Stateside with Kai and Carter

An outspoken conservative endorsed by Donald Trump was sworn into office as Colombia’s new president on Friday. Abelardo de la Espriella is the seventh rightwing politician to take office in Latin America since the start of Trump’s second term. Kai Wright speaks to former US ambassador to Panama John Feeley about why the region is moving rightwards, and how it is boosting Trump’s foreign policy objectives, from immigration to containing China.

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?

Earlier this year, Congress reached a depressing milestone: 86% of Americans, a record high, disapproved of its job performance. But this summer, there have been some signs that shifts are underway. On the left, House Democrats have just voted in unprecedented numbers to withhold military aid from Israel, and across the country, progressive candidates are running competitive primary campaigns that are energizing a base fed up with the status quo. On the right, Republicans are reeling from the sudden death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, one of President Trump's staunchest supporters, and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell remains sequestered following a health scare in June, raising questions of if a changing of the guard might be underway there too. Kai Wright and Carter Sherman are joined by Guardian Washington bureau chief David Smith and Midwest political correspondent Rachel Leingang to discuss gerontocracy, transparency, the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America, and just how much of an inflection point this summer might be for both parties.

Christopher Nolan’s new adaption of The Odyssey is an absolute monster of a hit, grossing $264m in its opening weekend. But celebrated classicist Mary Beard tells host Carter Sherman that while Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem comes with plenty of action-packed battle scenes, the film is missing the original's "elusive sexiness" – and its approach to women left her disappointed. Carter and Beard also explore why rightwing politicians – and people like Elon Musk – are so obsessed with co-opting the ancient world. They ask: who gets to own the classics?Commentary and criticism about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey from the Guardian:The Odyssey’s reviewChristopher Nolan interviewWill women also love The Odyssey?