logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
14m 20s

Swamp Notes: The uproar at American univ...

Financial Times
About this episode

Student-led protests against Israel’s war in Gaza have spread across the US in recent weeks, with demonstrators building tent encampments on university grounds, and even storming university buildings. The FT’s Washington bureau chief, James Politi, and FT New York correspondent, Joshua Chaffin, join this week’s Swamp Notes to explain why the protests could hurt President Joe Biden’s re-election chances.


Mentioned in this podcast:

New York police storm Columbia University and arrest pro-Palestinian protesters

Police raid UCLA protest camp as clashes over Gaza spread across US

Sign up for the FT’s Election Countdown newsletter here

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here


Swamp Notes is produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. Original music by Hannis Brown. 


CREDIT: NBC News New York, X/@JaunMaBenitez, X/@AnthonyCabassa_, PBS NewsHour



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Quantitative easing is under the microscope
Donald Trump has said Israel and Hamas have agreed the first step in his plan for a Gaza ceasefire, and Washington wants its companies exempt from EU climate rules. Plus, Chinese customs agents are going after a wide range of US semiconductor tech, and central bankers around the ... Show More
10m 46s
Yesterday
Carmakers are falling back in love with petrol
A UBS fund has 30 per cent of its portfolio tied to the failed First Brands Group, and carmakers across much of the world are scaling back on electric vehicle plans. Plus, international investors are returning to China’s start-up scene, in addition to assets across emerging marke ... Show More
11m 25s
Oct 7
OpenAI’s circular deals
EU governments have agreed to limit the travel of Russian diplomats, analysts are worried about a flurry of circular AI deals, and France lost another prime minister after less than a month in office. Plus, why the weaker dollar is helping big US exporters, while domestic-focused ... Show More
10m 53s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
The Protesters and the President
Warning: this episode contains strong language.Over the past week, students at dozens of universities held demonstrations, set up encampments and, at times, seized academic buildings. In response, administrators at many of those colleges decided to crack down and called in the lo ... Show More
24m 35s
May 2024
US protests: Campus crackdowns, Gaza protests and the free speech debate
Violent protests over the Israel-Hamas war have reached boiling point across university campuses in the United States. Pro-Palestinian protesters are demanding their universities cut ties with Israel or any companies that support its ongoing war in Gaza. On the Sky News Daily, Ni ... Show More
18m 24s
Dec 2023
The fight over campus antisemitism
Three elite university presidents walk into Congress for a hearing on antisemitism. Only two still have their jobs. New York magazine reporter Nia Prater tells us what happened, and a Harvard professor of Jewish history explains why he thinks resignations won’t make campuses safe ... Show More
25m 53s
Dec 2023
Antisemitism and Free Speech Collide on Campuses
Warning: this episode contains strong language.Universities across the country strained under pressure to take a public position on the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.Nicholas Confessore, a political and investigative reporter for The Times, explains the story behind a congress ... Show More
30m 48s
Sep 2020
Weekly Roundup: September 11th
As wildfires rage across the west, activists are noting the campaign's relative silence on the issue of climate change. Natural disasters of all sorts, from heat waves to hurricanes, are made worse as humans continue to increase their emissions. And the Treasury Department and Mi ... Show More
27m 43s
Feb 2023
Trump & Buttigieg Visit Ohio Train Derailment, Andrea Mitchell Apologizes, CNN's Controversial Charles Barkley Interest, & More
Tonight's rundown:  Talking Points Memo: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former President Trump make separate trips to East Palestine, Ohio. Bill breaks them down and explains the media's reaction NBC News' Andrea Mitchell is forced to apologize for lying about Florid ... Show More
48m 20s
Aug 2023
Could a reshuffle revitalise Sunak’s government?
It’s almost time to wave goodbye to the summer, but is Rishi Sunak also poised to bid farewell to some of his ministers? The FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher is joined by columnist Stephen Bush and political editor George Parker to discuss a cabinet shake up. Plus, the FT’s US p ... Show More
35m 52s
Feb 2021
Checks and Balance: Lacking class
Nearly half America’s children are yet to return to the classroom a year after the pandemic began. President Biden says it’s a national emergency, but he has already diluted a pledge to reopen the majority of schools in his first 100 days. Why is getting back to school so hard? W ... Show More
39m 56s
May 2023
Local elections: How bad was it for the Conservatives?
For Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the results were ‘disappointing’, Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer claimed his party was heading for power and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey wore a ‘Cheshire cat’ grin. What do this week’s local elections in England show about the likely direction of the nex ... Show More
24m 6s
Jun 2020
'He Thinks Division Helps Him': Biden Condemns Trump's Protest Response
Former Vice President Joe Biden condemned both police violence and President Trump's increasingly confrontational response to widespread unrest in a Tuesday morning speech delivered at Philadelphia City Hall. This episode: campaign correspondent Scott Detrow, campaign reporter Ju ... Show More
14m 12s