How Trump’s using the government shutdown to remake America
The Story9 Okt 2025

How Trump’s using the government shutdown to remake America

The US government has been shut down for more than a week, and Democrats and Republicans are locked in a political blame game. Shutdowns are nothing new in US politics, but this time President Trump has made an unusual threat: to permanently cut hundreds of thousands of jobs and shutter entire government agencies. Is this just a new bargaining tactic to put pressure on Democrats or part of a bigger project to remake the American government?


This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory


Guest: Lara Spirit, Washington Correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Micaela Arneson and Olivia Case.

Read more: Trump warns Democrats the ‘grim reaper is coming’

The revenge shutdown: Trump vows to inflict maximum pain on Democrats

Clips: CBS, ProPublica, Democracy Now!, @realDonaldTrump / TruthSocial, ABC, MSNBC, NBC News.

Music: (Don't Fear) The Reaper / Blue Oyster Cult / Columbia.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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Episoder(1741)

Q&A: What we know (and don't know) about Trump's Iran talks

Q&A: What we know (and don't know) about Trump's Iran talks

As the war with Iran rumbles on, are ceasefire talks back on or is that ‘fake news’? What’s in America’s 15 point peace plan? Could an Iranian missile reach the UK? And how long can Iran keep fighting...

26 Mar 31min

INVESTIGATION: On the line - Whack-a-mole

INVESTIGATION: On the line - Whack-a-mole

In the final episode of our county lines series, we hear how county lines drug gangs are continuing to shift their business model to avoid detection. Policing minister, Sarah Jones, explains how the g...

25 Mar 32min

INVESTIGATION: On the line - Mike

INVESTIGATION: On the line - Mike

Mike started selling drugs for a county lines gang when he was just a teenager. After being arrested and getting stabbed, he left that life behind. But he's been willing to share his experiences with ...

24 Mar 34min

INVESTIGATION: On the line - the loophole

INVESTIGATION: On the line - the loophole

Children aren't just running drugs for county lines gangs - sometimes they're running the lines themselves.Today The Sunday Times's northern editor David Collins talks to the police officers who worry...

23 Mar 37min

INVESTIGATION: On the line - the never-ending battle

INVESTIGATION: On the line - the never-ending battle

Today we go inside Operation Titan, as North Yorkshire Police fight back against county lines drugs gangs. But with each line the police shut down, another pops up in its place, sometimes within days....

22 Mar 26min

INVESTIGATION: On the line - a family business

INVESTIGATION: On the line - a family business

Part one of a five-part special investigation into county lines drug dealing, running in audio, video, print and digital from The Times and The Sunday Times.Today we reveal how police took down the fa...

21 Mar 31min

The world is looking for the Kinahan drug lords. We found them

The world is looking for the Kinahan drug lords. We found them

After years in hiding, The Sunday Times has obtained images of Christy and Daniel Kinahan, leaders of the all-powerful Kinahan cartel, living freely in Dubai. They are some of the most wanted criminal...

20 Mar 29min

Kent's meningitis outbreak - how it exploded, can it be stopped?

Kent's meningitis outbreak - how it exploded, can it be stopped?

What began as an evening out at a nightclub in Kent has rapidly spiralled into a "super-spreader" event that has left doctors stunned and two young people dead. This surge in Meningitis B cases has tr...

19 Mar 30min

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