As Americans mark the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, Anthony Scaramucci joins the Spectator to provide his assessment of the health of the nation. As we approach the halfway point of the second Trump presidency, what's his impact been on America's reputation? Will the Democrats' attempts to emulate Trump help or hinder them? And why are American conservatives so obsessed with Britain – or rather, Britain's supposed decline?

Declaring Trump 'an ageing queen' under whom 'the spirit of hypocrisy lives on' in America, the former White House communications director joins Freddy Gray and Tim Shipman for this special Coffee House Shots / Americano crossover to mark the 4th of July.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Natasha Feroze.

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A scoop by The Spectator’s news editor has taken Westminster by storm this week, after it emerged that the Treasury had ditched the numerical reasoning test for its high-flying graduate scheme. Oscar Edmondson speaks to the story’s author, John Connolly, and Ameer Kotecha, a former senior diplomat and now chief executive of the Centre for Government Reform, about how deeply anti-meritocratic hiring practices are rooted in the civil service.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd.

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Boris is (sort of) on manoeuvres, as Tim Shipman reports in this week’s magazine. There are signs that the former Conservative prime minister and one-time editor of this magazine could emerge from his frontline political hiatus to throw his weight behind the Tory cause. He has already been advising Kemi Badenoch and is said to be driven, in part, by a ‘hatred’ of Nigel Farage. Should Reform fear the return of Boris?

It has been a damaging month for Reform, following the Makerfield by-election, a plateau in the polls, rumbling questions about Farage’s £5 million gift and now suggestions that he did not declare his full property portfolio to parliament. Has Reform peaked?

Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman and James Heale.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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