Stateside with Kai and Carter

A former Anthropic researcher’s apocalyptic declaration about artificial intelligence has led to a global panic that the technology might be the end of us all. At an event in Washington today to warn about the dangers of AI, US senator Bernie Sanders said that Congress has been ‘asleep at the wheel'. Oddly, Steve Bannon appeared at the same event. But is this response a distraction from the more immediate problems AI is already causing? Kai Wright and Carter Sherman are joined by Guardian tech reporter Johana Bhuyian to put this moment in context, and she explains why we should be cynical about industry calls for regulation

What are we going to do about kids and social media? Lawsuit after lawsuit has accused the biggest social media platforms in the US of designing their products to be addictive and of endangering children. Meta recently settled one of those lawsuits, agreeing to pay up to $17.1bn in penalties and to limit how kids use its platforms, like Instagram and Facebook. (They did not admit to any wrongdoing.) The rest of the world is embracing a different solution that tech journalist Taylor Lorenz tells Carter Sherman would forever change the way we use the internet: social media bans. Last year, Australia became the first country to ban people under 16 from social media, and this week, the European Union is expected to propose a similar ban. If it goes into effect, the EU ban would be, by far, the world’s biggest effort to block kids from social media. But, as Lorenz points out, these laws raise all kinds of questions about civil liberties, data privacy, and the future of free speech on the internet.

Charlie Kirk's death created a vacuum of power that still consumes the Maga right a year later. Immediately after Kirk was shot and killed, his ultraconservative activist organization Turning Point USA announced that his widow, Erika Kirk, would replace her late husband as CEO. But as Guardian reporter J Oliver Conroy tells Kai Wright, conspiracy theories pushed by Kirk's former allies and proteges have dogged both the organization and Erika Kirk herself. Real questions remain about whether Erika Kirk can maintain the enormous power and influence Turning Point holds on the right and what she is planning to do with the organization. Conroy spent months reporting on Charlie Kirk’s legacy talking to dozens of people within Turning Point USA and the larger Maga movement who view Charlie Kirk as a martyr. Conroy says martyrdom is a powerful force that can’t be controlled.J Oliver Conroy's Guardian story on Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA:  Grief, fury, conspiracy: inside Turning Point USA after Charlie Kirk’s killing

In the hours after the 9/11 attacks, the journalist Rozina Ali remembers her parents telling her that as Muslims, they would now be under suspicion. It took years for Ali to understand what they meant. She talks to Carter Sherman about this journey and how it led her to write about the history of Islamophobia in the US. Ali explores how attacks on Muslims by successive administrations since 9/11 cemented Islamophobia in all areas of American life, and she explains why she believes these prejudices are more pervasive now than ever.Seasons of Fury: Four Families, and the Rise of Islamophobia in America by Rozina Ali is out now

Stateside with Kai and Carter is taking a short end of summer break.We'll be back with new episodes after Labor Day.Make sure to catch previous episodes on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify. See you soon!

The trial of Lindsay Clancy, a former nurse accused of murdering her three children, is wrapping up its fifth week. On Friday morning, the defense rested, and the public attention to the case is at a fever-pitch — especially on social media. Clancy, 36, does not deny that she strangled her children, but has pleaded not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility, also known as an insanity defense. She argues that she was in the throes of postpartum psychosis, a rare and devastating condition that can go unrecognized and untreated. Host Carter Sherman speaks with Jenna Amatulli, deputy head of news for Guardian US, about how the case has renewed attention on the fundamental shortcomings in America's maternal healthcare system, and about why Clancy's story has captivated—and polarized—so many people.Correction added September 1st 2026: This episode referenced a study that appeared to overstate the prevalence of postpartum depression in the US as more than 80%. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control found that about 1 in 8 women in the U.S. report experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression up to 6 months after giving birth. This was based on data the CDC analyzed from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS).