Next week a ferocious primary battle will come to an end when voters have their first say on who will be California’s next governor. Policy decisions made in America's largest state can ripple across the rest of the country, for good or ill. What does the battle in California mean—for the future of the state and for national politics?

Guests and hosts:

• Charlotte Howard, executive editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Aryn Braun, West Coast correspondent
• Steve Hilton, candidate for governor of California

Topics covered:

• Election issues in California
• The Democratic primary
• Republican views of the state

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Maine is different. It’s the only state in America that Kamala Harris won in 2024 which has a Republican senator. It should be one of the easiest seats for Democrats to flip in the midterms: will it be?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• Charlotte Howard, executive editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Dan Rosenheck, data editor
• Graham Platner, presumptive Democratic nominee for the Senate in Maine

Topics covered:

• The Senate race in Maine
• Graham Platner’s campaign
• Susan Collins’ Senate career

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Donald Trump will mark his 80th birthday with a gladiatorial spectacle next month. The president, a longtime fan of combat sports, is hosting an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight night on the south lawn of the White House. What does the president’s patronage of the sport reveal about America?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• Charlotte Howard, executive editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Natalie Adams, professor at the University of Alabama
• Dan Cassino, professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University

Topics covered:

• UFC
• The history of masculinity
• How men vote

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The stakes will be high when Donald Trump visits Xi Jinping next week, the first of four expected meetings in 2026. The coming six months could shape ties between America and China for many years. What can the summit achieve?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Jeremy Page, chief China correspondent and host of “Drum Tower”
• Sarah Beran, former senior US diplomat and partner at Macro Advisory Partners
• Simon Rabinovitch, Beijing bureau chief

Topics covered:

• AI security
• Taiwan
• US-China Trade

Thank you to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum for the archive audio used in this episode.

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts

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Farmers are among Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters. But they have been getting a raw deal from the man they helped re-elect in 2024. First came the trade war that eroded access to key export markets. Then came the Iran war, and rising fuel and fertiliser costs. Meanwhile, Congressional wranglings over food stamps are delaying the new Farm Bill. So what, if anything, would cause rural voters to abandon President Trump?

Guests and hosts:

• Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief and executive editor
• Rebecca Jackson, Southern correspondent
• Alice Fulwood, Wall Street correspondent; co-host Money Talks
• Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union

Topics covered:

• Farm Bill / SNAP
• Agricultural trade and tariffs
• Iran War & fuel / fertiliser costs
• Rural politics

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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It’s a little over six months to go until the midterm elections. The Economist’s model predicts that Republicans will probably lose the House, and maybe the Senate, breaking the president’s trifecta. When he lost the presidential election in 2020 Donald Trump wanted to overturn the result. Could he try to interfere again?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief and executive editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s Secretary of State
• Richard Hasen, professor at University of California, Los Angeles School of Law

Topics covered:

• Election interference
• Past elections that were stolen
• How states are responding

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Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

“America doesn’t have to constantly police every region of the world,” J.D. Vance said on the 2024 campaign trail. A war with Iran seemed to him a particularly bad idea. Donald Trump attacked Tehran anyway. How much influence does J.D. Vance, and his ideas, have over Donald Trump’s presidency?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor
• Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Oren Cass, founder of American Compass
• Joel K.Goldstein, scholar of the vice presidency

Topics covered:

• J.D. Vance’s ideology
• The history of the vice presidency

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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Donald Trump announced a two-week pause to the war with Iran on Tuesday evening. Days later, the agreement seems shaky at best. Where does this leave the president and the rest of America?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief and executive editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist

Topics covered:

• Iran war ceasefire
• Israel
• Donald Trump

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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