The News Meeting

Will Chancellor John Healey play it safe in next week’s budget? Who’s responsible for the decline of Manchester United? What does the cyber-security flaw within PHP tell us about the future of internet safety? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by Ben Zaranko, the Observer’s Economics Editor, Jessy Parker Humphreys, Sports Reporter, and Poppy Bullard, Audio Producer, to battle it out for the top story of th...

With the media fanfare surrounding Russell Brand’s trial, how can jurors be kept away from prejudicial information? What does US control over Ukraine’s defence technology mean for the war, and wider security in Europe? And will the recent revelations about Reform’s councillors racist remarks actually affect support for the party? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Social...

Can Gen Z protesters in France bring about political change? With the enormous financial pull of the tech industry, can Hollywood blockbusters like Artificial and The Social Reckoning meaningfully critique tech billionaires anymore? And how did Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor win his legal claim against the police? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer reporters Hannah Schuller, Marine Saint and Jon...

What next for Manchester City after the Premier League club was found guilty of serious financial-rule breaches? And if the Crown Prosecution Service brings charges over the fatal 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, what could that mean for future corporate manslaughter cases? Could the stabbing on the Israel-bound flight affect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chances in the upcoming late October...

China’s president, Xi, is in Washington. What’s at stake? Is the 40-year ban on people drinking in football stands about to end? And what might the new bereavement leave law mean for people who have lost a loved one? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Jasper Corbett, Seun Matiluko and Andrew Butler as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day. **We want to hear what you think...

How seriously should world leaders take warnings of rogue AI models? Should people be allowed to bet on the trials of new medicines? Why did Ed Sheeran drop his support act, Macklemore, from his tour? Giles Whittell is joined by Cat Neilan, the Observer’s Whitehall editor, Caitlin Macdonald, social media editor and James Tapper, Observer reporter, as they battle it out to pitch the top story of th...

Why has President Trump promised Americans $5000 dollars each if Republicans win the midterms elections? How seriously should we take former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon's earnest warning that AI will kill humanity? What do job cuts at Jaguar Land Rover tell us about the British economy?  Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Hannah Schuller, Jessica Hayden and Ben Zaranko as they ba...

Why has Andy Burnham pledged to save the Jodrell Bank Observatory? Will the Holborn and St Pancras by-election be the ultimate test for Green Party leader Zack Polanski? And is Russia’s hybrid war with Europe really hybrid?  Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Cat Neilan and Erica Wagner as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to h...

What are the consequences of the devastating flash flood in Nepal, which has killed hundreds and left more than 1,000 people missing? Why does England’s cricket team keep finding itself in trouble, with yet another player caught up in a suspected drunken mishap? And should we all start stockpiling the cupboards with tinned food? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Poppy Bullard, Andrew Butl...

Can Prime Minister Andy Burnham eradicate rough sleeping by Christmas? Why has the 1996 killing of hip hop legend Tupac Shakur returned to the headlines? And what could Disney and ABC’s lawsuit against the Trump administration mean for the future of press freedom? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s James Tapper, Evan Moffitt and Caitlin Macdonald as they battle it out and pitch the top sto...

Can Andy Burnham do anything to combat wildfires? What does the future of universities and further education look like for students? And are we reaching a crunch point with global shipping? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Cat Neilan, Hannah Schuller and Ben Zaranko as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeetin...

Why are AI models hacking real companies? How will the ongoing drought affect our domestic food supply? And what is the political and humanitarian fallout after around 70,000 migrants swam from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta enclave last week? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Hannah Schuller, Jonathan Lewis and Jon Ungoed-Thomas as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.&nbs...

Why are we experiencing so many wildfires in the UK? How is Prime Minister Andy Burnham proposing to reform adult social care? And is the future of the World Cup in jeopardy over FIFA’s controversial investment plans? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Cat Neilan and Andrew Butler as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to hear what yo...

Why did an OpenAI model go rogue? What does Ukraine's targeting of a Russian online retailer say about the war? And who is behind India's 'cockroach' protests? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s James Tapper, Poppy Bullard and Hannah Schuller as they battle it out to pitch the top story of the day.  **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk   Follo...

Why can’t England’s men’s football team win a major football tournament? Is Gen Z an economically selfish generation? And what kind of message is the government sending by nationalising British Steel? Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Jessy Parker Humphreys and Ben Zaranko as they battle it out to pitch the top story of the day.  **We want to hear what you think! E...

With the US-Iran peace deal seemingly in tatters, and reporting restrictions on western media outlets, how can journalists figure out what’s actually going on in Iran? Why is Nigel Farage spending the summer arguing against a bin in the Clacton byelection? Has Donald Trump’s intervention over a red card at the World Cup undermined fans' trust in FIFA?  Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer...

How much money Donald Trump has made from cryptocurrency? Why have rumours about Taylor Swift’s wedding led to an online betting frenzy? Are Silicon Valley whistleblowers under greater threat than ever before? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by the Observer’s Technology Editor Patricia Clarke, Social Media Editor Caitlin Macdonald, and Reporter Jon Ungoed-Thomas as they battle it out to pitch the top sto...

Why might Andy Burnham move part of the Downing Street operations to Manchester? What happened to maternity care across Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust? And can we adapt our cities to extreme heat? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Ben Zaranko, Jessy Parker-Humphreys and Evan Moffitt as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to hear what you thi...

Why are UK voters so anti-establishment? Why can’t we name the Putney Pusher suspect? And why is the government banning teenagers from having AI relationships?  Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Sarah Dear, Stephen Armstrong and Cat Neilan as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk  ...

Who's calling the shots when World Cup staff and fans are denied entry? Can the US-Iran ceasefire survive another exchange of strikes? And why has the Belfast knife attack become about the Irish border?   Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s John Simpson, Hannah Schuller and Evan Moffitt as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to hear what you th...

This episode is a sports desk takeover ahead of the World Cup. What’s going to happen when Iran plays their first match on US soil? Why is FIFA facing allegations of trying to sell tickets using unofficial platforms? And could England win the World Cup?  Andrew Butler, is joined by George Simms, Jessica Hayden and Rory Smith - as they battle it out to pitch the top World Cup story of the day....

Why has Pope Leo written 42,000 words warning about the dangers of AI? Why is Britain at risk of ‘losing’ a generation of young people? And what does the European heatwave have to do with the fairness of tennis?  Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s John Simpson, Jessy Parker Humphreys and Erica Wagner as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to hear w...

Married at First Sight UK has been pulled off air after allegations of rape during filming were made by former participants. What does this tell us about safeguarding in reality TV? Why might Rachel Reeves’s newly announced cuts on food tariffs negatively affect our health? And why has a football club admitted to spying? Jeevan Vasager is joined by The Observer’s James Tapper, Madeleine Parr and A...

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, announces he’s resigning from government in an attempt to force Sir Keir Starmer out of Downing Street. Has the Labour leadership contest officially started? What can we learn from US Donald Trump’s summit with China’s Xi Jinping? And why are young people facing a significant retirement crisis? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Cat N...

There are council elections in England and votes for the Welsh Senned and Scottish Parliament today. What could the results mean for Keir Starmer, Labour and for the future of politics in the UK? Where did the mysterious hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship come from, and what happens next? And has there been a coverup of Britain’s nuclear weapons testing programme in Australia and the Pacific dur...