American Friction
Podmasters
230 episodes
Does what’s going on in American politics scare and bemuse you? Want to know what Trump is up to, without pulling your hair out? Then you need American Friction, the UK podcast about US politics – from the makers of Oh God, What Now? and The Bunker. Every Friday and Monday, we unpack the big issues, speak to leading experts and talk with blockbuster commentators from the United States to explain the latest news and the big issues with hosts Jacob Jarvis (ex-Newsweek), Chris Jones (Podmasters) and Nikki McCann Ramirez (Politics Reporter at Rolling Stone). Support us on Patreon, to get ad free and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/AmericanFriction
Episodes page 1 of 5
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What’s angering American voters most? - With Molly Jong-Fast
American voters are mad, there’s no denying the anger being directed towards this Trump administration. But’s angering them the most? Molly Jong-Fast has her finger on the pulse ahead of the midterms and joins Chris…
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Trump - America’s most unwanted
Donald Trump’s getting more unpopular by the day. How is that impacting the GOP’s chances in the midterms? Plus, Nikki and Chris discuss Vivek Ramaswamy’s shocking attack ad against his opponent for the governorship in…
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Why Trump wants to suppress voters abroad
Millions of US citizens abroad could vote in the midterm elections, yet turnout among this group is consistently low. Why, and why is Donald Trump trying to make it harder for them in the first place? Elizabeth Kelly…
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Talarico, Paxton and Trump – Why the GOP can’t afford to lose Texas
James Talarico is in strong form in Texas and it’s all to play for in his Senate race versus Ken Paxton. Just how disastrous would defeat across the Lone Star state be for the GOP? Chris and Jarv ask Jim Henson,…
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Trump world’s latest bonkers conspiracy theory
The MAGA brainrot community has a new conspiracy theory… Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpick why when times get desperate, this is all the Trump faithful really have. Back us on Patreon!…
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Christa Pike, Trump and America's death penalty crisis
Content warning: This episode contains discussions related to executions some might find upsetting. Also, this was recorded before Pete Hegseth said Nidal Hasan’s execution will be live streamed. The death penalty is…
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Donald Trump latest: The explosive toddler strikes again!
Donald Trump is talking about US cities being blown up as if it’s not that big a deal. Well, why not? According to him he can do anything he wants… Nikki, Chris and Jarv breakdown the latest breakdown from the…
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Trump thinks all news should be propaganda
Trump has cranked his media attacks up to eleven as he accuses journalists of committing treason for saying mean things about him. How worrying is this? And does he even know what he’s saying? Matt Gertz, senior fellow…
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Trump and the GOP are getting desperate
Trump and his cronies know they’re facing trouble in the midterms. Their plan? Replay the 2018 tactics and hope for the best… Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss. Back us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/AmericanFriction…
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Trump doesn’t understand A.I. or anything else
Donald Trump does not know what’s going on with artificial intelligence but he does know it might make him money. Jeff Jarvis, author of Hot Type and mega media expert, joins Jarv to discuss the White House’s wild…
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Donald Trump hates free speech!
Trump used to bang on about free speech but clearly he doesn’t give a sh*t about it. Just how draconian has the president become? Jarv and Nikki discuss. Back us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/AmericanFriction…
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Trump vs. Carney – Lessons from Canada's MAGA battle
Canada’s Mark Carney is sticking it to Trump, what can we learn from him? Chris and Jarv ask Drew Fagan, professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Back us on Patreon!…
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Trump gets told no and throws a massive tantrum!
Trump has been told no he can’t attack mail-in voting how he wants and he is predictably angry. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss. Back us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/AmericanFriction Follow us on social media:…
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Trump’s enablers – Who else is to blame for this mess?!
Trump’s power didn’t come automatically, a lot of people had to roll over to let him have the control of America he has. Jacob Weisberg joins Jarv and Chris to discuss the pushovers who enabled the president, as…
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Trump vs. Geography
Donald Trump’s threatening everyone’s sovereignty by changing every map ever. Dr Casey Burgat joins Chris to discuss Trump’s strategy here (spoiler, there isn’t one) and loads more. Plus, Nikki joins Chris from the…
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Trump and the neo-Nazis – How the president revived a crisis
Hate crimes carried out by Neo-Nazi Americans are on the rise. Why? And do white supremacist groups feel like they now have an ally in the White House? Eric Lichtblau is aPulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of…
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Trump and the MAGA gang get racist!
Trump and his cronies are trying to target their opponents in the best way they know how – racism! Nikki and Jarv discuss the fallout around Abdul El-Sayed and how weird the right are being. Back us on Patreon!…
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America is lurching right. Is this man to blame?
America’s Supreme Court has been taken over by conservatives, and Samuel Alito is one of the most powerful of all. As a member of The Federalist Society, how did he rise to this position and how did this group seize…
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Everybody hates Trump!
Trump is running out of mates everywhere as he goes on tariff tirades and has his offers of help in the midterms rejected. Nikki joins Jarv and Chris to discuss how his power is fading. Back us on Patreon!…
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Inside Trump's Truth Social swindle
Trump is working out new and inventive ways to grift, charging traders huge amounts of cash to get his Truth Social posts milliseconds early. What’s the point? How is it legal? Where will the cash get made? David…
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Is Natalie Harp the most powerful woman in America?
Trump’s aide Natalie Harp has been thrust into the spotlight and he’s really mad even though absolutely nothing weird is going on… Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpack the latest predictable Trump scandal and try to work out…
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Musk, Kushner and China – How oligarchs are selling out America
The US feels increasingly controlled by oligarchs. But who controls them? Casey Michel joins Chris and Jarv to discuss his new book United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the…
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Inside Trump’s plot to jail Fauci
Dr Anthony Fauci has come under intense fire from the GOP over his role during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chris and Nikki discuss the evidence Rand Paul and Ron Johnson have (and don’t have) in their crusade to jail Fauci,…
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Who is Larry Ellison? – How Trump’s buddy is destroying the media
Larry Ellison is one of the most prominent tech billionaires of the moment. Jeff Jarvis, author of the BuzzMachine blog, joins Jarv to discuss how he built his business in the first place and why his influence on the…
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Trump and the GOP – The battle of the embarrassments!
Donald Trump is embarrassing everyone and Republicans are trying to make themselves look even more stupid than him! Jarv and Nikki discuss the latest scandals and fallouts making everyone look ridiculous. • Find out…
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Will Trump’s communism rampage work?
Donald Trump won’t stop calling his enemies communists – but is it too old a reference for anyone to care? Jarv and Chris are joined by Maurice Isserman, author of Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism, to discuss…
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Trump vs. RFK Jr. – Less vaccines, more food poisoning!
Donald Trump is angry at RFK Jr. for not being enough of a conspiracy theorist. Yeah, you read that right. What’s going on? Plus, why was the president so weird at Lindsey Graham’s funeral? Nikki, Chris and Jarv…
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Trump’s election lie machine explained – with Media Matters president Angelo Carusone
Trump’s still spreading lie after lie about elections and he’s got an army of media lackeys helping him. Media Matters president Angelo Carusone joins Chris and Jarv to talk them through how these falsehoods are being…
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Trump and Sweaty Pete need more war money!
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are desperate for more money for the Iran war. The defence secretary has been sweating away as he’s grilled in Congress – does anything they stay stand up to scrutiny? Nikki, Chris and…
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Celebrities vs. Trump – with special guest Molly Jong-Fast
The host of Fast Politics Molly Jong-Fast joins Jarv for a discussion on why celebrities need to speak out more politically. Plus, they discuss some of the broader issues for America, and what matters to voters in the…
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ICE killings: A new normal in Trump’s America
ICE has carried out yet more public killings in America. Donald Trump, true to form, has stood by his not so secret police force. When will enough be enough and is the Democratic Party doing enough to bring about…
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How the GOP and the Dems got so weird
The Republicans and the Democrats are both in a weird place right now. How did they get to where they are? What were they like when they first started? And did they really “switch”? Paul Heideman, the author of Rogue…
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Donald Trump vs. Everyone
Trump’s been at NATO losing his head and lashing out at Iran in a spectacle which was mostly shocking because of how unsurprising it was. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss another bumpy week. Back us on Patreon – we need…
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America 250: What would the Founding Fathers make of Trump?
Donald Trump’s America has often been accused of laying siege to American freedoms and institutions - because, well it has. But more broadly, is America today a reflection of the nation the founding fathers sought to…
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Trump: America’s Liberty Bellend
Happy Birthday America! The US turns 250 this weekend and it’s been quite the ride. But has Donald Trump 2.0 turned that ride into a nightmare? Chris and Nikki discuss the American freedoms and institutions this…
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American Nightmare – How chaos and division took over Trump's United States
America has been a tumultuous place in recent years. Justin Glawe has been at the frontline of much of that chaos, covering carnage and unrest across the United States. He joins Chris to discuss what he’s learned from…
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Trump vs. The Senate – This time it’s personal
Trump is at odds with the Senate and tearing apart members of his own party. How will this temper tantrum play out? Nikki and Jarv discuss. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes,…
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How Dana White became Trump’s best friend
The UFC spectacle at the White House showed a new level of trashy corruption from Trump. Why did he do it and why does he love the man behind the UFC, Dana White, so much? Jack Crosbie, senior writer at Rolling Stone,…
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Donald Trump and the deal that never was!
Trump has signed a deal agreeing to get a deal to end the war in Iran. He’s claiming a major victory, but it’s clearly a capitulation. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep…
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Is Russell Vought the most powerful man in America?
Donald Trump says he alone can fix Washington — but is one unelected official actually running the show? Chris and Jarv are joined by journalist Andy Kroll to discuss the rise of Russell Vought, the budget chief using…
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Trump’s alternate reality – No, more wars! And no more boos!
Donald Trump insists he never said he would end any wars and denies being booed at a recent Knicks game — despite footage suggesting otherwise. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss whether the president is becoming…
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What Trump’s Truth Social posts tell us about him
Donald Trump has posted thousands of times on his social media platform Truth Social in just a few months, usually cranking out double figures of posts a day. Danielle Kurtzleben from NPR has analysed a massive stack…
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Trump: I’m mad as hell and I don’t care anymore!
Donald Trump keeps insisting he “doesn’t care” — about Iran, Americans’ finances, or even the midterms. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss whether the president is growing tired of the job he fought so hard to win, and why…
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Fixing America – Why the world shouldn't give up on the United States
America is in a crisis, but that doesn’t mean it’s beyond saving. Reverend Professor Keith Magee, chair of The Guardian Foundation, joins Jarv to discuss how empathy could help to reset the United States. Back us on…
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Trump’s dodgy health – Will we ever know the truth?
Trump says he’s perfectly healthy — but does anyone believe him? And will we ever know the truth? Chris and Jarv are joined by podcast favourite Casey Burgat to unpack Trump’s latest medical report, the details it left…
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Trumpy no mates – The destruction of America’s reputation
Donald Trump has diminished America on the world stage and the nation seems to have fewer and fewer allies. Adam Serwer of the Atlantic joins Chris and Jarv to discuss why the US needs friends even if Trump doesn’t…
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Trump’s slush fund – The wildest cash grab of all time!
Donald Trump’s IRS settlement permanently blocks audits into his past tax returns and creates a controversial $1.7bn “Anti-Weaponization Fund”. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss why critics are calling it a “slush fund”…
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What's the deal with Kash Patel?!
Kash Patel has been a controversial figure for a long time and now he’s a controversial FBI director – great! Eric Garcia, Washington bureau chief at The Independent, joins Jarv to discuss how he got there. Back us on…
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Is Trump in love with Xi Jinping?!
Trump is in China and can’t seem to tell they’re getting one over him. Is it because he’s naive or because he actually wishes his government worked a bit more like the CCP? Nikki and Jarv discuss. Back us on Patreon –…
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Trump vs. God! – Who's going to win that argument?!
For a President who CLAIMS he’s religious, there's a whooooole lot of blasphemy going on under Trump’s second term. Not only has he compared himself to Jesus, but he’s also been picking fights with the Pope. Is that…
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