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The State of It: USA

Birthright citizenship reaction: hysterical, borderline insane

  • Donald Trump has been thwarted by the Supreme Court over his plan to end birthright citizenship, prompting passionate reactions on both left and right. One Maga influencer has called for a ban on pregnant women travelling to the US and for the sterilisation of foreign visitors. Is the Trump v Barbara Supreme Court ruling evidence that the reports of the death of American democracy have been exaggerated?
  • As America celebrates its 250th birthday at a time of bitter divisions in US politics, are there reasons to be cheerful about, well, the state of it?
  • And another left-wing, anti-Israel candidate wins a Democratic primary. Melat Kiros, who has won her primary in Colorado, has said that calls for the elimination of the Israeli state should not be conflated with antisemitism. What does her win tell us about the direction of travel for the left in America, and about the future of relations between Israel and the US?


Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times

Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal


Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness


00:00 - Introduction: The State of It USA

00:43 - Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Ban

05:07 - King Charles, the Magna Carta, and Executive Power

06:14 - The Maga Meltdown and the "USSR" Comparison

11:09 - The Dangerous Precedent of Executive Overreach

13:32 - America at 250: Celebrating a Deeply Divided Nation

18:03 - The American State Fair and Polarised Realities

21:05 - The Rise of Anti-Israel Sentiment on the Left and Right


Picture: Getty Images

Audio: Reuters, 9News

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