Is Trump trying to distract us from the Epstein files?

The actor Billy Crudup, known for The Morning show, Jay Kelly, and Almost Famous, is bringing the Western to the London stage in High Noon. It's an allegory of McCarthyism and Hollywood’s “black list ". This week, he joined Emily in the studio to discuss why he’s drawn to stories of moral cowardice and why he finds it so easy to speak up right now.The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The deadline to release the Epstein files is now over a month old. Last night, a congressional committee confirmed Ghislaine Maxwell would appear before it in a hearing on February 9th. Although she may choose to say little. The vote in Congress last November created a legal obligation on the government to release the Epstein files. So what happens now if the justice department refuses to comply? Later, how Gavin Newson rose through the Democrat ashes to lead the polls as the front runner in 2028. What has he discovered in how to deal with Trump?The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It's a week since Renee Nicole Good was shot by an ICE agent whilst in her car in Minnesota. Since then, protests have erupted around the country, schools in Minneapolis have closed, and last night saw a second shooting by an ICE agent. Is the immigration law enforcement now just a political weapon? And, as Trump threatens martial law, is ICE deliberately trying to provoke conflict in Minnesota? We're joined by Semifore's Ben Smith. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The plan to taken down Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro, was months in the making. And yet, when it did finally happen, it not only took Caracas by surprise but even Washington was stunned by the speed of the incursion. What does the operation in Venezuela tell us about how Trump might be planning to take over other territories? Why has he got his eyes on oil tanks, and is he prepared to go battle with Putin? We speak to The Crisis Room's Marc Polymeropoulos.Later, Tim Walz has ended his campaign to run for Minnesota governor after ongoing fraud accusations became the focus of Republicans. Are fraud claims a new effective weapon for MAGA to attack the Democrats?The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

If you love The News Agents USA, then we think you'll love The Ex Files with Christiane Amanpour, where she and her ex-husband Jamie Rubin - a former US State Department official - unpack today’s defining global crises. Drawing on decades of insider experience in global affairs, reporting from conflict zones and grilling world leaders, they explain how we ended up where we are – and where we might be going.In this episode they discuss why Trump thinks he can force Ukraine to accept a 'surrender document' that hands Putin almost everything he wants. Plus Trump and Mamdani's first meeting in the Oval Office and how tech bros have muscled their way into US politics.Listen to Christiane Amanpour Presents The Ex Files with Jamie Rubin at globalplayer.com

Trump's inner circle may be wondering this week why they gave Vanity Fair exclusive access and close up photos for the magazine. The portrait is unflattering to say the least. And highly revelatory. Will it change how Trump sees those around him? And why is the MAGA aesthetic so central to the brand?Also - Trump speaks to the nation about the economy. Why’s he had to make up all his figures?The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Affordability is the word that Zohran Mamdani made the centre of his New York mayoral campaign after watching the Democrats lose so badly in 2024. But now it’s the Republicans and President Trump that have to convince voters the economy is going in the right direction. And 70 percent of them no longer trust Trump to get it right. What does this mean for the midterms? Later, why the Supreme Court could be about to hand Trump the power he craves to fire whoever he fancies. We talk to Slate' s Mark Joseph Stern.The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The story of the affair between journalist Olivia Nuzzi and Health Secretary RFK Junior has been called the least important and most important story of our times. What does it tell us about MAGA culture, journalistic ethics and the power of click bait versus deep dive investigation? Why is America so obsessed with her story? Later, has a leaked recording of Pete Hegseth, Secretary of WAR, opened him up to accusations of war crimes? And what happens to those who speak out against Trump's extra judicial killings?The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The former FBI director James Comey has walked free after his indictment was thrown out by a judge who decided the presiding attorney was actually invalid. It’s a tricky moment for Donald Trump, who had pursued his enemies in the hope of putting behind bars people who he called “bad” - and led to accusations of “vindictive prosecution“ by the President. But already, the administration's ire has turned to its next victims - former astronaut and Arizona senator Mark Kelly. A decorated, highly respected military man who finds himself facing a possible court martial for sedition after Pete Hegseth's latest outburst. What effect are these arrests and investigations having on America's institutions? And after the resignation of outspoken congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, is Trump starting to lose his grip on his own base? We talk to the New York Times journalist Mark Landler. The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Last night both houses of Congress overwhelmingly voted to force the justice department to release the Epstein files. We could see the contents made public within days. But the vote itself, long resisted by Trump, has left the President looking weaker and more friendless amongst the MAGA base than he’s ever been. Is he starting to look like a lame duck President? And are Republicans imagining a MAGA world that comes after Trump? Or will they quickly revert to fealty? Later, the college professor in exile from America after being targeted by death threats for his academic work on Antifa.The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/