The News Agents

Dolly Parton always avoided talking politics. She said you could find her opinions in her songs. She wrote about abortion, female rights, heartbreak, and wandering eyes. And yet, across America today Democrats have expressed their adoration whilst Republican president Trump lowered the flags to half-mast.
How did Dolly Parton unite people across the political divide? What is it about her that captured the hearts of a deeply polarised America? And is there a lesson that progressive politicians can learn from how she did politics?
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The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Rupert Lowe has a lot to be grateful to Elon Musk for. Last month, on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he credited Musk with helping to restore free speech on X. And it was Musk who publicly backed Lowe and promoted him as a political alternative to Nigel Farage - paving the path for Restore Britain.
But it would appear that Musk has also been helping to line the Restore Britain leader’s pockets. This year, Lowe is on course to earn as much from the social media platform X as he does from his salary as an MP for Great Yarmouth, after a surge in income from posts that include demands for mass deportations. So, should our Members of Parliament be making money from monetising their outrage?
Later, we are joined by Sir Anthony Seldon to talk about the his latest book - Sunak at 10. Will Rishi Sunak be the last Tory Prime Minister? And how will history look back on his legacy?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It’s happening again. Six years after Harry and Meghan fled Britain for California, citing the relentlessness of the British press, the reaction to their homecoming has been fevered. Why can’t we leave them alone? And do they really want to be? What does it mean for the House of Windsor? And why is Harry the only senior figure in public life seemingly without state backed security these days? Jon and Lewis dissect.
AND the US and Canada are at war - sort of. Why have the latest tariff talks collapsed and what does it tell us about how Donald Trump sees the world?
Oh - and why Andy Burnham doesn’t need to wear a tie to visit Kyiv.
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

How has a Trump family luxury development sparked a protest movement so large that it is threatening to bring down a European Prime Minister? Well that's exactly what has happened in Albania. A proposed 4 billion euro resort complex in on of the country's most cherished nature spots has led to the largest demonstrations seen there in over three decades.
Dubbed the 'Flamingo Revolution' because of the threat to Albania's birds, the capital Tirana is seeing nightly marches - sometimes attracting hundreds of thousands of people. What started off as an environmental cause has become something much bigger, with the movement demanding mass resignations and an end to what critics see as a lack of transparency, democratic backsliding and even corruption. What happens now could shape the country's future for years to come. Lewis has a special report from Albania.
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It’s almost upon us.
A mere month after the World Cup Final, we are staring down the barrel of a brand new Premier League football season and Gabby, Mark & Nedum are as excited as a bunch of rowdy kids on Christmas eve.
Join the guys as they break down the most unpredictable Premier League season ever. We are talking about the Big 6 - who will be Mikel Arteta’s rival this season, how can Maresca replace Pep and how are Spurs part of the Big 6 after narrowly avoiding relegation…twice?!
It is the first time a Premier League season will kick off without a Klopp, Fergie, Wenger or Pep as an unprecedented NINE new Managers will take to the dugout for the first time and Nedum has concerns about almost all of these young pups.
Elsewhere there’s a raft of new rules for Gabby & Mark to make sense of before they host Match of the Day this weekend, and the newly promoted sides come under the spotlight as Ipswich Town spend money like a sailor on shore leave.
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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides
Senior Producer: David Finch
Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill
Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart
Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network
Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global
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