The News Meeting

The deadly police raid in Brazil

What do we do with the knowledge that climate change made Hurricane Melissa worse? Why was there such a deadly police raid in Brazil? And why isn’t hospice care treated as an essential part of healthcare?  Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Data and Graphics editor, Katie Riley, and reporters James Tapper and Rachael Healy, as they pitch their top stories of the day. Must Reads: Some People Can’t See Mental Images Political Beliefs Dating App Experiment Premiere League **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 Producer: Amalie Sortland Executive Producer: Matt Russel

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in the Caribbean

The storm caused widespread damage in Jamaica and is making its way to Cuba; is climate change to blame for its power? What - or who - is behind Donald Trump’s obsession with Venezuela? Is it good news that a cargo ship has made it through the North East Passage for the first time?   Jeevan Vasagar is joined by the Observer’s Erica Wagner, Jessica Hayden and Chloe Hadjimatheou as they pitch their top stories of the day, live from the Observer newsroom.   

What Amazon’s outage reveals about who runs the internet

Which international peacekeeping forces might be present in Gaza, and what will their role be? Is the fact that kids on free school meals do worse in their GCSEs a symptom of a failed state? Does the Amazon outage show that the internet is too reliant on a small number of companies?   Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Bex Sander and Ruth Michaelson as they pitch their top story of the day.   

Is Vladimir Putin outsmarting Donald Trump?

Trump imposed what he called “tremendous” sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies. What’s next for the Trump-Putin rollercoaster?    President Trump is planning to demolish the East Wing of the White House as early as this weekend. Who will pay for this 99,000ft ballroom?    Two Metropolitan Police officers have been dismissed for gross misconduct following their appearance in a BBC Panorama undercover investigation that caught serving officers making racist and misogynistic comments.    Giles Whittell is joined by journalist and author Ari Shapiro, former US representative to NATO and foreign policy advisor to Barack Obama Ivo Daalder and The Observer’s Jessica Hayden, as they pitch their top story of the day.  

What we learned from Virginia Giuffre’s new memoir

Who is responsible for breaking the ceasefire in Gaza? How might the Louvre heist thieves get away with selling jewels belonging to Napoleon’s wife? Does Virginia Giuffre’s memoir shed new light on the allegations against Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and  Prince Andrew? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Phoebe Davis and Stephen Armstrong, and the journalist and author Pete Apps, as they pitch their top story of the day.  

Donald Trump’s plans for the World Cup

As more and more people turn to AI for news, how should journalists fight back and protect the human by-line? Will Donald Trump’s cosy relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino allow him to dictate which cities the World Cup will be held in the US? Will the British Museum win its £3.5 million battle to keep a rare gold Tudor Heart pendant?   Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Alex O’Connell, Vanessa Thorpe and Jessy Parker Humphreys, as they pitch their top story of the day.  

The return of the hostages

Hamas has released the last 20 living hostages and in return, Israel has freed over 1,700 Palestinian detainees. We're devoting the entire episode to the latest from Gaza. Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Chloe Hadjimatheou and Middle East Correspondent Ruth Michaelson, to answer questions about the first part of Donald Trump’s peace deal in Gaza. 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
Producer: Amalie Sortland
Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Matt Russell
 

Will Trump’s Gaza deal lead to lasting peace in the Middle East?

Why has Donald Trump sent hundreds of National Guards to Illinois? Should the UK look to France when it comes to tackling the far-right? Will the US-backed plan for peace in Gaza work? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Katie Riley and Poppy Bullard, and David Runciman, Honorary Professor of Politics at Cambridge University and host of the Past Present Future podcast as they pitch their top story of the day. **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   Producer: Casey Magloire Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk  Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists  

The government wants the police to have more power to stop protests

Do new oil projects in the Gulf of Mexico signal the end of an international consensus on climate change? Will the Home Office’s new plans to curb protests backfire? Six months on from the Supreme Court ruling, why are the public expected to police each other’s gender? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Jeevan Vasagar, Ada Barumé and Evan Moffitt as they pitch their top stories of the day.   

Manchester synagogue terror attack

Two Jewish people were killed in a terrorist attack at a Manchester synagogue. Did President Trump and Pete Hegseth cross the line with their inflammatory speeches to military generals? And what’s behind the surge in profits at soft toy maker Jellycat?   Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Erica Wagner, John Simpson and Sam Freedman, as they pitch their top story of the day.    

Labour are trying to win the narrative war on immigration

Will the US ban a safe and legal abortion pill? Is the Met Police full of Freemasons? Can Labour take control of the narrative on immigration? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Francisco Garcia, Serena Cesareo and Phoebe Davis as they pitch their top story of the day.  

Laughwashing in Saudi Arabia

This weekend marks the first-ever Riyadh Comedy Festival, with Jimmy Carr, Aziz Ansari, and Dave Chappelle on the bill. It’s being reported they are each being paid upwards of $375,000 to perform in a country which severely restricts freedom of speech. What does Trump’s cryptic “good luck to all” at the UN really mean for Ukraine - and should we be worried? Is the breakthrough on Huntington’s disease The News Meeting’s first genuinely good news story?  Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s International Editor, Steve Bloomfield, and reporters Rachael Healy and James Tapper as they pitch the top story of the day ** Listen to The Observer’s new culture podcast We Have Notes: https://shows.acast.com/we-have-notes-with-liv-little-and-miranda-sawyer **Join us at the next News Meeting Live: https://observer.co.uk/our-events 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: Amalie Sortland
Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk 
Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

The repercussions of Trump’s autism press conference

This week the President made the erroneous link between pregnant women taking paracetamol to autism. What happens now that trust in basic pain relief is shaken? Has Reform miscalculated with its climate-skeptical stance? And Nike has teamed up with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS - but is their new campaign crossing the line by sexualising female athletes? Giles Whittell is joined by journalist and author David Aaronovitch, the Observer’s National News Editor Claudia Williams and reporter Jon Ungoed-Thomas as they pitch the top story of the day  

What it means to recognise a Palestinian state

Could Tiktok become MAGA-tok? What are the implications of recognising a Palestinian state? Should Rwanda be hosting an international cycling competition? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Bex Sander and Serena Cesareo as they pitch their top stories of the day.  

Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation reveals Trump’s authoritarianism

What did we learn from Trump and Starmer’s press conference? Why is Israel invading Gaza City? And what does the suspension of the Jimmy Kimmel show reveal about US press freedom?

How did Gen Z in Nepal overthrow a government?

With young people in Nepal using social media sites like Discord to organise protests, are we witnessing the South Asian Spring? How influential is Elon Musk in British politics following his message to the Unite the Kingdom protestors? And how did the Assad regime systematically steal hundreds of children from their families?    Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Patricia Clarke, Chloe Hadjimatheou and Stephen Armstrong, as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.  

The consequences of the Charlie Kirk shooting

What does the sacking of Peter Mandelson mean for Keir Starmer? Does Vladimir Putin want war with NATO? Is the UK at risk of an uptick in political violence? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Jessica Hayden, Katie Gunning and Bernard Gray as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.  

Older people are risking arrest for Palestine Action

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.  

Why Angela Rayner resigned

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 at at: https://observer.co.uk/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-4 **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
Producer: Casey Magloire and Amalie Sortland
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 content
Head to our website observer.co.uk 
Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists