Divided States

The headlines over the past month have been dominated by one issue: Ukraine. In this episode of Divided States, Sky News US Correspondent Mark Stone talks to the great-granddaughter of one of Vladimir Putin's predecessors. Now a professor in New York, Nina Khrushcheva says the West continues to misunderstand the Russian psyche. And democratic strategist Mark Mellman defends President Biden against claims he's botching another foreign policy challenge.

18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was on trial for murder - in August 2020 he'd shot and killed two men and wounded a third in racial unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Last week he was acquitted on five counts. It's a trial that has divided America - the right are heralding him as a hero, while the left are condemning a justice system they say is flawed.In this episode, US Correspondent Mark Stone explains how Kyle Rittenhouse walked free, and chats to Robin Givhan, senior critic-at-large at the Washington Post, about what the case says about America.

This week a Texas judge halted the so-called ‘heartbeat bill' which bans abortions after 6 weeks, calling it “flagrantly unconstitutional”. But the ruling is temporary, and Texas has already appealed it. It's already testing the landmark Roe v Wade decision made by the Supreme Court in 1973.After recently going to Texas to report on the abortion restrictions in effect, US Correspondent Martha Kelner and US Producer Sarah Gough sit down to explain what's happening with the ‘heartbeat bill', and what's next for abortion rights across the States.

This week a Texas judge halted the so-called ‘heartbeat bill' which bans abortions after 6 weeks, calling it “flagrantly unconstitutional”. But the ruling is temporary, and Texas has already appealed it. It's already testing the landmark Roe v Wade decision made by the Supreme Court in 1973.After recently going to Texas to report on the abortion restrictions in effect, the Sky News US team sit down to explain what's happening with the ‘heartbeat bill', and what's next for abortion rights across the States.

This week a Texas judge halted the so-called ‘heartbeat bill' which bans abortions after 6 weeks, calling it “flagrantly unconstitutional”. But the ruling is temporary, and Texas has already appealed it. It's already testing the landmark Roe v Wade decision made by the Supreme Court in 1973.After recently going to Texas to report on the abortion restrictions in effect, the Sky News US team sit down to explain what's happening with the ‘heartbeat bill', and what's next for abortion rights across the States.

It's been the most extraordinary week for Afghanistan, for Joe Biden and for America's allies. Why was there such chaos in Kabul? How will this Taliban takeover play out - on the ground and in the White House? Can President Biden recover from this?In this episode, Sky News' new US Correspondent Mark Stone speaks to Charity Wallace - former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush - about the potentially catastrophic impact the US withdrawal will have on Afghanistan's women and girls. He also chats to Charles Lister, counter terrorism and foreign policy expert at the Middle East institute, about the impact Biden's decision making is having in the US and across the world.

In a corner of southwest Detroit, there's a community that's spent years grappling with the air they're breathing in. The 48217 district has become known as Michigan's "most polluted zip code". There are more than two dozen pollutant-producing facilities owned by multiple companies scattered in and around the area, and residents say it's severely harming their health. The story of the 48217 district bears the hallmarks of many poor communities of colour in the US. Joe Biden has touted an extremely ambitious plan to help tackle climate change and environmental pollution. His challenge, though, will be balancing his big green ideas with big job generation.US Correspondent speaks to renowned environmental activist Erin Brockovich about the situation in Detroit, and how the climate crisis at large should be tackled.

Racism is persistent and pervasive in America's history and present, but what about its future? US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch reflects on whether the US has reached a true turning point, with promises of institutional reform starting to come into effect, and the upcoming trial of Derek Chauvin throwing George Floyd's tragic killing into the spotlight once more. All this in the context of Oprah's explosive Harry and Meghan interview where allegations of racism within the British royal family caused waves on both sides of the Atlantic.

QAnon has gone from fringe conspiracy theory to mainstream news. The latest prophecy of the group was that Donald Trump would be inaugurated again on 4th March 2021. Of course, that didn't come to fruition. So, what now?In the first deep-dive episode of a new Divided States series, US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch interviews former Q followers to understand its devastating impact, and talks to conspiracy expert Mike Rothschild about where it all goes from here.

Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, and his VP pick Kamala Harris made history as the first black woman to hold such high office. Does a new administration mean a new era?US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington Bureau Chief Emily Purser Brown discuss the many problems facing the new team - not least a pandemic that's still raging. This week they're joined by former Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman to gauge what Donald Trump may do next.

In the first fortnight of 2021 we have seen extraordinary events in the United States. After a violent pro-Trump mob stormed the United States Capitol, Donald Trump has become the only US President to be impeached twice. The security threat in Washington DC and other state capitals is at an all-time high as the country prepares to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden. US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington Bureau Chief Emily Purser Brown reflect on a crazy couple of weeks. 

It might be a year we'd all like to forget, but 2020 will need chapters upon chapters of history books written about it. Trump on trial, pandemic politics and a racial reckoning - all themes of an extraordinary 12 months. US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown reflect upon the moments that stuck out, with the help of Washington Post Senior Correspondent and author of 'Trump on Trial: The Investigation, Impeachment, Acquittal and Aftermath' Kevin Sullivan.Divided States will be back in the new year.

There are two tandem stories going on in America: a race for a vaccine and a President still trying to claim election victory. This week Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown digest Sky News' interview with the White House's chief immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci, and talk to Chris Ruddy - the CEO of Newsmax, a channel which has garnered a new audience by airing the President's claims of electoral fraud.

It's Thanksgiving in the US - and with it comes one zany tradition: the official presidential pardon of a prize turkey. And it wasn't President Trump's only pardon of the week.US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown unpick developments in Washington, where a now lame duck president is formally transitioning out of the job, but continuing to question the integrity of the election.

Joe Biden is the president-elect, but Donald Trump is yet to concede. His loyalists are pursuing legal challenges, but we still haven't seen any evidence of electoral fraud.US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown discuss why Washington has gone quiet, the global response to a Biden/Harris White House and whether we can ever expect a concession speech from Donald Trump.They're joined this week by longtime Republican strategist Rory Cooper.

America finally decided after more than three days of uncertainty while election ballots were counted.In his first speech since being named US president-elect, Joe Biden promised to “unify” the country and heal deep divisions. But what more do we know about the 77-year-old, who, after his inauguration on 20 January, will officially become the next US commander-in-chief? On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast, Dermot Murnaghan is joined by our diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn to take a closer look at what we can expect from a President Biden.Plus, Sharon Manitta from Democrats Abroad UK talks about the new first lady – what role might Jill Biden play in the White House?Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersPodcast producer – Emma-Rae Woodhouse Interviews producer - Oli FosterArchive - Simon WindsorMusic - Steven Wheeler

After a long wait, a victory in Pennsylvania helped win Joe Biden the presidency of the United States. While Democrats celebrated history being made, Donald Trump golfed, and his lawyers upped the ante on challenging the electoral process. US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown reflect on the day, the week, and the campaign that made this moment. What will a Joe Biden presidency mean for America? What will Donald Trump do next? And where does a divided America go from here?

The votes are still coming in, and America hasn't yet picked a President - where do we go from here?US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington Bureau Chief Emily Purser Brown bring you this episode of Divided States from a tented roof in Washington DC to unpick the key moments of election night and debate the potential paths to victory for both Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the hours and days ahead.

From the Sky News Daily team: Will Donald Trump defeat Joe Biden to secure a second term in the White House? Or has his Democratic opponent done enough to win over US voters?On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, we hear from Americans Joe Radinovich and Samuel Mangold-Lenett on what the election means to them and who they want as their commander-in-chief for the next four years.But how does a US election actually work?Dermot is joined by Assistant Professor of History at the University of Sunderland, Dr Kevin Yuill, to discuss the American political system – plus our US correspondent Cordelia Lynch gives us her analysis of the election campaign.

Only five days to go until election day and the scenarios for what next week might look like are endless. A red mirage? A blue wave? Too close to call? US correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington bureau chief Emily Purser Brown game the possible outcomes as campaigns draw to a close, with the help of nonpartisan election expert Professor Nate Persily.

The second and final presidential debate was a much more civilised affair - a win for the mute button perhaps, but also for the American public. With less than two weeks to go until November 3rd, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown unpick Trump and Biden's attack lines, and discuss whether the debate performances will actually matter with millions of votes already cast. They're also joined this week by veteran Republican strategist Chuck Coughlin who's got an ear to the ground in the ever-changing swing state of Arizona.

He claims to be Covid-free, and President Trump is back on the campaign trail - but is he fighting a losing battle?US Correspondent Cordelia Lynch and Washington Bureau Chief Emily Purser Brown discuss the state of the race with just over two weeks to go until election day, diving deep into key swing states Florida and Pennsylvania.They're joined this week by Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania John Fetterman.

It’s been a week since President Trump became America’s highest profile Covid-19 patient: the White House is now a hotspot, and the election campaign is in complete disarray.Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown take you through a rollercoaster Washington week, which took the President from parties at the White House, to hospital, to celebrating a ‘cure’ for the disease.They also review the Vice Presidential debate in Salt Lake City – and the new row over whether the next presidential debate will even take place.And we speak to former GOP communications director Tara Setmayer about the presidential race and how her group the Lincoln Project, made up of conservative 'Never Trumpers', is trying to make a difference.

The first presidential debate was a chaotic, rowdy affair – more of a verbal brawl than a political high point.Donald Trump and Joe Biden interrupted and insulted each other, and many voters weren’t impressed.Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown are in Cleveland, Ohio, and break down the highs and lows from an astonishing night.They’re joined by Doug Rivers, Chief Scientist at YouGov, who polled people on the night with fascinating results.

Measuring just 5ft in height, the late Supreme Court judge was both small in stature and softly spoken.But the Brooklyn-born woman – known affectionately as the "Notorious RBG" – was a towering giant for gender equality and civil rights throughout her life.On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast, Jayne Secker speaks to Christopher Scalia – the son of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia - and opera singer, Lawrence Brownlee, as they share their personal stories and fondest memories of the 87-year-old who passed away earlier this month.We are also joined by our US correspondent Cordelia Lynch, as we look back at Justice Ginsburg’s life and discuss her legacy.Subscribe to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, SpreakerDaily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersPodcast producer – Emma Rae WoodhouseInterviews producer - Oli FosterInterviews producer – Reece DentonArchive - Simon WindsorMusic - Steven Wheeler

This week on Divided States, Emily Purser Brown and Cordelia Lynch reflect on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a champion of gender equality who became a pop culture icon: the notorious RBG. Her dying wish was that her seat on the Supreme Court not be filled until after this November's election but Donald Trump and the Republican Party have made clear that, despite just 40 days to go until election day and early voting already underway in some states, they intend to appoint a new justice. Democrats have accused the Republicans of hypocrisy after they blocked Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, in 2016, when they said it was 'too close to the election' and 'the people should decide.' His nominee was made nine months before the 2016 election. Emily and Cordy discuss what a new Trump-appointed justice would mean, tipping the court 6-3 in favour of the conservatives, for hundreds of millions of Americans whose healthcare and abortion rights, among other issues, are on the line.Listen and subscribe to Divided States wherever you get your podcasts.

As wildfires burn across the West Coast, climate change has finally become an election issue. Donald Trump and Joe Biden disagree on even the most basic of facts – with Trump saying this week “I don’t think science knows”.Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown discuss how the issue could move votes in this cluttered election.We also dig into Biden’s challenge with Hispanic voters in Florida, a key swing state, in conversation with Democrat Sean Shaw who’s in Tampa.

With just eight weeks until the presidential election, we’re back with a new season.Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown discuss the state of the race as we enter the final, intense period of the campaign, and why the polls have been narrowing in the past few weeks. Plus they consider if President Trump’s messaging about law and order is working in critical swing states. This week, they’re joined by Neil Levesque, the director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

Two Russians agents release a miniature nuclear weapon in a 5-star London hotel. But former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is not the only victim? For the full series, search 'Polonium & the Piano Player.'From Sky News StoryCast.

It’s just under 100 days until the election – although Donald Trump might like it to be longer. This week he floated the idea of delaying the vote, a power he does not have.Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown decipher what the President actually means, and the message he’s trying to send to his supporters about the legitimacy of the election.It prompted President Obama to get political as he delivered the eulogy at Congressman John Lewis’ funeral - a sober, touching tribute to a life well-lived.We’ll be back after a break for the summer – join us for Season 3 in September.

Donald Trump is cognitively brilliant - at least that’s what he says. It’s been an interesting week at the White House, as the president grapples with coronavirus cases soaring, and his election poll numbers going in the opposite direction.Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown are in Florida, at the heart of America’s COVID crisis. They talk through Trump’s change in strategy this week, and his challenge getting the pandemic under control as the summer wears on. Plus, they have the tragic story of a woman who lost two of her children to COVID - who has a warning for other young people.

This week our team are in Texas, Florida and California as the number of coronavirus cases dramatically rises in the United States, even as states re-open.Cordelia Lynch is joined by Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, who has been inside the ICU of a hospital in Houston, Texas talking to doctors about the new ways they are treating the virus, and the worsening situation in America's second most populous state.Greg Milam is in Los Angeles, California where beaches have been shut to avoid continued spread.And Emily Purser Brown and Cordelia have been in Miami, Florida - a state that where the governor had declared victory against the virus, and where now they are dealing with a serious crisis.

A conversation with Karen Attiah, Global Opinions Editor at the Washington Post.Just back from Minneapolis, this week Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown are joined by Karen Attiah to discuss whether the movement sparked by George Floyd’s death will finally be a tipping point for America’s systemic racism, and if there will be lasting change.

It has been an astonishing week in America. The death of George Floyd cut the country to its very core, igniting a movement that is difficult to compare.Over the past few days, we have seen America’s major cities burning. Protests from coast-to-coast that have often ended in violence and chaos. But behind it… a huge amount of national anguish and despair. Many people in America are asking questions about the decades’ long injustices against people of colour in this country, their own identities, and indeed questioning the very foundations on which this society is built.This week our team have been in the protests from Minneapolis to Washington DC. Amanda Walker, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown talk about their experience in those chaotic moments, what protestors are hoping for, and what this moment might mean for America.And we hear impassioned and emotional speeches from George Floyd's brother, Terrence, and rapper and activist Killer Mike on the need for police reforms and justice for the African-American community.Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

It surprised everyone: President Trump is taking hydroxycholorquine as a prophylactic for Coronavirus. He dropped the announcement at the end of a long event, and it sent Washington into a spin.On this week’s episode we take a deep dive into the drug normally used to treat malaria, and ask why the leader of the free world is choosing to take it. His own government agencies have yet to approve hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 – so what’s driving Donald Trump?Amanda Walker, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown talk through Donald Trump’s journey with the science behind the medicine, who else has been pushing the drug, and who, in all of this, called him fat.Download Divided States wherever you get your podcasts.

On this week’s episode, we look at the stark message from the government’s scientists, not to rush re-opening – and discuss whether that advice is being followed by President Trump.A top government virologist turned whistleblower gave a damning appraisal of the Trump administration’s handling of the crisis on Capitol Hill - as the White House tries to contain its own outbreak.When will a vaccine be ready? When will America’s schools re-open? These are questions that draw division, even within the White House’s own team.Amanda Walker, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown are in Washington to talk through the latest on the US response to Coronavirus.

America is not out of the woods with coronavirus - far from it. But states are beginning to re-open, and Donald Trump is back on the road too.This week our team in Washington DC talk about the President’s trip to an Arizona mask factory – where he didn’t wear a mask – and the astonishing choice of music during the visit (spoiler: it’s a Guns N’ Roses classic).And as governors try and reopen and restart their state’s economies, we’ve been to Pennsylvania to talk to Trump voters about how they feel the President has handled the crisis.Lastly we can’t forget the presidential election: we’re getting ready for Joe Biden to pick his Vice Presidential candidate – we talk you through the runners and riders. Download and subscribe to Divided States wherever you get your podcasts.

Over the past week, protests have begun to spring up across America, demanding that the economy re-opens. They have been partly spurred on by President Trump – but does relaxing social distancing now fit the medical data?This week on Divided States, we take you inside those protests, talking to the people there to find out what’s driving them to show up.Our team are all back in Washington DC: Amanda Walker, Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser Brown talk though the latest developments on the miracle cure that wasn’t, and discuss what’s going on with President Trump’s latest immigration ban.

Across America over 30,000 people have died from coronavirus - doubling in one week - hundreds of thousands of people are sick and millions are struggling for financial survival. Donald Trump is lashing out as his handling of the crisis comes under intense scrutiny. But despite no real end in sight - the president is intent on opening at least part of the country in two weeks' time.On Divided States, Amanda Walker is in Washington and joined on the podcast by Alistair Bunkall, in New York, and Greg Milam, in California.They discuss Trump's bizarre press conference this week, where he declared he had 'absolute power', and after which he was accused of having 'the biggest meltdown ever' from a US president and of trying to 'rewrite history' over his administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Greg tell us how the west coast of America is coping with the lockdown, and Ali revisits a doctor in New York who a few weeks ago described the situation there as 'hell' and 'worse than 9/11.'We also discuss the 2020 race for the White House as former President Barack Obama formally endorses Joe Biden. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have also given their endorsement, Warren going so far to say that she would accept being Biden's pick for running mate. 

The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the United States. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser present an eyewitness report from inside one Brooklyn hospital where they are struggling to cope with the amount of patients., and report from one morgue where workers are now Facetiming victims' families so they can say one final goodbye. But is there also some hope coming out of America's epicentre, New York, with signs that social distancing is working and the curve is flattening. In the nation's capital Washington DC, Amanda Walker explains why President Trump has attacked the World Health Organisation and threatened to withhold their funding, and why he continues to encourage Americans to take the untested drug hydroxycholoroquine.And you may be forgiven for forgetting that we are in an election year but we are. Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist, has dropped out of the Democratic race for president, leaving Joe Biden, President Obama's vice-president, as the party's presumptive nominee to take on Donald Trump this November. 

The United States now has more cases of the coronavirus than any other country in the world, with more than 190,000 people testing positive for the disease and over 4,000 deaths.New York has been hardest hit. Refrigerated trucks are now being used as emergency morgues as hospitals become increasingly overwhelmed, US Navy hospital ship Comfort has been sent to New York City to offer some respite, and a field hospital has now been set up in the middle of Central Park. Alistair Bunkall brings you the latest from the epicentre of the US' battle against COVID-19 as doctors describe the pandemic as 'hell' and claim the crisis is worse than 9/11.Even funeral homes are being overrun. Cordelia Lynch and Emily Purser share a special report from the Gerard J Nuefeld funeral home in New York City as families are not even allowed to bury their dead. "The crematoriums really aren't letting anybody in. The cemeteries are, for the most part, telling people to stay in their cars and just watch the burial from the gravesite."Also on the podcast this week, Amanda Walker reports from the nation's capital Washington DC and discusses whether the penny has finally dropped for Donald Trump after the President backtracked on plans to stop social distancing by Easter Sunday. 

The Coronavirus has America in its grip, and life here is changing fast. But just as the rest of the world shuts down, President Trump has started talking about opening the US back up. Will it really only take 15 days to fight off this virus?Much like in Europe, our Sky News crew in the US are working from home and living under severe restrictions. We’ve battled the tech to get together virtually, to talk about Donald Trump’s endgame here, and how the situation in hotspots like New York might play out.Download Divided States wherever you normally get your podcasts.