American Friction

RFK Jr. won’t stop talking about autism – and his comments are anti-science, wrong and generally offensive. So, we wanted to speak about just how bizarre and incorrect his stances are. Chris and Jarv are joined by Eric Garcia, The Independent’s DC bureau chief and author of We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation. Read Eric’s piece “RFK Jr calls autism an ‘epidemic’ and a tragedy. As an...

Trump’s first 100 days have been so awful that you’d be forgiven for forgetting some of the worst bits. Nikki, Chris and Jarv recap the horrible moments, and pick out their ‘highlights’, if you can call it that. Plus, it’s our first birthday – so we celebrate that and answer a load of your questions.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch:...

Donald Trump’s economic chaos is hard to keep track of – even if you’re an expert. Well, we’re not experts – so we got one in to help us out. Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, sits down with Chris and Jarv to talk through the madness and to try and make sense of it all.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.pa...

It’s tough to do this show every week and make sense of what’s happening! And this week is one of the wildest yet so we figured we’d just let it rip… Nikki, Chris and Jarv get into everything from the Pope and JD Vance, Trump toppling the economy and his poll ratings, Hegseth calling things he’s admitted to the media hoaxes and RFK Jr. being the worst guy in the world! Oh, and Musk’s having a rubb...

Donald Trump made it abundantly clear he doesn’t care about human rights this week, if it were ever in doubt. Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpack another horrifying week – and put into context just how unbelievably messed up what’s happening is.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtu...

Trump’s draconian move of deporting people to El Salvador with no due process disgusted onlookers – but unfortunately there could be worse to come. Nikki recently wrote a piece headlined The ‘Judicial Black Hole’ of El Salvador’s Prisons Is a Warning for American. Her and Jarv are joined by Noah Bullock, executive director of Cristosal, a human rights organization that has represented victims and...

Donald Trump’s U-turn on global tariffs was his genius strategy all along, according to his most loyal minions. But anyone conscious can see that blatantly isn’t true. So what caused Trump to place this 90-day pause on tariffs (apart from China)? And what has been the reaction to it? Chris and Nikki get into all of that and loads more!   Back us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/AmericanFriction...

Trump has said there are ways he could run for a third term. But, are there any which are legal and not insane? Jarv and Chris are joined by Casey Burgat, host of the Mastering the Room podcast to discuss the weird prospect of him sticking around for another few years beyond his current stay…  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https:/...

Trump’s tariffs speech was as weird and confusing as you’d imagine – and has ended up causing more frustration than liberation. What’s going on and is it good for anyone? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss all that and more from the weird world of US politics.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/americanfriction  Fol...

Democrat incumbents are bracing for a raft of primary challengers in upcoming elections. Among those vying for a seat is Kat Abughazaleh, who’s appeared on the show in her role as an expert on right-wing disinfo. Now, she’s running for Congress and joined Jarv and Nikki to discuss what she’d want to do differently, what Democrats should be doing differently – and who among them should probably jus...

The Pete Hegseth Signal chat disaster has finally put MAGA on the backfoot and given the Dems some ammunition. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss the fallout and ask where we go from here.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follo...

Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is at the centre of a scandal – so how bad things could things get under his watch? After a journalist was accidentally added to a group chat discussing war plans, all focus is on the former Fox News host we discuss if he’ll get fired – or if he’ll stick around making things worse. Ben Makuch is a freelance national security reporter who writes for the Gua...

Trump and Musk are taking an axe to chunks of America’s social security infrastructure – so just how badly will this hurt ordinary citizens? Justin Glawe, independent journalist and founder of American Doom, joins Jarv and Nikki to discuss.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on You...

Donald Trump has been on a power grabbing spree – is he firmly behaving like a dictator? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss the latest US political fallout and answer listener questions.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow...

Donald Trump takes being anti-immigration to a new extreme as president. On a human level, it’s clear for many to see why his policies are abhorrent. But, on a practical level, are they also just stupid? Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy expert and vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute, joins Chris and Jarv to discuss just how damaging his policies could b...

Donald Trump is tanking the US economy – what’s going to go wrong next? And how’s his job as a Tesla salesman going? We unpack all the latest American political mayhem.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social...

For centuries, Native Americans, Alaskans, and Hawaiians have faced hardship at the hands of the US federal government. Because of that, participation within the federal system is extremely low, with only 0.07 of elected officials being from indigenous heritage. Will that ever change? And what’s it like being Native in America today? Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz spent seven years in the Obama administ...

Trump’s first major speech as president was about as gross as you’d expect. What substance was there – and how much was just dishing out punishment to Democrats? Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpack everything you need to know and answer listener questions.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/americanfriction  Follow us...

Trump and Zelenskyy’s fallout in the Oval Office, egged on by Vice President JD Vance, shocked onlookers and has left the world reeling. So, what comes next? Jarv and Nikki are joined by Matt Duss, executive director of the center for international policy and co-host of the The Un-Diplomatic Podcast, to discuss the fallout and what it means.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. G...

Elon Musk seems to be p*ssing off everyone – including members of the Trump cabinet. But, the president is still backing him and he’s still ploughing on with his DOGE plans. Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpack the latest mishaps and discuss how long Musk will last. Plus, we round up other news and answer listener questions!  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extr...

Former Democratic Alabama senator Doug Jones joins us to discuss the latest chaos and how Democrats should push against it. What would he advise legally? How should they communicate? And what makes him hopeful? Back us on Patreon, we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/americanfriction Follow us on Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/ame...

Well, what a month it’s been. Trump was sworn in a month ago and we figured we’d rate his time in office so far. Plus, we discuss the latest Elon Musk weirdness after his and president’s love-in on Fox News. All that and more in a bumper panel episode – and we’ll be back with our interview episode on Monday!  Back us on Patreon, we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and...

Trump’s allies, including JD Vance and Elon Musk, think he should just ignore the courts that try to stop his actions. Can he? What would happen if he did? Plus, while the MAGA movement destroys everything, it’s hard to stay hopeful. Reverend Professor Keith Magee joins us to discuss how to bridge political divisions and stay, somewhat, positive in the new Trump era.  Back us on Patreon – we need...

Elon Musk is taking over and shutting down chunks of government with help from his merry band of young mega nerds. What’s going on? And why is nobody stopping him? And Trump is talking about yet more expansion for the United States, now turning his focus to Gaza. Why’s he pushing for a new frontier?   Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch:...

Not satisfied with picking on Canada, Greenland, and Panama already - Trump continues his bullying spree. This time it’s Colombia that’s the target – Why? And for how much longer can he get away with being so brutish? Plus, over half of Americans see China as the biggest threat to the US. How will Trump manage the relationship with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and could Elon Musk act as a...