The News Meeting

Can Ed Sheeran keep politics out of music?

September 17, 2026·32 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

How seriously should world leaders take warnings of rogue AI models? Should people be allowed to bet on the trials of new medicines? Why did Ed Sheeran drop his support act, Macklemore, from his tour?Giles Whittell is joined by Cat Neilan, the Observer’s Whitehall editor, Caitlin Macdonald, social media editor and James Tapper, Observer reporter, as they battle it out to pitch the top story 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 WhittellProducer: Poppy BullardExecutive Producer: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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