The News Meeting

By The ObserverNews News Commentary Politics

The News Meeting episodes

October 01Could the plane stabbing affect Israel’s upcoming election?
What next for Manchester City after the Premier League club was found guilty of serious financial-rule breaches? And if the Crown Prosecution Service brings charges over the fatal 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, what could that mean for future corporate manslaughter cases? Could the stabbing on the Israel-bound flight affect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chances in the upcoming late October election?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Chloe Hadjimatheou and Jonathan Lewis as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

Listen to The State of Netanyahu wherever you listen to podcasts: https://observer.co.uk/listen/the-state-of-netanyahu

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:
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Host: Giles Whittell
Producer: Amalie Sortland
Executive Producer: Poppy Bullard

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
September 24Will Trump confront Xi Jinping over China’s support of Iran?
China’s president, Xi, is in Washington. What’s at stake? Is the 40-year ban on people drinking in football stands about to end? And what might the new bereavement leave law mean for people who have lost a loved one?

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Jasper Corbett, Seun Matiluko and Andrew Butler as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
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Host: Jeevan Vasagar
Producer: Amalie Sortland
Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Gary Marshall

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
29 min
September 17Can Ed Sheeran keep politics out of music?
How seriously should world leaders take warnings of rogue AI models? Should people be allowed to bet on the trials of new medicines? Why did Ed Sheeran drop his support act, Macklemore, from his tour?

Giles Whittell is joined by Cat Neilan, the Observer’s Whitehall editor, Caitlin Macdonald, social media editor and James Tapper, Observer reporter, as they battle it out to pitch the top story of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
September 10Is Trump bribing voters?
Why has President Trump promised Americans $5000 dollars each if Republicans win the midterms elections? How seriously should we take former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon's earnest warning that AI will kill humanity? What do job cuts at Jaguar Land Rover tell us about the British economy?

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Hannah Schuller, Jessica Hayden and Ben Zaranko as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

Listen to The Endgame wherever you listen to podcasts: https://observer.co.uk/listen/endgame

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Jeevan Vasagar

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Poppy Bullard

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
September 03Will the fight for Keir Starmer’s seat make or break the Green Party?
Why has Andy Burnham pledged to save the Jodrell Bank Observatory? Will the Holborn and St Pancras by-election be the ultimate test for Green Party leader Zack Polanski? And is Russia’s hybrid war with Europe really hybrid?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Cat Neilan and Erica Wagner as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Katie Gunning

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
35 min
August 27What’s behind the Nepal flash flood?
What are the consequences of the devastating flash flood in Nepal, which has killed hundreds and left more than 1,000 people missing? Why does England’s cricket team keep finding itself in trouble, with yet another player caught up in a suspected drunken mishap? And should we all start stockpiling the cupboards with tinned food?

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Poppy Bullard, Andrew Butler and Ben Zaranko as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

Listen to The Wargame wherever you listen to podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wargame/id1547225334

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:

@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Jeevan Vasagar

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Matt Russell

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
35 min
August 20 Has Tupac Shakur’s murder finally been solved?
Can Prime Minister Andy Burnham eradicate rough sleeping by Christmas? Why has the 1996 killing of hip hop legend Tupac Shakur returned to the headlines? And what could Disney and ABC’s lawsuit against the Trump administration mean for the future of press freedom?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s James Tapper, Evan Moffitt and Caitlin Macdonald as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]
Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Matt Russell

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
36 min
August 13How vulnerable is global shipping?
Can Andy Burnham do anything to combat wildfires? What does the future of universities and further education look like for students? And are we reaching a crunch point with global shipping?

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Cat Neilan, Hannah Schuller and Ben Zaranko as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Jeevan Vasagar

Producer: Matt Russell

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
36 min
August 06How will the drought affect our food supply?
Why are AI models hacking real companies? How will the ongoing drought affect our domestic food supply? And what is the political and humanitarian fallout after around 70,000 migrants swam from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta enclave last week?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Hannah Schuller, Jonathan Lewis and Jon Ungoed-Thomas as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Matt Russell

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
36 min
July 30Is football’s soul for sale?
Why are we experiencing so many wildfires in the UK? How is Prime Minister Andy Burnham proposing to reform adult social care? And is the future of the World Cup in jeopardy over FIFA’s controversial investment plans?

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Cat Neilan and Andrew Butler as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Jeevan Vasagar

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Matt Russell and Poppy Bullard

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
31 min