matt RussellSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper Corbett and Ceri ThomasTo find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester United is a club used to success. But it is languishing in the league and saddled with debt. This is the story of how one of the world's most successful football clubs fell apart.Reporter: Xavier GreenwoodProducer: Xavier GreenwoodSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this year the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, wrote about a group of people he called zealots. And he identified one man in particular who the Prime Minister claimed was costing the country its future. But maybe he's saving it? This is the story of that man, the so-called zealots, and a prime minister who wants to take them on.Reporter: Katie GunningProducer: Matt RussellSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has ordered the federal government to scrap its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and corporate America has supposedly followed suit. But this has someone else's fingerprints all over it. This is the story of how one man tried to kill an idea.Reporter: Stephen ArmstrongProducer: Ada BaruméSound design: Karla PatellaArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Memecoins started as a fad. A niche but fun way to bet on the longevity of internet trends. But then, days before his second inauguration, Donald Trump launched his own, $TRUMP… and changed the game. The value soared as supporters piled in, before crashing when his wife, Melania Trump, also released one. Amid the mayhem, one early buyer of the coin walked away with $109 million.The path to finding out who profited from $TRUMP goes through Argentina, where a young and naive entrepreneur called Hayden Davis attempted to pull off a similar stunt with the backing of the nation’s libertarian president, Javier Milei. But while Trump seemed to get away with it, Davis is now facing calls to be arrested.This episode offers a rare glimpse into a murky world full of get-rich-quick schemes, flashy personalities and cut-throat deals. It also carries a warning: what happens when unregulated crypto assets become a core part of the US economy?Reporter: Patricia Clarke and Barney MacintyreProducer: Patricia ClarkeSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditors: Jasper Corbett and Ceri ThomasTo find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.