The News Agents

There has always been a flamboyance to Donald Trump. His language, his hair, his addiction to the gay Anthem YMCA - but in recent weeks his chat on the campaign trail has become much more explicit. To cut to the chase, he’s spending more and more time talking about men’s arses. Is Trump becoming more unfiltered in his old age? Why does more and more of his recent attention seem to be fixed on the appearance of the men around him? Or is this all part of his consummate distraction project from the issues he really doesn’t want to discuss - the Iran war and the price of oil. We talk to his former homeland security chief of staff, Miles Taylor.
Later, why is Steve Witkoff - the man tasked with ending the war in Ukraine - praising Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian"?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Four years of war, an estimated 450,000 deaths – and yet Donald Trump says Russia’s actions in Ukraine have been “fine”.
The US president continues to unravel, on camera, as his personal ratings plummet to new lows (just 31% at the latest count) and the Republican Party readies itself for a disastrous midterm election result in November. Once again, Zelensky is on the receiving end of Trump's mood.
So why has Trump turned his back so dramatically on Zelensky? And what's he bargaining for with his love in for Putin? And could it all just be jealously?
The News Agents is a Global production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

After the horrifying scenes of violence and destruction all over France this weekend the Prime Minister has this morning called for partial curfews. Are these protests organic frustration amongst the young over rising costs and falling wages? Or is there a political movement afoot here? And is this something the rest of Europe is catching?
Later, former Home Office minister Mike Tapp is fresh back from Dunkirk ,Calais and Piddington. What’s the true picture of the immigration problem- and is he right to call it a crisis?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The day he was elected for the first time as MP for Clacton, Nigel Farage promised to root out the "few bad apples" from Reform. Farage told the country: "We’ll never have any of their type back in the organisation, you can have my promise on that”.
ITV's latest piece undercover in Reform shows just how hollow that promise was. Their own MP Sarah Pochin condemns the "chauvinist" attitude in the party. A man who failed Reform's vetting for sharing Tommy Robinson posts reveals he was called up and asked to stand for the party. And, perhaps most damningly, Farage appears to defend a candidate accused of racism by one of Farage's own aides, refusing to take action beyond forcing an apology to be issued.
Does ITV's reporting put to bed the idea that there are just a "few bad apples" in Reform? What about Reform appears to attract these "bad apples" in the first place? And could Nigel Farage get caught up in the fallout from what looks set to be a bombshell documentary this weekend?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Manchester United’s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid has left plenty to unpack — not least Lisandro Martinez’s explosive post-match comments. Mark Chapman and Nedum Onuoha react to the biggest talking points from another dramatic week in Europe.
Then, we turn to something far less visible but increasingly common inside football: Snus and nicotine pouch use.
Why has nicotine become so normal in dressing rooms? Why are players using it, and what happens when a habit that starts socially becomes something much harder to control?
We hear from a former Premier League footballer speaking candidly about his own addiction to snus, explore how these behaviours spread through teams and academies, and ask whether snus is really the story — or simply one symptom of a much wider issue.
From nicotine and gambling to nitrous oxide and the search for a release from the intensity of elite sport, this is a conversation about what happens away from the pitch — the dressing room culture which fuels addiction amongst footballers.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides
Senior Producer: David Finch
Video Producer: Sam 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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