The mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday (14 May) by a white nationalist appears to have shown the real consequences of the racist “great replacement theory”. Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC, Megan Gibson in London and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss how this far-right conspiracy theory evolved from being a fringe notion in France to entering mainstream political discourse in the US, and the worrying frequency of racist shootings. Sweden and Finland, meanwhile, have formally applied to join the Nato military alliance, confirming a radical transformation of Europe’s security landscape since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The team discuss the application and the global response, including Turkey’s objections. Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what is the significance of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, appointing Élisabeth Borne to be his prime minister.If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.ukPodcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.Further reading: Sarah Manavis writes attacks like the Buffalo shooting have become numbingly inevitable. Adam Tooze on the second coming of Nato. Ido Vock reports for only the second time, France has a female prime minister. Megan Gibson writes Sweden’s decision to join Nato isn’t just about security. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.