The News Agents

Donald Trump took to the stage at Davos to take the military invasion of Greenland off the table, cue sighs of relief from European leaders and NATO.
But his ambitions for the US to own the territory have gone nowhere. He still wants to acquire it, and demanded immediate negotiations to begin that process. Increasingly. it seems that America's one-time allies have grown impatient with Trump's belligerent approach. What happens if he doesn’t get what wants? And is Europe actually growing a bit of a spine?
It was a rambling speech from Donald Trump, in which he appeared to forget names, and frequently referred to Greenland as Iceland. Is it any surprise that his critics are starting to hone in on his mental acuity?
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

We bring you a special report today of the 'dark flights' that are deporting hundreds of people - the vast majority of them here legally - in shackles from Minnesota to Texas detention centres.
There is no official record these flights exists, so one man - an aviation specialist - has made it his life’s work to document each flight that leaves and count the number of people who are being "disappeared" without trace.
But - on this inauguration anniversary - we start with the latest conundrum for the world’s leaders: who is Trump threatening to invade now? And can any of their words make a difference to what comes out of his mouth next?
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Emily and Lewis report from Minneapolis which has become the dark heart of President Trump's ICE agent immigration crackdown. We patrol the streets with ICE watchers - witnessing a raid alongside the patrollers literally sounding the alarm. We are at a far right rally - watching a January 6th insurrectionist get chased out of town. And we are with people from Somali and Latino communities who describe to us how their lives have been turned upside down by Trump's random and often lawless deportation plans.
Why Minneapolis? Why now? And could Trump really send the army to the streets of the city?
Later - Trump suggests he wants Greenland because he didn’t get given the Nobel peace prize. Yes, really. How will this work out for Europe and NATO?
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Here's a new podcast you might like - this is episode 1 of Explosive Lies. All episodes are available now on Global Player, or search for 'Explosive Lies' wherever you get your podcasts.
Jim McCormick was a cocky English salesman with an outrageous claim: a black plastic gadget that could sniff out bombs using “electromagnetic energy.” The science was pure fiction. But in the panic after 9/11, governments bought the lie - paying up to $60,000 for a device that started life as a $20 novelty golf-ball finder.
McCormick sold hope to armies and security forces across the globe. But hope turned deadly. Behind the deals were fragmented friendships, betrayals, and a truth so dangerous it would take years to drag into the light.
Alice Levine uncovers the jaw-dropping story of a con that cost countless lives - and the unlikely people who stopped at nothing to uncover the truth.
Explosive Lies is a Global Original podcast, produced by Forest Sounds in partnership with Dentsu Entertainment.

Just a few months ago, historian and author Rutger Bregman found himself at the centre of a very British controversy. He had been asked to deliver a BBC Reith lecture. His theme was the decadence of the political elite and in his lecture, he made a throw away line about President Trump. But when the lecture was broadcast, that critical line had been taken out. What followed was a row about censorship, media power and truth.
This Friday, Rutger Bregman joins Lewis in the studio to talk about that controversy, why broadcasters must stand up to Trump, and our moral obligations in a divisive political society.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/