The gang discuss Republican’s reactions to the election blowout, DSA’s midterm wins, how Democrats can go after the Trump admin while delivering on economic issues, economic collapse protests in Paraguay, and a one million worker wildcat strike in Bangladesh. Sources: https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/10/how-mamdani-canceled-cop-city/416903/  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/04/nyregion/pied-a-terre-mamdani-appeal-win-home-tax.html?smid=url-share https://apnews.com/article/port-strikes-arms-shipments-france-greece-italy-4a8813406fd51b91b3b7d17826c1883d https://x.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/2117641211909730538?a=ri24O90ueHp7eYgCoDc&s=20 https://x.com/war_noir/status/2117581845755773246?a=P0quWPGQ6wjaX70NPOQ&s=20 https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26A624/431463/20261102111302952_California%20Application.pdf  https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/united-states-v-california-2/  https://2026.electoral.dsausa.org/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/senate-results https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/how-trump-lost-midterms-33cf9fd4?st=EQm4gx https://x.com/justinbaragona/status/2117780696626257981?a=Q68Ma2bBhMU2LKxTVkk&s=20 https://x.com/JDVance/status/2118004988433641835 https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/2117614591060721973?a=A5arnEBUOHurQE3jSg8&s=20 https://x.com/atrupar/status/2117612993139585093?a=dprbLi0Afsej7Jh14ko&s=20 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/04/desantis-calls-midterm-bloodbath-an-extinction-level-event-for-republicans-01148705 https://x.com/politico/status/2117840712855113793?a=5vZ3flWUbvcJyTvleyU&s=2 https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/11/05/congress/bernie-sanders-launches-medicare-for-all-push-01151604 https://x.com/atrupar/status/2117887743443505646?a=tif1VPo4NuwejhijsNY&s=20 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6199505-house-investigations-trump-administration/ https://x.com/atrupar/status/2118335426968616973?a=tRXmF86Rp3SEkpIuB_E&s=20 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/15/paolo-zampolli-fired-state-department-trump-01121739 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-democrats-call-for-special-counsel-to-investigate-trump-s-ties-to-epstein/ar-AA2g6UnX https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/judiciary-democrats-report-details-mounting-evidence-linking-trump-to-epstein-s-criminal-activities-and-doj-s-cover-up-specific-accounts-involving-11-women-provide-more-evidence-of-potential-sex-crimes https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/318-garment-factories-closed-amid-labour-unrest-over-7-lakh-workers-leave-workplaces  https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/paraguay-president-santiago-pena-resigns-following-bank-collapse/4102079/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert, James, and Garrison are joined by Steven Monacelli and Kevin Foster to discuss the BLUE TSUNAMI with Democrats flipping at least 7 Senate seats and gaining an 80+ House majority. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James is joined by Wladimir Van Willgenberg to discuss the situation for Kurds in Iran after nearly nine months of the USA’s bombing of Iran. Links: https://x.com/vvanwilgenburgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin speaks with Stephen Prochaska and Danielle Lee Tomson of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public about election rumors and how to sort through claims of rigged elections.  Sources:  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/26/trump-reward-reporting-voter-fraud https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/harassment-public-records-requests-bombard-uw-truth-seeker-after-jan-6-hearings-cameo/ https://uwcip.substack.com/p/election-rumor-rundown-october-24 https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/minnesota-charges-conservative-activist-okeefe-influencer-higby-after-voting-2026-10-29/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James is joined by Molly Conger to talk about what to wear this winter to stay warm in the outdoors, and to discuss how the outdoor media talks about equipment and the issues with that model. Here are some of the things James mentioned in the episode, all with non affiliate links! https://armsofandes.com/https://darntough.com/ https://www.sitkagear.com/collection/equinox-guard-collection https://www.royalrobbins.com/us/en-us/men/featured/mosquito-protection-technology/ https://nuyarn.com/ https://www.polartec.com/fabrics/insulation/alpha https://www.primaloft.com/insulation-products/active-series/active-evolve https://pertex.com/fabrics-technologies/quantum-air https://kahtoola.com/gaiters/navagaiter-gtx/ https://auclairgloves.us/products/hybrid-xc-2-finger-mitts-adult-new-fall-2023 https://skida.com/products/limoncello-alpine-hat See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert reads an essay by Brazilian activist and podcaster Caio Almendra, about Caio's personal experience helping rally 2 million voters to save Brazilian democracy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margaret reads you a comfy, cozy story about a robot colony on the moon, and one robot's journey to find a new home--and have her tarot cards readSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file: Israeli Elections and the Palestinians 2026 Elections (The Union Ones) ¡El Chupacabras! Kim Kelly's Morbid Labor Tales  Executive Disorder: Lula’s Victory, AI Election Ads, Voter Fraud, Revolt in Albania You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!   Sources/Links: Israeli Elections and the Palestinians Israel's Elections: What's at Stake?, International Crisis Group (Max Rodenbeck, Mairav Zonszein, Amjad Iraqi), 15 October 2026 A Jewish Currents Guide to the Israeli Elections, Josh Nathan-Kazis, Jewish Currents, 20 October 2026 Occupied Thoughts interview with Sami Abu Shehadeh https://fmep.org/resource/barred-from-knesset-elections-sami-abu-shehadeh-on-the-state-of-israeli-democracy/ Prospect magazine op-ed on the settlers and the state - https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/middle-east/75279/settler-rioters-are-israeli-state-policythrough-deniable-means 2026 Elections (The Union Ones) https://linktr.ee/PamelaSH ¡El Chupacabras! Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction and Folklore by BenjaminRadford Governing Spirits: Religion, Miracles, and Spectacle in Cuba and Puerto Rico,1898-1956 by Reinaldo L. Román En Qué Quedó Ep. 6 “El Chupacabras”https://open.spotify.com/episode/2r9ISXwgY7zTpWj2EJWcF1 Radio Ambulante “El vampiro entre nosotros”https://open.spotify.com/episode/0hvdSD4aXHwoOWoMYAdN9x Sucking Vulnerability: Neoliberalism, the Chupacabras, and the Post-Cold War Years byWilliam A Calvo-Quirós https://web.archive.org/web/20230814111741/http://www.barriology.com/uploads/2/3/2/7/23276452/calvo-quiros_sucking_vulnerability_rev.pdf El Chupacabra: Icon of Resistance to US Imperialism Species (1995) dir. Roger Donaldson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MGZnLsPSRc La Operación (1982) dir. Ana María García https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJoWMbRxvM&t=36s La Operación -Background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6XEuu_auR8&t=8s https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/se-registran-dos-ataques-del-chupacabras/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/vieques-puerto-rico-us-navy-base-training https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Portals/68/Documents/Business-Lines/Environmental/Environmental-Restoration/NAVFAC-Atlantic/Vieques/Vieques_Fact_Sheet_03_Depleted_Uranium_in_LIA_Eng.pdf https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/recreation/discover-history/us-military-and-el-yunque-national-forest https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24816374-the-history-of-the-us-department-of-defense-programs-for-the-testing-evaluation-and-storage-of-tactical-herbicides-agent-orange-in-pr/?q=puerto+rico&mode=document#document/p5 https://www.elvocero.com/actualidad/otros/las-grandes-sequ-as-que-marcaron-a-puerto-rico-durante-el-siglo-xx/article_e6a37bce-5269-4040-836d-799a04358fc2.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/12/26/mystery-creature-ravages-puerto-rican-livestock/b7704250-dae0-4fa3-a886-561db637b463/ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-03-mn-9730-story.html “Monsters and Messiahs by Mike Davis”  “Beast of Borikén" by Julio Anta, Daniel IriZarri, Patricio Delpeche, and Lucas Gattoni Kim Kelly's Morbid Labor Tales  https://proteanmag.com/2021/10/31/picket-lines-in-the-graveyard-a-history-of-cemetery-workers-strikes/ https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67168074 https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/dc33-strike-philadelphia-medical-examiners-injunction-20250703.html https://6abc.com/post/retrieval-dead-bodies-is-being-delayed-due-blue-collar-union-dc33-strike-philadelphia-officials-say/16936166/ https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/sacrilegious-bodies-piling-up-at-cook-county-morgue/ https://6abc.com/archive/8511845/ https://abc7.com/archive/8719820/ https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/02/archives/workers-strike-funeral-homes-100-establishments-hit-in-the.html https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/04/archives/state-fails-to-end-embalmers-strike.html https://thevictorianbookofthedead.wordpress.com/2024/08/28/the-coffin-makers-strike-1872/ https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=pilot18720622-01.2.22&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN----------------------- Executive Disorder: Lula’s Victory, AI Election Ads, Voter Fraud, Revolt in Albania https://x.com/aricnesbitt/status/2066923547964928106?a=kc7nT6MWbZZrCG5F3ho&s=20 https://x.com/reaganreese_/status/2064370476449669139?a=o_23wNhd8KJXG1_3jd8&s=20 https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/2097325814689743049?a=-BXTLNGkR3wjP9lkgeE&s=20 https://x.com/AndrewSolender/status/2083629219980960030?a=U6bD8EFjG4McMm-xQCM&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2096705749774631131?a=9MzOBMvGxcqDqhpGhgA&s=20 https://x.com/BlueprintFNDN/status/2078957886403670411?a=2Q_B5IADKyInPq5JQKE&s=20 https://x.com/PollTracker2024/status/2076099238363005194?a=GAD-fsC8RATzjNcbr5s&s=20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrw_hLs4O_0 https://x.com/JacobRubashkin/status/2113454492872045007?a=jb16JdrbsG8yhaW1ljI&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2094800565452611646?a=wRx4Pm2YJdKDtLMz7Eo&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2091865610233786666?a=q7ts8IGOQNOt_zkiCGE&s=20 https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2051314128468197851?lang=en https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0093650226142143 https://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-101526/ https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-elections-and-campaigns  https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/when-ai-campaign-ads-fake-reality  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/midterm-elections-ai-generated-ads.html https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/deciding-fake-images-candidates-are-using-ai-political-ads-get-vote-rcna605243  https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-10.hjc-dems-staff-report-epstein-and-trump.pdf https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ly097zw1xwo https://www.daylightsandiego.org/ice-detainee-dies-at-otay-mesa-detention-center-in-san-diego/ https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/27/iraqi-court-sentences-seven-french-isis-members-to-prison/ https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2113552255576092815 https://sana.sy/en/syria/2353795/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/10/27/flavio-bolsonaro-flees-brazil-us/92462116007/ https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3moy4zcl3b52a https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2114740388514697527  https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/netherlands-citizen-arrested-illegally-voting-2024-election  https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2113703040444145701 https://apnews.com/article/california-voter-data-justice-department-lawsuit-0305190ba958051bb86741ac00da36a7  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-state-california-over-voter-list  https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1466286/  https://x.com/USAttyEssayli/status/2113794933236871180 https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-26-Order-.pdf  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-charges-28-foreign-nationals-california-election-crimes  https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/trump-noncitizen-voting-court/ https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2087950683831931327a=2VozR5e62ZW8NoNmfl8&s=20 https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2087950683831931327 https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2115228635326242842 https://www.hennepinattorney.org/news/news/2026/October/election-charges https://citizens.al/en/2026/09/07/100-days-of-the-flamingo-revolution-the-new-culture-of-civic-protest/  https://www.balkanweb.com/en/On-the-14th-day-of-student-protests--citizens-and-young-people-gather-en-masse-in-front-of-the-Ministry-of-Education./#gsc.tab=0  https://www.tiranatimes.com/albanian-government-tightens-protest-laws-as-crisis-deepens/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discuss how Brazilians organized to beat Bolsonaro, White House allegations of “likely” non-citizen voting, James O'Keefe being charged with unlawful voting, $137 million in AI campaign ads and politician deepfakes, and why there are massive protests in Albania.Sources: https://x.com/aricnesbitt/status/2066923547964928106?a=kc7nT6MWbZZrCG5F3ho&s=20 https://x.com/reaganreese_/status/2064370476449669139?a=o_23wNhd8KJXG1_3jd8&s=20 https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/2097325814689743049?a=-BXTLNGkR3wjP9lkgeE&s=20 https://x.com/AndrewSolender/status/2083629219980960030?a=U6bD8EFjG4McMm-xQCM&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2096705749774631131?a=9MzOBMvGxcqDqhpGhgA&s=20 https://x.com/BlueprintFNDN/status/2078957886403670411?a=2Q_B5IADKyInPq5JQKE&s=20 https://x.com/PollTracker2024/status/2076099238363005194?a=GAD-fsC8RATzjNcbr5s&s=20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrw_hLs4O_0 https://x.com/JacobRubashkin/status/2113454492872045007?a=jb16JdrbsG8yhaW1ljI&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2094800565452611646?a=wRx4Pm2YJdKDtLMz7Eo&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2091865610233786666?a=q7ts8IGOQNOt_zkiCGE&s=20 https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2051314128468197851?lang=en https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0093650226142143 https://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-101526/ https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-elections-and-campaigns  https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/when-ai-campaign-ads-fake-reality  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/midterm-elections-ai-generated-ads.html https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/deciding-fake-images-candidates-are-using-ai-political-ads-get-vote-rcna605243  https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-10.hjc-dems-staff-report-epstein-and-trump.pdf https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ly097zw1xwo https://www.daylightsandiego.org/ice-detainee-dies-at-otay-mesa-detention-center-in-san-diego/ https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/27/iraqi-court-sentences-seven-french-isis-members-to-prison/ https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2113552255576092815 https://sana.sy/en/syria/2353795/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/10/27/flavio-bolsonaro-flees-brazil-us/92462116007/ https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3moy4zcl3b52a https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2114740388514697527  https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/netherlands-citizen-arrested-illegally-voting-2024-election  https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2113703040444145701 https://apnews.com/article/california-voter-data-justice-department-lawsuit-0305190ba958051bb86741ac00da36a7  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-state-california-over-voter-list  https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1466286/  https://x.com/USAttyEssayli/status/2113794933236871180 https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-26-Order-.pdf  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-charges-28-foreign-nationals-california-election-crimes  https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/trump-noncitizen-voting-court/ https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2087950683831931327a=2VozR5e62ZW8NoNmfl8&s=20 https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2087950683831931327 https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2115228635326242842 https://www.hennepinattorney.org/news/news/2026/October/election-charges https://citizens.al/en/2026/09/07/100-days-of-the-flamingo-revolution-the-new-culture-of-civic-protest/  https://www.balkanweb.com/en/On-the-14th-day-of-student-protests--citizens-and-young-people-gather-en-masse-in-front-of-the-Ministry-of-Education./#gsc.tab=0  https://www.tiranatimes.com/albanian-government-tightens-protest-laws-as-crisis-deepens/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journalist Kim Kelly gives us a spooky little roundup of labor actions from gravediggers, embalmers, and coffin makers (oh my!). Sources:  https://proteanmag.com/2021/10/31/picket-lines-in-the-graveyard-a-history-of-cemetery-workers-strikes/ https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67168074 https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/dc33-strike-philadelphia-medical-examiners-injunction-20250703.html https://6abc.com/post/retrieval-dead-bodies-is-being-delayed-due-blue-collar-union-dc33-strike-philadelphia-officials-say/16936166/ https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/sacrilegious-bodies-piling-up-at-cook-county-morgue/ https://6abc.com/archive/8511845/ https://abc7.com/archive/8719820/ https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/02/archives/workers-strike-funeral-homes-100-establishments-hit-in-the.html https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/04/archives/state-fails-to-end-embalmers-strike.html https://thevictorianbookofthedead.wordpress.com/2024/08/28/the-coffin-makers-strike-1872/ https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=pilot18720622-01.2.22&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN----------------------- See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.