Avsnitt
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Over the past two decades, Taylor Swift has changed the music industry, and how we think about girlhood. From songs like Fifteen about first love and heartbreak to introspective tracks like Mirrorball from Folklore, Swift has chronicled the emotional lives of young women in a way few artists have. Her music says that the experiences of girlhood deserve to be immortalized. But as fans celebrate her upcoming marriage and the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Carter Sherman and the Guardian's deputy music editor, Laura Snapes, ask: is she leaving that stage of her life behind, and if so, what's in store for her next era?
20 ways Taylor Swift remade pop culture in her image (2026)Taylor Swift: ‘I was literally about to break’ (2019)Correction note added 26 June 2026: This video incorrectly says Taylor Swift's jet has burned hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel since March. The figure is actually reported to be tens of thousands of gallons.
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As the US prepares to celebrate 250 years since its founding, Kai Wright sits down with Eddie Glaude Jr, a Princeton University professor, to talk about the conflicts at the heart of the American project. Glaude argues that Black Americans have played a vital role in establishing the country, but their presence is a constant reminder that the American fantasy – the story of a white republic – doesn’t exist. He and Kai discuss how the Trump administration has normalized white supremacist rhetoric and the myriad ways the president is trying to whitewash history. Glaude’s book America, USA: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries, is out now.
• 'We’re witnessing the end of the America that made our lives possible’: author Eddie Glaude on US’s 250th birthday
Trump is desecrating the Lincoln memorial - a civic sacred groundHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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With negotiations to end the war in Iran now underway, experts widely agree that the Iranian government has the upper hand. But if the regime emerges from the war stronger than before, what does it mean for the people of Iran? Carter Sherman speaks with Shirin Jaafari, a journalist for the World who focuses on the Middle East, about her reporting on Iranians living through war, a devastated economy and a government that executes people who dare to protest. Carter and Kai Wright also speak about the lasting effect of this war in the US – and what Americans have already lost.
Oliver Holmes on the global cost of US-Israel war against IranJason Burke’s analysis of the peace agreement between the US and IranHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Parents of children with autism are turning to a controversial stem cell treatment backed by the US Health Secretary. A growing number of clinics in the US are charging parents tens of thousands of dollars for stem cell therapy, which is being given to children as young as 18 months old. The Guardian’s chief reporter Ed Pilkington tells Kai Wright about his months-long investigation into the providers of these treatments, and their connections to the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. He also spoke with figures in the science community who fear the FDA may be loosening its rigorous restrictions on stem cell treatment for autism
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A far-right, white supremacist ideology known as “remigration” aims to make life so punishing for immigrants that they leave the US. It’s also the policy of the Trump administration. There’s an "office of remigration" in the state department and the Department of Homeland Security has posted on X in support of it, saying: “The stakes have never been higher and the goal has never been more clear: Remigration now.” Carter Sherman speaks with journalist and author Paola Ramos about the immigrants who have made the difficult decision to leave the US, and how their departure could spell the death of the American Dream.
Paola Ramos’s Rolling Stone article, The Great Reverse MigrationHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire thanks to his company SpaceX, which now has the biggest IPO of all time. Public trading in the company has put it's valuation at over $2tn. The eye-watering sums of money pouring into AI are also boosting other tech titans, including OpenAI and Anthropic. Both companies are expected to go public this year with nearly trillion-dollar valuations. The Guardian’s US tech editor Blake Montgomery tells Kai Wright that with these IPOs, all our financial futures are forever tied to AI’s success, and more worryingly, its possible failure
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When the US, Mexico and Canada submitted their winning World Cup bid, they predicted that Donald Trump would not be president in 2026. That prediction didn't exactly pan out – and now, as the tournament begins, Guardian soccer correspondent Jeff Rueter explains how Trump's America is rewriting the rules of the World Cup. Jeff also previews fun teams to watch, while Kai and Carter reveal who they’re rooting for. (Hint: it's not the US.)
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In 2022, Amazon workers at a fulfillment center in Staten Island made history by voting to form a union. Their leader was fired Amazon worker Chris Smalls, who became something of a celebrity within the labor movement. Smalls left the union amid internal tensions, and has gone on to become a freelance activist since. He speaks with Kai Wright about being arrested while protesting the Jeff Bezos-funded Met Gala, and why courting attention is an effective form of activism. Smalls’ new book When the Revolution Comes is out now.
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After winning Game 1 of the NBA finals, the New York Knicks are one step closer to winning a championship that has eluded them for 53 years. New Yorkers are feeling elated, but the Knicks are going to have to get through 7ft4in Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, who just might be the next face of the league. Kai Wright speaks with the Guardian’s Andrew Lawrence about who exactly these teams are, and why despite all the money flowing through the sport, this is a series for the people.
Read Andrew Lawrence on Knicks billionaire donor James Dolan.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week the bipartisan furor over Donald Trump’s $1.8bn slush fund escalated to the point that the administration balked, saying they are no longer moving forward with it. But Robert Reich, a Guardian columnist and former US secretary of labor, says the fund, and specifically, the additional detail of the settlement giving Trump and his family immunity from future IRS audits, are the essence of corruption – and if Democrats can successfully connect that corruption to the affordability crisis, they might just have a winning message on their hands.
Robert Reich: 'The language of the American presidency doesn’t apply to Trump'Read Reich’s newsletter on how Democrats could tie the affordability crisis to Trump administration corruptionHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Last summer, Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens started getting messages from people in his state about plans for a major datacenter in their community. When Berens dug in, he was shocked to discover the impact the datacenter would have on local residents. So he responded with comedy. The video he posted online about the datacenter went viral, and Berens has been on the frontlines of the fight against datacenters ever since. Carter Sherman speaks to Berens about how he is using his comedy as a tool for activism
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When the US indicted Raúl Castro recently, it was another step in the escalating pressure campaign the Trump administration is conducting against Cuba’s communist government. As Cuba’s president warns of a “bloodbath” if the US engages in military action, how are Cubans coping and what outcome are they hoping for? Host Kai Wright speaks with Mónica Baró Sánchez, a Cuban reporter in exile in Miami, and the Guardian’s Cuba correspondent Ruaridh Nicoll in Havana, about what they’re hearing from Cuban citizens stuck between two governments.
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Across California, ballots sit unopened as voters struggle to decide who to back as their chosen candidate for governor. US senior political correspondent Lauren Gambino tells Kai Wright that the race has been a head-scratcher for Democrats. Despite a huge field of candidates, the race has been mired in scandal and few have managed to cut through. What does this say about the future of the Democratic party, and does this leave an opening for Republicans in the Golden state?
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Soon after Twitch streamer Hasan Piker started campaigning with Democratic candidates this spring, an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal was published with the headline “Democrats are too cozy with Hasan Piker". That triggered a fever pitch of more op-eds and interviews asking Piker to respond to past statements he’s made on Israel's war in Gaza, 9/11, and more. But the controversy surrounding him hasn’t slowed his momentum or influence – if anything, it’s amplified both. Host Kai Wright talks to Piker and asks, what exactly is this very online, very popular figure trying to achieve in the real world?
Check out the Guardian's December 2025 profile of Hasan Piker hereHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The US supreme court has preserved nationwide access to mail-order abortion pills – for now. As Carter Sherman explains, the fight to protect this medication is far from over, as a nationwide, near-total abortion ban could be on the horizon. Carter speaks with Dr Angel Foster, co-founder of the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project, who reveals how the legal battle over abortion pills has affected patients across the US – and what could happen next
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All month, people all over the world have been nervously watching as the Hantavirus spread aboard a cruise ship called the MV Hondius. Three people from the ship died and as the virus spread to other passengers, people wondered – is this the next pandemic? It isn't. But as Guardian health correspondent Melody Schreiber tells host Kai Wright, the outbreak revealed how Trump's cuts to government funding for public health and a climate of rampant misinformation have affected our readiness for the next pandemic.
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In June 2025, Christian Cerna went to a protest in his neighborhood against ICE raids and allegedly punched a border patrol agent. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, but denies that he ever hit the officer. Days after the protest, Christian was violently arrested in front of his family by ICE officers, who filmed the whole operation and later posted it to social media. Christian tells Carter Sherman how the experience took a "heavy toll" on him and Sam Levin reveals the reporting behind the story.
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The US supreme court demolished the 1965 Voting Rights Act when they ruled in Louisiana v Callais last month that states can’t consider race in redistricting. Southern states from Tennessee to Alabama have rushed to erase majority Black districts, sparking chaos for the midterm elections. Kai Wright talks with Stacey Abrams, voting rights activist and former Georgia house minority leader, about the fallout from the decision, and why, even now, she thinks the way forward is still through engaging more voters to participate in democracy: “They have fractured communities and said we’re going to scatter these seeds. Our job is to grow.”
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The news is stressful. Talking about it doesn’t have to be. Join The Guardian’s Kai Wright and Carter Sherman for conversations with the best journalists and biggest thinkers. First episode on 13 May and then episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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