Off Duty | The Guardian Investigates
How the brutal murder of a Chicago police officer spiralled into a sweeping 12-year hunt for justice – at all costs. An investigation by Melissa Segura.
Episodes
Black Box: The Chatbots | What I Saw at the Double Six Ranch | Ep 6
From his remote property in rural Texas, the millionaire businessman Michael Samadi is plotting a new kind of civil rights movement – for the welfare and protection of AI systems. Guardian journalist Michael Safi spends an afternoon at the Double Six ranch, meeting Samadi’s AI chatbots and catching a glimpse of a possible vision of the future
Black Box: The Chatbots | The Line | Ep 5
Five stories that feel like five answers to one important question: in a world where AI chatbots can help us through a breakup, listen like a friend, be a life coach, draft a difficult text message and do our work, where do we draw the line?
Black Box: The Chatbots | Life Raft | Ep 4
More than a billion people are suddenly talking to AI chatbots designed to connect with us. We are sharing with them our deepest secrets, trusting them with our wellbeing and acting on their advice. Across two powerful stories – a woman who was struggling to leave a relationship, and a man who was desperate to quit drinking – the Guardian journalist Michael Safi explores what this new way of livin
Black Box: The Chatbots | Happy Accident | Ep 3
Why are AI chatbots pulling so many people down a rabbit hole? Our answer starts with the world’s first-ever chatbot, the strange effect it had on people and the ‘time bomb’ that exploded when ChatGPT was released four years ago. The result is a strange experiment we are all living through – whether we know it or not
Black Box: The Chatbots | 14 days | Ep 2
Virginia man Jon Ganz was rebuilding his life after spending more than two decades in prison for a horrific crime. Last year, he got a prompt on his phone that his wife, Rachel, believes changed their lives forever. It was from Google, inviting him to try the company’s AI chatbot, Gemini
Black Box: The Chatbots | Spirals | Ep 1
Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’, or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. The Guardian journalist Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on
Black Box: The Chatbots: a new series from The Guardian Investigates – trailer
People are becoming convinced AI chatbots have helped them make scientific breakthroughs, cure diseases or invent new technologies. What does this reveal about a technology used by more than a billion people? A new series from The Guardian Investigates, coming soon
Off Duty: The Last Stand | Ep 7
Of all the hearings Alex Villa had been through in nearly 11 years, Jennifer knew this could be the one. In her possession was the disc with the FBI cellphone map – evidence that prosecutors had never turned over. But in a system that had fought Alex at every turn, would it finally be enough to set him free? This is the final episode of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura
Off Duty: The Sentence | Ep 6
Alex was in prison for life, and Jennifer and Eric discovered they’d become captives to the case, too – the ‘termites’ digging in at every level of their lives. For the first time, they thought about giving up. But then they got their hands on a disc they’d never seen before. This is episode six of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura
Off Duty: The Prosecutors | Ep 5
Raul Palma, the video game repair specialist who found the evidence that could break open Alex’s case, had gone missing. Again. As Jennifer and Eric worry that Raul has been spooked, they must face the prosecutors in a ‘bone-crushing’ courtroom battle for Alex’s life. This is episode five of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura
Off Duty: Digital Forensics | Ep 4
Since the day he was arrested, Tyrone Clay had been asking police to look at his PlayStation. He said he had been playing NBA 2K11 on the night of the murder. For years, the console sat in an evidence room gathering dust while the FBI claimed it was broken beyond repair. That’s until the attorney Eric Bisby came along. This is episode four of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Se
Off Duty: The Police | Ep 3
Unlike the other suspects, Alex Villa refused to confess. He was released after 48 hours, but the police weren’t done with him. Not by a long shot. To build their case, the state relied on three people who claimed they overheard Alex saying he did it. But do their stories check out? This is episode three of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura
Off Duty: The Interrogations | Ep 2
Within 72 hours, three men confessed to having murdered Officer Clifton Lewis. But in time, they all recanted, insisting they never had anything to do with the murder. So if they didn’t do it, why did they say they did? This is episode two of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura
Off Duty: The Crime | Ep 1
On the evening of 29 December 2011, Officer Clifton Lewis was moonlighting as a security guard at a Chicago minimart when two men walked in. They shot Lewis several times, then took off with his gun and police star. A week later, police had their suspects: four men affiliated with a gang called the Spanish Cobras. For hours, under intense police questioning, they all said they didn’t do it. But th
Off Duty: a new series on a fight for justice from Guardian Investigates – trailer
In 2011, a Chicago police officer is murdered. Police find four suspects. Three confess. But the fourth refuses to break. He’ll embark on a 12-year battle to prove his innocence, against a system that refuses to admit it might be wrong. The latest podcast series from Guardian Investigates. Coming soon
The Birth Keepers: Death plan – episode six
A backlash against FBS grows and Emilee and Yolande respond to the growing crisis. This is episode six of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne
The Birth Keepers: FBS goes global – episode five
Emilee and Yolande had grown an ideology and seeded it globally. A reach investigative reporters Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne could not have fathomed when they started reporting on the story. They set out to see just how far FBS has spread. This is episode five of a year-long investigation
The Birth Keepers: Growing an empire – episode four
Within months of the death of Lorren’s baby, Journey Moon, and the public backlash against the Free Birth Society that followed, Emilee Saldaya took the FBS membership private, turning the business into a global multimillion dollar empire. This is episode four of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne
The Birth Keepers: Journey Moon
When Lorren Holliday got pregnant in 2018, she joined Emilee Saldaya’s Facebook group and quickly became hooked on the Free Birth Society podcasts. It was a decision that led to tragedy. This is episode three of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne
The Birth Keepers: When Emilee met Yolande
Who is Emilee Saldaya, the woman behind the Free Birth Society movement? And how did she meet her business partner Yolande Norris-Clark? Do either woman have the credentials they are claiming? This is episode two of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne
The Birth Keepers: I choose this
The Free Birth Society was selling pregnant women a simple message. They could exit the medical system and take back their power. By free birthing. But Nicole Garrison believes FBS ideology nearly cost her her life. This is episode one of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne
Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 8
At 13, Gina Rinehart read a book that would help shape her worldview – Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. The novel’s capitalist underpinnings promote the idea that people should strive to be their best industrial selves. In this episode, we explore how these values are playing out in Rinehart’s life today, including her proposal to build a coalmine in Canada’s Rocky Mountains. And we hear how author and
Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 7
Gina Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock, is well known as a pioneer of Australia’s iron ore industry but few realise Hancock started his mining career on a smaller scale and digging for a different substance – blue asbestos. Hancock and his partner started the mining operation at Wittenoom in the 1940s before selling it to CSR, which mined the area for 20 more years. Wittenoom has become synonymous w
Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 6
In the previous episode, we covered historical claims made over the years that Lang Hancock, Gina’s father, had two unacknowledged daughters with separate Indigenous women. Now, the daughter of Sella Robinson, one of the Indigenous women who claimed to be Hancock’s daughter, speaks publicly for the first time
Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 5
It’s the portrait of Gina Rinehart that launched 1,000 memes, went viral globally and became Australia’s Mona Lisa. But it’s also a symbol of how wealth intersects with other areas of life, including art and sport. How does Rinehart use her money to control her image – and what would she rather you don’t see? This episode is about power and control, and the colonial history of Australia. It contai
Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 4
Twenty years ago, John Hancock had dinner with his mother, Gina Rinehart. He says it’s the last positive interaction he had with her. In an in-depth interview, he explains how his relationship with her fell apart and discusses a high-stakes legal case that could threaten the foundations of her empire
Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 3
We unpack the bitter rivalries, court battles and family conflicts behind the Hancock fortune, and consider a fundamental question: is Rinehart a mining heiress or is she a self-made mining magnate? We look at her crowning achievement to date in her time at the helm of Hancock Prospecting – owning and operating her own iron mine at Roy Hill, something her father was never able to do
Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 2
How does Gina Rinehart, like her father before her, use wealth and power to influence Australian politics? Rinehart’s first major foray into the political spotlight was successfully lobbying against Labor’s mining super-profit tax in the early 2010s. But what did she learn from her father, Lang Hancock, who campaigned to overturn the iron ore export embargo in the 1950s, setting the foundation for
Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 1
Gina Rinehart tops Australia’s rich list, worth almost $40bn. She’s also a climate sceptic, a Trumpette and a litigant – even against her own kids. Her life reads like a script from the TV series Succession. Senior correspondent Sarah Martin has spoken to her critics and her defenders to try and understand who Gina Rinehart really is. In this episode, Martin starts with her childhood, and the enor
Missing in the Amazon: the frontline – episode six
According to Beto Marubo, if Dom and Bruno did the same expedition in 2025, they would face the same levels of danger. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, returns to the Javari valley and meets those risking their lives daily basis to fight the threats from organised crime. Is it possible to save the Amazon?For all links mentioned at the end of this episode, visit Missing in
Missing in the Amazon: the fightback – episode five
Funerals are held for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira and there is hope that the election of President Lula will mean new protections for the Amazon – and that the killers of Dom and Bruno will face justice. But organised crime is widespread and deep-rooted. The investigative journalist Sônia Bridi tells the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips about a man who allegedly not only may
Missing in the Amazon: the ambush – episode four
The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, recalls the moment that he and others on the search team found Dom and Bruno’s belongings in a hidden area of flooded forest. The team finally discover what has happened to the men
Missing in the Amazon: the protector and the poacher – episode three
Bruno Pereira was considered one of the great Indigenous protectors of his generation. And this made him an enemy of a man called Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, also known as Pelado. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, reports on the story of the two men and what happened when their paths collided
Missing in the Amazon: the journalist and the president – episode two
What took British journalist Dom Phillips from the club nights of the UK dance scene as editor of MixMag to one of the most remote, and dangerous, corners of the Amazon rainforest? In 2022, Dom set off on a reporting trip with Bruno Pereira, a Brazilian expert on uncontacted tribes, into the Javari valley, to investigate the criminal gangs threatening this region. And then they vanished
Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance – episode one
Three years ago, British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, investigates what happened in the first episode of a new six-part investigative podcast series
Missing in the Amazon: a new Guardian investigative series – trailer
In one of the most remote corners of the Amazon jungle, a journalist and an indigenous defender disappear without a trace. Missing in the Amazon – our new six-part investigative podcast series uncovers what happened to Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira. Told for the first time by the people closest to them
Black Box: shut it down? – episode 7
For decades, Eliezer Yudkowsky has been trying to warn the world about the dangers of AI. And now people are finally listening to him. But is it too late?
Black Box: the white mask – episode 6
In January 2020, Robert Williams was arrested by Detroit police for a crime he had not committed. The officers were acting on a tip not from a witness or informant. In fact, not from a person at all
Black Box: Bing and I – episode 5
Two stories about the way AI could – in fact, already is – making the world better. In Montana, when Lee Johnson discovered his wife, Yokie, had cancer, he turned to AI – and was surprised by the answers he got. Meanwhile, in Massachusetts Prof Regina Barzilay’s experience with cancer has led her to build an AI system that can detect the disease years before a human
Black Box: repocalypse now – episode 4
When Eugenia Kuyda created Replika, the AI companion app, she had no idea it would be downloaded millions of times all around the world. The results were more powerful than she could ever have predicted. But so was the backlash
Black Box: the hunt for ClothOff, the deepfake porn app – episode 3
For the past six months, Guardian journalist Michael Safi has been trying to find out who is behind an AI company that creates deepfakes. Deepfakes that are causing havoc around the world, with police and lawmakers baffled about how to deal with them. And in trying to answer one question, he has been left with a bigger one: is AI going to make it impossible to sort fact from fiction?
Black Box: the connectionists – episode 2
This is the story of Geoffrey Hinton, a man who set out to understand the brain and ended up working with a group of researchers who invented a technology so powerful that even they don’t truly understand how it works. This is about a collision between two mysterious intelligences – two black boxes – human and artificial. And it’s already having profound consequences
Black Box: the collision – episode 1
The beginning of a new series that explores seven stories and the thread that ties them together: artificial intelligence. In this prologue, Hannah (not her real name) has met Noah and he has changed her life for the better. So why does she have concerns about him?
Black Box: a new podcast series about AI and us – trailer
In rural Norway, a young woman’s boyfriend forgets who she is overnight. In Detroit, a man is arrested for a crime, but he was never there. In a Spanish town, disturbing pictures of young girls have appeared, but no one knows who is behind them. In this new series from the Guardian, we’ll explore what it is that connects all these stories: the collision between people and artificial intelligence.
Can I tell you a secret? Episode seven: an update
Guardian producer Lucy Hough and reporter Matthew Weaver give an update on the outcome of Matthew Hardy’s appeal
Can I tell you a secret? Episode six: the winding clock
As the years tick by, journalist Sirin Kale speaks to victims and those who know Matthew to ask whether his stalking will ever truly end
Can I tell you a secret? Episode five: a mother’s love
Journalist Sirin Kale meets Matthew’s mother to uncover more about his past, and find out what might have motivated him to cyberstalk his victims for so many years
Can I tell you a secret? Episode four: a reckoning
Matthew’s victims come face to face with him as an attempt is made to stop his torment once and for all
Can I tell you a secret? Episode three: the man upstairs
Who is Matthew? Journalist Sirin Kale looks for clues about who this cyberstalker really is and why he creates chaos and fear in so many people’s lives
Can I tell you a secret? Episode two: the widening circle
As the cyberstalker spreads his net wider, anyone could be a target. The fast-changing world of social media creates new opportunities for him to find more victims. Only now, someone is watching him …
Can I tell you a secret? Episode one: the beginning
Guardian journalist Sirin Kale takes us to a small town in the north of England to uncover how one man began a decade of cyberstalking
