United States
The Inside Story of a Scandal at the White House
White House reporter Alex Thompson joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss his bestselling book, co-authored with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, on the cover-up that hid Joe Biden’s declining health.
The South Asian Split
New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani has won backing from several South Asian groups, but the community remains split. Some applaud his progressive agenda, others worry about rent freezes fostering dependence and many haven’t even heard of his campaign, revealing both his reach and its limits.
The LA Protests Didn’t Have To Be This Way
In two days, ICE arrested 44 people, raiding workplaces to deport workers who had not been convicted of any serious crime. Because Trump had sworn to deport only criminals — or because the labor community recognized the falsehoods in conservative media as cover for a racist government sweep — LA erupted.
What Trump’s War on Universities Means for International Students and Scholars
The Trump administration’s threats against international students represent the intersection of three lines of attack: a war on universities, a war on immigrants and a war on dissent.
The Israeli Embassy Murders as a Rorschach Test
Reactions from some quarters in the wake of the Israeli Embassy murders in Washington and the attack in Boulder, Colorado, reveal an appetite for dehumanization, and a public discourse where murder can be minimized and values are losing ground to clashing group identities.
Caught in Trump’s Immigration Dragnet
A doctoral student from Iran was detained, labeled a national security threat and eventually chose voluntary deportation after a harrowing ordeal. His fiancee has stayed behind to continue studying. Their story reveals how Trump’s immigration policies are upending academic lives.
The Left-Wing Activists Who Want to Change American Politics
The Democratic Socialists of America hope to parlay the latest “Trump bump” into a national movement, and maybe even launch a viable alternative party. But the organization faces serious challenges — both ideological and practical — that may hinder its ability to capitalize on the moment, and possibly threaten its very existence.