The News Agents

Netflix and Paramount are locked in an epic fight to take over Warner Bros. Discovery. The price tag could well reach north of $100bn. And at stake - a huge back catalogue of blockbuster film and TV, a streaming giant, a Hollywood studio, even CNN.

Enter Donald Trump, who's expressed concern about the potential for a monopoly, and also reportedly wants a say on any potential restructuring of the news network under new ownership. The outcome could result in the mother of all media monoliths.

Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren has claimed that Netflix and Warner Bros. combined would capture close to half of the streaming market -that figure is disputed by Netflix, which says it has less than a 20% market share.

Could it really be determined by Donald Trump's ire at one recent Marjorie Taylor Greene interview?

Later, Lewis speaks to Noah Oppenheim, the writer of 'A House of Dynamite', a film that deals with a nuclear strike on America. The Pentagon doesn't like his depiction - why?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

European leaders have met in Downing Street once again to discuss peace plans for Ukraine, following Trump's latest proposal - but once again it seems Zelenskyy has wound Trump up, leaving America and Europe at odds. And another document from the Trump administration illustrates an even deeper division. The 33 page National Security Strategy says Europe is facing "civilisational erasure" and says the US has an obligation to “cultivate resistance” in order to "correct" the current trajectory of the continent. Why does Trump's new strategy read like it was written by the Kremlin? Are the US and Europe still even allies?

Later, is Keir Starmer's new social media strategy enough to put speculation about his leadership to rest?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

While China is an engineering state, tech analyst Dan Wang says the America and the West are "lawyerly societies", reflexively blocking everything - good and bad - and it's halting real progress.

Dan joins Lewis in the studio this Friday to discuss why Europe stopped building, how lawyers contribute to a slow in progress, and what all this means for wider geopolitivs and the rise of the far right.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy joins Gabby and Mark after his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis at just 47 years old.

What more does Chris think the government should be doing to help? How has his sporting background helped him? And why is he excited for the Darts World Championship?

And we bring you the best bits from The Sports Agents this week from President Trump meddling in the FIFA World Cup to rumours of a Serena Williams comeback.

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🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

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📥 Email: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Reform's Deputy Leader, Richard Tice, popped up on the BBC today and appeared to dismiss the antisemitism claims of Jewish men who’d been at school with Nigel Farage as “politically motivated…made up twaddle“. Hours later, Farage exploded at a BBC reporter during a press conference, demanding an apology for what he said was "despicable" coverage of the antisemitism row by the BBC.

Farage has previously admitted to the slurs but excused them as school boy banter. So, where does all this leave a party that claims to “take antisemitism very seriously"? Well, rather well off - some would observe. The party received a massive 9 million pound donation today, making UK history. Don’t donors mind? Or is the party impervious to cancellation?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Today's episode is an exclusive interview with David Lammy - Justice Secretary, Deputy Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary.

Is he prepared to ignore the internal Labour criticism of his jury plans? Does he admit the budget was a fiasco? And what is going on with Labour and Brexit right now. Are we about to see a change of plan?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In the sane world of the commons, the Shadow Justice Secretary was only two minutes into his speech before he called the justice secretary a “Lammy Dodger“ and accused him of going back on his previous position on jury trial. Today’s question is this does ending most jury trials speed up a sclerotic system? Or is it the wrong solution for the right diagnosis?

Later, is public sympathy with the striking junior doctors? And do they really expect to win more pay?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Rachel Reeves is accused of misleading the public, lying and “possible market abuse” by the opposition. They’ve called for her resignation. The Prime Minister, however, is standing by her and told us today the budget was a thing of “personal pride” for him. 

Meanwhile the OBR - the body that accidentally leaked the Chancellors budget an hour before it was given - have admitted this evening it was the worst failure in its fifteen year history. The run up to the entire budget was a fiasco. But was it a lie? And which bits do the public really understand or care about? 

Later, why is Trump about to declare war on Venezuela? Is it about regime change, or oil, or Epstein or all three?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Salman Rushdie has spent half of his life under the threat of death, but it is only in his latest novel - The Eleventh Hour - that he has devoted a whole book to the themes of mortality. It is his first return to fiction since an attempt on his life on 2022.

This Friday, Rushdie joins Lewis and Jon in the studio to discuss his new book, political violence, and the "cowardice" of the BBC.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Can other sports teach football a thing or two? On today's show Gabby and Mark take your suggestions on how to fix football, using your passion for a massive range of sports.

Plus, we look back at The Sports Agents this week: a huge interview with McLaren CEO Zak Brown as Lando Norris could win them the world title this weekend; and we talk about the elephant in the room at struggling Liverpool - grief.

📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6

🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

📱Follow us on socials:

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/

X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod

📥 Email: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents