The News Agents

£36m donations are like busses for Reform - you wait ages for one and then two come along at once. Reform's £72m haul this weekend dwarfs the money raised by all the other parties - it is a simply unprecedented level of funding for British politics. There are complications. Are the donations within the rules? Could Labour change the rules to prevent them? And most importantly - can it actually make a difference? Could two crypto billionaires potentially swing an election for Nigel Farage? Later, Anthony Scaramucci on how Trump is raking it in from crypto - and where American democracy has gone wrong. The News Agents is a Global production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

Is 9/11 the most consequential event of our lifetimes? It's hard to think of another moment that so completely turned the world on its axis and rewired the assumptions that a generation had come to take for granted. The immediate human toll was unfathomably tragic - this was the most deadly terrorist attack in history, leaving thousands dead. But what came next - and how profoundly it changed politics, American foreign policy, global warfare, and civil liberties - has radically reshaped our world. In this episode, 25 years on from that fatal morning in New York, Jon and Emily, along with Miles Taylor - who was spurred into US politics as a result of the events of that day - explore how we're still living in the world that 9/11 made. The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

Conor Benn ’s super fight against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas has brought the issue of Performance Enhancing Drugs in sport back into the spotlight. While both boxers deny ever having taken PEDs, both have failed drugs tests and it remains a complex and emotive issue, particularly in potentially lethal sports such as boxing. On this episode of The Sports Agents we have the whole conversation and not just the convenient parts of it... Larry Olubamiwo was a British heavyweight contender before he failed a drugs test and he became a pariah. Larry joins Mark & Nedum to talk about why he chose to use PEDs , how he got away with it for so long and why he wouldn’t change a thing. Boxing journalist Tris Dixon joins the conversation as the guys reflect on why boxers who fail tests continue to be rewarded with million-dollar purses? You can see Larry in his new film Tales from the Trap, check out the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9YnxKj-ydg 📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7 🖥️ 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: thesportsagents@global.com 💭 Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides Senior Producer: David Finch Video Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart 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

“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000”. That's what Donald Trump told an audience of Republicans in Dallas last night. The 'Trump dividend' would cost America more than a trillion dollars. Critics are already announcing that the offer is illegal, And Democrats are bragging that this is a sign of just how desperate Donald Trump is ahead of the midterms which are looking bleak. So why's he done it? Could it work? Or will Americans see through such a naked attempt to buy their voters? Later, Nigel Farage has created the mother of all headaches for his hard right allies in France. Did he get them to agree to a migrant deal that contained a lot more than they bargained for by having two different versions of the agreement - one English, one French? The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

It’s easy to paint Britain as a post-industrial nation in decline, plagued by crime and high taxes. Indeed, many do. But there’s a new power to Britain’s role on the world stage as America abandons its former allies. Whether it’s Ukraine, security, or now sanctions against West Bank settlers, Britain is in the ascendance - and not overly concerned about moving in a different direction to the US. Have we decided that Trump is no longer important to our big decisions? Are we living in a post-American world? We speak to former foreign office SpAd Ben Judah who's arguing exactly that. Later, what Ed Conway can’t explain about world trade, the global debt market and the UK economy isn’t worth knowing. He’s with the News Agents to talk about Trade World and where the next economic crash will come from. The News Agents is a Global production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

The Israeli government has reacted with anger to the British foreign secretary’s planned ban on products from Israeli settlements. Ed Miliband described himself in the commons as a proud British Jew, but one unafraid to criticise the heinous behaviour of Netanyahu's government towards Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Has the UK government gone too far? Or not far enough? And what will it do to relations with Israel’s closest ally, Donald Trump? Later - why were Harry and Meghan hearing from the King's sources at the same time we were? Why can’t the royal family just text each other. And what does it all mean for relations in the monarchy? The News Agents is a Global production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

"Boo hoo". That was the reaction from Robert Jenrick, who wants to be Reform's Chancellor, to the videos showing a female heckler having her hair pulled and being beaten with a stick by Reform delegates at the party's conference in Birmingham. Lee Anderson has suggested a whip round for a new walking stick for one of the supporters involved. Reform is quick to point to the deluge of threats Nigel Farage faces - so why won't the party condemn political violence when it is carried out by its own supporters? Later, a new group - Patriot Platform - caused chaos in Dover and Portsmouth this weekend, mixing anti-migrant protest with direct action and intimidation, wearing balaclavas and stopping traffic. Who are they? HOPE not hate's Joe Mulhall has been monitoring the group and came into the studio. The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

Reform conference in Birmingham was supposed to revivify Nigel Farage and his party. After unrelenting scrutiny over his undeclared £5m gift from Christopher Harborne, a parliamentary standards investigation, and a Clacton by-election which descended into farce, Farage needed this moment to get back on the front foot, set the terms of the media coverage, and show the country what Reform would look like in power. But a Channel 4 News investigation has changed all that. Undercover filming captured two party officials trying to facilitate foreign donations - a potential criminal offence. Reform and the individuals involved deny wrongdoing, but two of Farage's closest allies have quit, and Farage is once again clouded in a stench of sleaze. Can he turn it around and regain control of the narrative - or are we witnessing the beginninf of the end for one of Britain's most polarising politicians? Lewis has this special report from Reform conference in Birmingham. The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

Not long ago, women’s boxing was a different sport. Banned in most countries and ridiculed in the rest, female fighters fought in the shadows. Until one night in 1996. That night Deirdre Gogarty, a painfully shy Irish woman and Christy Martin, a raging knockout artist from the coalfields of West Virginia spent 12 unforgettable minutes in each other's company and changed everything. Their fight put women’s boxing on the map and it was the fight that inspired boxing icon Katie Taylor to pursue her dream. As Katie Taylor prepares to bring the curtain down on her incredible career, Gabby & Mark are joined by her hero, Deirdre Gogarty to tell the story of the rise of women’s boxing - a fight for recognition which takes us from pub car parks and basement bars to Croke Park and 80,000 adoring fans. As Mark says: “That’s one of the best interviews we’ve ever done” 📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7 🖥️ 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: thesportsagents@global.com 💭 Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides Senior Producer: David Finch Video Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart 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

After a bit of will he won't he, Zack Polanski has thrown his hat into the ring and announced he will stand in Keir Starmer's old seat of Holborn and St Pancras (subject to the approval of the local Green party). It's a high stakes move for the Green leader. If he wins, in what should normally be a relatively safe Labour seat, he'll puncture Andy Burnham's argument that he can persuade Left voters to stick with Labour. But if he loses, it's Polanski's authority that will come under the spotlight. He's already been hit by a string of negative stories and plummeting poll ratings - could the north London contest make or break him? Later, is Germany about to elect a far-right party on Sunday? The AfD have been on the march in the east of the country and look poised to win in the State elections in Saxony-Anhalt. Could it become the party's blueprint for a new breed of extremist politics in one of Europe's most powerful nations? The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

Andy Burnham faced Kemi Badenoch for his first PMQs and while she chose to open the session with some innuendo, the hard questions soon came. Burnham has shown himself adept at diagnosis but less quick to nail his solutions to the mast. How long does he have to NOT answer questions when debt is rising and the economic headwinds are moving against him? Is he prepared to spell out - in this summer of optimism - where the pain might fall and trade offs might be made? And why are some commentators comparing him to Liz Truss? Is he being unfairly blamed for a wider global trend not of his making? Later, why is a Massachusetts jury unable to decide if a woman who killed her three young children is guilty of murder? The trial of Lindsay Clancy has divided America - with many supporters believing her the victim of postnatal psychosis. How does the law deal with that? The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

It's the first day back at school - and Keir Starmer suddenly announces he’s out. He'd sad he'd stay as an MP just a few weeks ago - so why the change of heart? Is it a cheeky bid to wrestle the headlines from his successor? Or is he just trying to get out of Burnham's way? And what happens now to his Camden seat - will Zack Polanski try and win it for the Greens? And if he can’t - or won’t - where does that leave his party? It’s only day one of term and yup it’s all kicking off. Later, why has America's Army Secretary just left the job complaining about Pete Hegseth? Well we can probably guess why - but what happens now? What direction does the US military take now - as it struggles to keep up with Trump's Iran flip flops. And has Hegesth himself got pretensions for the presidency? The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

In this special Q&A edition of the show, Jon and Lewis answer your questions. They discuss how long the Burnham bounce will last, whether Trump will attempt to cancel the midterms, and if Harry and Meghan's return will complete reshape the Royal Family (and even make Lewis a monarchist in the process)? Plus, is there any chance Nigel Farage calls ANOTHER by-election in Clacton? The News Agents is a Global production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

An explosive statement from Atletico Madrid described themselves as the "only victims" in the ongoing transfer saga surrounding their wantaway striker Julian Alvarez . Ian Wright has publicly criticised the way Arsenal have handled Gabriel Martinelli 's reported exit this summer... but does every transfer saga NEED to cast someone as the villain? British football Agent Saif Rubie, who handled Yoane Wissa 's controversial transfer to Newcastle last summer, joins Gabby and Nedum to discuss the narratives that are spun and where the blame lies in reality. And later, we're joined by Frank Warren to reflect on the story of British boxing’s next great Heavyweight hope - 21-year-old Moses Itauma - who could become the second youngest heavyweight world champion in history, behind only Mike Tyson this weekend. Plus, reaction to the PFA awards and why Nedum declines to attend. 📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7 🖥️ 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: thesportsagents@global.com 💭 Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides Senior Producer: David Finch Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart 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

The last two years has seen a meteoric rise for Labour's Miatta Fahnbulleh. From backbench MP, she has just joined Burnham's cabinet as the new Energy Secretary, taking over from Ed Miliband. Today, she joined us in the studio to talk about why she quit Starmer's government, the changes Labour needs, and her return as a front bench MP. And, with a Labour leadership contest always somewhere on the horizon, we ask could Miatta Fahnbulleh one day make history and be the first woman to lead the Labour party? The News Agents is a Global production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

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 captured the hearts of a deeply polarised America? And is there a lesson that progressive politicians can learn from how she did politics? The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

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, Lowe is on course to earn as much from the social media platform X as he does from his salary as an MP for Great Yarmouth, after a surge in income from posts that include demands for mass deportations. So, should our Members of Parliament be making money from monetising their outrage? Later, we are joined by Sir Anthony Seldon to talk about the his latest book - Sunak at 10. Will Rishi Sunak be the last Tory Prime Minister? And how will history look back on his legacy? The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

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 and Lewis dissect. AND the US and Canada are at war - sort of. Why have the latest tariff talks collapsed and what does it tell us about how Donald Trump sees the world? Oh - and why Andy Burnham doesn’t need to wear a tie to visit Kyiv. The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

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 the threat to Albania's birds, the capital Tirana is seeing nightly marches - sometimes attracting hundreds of thousands of people. What started off as an environmental cause has become something much bigger, with the movement demanding mass resignations and an end to what critics see as a lack of transparency, democratic backsliding and even corruption. What happens now could shape the country's future for years to come. Lewis has a special report from Albania. The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

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 Maresca replace Pep and how are Spurs part of the Big 6 after narrowly avoiding relegation…twice?! It is the first time a Premier League season will kick off without a Klopp, Fergie, Wenger or Pep as an unprecedented NINE new Managers will take to the dugout for the first time and Nedum has concerns about almost all of these young pups. Elsewhere there’s a raft of new rules for Gabby & Mark to make sense of before they host Match of the Day this weekend, and the newly promoted sides come under the spotlight as Ipswich Town spend money like a sailor on shore leave. 📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7 🖥️ 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: thesportsagents@global.com 💭 Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides Senior Producer: David Finch Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart 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