The State of It: USA

3.9 (45)
Politics
Updated Weekly

Katy Balls and Gerard Baker on the state of Trump’s America. No fake news, no flag waving and no Trump Derangement Syndrome. Just honest, in-depth discussion of what’s going down inside the White House. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20h ago · Video

Is this the real reason Trump made a deal with Putin?

Gargantuan grift Are the wheels coming off the Trump administration? President Trump's deal with Putin to buy Russian diesel has even dismayed some Republicans. Both the domestic politics and the geopolitics of it are baffling. Gerry has another theory about Trump's motivations for making a deal with Moscow. Katy has been on the campaign trail with Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to hear what Republicans are saying ahead of the midterms on November 3rd. The fall of Kimberly Guilfoyle Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump’s ambassador to Greece, has been asked to resign after allegations she solicited $100,000 from a donor to pay her credit card bill. Guilfoyle, the former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr, has denied all wrongdoing and has said she'll vigorously defend her name. Meanwhile, new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia had a rocky first outing in front of the cameras, and now she's facing questions about her CV. Can she survive the week? Elizabeth Holmes tried to sue me Finally, a new documentary takes us inside the extraordinary story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Gerry was editor of The Wall Street Journal when it broke the story that unravelled Holmes’s billion-dollar blood-testing empire. He remembers how aggressively Holmes tried to sue the paper. Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson Executive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty Images This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 6 · Video

Is Iran getting reckless?

The threat from Iran The Trump administration has given mixed messages about exactly why US jets have been moved from RAF Fairford. It's still unclear whether there was a terror plot and whether Iran was involved and no one has been charged, but there's speculation that Iran could be activating terror cells around the world.Midterm U-turn Donald Trump has made a rare U-turn. He has said he plans to pay for controversial television ads using funds from his Maga Inc. super Pac rather than the federal government after being accused of using taxpayers' money for campaign ads.America's death penalty problem The Pentagon has announced that the Fort Hood attacker, Nidal Hasan, will be executed by firing squad. Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers in 2009, injuring another 32. The announcement comes just after Tennessee's botched execution of Christa Pike. We look at the history of the death penalty in America and ask if there really is any way to kill someone without violating the US constitution, which bans cruel and unusual punishment.What went wrong with Doge? Katy has interviewed Michael Lewis whose new book Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State tells the story of the people who stood up against Doge. Elon Musk and his team of young cost-cutters would even set up camp in government buildings. Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson Executive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty Images Audio: Reuters, @WhiteHouse on X 00:00 - Is Iran’s Strategy a Sign of Strength or Weakness? 00:18 - B-1 Stealth Bombers Pulled After RAF Fairford Arrests 01:35 - Washington Weighs the Iranian Drone Threat 04:38 - Are U.S. Bases Worldwide Becoming Easy Targets? 08:44 - Soaring Diesel Prices & Trump's Midterm Nightmare 10:53 - Trump Backs Down On Federal-Funded Campaign Ads 13:55 - The Death Penalty: Botched Executions vs. Firing Squads 21:42 - Michael Lewis Exposes What Really Happened Inside DOGE 23:32 - Why Elon Musk’s Government Cuts Completely Failed This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 30 · Video

Is a blue tsunami coming for Trump?

A blue wave is building across America, as Republicans brace for a brutal midterm reckoning. Red strongholds like Kansas, Oklahoma and Florida are starting to look vulnerable. Does President Trump even care? The mystery surrounding RAF Fairford is only getting stranger, raising more questions than answers and exposing the fragility of the US-UK relationship. Is Marco Rubio right that a foreign actor is involved? And could it ultimately be good news for Andy Burnham? And as the world wakes up to the potential dangers of AI, Trump is embracing America’s tech giants. Is he sleepwalking into a crisis? Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson Executive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty Images Audio: Reuters 00:00 - Is a Republican Midterm Disaster Looming? 00:33 - The "Blue Tsunami" & Key Battlegrounds (Kansas, Florida, Texas) 06:33 - Is Trump Becoming an Electoral Liability? 09:18 - Fearing Subpoenas: The Final Years of a Trump Presidency 11:46 - UK Foreign Security Incident & US Reaction 17:06 - Trump's "Superintelligence" AI Summit & Silicon Valley Backlash 21:01 - AI Anxiety, Tech Billionaires, and Backlash from Voters This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 22 · Video

Trump meets Burnham: smiles - and policy clashes

Donald Trump and Andy Burnham have had their first meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Trump said that US-UK relations were better now than when Keir Starmer was prime minister. But he reiterated his opposition to the Chagos Islands deal. We look at what was said, what was not said and the body language between the two men. Making sense of Trump's UNGA speech In President Trump's UNGA speech he threatened to annihilate Iran but also said he might make a deal after the midterms. The Cuban delegation left the room when Trump called their country an “absolutely failed state” and said “it will fall”. Trump also said that AI should be renamed “super-intelligence”. Less lame duck, More raging bull We look at what we learned from the speech about Trump's foreign policy and his priorities. And what does it say about America that the president used the phrase “to the victor belong the spoils”? Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal Producer: Harry Kitson Executive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty Images Audio: Reuters This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 16 · Video

Trump's three gifts to the Democrats

Why is Donald Trump so relaxed about AI regulation? After the Anthropic boss Dario Amodei called for AI regulation to save the human race, Trump said that his own IQ was the only guardrail needed to prevent an AI Apocalypse. Not everyone has been reassured by that. And President Trump's breezy attitude to AI may end up costing the Republicans votes. How are rising gas prices impacting the 2026 US midterms? All the warning signs on the US economy are flashing red, especially after Houthis in Yemen took over key Red Sea shipping routes. Are there any levers left to pull? The problem is all the options are bad. Why did a Russian oligarch pay for Donald Trump Jr's wedding? Umar Kremlev, who's a friend of President Putin, paid for wedding celebration for Donald Trump Jr. We look at how the White House is reacting, why Senate Democrats like Jon Ossoff are seizing on the story, and the dismay that Republicans are expressing behind closed doors. Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal Producer: Harry Kitson Executive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty Images Audio: All In, Reuters This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 11 · Video

It's a cult! Trump goes to Dallas

Katy Balls reports from the Republican midterm convention in Dallas where President Trump made a pledge that every adult will get a $5,000 dividend if the Republicans win the House and the Senate. That adds up to about $1.2 trillion.Golden balloons were dropped and the crowd joined the president in repeating a vow to vote for "the greatest president in the history of the United States that loves us so much he can't even breathe". JD Vance's speech was received well and the audience chanted "48", suggesting they'd like the vice-president to become the 48th president of the United States. Is he pulling ahead of Marco Rubio as the bookies' favourite to be the Republican candidate for 2028? Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal Producer: Harry Kitson Executive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty Images Audio: Reuters This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 9 · Video

Trumpapalooza: the risky Republican midterm strategy

We're in Dallas for the Republican National Convention. It's been nicknamed Trumpapalooza. But some Republicans are uneasy about putting the president front and centre of their midterms campaign when his approval ratings are so low. Is it a wise move?The UK has imposed sanctions on Israel and accused Binyamin Netanyahu's government of supporting ethnic cleansing. How much of an issue is this for the US administration?And 25 years on from 9/11, we reflect on how America was changed by the attacks on the Twin Towers. Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal Producer: Harry Kitson Executive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty Images Audio: Reuters This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 3

Trump, Iran and why he’s glad Harry left America - Washington Insider

President Trump’s Iran war was supposed to be over in weeks. Instead, tensions are escalating again, with Iran threatening cyberattacks on US infrastructure and the Strait of Hormuz still at the centre of the crisis. Does Trump really want to rename the Strait of Hormuz Trump Strait? Katy Balls joins Carole Walker to assess whether Trump is losing control of the conflict — and why he’s saying he’s glad Prince Harry and Meghan have left America. Produced in partnership with Times Radio Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist, The Times and Sunday Times Carole Walker, presenter, Times Radio Producer: Angus Mitchell Picture: Getty Images Audio: Reuters This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Award-winning investigative and true crime podcasts. The Trial of Russell Brand is season 14 of Times Investigates. From war zones to suburban homes, pursuing brutal criminals and cult leaders, our podcasts go further than any other to uncover the truth. In season one, war correspondent Anthony Loyd investigates the fate of his colleague John Cantlie, who was kidnapped in Syria by Islamic State. In season two, crime correspondent John Simpson breaks down the wall of silence surrounding the killing of 14-year-old Corey Junior Davis In season three Berlin correspondent Oliver Moody uncovers the story of Hans Globke, the Nazi bureaucrat who laid the legal basis for the Holocaust - and helped build the modern German state In season four, columnist David Aaronovitch follows the trail of charm and deception left by businessman Lex Greensill through the corridors of power in Britain In season five, special correspondent Emily Dugan asks whether the wrong man was sent to prison for a brutal attack on a mother of two In season six, Middle East correspondent Louise Callaghan steps into the weird world of ‘kittens’, ‘lions’, and televangelism surrounding a cult leader In season seven, journalists Brenna Daldorph and David Aaronovitch explore the dark past behind some of Britain’s wealthiest stately homes In season eight, feature writer Andrew Billen exposes a very British scandal at the world-famous university college, Christ Church, Oxford In season nine, David Aaranovitch steps into the online world of Patriotic Alternative, a far-right group using the Covid pandemic as a recruiting tool In season ten, journalists Peter Gillman and Emanuele Midolo investigate the death of one of our own, David Holden, the reporter whose killing became a Cold War whodunnit In season 11, social affairs editor James Beal follows a trail leading from a quiet British town to frozen Canada, where he discovers a man allegedly selling death online In season 12, reporter Mario Ledwith returns to his hometown in Northern Ireland, seeking answers about the bloody 1987 Remembrance Sunday attack In season 13, The Sunday Times’s Insight team investigates how Nigel Farage came to depend upon a crypto enthusiast, gambler and convicted fraudster In season 14, journalists Rosamund Urwin and Charlotte Wace join Luke Jones to report daily from the trial of Russell Brand Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Mar 25

Every Gal

Love your podcast but today (3/25/26) you mentioned Tucker Carlson as a possible president as a bit laughable. Please read and listen to what he says about the Jewish people and how he sees them in America (not to mention the world). Not much difference between his rhetoric and Hitler’s. People laughed at Hitler when HE wanted to rule Germany. Carlson in 2028 with his millions of followers would be extraordinarily dangerous. Please look into how his presidency would be vis a vis hatred, pogroms and worse. It’s 1930s Germany…
Great first episode

Feb 3

Beck Kinerk

I was sad when Free expression ended, can’t wait for this new pod

Katy Balls and Gerard Baker on the state of Trump’s America. No fake news, no flag waving and no Trump Derangement Syndrome. Just honest, in-depth discussion of what’s going down inside the White House. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.