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Taylor Swift’s girlhood era is ending. Where does she go next?
31:11|Over the past two decades, Taylor Swift has changed the music industry, and how we think about girlhood. From songs like Fifteen about first love and heartbreak to introspective tracks like Mirrorball from Folklore, Swift has chronicled the emotional lives of young women in a way few artists have. Her music says that the experiences of girlhood deserve to be immortalized. But as fans celebrate her upcoming marriage and the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Carter Sherman and the Guardian's deputy music editor, Laura Snapes, ask: is she leaving that stage of her life behind, and if so, what's in store for her next era?20 ways Taylor Swift remade pop culture in her image (2026)Taylor Swift: ‘I was literally about to break’ (2019)Correction note added 26 June 2026: This video incorrectly says Taylor Swift's jet has burned hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel since March. The figure is actually reported to be tens of thousands of gallons.
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Has the American project failed? Eddie Glaude Jr on the US at 250
40:15|As the US prepares to celebrate 250 years since its founding, Kai Wright sits down with Eddie Glaude Jr, a Princeton University professor, to talk about the conflicts at the heart of the American project. Glaude argues that Black Americans have played a vital role in establishing the country, but their presence is a constant reminder that the American fantasy – the story of a white republic – doesn’t exist. He and Kai discuss how the Trump administration has normalized white supremacist rhetoric and the myriad ways the president is trying to whitewash history. Glaude’s book America, USA: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries, is out now.• 'We’re witnessing the end of the America that made our lives possible’: author Eddie Glaude on US’s 250th birthdayTrump is desecrating the Lincoln memorial - a civic sacred ground
How Iranians are coping with the Iran war
33:43|With negotiations to end the war in Iran now underway, experts widely agree that the Iranian government has the upper hand. But if the regime emerges from the war stronger than before, what does it mean for the people of Iran? Carter Sherman speaks with Shirin Jaafari, a journalist for the World who focuses on the Middle East, about her reporting on Iranians living through war, a devastated economy and a government that executes people who dare to protest. Carter and Kai Wright also speak about the lasting effect of this war in the US – and what Americans have already lost.Oliver Holmes on the global cost of US-Israel war against IranJason Burke’s analysis of the peace agreement between the US and Iran
The unproven autism treatment taking off under RFK Jr
39:04|Parents of children with autism are turning to a controversial stem cell treatment backed by the US Health Secretary. A growing number of clinics in the US are charging parents tens of thousands of dollars for stem cell therapy, which is being given to children as young as 18 months old. The Guardian’s chief reporter Ed Pilkington tells Kai Wright about his months-long investigation into the providers of these treatments, and their connections to the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. He also spoke with figures in the science community who fear the FDA may be loosening its rigorous restrictions on stem cell treatment for autism
What happens when Trump drives you out of the United States?
47:49|A far-right, white supremacist ideology known as “remigration” aims to make life so punishing for immigrants that they leave the US. It’s also the policy of the Trump administration. There’s an "office of remigration" in the state department and the Department of Homeland Security has posted on X in support of it, saying: “The stakes have never been higher and the goal has never been more clear: Remigration now.” Carter Sherman speaks with journalist and author Paola Ramos about the immigrants who have made the difficult decision to leave the US, and how their departure could spell the death of the American Dream.Paola Ramos’s Rolling Stone article, The Great Reverse Migration
Elon Musk is a trillionaire now. Is that bad for the economy?
36:01|Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire thanks to his company SpaceX, which now has the biggest IPO of all time. Public trading in the company has put it's valuation at over $2tn. The eye-watering sums of money pouring into AI are also boosting other tech titans, including OpenAI and Anthropic. Both companies are expected to go public this year with nearly trillion-dollar valuations. The Guardian’s US tech editor Blake Montgomery tells Kai Wright that with these IPOs, all our financial futures are forever tied to AI’s success, and more worryingly, its possible failure
How Trump is changing the World Cup
39:09|When the US, Mexico and Canada submitted their winning World Cup bid, they predicted that Donald Trump would not be president in 2026. That prediction didn't exactly pan out – and now, as the tournament begins, Guardian soccer correspondent Jeff Rueter explains how Trump's America is rewriting the rules of the World Cup. Jeff also previews fun teams to watch, while Kai and Carter reveal who they’re rooting for. (Hint: it's not the US.)