State of Play with Peter Alexander

8/28 11 a.m. ET: Peter Alexander unpacks six months of the war with Iran with Democratic Congressman and veteran Jason Crow and former CIA Director John Brennan. Plus, 63 years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, thousands of people took to Washington today for a rally to defend voting rights. NAACP General Counsel Kristen Clark reflects on the erosion of the progress made in the last six decades. Peter speaks with the Premier of Nova Scotia about President Trump renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America”  and the underlying trade war. And: according to a grand jury report, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration misappropriated $10 million that was set aside for children’s health care in Florida – using it to advance his political priorities instead. 

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8/25 11 a.m. ET: President Trump confronts his party and legacy as the midterms approach. He reposted a list of grievances on Truth Social as he travels to Texas to boost Ken Paxton in the race for the Texas Senate seat. New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) join Peter to discuss Trump and the upcoming midterms. Plus, the Navy sailor who jumped off the USS Lincoln is facing disciplinary charges. While Air Force Major Jason Watson, who called for Trump’s impeachment, is facing criminal charges. Chris Mutimer, the lawyer representing Watson, sits down with Peter to discuss the charges. More than 1,000 people are still missing after a collapsed glacier caused flash flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border. Plus, the FDA approves a new pancreatic cancer drug that has been shown to nearly double survival rates among patients. 

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8/26 11 a.m. ET: A growing number of U.S. service members in Iran are looking to leave the military, citing moral conflicts. MS Now’s Priya Sridhar has that reporting. Peter Alexander remembers the music legend Dolly Parton with American documentarian Ken Burns, who interviewed Dolly in his 2019 documentary “Country Music.” Plus, Senator Darline Graham won the Republican senate runoff in South Carolina – after President Trump went all in — but it wasn’t a landslide. Peter breaks down the power of the President’s endorsement this midterm cycle with former White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short. Canadians speak out against President Trump’s escalating trade war. And Meta just settled a landmark social media addiction case. Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey weighs-in and discusses his upcoming Senate primary race.

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8/25 11 a.m. ET: The Supreme Court released a ruling saying President Trump can restrict mail-in ballots through an executive order he signed earlier this year. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) joins Peter to discuss the ruling and mail-in voting in her own state. Plus, Canada announces retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. after Trump's sweeping new tariffs on Canadian goods. Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen talks about the trickle down effects of tariffs on the American economy. Plus, voters head to the polls in South Carolina where Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman face off in the GOP Senate primary runoff. American ranchers criticize Trump over his plan to import ground beef tariff free over the next three months. President Trump keeps making money in office. Peter looks at a June financial disclosure showing the president’s stock portfolio. 

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8/24 11 a.m. ET:  Iran’s currency falls to a record low after the U.S. announced its latest threat against Iran: an “economic D-Day.” Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta joins Peter to talk about the latest on the Iran war and more. The New York Times reports Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met privately in NYC to discuss common ground as the midterm elections approach. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) weighs in on that meeting and the U.S.-Canada trade war. Plus, the Pentagon fired three journalists from a military news outlet over allegations of “insubordination.” One of those journalists joins Peter to discuss her experience. Thousands of people in Indiana have now gone two weeks without power after a storm hit the region. 

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8/21 11 a.m. ET:  President Trump heads to South Carolina today while Vice President Vance is in Ohio, both campaigning for the upcoming midterms. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Hegseth focuses on campaigning in Iowa as the U.S. approaches six months of war. New reports coming out of the USS Lincoln reveal just how the conditions got so bad onboard as they head home. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) joins Peter to talk about his own Senate race and the war with Iran. Plus, President Trump continues his bid to leave his mark on D.C. with his latest vanity projects, even as affordability concerns persist. Democrats have a new found hope after reports show the Senate races in Texas and Iowa as toss ups. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) discusses that and more on the 2026 midterms with Peter. ICE is back in the headlines as a Virginia man says he suffered a brain injury after an encounter with agents.

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8/20 11:00 a.m. ET: Peter Alexander speaks to two women veterans who have been outspoken about the conditions aboard the USS Lincoln and national security threats in their bid for congressional office. MS Now has exclusive reporting on President Trump’s closest aide, who was working from inside the Oval Office without a security clearance. Michael Cohen is trying to get back into President Trump’s good graces. The journalist who gave Cohen Trump’s number joins Peter on the show today. Plus: the U.S. surpasses $40 trillion dollars of debt. Jared Bernstein, former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, discusses what this means for future generations. 

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8/19 11:00 a.m. ET: Peter Alexander interviews David Jolly after his primary victory to hear his plan to win the Florida statehouse after more than a decade of republican superiority. Plus, an in-depth discussion with Julia Curlee, a longtime CIA officer who transitioned during her time working the highest levels of national security for multiple administrations, on how being transgender factored into her firing within the Trump administration. Also, a rough night on the debate stage for Senator Darline Graham raises questions about her political future. 

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8/18 11:00 a.m. ET: Peter Alexander interviews progressive congressional candidate Elijah Manley, who makes his pitch to Florida voters and takes on an incumbent lawmaker in his state's primary. Plus, John Bolton, former White House National Security Advisor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, joins as tensions spike along the Korean Peninsula and the stalemate with Iran continues. Also, the legal battle between Disney-ABC and the Trump administration's FCC enters a critical new phase.

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8/17 11:00 a.m. ET: Peter Alexander interviews Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, about President Trump's threat to "bomb" Oman if the nation "gets in the way" of Iran negotiations. Senator Reed also discussed the conditions aboard the USS Lincoln and the U.S. relationship with South Korea. Plus, Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds enters Tuesday's Florida primary with a key endorsement from the President while facing political headwinds in the form of weakening poll numbers on affordability for his party. Also, a former Justice Department pardon attorney discusses the impact within the agency of Attorney General Todd Blanche's refusal to pledge that the DOJ will act independently of the White House. 

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