American Friction is a UK podcast about US politics, produced by Podmasters. It aims to explain the latest news and big issues in American politics without causing frustration. Hosted by Jacob Jarvis, Chris Jones, and Nikki McCann Ramirez, the show features interviews with experts and commentators. New episodes are released every Friday and Monday.
Episodes
Trump’s fellow losers – Who else lost big in the Midterms?
The Democrats won big in the Midterms. Who’s flying high right now, and whose political career has taken a dive? Journalist Eric Garcia joins Chris Jones to get stuck into it all!
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Written and presented by Chris Jones. Audio editor: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Executive pr
The Trump coalition is dead
Donald Trump’s gang is breaking apart after a disastrous set of midterms for the president and his party. Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpick how huge the results are and what comes next.
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Witches, Jesus and Epstein – How Kansas politics got nasty
The midterm races have been a horrorshow across the board and Kansas has been no exception. Clay Wirestone of the Kansas Reflector joins Chris and Jarv to discuss the weird politics of the state and how things might go there.
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Donald Trump: “I like big butts and I can’t not lie!”
Trump won’t stop talking about butts despite the GOP’s struggles in the run up to the midterms. Has he doomed his party to a wipeout? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.
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What’s angering American voters most? - With Molly Jong-Fast
American voters are mad, there’s no denying the anger being directed towards this Trump administration. But’s angering them the most? Molly Jong-Fast has her finger on the pulse ahead of the midterms and joins Chris Jones in our latest episode to explain it all.
Listen to Molly’s podcast, Fast Politics, here: https://fastpoliticspod.com/
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Trump - America’s most unwanted
Donald Trump’s getting more unpopular by the day. How is that impacting the GOP’s chances in the midterms? Plus, Nikki and Chris discuss Vivek Ramaswamy’s shocking attack ad against his opponent for the governorship in Ohio.
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Why Trump wants to suppress voters abroad
Millions of US citizens abroad could vote in the midterm elections, yet turnout among this group is consistently low. Why, and why is Donald Trump trying to make it harder for them in the first place? Elizabeth Kelly is the co-chair of the Get Out The Vote campaign from Democrats Abroad. She joins Chris to discuss in an extra, unscheduled episode.
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Talarico, Paxton and Trump – Why the GOP can’t afford to lose Texas
James Talarico is in strong form in Texas and it’s all to play for in his Senate race versus Ken Paxton. Just how disastrous would defeat across the Lone Star state be for the GOP? Chris and Jarv ask Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Trump world’s latest bonkers conspiracy theory
The MAGA brainrot community has a new conspiracy theory… Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpick why when times get desperate, this is all the Trump faithful really have.
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Christa Pike, Trump and America's death penalty crisis
Content warning: This episode contains discussions related to executions some might find upsetting. Also, this was recorded before Pete Hegseth said Nidal Hasan’s execution will be live streamed.
The death penalty is in sharp focus in America right now. Christa Pike’s botched execution has horrified the world, and at the same time Trump is ordering people be killed by firing squad. What the hel
Donald Trump latest: The explosive toddler strikes again!
Donald Trump is talking about US cities being blown up as if it’s not that big a deal. Well, why not? According to him he can do anything he wants… Nikki, Chris and Jarv breakdown the latest breakdown from the president.
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Trump thinks all news should be propaganda
Trump has cranked his media attacks up to eleven as he accuses journalists of committing treason for saying mean things about him. How worrying is this? And does he even know what he’s saying? Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters, joins Jarv to discuss.
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Trump and the GOP are getting desperate
Trump and his cronies know they’re facing trouble in the midterms. Their plan? Replay the 2018 tactics and hope for the best… Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss.
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Trump doesn’t understand A.I. or anything else
Donald Trump does not know what’s going on with artificial intelligence but he does know it might make him money. Jeff Jarvis, author of Hot Type and mega media expert, joins Jarv to discuss the White House’s wild approach to A.I. and what it means for the rest of us.
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Donald Trump hates free speech!
Trump used to bang on about free speech but clearly he doesn’t give a sh*t about it. Just how draconian has the president become? Jarv and Nikki discuss.
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Trump vs. Carney – Lessons from Canada's MAGA battle
Canada’s Mark Carney is sticking it to Trump, what can we learn from him? Chris and Jarv ask Drew Fagan, professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis and Chris Jones. Audio/ video editor: Simon William
Trump gets told no and throws a massive tantrum!
Trump has been told no he can’t attack mail-in voting how he wants and he is predictably angry. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.
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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis, Chris Jones and Nikki McCann Ramirez. Audio/ video editor: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew
Trump’s enablers – Who else is to blame for this mess?!
Trump’s power didn’t come automatically, a lot of people had to roll over to let him have the control of America he has. Jacob Weisberg joins Jarv and Chris to discuss the pushovers who enabled the president, as outlined in his new book Profiles in Cowardice:
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Trump vs. Geography
Donald Trump’s threatening everyone’s sovereignty by changing every map ever. Dr Casey Burgat joins Chris to discuss Trump’s strategy here (spoiler, there isn’t one) and loads more. Plus, Nikki joins Chris from the Republican National Convention where she’s still recovering from the revelation that Trump plans to bribe the electorate in the midterm elections.
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Trump and the neo-Nazis – How the president revived a crisis
Hate crimes carried out by Neo-Nazi Americans are on the rise. Why? And do white supremacist groups feel like they now have an ally in the White House? Eric Lichtblau is aPulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of the book American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate. He joins Chris and Jarv to discuss his extensive research on Neo-Nazi America.
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Trump and the MAGA gang get racist!
Trump and his cronies are trying to target their opponents in the best way they know how – racism! Nikki and Jarv discuss the fallout around Abdul El-Sayed and how weird the right are being.
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America is lurching right. Is this man to blame?
America’s Supreme Court has been taken over by conservatives, and Samuel Alito is one of the most powerful of all. As a member of The Federalist Society, how did he rise to this position and how did this group seize such a vice grip of America’s legal system? Peter Canellos, author of Revenge for the Sixties Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement, joins Jarv to discuss.
Everybody hates Trump!
Trump is running out of mates everywhere as he goes on tariff tirades and has his offers of help in the midterms rejected. Nikki joins Jarv and Chris to discuss how his power is fading.
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Inside Trump's Truth Social swindle
Trump is working out new and inventive ways to grift, charging traders huge amounts of cash to get his Truth Social posts milliseconds early. What’s the point? How is it legal? Where will the cash get made? David Uberti from the Wall Street Journal joins Jarv and Chris to discuss.
Read David Uberti’s work here: https://www.wsj.com/news/author/david-uberti
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Is Natalie Harp the most powerful woman in America?
Trump’s aide Natalie Harp has been thrust into the spotlight and he’s really mad even though absolutely nothing weird is going on… Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpack the latest predictable Trump scandal and try to work out what is going on.
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Musk, Kushner and China – How oligarchs are selling out America
The US feels increasingly controlled by oligarchs. But who controls them? Casey Michel joins Chris and Jarv to discuss his new book United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy,
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Inside Trump’s plot to jail Fauci
Dr Anthony Fauci has come under intense fire from the GOP over his role during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chris and Nikki discuss the evidence Rand Paul and Ron Johnson have (and don’t have) in their crusade to jail Fauci, and whether this is all just part of Donald Trump’s revenge tour.
One Woman’s Message From the Hell of ICE Detention: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/maryam-tahmasebi-i
Who is Larry Ellison? – How Trump’s buddy is destroying the media
Larry Ellison is one of the most prominent tech billionaires of the moment. Jeff Jarvis, author of the BuzzMachine blog, joins Jarv to discuss how he built his business in the first place and why his influence on the media is so concerning.
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Trump and the GOP – The battle of the embarrassments!
Donald Trump is embarrassing everyone and Republicans are trying to make themselves look even more stupid than him! Jarv and Nikki discuss the latest scandals and fallouts making everyone look ridiculous.
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Will Trump’s communism rampage work?
Donald Trump won’t stop calling his enemies communists – but is it too old a reference for anyone to care? Jarv and Chris are joined by Maurice Isserman, author of Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism, to discuss the history of communism in America and why it might struggle to work as an attack line for MAGA to use on the left.
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Trump vs. RFK Jr. – Less vaccines, more food poisoning!
Donald Trump is angry at RFK Jr. for not being enough of a conspiracy theorist. Yeah, you read that right. What’s going on? Plus, why was the president so weird at Lindsey Graham’s funeral? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.
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Trump’s election lie machine explained – with Media Matters president Angelo Carusone
Trump’s still spreading lie after lie about elections and he’s got an army of media lackeys helping him. Media Matters president Angelo Carusone joins Chris and Jarv to talk them through how these falsehoods are being amplified and who’s responsible.
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Trump and Sweaty Pete need more war money!
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are desperate for more money for the Iran war. The defence secretary has been sweating away as he’s grilled in Congress – does anything they stay stand up to scrutiny? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.
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Celebrities vs. Trump – with special guest Molly Jong-Fast
The host of Fast Politics Molly Jong-Fast joins Jarv for a discussion on why celebrities need to speak out more politically. Plus, they discuss some of the broader issues for America, and what matters to voters in the US right now.
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ICE killings: A new normal in Trump’s America
ICE has carried out yet more public killings in America. Donald Trump, true to form, has stood by his not so secret police force. When will enough be enough and is the Democratic Party doing enough to bring about change? Nikki joins Chris to get into that and more!
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How the GOP and the Dems got so weird
The Republicans and the Democrats are both in a weird place right now. How did they get to where they are? What were they like when they first started? And did they really “switch”? Paul Heideman, the author of Rogue Elephant: How Republicans Went from the Party of Business to the Party of Chaos, joins Jarv to discuss.
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Donald Trump vs. Everyone
Trump’s been at NATO losing his head and lashing out at Iran in a spectacle which was mostly shocking because of how unsurprising it was. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss another bumpy week.
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America 250: What would the Founding Fathers make of Trump?
Donald Trump’s America has often been accused of laying siege to American freedoms and institutions - because, well it has. But more broadly, is America today a reflection of the nation the founding fathers sought to create? Prof Robert Parkinson has studied the Declaration of Independence for 25 years and has authored a new book: Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence.
Trump: America’s Liberty Bellend
Happy Birthday America! The US turns 250 this weekend and it’s been quite the ride. But has Donald Trump 2.0 turned that ride into a nightmare? Chris and Nikki discuss the American freedoms and institutions this administration has diminished over the past 2 years and loads more!
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American Nightmare – How chaos and division took over Trump's United States
America has been a tumultuous place in recent years. Justin Glawe has been at the frontline of much of that chaos, covering carnage and unrest across the United States. He joins Chris to discuss what he’s learned from reporting on turmoil across America, as outlined in his book If I Am Coming to Your Town, Something Terrible Has Happened: The Life and Times of a Domestic War Correspondent,
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Trump vs. The Senate – This time it’s personal
Trump is at odds with the Senate and tearing apart members of his own party. How will this temper tantrum play out? Nikki and Jarv discuss.
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How Dana White became Trump’s best friend
The UFC spectacle at the White House showed a new level of trashy corruption from Trump. Why did he do it and why does he love the man behind the UFC, Dana White, so much? Jack Crosbie, senior writer at Rolling Stone, joins Chris and Jarv to discuss.
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Donald Trump and the deal that never was!
Trump has signed a deal agreeing to get a deal to end the war in Iran. He’s claiming a major victory, but it’s clearly a capitulation. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.
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Is Russell Vought the most powerful man in America?
Donald Trump says he alone can fix Washington — but is one unelected official actually running the show? Chris and Jarv are joined by journalist Andy Kroll to discuss the rise of Russell Vought, the budget chief using the Office of Management and Budget to quietly expand Trump’s power from inside the White House.
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Trump’s alternate reality – No, more wars! And no more boos!
Donald Trump insists he never said he would end any wars and denies being booed at a recent Knicks game — despite footage suggesting otherwise. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss whether the president is becoming increasingly detached from reality, or simply doubling down on his own version of events.
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What Trump’s Truth Social posts tell us about him
Donald Trump has posted thousands of times on his social media platform Truth Social in just a few months, usually cranking out double figures of posts a day. Danielle Kurtzleben from NPR has analysed a massive stack of these to see what Trump’s obsessions are.
Read Danielle’s piece on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2026/05/08/nx-s1-5749358/trump-truth-social-online-posts-iran-white-house-ballroom
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Trump: I’m mad as hell and I don’t care anymore!
Donald Trump keeps insisting he “doesn’t care” — about Iran, Americans’ finances, or even the midterms. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss whether the president is growing tired of the job he fought so hard to win, and why Trump is suddenly talking up potential successors…
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Fixing America – Why the world shouldn't give up on the United States
America is in a crisis, but that doesn’t mean it’s beyond saving. Reverend Professor Keith Magee, chair of The Guardian Foundation, joins Jarv to discuss how empathy could help to reset the United States.
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Trump’s dodgy health – Will we ever know the truth?
Trump says he’s perfectly healthy — but does anyone believe him? And will we ever know the truth? Chris and Jarv are joined by podcast favourite Casey Burgat to unpack Trump’s latest medical report, the details it left out, and the growing obsession in Washington over the President’s health.
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Trumpy no mates – The destruction of America’s reputation
Donald Trump has diminished America on the world stage and the nation seems to have fewer and fewer allies. Adam Serwer of the Atlantic joins Chris and Jarv to discuss why the US needs friends even if Trump doesn’t think so.
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Trump’s slush fund – The wildest cash grab of all time!
Donald Trump’s IRS settlement permanently blocks audits into his past tax returns and creates a controversial $1.7bn “Anti-Weaponization Fund”. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss why critics are calling it a “slush fund” and who could end up cashing in.
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What's the deal with Kash Patel?!
Kash Patel has been a controversial figure for a long time and now he’s a controversial FBI director – great! Eric Garcia, Washington bureau chief at The Independent, joins Jarv to discuss how he got there.
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Is Trump in love with Xi Jinping?!
Trump is in China and can’t seem to tell they’re getting one over him. Is it because he’s naive or because he actually wishes his government worked a bit more like the CCP? Nikki and Jarv discuss.
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Trump vs. God! – Who's going to win that argument?!
For a President who CLAIMS he’s religious, there's a whooooole lot of blasphemy going on under Trump’s second term. Not only has he compared himself to Jesus, but he’s also been picking fights with the Pope. Is that losing him support, or are his supporters still following him blindly? Chris and Jarv speak with returning guest Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, writer for The Atla
Is Trump finally facing oblivion?
Trump is hurtling towards catastrophe as his presidency goes from worse to worse. With the midterms less than six months away, what are the key issues to look out for? Our podcast best pal Casey Burgat joins Jarv and Chris to discuss.
Check out Casey’s work: https://www.caseyburgat.com/
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Trump's secret scandal? – Insider trading explained with Kate Knibbs from Wired
Could insider trading be the next big scandal to seize America? We don’t know how widespread it is, but it seems, allegedly and reportedly, to be pretty bad. Kate Knibbs from Wired joins us to discuss.
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Trump: Never let an assassination attempt go to waste!
Donald Trump and MAGA are using the latest assassination attempt to push forward all sorts of demands and narratives. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss the fallout and whether it really means Trump has to get a new ballroom he wants.
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American Friction does Hot Take Time Machine – Crossover special from The Bunker!
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In a special crossover with The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis, Chris Jones and Nikki McCann Ramirez wade knee-deep into this month’s weirdest columns for Hot Take Time Machine.
On the menu: resurfaced Donald Trump conspiracies, the Wegovy essay that broke the internet, Adrian Chiles' thoughts on, er, dog poo… and much
‘Trump is the most stupid leader in history’ – with Revolutions host Mike Duncan
Mike Duncan, host of the Revolutions podcast and expert on the Roman empire, joins Nikki and Jarv to discuss the decline of the American empire and how Trump is bringing on its downfall.
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Is the pressure getting to Trump and his minions?!
Trump has had a baffling week, with cabinet chaos and another backtrack on Iran. Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpack the madness and do a latest deep dive on RFK Jr.’s wild behaviour…
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Inside the downfall of a president – From Biden to Trump
How will the history books look back on Joe Biden’s time as President? Will he be remembered for leading the US out of a global pandemic, or has that disastrous TV debate against Donald Trump destroyed much of his reputation? Prof. Julian E. Zelizer’s new book, The Presidency of Joseph R. Biden: A First Historical Assessment, delves into what lessons can be learned from the Biden era.
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Has Trump finally gone too far for everyone?!
Donald Trump can’t decide if he’s Jesus or a doctor - oh wait, he’s not Jesus, but Jesus is his friend, we think, it’s all a bit confusing. What on Earth is going on in the President's head, and has he now gone too far for even the strongest MAGA supporters? Nikk, Jarv and Chris try to work it all out!
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How Fox News became Trump’s state media channel
Fox News has never exactly been objective or accurate but it at least used to pretend. So why has it morphed into Trump TV? Juliet Jeske from Decoding Fox News joins Jarv and Chris to explain.
See more of Juliet’s work: https://decodingfoxnews.substack.com/
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Trump vs. Himself – Is anyone more confused than the president right now?
Trump’s flip flopping, fake victories and consistent lies have left us all baffled. But is he even more confused than the rest of us? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.
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Is Tucker Carlson the next president?
Tucker Carlson is still going, gaining traction in unexpected places with his controversial opinions while appealing to the left with his stance on Israel. What’s going on? What does he want? And who is he, really? Jason Zengerle, author of Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unravelling of the Conservative Mind, joins Jarv and Nikki to discuss.
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Will Donald Trump get impeached again?!
Yeah, we don’t know what to tell you – the news keeps on getting weirder. We discuss Trump’s war crime threats, the chance of him being impeached and what it means, and of course Nikki explains bimbofication in light of the Bryon Noem story… You know what you’re in for these days, gang. Casey Burgat joins us again this week and Nikki is away but she drops by for a section that she couldn’t resist…
How Trump and the Epstein Files broke conspiracy world
Trumpworld and the conspiracy cranks within it are splintering. What does it mean for MAGA? Conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild joins us to discuss.
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Trump vs. Pete Hegseth – Battle of the Warmongers!
Trump has been trying to pass the buck for his disastrous war but his poll ratings are still tanking no matter what he does. Jarv and Nikki discuss the latest fallout.
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Has Trump changed what 'America' means?
Trump loves talking about being American and saying other people or things aren’t. What does he even mean? And what should America mean, if we can be positive about it? Nikki and Jarv are joined by Beth and Sarah from Pantsuit Politics to discuss.
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Why it's all going wrong for Donald Trump!
Trump is trying to backtrack on Iran as he realises he’s created a level of chaos he can’t handle or control. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss this and more in our latest episode and also answer the question of who is their “evil crush”.
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From Ken Paxton to 'The AK Guy' – The wild state of Texas explained
Texas has been Republican for a long time. But with the emergence of a shiny new Democratic Party candidate in James Talarico and the GOP undecided on who should face him, could things be about to change? Christopher Hooks is a real-life Texan and journalist whose work has appeared in publications like Texas Monthly and The New York Times, and joins Chris and Nikki to talk Texan politics.
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Donald Trump and the dumbest war ever!
Trump is wrecking the world in the stupidest way possible. Nikki, Jarv and Chris unpack his posturing and his Iran flip-flopping. Plus they discuss UFC fighters training the FBI, the new Marjorie Taylor Greene and problematic musical ideas…
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A Democratic Tea Party? – James Talarico and the anti-establishment future
The Democratic Party has a new breed of candidates coming through who could be a new counter force in the party similar to the Republican’s Tea Party movement. Will they take over from the establishment figureheads? Eric Garcia, Washington bureau chief of The Independent, joins us to discuss.
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The end of MAGA as we know it?!
The MAGA alliance is splitting apart – could it be the end of Trump’s gang? Plus, Kristi Noem aka Dog Killer in Chief has been fired! What happens now? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.
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Trump’s warped war logic – If you start more, you can end more!
Trump loves ending wars so much that he just keeps starting more that he can then eventually end. Or something like that… The latest began with strikes on Iran – why is he doing this? And why now? Politico's senior foreign affairs correspondent Nahal Toosi joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss.
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QAnon’s Epstein conundrum, Looksmaxxing and Mogging explained!
The weird world of right-wing conspiracy theories and subcultures is stranger than ever. Jarv is joined by Annie Kelly, host of Truly, Tradly Deeply and the UK correspondent for the QAA podcast to get into it all.
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Trump's violent, weird and lie-filled State of the Union
Trump’s State of the Union was not normal. It was longer than ever, more weird and more hate-filled than any before it, and most reports aren’t nailing that. Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss.
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The Mafia and America – How made men made the United States
The Mafia’s place in American culture can be seen as a cultural phenomenon. But how did the real mob, who inspired The Sopranos and The Godfather, come to be? And what influence have they had in shaping the United States? Ryan Gingeras, author of The Mafia: A Global History, joins Chris and Jarv to discuss.
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Donald Trump destroys American elections forever
Trump is meddling where he can and pushing to make it harder for people to vote. Will Trump ever allow free votes in America under his watch? Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss in our latest episode.
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Why US athletes are turning on Trump – "We're in a pick a side moment"
Trump’s despicable shenanigans have seen more and more US athletes speak out against him. The Winter Olympics have thrown this into sharp focus, and Chris is joined by Jules Boykoff, author of What are the olympics for? and Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics to discuss this backlash and the history of protest at the games.
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