Are there plans to remove 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip?

Why can’t the French government pass a budget? Who will win in the fight for the soul of the Labour Party? Why do pensioners keep being arrested?Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Tom Gatti and Serna Cesareo, as well as the journalist and author Charlie Brinkhurst Cuff, as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.Find the team’s must reads:lThe Missing SisterBack to PetroleumHow Music Criticism Lost Its Edge**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** Rebecca Moore will be joined by David Aaronvitch, Claudia Williams and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. Get your tickets → HERE**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Giles WhittellProducer: Poppy BullardExecutive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Matt Russell 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 journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Sep 34min

Will revelations about Angela Rayner’s taxes be the end of her political career? How will Melvyn Bragg’s exit from In Our Time impact the iconic show? Why did Nigel Farage compare the UK to North Korea in his plea to US politicians? Giles Whittell is joined by the Observer’s Cat Neilan, Paul Hayward and Alex O’Connell as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.Must Reads:'Jimmy Breslin Essential Writings'**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** Rebecca Moore will be joined by David Aaronvitch, Claudia Williams and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. Get your tickets → HERE**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Giles WhittellProducer: Casey Magloire and Amalie SortlandExecutive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Matt Russell 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 journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Sep 34min

Will Afghanistan get the aid it needs? Is China the new America when it comes to globalisation? Could a lawsuit from a dark corner of the internet affect the Online Safety Act?Rebecca Moore is joined by Observer reporters Stephen Armstrong, Phoebe Davis and Bex Sander as they pitch their stop stories of the day.Links to the team’s Must Reads and recommendations here: Inside the world of the Great British Bake OffFit For TVFargo **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Rebecca Moore, Executive Producer Producer: Poppy BullardExecutive Producer: Matt Russell, Deputy Head of AudioTo 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 journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Sep 32min

Will SpaceX’s latest triumph mean Elon Musk will make it to Mars? Why will the price of Mounjaro weightless drugs go up? Benjamin Netanyahu called the IDF’s airstrike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital a “tragic misstep" but so far 240 Palestinian journalists have died since the beginning of the conflict.Giles Whittell is joined by the Observer’s International Editor, Steve Bloomfield, our Acting National News Editor, Rebecca Myers and reporter, James Tapper, as each try to pitch the top story of the day.Links to the team’s Must Reads and recommendations here: Race Across the World‘House of Earth and Blood’ by Sarah J. Maas**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Giles WhittellProducer: Amalie SortlandExecutive Producer: 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 journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Aug 40min

An Essex council has been granted a High Court injunction to stop a local hotel from housing asylum seekers. What is behind the massive growth of Women’s Rugby and support for the Red Roses? Will a tax on tourists help boost local economies and support the arts? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Ceri Thomas, Vanessa Thorpe and Jessica Hayden, as each try to pitch the top story of the day.Read more on today’s stories here: Ellie Kildunne: I was just a girl with a passion, a belief and a raw talent - HEREThe Epping injunction is a gift to Labour’s opponents - HERE ‘It’s about restoring pride’: can Blackpool use its saucy image to win back the crowds? HERE**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Giles Whittell, Deputy Editor-In-ChiefProducers: Casey Magloire Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore, Executive Producer 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 journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Aug 39min

Will Zelensky find any success with Trump, in the wake of the Alaska Summit? What does the militarisation of Washington DC tell us about America’s political direction? And why are MPs making TikToks? Rebecca Moore is joined by the Financial Times’ Working It Editor Isabel Berwick, Plus The Observer’s Katie Riley and Stephen Armstrong, as each try to pitch the top story of the day.Links to the team’s Must Reads and recommendations here: Does HR still need humans?What Happened When Mark Zuckerberg Moved In Next DoorANDREW NEIL: The world is being remade. And as the Alaska talks show all too clearly, Britain and Europe are now condemned to the status of mere observers**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Rebecca Moore, Executive Producer Producers: Casey Magloire Executive Producer: Matt Russell 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 journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Aug 31min

Will facial recognition technology change law enforcement forever? JD Vance has been wooing his British political allies in the Cotswolds, but will a new think-tank deepen US influence in right wing politics? Is the government at risk of losing public support after the Palestine Action arrests? Giles Whittell is joined by the Observer’s Whitehall Editor Cat Neilan, News Reporter Jon Ungoed Thomas and Consulting Editor for Comment, Erica Wagner. Links to the team’s Must Reads and recommendations here: BlackberryViolent, lawless, broken Britain? The facts tell a different story**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 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 Producers: Amalie Sortland and Poppy BullardTo 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 journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Aug 21min

What proof has Israel provided to support their claim that Anas al Sharif ran a Hamas cell in Gaza? Why has the partnership between Premier League Football and Stonewall ended? And will Putin’s visit to the US bring an end to the war in Ukraine? Giles Whittell is joined by NPR’s International Correspondent, Lauren Frayer. Plus the Observer’s Serena Cesareo and Jessy Parker Humphreys, as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day. Links to the team’s Must Reads and recommendations here: What It’s Like to Brainstorm with a Bot - HERE Dr. Phil’s Road From Oprah to ICE Raids - HEREUber’s Festering Sexual Assault Problem - HEREA livestream of deep sea creatures transfixes Argentina and sparks calls for refunding science - HEREMore from Lauren’s NPR colleague Anas Baba reporting from Gaza For NPR’s Anas Baba, covering the war in Gaza also means living it - HEREThe deadly risk of trying to reach food in Gaza - HERE**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 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 Producer: Casey Magloire Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Matt Russell 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 journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Aug 36min