Mallen Baker: Faultlines

Mallen Baker
  • 5.0 (15)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • UPDATED TWICE WEEKLY

'Dangerously reasonable' analysis on politics, science, and particularly the bit where they bump into each other. I aim to give an independent, fact-focused, non-ideological take on the issues that matter.

  1. 13 HR AGO

    China Prepares To Eat Trump For Lunch

    Later this coming week, China's Xi Jinping will be hosting President Donald Trump in Beijing for their delayed summit meeting. It's hard to ignore the fact that, since the last time they met, the US seems to have been bent on destroying its own leverage at every opportunity. It is caught in Trump's illegal war in Iran. His big punitive tariff policies came crashing down. And he has been single-handedly driving all of America's former allies, to some degree, into the embrace of China as the more stable alternative partner. So what will they be aiming to achieve in this meeting, and how will that impact the rest of the world? Let's discuss.

    15 min

  2. 2 DAYS AGO

    The Truth About Trump's Big Iran War U-Turn | News Round-Up

    In this news round-up of the week for Friday May 8th, 2026. It turns out that President Donald Trump's about-turn on Project Freedom had even less to do with his fake stories than we knew. Trump's replacement tariffs for the ones that were judged to be illegal have turned out to also be illegal. The UK prime minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his political survival after the UK local elections were exactly what the polls had said they would be - in other words, terrible for Labour. And President Putin is to preside over a much scaled down Victory day parade in Moscow as he is apparently terrified that new Ukrainian drones will gatecrash the party.

    23 min

  3. 4 DAYS AGO

    Trump's Humiliating U-Turn After 'Project Freedom' Fails

    President Donald Trump has 'paused' so-called Project Freedom. Supposedly, it's because the Pakistanis asked him to. Nothing at all to do with the reality that almost no ships had actually gotten out of the Strait of Hormuz as a result of it i.e. it was a complete failure. The line is that a deal is SO close that it's worth pausing the project (not the blockade, mind, because that's mostly being successful) to see if final agreement is reached. And yet, even as the media and the stock market takes Trump's bait again, the mood music from the other side isn't exactly encouraging. Let's discuss.

    11 min

  4. 6 DAYS AGO

    Trump's Strait Of Hormuz Gamble Likely To Blow Up In His Face

    There's no doubt that the thousand ships that are stranded in the Strait of Hormuz need rescuing - and if it could be achieved, it would be a tremendous success. But by announcing that the US would be doing just that raised the stakes for President Trump because he set himself an extremely difficult, some would say impossible, task and, in so doing, likely set himself up for humiliation. In any case, it's been a day of claim and counterclaim, shots being exchanged, and the potential for the re-escalation of the war back into full swing. Let's discuss.

    11 min

  5. 1 MAY

    Iran Won't Let Trump Off The Hook | News Round-Up

    In this news round-up of the week for Friday May the first, 2026. Iran presents its new peace proposal, and it does not make President Donald Trump happy - even while Congress ponders whether to engage with the looming war powers deadline. Meanwhile Trump adds Italy and Spain to the list of countries he wants to pull US troops out of as he looks to punish those who didn't fall in line on demand. A Supreme court judgement could lead to a flurry of gerrymandering that will render the 2028 elections a truly fixed election. And I answer a viewer question, on media companies and culture wars and democratic decline.

    20 min

  6. 30 APR

    Furious Trump Threatens To Pull Troops From Germany

    German Chancellor Merz made an entirely reasonable observation - Iran had humiliated the United States, and was being much more skilful in its negotiations strategy. This is a widespread perception across the world, but it made President Donald Trump utterly furious. He spat his rage into not one, but two posts on social media, and he let it be known he is reviewing whether to pull US troops from Germany. Arguably, such a move would be the beginning of the end for NATO, as currently constituted. Is he serious? And what does the world conclude from this latest example of seeking to bully compliance in word and deed across the world? Well, to all appearances, most of the world thinks the act is wearing pretty thin. Let's discuss.

    12 min

  7. 29 APR

    King Charles' Urgent Wake-Up Call To Trump's America

    King Charles spoke to Congress, and then again at President Donald Trump's own banquet. He impressed many with his skilful diplomacy, and also that while keeping the right side of his host he nevertheless was able to touch on a number of the central faultlines that have opened up in US politics and society. Let's go through the key points of what he covered, why it was effective, why it's different to what the political leaders of Europe should be doing, and whether it will actually make a difference.

    14 min

  8. 28 APR

    “Iran Has Humiliated the US” Germany's Chancellor Merz

    The world is changing - especially in the fact that a growing number of world leaders are prepared to speak the truth in public, caring little any more how it will land with that one individual in the White House. The latest evidence is the comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that Iran had humiliated the United States, and was showing great skill in its negotiations that were not reflected on the other side. This as Trump had his lies about the Iranians wanting talks exposed for what they were, and hence the conflict has slipped into a phoney peace phase. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, and the impact on the world is becoming more severe by the day. Let's discuss.

    15 min
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Trailer

5
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About

'Dangerously reasonable' analysis on politics, science, and particularly the bit where they bump into each other. I aim to give an independent, fact-focused, non-ideological take on the issues that matter.

Information

  • Creator
    Mallen Baker
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    565
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (c) Mallen Baker
  • Show Website
    Mallen Baker: Faultlines

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