Half the Answer

The 2026 Midterm results are still being tabulated but the one thing that's for sure is that Democrats did way better than anyone expected, even in their wildest dreams. What were the most exciting moments of the blue wave? What does it say about America's mindset after two years of Trump 2.0? What do we hope will happen next? Trent and Caitlin sat down with Greg Sargent from the New Republic to discuss it all.Resourceshttps://newrepublic.comhttps://newrepublic.com/podcasts/the-daily-blast-greg-sargenthttps://bsky.app/profile/gregsargent.bsky.socialhttps://newrepublic.com/article/216885/abdul-el-sayed-viral-takedown-gop-heckler-shows-fight-magahttps://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/midtermshttps://www.instagram.com/p/DfXcSBPCGid/https://news.sky.com/story/us-midterms-live-results-and-analysis-whos-ahead-in-key-races-find-out-here-13605253

This election cycle feels messy. It also feels completely unpredictable. What will the Trump administration try? What will they get away with? How will or won't states be able to protect their voters and officials from interference? We talked with historian Adam Hochschild about historical precedents and predictions of election interference, integrity, and outcomes. Resources: "American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780063278523 "Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780544947238 "King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780358212508 "Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780618619078 "To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914–1918": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780547750316 https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-justice-department-says-fbi-ice-agents-will-not-serve-poll-monitors-midterms-2026-10-29/ https://www.npr.org/2026/10/30/nx-s1-6023331/ice-activity-surge-midterms https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-01/us-midterm-election-officials-prepare-ice-agents-trump-meddling/107322620 https://www.propublica.org/article/five-voting-disruptions-midterm-election https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8qln1539y37o https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/5-expert-takeaways-on-2026-midterm-election-security

The 2026 midterm elections are an opportunity for voters to assess Donald Trump's second presidency, and they seem poised to turn some historically red states purple and blue. We've assembled a crack team of political analysts—Ryan Cooper of the American Prospect, Marisa Kabas from the Handbasket, and Jonathan M. Katz from the Racket—and asked them how several key Senate and gubernatorial races will shake out. Resources https://www.patreon.com/leftanchor https://www.youtube.com/@ryanlcooper https://bsky.app/profile/ryanlcooper.com https://www.thehandbasket.co https://bsky.app/profile/marisakabas.bsky.social https://theracket.news https://www.tiktok.com/@katzonearth https://bsky.app/profile/katz.theracket.news "The Legend of Skokie": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781250427519 "Gangsters of Capitalism": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781250135599 "The Big Truck That Went By": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781137278975 https://www.270towin.com/2026-senate-election/fiftyplusone-2026-senate-forecast https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/whats-going-on-with-dan-sullivan-and-dan-sullivan-the-alaska-senate-litigation-explained https://www.ms.now/polling-texas-senate https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-kansas-senate-race-became-surprisingly-competitive https://abcnews.com/amp/Politics/key-senate-races-determine-party-controls-body-year/story?id=137301095 https://www.ms.now/polling-iowa-senate https://www.ms.now/polling-nebraska-senate https://www.ms.now/polling-minnesota-senate https://www.ms.now/polling-florida-senate https://www.ms.now/polling-georgia-senate https://www.ms.now/polling-ohio-senate https://www.nga.org/governors/elections/ https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-house-races-watch-2026-elections-2026-10-26/ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abdul_El-Sayed_meet-and-greet_by_Conlan_Houston_9.jpg https://www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-renews-threats-against-iran-posts-ai-image-of-himself-holding-weapon/

Trent and Caitlin are joining the war on cars! Doug Gordon, cohost of "The War On Cars" and coauthor of "Life After Cars," joins us to explain why we should work toward a world that isn't defined by nigh-compulsory car ownership. Where could we go? What could we do? Who could we meet? The possibilities are endless! Resources https://www.lifeaftercars.com "Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780593850725 "Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780262516129 https://tombrevoort.com/2021/06/20/the-greatest-superman-story-ever-told/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharonhahndarlin/51272511367/

Two years ago, a Cornell student reported to the police that she had been the victim of sexual assault by a group of fraternity brothers from Chi Phi. Now known as "Jane Doe," her case was mishandled, her words mangled, and her attackers protected from consequences. Sociologist Nicole Bedera speaks to us about how institutions of higher education regularly prevent survivors from accessing justice and in fact punish them for coming forward. Resources: "On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780520395893 https://www.thecut.com/article/trump-title-ix-rules-cornell-seven-case.html https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/09/editorial-cornell-won-t-we-will https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/5/7756/files/2025/10/2025-SARM-Survey-report_508.pdf https://spitfirenews.com/p/cornell-jane-doe-smear-campaign-statement-seven-police-report https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/News-articles/District-Attorney-statement-regarding-Jane-Doe-v.-Cornell-University-et-al https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/nyregion/url-cornell-university-jane-doe-rape-case-statement https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/10/guest-room-the-whac-a-mole-ritual-of-suspending-fraternities-is-not-working-it-s-time-for-deeper-reforms Megyn Kelly image from https://flickr.com/photos/22007612@N05/53804005492 Matt Walsh image from https://flickr.com/photos/22007612@N05/52126969451