Florida was once dismissed as peripheral—a greying, golfing appendage to continental America. But the Sunshine State is now the country’s top migration destination and the 15th-largest economy in the world. How is this remarkable boom transforming the politics of a crucial swing state? And what lessons does Florida’s low-tax, low-spend model hold for the rest of America?

John Prideaux hosts with Jon Fasman and Alexandra Suich Bass, who has been driving the length and breadth of the state to talk to Florida natives and new arrivals alike. We go back to the 1970s to find out how the Democrats lost touch with so many Florida voters. And we hear from Francis Suarez, the Republican mayor of Miami, about whether his city’s success is a model—or an exception.

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Archive material courtesy of Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Archives

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Last year it looked like America had found the solution to child poverty: spend more. The expanded child tax credit is thought to have lifted around 3.7m children out of poverty. But the legislation expired and rates shot back up. How did America find the answer to a long-running problem, only to abandon it?  

Senator Michael Bennet tells us why he’s been a long-time proponent of the policy. And The Economist’s Stevie Hertz visits a food bank in the Bronx to find out how the payments helped families in need. 

John Prideaux presents with Idrees Kahloon and Charlotte Howard. 

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President Biden is in Europe, meeting with allies as the conflict in Ukraine reaches the one month mark.  His administration has supported the fight against Russia with sanctions and military aid, but the president made it clear from the start he won’t deploy US troops. Is the war in Ukraine a turning point for US foreign policy?

The Economist’s Anton La Guardia considers America’s response so far.  We go back to the time President Obama made a foreign policy u-turn.  And Republican strategist Sarah Longwell explains how the conflict has changed how voters feel about Russia. 

John Prideaux presents with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman.

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Two years on, even cautious Democrats are feeling confident that America is entering a new, less severe phase of the covid-19 pandemic. But, depending on how you measure it, America's death toll from the coronavirus has just passed a horrendous milestone—one million. How did America handle covid-19?  

The Economist’s Sondre Solstad takes us through the data. We look at how Florida has dealt with the pandemic. And The Economist’s Tamara Gilkes Borr examines why America was unprepared for the onslaught of the virus.

John Prideaux presents with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. 

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Since the founding of America, its people and its economy have moved steadily westwards and, later, southwards. Recently, people and businesses have flocked to Sun Belt states, while cities in America’s old industrial heartland are struggling. What makes American cities boom and bust?

The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch compares two places on divergent paths. We find out about a city that turned its fortunes around. And community organiser Ian Beniston explains how he’s trying to fix his Ohio hometown.  

John Prideaux presents with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman. 

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Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union address against a difficult backdrop. Inflation is soaring, covid variants have extended the death toll of the pandemic and the signature piece of his domestic agenda is stuck. Now he has the conflict in Ukraine to deal with. Can Joe Biden rescue his presidency? 

The Economist’s James Astill assesses the president’s track record. We go back to another State of the Union given by a president in a bind. And The Economist’s Elliott Morris digs into voter sentiment. 

John Prideaux presents with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

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There is war in Europe. America has spent the past decade trying to pivot its geopolitical attention to Asia, away from its old allies in the West. But the crisis, and now conflict, in Ukraine has pulled it back in, showing how reliant Europe still is on the support of its friend across the Atlantic. How far will America go in standing up to Russian aggression?  

Ex-CIA operative John Sipher takes us through the intelligence playbook. We find out about a forgotten founder of NATO. And John Tefft, a former US ambassador to Ukraine and Russia, examines what Vladimir Putin wants.  

John Prideaux presents with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. 

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Once a decade, American states have the chance to redraw boundaries for electoral districts. The temptation to create biased maps–called “gerrymanders”–has long been irresistible. Those drawn in the wake of the 2020 census are currently being finalised. How could redistricting be made more fair?

Harvard’s Nick Stephanopoulos assesses the latest maps. We explore a redistricting cycle that didn’t go as planned. And Davin Rosborough of the American Civil Liberties Union tells us about a gerrymandering battle in Alabama.

Jon Fasman presents with Charlotte Howard and Elliott Morris. 

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Next term the Supreme Court will hear two cases challenging race-conscious admissions programmes. The court’s conservative supermajority is likely to rule for the plaintiffs. What difference would a ban on affirmative action make to higher education in America?

The Economist’s Tamara Gilkes Borr explains how she switched from opposing to supporting affirmative action. We tell the story of the man who coined the term. And The Economist’s Steve Mazie takes us through the Supreme Court cases, and considers if the process for replacing Justice Stephen Breyer is a form of affirmative action.

John Prideaux presents with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

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The labour market has rebounded from its pandemic-induced slump with gusto. As bosses worry about a shortage of employees, firms are having to get creative in order to fill vacancies. Will the employment boom reshape the relationship between American workers and companies?

Charlotte Howard meets a group of Starbucks employees trying to unionise. We go back to a time of great change for the American workforce. And Professor Daron Acemoglu from MIT explains if robots could make up the shortfall in the labour market.

John Prideaux presents with Jon Fasman.  

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