Lifting the curtain on the biggest stories in the UK, U.S. & beyond. With Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel & Lewis Goodall. Listen on Global Player. .
87,637 followers 11 following 899 posts
view profile on Bluesky
"I think they lie. It's 𝙨𝙤 dishonest. They did it with Biden, with Trump’s COVID and they’re lying again now." Rumours about Trump’s health swirled over the weekend. The White House insists he’s fine - but haven’t we learned they’d always say that? @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social
"Farage's policies aren't about creating a 'Better Britain', they are about pulling things down: It's easy to be in opposition, you just get to destroy things!" So, why does Keir Starmer keep agreeing with Nigel Farage on illegal immigration?
“They lied about his health then, and they're lying now.” The White House says Donald Trump is in great health, despite rumours he had died, which spread like wildfire on social media. Can we believe what they say?
"The thing I'm most scared of is companies deploying AI products without a much larger societal conversation." Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark on his "deep worry" of unregulated AI being rapidly rolled out to the public. @lewisgoodall.com
Is AI really coming for your job - and when? Why do politicians seem unable to face the tech that could push us into an economic bloodbath? @lewisgoodall.com reports 👇
"There has been nothing proven against her whatsoever, and it looks like a naked power grab by Donald Trump to get rid of someone appointed by Joe Biden." Did Donald Trump bite off more than he could chew when he tried to fire Lisa Cook?
"Asylum seekers are not particularly likely to go to four or five star hotels. The life of an asylum seeker is not a happy one, but nonetheless, Rylan is repeating that." Why Rylan's This Morning rant about migrant hotels is so troubling
"I don't want to talk in sci-fi vignettes about all the ways it could be scary, but that's a potential place you end up." Forget killer robots (for now), is AI set to terminate your job?
“She advocated violence at a moment of national disorder, when the threat of migrant hotels being burned down was very real. How else should the state respond?" Why Lucy Connolly is no 'political prisoner' – despite what she claims
“We have a figure in office who is profoundly and nakedly corrupt. It is a badge of honour to have that as your opposition." Why New York mayor candidate Zohran Mamdani has Donald Trump running scared. Does the Democratic Party comeback start here?
"In Trump's America, if you make something modern, it must be ‘woke’." How the president went to war with a restaurant chain and won – even if the company knows it makes no business sense to let him triumph
"What a contrast from the city above..." Beneath the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas lies a "dangerous" network of tunnels, and it's home to a spiralling drugs epidemic
“They're doing it to try and get a reaction and, in some cases, they're doing it to try to intimidate. They want to send a message of cultural aggression." What's behind the right-wing obsession with the England flag?
“If the tech keeps getting better this quickly, there’s the potential for a large-scale employment impact.” Jack Clark, co-founder of AI company Anthropic, says the speed of AI’s development is unprecedented and “hard to believe” for many. @lewisgoodall.com
"It would be better to have more teachers, more nurses, more people working in elder care... but we tend to pay these people very poorly." The AI revolution is here – but are the tech companies behind this change doing anything to protect our jobs?
"There have been no counter narratives from Labour. There have been no attempts to fact check some of this stuff." Rylan's TV rant about migrant hotels was packed full of right-wing misinformation – and our government have done nothing to stop its spread
“This is exactly who Starmer 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 be talking to, the median voter! What Rylan said will resonate." Where is Labour? 🤔 @jonsopel1.bsky.social & @lewisgoodall.com say the party’s lack of communication lets misinformation about migrants spread, leaving a vacuum others happily fill.
From Vegas’ flood tunnels to San Francisco’s streets, America’s opioid crisis has destroyed lives for decades. Now, with deadly synthetics hitting the UK, has the epidemic been transported here? @lewisgoodall.com reports.
“Tony Blair has a tremendous belief in his own power of political persuasion”. The former PM met Donald Trump in the White House to present a post-war Gaza plan - could he be a key player in bringing peace to the Middle East? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trum...
"Rylan is not an ideologue. He is exactly the sort of person the government should be talking to." Rylan's migrant rant was full of far-right misinformation – and the government is to blame for its shocking lack of effort to control UK conversation on asylum seekers
“It's not any individual proposal, but a sense he's completely upsetting the traditional apple cart.” Zohran Mamdani has Republicans – and Democrats - running scared. Is this hugely popular socialist the future for left wing politics in the US? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/his-...
“It's not any individual proposal, but this sense he's completely upsetting the traditional apple cart.” Zohran Mamdani has Republicans – and Democrats - running scared. Is this hugely popular socialist the future for left wing politics in the US?
“Does the US still want to pressure - or seize - Greenland from Denmark?” “Absolutely.” Danish investigative journalist @nielsfastrup.bsky.social says the US is running a hostile campaign aimed at destabilising Denmark.
"There has been nothing proven against her whatsoever – it looks like a naked power grab by Donald Trump." The president wants to sack Lisa Cook from the board of the US Federal Bank but, for now, she's refusing to go anywhere www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trum...
"Obama recognises Zohran Mamdani’s skillset." Ex-Obama adviser Patrick Gaspard tells Jon the former president reached out after being “impressed” with Mamdani’s conduct.
"In Trump's America, if you make something modern, it must be 'woke'." US restaurant chain Cracker Barrel abandoned plans for a new logo after backlash - bowing to Donald Trump's nostalgia for a bygone America." @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...
"Democrats will be standing with him behind podiums and saying, this is part of the future of the party.” Patrick Gaspard, informal advisor to Zohran Mamdani, on why the Democrat nominee for New York mayor is shaking up politics in the US www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/his-...
"If anyone on the left starts getting their knickers in a twist about it, they're making a huge mistake." Why do The News Agents believe the best thing to do about England flags is... celebrate them www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/angr...
"The idea she was the PM's political prisoner, or had an 'unfair trial'? She pled guilty!" Lucy Connolly - jailed for a race-hate post after Southport - is being used to criticise the British judicial system by the right.
Lucy Connolly calls herself Starmer's "political prisoner" - despite pleading guilty and being sentenced by a judge, not the PM. Are the right confusing politically motivated speech with politically motivated justice? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/lucy...
"The idea she was the PM's political prisoner, or had an 'unfair trial'? She pled guilty!" Lucy Connolly - jailed for a race-hate post after Southport - is being used to criticise the British judicial system by the right.
"They want to send a message of cultural aggression." England flags have been hung from lampposts and painted in towns across the UK. But if people get angry about it, is this giving the far-right exactly what they want? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/angr...
"Politicians must be very careful about using the threat of civil disorder to justify policy." Farage claims a “genuine threat to public order” over small boat crossings, but the reality doesn’t back him up, argue @jonsopel1.bsky.social and @lewisgoodall.com.
"Driving people out because they can't survive there, you are conducting ethnic cleansing." Why has Netanyahu decided now is the time to threaten total destruction of Gaza City? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/neta...
“I was at a very low point, searching for things everywhere." Marcos, a former athlete, turned to religion after seeing a vision of Jesus while sitting on his sofa, describing – are more young people really turning to God? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...
“We are presented with the idea of a dystopian hell, as if London is a terrible city." “The truth is that most of it is complete bollocks.” The hard right say London is no longer safe. They're lying www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/the-...
"This should make us all really worried.” Terror groups are proscribed in the UK for links to "serious violence and threat to life". Many argue this does not apply to to Palestine Action www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/pale...
“This is no surprise if you tell the world they're not welcome to the United States." The Las Vegas strip is empty – and people are staying away because of corporate greed, the threat of ICE and hostile US policy towards people from outside the country www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/what...
A new book makes jaw-dropping claims of the Duke of York having 40 escorts “brought to him” on a tax-payer funded trip to Thailand, sharing women with Jeffrey Epstein, and using his business tripsto fill his and his friends' pockets www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/prin...
“This is a serious problem, and for years, politicians of all stripes have lied about the scale of the problem.” The hard-right just say "send them back" when asked about migrant people in the UK – but that's just an empty political slogan www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/send...
“The Democrats are lying in the road like they've all been run over. Suddenly, they've got a pulse.” Gavin Newsom's new social media strategy is to TROLL Donald Trump... and its agitating the GOP. www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/gavi...
"Corbyn would be interested in more aggressive wealth taxation and income taxation... It would be an interesting experiment." A new poll suggests one in five Brits would consider voting for the new Corbyn / Sultana party. Could they reshape UK politics? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/what...
"You are a complete tit, I hate you." @lewisgoodall.com floated the idea of a 100% inheritance tax and the online responses covered 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 about every expletive in the dictionary...
"Nerd". "Devil". "Communist". “Pathetic”. “Clown”. "Plank". These are some of the names Lewis Goodall was called this week when he floated the idea of increasing inheritance tax. Why are the right-wing so furious about this idea? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...
“He was paid for by the taxpayer!” Prince Andrew allegedly had 40 escorts "brought to him" in four days during a taxpayer-funded official trip to Thailand, biographer Andrew Lownie says tells The News Agents. www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/prin...
"Epstein said of Prince Andrew: We are both serial sex addicts. He's the only person I've met who is more obsessed with pussy than me." Andrew Lownie’s book claims the pair's relationship went on for longer than was admitted - a friendship based on a “love of money and women.”
Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel isn't committing genocide in Gaza, but could do so in "one afternoon" – if it wanted. PBS special correspondent Leila Molana Allen tells The News Agents making Gaza City a place people can't survive would be ethnic cleansing www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/neta...
“The IDF wiped out Al Jazeera’s 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 Gaza City operation... Many in Gaza believe it was so they can carry out their operation with people blind: no one can see what is happening." PBS NewsHour's @leilama.bsky.social on reports the recent press killing was pre-emptive for Israel's offensive.
"Trump is like a dad sniggering at his son's stag night stripper antics - secretly wishing he could do the same and get away with it." Does the MAGA base - and Trump himself - embolden Putin not to cede in Ukraine?
"It’s no longer left or right: It’s old comms vs those willing to engage on social media... 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 the name of the game." Gavin Newsom is trolling Trump online - nicknames and all - and if it’s attention he wants, he’s getting it... 🇺🇸
📢 Q&A FRIDAY 📢 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬? Send them in and we’ll answer tomorrow in our Q&A episode. 📧 newsagents@global.com (voice notes welcome!) @jonsopel1.bsky.social | @lewisgoodall.com
"There’s a real danger Reeves is always chasing her tail." A reported property tax is just the latest turn in Rachel Reeves's never-ending fiscal straitjacket - and questions linger over the extent of Starmer’s support.
“Gavin Newsom is taking on the role of Bulldog in Chief for the Democrats. He's found his canines, and he's not scared of attack”. The Cali Gov. is taking a leaf out of Trump’s BEAUTIFUL, HISTORIC book. But how effective is it? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/gavi...
"Drastic measures are needed… glib podium phrases only fuel the cynicism that lets Reform thrive." As a court orders a migrant hotel closed, The News Agents ask what real alternatives politicians have, including offshore processing.
"Farage and Tice just say 'send them back', which is completely reductive." "Where 𝘢𝘳𝘦 these people going to go?" The hard-right are celebrating the closure of Epping's migrant hotel, but they've no alternative to offer
"Let's 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 that Trump delivers a peace deal Ukraine can willingly sign up to - I'm not convinced yet." Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, on the ‘deeply alarming’ concessions Trump has already handed Putin during peace talks.
"Decades of political activity hasn't been called terrorism - there’s a clear distinction." Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, backs punishing Palestine Action for their crimes, but says terrorism laws are the wrong tool.
“People exercising their democratic rights have been arrested. It should make us all 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 worried.” @eddavey.libdems.org.uk says he’s unconvinced Palestine Action should be a proscribed a terrorist organisation. Is it a bad look for British democracy? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/pale...
"They think he's a moron and he makes their life hell on a daily basis." If European leaders think Donald Trump is an idiot, why did they 'kiss the ring' at last night's Ukraine peace talks?
"The truth is: All they’ve agreed is… to have another meeting." A made-for-TV evening saw European leaders lay it on thick with Trump in hopes of a Ukraine-friendly peace deal. But did it get them anywhere?
"You cannot 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 a word he says - and you can't 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 a word he says." As European leaders gather for an emergency White House meeting, does it expose the continent’s ‘deep frailty’?
"Ukraine has been doing our dirty work for years... It's hard to say, but it's in Europe's interest for Ukraine to continue fighting 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 a bad peace deal." Lewis explains how a 'Putin-inspired' peace deal could be catastrophic.
"What the F is a land swap? There is no swapping going on whatsoever. Russia is taking. Ukraine is giving. Can we stop using this phrase?” Sincerely, @jonsopel1.bsky.social www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/russ...
"Something has been said that makes Europe's leaders need to clear their diaries in the middle of August and descend en-masse." What happened between Trump and Putin that makes the most powerful people in Europe fly to Washington?
"How amazing: Of all the men in the world, it's Donald Trump setting the course in history in terms of how safe we can sleep at night." @jonsopel & @lewis_goodall on Trump’s history-defining White House talks today. The stakes? Enormous.
'The epidemic is already here' Fentanyl, and other synthetic opioids, kill tens of thousands of people in the US every year – and it's growing in the UK too, often found in 'party drugs' like MDMA
"Do you not find it exploitative to make money from people's grief?" At Ai4 in Vegas, @lewisgoodall.com sees a jaw-dropping AI tool that lets you “talk” to dead loved ones. It raises questions about life and death - and highlights just how quickly this tech is advancing.
"London lives rent free inside the heads of right wing activists, because it shows how completely wrong they are in their politics every day of the week." You might have heard how dangerous London is – but that's not really the truth...
"London lives rent free in their heads as it's living proof of how completely wrong their politics is - they 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 to lie about it!" As the far-right push a thinly veiled anti-immigrant narrative by branding London a "crime-ridden hellhole" - Jon and Lewis push back.
A new AI company promises to bring your dead relatives back to life through digital recreations. @lewisgoodall.com asks, is this a comforting way to keep lost loved ones alive or 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 exploitative? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/woul...
"I can't leave an America to my granddaughter where she doesn't have rights." On 3 August, more than 50 Democrat representatives fled the state of Texas to stop Republicans destroying its few black districts. Now, they're being 'hunted' by the FBI
"It is scary, it is racist... if I wasn't living it, I wouldn't believe it." Rep. Jolanda Jones breaks down telling Jon she’s prepared to stay away from her family and home in Texas as long as it takes to stop Trump’s "racist" redistricting attempt.
“You can have truth, but it's got to be Donald Trump's version of the truth” Trump has deployed the National Guard, fired the head of the BLS, made Harvard pay up – and that’s just this week. @maitlis.bsky.social @jonsopel1.bsky.social www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/who-...
A new report from Trump's administration says the UK has a huge problem with freedom of expression. All things considered, is America in any position to be lecturing us?
"If you are an army and you are advancing quickly, you carry on the advance... There'll be an awful lot of pressure being put on the Supreme Court to take up this case." Will the Trump Administration make same-sex marriage its next target?
"Too right, it's none of your bloody business! Sorry, Secret Service: Brits do 𝙣𝙤𝙩 have to hand over their social media to you!" Was VP JD Vance descending on the Cotswolds another example of the UK having to "sing to America's tune?"
"London is being set up as this dystopian hellhole where you can barely walk out of your door... it's a Trump import!" Has the UK borrowed America’s favourite political tactic, scaremongering the "city"?
"Trump's politics is one that 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 enemies - real and imagined.” The president has spoken of "bloodthirsty criminals" and "roving gangs of wild youths" in Washington DC... But crime is falling. So, is this about safety, or something else?
Donald Trump will deploy the National Guard to tackle the “rampant crime” in Washington DC. The only problem with his “Liberation Day” plan? The crime wave doesn’t exist. @jonsopel1.bsky.social @lewisgoodall.com www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trum...
"If you tell the world they're not welcome in the United States, they'll go somewhere else." Las Vegas is facing a crisis. Will the lights stay on the strip, or is it too late?
"Between the White House and his golf course, Trump sees a lot of homeless people - the visual upsets him." He’s now deploying the National Guard to “solve” DC’s homeless crisis - the first time they’ve been sent there since (checks notes) Jan 6.
"Trump is welcoming Putin back as a legitimate player of the great power game - the fact they are even 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 sends a signal to the world." Putin has offered almost no concessions ahead of his Ukraine talks with Trump. Is it foreshadowing?
"They're going to get together, carve up Ukraine between themselves, then say to Zelensky: Are you accepting this?" Trump and Putin meet this week to discuss an end to his war – but one president is playing the other 'like a fiddle'...
"I refuse to believe that Russia, with just 2% of the world’s GDP, can dismantle global security, and the US President will simply accept it." What’s the likely outcome of the anticipated Trump-Putin Ukraine talks this week? Jon asks former Russian PM, Mikhail Kasyanov.
"I bet among Israelis, they will hate the idea that they are becoming a pariah state. "I bet it hurts. I bet it is a source of shame." An ICC arrest warrant was issued for Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024. Will he ever be arrested?
"Senior Lib Dems are 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 pissed off - they feel the media are so desperate to prove they’re not ignoring Farage that they’re ignoring everyone else. Why does it appear the biggest third party in decades is being overlooked compared to Reform?
"It would be an interesting experiment... You would certainly see big changes." Can Jeremy Corbyn's new political party shake up the UK's political system?
"We spend all of our lives asking why politicians can't just answer question properly - in all fairness, she does!" Kemi Badenoch gave a candid response to a question of her faith where she discussed the crimes of Josef Fritzl...
"Tenants were charged £2k to repaint the house - the pictures show cobwebs and some spiders." Homelessness Minister, Rushanara Ali, is under fire for evicting tenants before hiking the rent by £700, which new laws may soon ban.
"If you're her aide, you must be constantly astonished by the things that she brings up." Will talking about Josef Fritzl and getting a school classmate expelled for cheating help Kemi Badenoch appeal to voters? Lewis Goodall has some doubts...
"I can only assume this is a veiled presidential bid for 2028." In Kamala Harris's first interview out of office, she says the "system is broken". Is this her soft launch as the "outsider" candidate for 2028 - a strategy straight from the Trump playbook?
“It shows the fury on both sides.” Rep. Jolanda Jones had to pull out of our podcast after a bomb threat at the Illinois hotel where she and other Texas Dems were staying. They’d left Texas to block a redistricting bill they say was gerrymandered to favour Republicans...
Donald Trump is still trying to make the Epstein Files go away – and failing every time. Here's why no one believes his claims he knew nothing about Ghislaine Maxwell's move to a minimum security prison... www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...
It's Q&A time...⏰ What’s on your mind this week? Jon and Lewis will be answering your questions on Friday's episode! You can... ⬇️ Comment below! 📧 email us at: newsagents@global.com 📲 DM us 📣 Voice notes encouraged!
"The State of Israel had been a symbol of hope and democratic liberal tolerance. What Netanyahu has done is to blacken its name." What does the future hold for the people of Gaza and Israel, as Benjamin Netanyahu plans to take total control of the region www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/benj...
"A sacking of this kind is unprecedented, and screams deep personal insecurity," writes Emily Maitlis. Donald Trump sacked the US Bureau of Labour Statistics because he didn't like the numbers. Can any data his administration shares ever be trusted?
"This isn't about Hamas, this is the Israeli govt's agenda who want to displace and replace the Palestinian people - they have been trying this for 77 years!" Husam Zomlot says the international community has had their eyes opened to Israel's "endgame".
“Recognition isn’t an award, punishment, gift or favour: It’s the 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 birthright of Palestinians. Denying it is what led us here.” Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, Husam Zomlot, rubbishes claims that UK recognition is a “gift to Hamas.”
'What is a politician for? Leading, or misleading?' Protesters gathered outside migrant hotels on the weekend, fuelled by misinformation – some spread by senior Tories. Emily Maitlis asks what leadership means if it's MPs now sharing conspiracy theories... www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/if-t...
"There's an unprecedented moral panic, it's spiralling out of control." The News Agents on how the Tories' "gallop" toward Reform's anti-migrant rhetoric pushes the far-right to even more extreme ground.