Things don’t look as rosy as they might in MAGAland. Texas Republican Ken Paxton was caught on tape blaming Trump’s Iran war for his own tough race. To be fair, Paxton may find he can sink this one on his own. But the picture is the same in many of the deep Red states where Trump is hindering not helping. Last night things came to a new peak with his suggestion that Iran should maybe bomb Californ

The Republicans cannot get over Jack Smith. The former special counsel who led two criminal cases against Donald Trump faced a barrage of attacks from GOP senators on the Judiciary Committee: "You make me want to throw up in my mouth"; "The most egregious abuse of power in the history of the Department of Justice"; "You are a total dirtbag." But when they thought they had a smoking gun, the interr

Has the GOP woken up to the drag anchor that Donald Trump is on their electoral fortunes? There are signs that MAGA is not the magnet it once was. A steady stream of Republicans have come out in recent days to criticise the President and his administration - on Iran, on beef prices, on Trump Jr's wedding, on ICE. The list goes on. It seemed for so long like diehard loyalty to Trump was an essentia

With the midterms approaching, President Trump has once again raised the stakes, with FBI Director Kash Patel saying he is open to sending federal agents into polling stations. The comments have sparked alarm among Democrats, who fear the Trump administration could take increasingly aggressive steps to assert control over the coming elections. Just a week ago, Trump was offering every American adu

In a characteristic break with US political tradition, President Trump is holding a two-day event in Dallas, Texas ahead of the upcoming midterms. The problem? No one seems to want to go. Dallas is a deeply red state. It's packed with reporters, activists and campaigners. So why aren't republicans turning up? And what does that tell us about what to expect from the midterms? The News Agents USA is

It's quite a claim, but Bernie Sanders has suggested that some Democrats would rather lose the Senate than support Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Angie Nixon in Florida. These firebrand progressive candidates, Sanders claims, are too much of a threat to oligarchy and the US relationship with Israel for a minority of establishment Democrats to get behind. Is he right? And if so, what does it say ab

As the USA and Canada head towards a prolonged economic confrontation, we look at Trump’s escalating tariffs on Canada, Mark Carney’s decision to hit back, and what a trade war between two of the world’s most integrated economies could mean for American consumers, businesses and their wider alliance. Then there’s China. Trump is trying to squeeze Beijing while keeping the broader US-China relation

The crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln have been at sea for over nine months without docking for a port call. Sailors are reporting grimy conditions, rotting food, and deteriorating mental health. Some have even allegedly taken to trying to throw themselves overboard. President Trump is dismissing the concerns - saying the deployment is "not nearly long enough". Families are urging him to take some a

It was a mixed night for progressive Democrats in primaries yesterday. They chalked up some wins, but the Wisconsin gubernatorial hopeful Francesca Hong was probably the highest profile left wing candidate up in a contest - she'd been leading in the polls but ended up falling short to the more moderate Jason Crowley. Notably, neither AOC nor Bernie Sanders took up the invitations to endorse her ca

The Michigan Senate race primary between two Democrat candidates was so tight that by midday it still hadn’t been officially called. But it looks like the progressive, Muslim candidate of the Left has edged it over his AIPAC backed opponent. Abdul El-Sayed is a charismatic orator already being compared in tone to Obama. But is the Democrat party already splitting before a critical midterm election

There are good signs that Ukraine seems to now be winning the war against Russia - and for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there are even better signs that Ukraine is winning the battle the battle for hearts and minds with MAGA. Now long ago Laura Loomer, the hard-right MAGA cheerleader with the ear of Donald Trump, was accusing Ukraine of starting the conflict, regurgitating Russian propaganda, and generall

Pete Hegseth took an absolute pummelling in the Senate as he tried to make the continued case for Trump's war in Iran. It wasn't just the Democrats getting exasperated - Louisiana Senator John Kennedy said the situation was as serious as "four strokes and a heart attack" - and lambasted the lack of "straight answers" coming from the Secretary of War. Trump insisted yesterday that Iran's threats ov

ICE agents have been instructed to immediately suspend vehicle stops during enforcement operations nationwide. It follows two fatal shootings in Texas and Maine over the last week. Are things getting out of control again? Or are ICE about to double down? And how are Americans reacting? Former Chief of Staff at Homeland Security, Miles Taylor joins us. Later, we look back the strange legacy of Sena

There were so many signs that Graham Platner was a flawed candidate. A history of offensive social media posts, A tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. A sexting scandal. And last month, a series of ex-partners accusing Platner of erratic and angry behaviour. But it wasn't until this week, when a woman told CNN that she had been sexually assaulted by Platner, that his position became untenable as the D

President Donald Trump made more than $1bn last year from business dealings in cryptocurrency. This week's disclosure shows his crypto earnings now far overshadow income from his real estate business. On this week's episode we ask why nobody seems to have too much of a problem with it? Later, we discuss this week's Supreme Court judgments, where Trump's plan to over-turn the right to birthright ci

There was something of a political earthquake in New York overnight. Three left wing Democratic candidates, endorsed by Mamdani, sweeping out established Congressional characters and hailing in a new era of progressive politics in the Big Apple. Mamdani's political stardust shows little sign of waning - is he now the most powerful figure in his party? And what does that mean for the future of the

"Congratulations to all!" Read the President's tweet on truth social. Nominally, this was about the end of the (self-imposed) Iran war. But it’s also possible Trump was congratulating himself on his 80th birthday, which somehow managed to hijack the 250th Independence Day anniversary. So why was there a cage fight on the White House lawn? What does Joe Rogan really make of Trump now? And why - if

How should Democrats be feeling today about their Senate candidate for Maine? Graham Platner has a Nazi tattoo, a dodgy past and quite a lot of baggage. But his fans call him an authentic voice that’s ready to shake up the election in a seat they just can’t seem to win. We ask journalist and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan what’s going on in the Democratic Party more widely - and as turmoil strikes the he

Trump wanted taxpayer money set aside for a 'slush fund' critics feared would be used to payout millions for his January 6th allies. But in a rare act of defiance, Republicans have killed off the plan before it could become reality. Why did Trump’s own party draw the line here? Was it a principled stand, a political calculation, or a sign that some Republicans are growing nervous about defending e

Ken Paxton - Texas Attorney General - and a politician with a string of sleaze investigations behind him - has just been anointed by Trump as the Texas Senate candidate. Has Trump made a terrible mistake here? Why are the Democrats licking their lips? And is a blue seat in a deep red state starting to seem possible? Later, Philadelphia congressman Brendan Boyle on Trump’s slush fund, the mid term