The News Agents - USA

Fiona Hill served in Donald Trump's first administration and is one of the most authoritative voices on geopolitics. She advised on his Russia strategy and matters of national intelligence - before becoming a witness in his impeachment in 2019. She has worked up close and personal with the President. And, as the war in Iran rages, and Putin continues to try and chisel Trump away from Europe's position on Ukraine, she came into the News Agents studio to try and make sense of the new age of international turmoil ushered in by Trump's second term. What does she understand about the Putin-Trump relationship? Is the President compromised? Is Trump a fundamentally different man now compared to his first term? And is he backsliding America into territory similar to Russia? The News Agents - USA is a Global Production. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Voters in Virginia have approved changes to their electoral map which essentially makes it easier for Democrats to win. Republicans argue they’ve been disenfranchised - and they’re right: It’s ugly. It’s unfair. But it’s not illegal. What’s more, they've already done the same thing in the red state of Texas. So are democrats finally learning how to play dirty? Is it enough to win? And are they prepared to go low as a response to Trump - even if it creates a moral vacuum and erodes democracy in the 250th anniversary year of the republic. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Has Trump’s erratic behaviour and threatening rhetoric over the last few weeks rendered him unfit for office? The question seems an obvious one to House Democrats - who are petitioning to remove him under 25th amendment. They won’t succeed. No one ever has. But it raises a bigger question of how many and for how long those around Trump are prepared to stand by and do nothing. Miles Taylor was in the DHS in Trump's first term. He became a whistleblower - now being investigated by Trump's DOJ for 'treason' for telling the world what went on. He is with us on today’s episode and takes us into the conversations he’s having behind the scenes with Republican legislators right now. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Besides Trump's threat to eliminate Iran, something else remarkable happened this week. A string of Republican Congressmen finally found the courage in themselves to come forward and criticise that threat. Trump's actions in the Middle East are a disaster for his colleagues. Gas prices are up, the affordability agenda is in tatters, and America looks on course for a humiliating military defeat to an old adversary. Is this the catalyst for widespread rebellion in the Republican party? Jon speaks to Marc Short, Trump's director of legislative affairs, about what happens now in Iran - and to the Republican's in the midterms later this year. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Things just aren’t going well for Donald Trump right now. Forget the Iran war, his spectacular NATO fallout, rising gas prices, Trump’s just heard that the construction of his 90,000ft ballroom will have to be paused after a judge told him he was the White House steward and not its owner. The affordability crisis in America is spiking as his poll numbers are tanking. Is he looking for a speedy way out? A diversion? We speak to Congressman Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Vast sums of money was traded before President Trump's now famous attempt to announce an Iran peace deal on Monday. The speculation was that those with prior knowledge had capitalised by insider trading. Today we’re joined by Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman to explain why this sounds highly plausible, and why there’s no ethics investigation even if it’s true. Later - was Meta and Google deliberating trying to harm children by getting them addicted to the their sites? A jury finds the companies liable in a historic ruling. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The first resignation over the Iran war came yesterday. Odd ball Joe Kent, Director of counter-terrorism, said he disagreed with Trump's war. Are others starting to feel the same? Loud voices in MAGA are telling Trump he’s got it wrong. What happens now? We talk to White House insider Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s former advisor on international relations, about whether Trump is losing the room. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Despite being at war, America's commander in chief President Trump has been busy hosting election-style campaign events ahead of important midterm elections. It was billed as an "affordability tour", a chance for Trump to hammer home the ways in which his presidency will make voters feel better off. But predictably, at a rally in Kentucky, Trump went off script. He used the platform to repeatedly slam GOP Congressman Thomas Massie, mock Barack Obama, and declare that America had in fact already won the conflict in the Middle East. US public opinion on the war already makes alarming reading for the White House - and that's before the huge spike in oil prices really filters through to the weekly shop or at the gas pumps. Has his decision to strike Iran wrecked his best shot at keeping voters on side? Later - John Bolton on how Trump has fumbled his Iran "excursion", and why Marco Rubio needs insoles...

Why did Trump decide to strike Iran? Was it the US that started the war? Is it even a war? Listening to senior figures in the administration and in MAGA it's not entirely clear. The accounts are confused, contradictory, and seem to change by day. What is clearer is that the American public don't support the action. Polling suggests only one in four Americans back the strikes - and a series of Trump influencers have reacted with fury to the move. This is another war from the President who pledged to end them. With the midterms critical for Trump's future, could this intervention become a massive own goal if gas prices rise and voters turn away from the GOP? This week, Jon is joined by Michael D. Shear, the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times correspondent. And later - James Talarico electrifies Democrats in Texas, but is talk of turning the State blue premature? Or does Talarico represent a generational shift in the party? The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Has the DOJ withheld documents from the Epstein files that relate to allegations against President Trump? That's the accusation from senior Democrats after an NPR investigation found that more than 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes from a conversation with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse when she was a minor were removed from the dataset. California Congressman Robert Garcia is calling it "the largest government cover up in modern history". The White House says that President Trump has been "totally exonerated on anything relating to Jeffrey Epstein". So what's actually going on? We speak to the editor of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, about Epstein, the State of the Union address, and the state of journalism in the era of Trump. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Senator Mark Kelly is a former astronaut, a Navy pilot, and was almost Kamala Harris VP pick. Now he’s weighing up a run for the presidency himself in 2028. He came into the News Agents studio this lunchtime to tell us why Trump is helping his cause by threatening to have him “hanged“ and why it’s important for European leaders, including Starmer, to push back on Trump’s bullying. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Trump is trying his best to manifest good polling numbers. But the raw numbers as they stand are dire for the President. This week, we talk to top pollster Doug Sosnik, who was at Bill Clinton’s side for six years, about political shamelessness, polling and 'the Epstein class'. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In an exclusive interview with Emily, Amy Wallace - who co-authored Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir - warns that lives are being put in danger by the way that the US department of justice has handled the Epstein files. Why are victims' names appearing unredacted but possible perpetrators are having their names concealed, and testimony against them omitted entirely? Donald Trump has told America to move on and focus on something "people care about". Does the President's feeble attempt to draw a line under the Epstein files only strengthen the resolve to get to the bottom of the scandal and bring about justice? The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The actor Billy Crudup, known for The Morning show, Jay Kelly, and Almost Famous, is bringing the Western to the London stage in High Noon. It's an allegory of McCarthyism and Hollywood’s “black list ". This week, he joined Emily in the studio to discuss why he’s drawn to stories of moral cowardice and why he finds it so easy to speak up right now. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The deadline to release the Epstein files is now over a month old. Last night, a congressional committee confirmed Ghislaine Maxwell would appear before it in a hearing on February 9th. Although she may choose to say little. The vote in Congress last November created a legal obligation on the government to release the Epstein files. So what happens now if the justice department refuses to comply? Later, how Gavin Newson rose through the Democrat ashes to lead the polls as the front runner in 2028. What has he discovered in how to deal with Trump? The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It's a week since Renee Nicole Good was shot by an ICE agent whilst in her car in Minnesota. Since then, protests have erupted around the country, schools in Minneapolis have closed, and last night saw a second shooting by an ICE agent. Is the immigration law enforcement now just a political weapon? And, as Trump threatens martial law, is ICE deliberately trying to provoke conflict in Minnesota? We're joined by Semifore's Ben Smith. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The plan to taken down Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro, was months in the making. And yet, when it did finally happen, it not only took Caracas by surprise but even Washington was stunned by the speed of the incursion. What does the operation in Venezuela tell us about how Trump might be planning to take over other territories? Why has he got his eyes on oil tanks, and is he prepared to go battle with Putin? We speak to The Crisis Room's Marc Polymeropoulos. Later, Tim Walz has ended his campaign to run for Minnesota governor after ongoing fraud accusations became the focus of Republicans. Are fraud claims a new effective weapon for MAGA to attack the Democrats? The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Trump's inner circle may be wondering this week why they gave Vanity Fair exclusive access and close up photos for the magazine. The portrait is unflattering to say the least. And highly revelatory. Will it change how Trump sees those around him? And why is the MAGA aesthetic so central to the brand? Also - Trump speaks to the nation about the economy. Why’s he had to make up all his figures? The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/ EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

Affordability is the word that Zohran Mamdani made the centre of his New York mayoral campaign after watching the Democrats lose so badly in 2024. But now it’s the Republicans and President Trump that have to convince voters the economy is going in the right direction. And 70 percent of them no longer trust Trump to get it right. What does this mean for the midterms? Later, why the Supreme Court could be about to hand Trump the power he craves to fire whoever he fancies. We talk to Slate' s Mark Joseph Stern. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/ EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

The story of the affair between journalist Olivia Nuzzi and Health Secretary RFK Junior has been called the least important and most important story of our times. What does it tell us about MAGA culture, journalistic ethics and the power of click bait versus deep dive investigation? Why is America so obsessed with her story? Later, has a leaked recording of Pete Hegseth, Secretary of WAR, opened him up to accusations of war crimes? And what happens to those who speak out against Trump's extra judicial killings? The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/ EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee