What A Day

This episode includes analysis of the 2026 midterm landscape, focusing on how Republican candidates are struggling to distance themselves from President Trump’s unpopular war policies and economic messaging while Democrats run locally focused campaigns avoiding national culture war issues. It highlights key gubernatorial and Senate races in Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Kansas where candidates are defying traditional partisan dynamics, alongside discussion of a federal search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home and potential firing of Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle. The conversation also covers shifting voter sentiment among communities of color, the influence of Elon Musk’s spending, and the role of religious identity in Democratic outreach.

This episode includes coverage of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to South African human‑rights judge Navi Palais and reactions to the Pentagon’s plan to live‑stream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. It also examines a fatal ICE shooting of a Dominican man in New York and dives into Colorado’s 8th‑district congressional race, highlighting Democrat Manny Ritenau’s personal story, policy priorities, and critiques of Gabe Evans and Donald Trump’s approaches to the economy, immigration, and health care.

This episode includes coverage of Vice President J.D. Vance's comments on socialism and H-1B visas alongside the story of a trans woman deported to the Central African Republic. It also features an interview with Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei about his book Simplify and his intensive personal use of AI as a productivity tool, contrasting the small percentage of "power users" with the majority of Americans who are anxious about AI's rapid development and prefer human oversight.

This episode includes an interview with North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton discussing the state's pivotal 2026 midterm races, including the U.S. Senate contest featuring Roy Cooper and a critical state Supreme Court election. Clayton outlines the party's strategy to engage rural voters and former Trump supporters by focusing on tangible cost-of-living issues like utility rates and public education funding, while criticizing Republican-led voter ID efforts and legislative inaction. She emphasizes the importance of grassroots organizing, contesting every down-ballot race, and protecting voter registration access ahead of early voting.

This episode includes a discussion of Washington state ballot initiatives targeting transgender youth and children's privacy rights, specifically a measure requiring invasive genital exams for all girls wishing to play school sports and another repealing protections against abuse and discrimination. Host Jane Coaston interviews Washington State Speaker Laurie Jinkins, who explains how a wealthy donor uses the initiative process to distract from economic issues by targeting vulnerable groups, and details the logistical impossibilities and dangers of the proposed laws. The episode also briefly covers Donald Trump’s rhetoric regarding Iran and West Coast cities, his approval of a military execution, and a congressional bill proposing a museum exhibit on Trump’s authoritarianism.

This episode includes an analysis of the Supreme Court case Sunoco Energy v. Boulder County, where host Jane Coaston and legal expert Leah Litman discuss whether states and localities can sue oil companies for climate change damages and the broader implications for corporate accountability litigation. They also examine Justice Samuel Alito's recusal from the case due to financial conflicts, the Court's inconsistent ethics standards, and speculation regarding Alito's potential retirement. Finally, the conversation previews the upcoming Supreme Court term, highlighting election-related emergencies, the shadow docket, and major pending cases on gun rights and immigration.

This episode includes coverage of President Trump’s campaign rhetoric on the economy alongside a disappointing jobs report and a new G7 oil release plan. It features an in-depth discussion with Tommy Vietor on the evolving justifications for the war in Iran, significant military escalations, and the resulting instability with Houthi rebels in Yemen and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The conversation highlights the long-term damage to regional infrastructure and the strategic risks of the current U.S. force posture in the Middle East.

This episode includes a discussion of Trump’s weak approval on the cost of living and economy, why Democrats need to contrast his failures with specific policy alternatives, and examines his crypto‑related corruption, immigration framing, AI and data‑center concerns, and the growing push for universal health care as a winning issue. It also touches on how Democrats can address divisive social topics while maintaining a unifying, winning message.

This episode includes a discussion with NPR correspondent Sergio Martinez Beltran about a surge in ICE enforcement activity, highlighting a shooting of a Venezuelan man in Austin and the expansion of local police partnerships that have driven arrests to record highs. It details how the administration's revocation of legal protections like TPS and humanitarian parole has widened the net to detain immigrants without criminal records, fostering widespread fear even among long-term residents and citizens in communities like Little Havana. The conversation also covers the Supreme Court's temporary allowance of third-country removals to nations in Africa and the growing political backlash from Republican lawmakers and Hispanic voters ahead of the midterms.

This episode includes an interview with Jacob Weisberg about his book Profiles in Cowardice, analyzing why institutional leaders, law firms, universities, and media figures capitulated to Donald Trump through fear of violence, peer pressure, financial incentives, and audience capture. The conversation uses Megan Kelly’s ideological shift as a case study for how personal psychology and structural incentives drive collaboration, while debating what accountability should look like for enablers after the Trump era. It also covers Jack Smith’s Senate testimony defending his prosecutions of Trump, the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and the White House's AI announcement featuring a new government chatbot.

This episode includes a discussion on Republicans like Byron Donalds distancing themselves from Donald Trump ahead of the midterms, alongside analysis of Trump's contradictory stance on the Ukraine-Russia conflict and his relaxation of fuel economy standards. The conversation features an interview with Adam Mockler examining Trump's low poll numbers, authoritarian tactics, and the failing war in Iran where contradictory strategies have achieved zero concessions. Finally, the hosts explore the influence of right-wing disinformation on X (formerly Twitter) on Republican rhetoric and share an anecdote about Linda McMahon's recruitment as Education Secretary.

This episode includes an interview with Norm Eisen discussing the Supreme Court's ruling allowing states to use the flawed SAVE database for voter purges, though he emphasizes the 90-day quiet period prevents mass removals before the election. It also covers recent legal victories against ballot seizures in California and efforts to block federal intimidation at polling places, reinforcing that voters should cast ballots with confidence. Additionally, the episode briefly touches on Netanyahu's UN address criticizing NYC's mayor, a White House state dinner for China's leader attended by tech billionaires, and Trump's rally tour in deep-red states.

This episode includes a news roundup covering President Trump's meeting with China's Xi Jinping, a court order restoring press credentials to major outlets, and the dismissal of a Trump lawsuit against the Des Moines Register over polling coverage. The main segment features an interview with polling analyst Galen Druke about the surge in midterm survey volume, the shift toward mixed-method polling methodologies, and how to evaluate pollster credibility amid a crowded data landscape. They also contrast current polling averages suggesting Democratic strength with more cautious expert race ratings, discuss the utility of internal campaign polls, and assess the limited real-world impact of prediction markets on voter behavior.

This episode includes an interview with Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar discussing the Trump administration's attempts to investigate the state's voter rolls based on false claims of widespread non-citizen voting, which federal data showed amounted to only 185 cases. Aguilar highlights recent Supreme Court victories preserving state control over elections and mail-in voting, while warning that federal fear-mongering threatens to suppress Latino voter turnout in a state with razor-thin margins. He also notes growing bipartisan pushback from Republican officials against federal election interference and discusses how broken promises like "no tax on tips" are eroding trust in the administration.

This episode includes a discussion of current political events like Trump's UN address and the Susan Collins investigation, followed by an interview with Dana Bash about her book on pivotal elections throughout history. The conversation explores historical parallels from Julius Caesar's populist campaigns and the dirty election of 1800 to Hitler's manipulation of democracy in 1932 and Lincoln's uncertain re-election bid in 1864. Bash emphasizes how elections—whether for president, pope, or civil rights leader—can have unforeseen, generational consequences, highlighting the recurring theme that outcomes are never guaranteed in the moment.

This episode includes a discussion on the Trump administration banning major news outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House, examining the First Amendment implications and the press corps' solidarity response. It features an interview with Will Sommer analyzing the influence of staffer Natalie Harp, the restructuring of the Pentagon press pool, and corruption allegations involving Ambassador Huckabee's advisor soliciting wedding donations from Israeli citizens. The conversation also touches on Trump's proposed military monument near Arlington Cemetery, polling showing endangered Republican Senate seats, and his pressure on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

This episode includes a detailed examination of President Trump’s escalating conflict with the Kennedy Center, where he threatens to demolish the presidential memorial unless his name is restored to the facade despite congressionally appropriated repair funds. It also covers Trump’s executive order rolling back Biden-era public lands protections, his rhetoric regarding a potential military strike on Iran, and a bipartisan legislative effort to force the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.

This episode includes an interview with labor economist Catherine Ann Edwards discussing the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates despite intense pressure from President Trump to lower them. The conversation explores the historical importance of Fed independence, the inflationary risks of political interference, and how Trump's own policies—such as tariffs and conflict with Iran—forced the rate hike he opposed. The discussion frames the Fed's unanimous vote as a rare victory for institutional credibility, even though higher borrowing costs will create immediate economic pain for consumers.

This episode includes a discussion of how Fox News shaped President Trump's decision to engage in the Iran war and later reduced its coverage as public support waned. It examines the network's shift toward culture‑war topics, the political dilemma Fox faces between Trump's base and growing right‑wing criticism, and the broader implications for media influence on policy.

This episode includes a news roundup covering Mitch McConnell's return to the Senate, controversial FBI hiring policies, and a Supreme Court ruling against Trump's mail-in voting restrictions. The main segment features an interview with Texas Monthly’s Robert Downen about a Republican candidate’s racist attacks on South Asian students at a UT football game, illustrating a broader surge in anti-Indian and anti-Muslim bigotry in Texas suburbs. The discussion expands to the competitive Texas Senate race, intensifying GOP infighting, and how backlash over data centers and school vouchers is threatening Republican strongholds in rural areas.