“They call themselves the so-called ambassadors of an Islamic country, but there are dozens of Muslim countries, and none of them are banning girls from their education.” Malala calls on Muslim leaders to step forward and challenge the Taliban. www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/mala...

"Reform has projected the idea the Tories are dead... could the Greens do this to Labour?" Can Labour maintain its position as the leader of the 'anti-Farage bloc?"

“The strongest argument against the monarchy is for 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮! They live in a gilded cage with no freedom.. We breed the monarchy to have a miserable life.” Is it time to think of an alternative to the monarchy? @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social | @lewisgoodall.com

“I don’t think anyone doubts that Keir Starmer cares, but if you asked what he felt, or what drives him - it’s hard to know.” Love him or loathe him, Mamdani is unapologetic in his values. Can the same be said for Labour? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/labo...

“Afghan women activists are advocating for what's happening in there to be recognised as a 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐝.” Malala says countries should increase pressure on the Taliban, not "normalise" conversations with them. www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/mala...

“I was shocked… it’s a reminder women are constantly scrutinised. When my brothers switched their dress code, there was no controversy.” Malala on life under the spotlight during her university years in the UK. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

“The amount of time and surgeries it’s taken to recover from one Taliban bullet… I can’t imagine the pain Afghan women and girls have suffered.” Malala Yousafzai on fears becoming reality - the Taliban’s return has seen girls banned from education. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

“𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴.” Wes Streeting says Mamdani’s victory in New York offers lessons in authenticity - but is Labour listening? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/labo...

"Zohran Mamdani has flood-lit the political scene with raw energy, enthusiasm, and charisma. "The generational shift that the Democratic Party needs now is profound, because there are a lot of old codgers in politics who need to be put out to pasture" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/mamd...

"Do you think you would make a good Prime Minister?" Wes Streeting is asked about authenticity in politics after Rachel Reeves's "foggy" pre-Budget speech. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"This is the new spirit of politics - say what you mean - and it's borrowed from Trump." During his victory speech, Zohran Mamdani stuck the boot into defeated candidate Andrew Cuomo - even quoting his own father. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"So much of what we're seeing now in British politics is so underpowered, apologetic and weak-willed. "What Mamdani's win shows us is something really simple – choose a lane and celebrate it" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/mamd...

“Don’t try to make me feel it’s my job to help you out of your problem - that’s just wrong.” Rachel Reeves urges the public to “do their bit” ahead of a Budget widely expected to include manifesto-breaking tax rises. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

Coming up on tomorrow's The News Agents. @maitlis.bsky.social & @jonsopel1.bsky.social sit down with Malala Yousafzai to discuss her journey from 15-year-old activist, to a young woman navigating life & friendships - & reflect on the Taliban's return to Afghanistan. Listen on @globalplayer.com.

"This is not a natural way of communicating with a population. This is not a natural way of communicating with the electorate." Rachel Reeves "ludicrous" budget speech said nothing, at a time when voters are desperate for politicians to restore trust www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/toda...

“Don’t stand there saying ‘I want to be clear’ when you’ve got a fog machine in your arm, spraying mist across the room.” Rachel Reeves's pre-Budget speech was to ‘clarify’ expectations, while refusing to say anything concrete. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"Why are we now carrying the burden for the mistakes that Labour have made?" Rachel Reeves is expected to raise taxes in this month's budget, saying "each of us must do our bit". Are voters not already doing enough? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/toda...

"You spout shite on a podcast to reinforce your 𝘰𝘸𝘯 position that "civil war is coming"... it's a self-fulfilling prophecy." Elon Musk has now claimed England’s ‘hobbit-like’ towns are rife with rape while on Joe Rogan’s podcast. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"The argument that we rapidly increase stop and search and take away the reasonable grounds to suspect is a very dangerous move," former UK counter terror head tells The News Agents. So why was this the Tory response to the Huntingdon train stabbing? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trai...

"You so often see this pushing at a door to suggest something and running away when it looks like it might be racist." Shadow Home Sec. Chris Philp struggled to explain his calls for more stop and search, insisting he meant demographics, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 race. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"Short-term sound bites like 'lock people up and throw away the key' is not going to work," says former head of counter terror. Tories call for more stop and search after the Huntingdon train stabbing. Would it have changed anything? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trai...

"People comment endlessly on things like my teeth," says Zack Polanski. "I bloody love my teeth, so that one just never gets to me. Having a unique smile is something I enjoy about myself, and I enjoy in other people" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/zack...

"He knows that two-term presidents very quickly find themselves superseded in the media and political conversation. “Trump, more than any president, does not want to be superseded in the political media conversation, he wants to remain central to it" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...

"One of the reasons he's become so disliked so quickly is that so many voters believe, in many senses, he embodies the system. "I think it's quite unfair, but to them, he is almost an AI-generated version of what a politician looks and sounds like" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/is-i...

"Communist". "A disaster waiting to happen." Donald Trump has made his feeling clear on Zohran Mamdani – but is this because he's threatened, or sees a bit of himself in the hugely popular New York socialist? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...

"Nigel Farage doesn't want to be in the burqa chat. He doesn't want to be in the racist chat, he wants to make the party appear more mainstream. "But it is very helpful for him, and for the party, to have somebody that is pushing at the door of racism" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/is-r...

"We breed this family to be our head of state and it screws them up time and time again. It is a litany of sadness and torment." Can King Charles make the "brutal" changes needed to make sure the Royals survive?

“I heard there was strong pushback from Andrew, who was trying to find every means he could to resist... the monarch had to make him see the ultimate threat.” Was the Royal Family set to "topple" if Andrew remained a prince?

📢 Q&A FRIDAY 📢 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬? Send them in and we’ll answer tomorrow in our Q&A episode. 📧 [email protected] (voice notes encouraged!)

"Can Trump run again? No, because of the 22nd amendment. "There are lots of provisions within the US Constitution which are badly drafted and unclear – that is not one of them." Why Lewis Goodall 'hates' conversation about a third term for Trump www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...

"There are real similarities in the hold they have over their respective political establishments." "Trump was not wanted by Republicans at the top of the party – he had to defeat them. Zohran Mamdani is in the process of doing the same with Democrats" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...

"There's a real similarity in how Trump and Mamdani bowled over their respective political establishments... Trump sees his own movement mirrored." Why does the idea of a Mamdani mayoralty drive Trump mad? Ross Barkan says: charisma. @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"Rather than talking about what's going wrong at the moment, everybody's talking about whether he will – or whether he can – run for a third term." Why Donald Trump wants everyone focused on whether he's planning to stay in the White House after 2028 www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...

"Pro-business, wealthy, conservatives are allowed to oppose Mamdani's policies," says author and journalist Ross Barkan. "Anyone who has a brain in their head and has examined them can see these will not destroy New York's fiscal situation in any way" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...

"One of the reasons Starmer has become so disliked so quickly is that many voters believe he embodies the system. "He is almost an AI-generated version of what a politician looks and sounds like" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/is-i...

"Everyone is leaving the centre of politics and moving to the edges." New polls show a shocking low for Starmer's government, is it game over for Keir Starmer's Labour? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/is-i...

"If the message matters more than the policies - there's no way back for the middle!" Is politics now imitating social media - and does it signal the death of mainstream parties? @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social | @lewisgoodall.com

“If this were just a war on drugs, you wouldn’t need troops on this scale.” Are Trump’s extrajudicial killings really about drug trafficking, or something much bigger, and much darker? @maitlis.bsky.social @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"If Zohran Mamdani wins, it will be the most significant win for the left in the 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 of US politics." If the grassroots socialist takes New York’s mayoralty next week, what lesson will Democrats take away? @maitlis.bsky.social @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"It's all nods and winks behind closed doors, whispers in ears, and a bit of pressure being applied here and there – but no transparency." Who will act first on Prince Andrew, the palace or Parliament, and what will be done? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/when...

"If there's one thing Trump likes more than winning elections in his own country - it's winning them in other people's countries." After Trump poured billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars into Argentina, Javier Milei lands a huge win in Argentina’s midterms.

"Was there stuff the Royals knew about his friendship? I'm sure there was. "Did they want it aired in public? Of course they didn't." After a public heckling, is the King losing control of the Prince Andrew crisis? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/when...

"Nigel Farage doesn't want to be in the burqa chat. He doesn't want to be in the racist chat, he wants to make the party appear more mainstream." Is Farage using Sarah Pochin as a 'canary' to push the door of racism and test where the public mood is? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/is-r...

"The Palace got very nervous... they blamed a "media circus" - a circus entirely of their own making." Journalists were tipped there "may be passing traffic" outside Windsor Lodge on Thursday night... but it never materialised. 👀 @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

“It’s helpful for Farage to have someone pushing at the door of racism... this is how they work out where the public is.” Is Reform using their MP Sarah Pochin to test how far they can go with their rhetoric? @maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social

"King Charles doesn't want Prince Andrew in the Royal Lodge anymore. He doesn't want him on the Windsor estate," says Emily Maitlis. "He's not a vindictive man, he just wants the noise to stop" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/whos...

"Prince Andrew was on Epstein's island. He was in the Manhattan townhouse. He was on the Jets," says the co-author of Virginia Giuffre's biography. "He absolutely saw what was going on" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/he-w...

"It may not have been a bad idea – just politically, if nothing else – to allow the Rwanda scheme to play out. "Then at least you would be able to turn around to the Tories and say, 'Look, we tried your way, and it didn't work'" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/does...

"The Epstein files exist," says the co-author of Virginia Giuffre's autobiography. "People want to see for themselves. Trump is calling this a democratic hoax. It's not a hoax. "This happened to these women and girls" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/i-kn...

"People ask if I have advice for Elon Musk. Remember that electric car thing? That was a good idea. He should focus on that," says the Wikipedia co-founder. "He probably should back away from a lot of the other stuff he's doing, because it's not great" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/wiki...