217 | Trump vs Iran: Is it for Real?

David and Helen talk to Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at the Economist, about the fallout from the killing of Soleimani and the future of American power.  Is Trump a madman or is he a realist (or is he neither)?  What sort of threat does Iran pose to American interests in the region and the wider world?  And what has all this got to do with oil and climate change?  Plus, in the week Trump's impeachment trial gets underway, we ask who or what can limit the power of the presidency.

216 | Predictions for 2030 with Azeem Azhar

An extra episode with Azeem Azhar, tech entrepreneur and host of the Exponential View podcast and newsletter.  We talk about Azeem's predictions for what will shape politics and technology over the next
decade, from climate change to artificial intelligence.  Plus we discuss the Dominic Cummings agenda: will the UK government really be able to harness the dynamism of the tech start-up mindset within the hidebound
structures of Whitehall?  The first of a two part special - you can find the other half of this conversation at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exponential-view-with-azeem-azhar/id1172218725 and the newsletter at https://www.exponentialview.co/

215 | What's the Future for Labour?

We are back for 2020 to talk about Labour's future after Corbyn. How can the party move the argument beyond Brexit?  Does the voting system help or hinder Labour's chances of returning to power?  And what to do about Scotland?  Plus we ask how much damage would be done if the next leader turns out to be the only man in the field.  With Helen Thompson, Chris Brooke and Chris Bickerton.

214 | The Great Abortion Switcheroo

 In the final episode of our American Histories series, Sarah Churchwell tells the incredible story of the politics of abortion during the 1970’s.  How did evangelicals go from supporting abortion to being its die-hard opponents, what did the switch have to do with the politics of race and what have been the lasting consequences for American democracy?

213 | Deporting Mexicans

Gary Gerstle explores the forgotten history of Mexican deportations from the southern United States in the 1930s and asks how it fits into the longer story of US immigration policy up until today.  From open borders to 'Build That Wall': what's next?

212 | The 15th and the 19th

Sarah Churchwell tells the tortured history of the campaign to secure votes for women and how it was tied up with another campaign to suppress votes for black Americans.  From the 15th amendment in 1870 to the 19th amendment in 1920: why the promise of enfranchisement is often not what it seems.