140 | Trump and the Shutdown

With the US government still shut, we compare this standoff to shutdowns of the past and try to work out what happens next.  What is Trump's game?  Can the two parties hold together?  And why aren't the workers taking to the streets?  Plus we weigh up where things stand with the Mueller investigation, the race for the democratic nomination and Trump's shifting policy on Syria.  It's all connected!  With Helen Thompson and Gary Gerstle.

55 | America, Russia, Venezuela, France

We reconvene in the dog days of summer to talk about what's been on our minds.  Helen wants to know how the US Congress managed to agree a tough sanctions regime against Russia when it can't agree on anything else.  What does this mean for Trump and for Europe?  David wants to know why Jeremy Corbyn is so little damaged by his past support for the current Venezuelan regime.  When does ideology catch up with domestic politics?  Chris Bickerton wants to know whether Macron is coming down to earth with a bump.  How is he doing a hundred days in?