The News Agents

Dolly Parton always avoided talking politics. She said you could find her opinions in her songs. She wrote about abortion, female rights, heartbreak, and wandering eyes. And yet, across America today Democrats have expressed their adoration whilst Republican president Trump lowered the flags to half-mast. How did Dolly Parton unite people across the political divide? What is it about her that capt...

Rupert Lowe has a lot to be grateful to Elon Musk for. Last month, on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he credited Musk with helping to restore free speech on X. And it was Musk who publicly backed Lowe and promoted him as a political alternative to Nigel Farage - paving the path for Restore Britain. But it would appear that Musk has also been helping to line the Restore Britain leader’s pockets. This year, L...

It’s happening again. Six years after Harry and Meghan fled Britain for California, citing the relentlessness of the British press, the reaction to their homecoming has been fevered. Why can’t we leave them alone? And do they really want to be? What does it mean for the House of Windsor? And why is Harry the only senior figure in public life seemingly without state backed security these days? Jon...

How has a Trump family luxury development sparked a protest movement so large that it is threatening to bring down a European Prime Minister? Well that's exactly what has happened in Albania. A proposed 4 billion euro resort complex in on of the country's most cherished nature spots has led to the largest demonstrations seen there in over three decades. Dubbed the 'Flamingo Revolution' because of...

It’s almost upon us. A mere month after the World Cup Final, we are staring down the barrel of a brand new Premier League football season and Gabby, Mark & Nedum are as excited as a bunch of rowdy kids on Christmas eve. Join the guys as they break down the most unpredictable Premier League season ever. We are talking about the Big 6 - who will be Mikel Arteta’s rival this season, how can Mares...

It's nearly a week on from the death of Jason Arday, the Cambridge professor who came under scrutiny after allegations of plagiarism were levelled against him. Even after his resignation, media coverage scrutinised his work, personal achievements and medical conditions. Former students and class mates were chased for interviews and the story continued to grow. At a vigil for Arday on Monday, Lord...

Borrowing costs have hit new highs in some of the world's biggest economies. While Trump's war with Iran is behind some of rise, it's the AI effect that is spooking some market analysts. A huge surge in corporate borrowing for AI development and data centre building has led to fears that there are risks involved in betting on an artificial intelligence boom - and investors are demanding higher ret...

A leading Democrat was mid stump speech which he suddenly sent the crowd wild. It wasn’t his mention of Trump's failed Iran war. It wasn't an attack on his tariffs, or his failed cost of living policies. It was the moment he let slip that the only thing Trump is interested in is his ballroom and his "travel with Natalie". So who is Natalie Harp? Why have Democrats been pushing unsubstantiated innu...

The chancellor of Cambridge University today has condemned the "racist feeding frenzy" around Jason Arday. Arday was found dead on Friday after a relentless slew of articles querying the veracity of his academic work and life story. Was it really in the public interest to scrutinise every aspect of his life - even after he'd resigned from his post? Or did the controversy around Jason Arday's appoi...

The people of Clacton will be relieved it’s over, but one candidate was conspicuously absent from the proceedings last night: Nigel Farage. He and his team will say he was advised not to attend because of a security threat, Essex police deny any such advice. Nonetheless, in a surprise to absolutely no one, Farage won the Clacton by-election, seeing off a record 33 other candidates. But just how im...

The England Men’s test cricket team are in a hole. After a spectacular collapse at home to New Zealand which saw the end of Stokes, McCullum and the ‘Bazball’ era earlier this summer England now face a must win series against Pakistan. But guess what? Their new test coach, who has never coached a test team, is in New Zealand and it’s all got Mark Chapman feeling a bit down about his favourite spor...

Not content with calling a former Defence Secretary a "traitor" and getting a ticking off from Nigel Farage, Zia Yusuf has outdone himself today. He's accused Vodafone of aiding and abetting the "invasion of Britain" by handing out SIM cards to British charities - one such charity works with migrants in Calais. In an open letter today he's told the Vodafone board a Reform government would jail the...

"The West Bank is at breaking point" - the words of a top UN official at a Security Council meeting in New York last night. Settler violence has been ramping up. Two Palestinian homes have been under siege with the weekend, with families warning that their supplies are running out. The IDF has denounced the “illegal, reprehensible and unacceptable” establishment of settler outposts inside West Ban...

It turns out running a poll to ask Twitter whether Ben Wallace should be prosecuted for treason is perhaps not savvy politics. Zia Yusuf. the Reform home affairs spokesman has today been slapped down by his leader Nigel Farage for labelling the former Tory defence secretary a "traitor" for allowing thousands of Afghans into the country. Farage has said the language is "over the top" and that Yusuf...

Is the Democratic party fundamentally metamorphosing? After Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan last week, attention is turning to another big test for the Democratic Socialists in Wisconsin. There, the progressive candidate is being dragged for old social media posts suggesting she wanted to cancel Thanksgiving. Is the Dem new breed too woke? Or are they exactly what the party needs to breathe n...

A northern leader. A sudden change at the top. A cost of living crisis engulfing the country. A Labour party accused of tacking left. Not Andy Burnham in 2026, but Harold Wilson in 1963. Considering his priorities and his focus, Burnham would do well to learn the lessons from Labour's last great northern leader. A four-time election winner, a progressive pioneer, a comms master, who shaped the cou...

Who does football really belong to? After the highest grossing world cup of all time, and as FIFA & UEFA accuse each other of selling football’s soul, Gabby Mark & Nedum debate who sport belongs to and surprise, surprise it aint the fans. But are supporters in the stands really just props for a TV product or do they still have a genuine stake in the sports they pay so much to follow? Elsew...

24 hours on from the Tory neo-Nazigate , a curious development. The candidate himself, Joshua Bonehill-Paine, has now withdrawn from the election in Somerset council - only to find himself promoted by the Conservative leader herself to a national advisory role. Why is 'no gaffes' Kemi choosing this eccentric hill to make her point - and what in fact is it? Meanwhile, she’s given an interview rulin...

UPDATE: Since publishing, the convicted antisemite Joshua Bonehill-Paine has withdrawn running as a Tory candidate, saying that if he carried on "other political parties will spend all their time focusing on my past rather than the work I'm doing today, or even fighting antisemitism in their own midst". Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, released at statement saying; "While I am sad that Joshua feels he...

Why are hard right politicians now flocking to the tiny Spanish enclave of Ceuta off the coast of Morocco? And why is Europe so spooked? After tens of thousands of migrants flocked to this northern corner of Africa, the EU has gone into emergency mode - nearly a hundred people died or drowned in an attempt to enter Spain through Ceuta. Italy has suspended free movement with Spain for a month. Othe...

Nigel hates Rupert but needs him and Rupert wants Nigel to beg. Could Restore and Reform ever do a deal to take on the newly invigorated Labour party? Or is there too much toxicity to even get on the phone? Later - Will FIFA president Gianni Infantino last the week after so many football associations have turned against him - and will Trump stick by the man who gave him the peace prize? The News A...

Andy Burnham hasn't even been Prime Minister for two weeks, but the early verdict is positive. He's looked decisive, commanded the agenda and projected authority. The question is: will that matter? New governments often think they know what will define them but history has a habit of intervening. The biggest political events are often the ones nobody sees coming. Could the next defining crisis alr...

As Eddie Howe dramatically quits Newcastle 3 weeks before the start of a new Premier League season, Mark Chapman & guests unpack the financial meltdown which led to Newcastle losing their most successful coach for 70 years. The Athletic’s Chris Waugh explains the timing of Eddie Howe’s decision and asks if club captain Bruno Guimares’ seemingly imminent departure to Arsenal was the final straw...

Dr Anthony Fauci became a world-renowned figure during Covid - one of America's top virologists with a lifetime of public service to his name. And yet, in a Senate committee yesterday, he was condemned in the strongest terms by several Republicans, and had to plead the fifth amendment 100 times. He accused the senior GOP Senator Rand Paul (who chairs the committee) of having an "obsession" with hi...

Andy Burnham has set out plans to fix England’s struggling social care system - promising a new National Care Service, cross-party talks and a review designed to tackle a system he says is no longer working. But how quickly can reform happen, and who will pay for it? In this episode, we unpack the announcement, and ask whether the new PM can finally deliver meaningful change. Later, we're joined b...