Listen HERE

Midterm Elections Roundup: California ballot initiatives – starting with the proposed 5% wealth tax in California – where if passed, 90% of the collected wealth tax would go to healthcare: What do supporters say about why the billionaire tax is a good idea? PDA executive director Alan Minsky comments.

Also: If the election goes roughly as the polls say it will, next Tuesday will mark the beginning of the end of the Trump era. Harold Meyerson comments, focusing on getting to 51 in the Senate—or, better yet, 52. Harold is editor-at-large of The American Prospect.

Plus: Trump’s efforts to interfere with voting, and with certification of the results, have not been successful. Rick Hasen of the UCLA Law School says “We’re doing well on election protection”: the courts have been strong, the blue states have been a bulwark, and—most important—early voting has been big. Rick is also director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project and editor of the Election Law Blog.  10-30-2026

Listen HERE

Republicans are spending hundreds of millions on the midterms, but their money hasn’t been able to counter the crisis of affordability, the disgust with Trump’s corruption, and the quality of many of the Democratic candidates. Harold Meyerson comments – he’s editor at large of The American Prospect.

Also: Katha Pollitt argues that the gang rape at a Cornell fraternity party could have been stopped–if someone had bothered to intervene. But no one did. “Where were the good guys?” She asks.

Plus: From the Archives: Twenty Minutes without Trump: Q: Who is the opposite of Trump in American History? A: Elvis. Peter Guralnik wrote the definitive two-volume biography of Elvis “Last Train to Memphis” and “Careless Love” – and he co-authored “Elvis Day by Day” – we discuss Elvis’ purely American rags-to-riches story (originally recorded in 2010).  10-23-2026

Listen HERE

Most political reporting has been about Democrats’ chances of taking control of Congress, but the Governors’ races hold the key to election protection in the 2028 presidential vote. Harold Meyerson explains, and examines the contest now underway in Nevada. Harold is Editor-at-Large of The American Prospect.

Also: The real threat of AI is not the destruction of humanity, but rather replacing human labor with machines—that’s what Garrison Lovely argues. He’s the author of Obsolete: The AI Industry’s Trillion Dollar Race to Replace Us—and How to Stop It.

Plus: John Berger, author of the classic “Ways of Seeing,” was more than a Marxist art critic. On the 100th anniversary of his birth, John Powers comments on his life and work—both of which were extraordinary. John is critic-at-large on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.  10-16-2026

Listen HERE

The big question about the midterms — control of the Senate. Statistician and political analyst Nate Silver estimated the Democrats winning the Senate at 74%. Harold Meyerson comments

Also: Our right to peaceful protest is under assault. To save it, we need to “respect it, defend it, and more than anything – use it.” that’s what Annie Leonard says – she’s a longtime activist who spent 17 years with Greenpeace USA, then she helped launch the Jane Fonda Climate PAC. And she’s co-author of the new book, “Protest.”

Plus: The secret history of the Koch Brothers: how the key to their empire, and their fortune, is a refinery south of St. Paul. “Kochland” author Christopher Leonard has that story (originally recorded 5/28/2020).  10-9-2026

Listen HERE

Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, answers the question, “What’s the Plan – for the next No Kings Nationwide Day of Action?” This one shifts from mass protest in the streets to organizing for early voting – and preparing for whatever Trump does to disrupt or undermine the vote, the count, and the certification.

Also: The Supreme Court last Friday issued an order allowing states to use Trump’s SAVE database to purge their voter rolls of people the DHS considers ineligible – but it’s too late to apply to the midterms. Rick Hasen explains – he teaches law at UCLA and he’s Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project and editor of the Election Law Blog.

Plus: Your Minnesota Moment: Trump’s TEN-billion dollar announcement about Minnesota iron and steel: he said that ore processed in Minnesota, with a TEN-billion dollar loan from the Trump administration, is to be moved to Iowa to support Iowa Republicans, throwing Minnesota Republicans overboard.  10-2-2026