The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Fables Of The Reconstruction: A Bunker mini-series for the 250th anniversary of the USA… After Trump’s reign and his war on the pillars of American democracy are over, will America need a reboot, like after the Civil War? A new Reconstruction?
Today: Nothing reduces the America system to gridlock and vindictiveness like the polarised two-party system. And when Trump remade the Republicans into a self-radicalising personality cult, he made it worse. Is there any breaking out of the Democrat vs Republican vendetta? Casey Burgat, former congressional staffer turned politics professor at George Washington University, give Andrew Harrison a brisk education on what’s not working in US party politics… and what, surprisingly, is.
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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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Setting out the stories of the next seven days… Andy Burnham is PM in waiting and the battle among Labour MPs for his attention is on. What’s going to bubble up from what the Guardian calls a “massive bunfight for influence”? Plus, Shabana Mahmood finds a way to make immigration even more contentious, Trump finds a way to make America’s 250th birthday horribly divisive… and Taylor Swift is getting married in New York. Ros Taylor and Andrew Harrison read the runes for the week ahead.

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Burnham looks set to become PM, so how are his plans shaping up? Jonn Elledge joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss as they pull together the biggest news stories from the last week.
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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Jonn Elledge. Audio editor: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Design by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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The eye-watering “Liberation Day” trade tariffs that Trump unleashed on the world on April 2, 2025, are about to expire after the US Supreme Court ruled the President had overstepped his powers. But the damage they’ve caused continues to reverberate. For economists, Trump’s tariffs began World War Trade, a dangerous new era of predatory trade and protectionism. How did tariffs become Trump’s weapon of choice? And is his trade war a total bust? Professor of international economics at IMD Business School Richard Baldwin unpacks the truth about Trump’s tariff policy with Emma Kennedy.

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• Read Richard’s book World War Trade: Conflict, Containment and the Emergent World Trading Order

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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Kim Jong Un has ruled North Korea with an iron fist since taking power in 2011. But if the dictator died tomorrow, what would happen? Would North Koreans finally taste freedom? Who’s in charge of the nuclear codes? And could his 13-year-old daughter Kim Ju Ae really be next in line to rule one of the world’s most dangerous regimes? Journalist, foreign affairs analyst, and author of The Great Successor: The Secret Rise and Rule of Kim Jong Un Anna Fifield joins Seth Thévos to discuss succession scenarios and where the country – and world – might stand.

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Written and presented by Seth Thévos. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

www.podmasters.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.