Stateside with Kai and Carter

There are more than 120,000 Flock surveillance cameras in 6,000 communities across the US. These ALPRs (automatic license plate readers) are largely used by law enforcement, and have come under criticism from privacy campaigners, who say they are being used to surveil private citizens and target immigrants. Flock says their cameras are integral to public safety, but critics fear that the company is creating a mass surveillance network. Cities across the US are cancelling Flock contracts, but some concerned citizens feel the fightback isn’t happening quickly enough. Carter Sherman speaks to Sanya Mansoor about the underground vigilante movement taking matters into their own hands, and speaks to a self declared Flock vigilante known as Nomark, who is on a mission to destroy every Flock camera across the country

Democrats are pissed off – and they're taking their anger straight to the ballot box. In the wake of Donald Trump's return to the White House, progressives (including members of DSA – Democratic Socialists of America) have defeated established moderates in elections in liberal cities like New York, Washington DC and Seattle. Now, they're trying to win a series of major primaries in the deep-purple midwest. Host Carter Sherman speaks with Guardian midwest political correspondent Rachel Leingang, who has traveled all over the region covering several key races – including this week's Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, where progressive Abdul Al-Sayed is squaring off against the establishment candidate, Haley Stevens. Can leftist politics win outside of blue bubbles? And what do these races reveal about the fight for the midterms and the White House?

With Republicans' chances in the midterms looking shaky, Donald Trump is increasingly trying to rewrite the rules that govern US elections. Voting rights groups say he's really laying the groundwork to suppress voters. Trump has already moved to change mail-in voting, but he now wants Congress to pass the Save America Act, which includes strict voter ID restrictions. He's also accused China of interfering in the 2020 election. (Trump didn't back up that claim with evidence.) Host Kai Wright speaks with Garrett Epps, legal affairs editor at Washington Monthly, about the threat to US elections and what voters can do to protect them.Read Garrett Epps' story in Washington Monthly

After a lull in fighting, airstrikes between the US and Iran resumed Wednesday, killing at least 20 members of Iraq’s popular mobilization force. The conflict between the US and Iran has now entered its fifth month, with no obvious conclusion in sight. Analysts have warned that the latest escalations are pushing the Middle East region into "unchartered territory". Carter Sherman is joined by the Guardian’s senior international correspondent Julian Borger and Deepa Parent, an independent journalist who reports on Iran, to answer the question: is this a forever war? 

A parasite called cyclospora has sickened thousands of people across at least 41 states and prompted waves of headlines about weeks-long "explosive diarrhea". But as Guardian health contributor and reporter Melody Schreiber tells host Carter Sherman, Donald Trump's cuts to the CDC and FDA have kneecapped the agencies' ability to contain the dangerous outbreak – which is now growing rapidly. Melody and Carter trace one food supplier's role in the outbreak, discuss the future of public health and reveal tips for safe eating and cooking.Read Melody Schreiber's reporting in the Guardian about cyclospora:Confusing product recall adds to US cyclospora outbreak uncertaintyCDC cuts leave US less prepared for disease outbreaks, former officials warn

After years of trying to be skinny, Guardian reporter Madeleine Aggeler did a 180 and decided to 'bulk'. Bulking, or gaining weight on purpose to get stronger, challenged everything she had been taught about her body, and transformed her relationship to food. Madeleine speaks to Carter Sherman about her owns body image struggles, and they discuss why strength training and weightlifting has become so popular for women. Is this actually healthy, or just an extension of toxic diet culture?