As Donald Trump prepares for his return to the White House, the world is gearing up for another term full of big promises and unconventional moves. Trump’s plans could shake things up at home and abroad – so what will they mean for the economy in America and beyond? Today in The Bunker, Coco Khan is joined by Dr. Kara Reynolds, professor of economics at American University in Washington, D.C., to discuss his fiscal plans. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100...

Out early for everyone! Americans face the reality of four more years under Donald Trump. But how did we get here? What went right for Trump and what went so wrong for Kamala Harris? Gavin Esler is joined by political experts Michael Cullinane, U.S. History Professor at Dickinson State University, and Clodagh Harrington, American politics lecturer at the University of Cork, to unpack why Harris lost and explore what these results mean for the future of democracy.  • We are sponsored by...

Falling circulations, trivial stories, shrinking budgets, squandered trust? It’s worse than that, says US media analyst and academic Jeff Jarvis. A combination of self-seeking billionaire owners and complacent, outdated reporting meant that papers and TV failed to alert Americans to Trump’s real threat: the advent of actual fascism in the USA.  He tells Andrew Harrison how the US press “sanewashes” Trump’s demented edicts, how the Republicans hack the news to their advantage, and what needs...

From Obama’s effortless cool aura to Zelenskyy’s stoic defiance, charm and charisma have shown themselves to be game-changers in politics. Often dismissed as superficial, these qualities can shift public opinion, steer policy, and even swing elections. Today on The Bunker, Zing Tsjeng speaks with Julia Sonnevend, author of Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics, to explore the power of charm global politics.     Buy Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics...

There’s only one story this week: the US Presidential Election, with Harris and Trump neck-and-neck and democracy itself at stake. Special guest Nikki McCann Ramírez of our partner pod American Friction sets out what will decide the final confrontation in the key swing states – how Trump is already preparing the ground for another big lie about a stolen election – and why the fight for America’s future is a battle of the sexes.   • Follow American Friction for the best analysis of the US...

Rachel Reeves’ first budget has caused quite the stir. But what aspects were really surprising – and important? What was risky? And what issues didn’t it address? Ros Taylor discusses all this and more with Giles Wilkes, senior fellow at the Institute for Government.  • “It was very much an old Labour budget.” • “It was the first honest attempt at saying, ‘If you want this, it’s got to be paid for,’ since Gordon Brown.” • “They missed any opportunity to make the tax system less bonkers.” We...

As science answers more and more questions, you’d imagine our obsession with the paranormal would diminish. Yet we’re still obsessed with the apparently “unexplained”. Andrew Harrison speaks to Chris French, author of The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal, to discuss why we want to believe – or trick ourselves into believing – in the supernatural, even if it terrifies us.  Buy The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal through our affiliate...

With a new president due to be elected in America, what impact would each candidate have on the war in Ukraine? Rafael Behr speaks to Simon Shuster, reporter for Time and author of The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky, about what the outcome in the US might mean – and to discuss the state of the conflict more broadly, as well as how Ukraine’s leader is continuing to handle the war.     We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker...

Last week’s BRICS Summit was Vladimir Putin latest ploy to strengthen an anti-western alliance. But despite the united front, behind the scenes, cracks are forming in Russia's alliances. Today on The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by Dr. Ian Garner to explore what this mega-summit means for Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the world.  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.      Support us on Patreon.   Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam...

It’s a week of big decisions: Labour’s first budget, the Tories choose their leader, and the last desperate week of campaigning in the Presidential Election. Can Rachel Reeves reset the new government’s course? What will shift the dial in Harris vs Trump? And how about that Runcorn MP allegedly thumping someone in the street? Ros Taylor sets out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison.  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored...

The future is here—or is it? Last week, Tesla’s “We, Robot” event introduced us to Optimus, Elon Musk’s AI-powered humanoid helpers. These futuristic machines grabbed the spotlight but also raised urgent questions about the true cost of our fascination with automation. Today on The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by Dr. Julie Carpenter, author of the upcoming book The Naked Android, to discuss whether humans and robots can coexist. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100...

The race between Trump and Harris is so tight that nobody wants to call it. But from afar, it can be hard to understand how the polls are possibly so tight. What’s made them so close, can anything change them, and are any of them helpful in understanding the election race? Jacob Jarvis asks Andrew Rudalevige, professor of government at Bowdoin College, why it’s all so close.  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast...

A bonus excerpt from the new series of our science and psychology podcast, Why? In Episode One: Most of us think we’re too smart, stable and strong-willed to join a cult – but clearly somebody’s joining them. So why do people willingly give up their free will and independence to join secretive communities with charismatic leaders – and how do they get out? Emma Kennedy talks to world-leading cult deprogrammer Rick Alan Ross and NXIVM cult survivor Sarah Edmondson to discover the strange...

General Election 2024: Was Starmer lucky, ruthless or both? Was there any way back for the Tories after that disastrous rain-sodden launch? And was the vote a real watershed moment – or just an interval before we return to the business of national decline? ITV News’s Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana talks to Andrew Harrison about Taken As Red: How Labour Won Big and the Tories Crashed the Party, her frankly unputdownable account of people and power inside the hot zone of the major...

Georgia is a key battleground in the US election – and was central to Trump’s push against the 2020 result. Trump has been charged over allegations of leading a criminal racketeering enterprise, in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 outcome. With the case pending, Gavin Esler speaks with Marian Mohamed, director of Trump: The Criminal Conspiracy Case, which airs at 9pm on Wednesday, October 23 – and will be available online after – to discuss Trump’s audacious actions in the state and what...

What is it like to wear a hidden camera among neo-fascist extremists? Or at a rally for far-right groups from across Europe, some with a reputation for extreme violence? In a chilling new C4 documentary Undercover: Exposing the Far Right, reporters from Hope Not Hate pose as far-right recruits to discover how they talk privately, how they network, and how they’re laundering discredited “race science” for a gullible new audience.    Reporter Harry Shukman and director Havana Marking talk to...

It’s the last full week before the Budget and of course the press is losing its cool over a raft of leaks. What will be in it, who’s annoyed in Government – is any of it worth paying attention to? Plus, Charles and Starmer attend the Commonwealth summit, the latest from the US election, and the state of conflicts across the world. Gavin Esler talks Jacob Jarvis through the week ahead.  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Want more US politics?...

JD Vance says The Lord Of The Rings shaped his politics. Italy’s Georgia Meloni used to dress as a hobbit and go to right-wing Tolkien meet-ups. Far-right oligarch Peter Thiel named his company after a magic stone from Middle Earth. Why are right-wingers so fascinated by Tolkien? And is their fake, fascist-adjacent vision of a mystic rural paradise dangerous? New York Times columnist and self-declared Tolkien nerd David French explains all to Andrew Harrison.     Read David French’s column...

As pressure to return to the office continues to grow, could we be witnessing the end of flexible working? Despite promises from the government to explore working from home and four-day weeks, bosses seem adamant to return to the status quo. In today’s episode of The Bunker, Hannah Fearn sits down with Professor Cary Cooper to unpack why workplaces are urging employees back into the office.  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit....

Whenever there’s a crisis in America, conspiracy theories follow. The response to Hurricane Helene has highlighted the growing mainstream acceptance of these bizarre tales. From Marjorie Taylor Greene’s wild claims about weather controlling technology to militias disguised as disaster relief. In this episode, we unravel the web of misinformation and dive into the growing trend of mainstream conspiracy theories. Today in the Bunker, Gavin Esler sits down with Mike Rothschild, author of Jewish...

The Conservative leadership race has taken an unexpected turn, with Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick emerging as the final two candidates. On The Bunker, Rock & Roll Politics host Steve Richards sits down with Andrew Harrison to discuss how we ended up here. What are the key differences between the two, and should either be a cause for concern for Keir Starmer? • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.   www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and...

After Starmer’s 100 days milestone, focus is turning to a major investment summit this week. Will he manage to keep business on side by vowing to cut red tape, without causing too much unrest in his party ranks? Plus, we look at escalation in the Middle East and the race to the White House as it draws ever closer. Ros Taylor joins Jacob Jarvis to talk through the stories to look out for in the week ahead.  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Listen...

Two years after Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter takeover, the platform has become a hotbed for alt-right content. Having lost a fifth of its user base and a mass exodus of advertisers, what happened to Musk’s dream of turning the platform into an ‘everything app’? Today, Jacob Jarvis sits down with tech reporter Ryan Broderick, author of the Garbage Day newsletter, to try and understand Musk’s impact on the social media landscape.     We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for...

All new cars sold in Britain will be electric by 2030 if we stick to Government plans. But instead of cheering for decarbonisation, our right-wing press pumps out a steady series of angry hit pieces against electric vehicles. What’s really going on? Is demand for electric cars really plummeting? Is the technology really falling short? And what have the right wing got against electric cars anyway? Automotive journalist and electric car specialist John Voelcker talks us through a culture war on...