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Americano
Have aircraft carriers had their day?
Freddy Gray is joined by Andrew Cockburn, Washington editor of Harper's Magazine, to discuss the state of the US Navy as the USS George Washington arrives in the Arabian Sea to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose crew have sent home photographs of blocked lavatories, rotting rations and sailors who have lost a stone or more.
Freddy and Andrew examine why the Iranian strike on the Navy's supply base in Bahrain has left the fleet resupplying from Diego Garcia, why Trump has ordered $50 billion of new launch systems ripped out and steam catapults put back, and whether Trump is now trapped in a war he can never admit he has not won.
Learn how to earn yield on gold, paid in gold, at Monetary-Metals.com/Americano
Produced by Henry Lloyd
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Trump’s midterm disaster: What went wrong?
22:02|Freddy Gray breaks down a catastrophic midterm defeat for Donald Trump's Republican Party alongside guests Jacob Heilbrunn and Andrew Day, who argue that public fury over a disastrous, inflation-fuelling war with Iran decisively shattered Trump’s 2024 coalition, exposed his administration's erratic focus and flawed candidate endorsements, and triggered a major generational reckoning that severely damages JD Vance’s political standing while creating openings for figures like Ron DeSantis and Jon Ossoff ahead of 2028.
John Fund: Can we really trust the midterm polls?
31:00|In this episode of Americano, Freddy Gray and National Review columnist John Fund analyse the upcoming U.S. midterms, exploring how systemic polling flaws distort voter data, how JD Vance balances loyalty to Donald Trump against his 2028 ambitions, and how persistent inflation and cabinet family ethics scandals expose the administration to congressional oversight.
Jacob Heilbrunn: Is Trump's White House spinning out of control?
26:00|Freddy Gray and Jacob Heilbrunn examine reports of growing chaos and internal briefing wars within Donald Trump’s White House, diving into Chief of Staff Susie Wiles' position, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's missteps, and the political strategy surrounding potential Democratic impeachment efforts.
Robert Pape: America’s political violence is spiralling
32:28|Freddy Gray speaks with University of Chicago international security scholar Professor Robert Pape about his book, Our Own Worst Enemies: America in the Face of Violent Populism, exploring how demographic transformations, widening wealth inequality, and the normalisation of political violence across the political spectrum are intersecting to pose a profound internal threat to American democracy and global stability.
Trump’s decade of power: What went wrong?
31:27|Freddy Gray speaks with Spectator columnist Christopher Caldwell about the ten-year legacy of Donald Trump since his 2016 election victory, assessing his second administration's high-water marks alongside the recent political and personal controversies that Caldwell argues have eroded voter trust, unraveled his populist appeal, and raised sharp questions about the future of the conservative movement.
Is libertarianism dead? Daniel McCarthy vs. Robby Soave
45:06|In this episode of Americano, Freddy Gray hosts a debate between Daniel McCarthy of the Heritage Foundation and Robby Soave of Reason magazine to examine whether libertarianism has effectively died as a vital political force or remains quietly triumphant through tech deregulation, AI innovation, and unprecedented levels of individual freedom.
The truth about Xi & Trump’s summit – with Dr. Edward Howell
29:10|In this episode of Americano, Freddie Gray speaks with Dr. Edward Howell, an Oxford University lecturer in international relations, about the high-stakes summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, examining Beijing’s strategic desire for global parity, its covert role in enabling an anti-Western alignment alongside Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and the escalating geopolitical tensions surrounding Taiwan, trade, and economic coercion.Get 'A New Axis of Upheaval: North Korea, Russia, China, Iran' here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Axis-Upheaval-North-Russia/dp/1805266764
Is Trumpism unravelling? with Anthony Scaramucci
44:16|In this episode of Americano, Freddy Gray speaks with former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci about his new book 'All the Wrong Moves', breaking down the systemic failures driving American populism, the economic fallout of foreign conflicts and rising national debt, and his sharp critique of Donald Trump's political strategy and economic policies.
Steve Bannon: Tech oligarchs hid the AI extinction threat
23:14|In this episode of Americano, Freddy Gray speaks with Steve Bannon - former White House chief strategist for Donald Trump - about the ideological convergence between national populists and progressive Leftists as they confront the existential risks of unbridled AI, the suppression of internal whistleblower warnings by Silicon Valley elites, and the urgent necessity of cutting off Chinese access to Western microchips and capital.