The News Meeting

Last week the world’s largest ransomware gang was taken over in an extensive, international police operation. What does the infiltration of LockBit tell us about the fight against cyber crime? To find out more about Tortoise: - Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists - Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and exclusive content - Become...

The head of TED sits down with Tortoise editor James Harding to discuss his concerns about artificial intelligence and how his religious upbringing made him want to spread the idea of infectious generosity. Email: newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com Guest: Chris Anderson, head of TED and author of Infectious Generosity Host: James Harding, editor-in-chief at Tortoise Producer: Lewis Vickers To find out...

People living in Birmingham are paying more for less after the city council effectively declared itself bankrupt. To find out more about Tortoise: - Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists - Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and exclusive content - Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more...

A hospital in London has told more than 130 patients that their eggs and embryos might have accidentally been damaged. What does this incident tell us about the UK’s fertility services? To find out more about Tortoise: - Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists - Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and exclusive content - Become a memb...

What should lead the news? Chris Anderson, head of TED and author of Infectious Generosity , pitches his story to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding. The team discusses the Sunday Times’ investigation into drink spiking, the ongoing war in Sudan and why we’re wired to focus on bad news stories.  To book your place for The News Meeting Live with Elizabeth Day visit: https://www.tortoisem...

British judges are deciding whether the founder of WikiLeaks should be allowed to appeal his extradition to the United States. What is he accused of doing? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member  and get acce...

What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding. In this episode the team are joined by Lord Bird, co-founder of the Big Issue, and an audience in the newsroom.  Louise Tickle talks about her investigation into failing young offenders institution Cookham Wood and John reflects on his time in prison as a youngster 60 y...

A landmark judgement has found that the University of Bristol contributed to the death of a student called Natasha Abrahart by discriminating against her. What does her suicide tell us about the duty of care that universities have towards their students? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ &...

What do you do all day?   Data suggests the average time people spend on leisure has decreased since the 1980s. John and Rachel explain what’s going on and what they spend their time doing. Email: trendy@tortoisemedia.com Hosts: Professor John Curtice and Rachel Wolf To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to...

Donald Trump is on the campaign trail for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, so why did he take time out to promote a new Trump-branded footwear range? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member  and get...

The business known for its natural and ethical beauty products has been a staple of the British high street for the past 50 years. Now it’s closing half of its UK stores and reducing the size of its head office, leading to hundreds of job losses. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on...

Kremlin critic and Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny has died in prison. As questions swirl about his death and world leaders condemn Vladimir Putin, what does it mean for Russia? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a...

What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding. The team discusses what we know about Alexei’s Navalny’s death in a Russian penal colony, why fake restaurants are being registered on Companies House and Labour’s position on a ceasefire in Gaza ahead of a vote in the House of Commons later this week. Email: newsmeeting@tor...

When Joe Biden won the election in 2020 he was seen by many as the ‘safe’ option compared to Donald Trump. But during his presidency he’s become well-known for his gaffes and occasional stumbles. Many US voters are wondering: is 81 too old to run for president? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tort...

What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell. In this episode the Tortoise team are joined by food critic and podcaster Jimi Famurewa. They discuss the news that the UK is officially in an economic recession, a huge rise in antisemitic abuse since the Hamas attack on Israel and what the closure of the last two Veggie Pre...

Defending Labour’s long-held seat in Rochdale should have been a walk in the park. But with a fortnight still to go before the by-election there, the party has been forced to drop its candidate. How did Labour end up here? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on Apple Podcasts for early...

One of the biggest policy challenges Britain faces right now is its housing crisis. How did we get into such a mess and how do we get out of it? John Curtice and Rachel Wolf are joined by Dr Tim Leunig who advised three secretaries of state on housing policy.  If you want to hear more from Tortoise on housing, listen to Making sense of social housing.   Email: trendy@tortoisemedia.c...

After a year of tension between the two men, the Ukrainian president fired his top military commander. What does it tell us about Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan for the next stage of the war with Russia? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app  - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+  on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free cont...

At the end of January almost 400 asylum seekers were given less than a week to leave the hotel they were being housed in. Where did they go and what does it tell us about the UK’s asylum system? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a mem...

Farmers across the European Union are throwing eggs at buildings and setting tires on fire. What do they want? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more If you want...

What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell. In this episode he’s joined by journalist and author Donald Macintrye, political editor Cat Neilan and climate editor Jeevan Vasagar to discuss the prospect of an Israeli ground operation in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, allegations of antisemitism against Labour’s candidate...

Keir Starmer finally killed off Labour’s £28bn green plan. This may have ended months of will-he-won’t-he speculation about the future of the policy - but it has sparked a new debate about what the Labour leader stands for. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and...

What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor James Harding In this episode the team discuss the news that Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the Gaza peace deal, Labour has dropped its £28 billion green investment plan, and the hydroelectric dam that could power a lot of Africa Email:  newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com Guests: Giles Whittell, T...

A new class-action lawsuit is accusing the genetic testing company 23andMe of failing to protect the privacy of millions of its customers after the data identifying their ethnicity was posted on the dark web. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free conten...

The number of university graduates has never been higher, but what does that mean for social mobility? Has it stalled and if so, what does that reveal about inequality? Email: trendy@tortoisemedia.com Hosts: John Curtice and Rachel Wolf Executive producer: Jasper Corbett To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to...