The News Meeting

Why did Bradley Wiggins seek advice from disgraced former cyclist Lance Armstrong to help him recover from cocaine addiction? What does the indictment of a US judge tell us about President Trump’s plans to take on the judiciary? How is a law from the 1800s being used to criminalise women who have abortions in 2025? Jess Winch is joined by Marie Le Conte, Rowan Moore and Andrew Butler, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the News Meeting Live:LIVE from Hay Festival on Thursday 29th May - with Chloe Dalton LIVE at SXSW on Wednesday 4th June - with Mona Chalabi LIVE from the Observer Newsroom on Tuesday 17 June - with Zing Tsjeng and NPR’s Lauren Frayer LIVE from the Observer Newsroom on Tuesday 29th July - with Charlene White and Kehinde Andrews Read The Observer’s exclusive - Bradley Wiggins: ‘I was a functioning cocaine addict’ HERERead Marie’s column on cricket: ‘It’s like a summer fling, but I’m not sure cricket is for me’ HERERead more about the team’s guilty pleasure news stories here:Gunnersbury women’s cricket club celebrate hitting historic centuryThe Cybertruck was supposed to be apocalypse-proof. Can it even survive a trip to the grocery store?How Video Game Sex Scenes Are MadeFollow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Jess Winch, managing editor at The ObserverProducer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producers: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is youth mobility on the cards for Labour’s post-Brexit plan with Europe? Why is it so hard to record incidents of spiking? How will Labour’s immigration plan affect international students and higher education? Giles Whittell is joined by Rebecca Myers, Katie Riley and Cat Neilan, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the News Meeting LiveLIVE from Hay Festival on Thursday 29th May - with Chloe Dalton LIVE at SXSW on Wednesday 4th June - with Mona Chalabi LIVE from the Observer Newsroom on Tuesday 17 June - with Zing Tsjeng and NPR’s Lauren Frayer LIVE from the Observer Newsroom on Tuesday 29th July - with Charlene White and Kehinde Andrews Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Giles Whittell, deputy editor-in-chief at The ObserverProducer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producers: Rebecca MooreTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will Labour’s immigration legislation affect the UK’s care sector? What are the potential conflicts of interests if Trump accepts a jet from Qatar? The Indian Premier League is set to return after the competition was suspended amid rising tension in Kashmir, but what does this tell us about India's power in international cricket? Rebecca Moore is joined by Orwell Prize winning Pete Apps, alongside The Observer’s Patricia Clarke and Jessy Parker Humphreys, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 13th May HERERead Patricia Clarke’s article in full: ‘How the US president and his clan ushered in a new golden age of corruption’ Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Rebecca Moore, executive producer at Tortoise Producer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producers: Rebecca Moore and Matt RussellTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As tensions rise between the two nuclear powers and US remains noticeably missing from the world stage, who will be the guarantor of peace between India and Pakistan? What does the new US-UK trade deal tell us about the new world order? Elon Musk is stepping away from Doge, was his time in government a success or costly failure? Jess Winch is joined by author Quinn Slobodian and The Observer’s Rebecca Moore and Jasper Corbett, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 13th May HEREPurchase Quinn’s book ‘Hayek's Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right’ HERERead more about the team’s guilty pleasure news stories HEREHe injected himself with snake venom hundreds of times. His blood could ‘revolutionize’ snakebite treatmentFollow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Rebecca Moore, executive producer at Tortoise Producer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producers: Rebecca Moore and Matt RussellTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are there calls to return British art like the original Winnie-the-Pooh doll from America to the UK? Trump and Zelensky have finally signed the US-Ukraine mineral deal, but who is the real winner? With wedding season approaching, what lengths are people willing to take to look slimmer on the big day?Rebecca Moore is joined by Jeevan Vasagar, James Tapper and Vanessa Thorpe, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 29th April HEREListen to James Tapper’s Sensemaker episode, 'The Down sides of weightloss drugs’ HERE Read more about the team’s guilty pleasure news stories here:Number of children playing recorder halves in a decadePaul Mescal headlines National Theatre’s bold new season as Stormzy debuts for ground-breaking collaborationSlow news: Cumbria tortoise found a mile from home nine months after going missingFollow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X, @theObserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Rebecca Moore, executive producer at Tortoise Producer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producers: Rebecca Moore and Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do councils do with the money they get from renting public spaces out for festivals? How will the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a woman impact our day-to-day lives? And North Korea has confirmed it sent troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.Giles Whittell is joined by Rebecca Moore, Chloe Hadjimatheou and Miranda Sawyer as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 29th April here: https://observer.co.uk/our-events/the-news-meeting-live Get in touch and let us know what you think should lead the news. Send a voice note to newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com Follow us on Social Media: @tortoise on IG and X, @tortoisemedia on tiktok @tortoisemedia.bsky.social on bluesky Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk  Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsHost: Giles Whittell Email: newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.comProducer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producer: Matt Russell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has failed to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, how frustrated is he with Russia’s latest round of attacks on Kyiv? Ofcom published its news set of rules tech firms must comply with - or else. And how have the devastating attacks in Kashmir reignited tensions between India and Pakistan? Giles Whittell is joined by Rebecca Moore, Stephen Armstrong and Cat Neilan, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 29th April here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-2 Get in touch and let us know what you think should lead the news. Send a voice note to newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com Read more about the team’s guilty pleasure news stories here:The ‘Profound’ Experience of Seeing a New ColorA Roman Gladiator and a Lion Met in Combat. Only One Walked AwayFollow us on Social Media: @tortoise on IG and X, @tortoisemedia on tiktok @tortoisemedia.bsky.social on bluesky Host: Giles Whittell Email: newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.comProducer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producer: Jasper Corbett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the government’s takeover of the Scunthorpe steelworks mean for the future of UK industry? Why is a bin strike in Birmingham exposing deep cracks in Britain’s social fabric? And who’s paying the price for Trump’s cuts to US foreign aid?Rebecca Moore is joined by Katie Gunning, Stephen Armstrong and NPR’s Lauren Frayer as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 29th April here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-2 Get in touch and let us know what you think should lead the news. Send a voice note to newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com Read more about the team’s guilty pleasure news stories here:US blocks Canadian access to cross-border libraryBatman and Robin costumed police make arrestsKaty Perry kisses the ground as she leaves capsuleListen to Stephen’s Slow Newscast episode, 'DIE, DIE, DEI’ here:  lnk.to/8NMCoV Listen to Lauren’s report on the impact of US aid cuts in Syria here: https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-5342255/how-trumps-cuts-to-u-s-foreign-aid-have-hobbled-syrias-war-crimes-investigations Follow us on Social Media: @tortoise on IG and X, @tortoisemedia on tiktok @tortoisemedia.bsky.social on bluesky Host: Rebecca Moore, executive producer at Tortoise Email: newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.comProducer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producer: Rebecca Moore and Jasper Corbett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A few hours before he announced a 90-day pause on tariffs, the president posted “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT” on social media. Why has this led to accusations he manipulated the market for his own gain? The popularity of companion AI chatbots is rapidly increasing, but what safety nets are in place to protect young people? How have Big Law firms in America reacted to Trump 2.0?Rebecca Moore is joined by Hashi Mohamed, Patricia Clarke and Katie Riley, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 29th April here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-2 Get in touch and let us know what you think should lead the news. Send a voice note to newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com Read more about the team’s guilty pleasure news stories here:Did Scientist really bring back the Dire Wolf? Who is joining Katy Perry and Gayle King in space? Bulgarian footballer honoured with minute’s silence … despite not being dead  Listen to Patricia’s Slow Newscast episode, 'My AI Girlfriend’ here: lnk.to/MyAIGirlfriend Follow us on Social Media: @tortoise on IG and X, @tortoisemedia on tiktok @tortoisemedia.bsky.social on bluesky Host: Rebecca Moore, executive producer at Tortoise Email: newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.comProducer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United Nations says 15 medics have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, could this mark a turning point in how the West responds to the war? Is Keir Starmer right to suggest Donald Trump’s tariffs spell the end of globalisation? And with trillions wiped off global markets, will the President retreat from his punchy new policy?Giles Whittell is joined by Jasper Corbett, Chloe Hadjimatheou and Cat Neilan, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 29th April here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-2 Listen to Chloe’s episode of the Sensemaker here: lnk.to/sensemaker Get in touch and let us know what you think should lead the news. Send a voice note to newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com Follow us on Social Media: @tortoise on IG and X, @tortoisemedia on tiktok @tortoisemedia.bsky.social on bluesky Host: Giles Whittell, deputy editor at Tortoise Email: newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.comProducer: Casey MagloireExecutive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.