The News Agents - USA

Donald Trump's trip to the Gulf should have been accompanied by glowing headlines and fawning Fox coverage about the hundreds of billions of dollars secured in fresh investment into America from allies in the region. But there's one deal in particular that has riled friends and foes of the President: a $400m jet being gifted to Trump by Qatar. He's said he would be "stupid" to turn down the offer - critics have raised ethical, inte...

Canada's Prime Minister Carney has been in the White House explaining to President Trump why he can’t just claim Canada as a 51st state. Trump still likes to think he can. Meanwhile, Trump has accused America's closest trading partner of “ripping off“ his country, while Canada's PM has called Trump “transformational“ and left it at that. So has Carney's election victory actually changed anything?

There was no sign of a breakthrough ...

Has Donald Trump irrevocably reordered America's place in the world? He may have only just marked his first 100 days back in the White House, but in that time President Trump has confronted his allies, courted adversaries, and taken a sledgehammer to the world order as we knew it. Has he redrawn our geopolitics in a way that has moved America's traditional partners away from America - and what does it mean for the future?

We talk to...

It's not the first time America's Defense Secretary has leaked Pentagon battle plans. Last month he shared details of a strike attack against the Houthis with an Atlantic journalist by mistake. This time another Signal group has been discovered with sensitive contents - this time including his wife, brother and...his lawyer. So why hasn't he been fired? And is Pete Hegseth proving too chaotic even for Trump?

We speak to Trump's for...

The Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump's administration must "facilitate" the return of an El Salvadorian national deported to his home country in an "administrative error". Kilmar Abrego Garcia fled to the US as a teenager to escape gang violence and was protected from deportation by an immigration judge in 2019. 

He has no criminal conviction. But the Trump administration seems to be ignoring that instruction. Instead,...

160 years ago today, Ulysses Grant led the Union army to victory in America's civil war. The 2025 American civil war is shaping up to be less bloody - but still brutal. How long are Trump's followers going to turn a blind eye to the economic mayhem he’s inflicting on them? And can the Democrats find six Republicans to vote with them to stop the chaos? We talk to the Congressman leading the charge, Sean Casten.

Meanwhile, as measles...

The Trump administration admits it made an error when it seized a Maryland man picking up his child from school and accidentally deported him to El Salvador - believing he was a criminal gang member. Trump's press secretary has now described it as a "clerical error" but they can’t get him home. What’s going on in America? Even Joe Rogan is appalled. Is anyone counting how many other citizens are being kidnapped and incarcerated wit...

JD Vance has decided overnight to join his wife Usha on her trip to Greenland. No one knows who invited him. Or whether he was invited. Or if its a formal state visit. Or just a trip to the US airbase. But the Danish Prime minister has called the trip an unacceptable pressure. Vance insists it's about protecting Greenland's security. But it feels kinda threatening. We speak to an old friend of JD Vance, Sofia Nelson, who knew him w...

The chief justice of the US Supreme Court has issued a stinging rebuke to Donald Trump's demand to impeach a judge who ruled against his administration's controversial deportation of migrants.

Judge James Boasberg ordered a stop to the transfer of accused gang members to El Salvador. That ruling that was ignored, and Trump branded him a "troublemaker and agitator" who should be removed. In a rare statement, Justice Roberts insisted ...

The origins of a peace deal have emerged in Saudi Arabia. There’s just one problem: whilst Zelensky is offering to sign up, there’s no word from Putin. How does a 30 day ceasefire work if the aggressor isn’t on board? And why is Trump convinced he will be?

Later, presidency or shopping channel? Why is Trump flogging Teslas on the White House lawn?

Editor: Tom Hughes

Executive Producer: Louis Degenhardt

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital E...

Trump promised his state of the Union speech would be BiG. He meant Long. It was 99 minutes. We watched so you didn’t have to.

Today, we bring you the high lights and low points. And we speak to the man who would now be Secretary of State - if Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election. How does that feel up close?

Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Edinburgh here: https:...

Trump has reimagined Gaza in an AI video as a gold embossed beach resort. He’s fired the head of the army for being 'woke'. He’s banned the Associated Press from his press room. And his mate Elon Musk is calling on all federal employees to report each other if they don’t get with the MAGA plan. Kurt Anderson wrote about Americas addiction to fantasy a decade ago - before Trump. He's with us and describes how he was sold cocaine fro...

In a remarkable and rapid rapprochement, Donald Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in Riyadh meeting a Russian delegation to kick off talks about a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine. Who's not at the talks? Ukraine - or any other European leader. Is Russia calling the shots? And why is President Trump so happy to push ahead engaging with Moscow even when it is leaving America's allies dumbfounded?

Douglas Heye is a v...

Elon Musk has been holding court in the Oval Office. With Donald Trump by his side and his own toddler on his shoulders, he spoke to a press pack - justifying the gutting of federal agencies, DOGE plans to revolutionise government, and the mistakes he admits they’ve made along the way.

Meanwhile, Trump has called for a reigning in of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act so that American businesses can offer backhanders if they need to...

In a week that’s seen a trade war come and go, an entire US government department frozen, and thousands of justice officials fired from their jobs at the FBI and DOJ, we start by asking if anyone is still prepared to stop Donald Trump amassing inordinate amounts of personal power? Why has any resistance left the Senate Republicans? Have the Democrats recovered their voice? We speak to Chris Cillizza about how to separate the lunacy...

The last living child of JFK, Caroline Kennedy, has dramatically come forward to warn of the dangers her cousin poses to America if he’s confirmed as health secretary. Will any Republican be prepared to go against Trump‘s wishes and try to prevent Robert F. Kennedy Jr's appointment? And why is the media now reshaping itself around Trump when so many outlets chose to confront him in his first presidency? Later, we are in Latin Ameri...

The Bishop of Washington is one of the few voices this week to have pushed back against Donald Trump's policies as he swept into office. She did so publicly, in strong terms, and in a church. The Trump family were not impressed - and spewed vitriol at her online. Will she pay a price for standing up? We speak to Mark Landler, London bureau chief at the New York Times, about what is different this time around. Plus, Jon has caught u...

Pete Hegseth is a Fox News anchor now hoping to lead the US military. He’s Donald Trump pick to be Secretary of Defence. Leaving aside the allegations of sexual assault and work place drunkenness - which he denies - and the profound lack of experience, does he have what it takes? And will he get through his senate confirmation?

Later, a life long friend of Joe Biden tells us why the President still thinks he could have beat Trump i...

Why does it already feel as if Trump is President? Last night, he gave an hour long press conference at Mar-a-Lago and we suddenly remembered what it's going to be like. On the bingo card: Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal, and the January 6th protesters. Little mention of either the cost of living or immigration but hey, early days.

On today's episode we hear from two sides of the Republican party - the MAGA wing and the WTF wing - ...