On Homepod Mini, Siri says "sorry, There is a problem with Apple Podcasts"

This seems to be something since Homepod OS 15.1, and a search shows people around the world having the same issues.

I've logged a support case, and it appears Apple Engineers may have already confirmed it as a bug, so maybe an update to 15.1 soon.

I'm adding this here, so others might be able to find it, and so this can be a help to them.

Maybe related, but "Now Playing" on my Apple Watch, and my iPhone, both seem they may have lost ability to control Apple Music playing on the Homepod Mini too. Maybe related.

I've also asked Siri on my Homepod where my phone is, and been told that the phone needs to be on the same network. Or "I'm having trouble connecting" and a range of related "network" things. Sorry unknown if those last few comments are helpful or just add confusion.

Reboot of my wifi, and power-cycle or even factory reset (unjoin from home) and add back, does not fix this Podcasts thing. So "Hi Siri Play the News" begins, and says "Now playing the news from ..." then errors with "Sorry, There is a problem with Apple Podcasts".