Swamp Notes

Democrats are looking for a bit of a rebrand after losing the White House and both houses of Congress in 2024. They have an opportunity this November to test out some new types of candidates. In a critical swing district in Pennsylvania, the party establishment has coalesced around a progressive, blue-collar candidate named Bob Brooks. The other frontrunner in the race, Ryan Crosswell, represents a very different vision for winning over swing voters. He’s a former Republican and former federal prosecutor who’s more centrist.

Host Sonja Hutson travels to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to interview the candidates and ask party activists where they fall in the electability debate.

Check it out on the FT News Briefing feed.

Listen to past episodes of The Bethlehem Project here.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iran and the US more or less came to the table earlier this week. But the agreed ceasefire is already starting to show cracks. For the final episode of Swamp Notes, the FT’s Washington bureau chief explains why both sides decided to pause the fighting, and what this conflict has revealed about Donald Trump’s foreign policy.

Mentioned in this podcast:
The Middle East ceasefire deal is fraying. What’s next for Trump?
Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here

Swamp Notes is hosted by Marc Filippino and Sonja Hutson. It’s produced by Henry Larson. This week’s show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz and the FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

CREDIT: NBC News, CNN, Al Jazeera English

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A year ago this week, US President Donald Trump rocked the world with his so-called liberation day announcement. America’s tariff regime affected all aspects of life from the global economy to the day-to-day of average business owners. As part of a special FT News Briefing series, the FT’s US economics editor Claire Jones explains what changed, and what didn’t, because of those tariffs.

Mentioned in this podcast:
Listen to the rest of the FT News Briefing’s Liberation Day series
Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter

Swamp Notes is hosted by Marc Filippino and produced by Henry Larson. This week’s show was mixed by Kelly Garry. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz and the FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s hard to square US President Donald Trump’s circle. Earlier this week, he said his administration was speaking with Iranian officials. Stocks shot up, oil crashed. Then, Iran denied that talks were ongoing and the US ordered more troops to the Gulf. The FT’s foreign affairs correspondent Abigail Hauslohner and markets columnist Katie Martin explain the role markets play in why Trump’s messaging doesn’t align with his actions.

Mentioned in this podcast:
Iran’s military leaders dismiss Donald Trump’s deal claims
Markets were not made for Trump’s never-ending ping-pong
Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here

Swamp Notes is hosted by Marc Filippino and produced by Henry Larson. This week’s show was mixed by Kent Militzer. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz and the FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

CREDIT: NBC News, CBS News

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to data centres, the Trump administration has been urging AI companies to “build, baby, build”. But the White House’s agenda is facing resistance from an unlikely place: the very states that won Donald Trump the presidency.

The FT’s Joe Miller went on a road trip to Missouri to talk to some AI sceptics.

Mentioned in this podcast:
Donald Trump’s AI push fuels revolt in Maga heartlands
Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here

Swamp Notes is hosted by Marc Filippino, and produced by Henry Larson and Sonja Hutson. This week’s show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.