Decoding America

Episodes

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  Katie Zacharia and Trump’s women problem 21.10.2026 34m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad look at how Katie Zacharia broke the record for shortest tenure as White House press secretary. They then examine the pattern of how women in the Trump administration are treated when they’re perceived to have made mistakes – versus how men seem to survive their missteps. They also look at how the US might be changing course on Russia’s war on Ukraine. Are relations between Donald Trump and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at their lowest point ever? And what happens if the US decides to take Vladimir Putin’s side in the war?
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  Everything you need to know about the midterms 14.10.2026 33m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy take a special look at the midterms which are coming up in early November. All 435 House seats are up in this election as representatives only serve fixed two-year terms. In the Senate, 35 of 100 seats are up for grabs too as senators serve six-year terms. There are many predictions of a blue wave -– a big win for the Democratic party who are tipped to take back the House and Senate. But are pollsters being too optimistic? What are the factors that could instead allow the Republican party and the Trump administration to hold on to power in Congress? They also look at why US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle has been ousted from her job – and whether criticism of new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is fair
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  What next after Christa Pike’s botched execution? 07.10.2026 32m

  A warning for this episode - it covers details of a murder and an execution that some might find distressing. In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad examine what happened when the state of Tennessee tried to execute prisoner Christa Pike. They also look at the controversy over taxpayer-funded ads promoting US president Donald Trump, midterm AI attack ads and the Elon Musk-Trump bromance appears to be back on.
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  Decoding America: Trump’s war on the media 23.09.2026 33m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy dive into what’s driving Donald Trump’s ban on journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico - and the significance of the response from major TV networks. They also cover the US president at the UNGA and why Trump’s decision making on international conflicts could be explained by the price of diesel. Plus - could daylight savings become permanent in the US.
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  Decoding America: Why won't Donald Trump regulate AI? 16.09.2026 31m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad look at whether there is any appetite across the political spectrum to put guardrails on artificial intelligence as around the world existential fears mount that the technology is developing too quickly. They also explain what the latest supreme court ruling on the Trump administration’s mail-in ballot restrictions means for the midterms. And they look at what happened when the US president waded into the Irish reunification debate
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  Decoding America: How Trump is powering the global right 09.09.2026 28m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look across the water to Germany, where the rightwing political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has had a landslide state election win. As some commentators draw parallels to the Maga movement, they examine how Donald Trump is influencing global leaders and movements. Also in this episode: why are White House staffers being subjected to polygraph tests? And George Clooney criticises the US administration in Venice
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  Decoding America: Could datacentres lose Trump the midterms? 26.08.2026 30m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast Decoding America, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad explore why datacentres in the US have provoked such anger – and whether that could harm Republicans in the midterms given Donald Trump is such a supporter of the growing industry. They also look at why the US and Canada are fighting over tariffs. The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, is pushing back and both countries could be on the cusp of a full-blown trade war. Finally: why does the Trump administration’s secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, have his very own YouTube show – and is he the only one?
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  Decoding America: Why Maga vaccine scepticism might be catching 19.08.2026 31m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at what the reported food shortages and mental health crisis on the USS Lincoln say about whether the US military is stretched too thin as the war on Iran drags on. They also look at Donald Trump’s vaccine executive order and why experts are fearful it could spread vaccine hesitancy to Australia. Finally, what’s the update on Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s long-running bromance?
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  Decoding America: are the Democrats having their own Maga moment? 05.08.2026 29m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad take a look at how the Michigan Senate primaries could decide the future of the Democrats. This is a race that has revealed the civil war raging inside the party, as some seek to take it further to the left, with candidates such as Abdul El-Sayed. But will this schism be the Democrats’ Maga moment, or will it leave the party open to a Republican communist ‘red scare’ campaign that could cost them the midterms? They also look at why the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring its opposition to any presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the next chapter in the reflecting pool saga and why Donald Trump said US attorney and Maga faithful Jeanine Pirro had ‘folded like an umbrella’
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  Decoding America: has Trump turned on Netanyahu? 29.07.2026 29m

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad discuss Donald Trump’s closed-door meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. They also examine the president’s escalating attacks on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History as well as his performance at the White House correspondent’s dinner
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  Decoding America: making the US military macho again 22.07.2026 28m

  Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at why Donald Trump chose to make a prime-time address about the US electoral system: was he trying to destabilise and undermine confidence before the midterms, and will it work? Also: why is the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, ordering annual testosterone deficiency screening for soldiers in the military aged 30 and older?
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  Decoding America: Behind the scenes of Trump’s red card call 08.07.2026 29m

  Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at the reported details emerging about Trump’s Fifa World Cup intervention and whether it will change the ‘beautiful game’. They also discuss the growing calls for Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to drop out of the race
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  Decoding America: Is Trump making JD Vance the fall guy of his war? 24.06.2026 27m

  Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy are back after a short break and in this episode they examine the on-again, off-again talks to end the Iran war and why Donald Trump says it’s now all up to his deputy to deliver an outcome. Jonathan looks at the latest Kennedy to run for public office and asks: are Americans tired of political dynasties? And will Trump get his reflection pool finished in time for 4 July celebrations?
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  Decoding America: Trump is throwing a party for himself. Will Americans RSVP? 03.06.2026 28m

  Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy ask where it all went wrong for the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations as artists pull out of a scheduled concert series and celebrations. Also: the California governor primary race, why it matters and which candidate has a character based on him in Armando Iannucci’s The Thick of It
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  Decoding America: the Republicans turning on Trump 27.05.2026 26m

  Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at whether the Iran war, a new $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponisation’ fund and Donald Trump’s intervention in Republican primaries is turning his own party against him. They also look at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert going off air, and whether it signals the end of American political satire. You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport
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  Decoding America: Who really writes Trump’s Truth Social posts? 20.05.2026 25m

  Host Reged Ahmad and the Guardian’s US site editor Jonathan Yerushalmy examine Republican Thomas Massie’s loss in the Kentucky primary after a vicious attack campaign fulled by Donald Trump. They also look at the president’s penchant for posting directly to social media and the woman who pens the posts
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  Decoding America: Trump takes tech bros to China 13.05.2026 28m

  On the eve of Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy examine how the US president’s approach to relations with Xi Jinping has changed since he first ran for office, and what both leaders expect to get from the meeting. They also look at the tech CEOs travelling with Trump, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook, and why trade will be such a focus of the visit. Also: how did Trump’s ballroom blow out to its billion-dollar price tag? And who will pay for it?
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  Decoding America: The US says war with Iran is over - is it? 06.05.2026 24m

  When is a war not a war? When politics is involved. Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at the White House’s insistence that Operation Epic Fury is over – even as the blockade of the strait of Hormuz continues. Also in this episode, a supreme court decision that could ricochet around the country when it comes to how free and fair the midterm elections might be. And there was no shortage of column inches applauding the King’s visit to the US last week, but what did anyone really get out of it?
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  Decoding America: Is the US’s political violence the worst it has ever been? 28.04.2026 28m

  In the wake of the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, Donald Trump and the White House machine have come out fighting – blaming the press and the Democratic party for increased violence against politicians. Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy examine where the stark divide between Democrats and Republicans might have started. Meanwhile, Usha Vance has launched a new podcast – but why? And, what will King Charles’s visit to the White House tell us about Trump’s relationship with the UK monarchy?
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  Decoding America: Is Trump having regrets as ceasefire deadline looms? 21.04.2026 31m

  Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy talk about Donald Trump’s erratic social media posts, as commentators try to understand the US president’s strategy on peace talks with Iran. Meanwhile, as Trump floods the zone, is there space for Americans to talk about policy changes that matter? And finally, are the Democrats managing to cut through it all, and if so, who is doing it best Decoding America is a new podcast from Guardian Australia hosted by Reged Ahmad with Jonathan Yerushalmy, Guardian Australia’s US site editor.