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.

Gaza Special: What's next?

One story is dominating the headlines today: the rapidly unfolding situation in the Middle East. This morning, Hamas released the last 20 living hostages; in return, Israel 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 Narrative Editor 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.

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