Divided States
52 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★ - 13 ratingsDivided States is the American politics podcast from Sky News looking at all the issues that divide the most powerful country on the planet.
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Episodes
Biden vs Putin: Is the Ukraine crisis one big bluff?
January 28, 2022 17:44 - 28 minutes - 38.7 MBThe headlines over the past month have been dominated by one issue: Ukraine. In this episode of Divided States, Sky News US Correspondent Mark Stone talks to the great-granddaughter of one of Vladimir Putin’s predecessors. Now a professor in New York, Nina Khrushcheva says the West continues to misunderstand the Russian psyche. And democratic strategist Mark Mellman defends President Biden against claims he’s botching another foreign policy challenge.
A trial that divided America: How Kyle Rittenhouse walked free
November 23, 2021 21:58 - 22 minutes - 30.8 MB18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was on trial for murder - in August 2020 he’d shot and killed two men and wounded a third in racial unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Last week he was acquitted on five counts. It's a trial that has divided America - the right are heralding him as a hero, while the left are condemning a justice system they say is flawed. In this episode, US Correspondent Mark Stone explains how Kyle Rittenhouse walked free, and chats to Robin Givhan, senior critic-at-large at the Was...
Abortion in America: Texas' 'heartbeat bill' and beyond
October 08, 2021 22:00 - 28 minutes - 38.6 MBThis week a Texas judge halted the so-called ‘heartbeat bill’ which bans abortions after 6 weeks, calling it “flagrantly unconstitutional”. But the ruling is temporary, and Texas has already appealed it. It’s already testing the landmark Roe v Wade decision made by the Supreme Court in 1973. After recently going to Texas to report on the abortion restrictions in effect, the Sky News US team sit down to explain what’s happening with the ‘heartbeat bill’, and what’s next for abortion rights ac...
Abandoning Afghanistan: Biden's darkest hour?
August 20, 2021 18:59 - 34 minutes - 47.3 MBIt's been the most extraordinary week for Afghanistan, for Joe Biden and for America’s allies. Why was there such chaos in Kabul? How will this Taliban takeover play out - on the ground and in the White House? Can President Biden recover from this? In this episode, Sky News' new US Correspondent Mark Stone speaks to Charity Wallace - former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush - about the potentially catastrophic impact the US withdrawal will have on Afghanistan's women and girls. He also...
Toxic air, dirty water: Erin Brockovich on solving America's climate crisis
April 20, 2021 14:20 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MBIn a corner of southwest Detroit, there's a community that's spent years grappling with the air they're breathing in. The 48217 district has become known as Michigan's "most polluted zip code". There are more than two dozen pollutant-producing facilities owned by multiple companies scattered in and around the area, and residents say it's severely harming their health. The story of the 48217 district bears the hallmarks of many poor communities of colour in the US. Joe Biden has touted an ex...
Racist America: Will we see change?
March 19, 2021 11:09 - 29 minutes - 40.4 MBRacism is persistent and pervasive in America's history and present, but what about its future? US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch reflects on whether the US has reached a true turning point, with promises of institutional reform starting to come into effect, and the upcoming trial of Derek Chauvin throwing George Floyd's tragic killing into the spotlight once more. All this in the context of Oprah's explosive Harry and Meghan interview where allegations of racism within the British royal fa...
What now for QAnon?
March 05, 2021 09:52 - 30 minutes - 41.9 MBQAnon has gone from fringe conspiracy theory to mainstream news. The latest prophecy of the group was that Donald Trump would be inaugurated again on 4th March 2021. Of course, that didn't come to fruition. So, what now? In the first deep-dive episode of a new Divided States series, US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch interviews former Q followers to understand its devastating impact, and talks to conspiracy expert Mike Rothschild about where it all goes from here.
46th President with 99+ problems
January 22, 2021 21:40 - 33 minutes - 46.6 MBJoe Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, and his VP pick Kamala Harris made history as the first black woman to hold such high office. Does a new administration mean a new era? US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington Bureau Chief Emily Purser Brown discuss the many problems facing the new team - not least a pandemic that's still raging. This week they're joined by former Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman to gauge what Donald Trump may do next.
Insurrection, impeachment, inauguration
January 15, 2021 19:35 - 27 minutes - 38.4 MBIn the first fortnight of 2021 we have seen extraordinary events in the United States. After a violent pro-Trump mob stormed the United States Capitol, Donald Trump has become the only US President to be impeached twice. The security threat in Washington DC and other state capitals is at an all-time high as the country prepares to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden. US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington Bureau Chief Emily Purser Brown reflect on a crazy couple of weeks.
2020 reflections: How pandemic politics changed America
December 10, 2020 20:57 - 40 minutes - 55.2 MBIt might be a year we'd all like to forget, but 2020 will need chapters upon chapters of history books written about it. Trump on trial, pandemic politics and a racial reckoning - all themes of an extraordinary 12 months. US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown reflect upon the moments that stuck out, with the help of Washington Post Senior Correspondent and author of 'Trump on Trial: The Investigation, Impeachment, Acquittal and Aftermath' Kevin Sulli...
Dr Fauci and Newsmax CEO: The interviews
December 03, 2020 21:51 - 41 minutes - 57.5 MBThere are two tandem stories going on in America: a race for a vaccine and a President still trying to claim election victory. This week Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown digest Sky News' interview with the White House's chief immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci, and talk to Chris Ruddy - the CEO of Newsmax, a channel which has garnered a new audience by airing the President's claims of electoral fraud.
Lame duck pardons turkey
November 26, 2020 08:00 - 23 minutes - 31.6 MBIt's Thanksgiving in the US - and with it comes one zany tradition: the official presidential pardon of a prize turkey. And it wasn't President Trump's only pardon of the week. US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown unpick developments in Washington, where a now lame duck president is formally transitioning out of the job, but continuing to question the integrity of the election.
A transition in limbo
November 12, 2020 19:11 - 30 minutes - 41.4 MBJoe Biden is the president-elect, but Donald Trump is yet to concede. His loyalists are pursuing legal challenges, but we still haven't seen any evidence of electoral fraud. US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown discuss why Washington has gone quiet, the global response to a Biden/Harris White House and whether we can ever expect a concession speech from Donald Trump. They're joined this week by longtime Republican strategist Rory Cooper.
BONUS: President-elect Joe Biden – the man, the politician and the new FLOTUS
November 09, 2020 17:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MBAmerica finally decided after more than three days of uncertainty while election ballots were counted. In his first speech since being named US president-elect, Joe Biden promised to “unify” the country and heal deep divisions. But what more do we know about the 77-year-old, who, after his inauguration on 20 January, will officially become the next US commander-in-chief? On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast, Dermot Murnaghan is joined by our diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn to ...
Joe Biden wins the presidency, Donald Trump golfs
November 08, 2020 04:48 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBAfter a long wait, a victory in Pennsylvania helped win Joe Biden the presidency of the United States. While Democrats celebrated history being made, Donald Trump golfed, and his lawyers upped the ante on challenging the electoral process. US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown reflect on the day, the week, and the campaign that made this moment. What will a Joe Biden presidency mean for America? What will Donald Trump do next? And where does a divide...
Too early to call
November 04, 2020 10:09 - 18 minutes - 25.5 MBThe votes are still coming in, and America hasn't yet picked a President - where do we go from here? US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington Bureau Chief Emily Purser Brown bring you this episode of Divided States from a tented roof in Washington DC to unpick the key moments of election night and debate the potential paths to victory for both Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the hours and days ahead.
BONUS: America Decides: How does the US election work?
November 02, 2020 15:21 - 34 minutes - 23.3 MBFrom the Sky News Daily team: Will Donald Trump defeat Joe Biden to secure a second term in the White House? Or has his Democratic opponent done enough to win over US voters? On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, we hear from Americans Joe Radinovich and Samuel Mangold-Lenett on what the election means to them and who they want as their commander-in-chief for the next four years. But how does a US election actually work? Dermot is joined by Assistant Professo...
Four more years? A Biden landslide? What could happen on election day?
October 29, 2020 19:55 - 30 minutes - 41.3 MBOnly five days to go until election day and the scenarios for what next week might look like are endless. A red mirage? A blue wave? Too close to call? US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown game the possible outcomes as campaigns draw to a close, with the help of nonpartisan election expert Professor Nate Persily.
Will the last debate change anything?
October 23, 2020 20:56 - 36 minutes - 50.6 MBThe second and final presidential debate was a much more civilised affair - a win for the mute button perhaps, but also for the American public. With less than two weeks to go until November 3rd, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown unpick Trump and Biden's attack lines, and discuss whether the debate performances will actually matter with millions of votes already cast. They're also joined this week by veteran Republican strategist Chuck Coughlin who's got an ear to the ground in the ev...
Swinging into battle
October 16, 2020 18:34 - 36 minutes - 49.8 MBHe claims to be Covid-free, and President Trump is back on the campaign trail - but is he fighting a losing battle? US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington Bureau Chief Emily Purser Brown discuss the state of the race with just over two weeks to go until election day, diving deep into key swing states Florida and Pennsylvania. They're joined this week by Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania John Fetterman.
A long week in Washington: President Trump gets Covid
October 08, 2020 22:29 - 57 minutes - 78.3 MBIt’s been a week since President Trump became America’s highest profile Covid-19 patient: the White House is now a hotspot, and the election campaign is in complete disarray. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown take you through a rollercoaster Washington week, which took the President from parties at the White House, to hospital, to celebrating a ‘cure’ for the disease. They also review the Vice Presidential debate in Salt Lake City – and the new row over whether the next presidential de...
“Will you shut up, man!” - The fallout from the first presidential debate
September 30, 2020 23:31 - 31 minutes - 43.7 MBThe first presidential debate was a chaotic, rowdy affair – more of a verbal brawl than a political high point. Donald Trump and Joe Biden interrupted and insulted each other, and many voters weren’t impressed. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown are in Cleveland, Ohio, and break down the highs and lows from an astonishing night. They’re joined by Doug Rivers, Chief Scientist at YouGov, who polled people on the night with fascinating results.
BONUS: The life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
September 27, 2020 08:10 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBMeasuring just 5ft in height, the late Supreme Court judge was both small in stature and softly spoken. But the Brooklyn-born woman – known affectionately as the "Notorious RBG" – was a towering giant for gender equality and civil rights throughout her life. On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast, Jayne Secker speaks to Christopher Scalia – the son of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia - and opera singer, Lawrence Brownlee, as they share their personal stories and fondest me...
The fight for RBG's Supreme Court seat
September 25, 2020 08:01 - 30 minutes - 42.1 MBThis week on Divided States, Emily Purser Brown and Cordelia Lynch reflect on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a champion of gender equality who became a pop culture icon: the notorious RBG. Her dying wish was that her seat on the Supreme Court not be filled until after this November's election but Donald Trump and the Republican Party have made clear that, despite just 40 days to go until election day and early voting already underway in some states, they intend to...
Wildfires and wild science
September 17, 2020 18:47 - 33 minutes - 46.6 MBAs wildfires burn across the West Coast, climate change has finally become an election issue. Donald Trump and Joe Biden disagree on even the most basic of facts – with Trump saying this week “I don’t think science knows”. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown discuss how the issue could move votes in this cluttered election. We also dig into Biden’s challenge with Hispanic voters in Florida, a key swing state, in conversation with Democrat Sean Shaw who’s in Tampa.
The race for the White House tightens
September 10, 2020 20:13 - 38 minutes - 52.3 MBWith just eight weeks until the presidential election, we’re back with a new season. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown discuss the state of the race as we enter the final, intense period of the campaign, and why the polls have been narrowing in the past few weeks. Plus they consider if President Trump’s messaging about law and order is working in critical swing states. This week, they’re joined by Neil Levesque, the director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
Introducing...Polonium & the Piano Player
August 20, 2020 15:47 - 2 minutes - 4.77 MBTwo Russians agents release a miniature nuclear weapon in a 5-star London hotel. But former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is not the only victim? For the full series, search 'Polonium & the Piano Player.' From Sky News StoryCast.
Good trouble, bad trouble, election trouble
July 31, 2020 15:58 - 24 minutes - 33 MBIt’s just under 100 days until the election – although Donald Trump might like it to be longer. This week he floated the idea of delaying the vote, a power he does not have. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown decipher what the President actually means, and the message he’s trying to send to his supporters about the legitimacy of the election. It prompted President Obama to get political as he delivered the eulogy at Congressman John Lewis’ funeral - a sober, touching tribute to a life we...
Person. Woman. Man. President.
July 24, 2020 15:03 - 19 minutes - 27.5 MBDonald Trump is cognitively brilliant - at least that’s what he says. It’s been an interesting week at the White House, as the president grapples with coronavirus cases soaring, and his election poll numbers going in the opposite direction. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown are in Florida, at the heart of America’s COVID crisis. They talk through Trump’s change in strategy this week, and his challenge getting the pandemic under control as the summer wears on. Plus, they have the tragic...
On-the-ground in America’s COVID surge
July 08, 2020 21:05 - 38 minutes - 53 MBThis week our team are in Texas, Florida and California as the number of coronavirus cases dramatically rises in the United States, even as states re-open. Cordelia Lynch is joined by Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, who has been inside the ICU of a hospital in Houston, Texas talking to doctors about the new ways they are treating the virus, and the worsening situation in America's second most populous state. Greg Milam is in Los Angeles, California where beaches have been shut to avoid...
George Floyd: Is this America’s tipping point?
June 12, 2020 22:44 - 53 minutes - 74 MBA conversation with Karen Attiah, Global Opinions Editor at the Washington Post. Just back from Minneapolis, this week Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown are joined by Karen Attiah to discuss whether the movement sparked by George Floyd’s death will finally be a tipping point for America’s systemic racism, and if there will be lasting change.
Protests and rage engulf America
June 02, 2020 23:16 - 55 minutes - 76.5 MBIt has been an astonishing week in America. The death of George Floyd cut the country to its very core, igniting a movement that is difficult to compare. Over the past few days, we have seen America’s major cities burning. Protests from coast-to-coast that have often ended in violence and chaos. But behind it… a huge amount of national anguish and despair. Many people in America are asking questions about the decades’ long injustices against people of colour in this country, their own identi...
Donald Trump experiments with drugs
May 21, 2020 19:49 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBIt surprised everyone: President Trump is taking hydroxycholorquine as a prophylactic for Coronavirus. He dropped the announcement at the end of a long event, and it sent Washington into a spin. On this week’s episode we take a deep dive into the drug normally used to treat malaria, and ask why the leader of the free world is choosing to take it. His own government agencies have yet to approve hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 – so what’s driving Donald Trump? Amanda Walker, Cordelia L...
Has America had enough of experts?
May 15, 2020 20:29 - 37 minutes - 51.8 MBOn this week’s episode, we look at the stark message from the government’s scientists, not to rush re-opening – and discuss whether that advice is being followed by President Trump. A top government virologist turned whistleblower gave a damning appraisal of the Trump administration’s handling of the crisis on Capitol Hill - as the White House tries to contain its own outbreak. When will a vaccine be ready? When will America’s schools re-open? These are questions that draw division, even wi...
Live or Let Die?
May 07, 2020 23:05 - 41 minutes - 56.7 MBAmerica is not out of the woods with coronavirus - far from it. But states are beginning to re-open, and Donald Trump is back on the road too. This week our team in Washington DC talk about the President’s trip to an Arizona mask factory – where he didn’t wear a mask – and the astonishing choice of music during the visit (spoiler: it’s a Guns N’ Roses classic). And as governors try and reopen and restart their state’s economies, we’ve been to Pennsylvania to talk to Trump voters about how t...
Is it too soon to re-open America?
April 23, 2020 21:43 - 36 minutes - 49.8 MBOver the past week, protests have begun to spring up across America, demanding that the economy re-opens. They have been partly spurred on by President Trump – but does relaxing social distancing now fit the medical data? This week on Divided States, we take you inside those protests, talking to the people there to find out what’s driving them to show up. Our team are all back in Washington DC: Amanda Walker, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown talk though the latest developments on the m...
Trump tries to reopen America as Obama gets into the 2020 race
April 16, 2020 21:03 - 42 minutes - 58.8 MBAcross America over 30,000 people have died from coronavirus - doubling in one week - hundreds of thousands of people are sick and millions are struggling for financial survival. Donald Trump is lashing out as his handling of the crisis comes under intense scrutiny. But despite no real end in sight - the president is intent on opening at least part of the country in two weeks' time. On Divided States, Amanda Walker is in Washington and joined on the podcast by Alistair Bunkall, in New York...
Life, death, and hunger in COVID-19 America
April 10, 2020 14:11 - 40 minutes - 55.8 MBThe coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the United States. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser present an eyewitness report from inside one Brooklyn hospital where they are struggling to cope with the amount of patients., and report from one morgue where workers are now Facetiming victims' families so they can say one final goodbye. But is there also some hope coming out of America's epicentre, New York, with signs that social distancing is working and the curve is flattening...
In New York: Ground Zero of America's coronavirus crisis
April 01, 2020 19:14 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MBThe United States now has more cases of the coronavirus than any other country in the world, with more than 190,000 people testing positive for the disease and over 4,000 deaths. New York has been hardest hit. Refrigerated trucks are now being used as emergency morgues as hospitals become increasingly overwhelmed, US Navy hospital ship Comfort has been sent to New York City to offer some respite, and a field hospital has now been set up in the middle of Central Park. Alistair Bunkall bring...
COVID-19 crisis: Can 15 days save America?
March 24, 2020 20:47 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBThe Coronavirus has America in its grip, and life here is changing fast. But just as the rest of the world shuts down, President Trump has started talking about opening the US back up. Will it really only take 15 days to fight off this virus? Much like in Europe, our Sky News crew in the US are working from home and living under severe restrictions. We’ve battled the tech to get together virtually, to talk about Donald Trump’s endgame here, and how the situation in hotspots like New York mig...
COVID-19: America in lockdown
March 16, 2020 21:32 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MBThe Coronavirus pandemic is rapidly spreading through the US, and the response has been intense. Normal life has been suspended in many parts of America: schools are closed, so too are many bars and restaurants, and the public are grappling with the prospect of social distancing for months. The crew talk through all the astonishing changes made in just the last few days. How will the US economy survive such an enormous shock? What happens to small businesses who are forced to close? Will the...
Super Tuesday: The return of Joe Biden
March 04, 2020 23:56 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBWe’re back! And what a day to return with Season Two - with more twists and turns in the race for the White House. Joe Biden's candidacy looked all but dead in the water a few weeks ago, but after an incredible comeback over four days, he is now in a two-horse race with Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic nominee for president. The crew talk through the results: Where next for Bernie Sanders? What happened to Mike Bloomberg? Catch up with all the latest with our team across America.
Donald Trump acquitted, the race to the White House begins
February 06, 2020 17:07 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBFresh from a cold week in Iowa, the team are back in Washington and just in time for Donald Trump to be acquitted in the impeachment trial. Cordelia Lynch, Amanda Walker and Emily Purser Brown debate whether that inevitable outcome will change anything in Washington…or not. Meanwhile, the results from the Iowa caucus drip in - with a surprise winner - after a disastrous night for the organisers and their new results-service app. It's our final episode this season - what a whirlwind it's be...
Can anyone defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election?
February 02, 2020 18:24 - 35 minutes - 24.1 MBThis week the crew discuss the bombshell new revelations that could have changed the impeachment trial – and how Democrats’ hopes fell apart. Leaks from an upcoming book by former National Security Adviser John Bolton created major jeopardy over the question of whether the Senate would call witnesses as part of the trial: would enough Republicans want to hear what he had to say to rebel against their party? In the end, they didn’t - but it prompted a lot of questions for Amanda Walker, Cord...
All you need to know from the first week of the impeachment trial
January 24, 2020 21:08 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBThe impeachment trial is upon us! After weeks of wrangling, this week the Senate finally began to hear evidence in the trial that the Democrats hope will remove Donald Trump from office. Join Amanda Walker, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown as they catch up on the highlights of this week's evidence, and how bad it is for the president. The week belonged to the Democrats, who had three days to present their case - but much of the action was outside of the Senate floor, with both sides tr...
Will new evidence change the Senate impeachment trial?
January 17, 2020 18:53 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBThe impeachment trial is upon us, and the 2020 race is heating up – all while Donald Trump goes head-to-head with Iran. This week Amanda Walker, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown catch up on the surprising twist in the impeachment story, as new evidence comes out ahead of the Senate trial beginning in earnest. We also check in on which of the Democrat candidates is cutting through, as the ‘woman’ question comes to the fore, and chew over the impact of President Trump’s action in the Midd...
President Trump gets impeached
December 20, 2019 23:24 - 43 minutes - 29.8 MBIt was a momentous week in Washington: for the third time in America's history - the House of Representatives voted to impeach a president. Donald Trump will not be removed from office but that should not detract from the gravity of this moment and what it means for the future. This week, Cordelia Lynch, Emily Purser Brown and Greg Milam talk through the highlights of this historic week, why it matters and what comes next. Cordelia takes us to Capitol Hill, where she was reporting as the H...
High crimes and misdemeanors
December 13, 2019 19:51 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MBIt’s Go time in Washington DC. The Democrats have filed their Articles of Impeachment, and the stage is set for Donald Trump to be impeached by the House of Representatives. This week on Divided States, Cordelia Lynch, Amanda Walker and Emily Purser Brown catch up on the latest news in the impeachment process that is dominating politics in Washington – and get a view into how much Americans outside of the nation’s capital actually care. In part one, we discuss the highlights of the week –...
The beginning of the beginning
December 06, 2019 23:48 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBThis week on Divided States, it’s the end of the impeachment investigations, and the start of what might be the endgame for House Democrats. Amanda Walker, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown talk you through another dizzying week of impeachment developments in Washington, as politicians hurtle towards Christmas – and Donald Trump makes a splash in London. In part 1, we discuss our highlights from this week, which saw the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee hand the baton to ...
The president punches back
November 29, 2019 22:39 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MBThis week on Divided States, Cordelia Lynch, Amanda Walker and Emily Purser-Brown have got a Thanksgiving infused feast for you - a three course impeachment banquet. In part one, we discuss some of our highlights of the week, including President Trump's expletive-filled rally in Florida. In part two, we have a revealing report from our Los Angeles Correspondent Greg Milam who’s been getting voters opinions about the inquiry in Orange County, California. He’s braved the sands of Huntington...