Is MAGA rupturing over Trump's war in Iran?

The first resignation over the Iran war came yesterday. Oddball Joe Kent, Director of counter-terrorism, said he disagreed with President Trump's war. Are others starting to feel the same? Loud voices in MAGA are telling Trump he’s got it wrong. What happens now?We talk to Jason Greenblatt, White House special envoy to the Middle East during Trump's first term, about what Trump is trying to achieve in Iran - and whether he is losing the room.The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Despite being at war, America's commander in chief President Trump has been busy hosting election-style campaign events ahead of important midterm elections. It was billed as an "affordability tour", a chance for Trump to hammer home the ways in which his presidency will make voters feel better off.But predictably, at a rally in Kentucky, Trump went off script. He used the platform to repeatedly slam GOP Congressman Thomas Massie, mock Barack Obama, and declare that America had in fact already won the conflict in the Middle East. US public opinion on the war already makes alarming reading for the White House - and that's before the huge spike in oil prices really filters through to the weekly shop or at the gas pumps. Has his decision to strike Iran wrecked his best shot at keeping voters on side?Later - John Bolton on how Trump has fumbled his Iran "excursion", and why Marco Rubio needs insoles...

Why did Trump decide to strike Iran? Was it the US that started the war? Is it even a war? Listening to senior figures in the administration and in MAGA it's not entirely clear. The accounts are confused, contradictory, and seem to change by day.What is clearer is that the American public don't support the action. Polling suggests only one in four Americans back the strikes - and a series of Trump influencers have reacted with fury to the move. This is another war from the President who pledged to end them. With the midterms critical for Trump's future, could this intervention become a massive own goal if gas prices rise and voters turn away from the GOP?This week, Jon is joined by Michael D. Shear, the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times correspondent.And later - James Talarico electrifies Democrats in Texas, but is talk of turning the State blue premature? Or does Talarico represent a generational shift in the party?The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Has the DOJ withheld documents from the Epstein files that relate to allegations against President Trump? That's the accusation from senior Democrats after an NPR investigation found that more than 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes from a conversation with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse when she was a minor were removed from the dataset.California Congressman Robert Garcia is calling it "the largest government cover up in modern history". The White House says that President Trump has been "totally exonerated on anything relating to Jeffrey Epstein". So what's actually going on?We speak to the editor of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, about Epstein, the State of the Union address, and the state of journalism in the era of Trump.The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Senator Mark Kelly is a former astronaut, a Navy pilot, and was almost Kamala Harris VP pick. Now he’s weighing up a run for the presidency himself in 2028. He came into the News Agents studio this lunchtime to tell us why Trump is helping his cause by threatening to have him “hanged“ and why it’s important for European leaders, including Starmer, to push back on Trump’s bullying.The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The News Agents USA listeners, we've got a new podcast we think you'll love.Step inside sport’s greatest soap opera, Formula One, with a brand-new podcast Up To Speed. Hosted by Drive to Survive star Will Buxton, racing driver-turned-broadcaster Naomi Schiff, 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, and F1 content creator Jolie Sharpe.Expect razor-sharp reaction, behind-the-scenes insight, blockbuster interviews and answers to the questions you’ve always wanted to ask! With their deep knowledge, expert analysis and infectious love for racing, Will, Naomi, DC & Jolie dive into the stories that matter - on and off the track.It’s fast-paced, unfiltered and full of the gossip that keeps the paddock buzzing.They’ll react to the weekend's race drama every Monday. On Thursday they’ll deep dive into the biggest stories of the week. Watch and listen to episode 1 now on Global Player, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

Trump is trying his best to manifest good polling numbers. But the raw numbers as they stand are dire for the President. This week, we talk to top pollster Doug Sosnik, who was at Bill Clinton’s side for six years, about political shamelessness, polling and 'the Epstein class'.The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In an exclusive interview with Emily, Amy Wallace - who co-authored Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir - warns that lives are being put in danger by the way that the US department of justice has handled the Epstein files.Why are victims' names appearing unredacted but possible perpetrators are having their names concealed, and testimony against them omitted entirely?Donald Trump has told America to move on and focus on something "people care about". Does the President's feeble attempt to draw a line under the Epstein files only strengthen the resolve to get to the bottom of the scandal and bring about justice?The News Agents USA is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

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/