Slow News Day

Mark Zuckerberg's Addiction Problem* Aug 20, 2026 00:26:30 Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are currently in the legal battle of their lives, as a jury trial which started this week sees them facing-off against a coalition of 29 US states. Those states are seeking $200 billion in damages from the company as well as to enforce changes in the way their social media products, specifically Facebook and Instagram, work to keep children engaged. This case coul

Nigel Farage’s Empty Victory Aug 18, 2026 00:21:14 Nigel Farage won a stonking by-election victory last Thursday, beating 33 rival candidates of varying degrees of oddness to take back his seat as Member of Parliament for Clacton. On the surface, Farage's decision to resign his own MP seat in order to distract from accusations of financial misconduct by proving people love him regardless, appears to have paid off. But, has it really?The S

Should Meta Glasses Be Banned? Aug 6, 2026 00:22:44 Smart glasses are facing a backlash. Whilst the privacy-eroding spectacles had been on a good run, the sheer amount of weirdos using them to covertly film other people has resulted in the Meta Glasses receiving a nickname: "pervert glasses". Is there a chance that governments could ban them or regulate them out of existence or will Meta fight back?The Slow News Day TeamCreator and Host: T

Does Parliament Have a Drinking Problem? Aug 4, 2026 00:17:02 A new report by the Institute of Alcohol Studies published this weekend has revealed the worrying extent to which parliament’s many on-site bars and frequent booze-soaked events fuels a culture in which MPs are spending excessive amounts of time getting sloshed. What does it say about the culture among parliamentarians that the people who hold the highest offices in the land are frequentl

Could Zohran Mamdani's Nationalised Stores Help the Cost of Living Crisis? Jul 30, 2026 00:17:08 Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s democratic socialist mayor revealed more details about his plans for city-owned grocery stores earlier this week. The move is part of a plan to tackle rising food prices in New York; with those price rises having been felt across America and much of the rest of the world too. What’s really interesting to me, however, is the manner in which the particular pr

Where Has Zack Polanski Gone? Jul 21, 2026 00:22:06 Where is Zack Polanski? Not too long ago, he was everywhere. He won the Green Party leadership against two sitting MPs, the Green Party membership exploded and then they won the Gorton and Denton by-election. It was all looking up for the Green Party. Now, it seems that that momentum has all but gone. Why has this happened? Has the Green Party taken a wrong turn somewhere? Have press atta

What is the Legacy of Ann Widdecombe? Jul 15, 2026 00:14:55 The death of a British politician is now being investigated as a potential act of terrorism. The former Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Maidstone and, more recently, spokesperson for the Reform Party, was found dead in her home in Haytor in Devon last Friday. But, with so much still unknown, as much of today’s story is going to be about Widdecombe’s political life, and about t

Marine Le Pen’s Legal Troubles, Explained Jul 8, 2026 00:17:01 Nigel Farage isn't the only scandal-ridden far-right political leader right now. His former MEP colleague, and French Presidential hopeful, Marine Le Pen, has just been found guilty (yet again) of the misappropriation of public funds. Yesterday afternoon, the leading figure in France’s far-right National Rally party headed to court to hear the verdict in her appeal against her conviction,

Why Nigel Farage Might Lose His Seat Jul 6, 2026 00:18:56 Two alleged instances of dodgy dealings with dodgy funders, including fresh allegations revealed this weekend of undeclared support from a convicted fraudster have opened up a path to Nigel Farage, the Reform Party leader, being removed from office. In today’s episode of SND, we’re going to take a look at those allegations, as well as explain what the potential consequences of these are.

Tom's Hottest Takes: The SND Q&A Episode Jul 2, 2026 00:34:35 In this special episode of Slow News Day, you ask the questions and Tom answers! Last week, we asked you to message in on what topics you would like Tom to cover and we've got a selection of Tom's hottest takes on everything from voting reform to Doctor Who's cancellation.If you would like to see another Q&A SND, please email your questions over to snd@tomnicholas.comThe Slow News Day

Can Andy Burnham De-London-ify the UK? Jun 30, 2026 00:15:31 The presumed next Prime Minister of the UK, Andy Burnham, has said that he plans to move at least part of 10 Downing Street to the north of England. Not physically. The door and Larry the Cat are staying where they are. But, in a speech this Monday, he said he was looking at establishing an additional office for his Prime Ministerial activities in Manchester, where he had been mayor for n

Al Carns: The Next Possible Prime Minister (That No-One's Heard Of) Jun 25, 2026 00:19:23 Can anyone stop Andy Burnham from becoming Leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister of the UK? No, is almost certainly the answer to that. And yet that’s not going to stop politicians on the right wing of the Labour Party (who aren’t super keen on Burnham) from trying. If there is to be a challenge to Andy Burnham taking over as Prime Minister, rather than him simply becoming leader

What Does Andy Burnham Believe? Jun 23, 2026 00:24:41 Keir Starmer has officially announced that he will be standing down as Prime Minister, and Leader of the Labour Party, leaving the door wide open for Andy Burnham to replace him. Having just found his way back to Parliament, as the winner of the Makerfield by-election, the “King in the North” is all but certainly our next Prime Minister.But what does Andy Burnham actually believe? What ki

Makerfield: Keir Starmer's Judgement Day Jun 18, 2026 00:21:03 Keir Starmer’s future as Prime Minister will be decided today, in the most unusual of ways: a by-election in the North West of England. Usually, Prime Minister's fates are decided in General Elections, and by-elections are somewhat inconsequential, outside of the constituency. Makerfield, however, is different because Andy Burnham is standing for Labour. If he is elected to Parliament, he

Donald Trump's UFC Fight Night Birthday Party Jun 11, 2026 00:14:58 Donald Trump will be celebrating his 80th birthday this Sunday, and he will be celebrating with style. If by style we mean gaudy excess. Donald Trump’s big birthday bash will consist of a specially-arranged, double title fight night of UFC matches being held on the South Lawn of the White House. The meeting of the American Presidency and the UFC might seem a little odd. So, today, I want

The (Somehow) Surprisingly Corrupt Politics of the World Cup Jun 9, 2026 00:19:09 The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins this week, and even before kick off, the tournament has been caught under a mountain of scandal. We can put the blame for the situation at the feet of just one man: FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He may have been the man elected to save FIFA after a wave of arrests and rampant corruption, but has he saved or doomed the beautiful game?The Slow NewsroomCreat

Is Space X’s IPO a Massive Scam? Jun 4, 2026 00:16:43 Elon Musk’s SpaceX is due to go public next week. In effect, this means it will go from being a privately-held company owned by Musk and a number of friends and colleagues to being a publicly-tradable company which you, yes you, can buy stocks in too. There’s a real risk that SpaceX might be massively, massively over valued, meaning retail investors (and retirement funds) might end up bei

Hasan’s Ban from the UK, Explained Jun 2, 2026 00:20:00 Hasan Piker, the American Twitch streamer has been banned from entering the UK, along with The Young Turks host (and Piker’s uncle) Cenk Uygur. I’ve seen a few attempts to explain what’s going on here online, often by Americans and so I wanted to try and provide an explainer grounded a bit more in UK politics and law. So here we go.The Slow NewsroomCreator and Host: Tom NicholasEditor: G

Elon Musk is Sabotaging Reform UK May 28, 2026 00:20:52 Elon Musk might be in the process of sabotaging the British far-right and inadvertently handing the Labour Party a massive win. Better still, I don’t think he knows he’s doing it or particularly cares. All of this relates to the by-election which is currently taking place in the constituency of Makerfield, where Andy Burnham’s biggest challenge to winning that seat should be Nigel Farage’

Britain's New Transphobic Laws, Explained May 26, 2026 00:13:40 New rules around single-sex spaces, such as changing rooms and bathrooms, were published towards the end of last week. These govern how businesses and organisations in the UK are (and crucially are not) allowed to provide for trans people. It's another win for British transphobes, I'm afraid.The Slow NewsroomCreator and Host: Tom NicholasEditor: Georgia BurrowsProducer: Jack CarterSee Pri

The 'Steroid Olympics' Are Here and They're Much Weirder Than You Think May 21, 2026 00:21:06 The so-called “steroid olympics” (officially called the "Enhanced Games") are taking place this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. Happening in a purpose-built stadium (for some reason) just off the Las Vegas strip, it will feature more than 40 athletes souped up on personalised regimens of performance-enhancing drugs to see just how far the human body can go (you know, if you add a bunch of p

Will Britain Undo Brexit? May 19, 2026 00:17:33 Can Britain Undo Brexit? We're just shy of a decade since the UK voted to leave the EU, but could we be bracing for another big debate about EU membership? Recently, Wes Streeting announced that it would be part of his platform for Britain to rejoin the EU, should he became a candidate to replace Keir Starmer. Could this actually happen, or is there something else going on?The Slow Newsro

Eurovision's Israel Crisis, Explained May 14, 2026 00:16:47 The Eurovision Song Contest is in crisis this year, with five countries: Spain, Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, and Slovenia having pulled out of the competition, with some refusing to broadcast, due to Israel's participation. Critics have accused Israel of using the show to distract from the genocide and human rights abuses in Gaza and the West Bank. There have also been investigation

Will Wes Streeting Be Britain's Next Prime Minister? May 12, 2026 00:24:37 Keir Starmer is (almost) gone. Nearly 100 Labour MPs have publicly called for him to resign. But, when he goes, there will be a leadership contest for Leader of the Labour Party and, by extension, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. So I want to dedicate some time in the coming week or so to lifting the lid on some of the key contenders for that

Is Keir Starmer the British Joe Biden? May 7, 2026 00:24:24 It's election day in Britain and Keir Starmer is in trouble. Will he resign? Apparently not! Argh! In his steadfast refusal to resign despite election losses, scandal, and terrible polling fast turning him into Britain's Joe Biden?The Slow NewsroomCreator and Host: Tom NicholasEditor: Georgia BurrowsProducer: Jack CarterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privac

The Stock Market is Broken May 4, 2026 00:24:07 The stock market might be broken. Really broken. The massive AI bubbles has shown everyone that. But can we really just blame over-enthusiastic investors, or might there be another trend which is keeping the bubble from bursting too?The Slow NewsroomCreator and Host: Tom NicholasEditor: Georgia BurrowsProducer: Jack CarterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv

What the Renters' Rights Act Means for You Apr 30, 2026 00:18:11 It’s a bad week to be a dodgy landlord in the UK, as a new piece of legislation comes into force bringing much-needed security for tenants, and reducing the power landlords have to turf out residents at short notice. The BBC earlier this week were billing it as “one of the biggest changes to housing law in history”. But I’m here to tell you that that’s not quite true. In fact it’s really

King Charles's Trip to America is Embarrassing Apr 28, 2026 00:22:16 The King's Going on Holiday! Sorry, I mean an official "state visit" to America in order to salvage some from of working relationship with Donald Trump. This trip puts the Monarchy in an awkward position, as having the King merely stand with Trump implies that he endorses the President's views. It's also incredibly unpopular with the British people.The Slow NewsroomHost and Creator: Tom N

Can Labour Survive Keir Starmer? Apr 23, 2026 00:25:45 Keir Starmer is on his way out. Whether it takes a month or a year, he is going to be a Prime Minister whose tenure is shrouded in failure. But could he be about to take down the entire Labour Party with him? A new poll by YouGov was released recently that showed that the Labour Party could be facing an existential crisis in the local elections on the 7th May. The Labour Party could lose

Trump's Iran Ceasefire is Almost Over Apr 21, 2026 00:27:53 The US-Iran ceasefire expires tomorrow, and all eyes are on Pakistan as it looks like peace talks may, possibly, fingers crossed go ahead, and we might avoid a recommencement of strikes. Donald Trump has accused Iran of violating the ceasefire and continued his streak of threats and brinkmanship, however, whilst Iran has threatened that it is preparing 'new cards on the battlefield'. Tens

Slow News Day Announcement Apr 21, 2026 00:01:49 This feed is changing... Join me, Tom Nicholas, for discussion and updates about the ups and downs of UK global politics twice a week.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Best (and Worst) Climate Intervention w/ Simon Clark Sep 5, 2023 01:11:21 In recent decades, more and more energy has been put into developing interventions to either reduce fossil fuel emissions or, in some cases, remove them from the atmosphere entirely. But, which of those interventions actually have the potential to turn the tide in our fight against global heating and which are all talk and no substance?In today's episode of Induction, Tom chats with Dr Si

AI Hype vs AI Reality w/ Jordan Harrod Sep 5, 2023 01:06:23 Artificial Intelligence is everywhere now. Over the past year, tools like ChatGPT, Dall-E and Stable Diffusion have turned what was previously a fairly marginal technology into headline news. Industry leaders make great predictions about the future of AI, predicting an end to work (and, perhaps even an end to humanity). But how much of that is likely and how much is pure hype?In this fort

How Video Essays Took Over YouTube w/ Neil from The Leftist Cooks Jul 25, 2023 01:12:35 Over the past half decade or so, video essays have taken over YouTube. As things stand, a significant portion of the site's largest creators and most popular videos are at least video essay adjacent.In this fortnight's episode of Induction, Tom takes stock of where the genre has come from, where it is now and where it might be going next with a little help from Neil Farrell from The Lefti

We're Still Obsessed with Shakespeare w/ Abigail Thorn Jul 6, 2023 01:02:59 Since his death in 1616, William Shakespeare has often been held up as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) English-language writers. Nevertheless, the world in which Shakespeare was writing was clearly a very different on to that which we live in today. So, what is it that keeps audiences, creatives and other thinkers coming back to his work?In today's episode of Induction, Tom chat

How to Survive Your Twenties (in a World on Fire) w/ Leena Norms Jun 20, 2023 01:10:41 For a long time, one's 20s were viewed as the defining decade of a person's life. The cultural norm was that this was the decade in which one would find a partner, get married, settle down and buy a house. But, even for those who want to pursue such a life plan, the economic shifts of the past twenty years mean that such a route now looks all-but impossible.In this fortnight's episode of

Why 2023 is Making You Poorer w/ Unlearning Economics [Audio Exclusive] Jun 13, 2023 01:01:20 In this audio-exclusive episode of Induction, Tom is joined by Unlearning Economics to chat a little bit about inflation: what it is, why it's currently so high, and what can be done to bring it down again. (Also contains a lot of talk about Freddo Frogs.)Watch or listen to every episode of Induction two weeks early at http://go.nebula.tv/inductionCheck out UE's videos at https://www.yout

Utopian Thinking in Dystopian Times w/ Andrewism Jun 6, 2023 01:07:49 It can be difficult to be optimistic about politics. With a climate crisis in full swing and inequality getting worse, it can be easy to slip into a distanced doomerism. But, what if that's bad, actually?In this fortnight's episode of Induction, Tom chats with Andrewism about the importance of utopias and utopian thinking even in the darkest of times.Watch or listen to every episode of In

How the Internet Changed Healthcare w/ Medlife Crisis May 23, 2023 01:06:52 In this fortnight’s episode of Induction, Tom chats to Dr. Rohin Francis about how the internet has changed our relationship with our own health.*The Induction Team*Hosted by Tom NicholasEdited by Georgia BurrowsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Uber-ification of University Professors w/ Zoe Bee May 9, 2023 01:14:28 In this fortnight’s episode of Induction, Tom chats to Zoe Bee about why university professors in both the UK and the US have been striking so much lately, and the broader crisis in higher education that has brought academics to breaking point.Watch or listen to every episode of Induction two weeks early at http://go.nebula.tv/inductionCheck out Zoe’s videos at http://youtube.com/@zoe_bee

The Unstoppable Rise of Urban Planning Content w/ Not Just Bikes Apr 19, 2023 01:13:52 In this fortnight's episode of Induction, Tom chats to Jason Slaughter from the YouTube channel Not Just Bikes about the recent boom in urban planning content. How has this once-niche subject area come to take over the internet and become... dare I say it... cool?Watch or listen to every episode of Induction two weeks early at http://go.nebula.tv/inductionCheck out Jason’s channel at http

TikTok's Weirdly Powerful Algorithm w/ Mia Mulder Apr 7, 2023 01:13:53 In this episode of Induction, Tom is joined by Mia Mulder to talk about Twitter's weirdly powerful algorithm and how its intensity pushes creators to make some fairly odd content.Get access to episodes of Induction a full two weeks early on Nebula at https://go.nebula.tv/inductionThe Induction TeamHosted by Tom NicholasEdited by Georgia BurrowsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva

The Bizarre Backlash to 15-Minute Cities w/ Münecat Apr 7, 2023 01:02:47 The very first episode of Induction, in which Tom is joined by Münecat to talk about the bizarre backlash to 15-minute cities and the protest against them she attended in Oxford.Get access to episodes of Induction a full two weeks early on Nebula at https://go.nebula.tv/inductionThe Induction TeamHosted by Tom NicholasEdited by Georgia BurrowsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac

Induction: Hosted by Tom Nicholas (Trailer) Apr 4, 2023 00:01:21 Induction is a new podcast hosted by Tom Nicholas.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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