The State of It: USA

Vice-President JD Vance has said there is something very broken about British politics and that he hopes Andy Burnham can figure out how to get Britain back on track. He has spoken exclusively to Katy Balls for the Sunday Times.

They also discussed:

• Social media spats: does he regret the childless cat ladies comment?
• His faith and how it's changed him.
• And has Donald Trump read his book?

Katy Balls, Washington editor a...

• 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...

Find out why President Trump was thrilled to be on a list with Hitler, Mao and Stalin. It's one of many astonishing details in a new book, Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. We pick some highlights from the book, and Katy has been speaking to authors.

As Andy Burnham prepares to take over as British prime minister, how would a more left-wing government go down in Washington and in Wall Street? Katy has interviewed ...

President Trump has made a deal with Iran. On Friday, Vice President JD Vance will attend the official signing in Geneva of a 14-point US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding that covers the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's nuclear ambitions, the lifting of sanctions, a $300bn reconstruction fund for Iran and a ceasefire.

The deal has gone down badly in the US, and with good reason. Gerry argues that it's a calamity for Am...

• Welcome to the World Cup. Gianni Infantino spent much time and effort cultivating Donald Trump's friendship. Will it have been worth it? Some are complaining about America's border policies and about the price of the tickets but let's see...
• For a moment President Trump said he was going to bomb Iran, but now he's pulled back. We discuss the dizzying back and forth over the war.
• Donald Trump's birthday is approaching: not your av...

• California is "a beautiful state, and they keep electing these terrible people to run it". Any chance of a change now?
• We discuss how polarisation drives the decline of character in political leadership.
• Donald Trump has suffered some political setbacks. His anti-weaponisation fund has been scrapped and his preferred candidate lost out in Iowa. Blips or signs of something more serious for the White House?
• And..."I don't know how m...

President Trump's pick, Ken Paxton, has won the Republican primary to set up an interesting senate race in Texas. He beat John Cornyn who joins a growing group of Republican senators who are not standing for re-election so have little to lose from standing up to Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Steve Hilton is hoping to become the Republican governor of California and Katy has spent some time with him.

We hear what people inside the Iran dis...

• Donald Trump has demonstrated his grip on his party in this week's Republican primaries, and dissent will be punished.
• The president has established a $1.8bn fund to compensate people who've been unfairly investigated. Critics say it's just a slush fund for his allies. We explain how it came into being, how it will work and why people are worrying about it.
• And Britain's deputy ambassador to Washington has been sacked. We have ...

As Donald Trump lands in China, could he change the US position on Taiwan in exchange for President Xi's help with Iran?

What's at stake in the battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman?

And is it chivalry that prompted the decision to concrete over the rose garden at the White House?

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...

The unpredictability of Trump’s conflict with Iran shows no sign of slowing. Is a genuine peace deal with Tehran actually close — or is the President once again overstating progress? Why did Trump abruptly announce and then abandon “Project Freedom,” the US naval plan to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz?

Meanwhile, Marco Rubio’s warmly received White House press briefing has sparked fresh specu...

After an assassination attempt on President Trump threatened to derail the Royal Visit, King Charles has gone on the charm offensive -- with some mild and elegant rebukes.

Katy Balls describes the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' attitude inside the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

And as the former FBI director James Comey is charged with endangering the president's life, we discuss the weaponisation of political violence.

Katy Balls,...

President Trump has said he's extending the ceasefire with Iran, and it's still unclear when talks will resume. What could an eventual deal look like and can the US find a radically better one than the deal that President Obama signed in 2015 to so much Republican scorn?

Can the King paper over the cracks in the US-UK relationship?

And did a joke by President Obama sow a seed that led to Donald Trump standing for office?

Katy Ball...

• Why the US counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is an elegant solution
• Will Donald Trump pay a price with voters for his row with the Pope?
• And Gerry tells us what he really thinks about JD Vance.

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: Mo...

After threatening Iran with total civilisational collapse, Donald Trump steps back from the brink and agrees to a fragile ceasefire that both sides claim as a win. But how long can it really hold?

And as Hungary heads to the polls, JD Vance lands in Budapest to back Viktor Orbán—a leader often seen as aligned with Moscow. What does it mean when the White House throws its weight behind a pro-Russia candidate in one of Europe&rs...

President Trump has addressed the nation about the war in Iran for the first time. What did we learn?

This is a bonus episode. For this week's regular episode, click here

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

Fraser Nelson, columnist at The Times

Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images.

Clips: Reuters

Email us: thestateof...

Forget the fog of war, this is the fog of Donald Trump. How much does he care about the political pressure created by the war in Iran? Is America entering the end game or ramping up operations?

Also, how are the grassroots feeling? Katy has been to the Conservative Political Action Conference to find out. And we look at the secret life (and enormous fake breasts) of Kristi Noem's husband, Byron Noem.

Katy Balls, Washington ...

Donald Trump is in a bind: there's very little appetite in Washington for boots on the ground but will that be the only way to unblock the Strait of Hormuz?

Is there any possible deal that would look and feel like a victory over the Iranian regime?

And why do people start looking more nervously at the president towards the weekend?

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

Gerard Baker, col...

There are some reasons for the US to be optimistic about the war in Iran, but have the main beneficiaries so far been America's enemies?

The resignation of a counterterrorism official has ignited a debate about antisemitism in US politics.

Could Tucker Carlson really be the next president?

And what on earth is a shamrock shake?

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

Gerard Baker, columnist...

In Washington people are talking about an off-ramp, but if the Iranian regime doesn't surrender, can the US really claim any kind of victory? And as sentiment in the US turns against Israel, could this war ultimately leave Israel more rather than less fragile? Meanwhile President Trump seems to be playing Marco Rubio and JD Vance off against one another.

Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunda...