{"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":"Why America's leaders keep getting worse","slug":"why-america-s-leaders-keep-getting-worse","published_at":"2026-06-03T17:16:53+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/why-america-s-leaders-keep-getting-worse","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165","url":"https://shows.acast.com/the-state-of-it-usa/episodes/why-americas-leaders-keep-getting-worse","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6970d4769448a95f22559f23/e/6a2027fd3ab59ca4e2a63778/media.mp3","summary":"California is \"a beautiful state, and they keep electing these terrible people to run it\". Any chance of a change now? We discuss how polarisation drives the decline of character in political leadership. Donald Trump has suffered some political setbacks. His anti-weaponisation fund has been scrapped and his preferred candidate lost out in Iowa. Blips or signs of something more serious for the White House? And...\"I don't know how more dishonest you can possibly be\" — Gerry's excoriating review of Jill Biden's memoir. 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 Image: @spencerpratt on X Clips: Reuters, Gettym CNN, @spencerpratt on X, @grahamformaine on X 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.","meta_description":"California is \"a beautiful state, and they keep electing these terrible people to run it\". Any chance of a change now? We discuss how polarisation drives…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1942,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/episodes/why-america-s-leaders-keep-getting-worse/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/why-america-s-leaders-keep-getting-worse.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}