The Rest Is Politics

Latest Episodes:

Will AI End Humanity? Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

If there is even a 1% chance that AI could destroy us, should we keep building it? Are we creating machines that will one day outthink humanity? And is the race to dominate AI accelerating us toward a future we’re unprepared to face?

This week, Yoshua Bengio joins Rory Stewart and Matt Clifford for an AI deep dive. A Turing Award–winning pioneer of deep learning, Bengio helped build the field, and is now one of its most urgent critics, warning that without restraint, the risks ahead could be profound.

To listen to the full episode, sign up at therestispolitics.com

Instagram: ⁠@restispolitics⁠

Twitter: ⁠@restispolitics⁠

Email: ⁠therestispolitics@goalhanger.com⁠

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Lorcan Moullier

Producer: India Dunkley

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Tom Whiter

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489. Musk's AI Deepfake Disgrace & JD Vance's Minnesota Lies (Question Time) Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

Will the UK ban 'X' over explicit, nonconsensual deepfake images of women and children generated using its AI tool? What does JD Vance's outburst against the Minnesota ICE shooting victim tell us about the misinformation age? After the attacks on Rory over the weekend from The Telegraph, Spectator, and Boris Johnson in the Daily Mail, what is it about Rory that so reliably enrages the right-wing press?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Tom Whiter

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488. Is Iran on the Edge of Revolution? Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

Could the Iran protests finally break the Supreme Leader’s brutal reign, or will the regime's deadly crackdown contain the unrest? If the US intervenes militarily, what would a Trump-style plan for Iran look like? Why are tensions rising in Yemen between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and could their conflict reignite one of the world's worst humanitarian crises?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith, Lorcan Mouillier

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

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China vs USA: Who Will Win the AI Race? Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

Who really controls AI; governments, corporations, or no one at all? Is AI becoming a new kind of global arms race? And, can we keep humans in charge of systems that move faster than we do?

Rory and Matt are joined by President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar. Tino is a former justice on the Supreme Court of California, an executive appointee to the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations and a Professor of Law at Stanford University.

To listen to the full episode, sign up at therestispolitics.com

Instagram: @restispolitics

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Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Lorcan Moullier

Producer: India Dunkley

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Tom Whiter

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487. Is Starmer Rethinking His Approach to Europe? (Question Time) Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

What do Keir Starmer’s comments on 'closer alignment' with the EU single market actually mean? After the Bondi terror attack, how can a centrist government respond to national trauma without fuelling culture wars? And, according to teens, how seriously should we be taking AI?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

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Video Editor: Josh Smith

Producer: Evan Green, India Dunkley

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486. Does Maduro’s Capture Put Greenland at Risk? Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Is Venezuela the start of something bigger? If this isn’t regime change, what does Trump actually want? And, has Trump just handed Putin a win?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Producer: Evan Green, India Dunkley

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Tom Whiter

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485. Trump Says America will Run Venezuela Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

Trump has announced that Venezuela will now be run by Washington as US forces have captured Nicolás Maduro and taken him to stand trial in New York. After months of escalating tension, Trump launched strikes on the capital and deposed a foreign leader - something the US has not done in Latin America for nearly 40 years. But how will this administration work? Was this attack legal? And what are the broader geopolitical consequences of this move?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer these questions and more in this emergency podcast.

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The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Fuse are giving away FREE TRIP+ membership for all of 2025 to new sign ups 🎉 TRIP+ gets you ad-free listening, discounts, and early access to episodes and pre-sale tickets for live shows! To sign up and for terms and conditions, visit fuseenergy.com/politics ⚡

Get more from The Rest Is Politics with TRIP+. Enjoy bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access, live show ticket priority, our members’ newsletter, and private Discord community – plus a range of exclusive members-only series. Start your 7-day free trial today at therestispolitics.com

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Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

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Exec Producer: Tom Whiter

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484. War in Europe, Trump's Destruction of Institutions, and Britain’s National Treasures (Question Time) Jan 01, 2026

Show notes

Will Europe go to war with Russia in 2026? Should National Service be introduced next year? How will AI continue to develop? Should the G20 be moved? And how else will politics change next year?

Listen to Rory and Alastair as they answer these questions and more.

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The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Fuse are giving away FREE TRIP+ membership for all of 2025 to new sign ups 🎉 TRIP+ gets you ad-free listening, discounts, and early access to episodes and pre-sale tickets for live shows! To sign up and for terms and conditions, visit fuseenergy.com/politics ⚡

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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to goalhanger.com

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

__________

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green, India Dunkley

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Tom Whiter

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483. The Future of British Politics, How The World Order Is Changing, and The Power of History Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

What does this year look like for the future of British politics? How is the global order going to be reshaped? And will the power of historical narratives become even stronger this year?

Listen as Rory and Alastair answer these questions and more.

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Listen to Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World, narrated by Anne Applebaum, here: https://spotify.link/AutocracyIncTheDictatorsWhoWanttoRuntheWorld_PRHUK_Dec25

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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to goalhanger.com

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

__________

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green, India Dunkley

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Tom Whiter

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482. A Trumpian Year, the Politics of Hope and Highlights of 2025 Dec 25, 2025

Show notes

What surprised Rory and Alastair most about 2025? Why does Trump's presidency feel even more chaotic than expected? And who gets their vote for campaigner of the year?

Join Rory and Alastair as they discuss all of this and more.

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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to goalhanger.com

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

__________

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green, India Dunkley

Senior Producer: Callum Hill