This week’s Mid-Atlantic served up a blistering transatlantic roundup, with host Roifield Brown and a sharp panel of commentators dissecting political dysfunction from the White House to Westminster. First, Elon Musk’s abrupt departure from the Trump administration drew collective side-eye. Denise Hamilton called it a “planned grift,” while Michael Donahue reminded us Musk’s firms are still swimming in government contracts. As for public perception? Let’s just say Tesla’s aura now smells a lot like diesel.

Next, Trump’s vendetta against Harvard and foreign students provoked righteous fury. Michael labelled it “vindictive chaos,” while Denise broke down how this could gut America’s soft power for decades. Meanwhile, Cory Bernard coolly suggested British universities may opportunistically benefit from Trump’s xenophobic overreach. A win for Oxford, a loss for everyone else.

On the UK side, Labour’s Brexit “reset” is, according to Cory, “technocratic fudge.” While the EU quietly standardises global regulation, Britain remains a rule-taker masquerading as a rule-maker. The panel skewered Starmer’s “quiet alignment” approach, calling it necessary but cowardly. Gaza and the UK’s too-little-too-late condemnation of Israeli settlements brought a sombre close, with Denise lamenting performative outrage after the damage is done. Oh, and Trump’s tariffs? Illegal, inflationary, and economically suicidal—now rubber-stamped as such by the courts.

Selected Quotes from the Episode

1. “This is just a three-card monte. You’re looking over here, meanwhile, you’re being robbed mercilessly.” – Denise Hamilton
2. “You can’t run a country like a business because government’s job isn’t to make money—it’s to deliver the mail and send checks to old people.” – Michael Donahue
3. “The UK’s condemnation is just performative. Now that Gaza’s flattened, suddenly everyone finds their moral compass.” – Cory Bernard
4. “We are experiencing a level of grift we can’t even process.” – Denise Hamilton
5. “The EU is stealthily rewriting global corporate governance—and Britain is just cosplaying sovereignty.” – Roifield Brown

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