Divided States

Sky News

Divided States is the American politics podcast from Sky News looking at all the issues that divide the most powerful country on the planet.

  • 47 seconds
    DAY 34: Why Trump really flipped the script on Ukraine
    As President Trump claims he is "close" to signing a mining deal with Ukraine, and his secretary of state Marco Rubio talks about a lack of "gratitude" from President Zelenskyy for US military assistance, our US correspondents Mark Stone, Martha Kelner and James Matthews discuss if this is the real reason Trump's administration appears to have turned it's back on Ukraine.   
      
    And, why Canada is taking their feud with Donald Trump on to the ice. 
     
    You can email James, Mark and Martha on [email protected] 
    22 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • 18 minutes 6 seconds
    Day 33: Has Musk taken a chainsaw to US politics?
    Elon Musk walked on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) waving "the chainsaw of bureaucracy", a reference to the thousands of federal jobs his Department of Government Efficiency has cut. US correspondents James Matthews and Martha Kelner react to the spectacle and the message it sends to his approach to job cuts. James also catches up with Reform UK's Nigel Farage and former Trump aide Steve Bannan at the conference.  
     
    Meanwhile, Martha interviews Arielle Kane, a former federal government worker who was sacked while working on a programme trying to reduce maternal mortality. She shares how she found out she was part of the cuts and her fears for the future without her job.  
     
    You can email James, Martha and Mark on [email protected]         
      
    21 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • 14 minutes 19 seconds
    Day 32: Why is Trump dumping Zelenskyy?
    As President Trump doubles down on his accusation that Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy is a "dictator" for postponing elections due to the ongoing war, our US correspondents Mark Stone and James Matthews discuss how quickly a war of words appears to have shifted US foreign policy.  

    They also get the reaction of the UK ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson, as well as US Senators from both sides of the aisle, to President Trump’s comments and his plans for peace in Ukraine.   

    You can email James, Mark and Martha on [email protected]   
    20 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • 17 minutes 44 seconds
    Day 31: 'You should never have started it' - Trump's message to Ukraine
    As Donald Trump calls on President Zelenskyy to hold elections if he wants peace for Ukraine, our US correspondents Mark Stone and Martha Kelner discuss why European leaders are starting to take him at his word.  
     
    Plus, Martha Kelner is in California’s Yosemite National Park speaking to workers who’ve lost their jobs under Elon Musk’s government efficiency programme.  
      
    You can email James, Mark and Martha on [email protected]  
    19 February 2025, 5:35 am
  • 14 minutes 27 seconds
    Day 30: What’s it like flying with the vice president?
    As Donald Trump’s team begin Ukraine peace talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia and European allies convene emergency talks in Paris, US correspondent James Matthews is joined by the Daily Mail’s chief US political correspondent Rob Crilly. 
      
    Rob lifts the lid on his recent trip to Europe with US vice president JD Vance, why Mr Trump appears to favour Saudi Arabia over Europe, and what it’s like to interview the president himself. 

    You can email James, Mark and Martha on [email protected] 
        
    18 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • 19 minutes 25 seconds
    Day 29: Q&A: Trump's IQ, Ukraine and the Presidential Sharpie pen
    On this episode, our US correspondents James Matthews, Martha Kelner and Mark Stone tackle listeners' questions on everything from the influence of Elon Musk in the Republican Party, to Donald Trump’s plans for Ukraine, to the story behind the pen President Trump uses to sign all his Executive Orders.  
     
    If you’ve got a question you’d like James, Martha and Mark to answer, you can email it to [email protected]      
       
    17 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • 13 minutes 8 seconds
    Day 28: Has Trump’s ‘electric shock’ foreign policy worked?
    As White House officials head to Saudi Arabia to begin peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, how influential will Donald Trump be as a powerbroker on the world stage? 
     
    And, our US correspondents Mark Stone and James Matthews discuss if Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been rattled by speculation about their working relationship.  
     
    You can email James, Martha and Mark on [email protected]        
    16 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • 17 minutes 12 seconds
    Day 27: What does Trump want from Germany’s far right?
    As Donald Trump’s vice president JD Vance launches a blistering attack on the European allies in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, US correspondents Mark Stone, Martha Kelner and James Matthews discuss why was he talking with the leader of Germany’s far-right AfD party?   
      
    And, what links President Trump, the mayor of New York City, and pop star Sabrina Carpenter?   
    You can email James, Martha and Mark on [email protected]       
    15 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • 16 minutes 12 seconds
    Day 26: Why does RFK Jr. want America to drink raw milk?
    As Donald Trump welcomes India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to the White House, our US correspondents, Martha Kelner and Mark Stone, ask why Mr Modi met with Elon Musk (and his children) before the President, and what this reveals about the blurred lines between business and politics in Trump’s administration. 

    Plus, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sworn in as President Trump’s Health Secretary, Martha explores why he believes raw milk could be the key to solving America’s health issues. 

    You can email James, Martha and Mark on [email protected]       
    14 February 2025, 5:08 am
  • 15 minutes 57 seconds
    Day 25: Has Trump’s call with Putin brought peace a step closer?
    As Donald Trump fires the starting gun on peace negotiations in Ukraine, US correspondents Mark Stone and James Matthews look at his hot-and-cold relationship with Russia’s President Putin and ask if Donald Trump is actually playing to his MAGA base.  
     
    And, Martha Kelner has hit the beachfront bars of Venice Beach to find out how Donald Trump’s plan to ‘bring back plastic’ is going down there. 
     
    You can email James, Martha and Mark on [email protected]      
    13 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • 17 minutes 54 seconds
    Day 24: Is Elon Musk short on credibility?
    As Donald Trump’s right hand man Elon Musk faces questions from the press for the first time since the inauguration, US correspondents Mark Stone and James Matthews discuss his awkward performance, and ask if he is really as accountable as he claims.   
      
    Plus, Sky’s economic and data editor Ed Conway joins the podcast to explain what Trump’s steel tariffs could mean for the UK.   
      
    You can email James, Martha and Mark on [email protected]     
    12 February 2025, 5:05 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App