Stateside with Kai and Carter

What is Hasan Piker’s dude bro project really about?

Soon after Twitch streamer Hasan Piker [https://www.instagram.com/hasandpiker/?hl=en] started campaigning with Democratic candidates this spring, an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal was published with the headline “Democrats are too cozy with Hasan Piker". That triggered a fever pitch of more op-eds and interviews asking Piker to respond to past statements he’s made on Israel's war in Gaza, 9/11, and more. But the controversy surrounding him hasn’t slowed his momentum or influence – if anything, it’s amplified both. Host Kai Wright [https://www.theguardian.com/profile/kai-wright] talks to Piker and asks, what exactly is this very online, very popular figure trying to achieve in the real world? * Check out the Guardian's December 2025 profile of Hasan Piker here [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/11/i-love-when-my-enemies-hate-me-how-hasan-piker-became-one-of-the-biggest-voices-on-the-us-left] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why the fight over abortion pills is only just beginning

The US supreme court has preserved nationwide access to mail-order abortion pills – for now. As Carter Sherman explains, the fight to protect this medication is far from over, as a nationwide, near-total abortion ban could be on the horizon. Carter speaks with Dr Angel Foster, co-founder of the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project, who reveals how the legal battle over abortion pills has affected patients across the US – and what could happen next ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Hantavirus isn’t the next Covid. But here's why we should actually worry

All month, people all over the world have been nervously watching as the Hantavirus spread aboard a cruise ship called the MV Hondius. Three people from the ship died and as the virus spread to other passengers, people wondered – is this the next pandemic? It isn't. But as Guardian health correspondent Melody Schreiber [https://www.theguardian.com/profile/melody-schreiber] tells host Kai Wright [https://www.theguardian.com/profile/kai-wright], the outbreak revealed how Trump's cuts to government funding for public health and a climate of rampant misinformation have affected our readiness for the next pandemic. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How ICE turned its violent arrest of a US citizen into content

In June 2025, Christian Cerna went to a protest in his neighborhood against ICE raids and allegedly punched a border patrol agent. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, but denies that he ever hit the officer. Days after the protest, Christian was violently arrested in front of his family by ICE officers, who filmed the whole operation and later posted it to social media. Christian tells Carter Sherman how the experience took a "heavy toll" on him and Sam Levin reveals the reporting behind the story. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Stacey Abrams on why the gutting of the Voting Rights Act is 'evil'

The US supreme court demolished the 1965 Voting Rights Act when they ruled in Louisiana v Callais last month that states can’t consider race in redistricting. Southern states from Tennessee to Alabama have rushed to erase majority Black districts, sparking chaos for the midterm elections. Kai Wright talks with Stacey Abrams [https://www.staceyabrams.com/], voting rights activist and former Georgia house minority leader, about the fallout from the decision, and why, even now, she thinks the way forward is still through engaging more voters to participate in democracy: “They have fractured communities and said we’re going to scatter these seeds. Our job is to grow.” ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.