• 42 minutes 47 seconds
    Charlie Kirk became a martyr. Then the conspiracy theories started

    Charlie Kirk's death created a vacuum of power that still consumes the Maga right a year later. Immediately after Kirk was shot and killed, his ultraconservative activist organization Turning Point USA announced that his widow, Erika Kirk, would replace her late husband as CEO. But as Guardian reporter J Oliver Conroy tells Kai Wright, conspiracy theories pushed by Kirk's former allies and proteges have dogged both the organization and Erika Kirk herself. Real questions remain about whether Erika Kirk can maintain the enormous power and influence Turning Point holds on the right and what she is planning to do with the organization. Conroy spent months reporting on Charlie Kirk’s legacy talking to dozens of people within Turning Point USA and the larger Maga movement who view Charlie Kirk as a martyr. Conroy says martyrdom is a powerful force that can’t be controlled.



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    10 September 2026, 9:45 am
  • 39 minutes 20 seconds
    25 years after 9/11, is Islamophobia in the US at an all-time high?

    In the hours after the 9/11 attacks, the journalist Rozina Ali remembers her parents telling her that as Muslims, they would now be under suspicion. It took years for Ali to understand what they meant. She talks to Carter Sherman about this journey and how it led her to write about the history of Islamophobia in the US. Ali explores how attacks on Muslims by successive administrations since 9/11 cemented Islamophobia in all areas of American life, and she explains why she believes these prejudices are more pervasive now than ever.



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    8 September 2026, 9:50 am
  • 1 minute 45 seconds
    Summer break!

    Stateside with Kai and Carter is taking a short end of summer break.


    We'll be back with new episodes after Labor Day.


    Make sure to catch previous episodes on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify. See you soon!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 August 2026, 8:50 pm
  • 33 minutes 51 seconds
    Lindsay Clancy killed her children. Here's why so many women still support her.

    The trial of Lindsay Clancy, a former nurse accused of murdering her three children, is wrapping up its fifth week. On Friday morning, the defense rested, and the public attention to the case is at a fever-pitch — especially on social media. Clancy, 36, does not deny that she strangled her children, but has pleaded not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility, also known as an insanity defense. She argues that she was in the throes of postpartum psychosis, a rare and devastating condition that can go unrecognized and untreated. Host Carter Sherman speaks with Jenna Amatulli, deputy head of news for Guardian US, about how the case has renewed attention on the fundamental shortcomings in America's maternal healthcare system, and about why Clancy's story has captivated—and polarized—so many people.


    Correction added September 1st 2026: This episode referenced a study that appeared to overstate the prevalence of postpartum depression in the US as more than 80%. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control found that about 1 in 8 women in the U.S. report experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression up to 6 months after giving birth. This was based on data the CDC analyzed from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS).

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    21 August 2026, 8:50 pm
  • 39 minutes 7 seconds
    Seeing Gaza through the eyes of a trauma surgeon
    Ten months into a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel and Hamas seem like they are no closer to a real end to the war. Israel reportedly says they will carry on with their military operation until Hamas fully disarms. Hamas has said they will not begin disarming until Israel begins withdrawing. At the center of it all are Gazans living without the basic infrastructure of electricity, water sanitation and hygiene. Kai Wright speaks with two surgeons – Dr Mark Perlmutter and Dr Feroze Sidhwa – who worked under those conditions. The doctors are at the center of the new documentary, American Doctor, which chronicles what they witnessed first-hand while volunteering on the frontline in a Gaza hospital. The film follows the doctors and a third, Dr Thaer Ahmad, in their work on the ground and their subsequent return to the US to tell the media and congress what they saw.

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    19 August 2026, 9:08 pm
  • 41 minutes 34 seconds
    Why Nolan Wells’ death made Black parents say the quiet part out loud
    When 18-year-old Nolan Wells went missing, his story immediately touched a nerve in Black families. He was last seen while hanging out with a group of white friends, at a popular beach near Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Nolan never came home from the trip, and he was found dead days later. Many questions about how he died remain unanswered publicly. And the mystery surrounding his death has revived an old conversation within Black communities: are we ever truly safe in white-dominated spaces? Who will feel responsible for our children’s safety when we send them out into a world where Black life is not valued? Host Kai Wright talks with historian Stacey Patton and writer Ashley Stoney about why Nolan Wells’ story has captured so much attention – and sparked so much anxiety – among Black parents, in particular. What does our collective reaction to Nolan Wells’ disappearance and death reveal about the limits of interracial society today?

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    17 August 2026, 8:50 pm
  • 36 minutes 42 seconds
    Why does everything feel meh? We're in the era of joyless decadence

    We should, in theory, be happy. Thanks to our phones, we can do practically anything – listen to our favorite bands' entire discographies, have extravagant meals delivered to our door, travel the world through an endless scroll. So why do so many of these experiences feel so joyless? Why do so many of us feel so empty all the time? Hosts Kai Wright and Carter Sherman wrestle with these questions with academics Michèle Mendelssohn and Charlie Tyson, who argue that we are living in an era of decadence without pleasure. While decadence always arises in times of extreme inequality, they say that tools like AI and GLP-1s reveal how we've lost our ability to truly enjoy things – and, ironically, reclaiming decadence may help us finally have fun.



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    14 August 2026, 8:50 pm
  • 43 minutes 21 seconds
    The doctor who helps put prisoners to death
    On 13 August, three states are set to carry out executions by lethal injection. It’s the first time since 2010 that three people will be put to death on the same day in the US. In Tennessee, the execution of Darrell Hines is in the spotlight, because the last lethal injection in the state was botched. Ed Pilkington speaks to Kai Wright about the doctor at the center of that botched execution, whose identity was revealed inadvertently last year. Ed explains how his reporting has lifted the lid on a role that is usually hidden away from public view, and what it tells us about the American death penalty today

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    12 August 2026, 8:50 pm
  • 42 minutes 49 seconds
    Rebecca Solnit on Andrew Tate and Trump’s misogyny
    Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan may soon be extradited back to the UK – but the manosphere influencers' case will have lasting consequences in the US, where the Tates reportedly maintained multiple ties to the Trump administration. (The Tates have been charged with rape, trafficking and numerous other crimes, but deny all criminal wrongdoing.) Host Carter Sherman talks with author and Guardian columnist Rebecca Solnit about what the Andrew Tate saga reveals about Republicans' approach toward sexual violence and Donald Trump's connections to the manosphere. They ask: do people secretly like it when the US president hates women?

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    10 August 2026, 8:50 pm
  • 40 minutes 9 seconds
    Who are the Trump allies running Latin America?
    An outspoken conservative endorsed by Donald Trump was sworn into office as Colombia’s new president on Friday. Abelardo de la Espriella is the seventh rightwing politician to take office in Latin America since the start of Trump’s second term. Kai Wright speaks to former US ambassador to Panama John Feeley about why the region is moving rightwards, and how it is boosting Trump’s foreign policy objectives, from immigration to containing China.

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    7 August 2026, 8:50 pm
  • 38 minutes 57 seconds
    Inside the vigilante movement destroying Flock cameras
    There are more than 120,000 Flock surveillance cameras in 6,000 communities across the US. These ALPRs (automatic license plate readers) are largely used by law enforcement, and have come under criticism from privacy campaigners, who say they are being used to surveil private citizens and target immigrants. Flock says their cameras are integral to public safety, but critics fear that the company is creating a mass surveillance network. Cities across the US are cancelling Flock contracts, but some concerned citizens feel the fightback isn’t happening quickly enough. Carter Sherman speaks to Sanya Mansoor about the underground vigilante movement taking matters into their own hands, and speaks to a self declared Flock vigilante known as Nomark, who is on a mission to destroy every Flock camera across the country

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    5 August 2026, 8:55 pm
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