The network appears to have fallen into a pattern of anticipatory obedience

How is the Trump administration defending the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents? Why was Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham blocked from running as MP? And what role will Trump's new Board of Peace play in Gaza?   Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer reporters Stephen Armstrong and Serena Cesareo, and producer Poppy Bullard to battle out who can pitch the story that should lead the news.   Please come and see us at the next The News Meeting Live on Thursday, the 2 9th of January: https://observer.co.uk/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-7    **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: Jasper Corbett   Producer: Amalie Sortland   Executive Producer: 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 Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalist

Reduction in plurality of views is just one of the culture secretary’s concerns about Lord Rothermere’s proposal

How can we tell what's really happening on the ground in Iran? Why are murder rates falling in London? And are ICE agents immune from legal accountability?   Jasper Corbett is joined by The Observer reporters Hannah Schuller, Stephen Armstrong and Serena Cesareo to battle out who can pitch the story that should lead the news.   Please come and see us at the next The News Meeting Live on Thursday, the 29th of January: https://observer.co.uk/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-7    **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: Jasper Corbett   Producer: Amalie Sortland   Executive Producer: Katie Gunning   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 Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists  

A flurry of letters from anxious staff. Owner Jeff Bezos at Paris Fashion Week, his publisher at the Super Bowl. Then the devastating 8.30am Zoom call. Here’s how two weeks of turmoil gutted one of America’s leading newspapers

Donald Trump is facing an unexpected fallout as one of his most loyal supporters has resigned from Congress and turned against him. With divisions widening after the attack on Venezuela, is there a split in the broader MAGA movement?

Last week 300 of the paper’s journalists lost their jobs, apparently sacrificed to owner Jeff Bezos’s plan to keep Donald Trump happy. Now, the paper’s CEO is out

Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. - including its film and television studios, HBO Max, and HBO - is set to have major ripple effects on both TV and cinema. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is applauding the Trump administration's newly released national security strategy. Why is Moscow welcoming it? A border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is turning deadly. How are natural resources fuelling the tension?   Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer reporters Hannah Schuller and Stephen Armstrong, and Senior Writer Francisco Garcia, as they battle it out to pitch the top stories 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: Giles Whittell   Producer: Amalie Sortland   Executive Producers: Rebecca Moore & 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 journalist

The Puerto Rican artist was one of dozens of musicians to criticise the administration at Sunday’s Grammys

Did international tourists go on “sniper safaris” to Sarajevo during the siege in the mid-nineties? Why do some campaigners want to halt the new medical trial into the use of puberty blockers? What lies behind renewed efforts to find a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia?   Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer's Stephen Armstrong, Bex Sander and Francisco Garcia, as they battle it out to pitch the top stories 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: Poppy Bullard   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  

Few tickets have been shifted, despite a $75m outlay

In 2026, the UK government will decide whether to end terrestrial TV. Host: Katie Gunning Writer: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode Photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Matt Russell

As the fourth series draws to a close, The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong sat down with executive producer Lewis Thurlow to find out how they pick the perfect cast

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.   

Declining ad revenues explain the cannibalisation of the London publication’s online offering, leaving a team of just 25 to put out the paper

The French President and the First Lady of France are taking American right wing commentator Candace Owens to court in Delaware over bizarre claims the First Lady is transgender and the President is part of a CIA-backed mind-control programme, among many other conspiracy theories. But what are the First Lady and French President risking in doing so?

The company’s bold $83bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery is not its only angle on growing its film production. It has also been on a vodcast buying spree

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.  

The twists of the latest show have astonished even the man who picks the mix of personalities who enter the castle

The US government says it has agreed a deal which would see a portion of TikTok owned by US investors.    Writer: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Poppy Bullard Host: Ada Barume Episode photography: Joe Mee Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore  

The Sleaford Mods frontman on therapy, exercise and sobriety

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.  

HarperCollins was still supporting the author after allegations of inappropriate behaviour surfaced

Insiders tell the story of how the US Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has hollowed out the Center for Disease Control putting the whole world at risk in the event of another pandemic. 

The actor is delighting young fans with an unconventional promotion campaign for Marty Supreme, but will the stuffed shirts of the Academy be watching?

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.  

From protecting the BBC’s independence to overseeing bids for the Telegraph and ITV, the culture secretary must make some consequential decisions over the next few years. She explains why she’s ready for the challenge

For the first time in decades, American Vogue, the leading fashion publication, has a new editorial head succeeding Anna Wintour, often regarded as the most powerful woman in the industry. Who is the new woman in charge?    Writer: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode Photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Jasper Corbett

As she sets out to review the corporation’s charter, the culture secretary says her job is to protect its independence – and backs its fight against Trump

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.  

With RedBird Capital poised to transfer its right-to-buy option, the ball is in culture secretary Lisa Nandy’s court to greenlight Rothermere’s deal

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.

The father and son moguls are tightening their grip on US media

HS2 should have been a symbol of engineering excellence. Instead half of it has been scrapped and it's still running £50 billion over budget. This is the story of how Britain's largest infrastructure project became its biggest scandal.

Guitarist and songwriter who was the linchpin of Stax house band Booker T. and the M.G.’s

Are Labour's concerns about social cohesion a sign that they may be aligning with some of Reforms ideas on immigration? Why does Kemi Badenoch want to outlaw doctors' strikes? And are the latest aid drops in Gaza a sign of change to come? Jasper Corbett is joined by journalist and broadcaster David Aaronovitch. Plus, the Observer reporter Stephen Armstrong and senior producer Katie Gunning.

The actor on the Twin Peaks creator, Fallout and dancing to Charli XCX on social media

The Trump administration is setting the stage for what might become the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in US history. Can it succeed? Writer: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Amalie Sortland Host: Casey Magloire

Once a fertile ground for film directors and stars, agencies are now being pushed out of the market

Also in this episode: will plans to overhaul the water companies in England and Wales work? And why is Trump suing Rupert Murdoch?