What does the gap between American foreign policy rhetoric and reality reveal about the failures of its military interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Iran? In an age of algorithm-driven political polarisation, can authentic political speech still break through, or has social media made Trump-style fragmentation impossible to overcome? Is Donald Trump an anomaly in American politics, or part of a recurring historical cycle - and what does this suggest about America's future?

Alastair and Rory are joined by Ben Rhodes, Barack Obama's former speechwriter and Deputy National Security advisor, to answer all of these questions and more.

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Barack Obama's 2009 ⁠speech⁠ on a 'New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan', as mentioned by Rory.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith, Caroline Kaye

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

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As Western nations become increasingly dependent on the US for AI, satellite infrastructure, and defence, are they sacrificing sovereignty in exchange for American security? Can middle powers such as Australia and the UK pursue genuinely independent foreign and defence policies when a Trump-led America prioritises its own interests? Is AUKUS a genuine security partnership, or is Australia bankrolling American and British interests?

Alastair and Rory are joined by Malcolm Turnbull, former Prime Minister of Australia, to discuss all of these questions and more.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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With war fatigue growing and polls showing increasing dissatisfaction with life in Russia, is Vladimir Putin beginning to lose control? What is really happening inside Russia today? And what is it like to report the truth from inside one of the world's most repressive states?

Alastair and Rory are joined by Steve Rosenberg, Russia Editor for BBC News, to answer all of these questions and more.

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Social Producer: Emma Jackson

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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What does James Cleverly think of Nigel Farage and Reform? How does Cleverly explain his unexpected exit from the Tory leadership race? What could the future of AI in Great Britain look like under different leadership?

Sir James Cleverly joins Rory and Alastair to answer all these questions and more.

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Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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How similar is today's world to the months before the outbreak of World War I? Could Taiwan, India-China tensions, or an unforeseen crisis be the spark that sets the world ablaze? Are our leaders too consumed by domestic politics to prevent a catastrophic great power war?

Alastair and Rory are joined by Historian Odd Arne Westad to discuss all these questions and more.

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Video Editor: Josh Smith

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Why is one of AI's most powerful insiders scared of what he's building? Who's really in charge of the technology reshaping our world? Is it too late for governments to regulate it?

Rory and Matt Clifford are joined by Jack Clark, Co-Founder of Anthropic, to answer all these questions and more.

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Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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Why does Trump understand the media better than the media understands him? Are tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos more dangerous to journalism than Rupert Murdoch ever was? What did Tina Brown see change in Trump from the '80s to now, and when did he turn "dark"?

Alastair and Rory are joined by Tina Brown, author of the Substack 'Fresh Hell' and former editor-in-chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, to discuss all these questions and more.

Find out more about Truth Tellers here.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith, Joe Petit

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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Will Rahm Emanuel run to be the next President of the United States? What were the underlying policy disagreements regarding West Bank settlements that led to Benjamin Netanyahu publicly attacking Rahm Emanuel? And, what approach would he take to handle the conflict with Iran and modernise the United States' relationships with Europe?

Rory and Alastair are joined by American politician and diplomat, Rahm Emanuel, to discuss all this and more.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Bruno Di Castri

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Exec Producer: Chris Sawyer

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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Could artificial intelligence hand the US or China 99% of global economic and military power? What happens when millions of autonomous weapons systems are controlled by a single commander-in-chief? Has effective altruism's influence in Silicon Valley accelerated or slowed the race for artificial general intelligence?

Alastair and Rory are joined by William MacAskill to discuss all this and more.

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You can purchase William MacAskill's book Doing Good Better here.

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Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Exec Producer: Chris Sawyer

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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Was the 2008 financial crisis as consequential as the 1929 Wall Street Crash? How did it pave the way for Trump, Brexit, and the rise of the far-right across Europe? Will the economic damage caused by Trump’s war with Iran outlast the conflict itself?

Rory and Alastair are joined by Yanis Varoufakis to discuss all this and more.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Exec Producer: Chris Sawyer

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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