The News Agents

Polls have narrowed as Canadians head to the ballot box. Mark Carney has led a remarkable fightback for the Liberal party, driven in no small part by a newfound sense of Canadian nationalism - determined not to be cowed by Donald Trump, disgusted by his overtures to turn the country into America's 51 state. But with the election looking tightly contested, Jon's been on the Conservative party campa...

A special edition of The News Agents this weekend as Canadians head to the polls for an election which may be decided by anti American antipathy for Donald Trump. But we begin in Rome after that meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy. Big questions for both leaders. Has Trump now recognised he’s been played by Putin? And will Zelenskyy have any choice but to agree to concede sovereign Ukrainian terri...

Over ten years ago, Black Mirror burst onto our screens, bringing with it dystopian futures and exploring themes of how humanity would deal with rapidly evolving technology. Now in its seventh series, how much of this is a far-off future? And in 2025, are we now closer to the world of Black Mirror than ever before? Charlie Brooker joins Emily and Lewis in the studio to talk about how his own anxie...

It was marathon week on The Sports Agents, inspired by the London Marathon... First up is Eilish McColgan , the four-time Olympian who's making her marathon debut in London. Her mum won the race just under 30 years ago, and now Eilish is hoping to break her record. (02:30) Former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss says he'll be chasing ex-England team mate Alastair Cook around the course as th...

Overnight Ukraine's capital suffered one of its worst bombardments for nearly a year. Scores were injured by ballistic missiles. Since recording, the death toll has risen to twelve. Putin’s attack came just hours after Trump had berated Zelensky for being “the obstacle to peace". It’s hard not to see how Putin has been emboldened by Trump's words. Which may be why as America woke up, Trump issued...

London was expecting to host key players today for a Ukraine peace summit. Late last night the US Secretary of State pulled out - leaving many to assume there was no plan to sign off. All eyes are now on the Pope's funeral on Saturday, which may be one the de facto European summit, bringing President Trump and President Zelensky face to face. Is Trump serious when he says the plan has to be wrappe...

The IMF has just released a dire forecast for every major economy - predicting a sharp slowdown in growth on the back of Trump's tariffs plan. It comes as Trump is found trying to fire his central banker - the Federal Reserve Chairman ,Jerome Powell, whose job is completely independent of government. What happens if he goes? And why hasn’t Trump learnt from history? We speak to former senior advis...

Matthew Freud rarely gives interviews. He’s normally behind the curtain, on the end of the phone - helping A listers, politicians, and businesses navigate their way through a hostile and unrelenting media environment. But now, on the fortieth anniversary of his company, which has served many of the world's biggest brands and most famous faces - he sits down with Jon and Emily to discuss scandal, p...

This week on The Sports Agents... What a moment it was... after an 11-year wait for the final major, Rory McIlroy finally achieved a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters. Actor James Nesbitt explained what it means to Northern Ireland, we relived the rollercoaster with co-host of The Chipping Forecast Podcast, Andrew Cotter , and spoke to Ciaran Lavery the Head Pro at McIlroy’s golf club,...

After years of culture war debate over trans women and their rights, today the Supreme Court ruled that the word “woman” in the 2010 Equality Act refers only to “biological” women. So was this a victory for the women who brought the legal challenge? Does this change anything in real terms for trans-people going forward? And does it just give greater ammunition to those stoking the culture war deba...

The night after one of the deadliest attacks on Ukrainian civilians since Putin's invasion, the American President has gone all block caps, tweeting: 'I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WAR'. He's clearly a bit rattled. He'd been briefed over the weekend - following talks between his own envoy and Putin - that a ceasefire was significantly nearer. Things, he told us on Saturday, were heading in the rig...

Is China trying to sabotage British industry? That’s the warning from a group in parliament. Some ministers may quietly agree. But they can’t say it out loud. So what should our strategy be? As the UK Government takes over the running of a Chinese owned company called British Steel, where does that leave our trade relationship with Beijing? Are we embracing China or running a mile? And what exactl...

In a dramatic turn of events, parliament has been recalled for MPs to discuss the future of British Steel. In Scunthorpe, some 2,700 jobs hang in the balance after the Chinese owner of the steel works said its blast furnaces are "no longer financially sustainable". Thousands more jobs in the supply chain are also at risk - steel runs through the heart of Scunthorpe. Earlier this week, Keir Starmer...

This week on The Sports Agents ... From watching his uncle commit one of the biggest robberies in British history, to a police chase and a double life sentence. John McAvoy tells us his story of turning his life around to break world records and become a sponsored Ironman triathlete. (03:30) Former Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe was set to be England's next big thing but after a broken promise from J...

At the precise moment Donald Trump was “pausing” his tariffs policy, his own trade negotiator was trying to explain to Congress who knew what when. Did those around Trump have prior knowledge, and take the opportunity to invest? Or did he leave his own team in the dark? Trump has tried to style his climb down as a win. But the soaring response of the stock markets suggest they think the tariffs tr...

Trump's tariffs, combined with China's retaliation, are doing terrible things to stock markets around the world. People are selling off equity and assets in this increasingly uncertain time. But now something even more strange is happening - the bond market is tanking. And that’s a sign that confidence in the US government itself has hit the rocks. When Greece starts looking like a safer bet than...

As Trump threatens to double the tariffs on China the trade war between two of the world's biggest economies is escalating. China has said it will "fight to the end". Trump says he will not back down. As each side raises the stakes, will Trump have to concede that he's made mistakes? Who will back down first? And how will this trade war affect the rest of the world? Later, we speak to pollster Luk...

Hong Kong's stock exchange has just closed down 13% - to put this in context it's the worst day of trading since the Asian market crash of 1997. The FTSE 100 has plummeted here, Goldman Sachs has upgraded its probability of a US recession, and members of the US government are now taking to the airwaves to squabble about the plan ahead. Is this genuinely what Trump wanted? Is he still pretending it...

This week on The Sports Agents... It's Grand National weekend! ITV Racing presenter Ed Chamberlin was among our guests, as Gabby & Mark explored how viable a more 'ethically-conscious' version of the sport is, when it relies so heavily on gambling? (02:04) Former World Champion sprinter Darren Campbell is involved in the development a new 'Super Track' that promises to help athletes break Usai...

Trump's tariffs have caused chaos on the stock markets with a looming threat of recession. Rumours are swirling that the midterm elections could get cancelled. And tourists are re-thinking their travel to America. How worried should we really be? This Friday, Lewis and Jon answer your questions about Trump, the economy, and what the global impact will be. Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our...

Declaring 'Liberation Day' for the USA, Donald Trump accused other countries of having "looted, pillaged, raped and plundered" America's economy. What he announced has sent tremors around the global economy and his own - Trump has set the stage for a global trade war. His tariffs start at 10% and go up to as high as 74% for an unlucky few states like Bangladesh and Serbia. It’s mathematical spaghe...

Has Trump just started to work out he’s being played by Putin? A light bulb moment is going on in the White House - Washington officials are privately admitting that the Ukraine peace deal is not going to plan. Whilst fifty senators have combined forces to seek new sanctions on Russia, we ask whether Trump has lost patience with Putin and whether this will make him double down or walk away? We hea...

It's 'Liberation Day' eve as Trump dangles his tariffs threat across the world again. How should Starmer respond to what could be a nail in the coffin to the UK economy? And how has one woman’s anti abortion protest now got tangled up in a free trade deal? We talk with a former Bank of England chief economist. Later, is Kemi Badenoch right about Adolescence? Should policy be made off the back of T...

The French Far Right leader Marine Le Pen is barred from standing in the country's next presidential election following her conviction for embezzlement. She’s beginning an emergency appeal straight away, and her party says “democracy has been executed“ in France today. Will that conviction silence them? Or could it be a rocket boost to their electoral fortunes? Plus, we have an exclusive interview...

The White Lotus - now in its third series has proved a recipe for a smash hit. Take a fabulously wealthy bunch of characters. Make most of them dreadful. And watch them fight it out in a tropical paradise. We’re joined in today’s episode by one of this series stars, Jason Isaacs AKA Tim Ratliff, to discuss whether getting roles now depends on your political persuasions. And whether it pays to be o...