{"podcast":{"title":"The State of It: USA","slug":"the-state-of-it-usa-7668165","podcast_index_feed_id":7668165,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/the-state-of-it-usa","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/the-state-of-it-usa","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6970d4769448a95f22559f23/1781689200140-c9901e2c-83b1-4218-963a-0cc2fb1fd1c5.jpeg","author":"The Times","episode_count":31,"summary":"Katy Balls and Gerard Baker bring you the REAL truth about US politics and power. No fake news, no flag waving and no Trump Derangement Syndrome. Just honest, in-depth discussion of what’s really being said inside the White House. Join the conversation between two people who know everyone in the USA who matters. Beaming in from NYC, Gerard brings almost 30 years’ experience reporting on America while Katy is the new kid on the block, spending her days chasing news and her nights on the Washington cocktail circuit. This series launches on 28 January 2026. 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.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T04:17:01.572111+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165"},"episode":{"title":"Trump in Iran: war as performance art","slug":"trump-in-iran-war-as-performance-art","published_at":"2026-07-15T17:07:50+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/trump-in-iran-war-as-performance-art","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165","url":"https://shows.acast.com/the-state-of-it-usa/episodes/war-as-performance-theatre","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6970d4769448a95f22559f23/e/6a578b41e1c252eb786524fb/media.mp3","summary":"It's groundhog day in the White House, as Donald Trump reverts back to all out war with Iran, bombing essential targets and threatening escalation if Iran refuses to open the Strait of Hormuz. Is there any genuine optimism in Washington that the regime could fall—or is this 'hit em hard' attitude a cover for a foreign policy running out of options? If there is no appetite for real military action in US politics, are we left with an Iran War being used as a political statement rather than a coherent military strategy? Also in this episode: the Democratic Socialists of America. Centrist Democrats are making a stand against a group of socialists that include Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, promising 'capitalism not socialism', but are they being pulled leftwards on the economy? Troy Jackson, aka Johnny Cash of the Allagash, is a Democratic Socialist, and is currently favourite to replace the disgraced Graham Platner as the candidate for Maine.  Finally, Katy Balls and Gerard Baker look ahead to Trump's prime-time address on Thursday. White House aides are increasingly nervous; Trump is expected to use the broadcast to aggressively attack the integrity of US voting system. Is the President laying the ground to nullify the upcoming midterm elections in November? 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: Handout photo by US Department of Defense via Getty Images (US sea drones strike a submarine and a ship maintenance facility on July 13, 2026 in an undisclosed area of Iran) Audio: Fox News, AP, CBS, https://www.facebook.com/TroyJacksonmaine, Reuters 00:…","meta_description":"It's groundhog day in the White House, as Donald Trump reverts back to all out war with Iran, bombing essential targets and threatening escalation if Iran…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1825,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/episodes/trump-in-iran-war-as-performance-art/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/trump-in-iran-war-as-performance-art.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}