The News Meeting

What do the latest revelations about Peter Mandelson’s appointment tell us about Keir Starmer’s leadership? What are the long term implications of Iran and the US blocking the Strait of Hormuz? And is climate change’s impact on pollen the source of our hay fever problems? 

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer reporter James Tapper, producer and reporter Poppy Bullard and sports reporter Jessy Parker Humphreys, to decide...

Pope Leo has publicly criticised President Trump’s actions in Iran, but what does this mean for the Christian MAGA followers caught in the middle? Is the UK government divided over defence spending? And how consequential is the end of Victor Orban’s grip on Hungary, following his sweeping election defeat? 

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Cat Neilan, John Simpson and Stephen Armstrong  as they battle it out a...

Why does the Artemis II mission around the moon matter? Are concerns around Anthropic’s new AI model Mythos justified? And who has the upper hand in the ceasefire agreement between the US-Israel and Iran?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s technology reporter, Patricia Clarke, reporter Phoebe Davis and Deputy Comment Editor, Erica Wagner, to decide the top story of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us a...

What can NASA's latest rocket launch teach us about our bodies? Is shared house ownership worth it? And what does the return of Kanye West tell us about our relationship with musicians?

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by Jessica Hayden, The Observer’s assistant sports editor; Ada Barumé, producer; and Phoebe Davis, reporter, to see who can pitch the top story of the day. 

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: news...

What does AI chatbots have to do with violence against women and girls? Why have Meta and Google been found liable for social media addiction? And could Nigel Farage's visit to Ipswich Town's Portman Road be the start of Reform’s relationship with football?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s technology reporter, Patricia Clarke, deputy sports editor, Andrew Butler, and data reporter, Hannah Schuller, to see who can pitch...

Why did President Donald Trump postpone his deadline to strike Iranian power plants? How is the Iran war impacting the cost of living in the UK? And is there a pattern to anti-semitic attacks in the UK? 

To battle out who can pitch the story that should lead the news, Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer reporter Stephen Armstrong, producer Ada Barumé and Head of Data and Graphics, Katie Riley.

Come along to the next...

Why has a recent blackout in Cuba sparked questions about a potential conflict with the US? How concerned should we be about the spread of meningitis? And why did Kenya introduce menstrual leave for workers? 

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Evan Moffit, Elaine McCallig and James Tapper as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day. 

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@o...

Why is President Donald Trump asking NATO for help in the Iran war? What’s going to happen with the hundreds of thousands who are displaced in Lebanon? And what is the Labour government going to do about the nearly one million young people who are out of work? 

To battle out who can pitch the story that should lead the news, Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer reporters Stephen Armstrong, Hannah Schuller and Bex Sander...

How did a British man end up being charged for allegedly filming Iranian missiles in Dubai? A tranche of new files raise questions about what the Labour government knew about Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein before appointing him UK ambassador to the US. What could the files mean for Keir Starmer’s future as Prime Minister? And why is the Edinburgh International Festival facing backlash?

To battle out who can ...

How and why is the war in Iran impacting oil prices? What do we know about the new supreme leader of Iran? And how damaging will Keir Starmer's fracturing relationship with President Donald Trump prove to be?

To battle out who can pitch the story that should lead the news, Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer reporters Poppy Bullard, Stephen Armstrong and Serena Cesareo.

Listen to ‘Stephen Miller’s America’ episode on the...

Why has the Home Secretary banned student visa applications for people from Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cameroon? How will the recent conflict between the US and Iran impact the Men’s Football World Cup? How are senior members of the US army using religious language to bolster support for the conflict with Iran?

Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer’s Andrew Butler, Erica Wagner and Hannah Schuller, as they battle it out ...

In this episode we discuss the US and Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend. How did the situation unfold and what are the wider ramifications for the region?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s International Editor Steve Bloomfield, Narrative Editor Chloe Hadjimatheou and Middle East expert and author Jotam Confino. 

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Politicians broke away from tradition and discussed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in Parliament this week - does this signal the end of deference? The number of people living in asylum hotels has dropped, but what’s behind this trend? Popular influencer Clavicular is the face of a growing community of looksmaxxers who are taking over the internet. What is looksmaxxing and why is it so popular? 

To battle out who can pitch the ...

What does a bomb explosion in the Ukrainian city of Lviv tell us about where Russia’s war in Ukraine might be going? How will the UK be affected by President Donald Trump’s new 15% global tariff? And what might be behind the killing of El Mencho, the most-wanted cartel boss in Mexico?

Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer’s Poppy Bullard, Elaine McCallig and Bex Sander as they battle it out to see who can pitch the story that...

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew the Duke of York, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

In this episode, Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Political Editor Rachel Sylvester, Home Affairs Editor John Simpson and Professor of the History of Monarchy at City, University of London, Anna Whitelock. They discuss the details of the arrest, possible fallout and impact on the Monarchy....

Why are Britain and its European allies backing the conclusion that the Kremlin poisoned Alexei Navalny? What’s driving a growing measles outbreak in London? And why is the UK’s top military official framing rearmament as a moral necessity?

Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer’s Hannah Schuller, Phoebe Davis and Francisco Garcia as they  battle it out to see who can pitch the story that should lead the news.

Please c...

Should the government consider implementing a graduate tax to make the tuition repayment system fairer? What did Jim Ratcliffe get wrong about immigration in the UK? And do we need to get serious about carbon capturing? 

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Andrew Butler, Ada Barumé and James Tapper as they battle it out to see who can pitch the story that should lead the news.

Join us at the next The News Meeting ...

Two senior aides to Keir Starmer have resigned. What does this tell us about where his leadership is heading? What do mass layoffs at The Washington Post mean for journalism? And why did Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl half-time show so irked Donald Trump? 

Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer’s Whitehall Editor Cat Neilan, producer Casey Magloire and Digital Production Editor Elaine McCallig to battle out who can pitch the stor...

Keir Starmer has apologised for appointing Peter Mandelson to his cabinet, but will that be enough to keep him in Downing Street? With an internet blackout impacting the flow of information out of Iran, how can journalists report on the ongoing atrocities? And as soldiers in Ukraine face an unrelenting winter, is a turning point in the conflict around the corner? 

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer reporters Serena Ce...