Over Here, Over There: International Politics & Culture Podcast

The US State Department just launched a $5 million grant scheme to fund 
organisations in Europe — pushing "Western civilizational heritage," 
anti-migration narratives, and attacks on the free press. 

Right before Germany's September 2026 elections.

This is not a conspiracy theory. It is an official US government programme, 
published on state.gov, run by a bureau originally created...

Is free speech under threat in the world's leading democracies — including Germany and the United States? 

In this episode of Over Here, Over There — the podcast across borders, host Claudia Koestler talks with Jacob Mchangama, Danish lawyer, professor at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), and author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, recorded live at the Amerik...

What if the most important democratic document of the last 250 years wasn't written in Philadelphia — but in post-war Germany?

In this episode of Over Here, Over There, Claudia Koestler makes a case that might surprise you: Germany's Basic Law — the Grundgesetz — is one of the most sophisticated constitutional documents ever written. 

Written in 1949, in the rubble of the darkest chapter in mode...

America turns 250 this year. But do Americans plan to celebrate it, or are divisions in the country putting people off the joyous occasion?

In this episode of Over Here, Over There, Claudia (DE, Germany) and Dan (American, living in the UK) get personal about the United States' Semiquincentennial — and ask the questions most people are afraid to say out loud. They explore the significance of the anniversary, American p...

Imagine moving to a country where you didn't speak the language and had to perform on stage and TV to live audiences. Daunting? Definitely. But not only did singer, songwriter, and entertainer Gayle Tufts do just that, but she has also become Germany's best-known American and a leading cultural bridge-builder.

In this engaging conversation, hosts Dan Harris and Claudia Koestler explore various themes with Gayle, including the nuance...

🎙️ LIVE from the Amerikahaus Munich | Over Here, Over There — The Podcast Across Borders

What does America really look like — from the outside?

German journalist and author Johanna Roth spent four years reporting from inside the United States as a foreign correspondent for one of Germany's most respected newspapers, Die Zeit. What she found was a country at war with its own ideals — a nation that pr...

Be honest — when did you last feel genuinely optimistic about the future?
With Trump, Putin, climate chaos, wars, inflation and a media machine built
on doom — it's never been harder to stay hopeful. But what if optimism
isn't just a feeling? What if it's a science-backed survival skill — and
the single most important force keeping democracy alive?

In this live episode, recorded at the beaut...

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are heading to Washington — but is this the most  politically charged royal state visit in modern history?

With the UK-US "Special Relationship" under unprecedented strain, a gunman at a White House dinner, the Falklands sovereignty row reigniting, and Donald Trump at his most unpredictable — what can Britain's greatest diplomat actually achieve?

In this exclusive in...

Over Here, Over There is pleased to launch a new series exploring international comedy across cultures, countries, and genres. At a time of global uncertainty and division, we turn to humour to better understand ourselves — and each other.

In this series, we travel across borders in search of what makes people laugh — and why. While the world may feel increasingly divided, laughter remains a universal language. Through t...

In this episode of 'Over Here, Over There', hosts Dan Harris and Claudia Koestler engage in a deep conversation with David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and expert on Donald Trump. Johnston shares his insights on Trump's rise to power, his manipulative tactics, health issues, and the implications of his presidency on American democracy and global relations. The discussion also touches on Trump's tax practices, t...

In partnership with the Amerikahaus in Munich, Germany, Over Here, Over There's Claudia Koestler explores the profound insights of renowned photographer Jeff Dunas, in his latest exhibition, capturing the essence of smalltown America and blues legends. Discover how his long-term projects reveal cultural identity, the power of photography, and the enduring legacy of blues music.

At times when politics so often drives a wedge between ...

When you hear 'German local elections', you may think, understandably, that they don't have much impact on your way of life. Au contraire, or more appropriately, nicht so. In this episode, Claudia Koestler and Dan Harris explore the recent local elections in Germany, analyzing their implications for local and national politics, the rise of the far-right AfD, and the state of democracy in Europe. 

From the micro to the macro, jo...

The White House launched something unprecedented: an official government website targeting journalists by name. As a Senior Editor and a journalist at The Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's largest daily newspaper based in Munich, and podcast co-host of Over Here, Over There, Claudia Koestler breaks down what this means for democracy, press freedom, and why European media is sounding an alarm.

What You'll Learn:

• Inside the Wh...

Dan Harris and Claudia Koestler, hosts of the Over Here, Over There Podcast, dive deep into the Greenland controversy that's sending shockwaves through the European capitals and the world. In this impromptu dialogue they explore the reasons why the US wants Greenland, why European leaders are in emergency mode, what strategies are necessary to stop Trump, The NATO implications, and what Greenlanders would sacrifice leaving Denmark ...

In a recent interview, 'Over Here, Over There' co-host Dan Harris joined BBC Radio 5 Live host Nicky Campbell to examine the roots of political anger across the UK and US, arguing that deepening inequality and unresolved racial divisions are driving today’s populist movements. The conversation explores the long arc of America’s culture wars, the evolution of MAGA, shifting voting patterns among minority communities, and...

🔮 This episode will CHANGE how you see 2026! What's coming for Trump, politics, and the world? Join Dan Harris and Claudia Koestler from the podcast Over Here, Over There as they try German tin casting, American Magic 8-Ball, and Asian fortune cookies to predict the wildest political year ahead! From World Cup drama to global elections, the podcast Hosts are channeling world leaders and reading the signs.

Filmed in an authe...

While America debates immigration raids, a Town in the Federal State of Bavaria in Germany literally imported demons to chase families through Christmas markets. Sounds crazy? Wait until you hear the logic behind it. Claudia Koestler, co-host of the podcast ‪@OverHereOverThere‬ witnessed the Krampuslauf firsthand and discovered something about human nature that explains both German Christmas demons AND American ICE raids. This isn'...

Over Here, Over There looks back at the NO KINGS march and the Democratic election successes that followed, using both to outline a path forward for strengthening democratic norms, behaviours, and institutions that have been undermined by the Trump Administration. Not since the Civil War has the United States been so internally divided and under threat, even as foreign adversaries grow stronger and more audacious in their attempts ...