Introducing Swamp Notes: The real cost of gutting USAID
Political Fix8 Aug 2025

Introducing Swamp Notes: The real cost of gutting USAID

Political Fix is on a break this week. In its absence, we're taking the opportunity to introduce you to its sister podcast, Swamp Notes, the weekly US politics podcast from the Financial Times. Six months after the Trump administration gutted the US Agency for International Development, experts are tracking the impact of its absence. The FT’s David Pilling and the Brookings Institution’s George Ingram describe the surprising ways countries are adapting to a world with less resources for the poor, sick and starving.


Mentioned in this podcast:

Email Marc with your questions (Marc.Filippino@FT.com)

What the closure of USAID is really costing the world

USAID cuts threaten 14mn extra deaths by 2030, warns study

The shifting future of foreign aid

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here


Listen to Swamp Notes on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts.


Swamp Notes is produced by Henry Larson. Samantha Giovinco mixed this week’s episode. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(574)

Britain’s diplomatic push over Afghanistan

Britain’s diplomatic push over Afghanistan

This week we examine how the UK got its withdrawal from Afghanistan so badly wrong and the subsequent Whitehall briefing war against the Foreign Office. Robert Shrimsley, our chief political commentat...

4 Sep 202131min

Interview special: Liz Truss

Interview special: Liz Truss

In the fifth and final of our summer specials, Sebastian Payne meets Liz Truss, international trade secretary and minister for women and equalities.Truss is the most popular member of Boris Johnson’s ...

28 Aug 202131min

Interview special: Sir Malcolm Rifkind

Interview special: Sir Malcolm Rifkind

In the fourth of our summer specials, Sebastian Payne meets Sir Malcolm Rifkind. In a week when the Taliban shocked the West with its rapid advance in Afghanistan, the former Conservative defence and ...

21 Aug 202129min

Interview special: Steve Baker MP

Interview special: Steve Baker MP

In the third of our summer specials, Sebastian Payne speaks to Steve Baker, the Tory MP for Wycombe and one of the Conservative party's most formidable campaigners. Whether it's through the European R...

14 Aug 202132min

Interview special: Professor Neil Ferguson

Interview special: Professor Neil Ferguson

In the second of our summer specials, Sebastian Payne speaks to Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London. Nicknamed Professor Lockdown by some newspapers, the leading epidemiologist and gove...

7 Aug 202133min

Interview special: Anas Sarwar

Interview special: Anas Sarwar

In our first summer special, Sebastian Payne speaks to the leader of the Scottish Labour party Anas Sarwar about countering Nicola Sturgeon, how he intends to revive his party’s prospects and leadersh...

31 Jul 202127min

Exemptions to isolation and the Northern Ireland protocol

Exemptions to isolation and the Northern Ireland protocol

In what should have been a big final week of term at Westminster, Boris Johnson had to abandon plans for a big announcement on social care reform. Instead, ministers tried to come up with a series of ...

24 Jul 202126min

Chaos and confusion over masks and levelling up

Chaos and confusion over masks and levelling up

The UK is pressing ahead with the easing of all lockdown measures on July 19, despite coronavirus infections hitting 50,000 a day. How has Downing Street got itself into a mess over masks? Plus we dis...

17 Jul 202133min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
i-retten
forklart
stopp-verden
popradet
det-store-bildet
nokon-ma-ga
dine-penger-pengeradet
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
frokostshowet-pa-p5
e24-podden
rss-dannet-uten-piano
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk