This week US President Donald Trump signed an order to freeze billions of dollars in Federal grants and loans which, since this interview was conducted, has been rescinded.
Earlier today he signed an executive order to deport non-citizen pro-Palestine student protestors who have any convictions relating to those protests, including trespassing.
On the economic front, America nearly entered a trade war with Colombia over Trump’s deportation policies and the stock of tech giants, including OpenAI, plummeted earlier this week as Chinese company DeepSeek revealed their AI tech.
For our final State of the States, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about all of these topics as well as what the future of the Trump presidency could hold.
The inauguration of Donald Trump has taken place, meaning he is officially President of the United States.
Many tech giant were at the event, including SpaceX and Tesla’s Elon Musk who appeared to do a nazi salute during his speech.
On his first day in office, Trump signed a series of controversial executive orders, including ordering the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organisation and Paris Climate Agreement.
For States of the States this week Wire Host Caeden spoke to Yale Daily News’ Andre Fa’aoso about the inauguration and Trump’s first few days in office, as well as the short-lived Tiktok ban.
And Producer Sofia spoke to honorary academic at the University of Auckland Faculty of Science and climate scientist Dr Kevin Trenberth about Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and what this says about his administration’s policy for climate change
The Eaton and Palisades fires, the two major fires making up the Los Angeles fires, are now the two most destructive wildfires in Southern California history.
The fires have sparked significant debate about insurance in high-risk natural disaster areas as thousands of Californians lost their home insurance not long before the fires.
And president-elect Donald Trump has returned to the centre stage of United States foreign policy in the weeks leading up to his inauguration.
Trump has threatened to annex Greenland and Canada as well as reclaim the Panama Canal for the United States.
For States of the States this week Wire Host Caeden spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about both of these topics.
The Healthcare exec Brian Thompson was shot dead by a masked assailant last week.
The crime has gained significant controversy and attention online, with many using it to restart the debate on the inequities of the United States healthcare system.
And this week Yale University was the latest college to commit to divesting from weapons manufacturing after a student vote.
For State of the States this week Wire Host Caeden speak to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about both of these topics.
For State of the States this week, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Andre Fa'aoso from the Yale Daily News about President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was due to be sentenced next week for three felony charges.
They also discuss Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, who is the latest in a long list of unorthodox picks for government positions from Trump
President-elect Donald Trump has announced a plan to enact tariffs that target China, Mexico, and Canada.
Prosecutors have dropped the election interference case against Trump, with the reasoning it will not be completed ahead of Trump taking up the presidency.
The cases against Trump’s co-defendants are continuing, although it is unclear if these charges will continue under Trump’s new nominee for Attorney-General Pam Bondi.
For States of the States this week Wire Host Caeden speaks to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about all of these topics.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum occured last week with the United States in attendance. The 21 nations discussed issues of free trade and climate change impact in the region.
The United States has also shifted their foreign policy on Ukraine, allowing the use of their missiles in Russia.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has received scrutiny for unconventional cabinet picks over the past week. The most controversial of these is Attorney-General nominee Matt Gaetz, who is under investigation by the House ethics committee for drug use, misuse of campaign funds, and allegations of sexual misconduct.
Wire Host Caeden speaks to Andre Fa'oso from the Yale Daily News about all of these topics for State of the States.
Last week Donald Trump and the Republican Party won a decisive victory in the United States election, taking both the presidency and the senate. Over the past week the Republicans have also taken the house of representatives, and president-elect Donald Trump has announced some key cabinet appointments. Wire Host Caeden speaks to Andre Fa’aoso about these developments.
They also speak to political commentator, Tom Unger, about the mood on the ground in Washington D.C. as well as how Kamala Harris and the Democrats have responded to the election over the past week.
Last night Republican Donald Trump won the United States election, sweeping battleground states and taking more than the 270 electoral college votes required to win.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about who voted for Trump yesterday and students’ reactions to the election outcome.
They then spoke to political commentator and former political show host at Radioactive Tom Unger, who is on the ground in New Jersey, about the reaction from both campaigns and the general public to Trump’s win.
And they spoke to Associate Professor in Law Scott Optican from the University of Auckland about the ramifications of Trump winning as a convicted felon, as well as the potential impacts of a Trump presidency in Aotearoa.
Wire Host Caeden speaks to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News and political commentator Tom Unger about Trump’s Madison Square Garden Rally and the feeling on the ground ahead of next week’s United States election.
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