The News Agents
Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall – three of the UK’s top journalists – host an award-winning daily news podcast: The News Agents. They’re not just here to tell you what's happening, but why. Expect astute analysis and explanation of the day's news – and a healthy dose of scepticism and the ability to laugh at it all when needed. Episodes are available every weekday afternoon. You can listen to The News Agents on Alexa, just say "Alexa ask Global Player to play The News Agents" The News Agents is a Global Player Original podcast. For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com And The News Agents now have merch! Click here to buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents
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Episodes
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Inside the Trump inauguration
Tuesday, 21 January 2025
The United States has a new CEO. Trump is promising a golden age - a flag on Mars, control of the Panama Canal, an America moving onwards and upwards. He also suggested he’d pardon those convicted of the January 6th riots that he himself encouraged. And that came on the same day the outgoing President Biden preemptively pardoned his own family. We are on the Mall in DC, we have George Santos in the studio, and we mark inauguration day in America on the cusp of Trump’s unguarded second act.Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Bir...
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Trump's second coming
Monday, 20 January 2025
It's inauguration day in Washington DC and Emily and Lewis set the scene ahead of Trump's return to the White House.We're on the streets of the US capital to speak to his excited MAGA supporters, as well as hearing from those now fearing for America as Trump returns to office.Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: https://articles.globalplayer.com/7giHoMavXLgdrd6gaC3GxWG7T8Editor: Tom HughesExecutive Producer: Louis DegenhardtProducer: Natalie IndgeDigital Editor: Michaela WaltersSocial M...
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How will history judge Joe Biden?
Friday, 17 January 2025
Today marks the last day in the Presidential office for Joe Biden. Next week, he will pass the reigns over to Donald Trump for his second term as President of the United States. In his farewell speech Biden warned that an "oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that threatens our entire democracy."So how will we look back on the Joe Biden presidency? And will he be remembered for anything other than making way for Donald Trump's second term?Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Man...
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Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents
Friday, 17 January 2025
This week on The Sports Agents... Gary Lineker's replacements on Match of the Day, Mark, Kelly and Gabby, react to the big announcement (03:15). As Tyson Fury retires from boxing (again!) we speak to the boxer who could be the heir to his throne, Moses Itauma, and his promoter Francis Warren (07:15). How hard is it to break into the rotating cast of Premier League managers and how much does it cost? We speak to Lee Johnson, who's managed Sunderland, Bristol and more (14:15). And from the Ashes in Australia we caught up with England World Cup winner Nat Sciver-Brunt (20:00). Got a question f...
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Has Donald Trump brought peace to the Middle East?
Thursday, 16 January 2025
Was it Joe Biden's quiet diplomacy or Donald Trump’s loud threats that brought the two sides to a place where a ceasefire is at least within reach? Over night Israeli rockets killed more than 70 Palestinians suggesting we are still a long way out from peace. How much power rests with Netanyahu now? And does he even want to see an end to the conflict? We speak to a man who knows him well. Later, Ed Davey tells us why he’s disappointed with Keir Starmer and why the UK has to seek a customs union with the EU as Donald Trump comes back into the White House. Is he right?Tickets to The News Agent...
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Could the UK taxpayer end up paying millions to Gerry Adams?
Wednesday, 15 January 2025
At PMQs today, Kemi Badenoch accused the Government of writing "a cheque to compensate Gerry Adams”, the former leader of Sinn Féin. The Prime Minister has said he will look at "every conceivable way" to prevent such a compensation payout. How could Labour’s plans to change legislation see Gerry Adams and other suspected IRA members receive compensation for internment during the Troubles? We speak to Alex Burghart, Shadow Northern Ireland secretary.Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: h...
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Do the young really love Nigel Farage?
Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Nigel Farage claims that Reform is the party of the future. And the young. He hasn’t been correct on that one so far - it’s very much been the party of the old. But could that be changing? And why has the UK lagged behind the rest of Europe on this trend up until now? Are young voters really switching away from progressive parties, or is Reform just out to find those who never previously voted?Later, why is the shadow chancellor sounding like a one man melodrama and invoking the drums "beating ever closer"? We discuss.Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! Yo...
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The Labour minister, her dictator aunt, and a meeting with Putin
Monday, 13 January 2025
What is the story that links a Labour MP, a ransacked Bangladeshi palace, a free Hampstead property and Vladimir Putin? Today we delve into the curious tale that links the MP for Hampstead, Tulip Siddiq - the economic and anti-corruption minister - with the fall of a powerful and possibly autocratic Bangladeshi deposed leader, Sheikh Hasina, her aunt. What are the charges being levelled? And has Siddiq been transparent with everything she's acquired and admitted between them? We talk to the Sunday Times journalist who's just returned from the Bangladeshi prime ministerial palace, Gabriel Po...
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What went wrong with capitalism?
Friday, 10 January 2025
The bond markets are back in British politics and have made Rachel Reeves’ job even harder. The Chancellor has headed to China amid a backdrop of warnings over market turmoil, stubborn interest rates and the prospect of public spending cuts. But how much of it is her fault? In the short or long term? In this episode we talk to Ruchir Sharma, the author of (so Lewis says) one of the best political books of 2024: 'What Went Wrong with Capitalism'. It is a sharp critique of left and right, but also says that, in their own way, they’ve both got a point about how lousy our economic model has bec...
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Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents
Friday, 10 January 2025
This week on The Sports Agents... What sport did James Corden beat Gabby at? And what's it like when your dad sells you to another club? All that and more with Jamie Redknapp, the former England, Liverpool and Tottenham player (03:00). Should the England boycott their upcoming men's cricket match against Afghanistan? We ask Double-Ashes winner Steve Harmison, who got death threats in 2003 about boycotting a game against Zimbabwe. (08:10)And how about adding lava fields and lasers to golf? That's what Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have done in their $100m experiment to bring golf to Gen Z. We...
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Why is Liz Truss threatening to sue Keir Starmer?
Thursday, 9 January 2025
Liz Truss - reports the Telegraph - has sent the Prime Minister a 'Cease and desist' letter threatening him with legal action for saying that she 'crashed the economy'. Her lawyers contest that the statement is 'false and defamatory' and contributed to her losing her Norfolk seat in the election. So, what is the free speech champion hoping to achieve by this legal battle? And how do we decide if she 'did' crash the economy? We chat to her ally, Mark Littlewood. Later, the Chancellor is heading to China just when rising borrowing costs are throwing the bond markets into turmoil. Is this wi...
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Mark Zuckerberg goes MAGA
Wednesday, 8 January 2025
It was only 8 years ago that Mark Zuckerberg found himself apologising for misinformation posted and shared by the Facebook algorithm, acknowledging the harm and damage it was capable of causing, and putting forward the steps to rectify it. But eight years is a long time. Particularly when you have faced threats of imprisonment from the incoming administration. And yesterday, the CEO went full MAGA and decided that following Donald Trump's election it was time to scrap the fact check operation - that will save them huge amounts of money - and allow for a similar process of 'content moderati...
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The journalist who exposed the grooming scandal breaks his silence
Tuesday, 7 January 2025
As Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage and Elon Musk call for a new inquiry into the grooming scandal, we speak to the man who uncovered the Rotherham abuse and whose reporting led to the original inquiry. Andrew Norfolk first wrote about this horrific widespread exploitation of young girls more than a decade ago as chief investigative reporter at The Times. He has given his first interview to The News Agents since Elon Musk's intervention to set the record straight on the scandal - and respond to those whom he accuses of 'shameful' behaviour - the weaponising of horrendous acts for political gain....
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How Keir Starmer called out Elon Musk
Monday, 6 January 2025
Keir Starmer has attacked those spreading lies over child grooming gangs. He didnt explicitly call out Elon Musk, but it was clearly he meant him. And he did explicitly call out Kemi Badenoch for sheepishly following Elon Musk's calls for an inquiry without exploring the myths he is peddling. Meanwhile, Musk has decided he's no longer a fan of Nigel Farage and has called for him to be replaced as leader of the Reform party. So who's up who's down as the year begins?Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and ...
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What if...Boris Johnson had backed remain during the Brexit referendum?
Thursday, 2 January 2025
In our final installation of our festive "What If" series Jon, Emily and Lewis ask what might have happened if Boris Johnson had decided to back the remain campaign rather than the leave campaign during the Brexit referendum? What if the Hong Kong handover hadn’t happened? Is there a world where Hong Kong’s democracy and independence could have been better protected?And finally, what if Rishi Sunak hadn't called the election early? Would the Tories have had any time to redeem themselves? Or would Reform have been able to gain more of the vote share?Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage w...
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What if...George Bush had lost to Al Gore in 2000?
Tuesday, 31 December 2024
In the third episode of our Christmas "What if" series, Emily, Jon and Lewis bring you a US politics special.First up, they ask how the world would have been different if George W. Bush lost to Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election. Would there still have been an invasion of Iraq? And would Donald Trump have ever risen to office?Later, they ask what would have happened if Bernie Sanders had beaten Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary. Would Sanders have had a better chance of defeating Donald Trump?And finally, what if Joe Biden had a quick nap before going head to head with Do...
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What if...Dominic Cummings hadn’t tested his eyesight by driving to Barnard Castle?
Thursday, 26 December 2024
What would have happened if to the Conservative Party if Dominic Cummings hadn’t needed to test his eyesight by driving to Barnard Castle? What if David Miliband was elected Labour leader instead of his brother, Ed Miliband? And what would have been the impact on British politics if the IRA had assassinated Thatcher in the 1984 Brighton bombing?We answer more of you 'What if...' questions. Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: https://articles.globalplayer.com/7giHoMavXLgdrd6gaC3GxWG7T8E...
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What if...Scotland had voted YES to independence?
Tuesday, 24 December 2024
In the first episode of our 'What If' series, Emily, Jon and Lewis look back at some of the big sliding doors moments of our recent history and examine how much our politics has been shaped by these pivotal events. Grappling with some of your submissions, The News Agents ask - what if Scottish independence had won out in the 2014 referendum? What if Rupert Murdoch had never bought The Sun newspaper? And, what if Gordon Brown hadn't been caught on hot mic making disparaging remarks against a Rochdale voter in the 2010 election campaign?Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK ar...
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The News Agents awards of the year
Friday, 20 December 2024
2024 really has been a political year like no other - treating us to an indulgent helping of seismic elections, career comebacks and a gluttony of scandals. So we thought we’d try and make some sense of it all with the inaugural News Agents awards of the year. With some help from LBC’s Natasha Clark and Aggie Chambre, Lewis adjudicates on the highlights and the lowlights, the heroes and the villains of the last twelve months - and a look ahead to what’s in store for us all in 2025. We’ll be back on Christmas eve with the first of our ‘What If’ series, taking a deep dive into the sliding doo...
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Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents
Friday, 20 December 2024
This week on The Sports Agents... Sports Personality of the Year winner and 2024 Olympic gold medallist, Keely Hodgkinson, joins us for an exclusive interview (03:45). We find out more about Tyson Fury and what it's like to box a rematch with cruiserweight boxer and former WBO title holder, Chris Billam-Smith, ahead of the biggest rematch of the century Fury v Usyk 2 (11:25). And how extreme can running get? We find out with ultra-runner Jon Shield (17:45). Got a question for The Sports Agents - email us at thesportsagents@global.com New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
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Inside the trial that shocked the world
Thursday, 19 December 2024
Later in this episode we will be speaking exclusively to James Harding, founder of Tortoise media, in his first broadcast interview since buying the Observer newspaper. But we start in a court room in Avignon, packed to the brim with now convicted rapists who all abused a woman who had been drugged and "passed around“ by her husband. That women was Gisele Pelicot. She waived her anonymity to speak out for other victims. She is a hero in her native France. And increasingly around the world. But are we any closer to understanding how a crime like that happens?Tickets to The News Agents Live O...
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Can you stop an election being bought?
Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Nigel Farage, Reform treasurer Nick Candy, and Elon Musk gathered below a portrait of a young Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago. They were discussing campaign tactics, apparently, and whether Musk's money could be funnelled into Reform. What can governing parties do to stop elections being bought? We ask the Polish Foreign Minister, Radek Sikorski, a politician who has helped to see off populist government in his own country.Nigel Farage clip courtesy of GB News.Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh ...
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Are Lewis’ holiday plans immoral?
Tuesday, 17 December 2024
Lewis has been urged to cancel his new year holiday by Britain’s best known conservationist Chris Packham. When he tweeted asking for travel tips in the remote Faroe Islands, he did not expect to find himself at the centre of a mini-social media backlash, with animal rights campaigners arguing the islands should be boycotted because of their practice of whale and dolphin slaughter. We were intrigued by the political questions at play here. Do you have moral culpability just because you visit a country? How forgiving should we be of cultural practices? And are different standards applied to ...
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Why is Prince Andrew being blamed for the China spy?
Monday, 16 December 2024
A modern day thriller - a Chinese spy who infiltrated not only government, but Buckingham Palace. The alleged spy, Yang Tengbo, says he did "done nothing wrong or unlawful". How did Prince Andrew get mixed up in this, and why is he getting so much flack? Later, we talk about Stephen Bartlett's podcast after a BBC investigation revealed widespread health misinformation. How is wellness being weaponised to support "freedom of expression"?Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: https://artic...
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Emily Thornberry on Corbyn, Starmer, Trump - and a world in turmoil
Friday, 13 December 2024
Emily Thornberry is one of Labour's great survivors. An MP since 2005, she stuck with the party through 14 long years of opposition - serving in the shadow cabinets of Ed Miliband, Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer. Never afraid to speak her mind, she's one of the party's most relaxed communicators, so why didn't Starmer bring her into government? On the backbenches, she's become chair of the foreign affairs committee - a powerful role scrutinising the work of the foreign secretary and Britain on the world stage. So with a revolution in Syria, Donald Trump poised to return to the White House, ...
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Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents
Friday, 13 December 2024
This week on The Sports Agents... After the biggest contract in sports history was signed (15 years and $765m dollars for baseball player Juan Soto) we tried to get our heads around the huge numbers with U.S. Sports Business Reporter, Daniel Kaplan (01:43). As the Formula One season ended we had a debrief about the big driver argument, Lewis Hamilton and next year's wide open title race with BBC F1 presenter and voice of Drive to Survive, Jennie Gow (07:34). We talked about the Game of Thrones at Manchester United with The Athletic's Adam Crafton after their sporting director Dan Ashworth l...
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Is Keir Starmer ready to do battle with the Nimbys?
Thursday, 12 December 2024
Angela Rayner promises to deliver 1.5 million new homes within five years. It’s setting the battle lines for what the Telegraph is calling the “bulldozing of the Home Counties“. Is Keir Starmer ready to take on the Nimbys even if the Nimbys are now his core 2024 voter? Later, who will be the “Voice of America“ - and what’s happening at the FBI?Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: https://articles.globalplayer.com/7giHoMavXLgdrd6gaC3GxWG7T8Editor: Tom HughesExecutive Producer: Louis Dege...
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Why have conspiracy theorists become suspicious of milk?
Wednesday, 11 December 2024
The agriculture company Arla foods is trialing a new cow feed in the UK that aims to cut down climate changing methane emissions. It’s been approved by the regulatory authorities here, in Europe, and in America. But it hasn’t stopped milk becoming the latest conspiracy in the culture war, with reform MPs arguing for its ban and labelling it “woke milk “. Later, Kemi Badenoch goes for Keir Starmer over immigration at PMQs. Is that wise?Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: https://article...
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Why is the world swooning over an alleged killer?
Tuesday, 10 December 2024
Luigi Mangione is a 26 year old Ivy League graduate and an alleged cold blooded murderer. He’s also the top trending name worldwide with a Gen Z fanbase swooning over his abs. What does the shooting of a healthcare executive in New York, and the public response to it, tell us about American society and meme culture?Later, what’s Israel doing in Syria - and could Netanyahu end up In jail for bribery ?Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: https://articles.globalplayer.com/7giHoMavXLgdrd6ga...
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Will Syria be governed by terrorists?
Monday, 9 December 2024
Syria’s brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad, has fled Syria for Moscow. On today's episode we speak to his first cousin Ribal al-Assad about the character of the man who tortured and killed millions of his own people, and ask what hope is there for Syria now that he’s gone? And should the UK accept the incoming regime of proscribed jihadi terrorists? Later, Carole Cadwalladr tells us why she is concerned that the sale of The Observer to Tortoise media is the route to self implosion for The Guardian. And we catch up with 30p Lee and his latest illuminating tweet.Tickets to The News Agents Live ...
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