Has Starmer become the PM we need?
The past two weeks have been good for Keir Starmer. As Tom Baldwin writes in this week's New European, he has fallen back on his core qualities; a kind of radical relentlessness. The Matts assess his performance and ask if Starmer is ready to throw off the Labour obsession with appeasing the so-called red wall and instead embrace Labour's natural audience: Us! In the first part, the Matts discuss the latest news from the ongoing Ukraine sell-out. Enjoy!
EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts
The Matts speak with Sam Wetherell, author of the brilliant Liverpool And The Unmaking Of Britain. It's not only a fascinating dive into the history of Liverpool, a city whose rise and fall impacted the whole world, but it's also a prism through which we can try to understand our own complex times. How did one […]
The Matts tackle questions from listeners including should X be banned in the UK? Should we withdraw the offer of a State Visit for Trump? Are we AI friendly? And why the hell are we insulting the dignity of the Two Matts podcast by not wearing suits? Enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just […]
The Matts are transfixed by Trump's address to Congress. Once they get over the sheer magnetism of his schtick, they unpack how it works and why the right is so good at messaging. In part two, they analyse what might be the greatest speech to date about the horrifying implications Trump holds for Europe. A […]
The Matts are joined by Trump chronicler supreme, Michael Wolff, whose new book All Or Nothing is a riveting and revelatory telling of Trump's extraordinary journey back to the White House. What are the characteristics that turned a seemingly irredeemable position into a second term? What do his inner circle really think of him? Why does […]
The Matts grapple with our former Prime Minister's latest outbursts, dig into a deep mailbag of Burnham questions and speculate wildly on the Oscars this evening. Enjoy!
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Daily Mirror
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
9 insane moments as Donald Trump's beef with Elon Musk implodes spectacularly
The history books are filled with breakups and beef. There's Jen and Brad, Drake and Kendrick, Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas. Henry VIII had a few pretty prominent fallings out. And many have compared Donald Trump to Nero, the Ancient Roman emperor whose second marriage to Poppaea Sabina ended with murder. Today, the gradual then sudden implosion of Donald Trump's bromance with Elon Musk surely joins the canon of history's most epic breakups. Beeves so operatic and consequential there can surely be no reconciliation. And a ruckus which will genuinely have an impact on world events for years to come. Here's how it went down - and what happens next. The signs had been there for a while - but the first visible cracks in Trump and Musk's bromance started to appear the morning after the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in April. After winning the state by around 30,000 votes in the Presidential election last year, Trump thought his pick jn the race - Brad Schmiel - had a decent shot. Especially after Musk - whose bottomless wallet helped swing the election for him - decided to pump millions of dollars into the race. In the end, Schmiel suffered a thumping defeat to liberal judge Susan Crawford. The state voted for Crawford by 55% to 45% - the first indication that Trump's magic - and Elon's cash - were not infallible. The electoral shine was starting to rub off. In the days that followed there was chatter that Trump wasn't all that happy about sharing the limelight with Musk if he wasn't going to see results. It was quietly agreed Musk would step back a bit and spend more time with his failing car business. Fast forward to last Friday, and the 130 days Musk was allowed to be a "special government employee" without having to make transparency declarations were up. There was a deeply weird press conference cum exit interview in the oval, where Musk, sporting a mean looking shiner, got extremely upset about a newspaper that accused him of being high on Ketamine during the campaign. And then he was gone, Donald probably thought. Until a few days later, when Elon started tweeting - Or X-ing, or whatever it's called these days - about Trump's budget bill. The infamous "Big Beautiful Bill" - or as Musk described it - a "disgusting abomination". The details aren't important, but the gist of his beef with the bill are that he was brought in to cut government spending, and in order to get them to vote the bill through, Trump had to let congress attach quite a lot of government spending to it. On Thursday, he escalated matters even further by going right after Trump's beloved trade war. "The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year," Musk wrote. Speaking in the Oval Office last night, Trump said he was "disappointed" in Musk's response to the Big Beautiful Bill. Of course, he went further on Truth Social later, saying: "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Regular readers will recall Trump was kind of fine with hawking electric cars a month or do ago, when he turned the South Lawn into a Tesla dealership. In one of the most unexpected escalations since Will Smith got out of his seat at the Oscars, Elon decided now was time to play the Epstein card. In remarks that we should note are entirely unsubstantiated, he tweeted: "Time to drop the really big bomb: "@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. "Have a nice day, DJT!" It's not a secret that Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein used to hang out at New York Society events. There are pictures and video. Any suggestion of anything other than this is entirely unsubstantiated. Trump followed that up with an entirely unveiled threat - and a brutal assessment of Musk's work with Doge... "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Musk then reminded the President that a huge chunk of America's space travel capabilities are tied up in his companies. He tweeted: "In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately." NASA relies on the Dragon spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. In fact, there's a launch scheduled for next Tuesday. "I don't mind Elon turning against me," Trump said. "But he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Since then, Trump's Truth Social posts have mostly been promoting a Newsmax story about "strong" polls for the President. All four polls in the story give him sub 50% approval. Trump's poll average 46.5%, the second worst polling for a president 133 days into his term. The only president who polled worse at this point in his presidency was himself, eight years ago. Mum and Dad went off to seethe at this point, so the kids started to pick sides. Former Trump aide turned far-right revolutionary Steve Bannon picked his side - unsurprisingly backing his old boss. He urged Trump to immediately seize SpaceX from Musk. And he said: "They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately. "Elon Musk is illegal, and he's got to go." On the other hand, Ian Miles Cheong, who is somehow a major figure in the MAGA movement despite being some kid who lives in Malaysia, is going hard Team Musk. "President vs Elon. Who wins? My money's on Elon," he tweeted last night. "Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him." As tension between the White House and Europe heats up, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is , select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our . Tennessee. He was visiting Nashville last night as a featured guest of a Republican National Committee fundraiser. As the public fallout picked up steam, he tweeted this picture of him with comedian podcaster Theo Von: He, of course, remains Team Trump - and posted: "President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I'm proud to stand beside him." Well, when Elon wakes up, he'll probably do some more tweeting. That's literally the only thing we can solidly predict with this guy. And Trump is scheduled to hold an Executive Order signing in the Oval Office at 6.30pm UK time - followed by a ceremony to swear in the new Secretary of the Navy. There will be cameras, there will be questions. It will be worth tuning in. Later, Trump is going to a UFC fight in New Jersey. Get some popcorn, clear your schedule. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday.
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Unwelcome at Kennedy Center, LGBTQ+ orchestra defiantly plays in Maryland
NORTH BETHESDA, Maryland, June 6 (Reuters) - The program contained American favorites: pieces by Aaron Copland and George Gershwin and a choral performance of "America the Beautiful" to celebrate WorldPride, a biennial international festival in support of LGBTQ+ rights that this year is taking place in Washington. The International Pride Orchestra had hoped to play at the Kennedy Center, the most prestigious venue in the United States, but that was before U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on social media that there would be "NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA" at the public-private performing arts center. Instead, the orchestra took to the stage at the Strathmore Music Center in Maryland, just north of the capital, with sequin-clad drag queen Peaches Christ as host, and another drag queen, Thorgy Thor, playing a violin solo to Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" to an audience of 1,166 people. WorldPride events are taking place during a Trump administration that has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banned transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinded anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people as part of a campaign, opens new tab to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Michael Roest, conductor and founder of the International Pride Orchestra, a nonprofit, reminded the audience that "people don't feel safe to live and love openly." "That is the reason why we have this orchestra," Roest said. The evening offered messages about equality and patriotic ideals as expressed in "America the Beautiful," sung by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, which accompanied the orchestra in the second half of the show. A transgender pianist, Sara Davis Buechner, dazzled with her grand piano lead on "Rhapsody in Blue." U.S. and rainbow flags were hoisted at the close. Within weeks of taking office, Trump in February fired the leadership of the Kennedy Center and named himself chairman, complaining about what he said was the poor quality of performances. On February 10, he announced on social media that loyalist Richard Grenell would become interim director of the center and made the "NO MORE DRAG SHOWS" post. Two days later, the Kennedy Center sent Roest a message that said, "We are not in a position at this time to advance a contract," according to an email chain seen by Reuters. That message came after months of negotiations over securing the Kennedy Center, orchestra spokesperson David Perry said. Considering themselves "disinvited," event organizers began looking for alternative venues and the Strathmore offered its space, Perry said. Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, which is leading the coordination of WorldPride, explained the move by saying, "We would not be allowed to have any official drag programming." "That defeats the purpose of Pride - in terms of creating a welcoming and safe environment for anybody to feel comfortable being their true, authentic self, which is what Pride's about," Bos said in comments to The Advocate, a magazine reporting LGBT+ news, that were confirmed by the alliance. Asked for a response, a Kennedy Center spokesperson referred Reuters to Bos' remarks and an X post by Grenell saying, "We didn't cancel a single show at the Kennedy Center. We simply ask that shows don't lose money and leave us with the bill." The three-year-old orchestra was created to give LGBTQ+ musicians an avenue to perform free of concerns about their sexual orientation or gender identity. "This performance is in and of itself a form of resistance," said Luke Spence, the orchestra's general manager and also a trumpet player. Jennifer Curtis, a violinist and concert master, welcomed the spotlight that came with the dispute. "That's what you want in the time of struggle, or if you're needing to make a statement," Curtis said. "We got extra publicity out of being at the butt end of Trump."
Scotsman
16 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Davy Russell: Who is the newly-elected Scottish Labour MSP from the Hamilton by-election?
He was criticised for being invisible during the election campaign - but now he is an MSP in the Scottish Parliament. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... 'Can you see me now?'. Those were the words of Davy Russell, the newly elected Scottish Labour MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. Mr Russell managed to clinch victory in Thursday's by-election with 31.5 per cent of the vote, ahead of the SNP on 29.4 per cent and Reform UK on 26.2 per cent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad During the campaign, both Scottish Labour and Mr Russell were criticised for being 'invisible' after the party's candidate repeatedly refused to do broadcast interviews and declined invitations to attend televised hustings. Labour candidate Davy Russell wins the by-election and celebrates alongside party leader Anas Sarwar and his deputy Jackie Baillie. | Lisa Ferguson But he will be invisible no more - he is now one of the 23-strong group of Scottish Labour MSPs in Holyrood. Who is Davy Russell? So what do we know about Mr Russell? The 63-year-old grandfather has never stood for election before, with party leader Anas Sarwar branding him a community candidate. Mr Russell lives in Quarter in South Lanarkshire, the small former mining village where he was born and grew up. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As a child, Mr Russell went to school in Hamilton and went on to gain a civil engineering certificate from Motherwell Technical College. He started off as an apprentice fixing roads, and eventually became a senior manager at Glasgow City Council, looking after roads, transport and waste. Mr Russell is deputy lord lieutenant, making him King Charles III's local representative in South Lanarkshire. He also likes to raise money for charity and is a charity trustee. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Why did Russell win the by-election? Others within the Labour Party say he manages to connect with the voters because he is one of them. In fact, much has been made of his working-class roots during this campaign. Brian Leishman, the Labour MP for nearby Alloa and Grangemouth, congratulated Mr Russell and said: 'What a result for Scottish Labour and a community champion in Davy Russell. 'People want change and believe Scottish Labour can provide it next May. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Credit to Davy for being dignified in a horrible classist campaign from some opponents. He's a credit to the working class.' Mr Sarwar added: 'In Davy Russell we had a candidate and now an MSP who cares about his community and understands his community and is a champion for his community.
