The News Agents

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President Trump: Sexual abuser May 10, 2023

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Is America prepared to elect a president found to have sexually abused a woman in a department store?

A New York civil court took just three hours to find Trump liable for abuse and defamation although it cleared him of rape.

The response to the verdict has been achingly familiar. Senior Republicans calling the case a witch hunt and the jury "a joke".

Trump probably isn’t the first sex abuser to have held high office. But he’s the first to have been found to have done so by a US jury. He's going to appeal the decision but if his own party are willing to tolerate it and denigrate the rule of law anyway - what does that tell us about America?

You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/Videos

The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Will the Tories move even further to the right? May 09, 2023

Show notes

Forget those apocalyptic predictions of a thousand lost Conservative council seats. In the end the losses totalled 1,063.

Every Conservative strategist thinks ‘something must be done’. But what is that something? More house building? More tax cuts? More ‘true Conservative’ values? More Boris?

We talk to former Brexit minister David Davis about his party and what it does next.

Elections 2023: Are the Tories doomed? May 05, 2023

Show notes

The results are in. And it was a complete drubbing for Rishi Sunak’s Tories. His first big electoral test and it can only go down as one massive fail.

Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens are reviving in every direction. The Prime Minister is putting a brave face on it, but do the results suggest the Conservatives are doomed at the polls in 2024?

In this election special show Lewis takes you through the results and what we can glean from Election 2023.

The US Ambassador on Biden, Harry and Meghan & Sunak vs Truss May 04, 2023

Show notes

America's First Lady has just flown in for the King's coronation - without her husband the President. Donald Trump calls it 'disgraceful'.

But today on The News Agents we get reaction from the Ambassador herself.

Why are Americans so obsessed with our monarchy? Is Biden too old to run again?What mistakes have been made within the special relationship? And what is her favourite British swear word?

You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/Videos

The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Suella's new powers to curb protest May 03, 2023

Show notes

New laws to curb the power of protest have been pushed through parliament - just days before the Coronation. Penalties include a 12 month prison sentence for protestors who block roads.

Are we happy to see more powers in the hands of the police? And how do they feel about the new obligation to arrest?

Also - is Sue Gray going to be allowed to take her new job? And will Simon Case be able to keep his? A former permanent secretary says no…

You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/Videos

The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Will the real Keir Starmer please stand up May 02, 2023

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Keir Starmer has admitted the Labour party will 'move on' from his original commitment to abandon tuition fees.

What does that mean? Is there a solution to what is essentially a bad graduate tax? And why should we believe pledges that keep on getting torn up?

Also, as Princess Anne unironically endorses the current size of the monarchy, we ask how we feel about the Coronation and the pledge of allegiance to our King.

You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/Videos

The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Richard Sharp resigns: The Boris loan and the BBC Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Richard Sharp - the embattled, embroiled BBC Chairman has resigned after a report by The Commissioner for Public Appointments found a perceived conflict of interest and a breach of the Governance Code.

But this story goes much wider than one man, one job and an £800k loan to Boris Johnson.

It asks questions of the institutions that run Britain: a 'jobs for the boys culture’, a toxic legacy bestowed by the former Prime Minister, and questions about the Cabinet Secretary’s conduct.

Where does this all leave the BBC, the Civil Service and Rishi Sunak? We discuss.

You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/Videos

The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Why is it becoming harder for you to vote? Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

For the first time ever, voter ID will be required at the polling stations next week for the May local council elections in England.

It may not seem like a big ask - many countries in Europe already demand it. Yet it's triggering alarm bells.

Why has the government introduced a solution to a problem (voter fraud) that didn't exist? Why has it restricted the kinds of ID you're allowed to bring? And why has it refused to accept the advice - even from senior Conservatives - saying the changes could lead to massive disenfranchisement and disillusionment with the democratic system.

We'll be talking about how to vote, and what these elections could tell us about the political winds.

You can watch our episodes in full at https://www.globalplayer.com/videos/brands/news-agents/the-news-agents/

The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

The rental crisis - no end in sight? Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

The renting crisis in Britain is unsustainable.

More than sixty percent of private renters faced a rent rise last year - and they're already spending around 32 percent of their income on housing.

Today on The News Agents we hear from those who are struggling to even get on the rental ladder - properties are massively over subscribed. Some tenants are putting down payments on flats they haven't even seen. Others are seeing deposits withheld and are blamed (and charged) for the disrepairs their landlords should have fixed.

We hear from tenants, a landlord, an estate agent and someone who's been analyisng the housing market for a decade.

And we bring you the latest blows from PMQs.

You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/Videos

The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Prince Harry V Rupert Murdoch Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

As Prince Harry brings his case against the News Group Newspapers (Murdoch) at the High Court, his lawyers have made an astonishing allegation: that his brother, Prince William, reached a payout over claims his phone had been hacked.

News of the settlement revealed in court documents - show the late Queen was involved in “discussions and authorisation” of the agreement.

The judge may yet decide to throw the case out for coming too late. But if not Harry, we are told, is determined to see it through to the end, whatever the personal cost. Murdoch has already paid out millions for phone hacking here - and last week nearly a billion dollars in the Dominion lawsuit. Was Tucker Carlson's rapid departure connected?

Also, we look at Joe Biden's 2024 presidential bid, discuss ageism in politics, and discover who Ming Campbell beat in a hundred metres race in Stanford in 1967.

You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/Videos

The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

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