The New Yorker’s editor, David Remnick, and the staff writers Vinson Cunningham and Benjamin Wallace-Wells join Tyler Foggatt to discuss the sweeping Democratic victories in the midterm elections and what the results reveal about the country’s changing political landscape. They talk about the issues that drove voters away from Donald Trump, the possibility of a lasting Democratic realignment in once reliable Republican strongholds like Texas, and what a Democratic majority could mean for the remainder of Trump’s Presidency and the 2028 Presidential primaries in both parties. After a decade in which Trump has defined the Republican Party, what would it take for the party to chart a different course? This conversation was recorded for a live video on Substack. Follow The New Yorker on Substack » Recommended reading: “Midterms Analysis: A Blue Wave Just Crashed on Trump,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells “Donald Trump’s Repudiation, America’s Revenge,” by Susan B. Glasser “The Night That Texas’s Seemingly Unchangeable Republican Identity Vanished,” by Rachel Monroe “Washington Lawyers Up,” by Ruth Marcus The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin has been relentlessly challenging the Trump Administration in his role as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. He was the lead manager in the second impeachment of Donald Trump, after the January 6th insurrection. Throughout the past two years, Raskin and his fellow-Democrats have watched with horror as most of the efforts to secure accountability for conduct during the first Trump Administration have been wiped away. But that could all change if Democrats take back congressional control in the midterm elections. Raskin and David Remnick discuss the unprecedented depths of corruption in the current Administration, the possible avenues for accountability if the Democrats win, and how the Party can gain credibility with the electorate. As Raskin tells Remnick, “This has been a money-making operation from Day One. You got to look at this thing like ‘The Sopranos’—this is a family business. They’ve been making billions of dollars now. Trump, in his first year in office, declared openly 2.2 billion dollars that he made on the side. That’s more than a million dollars an hour, and his official Presidential salary is four hundred thousand dollars. That means that he made double his entire Presidential salary in one hour. And so, of course, the rest of his time he’s focussed on the corruption. That’s where the money is.”  Further listening: “The Political Scene Live with Jamie Raskin: January 6th and Accountability for Donald Trump,” an episode of The Political Scene “Congressman Jamie Raskin on Impeaching Donald Trump—Again,” an episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Washington Roundtable is joined onstage at The New Yorker Festival by David Plouffe, the political strategist and the campaign manager for Barack Obama’s historic 2008 Presidential run, for a final look at the midterms map. With Donald Trump’s approval ratings near historic lows and fuel prices squeezing rural voters, Democrats find themselves competitive in Senate races in Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and even Kansas, which hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since the nineteen-thirties. Plouffe compares these midterms to the wave elections of 1994 and 2006, and argues that Republican spending, including Elon Musk’s, can do little to stave off voter anger about the cost of living. He also looks forward to 2028, and encourages future candidates to study those who overperform this midterm cycle. “Democrats have the opportunity to make an adjustment between now and '28. Republicans don't,” Plouffe says. “It's a political gift of epic proportions—if we find a way to seize it.”  This week’s reading: “Obama’s Great Skewering of Trump,” by Susan B. Glasser “James Talarico’s Final Sprint,” by Jesús Rodríguez “A Global Anti-Right Backlash,” by Ishaan Tharoor “How a Kansas Megachurch Pastor Might Determine Who Wins the Senate,” by Emma Green “Can Democrats Win Back Labor?,” by Dan Kaufman “The State Officials Defending the Midterms from the President,” by Barton Gellman “An Anxious Season for Muslims in Texas,” by Peter Slevin “Texas Democrats Venture Into ‘No Man’s Land’,” by Jesús Rodríguez “The Founder of Arab Americans for Trump Has Some Regrets,” by Isaac Chotiner “Charles Kushner and the MAGA Ambassador’s Playbook,” by Lauren Collins Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New Yorker staff writer Jason Zengerle joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how Republican candidates are responding to Donald Trump’s historically low approval ratings. They talk about the races in which the President’s endorsements may be hurting Republicans, the political fallout from his immigration policies and the war in Iran, and his decision to campaign in deep-red states rather than in competitive districts. They also consider whether a blue wave could weaken Trump’s grip on the Republican Party, and how the midterms might affect its next slate of Presidential candidates. This conversation was recorded for a live video on Substack. Follow The New Yorker on Substack » Recommended reading: “The Republicans’ Remarkably Bad Midterm Campaigns,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells “Trump’s Repudiation Is at Hand, Right?,” by Susan B. Glasser “The State Officials Defending the Midterms from the President,” by Barton Gellman “How ICE Is Targeting the 2026 Midterms,” by Jonathan Blitzer “Can Democrats Win Back Labor?,” by Dan Kaufman The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton dominates the news out of Texas, but, in the race for governor, a Democratic state legislator is also running neck and neck with the longtime Republican incumbent, Greg Abbott. Gina Hinojosa is likely leading among independents by as much as twenty-three per cent, according to one recent poll. She tells David Remnick that opposition to data centers and to Abbott’s school-voucher program could lead to a blue wave in Texas. “Nobody in 2026 in Texas has the luxury of fighting culture wars,” Hinojosa says. “We've been doing that for ten years, and we're all worse off.” But, Remnick notes, she seems to hold her fire when it comes to Donald Trump. “Listen, I have to win Trump voters to win this race,” she replies. “Latinos went for Trump in Texas. . . . I don't think it is helpful to rub their noses in his failures.” Further reading: “The Republicans Are Messing with Texas,” by Peter Slevin “The Astonishing Transformation of Austin,” by Lawrence Wright The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Washington Roundtable is joined by Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff under Barack Obama, for a discussion about the Democratic Party’s odds heading into the midterm elections. In 2006, as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Emanuel helped engineer his party’s sweeping electoral victories against an unpopular Republican President. Two decades later, he anticipates Democratic wins across the board, including in the Texas and Iowa Senate races. Emanuel lays out what he sees as an affirmative agenda for the Party, should they take control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term: ethics reform, a minimum-wage increase, an overhaul of the tax code, and a focus on corruption. “The way I talk about corruption is, He wants his ballroom and you’re getting the bill. He wants his arch, and you can’t afford a meal at the Golden Arches. He gets a $450 million plane from Qatar, and you get $4.50 a gallon of gas,” says Emanuel. “You gotta drive the corruption into the wallet.” This week’s reading: “Trump’s Repudiation Is at Hand, Right?,” by Susan B. Glasser “How ICE Is Targeting the 2026 Midterms,” by Jonathan Blitzer “Can Justin J. Pearson Win in Tennessee?,” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor “How Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Gave Florida Democrats a Chance,” by Daniel Castro “How the D.S.A. Learned to Love Elections,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A growing portion of the electorate appears to recognize the mayhem President Donald Trump has instigated since returning to the Oval Office. That segment includes some of the people who put him back into office, including Rich Baris, who goes by the People’s Pundit on social media. Baris runs Big Data Poll, and appears regularly on “The Charlie Kirk Show” and other right-wing outlets. But he concurs with nonpartisan pollsters that MAGA is fracturing, and he talks with David Remnick about how the President lost the trust of his base; the contempt MAGA voters have for the old Republican Party; and who might take the reins after Trump.  Further reading: “The Week Republicans Finally Panicked About Trump,” by Susan B. Glasser “A Never Trumper and a Democrat on Beating MAGA for Good,” by Isaac Arnsdorf “How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics,” by Antonia Hitchens “Tucker Carlson’s Nationalist Crusade,” by Jason Zengerle “Does MAGA Have Ideas?,” by Joshua Rothman The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Washington Roundtable is joined by Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning filmmaker, to discuss his new documentary, “Musk.” Since July, Elon Musk has poured more than a quarter of a billion dollars into Republican campaigns, more than any other donor in the midterms by a wide margin, and all in plain view. Jane Mayer, the New Yorker staff writer and the author of “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right,” explains how Musk is bringing political financing by the ultra-wealthy out of the shadows: “He’s the coming-out party for the billionaires.” Gibney argues that Musk’s flagrant spending is less a matter of ideology than one of self-preservation—a way to forestall investigations, protect his companies, and keep the federal contracts coming. How did a single person come to wield this kind of power over our elections, our technology, and even a war on the other side of the world? “He sold us all a dream,” Gibney says, “and we fell for it.” Get Tickets to The Political Scene Live at The New Yorker Festival on October 24th Get Tickets to The Political Scene Live at Sith & I in Washington D.C. on November 18th This week’s reading: “Trump’s October Surprise Is a Pivot to Putin,” by Susan B. Glasser “Who Won the Redistricting War?,” by Jon Allsop “Kimberly Who?,” by Ruth Marcus “Donald Trump After the Midterms,” by David Remnick “Pity the Poor Passport,” by Adam Gopnik The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New Yorker staff writers Isaac Chotiner and Benjamin Wallace-Wells join Tyler Foggatt to discuss what Democrats might do after the midterms if they win a majority in the House or the Senate, and how Donald Trump might respond to attempts to check his power. If Trump has been willing to circumvent Congress on issues like military action and tariffs, how much difference would a Democratic majority make during the remainder of his second term? They also talk about how large a Democratic victory could be, and ask what the results might reveal about voters’ views of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. This conversation was recorded for a live video on Substack. Follow The New Yorker on Substack » Recommended reading: “Donald Trump After the Midterms,” by David Remnick “The Dumocrats Are Coming for Trump, and All He Can Do Is Call Them Names,” by Susan B. Glasser “Who Won the Redistricting War?,” by Jon Allsop “The Well-Funded Fight to Keep Latinos Voting Republican,” by Jesús Rodríguez “A Populist Revival in Iowa,” by Peter Slevin The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The economic punishment and threats of aggression that Donald Trump has launched against Canada are so severe that its government has looked at how to prepare for U.S. military action. David Remnick sits down with a former senior Canadian politician, Chrystia Freeland, to talk about the disintegration of a rock-solid partnership. Freeland served as the Deputy Prime Minister under Justin Trudeau, and has also held the roles of Minister of International Trade and Minister of Foreign Affairs; she helped negotiate a trade deal in Trump’s first term, which he subsequently broke. Freeland’s new book about the U.S.-Canada relationship is called “Unreliable Boyfriend,” but that title may soft-pedal it. “The vast majority of Canadians see this as a rupture” that will be permanent, she tells Remnick. “They think America is toxic and broken and can never be trusted again. . . . I actually am an outlier, because I think we shouldn’t write America off quite yet.”   Further reading: “What If Canada Joined the E.U.?,” by Ishaan Tharoor “Canada, the Northern Outpost of Sanity,” by Bill McKibben “The Historical Roots of Donald Trump’s Aggressive Nationalism,” by Isaac Chotiner The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices