Running Mate is a US election podcast – just for Brits. In our seventh episode, we look at why so many things appear to be going wrong in America, a country that has long been respected and even feared, but now appears to be seen from afar with pity.

Host Graeme Demianyk speaks to HuffPost writers Zach Carter and Emily Peck about some of the many recent news stories that have raised eyebrows about the current health of America – Donald Trump paying little income tax, a Supreme Court vacancy that risks undermining women’s rights and the possibility of a very messy transfer of power in November – and how the country got there.

HuffPost’s Nick Robins-Early also explains what it was like to spend 16 straight hours watching the unashamedly pro-Trump television channel One America News Network, which also speaks to the crisis engulfing the US.

Listen to the seventh episode of Running Mate above. There’ll be a new episode to download every Monday – find it by searching for Running Mate on any good podcast platform, and get involved in the conversation on social media by using our hashtag #HPRunningMate.