The News Agents

The images coming out of Minneapolis since the killing of Renee Good are nothing short of dystopian. Day after day, Minnesotans dragged from their vehicles, off the streets, and out of their houses. Often, seemingly, for the crime of nothing other than their ethnicity.Donald Trump took to Truth Social yesterday to tell Minnesota: "THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!". ICE and the Department of Homeland Security are flooding the streets with personnel. Joe Rogan has compared their tactics to the Gestapo - questioning whether this is the country America wants to become. Where does this all end?Later, Lewis and Jon speak to Gabriel Pogrund, the Sunday Times Whitehall editor, who exposed the flaws in West Midlands Police decisions to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from their match with Aston Villa last November. The home secretary today has today called for the chief constable of the force to go.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

"Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! ... HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!"It was a characteristically Trumpian post from the American president on Truth Social (where else?) today which led to more fevered speculation that the US might be about to step in to topple the Iranian regime.Protests across Iran are into their third week, and evidence of the slaughter of Iranian civilians is becoming clearer and clearer. One Iranian official told Reuters that some 2,000 protestors and security forces have now died in street clashes. Iranian media more critical of the regime says that police there have killed more than 12,000 demonstrators.Donald Trump has already threatened to step in if the bloodshed doesn't stop - has he now made his mind up? And could America intervene without very messy, and unpredictable, consequences?Jon and Lewis speak to Ali Hamedani, a British-Iranian journalist who is speaking to Iranians inside the country and was himself detained by the security forces in Iran, about the mood of the Iranian people and what happens next.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Is the government about to stand up to Elon Musk? That now seems possible. Downing Street said today that they would support action from Ofcom - the media regulator - against his platforms if they deemed it necessary.Ofcom has announced that it has launched an investigation into Musk's X platform over its AI tool Grok being used to create non-consensual sexualised images of women and children. Ministers have said they expect action within days.After unveiling the lowest homicide figures in more than a decade, Jon and Lewis speak to Sir Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor - about how to confront the hard right claims that London is a 'hellhole', and what can be done about the misinformation on Musk's platforms.Later, one-time Tory chancellor Nadhim Zahawi was unveiled today as the latest Reform defector. He's the biggest name to move over to Nigel Farage's party so far but, having pledged he would remain a Conservative for life, why has he done it?

We are barely a week into 2026, and already Donald Trump has toppled the president of Venezuela, threatened a NATO ally, labelled a protestor killed by ICE as a "professional agitator", and insisted his own morality is the only check on his otherwise total power.It appears that America's president is entering the second year of his term more aggressively, more defiantly, and more viciously. What does that mean for the US, and the wider world? And when Trump dismisses legal constraints, threatens to tear up the constitution, and brands entire ethnic groups as suspicious and "garbage", at what point does his administration become fascistic?That question has been on the mind of Mehdi Hasan longer than most. The British former MSNBC host has launched his own media company, Zeteo, and from Washington has become a leading voice on the Left of American politics.He speaks to Lewis about why he started using the F word last year, about the dark path down which America is heading, and what happens after Trump.He speaks to Lewis about why he started using the F word last year, about the dark path down which America is heading, and what happens after Trump.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

What does a strong succession plan look like? Before Darren Fletcher took over as Man United's interim manager he felt he needed Sir Alex Ferguson's blessing. But when everyone's still harping back to Ferguson, who left the club over 12 years ago, you know the succession plan has gone wrong.Man City will be taking note, as their own legendary manager Pep Guardiola isn’t staying forever. While Chelsea have used their multi-club system to take Liam Rosenior from Strasbourg - primed and ready to play in that system but leaving Strasbourg distraught.Mark catches up with football journalist Guillem Balague. Plus we look back at the best bits of The Sports Agents this week, from the Ashes aftermath to Ruben Amorim getting sacked, and the weird and wonderful things managers are asked to do.📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagentsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected] Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam TrudgillSocial Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

The killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota has exposed just how fragmented American society is in 2026. The mother of three was shot repeatedly in her car by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, reportedly there as an observer of a protest against the immigration raids in the city.The shooting - and the administration's response - have been condemned by Kamala Harris, Governor Tim Walz, the Mayor of Minneapolis, and many other politicians. Mayor Frey urged ICE to "get the f*** out" of the city and said they were endangering residents.Footage appears to show Good attempting to drive away from the ICE agents when the shots were fired. But Kristi Noem, head of the US department of homeland security, has accused her of attempting to run the officer over and labelled it an act of "domestic terrorism". Donald Trump described Good as a "professional agitator". Tom Homan, the border czar, initially called for people to avoid speculating before the investigation was complete - before falling into line with Trump and labelling ICE agents "heroes".Another brutal death in the city where George Floyd was killed five years ago. Could the reaction to the killing be just as explosive and significant this time? And is Donald Trump deliberately whipping up the tensions for his own political ends?Later, the protests in Iran have got bigger and they have got bolder. Is this the moment the regime in Tehran falls? We speak to British-Iranian comic, actor and writer Omid Djalili.

In dramatic scenes in the Atlantic this afternoon, American forces seized an oil tanker, 'the Marinera', flying the Russian flag. The British military was involved - supporting the US operation with air surveillance and a navy ship.The Kremlin has only said that it has been "following the abnormal situation with alarm" - but the maritime confrontation draws Russia and the US closer to direct conflict.It comes the day after the US, the UK, France, Germany and other allies reiterated their supported for security guarantees in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. But is the British army in any fit state to police a 2,000km frontline?Later, why hasn't the government come off Elon Musk's X when his AI software Grok is being used to virtually undress women and children?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Less than 3 days after kidnapping the Venezuelan leader, Trump has doubled down on his ambitions to make Greenland the 51st state - despite warnings that coming for the Danish territory would be the end of NATO.With one of Trump's top aides, Stephen Miller, declaring "nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland" is there anything that world leaders can do to stop Trump now?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Not content with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One and appeared to spell out the countries now in his line of sight.Colombia is "very sick", according to President Trump. Iran will get "hit very hard" if it kills anti-government protestors. Cuba is "ready to fall", he declared. And, in words that have sparked concern across Europe, he repeatedly declared that America "needs Greenland" from a national security perspective, and that Denmark is incapable of defending it properly.It seems something of a damascene conversion from Trump, who was elected on the promise of no more foreign wars. And, given the intervention in Caracas went smoothly, what's to think he will stop there?Does this mark a profound shift in the international order? Could America seriously annexe territory from a fellow NATO member? And how should Keir Starmer and other European allies react to such a remarkable change in approach?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In the dead of night, President Trump sent US forces into the Venezuelan capital Caracas and - after bombs and explosions - emerged with its kidnapped head of state, Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Trump claims they are extradited narco traffickers.In a press conference to mark the operation, Trump revealed that America is "going to run" the Latin American petro state, and oil does appear to be at the centre of his motivations for striking. US oil companies, he announced, will be sent into Venezuela to fix its broken infrastructure and start making the county money - and presumably make America money too. He cited the Monroe Doctrine - now the 'Donroe Doctrine' - that sees America seizing assets of states it chooses and intervening where it pleases in the western hemisphere.What will the world do now? Will Russia and China feel newly emboldened? Will the UK and the EU tell Trump what they really think? What about that promise of America First - "no more foreign wars" - is that now dead as a dodo? And how will that impact Trump's political fortunes at home?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Who is the most unlikely comeback of 2026? Will the Far Right continue to rise this year? And are things really starting to crumble in MAGA-land?In this special Q&A we look ahead to the year of 2026 and all that it could bring.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It was a year of White House stand-offs, viral kiss cams, shock resignations, and the rise of the far right.From rising stars to jaw dropping moments, we look back at the defining stories of 2025 and hand out awards to the moments that shaped the year.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It's the final Q&A edition of 2025 and Jon and Lewis answer your questions - including the elections to look out for next year, whether algorithms are making the UK impossible to lead, plus - is there actually a decent case to be made in the defence of Keir Starmer? The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix was supposed to be a tribute to the work and legacy of Charlie Kirk, the influential conservative influencer who was assassinated in September. But it turned into something very different.Over the course of the weekend, it emerged that a struggle for very the heart and soul of the MAGA movement was playing out. Ben Shapiro took to the stage to warn of the "danger from charlatans who "traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty", slamming Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, and Tucker Carlson. Carlson hit back, claiming it was "hilarious" that there were attempts to deplatform speakers at an event in Kirk's name. Others followed suit. Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump's one-time presidential rival, felt obliged to remind the audience that fans of Hitler or Stalin should not have a place in their movement.Enter JD Vance. Proudly declaring that "You don't have to apologise for being white anymore" in the USA, the vice president derided "endless, self-defeating purity tests" and suggesting the movement was, in fact, open to all. And he was given a boost by Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, who endorsed him for the 2028 race.So can JD Vance hold this movement together? Why won't he move to condemn the racism and conspiracy within his party? And what does it mean for MAGA ahead of a big election year?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

As parliament wound down to a close, Jess Phillips ended 2025 with one of the government's boldest announcements to date. In the Commons, she declared a "national emergency: over the prevalence of violence against women and girls, and unveiled the government's strategy to halve it. It bookended a dramatic year for the Home Office minister, who in January found herself in the crosshairs of Elon Musk, labelling her a "rape genocide apologist" and called for her imprisonment. She's also faced calls to resign over the government's handling of the grooming gangs inquiry. And after she spoke in parliament, Kemi Badenoch denounced her plans - saying that teaching boys about misogyny should not be a priority because migrant men pose a more serious threat to women in the UK. She came into the News Agents studio to discuss all of that with Lewis.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, is taking on YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul. Like it or not they’re two of the biggest names in boxing - and we’ll get into why that’s problematic...So why is the star of the London 2012 Olympics, who beat Wladimir Klitschko, fighting an influencer? Do fight fans believe it's not been scripted and what's actually more at risk - Paul's chin or AJ's reputation?Gabby & Mark sit down with Light-Heavyweight prospect and Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker - a showman in and out of the ring at a time when the sport is crying out for its next homegrown superstar.Plus we pick the best bits of The Sports Agents this week, from reminiscing about an extraordinary year in sport with Clare Balding ahead of SPOTY, to despairing at the Ashes with former England cricketer Darren Gough.📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagentsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected] Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam TrudgillSocial Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

This week, the head of the British army warned the public that "more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means", given the increasing threats to the UK. European leaders are meeting today to discuss billions of dollars of seized Russian assets that are sitting in a vault in Brussels. Ukraine is desperate to use the money to help it fight two more years of war. Europe is on the brink of saying yes - but America is trying to stop them. Why? And will a war on our doorstep become more likely if we say no? Later - what is the link between Andrew Tate and Barron Trump? We speak to Megan Twohey, New York Times investigative reporter. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Vanity Fair may be contenders for this years 'scoop of the year' after securing a series of interviews with Trump's closest White House ally, Susie Wiles. The candid interviews provide a rare window into the West Wing and Trump's inner circle. She went much further than perhaps the President might have expected - describing the teetotal President as having “an alcoholic’s personality", the Vice President as a "conspiracy theorist", admitting the tariffs had been "painful", and suggesting the administration's approach to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal had been lacking. Why has she been airing this dirty laundry in public? Why does Trump appear to be standing by her? And are we seeing ever mounting fractures in MAGA-land? Later, has Kemi Badenoch managed to turn the page on a dismal few years for the Tory party? And Starmer's Christmas mircale in the House of Commons.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Overnight came Trump's ten billion dollar lawsuit against the BBC. It claims malicious intent in the edit of his speech in the Panorama documentary. And it claims the programme would have been viewed in Florida ahead of the 2024 election. Is there a legal case here? Is there the political will to stand up to Trump? And where does the British public stand when it comes to backing the BBC?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

As the sun was setting on the first night of Hanukah, a father and his son opened fire on Jewish people celebrating on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. 16 people were left dead - forty remain in hospital, including the hero who tried to disarm one of the IS-linked terrorists. Jews around the world have been sounding the alarm on the rise of anti-semitism. They believe their fear has gone unheeded. Will this tragedy change anything? And how should governments police free speech that intimidates entire communities?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Although some Labour MPs are still fawning over Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York, they may be better off looking to a very different sort of American politician if they want lessons they can draw on in the attempt to recover the party's fortunes. Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator for the Times, is one of the UK's best connected and closest observers of Keir Starmer's government. And he's written this week about how Huey Long, the wildly controversial 1930s Louisiana populist, provides something of a model that Starmer could seek to emulate. He came into the News Agents studio to speak to Lewis about why...The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Pippa York, then known as Robert Millar, was crowned the Tour de France King of the Mountains, winning three stages in the 1980s. But ever since she was five she wanted to be a girl. Years after quitting cycling, aged 41, she started a 10-year transition process to become Pippa York, who joins Gabby and Mark. What was it like racing the Tour de France with gender dysmorphia? And what does she make of the debate around trans-inclusion in sport now?Plus we look back at the best bits from The Sports Agents this week from Mo Salah's shock outburst at Liverpool, to Mike Tindall's plans to create more household names in rugby like Joe Marler and Ilona Maher. "The Escape" by Pippa York and David Walsh is available now. If you have been affected by any of the themes in this podcast help is available. You can call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or email [email protected]📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected] Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Trump has attacked a huge oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela - and when asked what would happen now to the oil responded “we will probably keep it". Is there actual strategy behind the piracy? Will it help him topple the illegitimate Venezuelan President Maduro? Or is it just about seizing assets? And what does Nobel peace prize winner Maria Machado make of Americas posturing? Later, why is Tony Blair interviewing Shabana Mahmood at his own Xmas party? Is this a not too subtle endorsement? Or a friendly festive chat? Is the replacement of Keir Starmer now an open secret even in Blair circles? And who might the other contenders be?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

An exclusive investigation by Andy Hughes, co-host of The Crime Agents and LBC crime correspondent, raises disturbing questions about whether a London police officer was operating a grooming gang in the capital. He speaks to Lewis about his report, the accusations of a cover up, and the Met police response. Later, Keir Starmer has been leading efforts today to get Europe to reform the ECHR. He's claimed that the best way to fight "the forces of hate and division" is to show that mainstream politics can fix the problem. Is he right? Jake Richards, the justice minister, came in to the News Agents studio to discuss what's at stake.You can listen to the special investigation from The Crime Agents here:https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42L4DG/Andy's video report is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9f_qHJeCpUThe News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Netflix and Paramount are locked in an epic fight to take over Warner Bros. Discovery. The price tag could well reach north of $100bn. And at stake - a huge back catalogue of blockbuster film and TV, a streaming giant, a Hollywood studio, even CNN.Enter Donald Trump, who's expressed concern about the potential for a monopoly, and also reportedly wants a say on any potential restructuring of the news network under new ownership. The outcome could result in the mother of all media monoliths. Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren has claimed that Netflix and Warner Bros. combined would capture close to half of the streaming market -that figure is disputed by Netflix, which says it has less than a 20% market share.Could it really be determined by Donald Trump's ire at one recent Marjorie Taylor Greene interview?Later, Lewis speaks to Noah Oppenheim, the writer of 'A House of Dynamite', a film that deals with a nuclear strike on America. The Pentagon doesn't like his depiction - why?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

European leaders have met in Downing Street once again to discuss peace plans for Ukraine, following Trump's latest proposal - but once again it seems Zelenskyy has wound Trump up, leaving America and Europe at odds. And another document from the Trump administration illustrates an even deeper division. The 33 page National Security Strategy says Europe is facing "civilisational erasure" and says the US has an obligation to “cultivate resistance” in order to "correct" the current trajectory of the continent. Why does Trump's new strategy read like it was written by the Kremlin? Are the US and Europe still even allies?Later, is Keir Starmer's new social media strategy enough to put speculation about his leadership to rest?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

While China is an engineering state, tech analyst Dan Wang says the America and the West are "lawyerly societies", reflexively blocking everything - good and bad - and it's halting real progress. Dan joins Lewis in the studio this Friday to discuss why Europe stopped building, how lawyers contribute to a slow in progress, and what all this means for wider geopolitivs and the rise of the far right. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy joins Gabby and Mark after his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis at just 47 years old. What more does Chris think the government should be doing to help? How has his sporting background helped him? And why is he excited for the Darts World Championship? And we bring you the best bits from The Sports Agents this week from President Trump meddling in the FIFA World Cup to rumours of a Serena Williams comeback.📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected] Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Reform's Deputy Leader, Richard Tice, popped up on the BBC today and appeared to dismiss the antisemitism claims of Jewish men who’d been at school with Nigel Farage as “politically motivated…made up twaddle“. Hours later, Farage exploded at a BBC reporter during a press conference, demanding an apology for what he said was "despicable" coverage of the antisemitism row by the BBC.Farage has previously admitted to the slurs but excused them as school boy banter. So, where does all this leave a party that claims to “take antisemitism very seriously"? Well, rather well off - some would observe. The party received a massive 9 million pound donation today, making UK history. Don’t donors mind? Or is the party impervious to cancellation?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Today's episode is an exclusive interview with David Lammy - Justice Secretary, Deputy Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary. Is he prepared to ignore the internal Labour criticism of his jury plans? Does he admit the budget was a fiasco? And what is going on with Labour and Brexit right now. Are we about to see a change of plan?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In the sane world of the commons, the Shadow Justice Secretary was only two minutes into his speech before he called the justice secretary a “Lammy Dodger“ and accused him of going back on his previous position on jury trial. Today’s question is this does ending most jury trials speed up a sclerotic system? Or is it the wrong solution for the right diagnosis? Later, is public sympathy with the striking junior doctors? And do they really expect to win more pay?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Rachel Reeves is accused of misleading the public, lying and “possible market abuse” by the opposition. They’ve called for her resignation. The Prime Minister, however, is standing by her and told us today the budget was a thing of “personal pride” for him. Meanwhile the OBR - the body that accidentally leaked the Chancellors budget an hour before it was given - have admitted this evening it was the worst failure in its fifteen year history. The run up to the entire budget was a fiasco. But was it a lie? And which bits do the public really understand or care about? Later, why is Trump about to declare war on Venezuela? Is it about regime change, or oil, or Epstein or all three?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Salman Rushdie has spent half of his life under the threat of death, but it is only in his latest novel - The Eleventh Hour - that he has devoted a whole book to the themes of mortality. It is his first return to fiction since an attempt on his life on 2022. This Friday, Rushdie joins Lewis and Jon in the studio to discuss his new book, political violence, and the "cowardice" of the BBC. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Can other sports teach football a thing or two? On today's show Gabby and Mark take your suggestions on how to fix football, using your passion for a massive range of sports. Plus, we look back at The Sports Agents this week: a huge interview with McLaren CEO Zak Brown as Lando Norris could win them the world title this weekend; and we talk about the elephant in the room at struggling Liverpool - grief. 📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected] Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have been out defending their Budget - denying that the tax-raising measures contained within it break the Labour manifesto's promises around taxes on working people. Instead they have been trying to focus on the additional money for the NHS, lifting children out of poverty, and raises to the minimum wage. Yesterday's package of measures amounts to a fundamental shift in both the size of the State and the size of its tax take. It looks set to draw the political divide and define the political debate into the next election. So does Labour need to start making a better case about why it has moved the country in that direction? Jon and Lewis speak exclusively to Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell. She broke ranks before the Budget to warn against the idea of raising income tax - how does she feel now?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

This time last year, Rachel Reeves pledged that her tax raising Budget “wiped the slate clean” and would mean no more need for future tax raids. Today demonstrably proved what a hostage to fortune those comments were. As a result of the Chancellor’s statement today - shambolically accidentally leaked by the OBR before she had got to her feet - the tax burden is due to reach an all time high by the end of the decade. Due to her tax threshold freezes, one in four workers will pay the higher rate of income tax by 2030. There were unmistakably Labour themes in this Budget too - a mansion tax, the end of the two child benefit cap, betting firms also hit with further taxes. But is her calculation the right one? Will the voters stomach tax rises to pay for public services a ballooning welfare state? Or was this about securing her position in the party - if not the country? And what has happened to the Government’s mission for growth?Jon and Lewis speak to Torsten Bell, the Treasury minister and so-called ‘mastermind’ behind this Budget.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Just a day after BBC bosses were in front of MPs to address impartiality concerns, and there's a fresh impartiality headache for the beleaguered broadcaster. Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, who'd been asked to give the prestigious Reith Lecture, today revealed that the BBC had removed a “key line” from his address. Bregman's claim that President Trump is “the most openly corrupt president in American history” was removed from the Radio 4 broadcast of his lecture. He's said today that he was informed that the decision to remove the accusation was taken at the “highest levels within the BBC”. The BBC has insisted the decision was taken on legal advice. So why was the line pulled? And is the threat of Donald Trump's legal action now influencing the editorial decisions of the BBC?Later, with Nigel Farage on the back foot over the allegations he made racist remarks as a schoolboy - does the Reform UK leader have a glass jaw?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The leak of a 28 point peace plan over the weekend - reportedly agreed between Washington and Moscow - sent shivers down the spine of European leaders and Ukraine's soldiers. The proposals would force Ukraine to hand over swathes of territory to Vladimir Putin, limit the size of its army, and rule out any future membership of NATO.The package was seen as so favourable to the Kremlin that many questioned whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be able to stay on if he accepted the terms. And computer analysis of the text suggested that the plan may have indeed been written in Russian before being translated into English. Donald Trump then floated a Thanksgiving deadline for a deal. So what's behind America's fresh urgency for an end to the conflict in Ukraine? Is Russia determining the terms of any deal? And does anyone in the White House care?Later - Mamdani's masterclass in how to handle an Oval Office summit, and why Donald Trump may have seen something of himself in the New York mayor-elect.

Ken Clarke is perhaps the archetypal political Big Beast. Elected to parliament 55 years ago, he held cabinet roles under Margaret Thatcher, John Major and David Cameron - tipped many times for No 10, and yet never quite hardline enough on Europe to convince his Tory peers that he should be their leader. Ahead of what looks certain to be an existential Budget for Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer, Lewis went to Lord Clarke's Nottingham home - to discuss the hard choices ahead, the future of this Government, Brexit, populism, and much else besidesThe News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Only three days after launching, Sky had to take down its TikTok channel for female sports fans. Branded as the "lil-sis" of Sky Sports, it was complete with pink hearts and Barbies. But were they on to something? How do we get more young women hooked on sport? The person who figures that out has hit a goldmine. To try to strike gold, Gabby chats to Chris Paouros, Vice-Chair of the Football Supporters Association, and Ceylon Andi Hickman, Deputy Chief Executive of Football Beyond Borders.Plus we look back at this week on The Sports Agents, from illegal streaming wars to The Ashes. 📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected] Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

The Prime Minister has called on Nigel Farage to explain the reports of racist comments the reform leader allegedly made as a school boy. Farage has denied making the comments and called the allegations “without foundation“. The Guardian reported this week that he had picked on Jewish boys at Dulwich college when he was there at school and had sung offensive racist songs. Much of their reporting had been aired a decade earlier by Michael Crick - broadcaster and Farage biographer. We invited him onto the Newsagents studio to ask if he thought Farage was racist then, and now?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Backbench Labour MP Clive Lewis took to a TV studio to offer up his own Norwich seat to allow Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham a path back into Parliament and make a bid for No 10. He said his party felt "in checkmate" and that it was time to put "country before party, party before personal ambition".Is a change of leadership now a “when not if “question? Is Lewis a lone wolf? Or are the vultures now circling? Has the Labour Party started to imagine life beyond Starmer? Later, what is the corruption scandal now engulfing Ukraine - and can Zelenskyy survive it? His moves to curb the powers of the anti-corruption agency have worried EU powers. Where does the hundred million dollar scandal leave the war effort against Russia?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Parliament is not usually the place where you hear racist language. But yesterday, the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood repeated a racist slur that she has often been subjected to. Was she right to use this language to illustrate her point? And was she using it to justify her latest asylum policies?Later, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi joins us to talk about the Epstein files and the mounting pressure on President Trump.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The Home Secretary is putting her new hardline immigration plans before parliament - saying if Labour doesn’t do something drastic then worse will come. The new policy includes returning asylum seekers to their home country once it’s deemed safe. And quadrupling the amount of time they will have to spend in the UK before earning indefinite leave to remain. Some Labour MPs are already queuing up to call it "performative cruelty" and unworkable - but she’s found a fan in one Tommy Robinson who hailed the shifting of the Overton window in an unlikely weekend Tweet. Will that cheering send shivers down the spines of Labour MPs? And is the policy workable? Jon and Emily speak to the senior backbencher Stella Creasy about her concerns.Later, Trump has had a change of heart on releasing those potentially incriminating Epstein files - why?!The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It’s been a chaotic week for Labour, with rumours of internal plots and Downing Street briefing wars.As questions swirl around Keir Starmer’s leadership, and with Rachel Reeves facing mounting pressure to steady the party’s economic footing, Labour’s internal tensions are threatening to boil over.Lord Blunkett joins Jon in the studio to dissect what is going on inside Labour, how Starmer might get a handle on the situation, and ultimately save his premiership.This episode was recorded before reports of a Labour tax u-turn.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Never write off a born racer: Sir Mark Cavendish had won 30 stages of the world's biggest cycling race, The Tour de France (even winning one makes a riders career) but he'd been out of the game for 5 years - so no one would give him a job. What happened next was one of the biggest comebacks of all time to put him among the sporting greats. Sir Mark Cavendish joins us on today's show - how did it feel to be written off? Was it fair to call him a “dickhead” as a racer? And after childhood success in ballroom dancing - is Strictly next? Plus the best bits from The Sports Agents this week - is ChatGPT running your team? And why risk staging Eubank v Benn 2? 📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected] Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandGuest Booker: Kirsty GiddingsTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

23,000 pages of documents from the “Epstein files” have been released by Congress. They reveal damning details, and suggest that Epstein and Trump were in contact long after the President has previously said. In the emails Epstein said of Trump: "I am the one able to take him down".So are Trump's connections to Epstein finally catching up to him? And do these emails really have the power to take down the President of the United States? The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Late last night came a crisis response from Downing Street responding to a story no one had even heard. The suggestion was a plot - to unseat the prime minister - supposedly by the Health Secretary Wes Streeting. Streeting vehemently denied the plot. But a briefing went out from Downing Street suggesting Starmer was ready for the fight. What on earth is going on?Later, Jon speaks to Christine Flack - Caroline Flack's mother - about her meetings with culture secretary Lisa Nandy to push for the second part of the cancelled Leveson Inquiry, and her new documentary into her daughter’s trial by media.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The BBC has been set a deadline of Friday by Donald Trump's lawyer to apologise and "appropriately compensate" the US President for a Panorama edit of his January 6th speech. If the broadcaster doesn't respond, the threat of a $1bn lawsuit looms. The outgoing head of the BBC Tim Davie today told staff to "fight for our journalism" - but it's not yet clear how it will respond to the unprecedented threat from Trump. Should it have the courage to face down the threat and to challenge him in court? Many experts believe Trump's legal case is thin. So why are so many on the Right cheering on his campaign against the BBC? The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Over the last 48 hours, The News Agents have spoken to more than 30 people - insiders at the BBC - to try and work out the facts of what actually happened inside the corporation, and when. Both the Director General and the CEO of News resigned over the weekend, so why are some talking about a “right wing coup“? Why did the apology take so long to arrive? And why is Trump now threatening the state broadcaster with legal action?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/