Pod Save America

Election Day is here at last. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy go through the final batch of polls and make the case for optimism (and pessimism) in each of the battlegrounds, from the Haley Stevens drama in Michigan, to Roger Marshall's desperate ad in Kansas. Then they zoom out and discuss the expectations game, baseline assumptions that might need updating, and what a better- or worse-than-expected night would tell us about 2028.

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CNN's Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten joins Tommy for one last deep dive ahead of Election Day. They break down the rising chance of a Democratic blowout in the House, how much to trust the polls, and what to watch for as results come in on Tuesday night. They also crunch the numbers on the most nail-biting Senate races and take a look at the most surprising states that are now in play. Then, Harry tells Tommy what it's like being Trump's favorite pollster.

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Trump campaigns in South Carolina as the polls show Democrat Annie Andrews tied with Senator Darline Graham. Jon and Dan react to the president's incoherent case for the nepo senator, and the White House's "grim" mood heading into the midterms, before discussing the latest batch of Senate polls, Trump's decision to cancel his upcoming rally in Kansas, and Barack Obama's response to the administration's freakout over his Cheesecake Factory joke.

Then, the guys discuss the situation with the Peltola campaign’s “ballot-stacking” in Alaska and whether the right might use it justify meddling in the election, before answering listener questions about how we should be feeling about Tuesday.

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Campaigning in Michigan, Barack Obama says Donald Trump's White House renovations look like "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory" — touching off many rounds of fake conservative outrage. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss Trump's reaction to the comparison and other news from the campaign trail, including Trump's public praise for Nicki Minaj's ass, Obama's response the anti-Muslim rhetoric targeting Abdul El-Sayed, and Mike Rogers's evasive performance on Meet the Press. Then the guys turn to the Department of Justice's preemptive attempt to invalidate the results of the Alaska Senate race, Democrats making the midterm election a referendum on the administration's handling of the Epstein files, and Trump's record-breaking Truth Social post — a 1,300-word tirade against Bill Maher.

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Former Attorney General Eric Holder joins Alex Wagner to game out the ways Trump might try to steal the midterms, from weaponizing the Department of Justice, to sending Homeland Security after suspected noncitizen voters, to straight-up misinformation and intimidation. They talk about how Democrats are preparing to fight back, what Holder has learned running election war games with Hillary Clinton, and why listeners need to lock in their voting plan. Then, Holder, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, explains why GOP gerrymandering efforts ahead of the midterms have—hopefully—fallen flat, and why the battle against partisan maps will continue into 2028 and beyond.

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Polling's gold standard, the New York Times/Siena poll, releases new data showing Democrats surging far ahead of Republicans with an 11-point lead on the generic ballot, while another popular pollster is exposed for falsifying its data. Jon and Dan react to the polls, both good and fake, and then turn to Donald Trump's campaign stop in South Carolina, where the president expanded on his love of men. They discuss Vivek Ramaswamy's disgusting ad in the Ohio gubernatorial race, JD Vance getting a cold welcome from his hometown NFL franchise, this week's Senate debates in Michigan and Kansas, and another administration scandal featuring Trump's former attorney Alina Habba. Then Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia, stops by the studio to talk to Lovett about her return to politics and her race against a MAGA billionaire.

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Vice President JD Vance tries and fails to act normal during a CBS town hall in Michigan — but struggles even harder to explain away his boss's policies. Donald Trump sells out Ukraine to Vladimir Putin, a complex scandal involving two Trump advisors engulfs the White House, new details emerge about the firing of Katie Zacharia, and Republicans try to make an issue out of the riots in France.

Jon, Lovett, and Tommy react to all the latest, including new lines of attack in the Senate races in Michigan and Maine, and Trump telling his followers not watch Fox News anymore. Then, Mayor Paige Cognetti talks to Jon about fighting corruption in Pennsylvania and flipping a critical House seat blue.

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With two weeks until the midterms, Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, sits down with Dan to break down what she calls the most brutal political environment Republicans have faced in twenty years.

They discuss whether the numbers indicate a "blue wave" or a "red undertow," whether the polls can be trusted, and why massive Republican spending can't outrun Trump's cost-of-living crisis and his war in Iran. They also dig into the strategy—or lack thereof—behind Trump's rally blitz, whether gerrymandering has backfired on the GOP, and why Democrats may actually perform better in red states than in blue ones this November.

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Trump makes the case for Jon Husted in Ohio, praising the Republican senator's greatest asset: his athletic behind. Jon and Dan react to Trump's Ohio rally and his other messages to voters on the campaign trail, Politico reporting that Trump is considering replacing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with an MLB executive, and new press secretary Katie Zacharia's brutal debut briefing.

They discuss the president canceling the Department of Defense's plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, the administration's deeply troubling attempt to strip Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of her citizenship, and another pathetic attempt at humor from Vice President JD Vance. Then, Sherrod Brown talks to Dan about his bid to retake his old Senate seat in the Buckeye State.

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A right-wing conspiracy theory claiming that James Talarico, who has been off the campaign trail with the flu, was actually at a mental institution in Ohio is immediately debunked in humiliating fashion. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy react to the idiocy and all the other developments in the race to flip the Senate, including Trump calling Abdul El-Sayed a "jihadist," Darline Graham insisting the war with Iran must go on, and Trump's super PAC announcing that it's "trimming the map" to focus on fewer races. Then they react to federal agents raiding Rep. Ilhan Omar's DC home, Pete Hegseth's announcement that the Department of Defense will livestream an execution, and reports that Trump may now be considering firing the scandal-ridden ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle. Finally, Chris Pappas, the Democratic nominee for Senate in New Hampshire, talks to Lovett about his campaign in the Granite State and his family inventing the chicken tender.

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As Democrats in competitive races across the country try to thread the needle on a closing argument, Jon and legendary political consultant David Axelrod discuss the most memorable exchanges from this week's Senate debates, the best messages of the cycle, and what candidates in frontline races should do to finish strong. Then they look ahead to 2028 and whether promising candidates like AOC and Jon Ossoff will run, and why Axelrod thinks the exact traits that Trump lacks will be in high demand.

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The Wall Street Journal reveals brazen corruption by Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former Fox News host (and Don Jr. fiancée) now serving as ambassador to Greece — and the Daily Mail piles on with eye-popping reports about misbehavior on the job. Jon and Dan react to the brewing scandal and take a look at Trump's closing message: medals for himself and his tech billionaire friends, an empty promise to hand out $5,000 checks and pretending that James Talarico has meat poisoning.

Then they turn to the latest in the key Senate races: Mike Rogers's attempt to break with Trump on Canada tariffs, Susan Collins's embarrassing remarks about healthcare coverage, and Ken Paxton telling donors that he wants to cut funding to Social Security and Medicare. Finally, Lovett sits down with Angie Nixon, the Democratic Senate nominee in Florida, to talk about how she can win in a state Trump calls home.

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With less than 30 days until the midterms, Trump hits the campaign trail, promising Republican voters that they're going to "win big" and "shove it up their ass." (Whose? He didn't specify.) Meanwhile, the polls tell a different story, showing Democratic Senate candidates leading in five Republican states: Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa, and Kansas. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss whether the Democratic momentum is too big to be true, Republican super PACs reallocating money to typically red states, and Trump doxxing Sen. Tom Cotton over daylight saving time dispute. Then the guys check in on the latest in the Michigan, Texas, and Florida Senate races, Kristi Noem's half-billion-dollar purchase of five jets on her way out the door at Homeland Security, and Vivek Ramaswamy's latest athletic passion: weightlifting. Finally, Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor in Texas, stops by the studio to talk to Tommy about opening up a lead on three-term Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

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Michael Lewis, the New York Times bestselling author of "Moneyball" and "The Big Short," stops by the studio to talk to Lovett about "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State," his latest book on the government employees who stood up to Elon Musk and Donald Trump during the heyday of DOGE.

Lovett and Lewis revisit the story of Colin O'Brien, the security chief who locked DOGE out of the U.S. Institute of Peace, and break down how Howard Lutnick's takeover of the Commerce Department reveals the inner workings of Trump's government.

Then, Lewis shares what essential government employees told him about working under DOGE, why he thinks DOGE may have been created in the first place, and how the next Democratic candidate should make rebuilding the government a top message following DOGE's damage.

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Pete Hegseth, in an unconventional speech, announces that beardos, weirdos, and wimps are no longer welcome at the Department of War as his boss officially hit the road to campaign for Senate Republicans — whether they want him to or not. Jon and Dan react to Trump's event with Ken Paxton in Texas, Trump proclaiming his love for data centers in a wide-ranging interview with TIME, and Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt's embarrassing mix-up in a Judiciary Committee hearing with former Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Then, Rev. Adam Hamilton, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Kansas, talks to Dan about what it'll take to elect the state's first Democratic senator in nearly 100 years, and why he considers himself both a liberal and a conservative.

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Senate Democrats signal they may be open to impeaching Pete Hegseth after the election if the House has the votes for it.

Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss why that trial would be a great use of a new Democratic Senate majority, Trump saying that the American economy is "the best in the world" despite record-setting diesel prices and stunningly low consumer sentiment, and Mike Johnson's new claim that opposition to new data centers is "a Chinese psy-op."

Plus, AI labs pause development of their most advanced models (over the president's objections), Ambassador to China David Perdue admits that Trump tried to sell weapons to Xi Jinping, the White House keeps running political ads with taxpayer money, and Fox News's Greg Gutfeld sounds off — on overweight sex workers.

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Live from the Texas Tribune Festival, Jon, Tommy, Lovett, and Dan discuss the dream of a blue Texas and how the campaigns there are doing, from James Talarico's debate challenge to Ken Paxton, to Gina Hinojosa's momentum in the governor's race, to Donald Trump's decision to stay away entirely.

Then they discuss Trump's special welcome — and ballroom tour — for Chinese President Xi Jinping and an assorted cast of tech oligarchs, and the Republican Party's growing frustration with their underperformance in typically purple states like North Carolina and Georgia.

Then, award-winning Tejano artist Bobby Pulido, the Democratic nominee in Texas's must-win 15th district, stops by to talk about his race to unseat Trump-backed Rep. Monica De La Cruz.

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The news is full of encouraging signs for Democrats. Is it all too good to be true?

Dan and Jon react to Republican candidates running away from Trump on Iran, then break down the latest polls — including a surprising Times/Siena result from Maine — to take a sober look at the range of outcomes (all of them good!) that are reasonable to expect.

Plus, a big win for freedom of the press and an eye-opening new warning about furries in the cockpit. Then, Tommy talks to activist and athlete Colin Kaepernick about life after the NFL, and his new book "The Perilous Fight."

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Major television networks halt White House pool coverage after Trump announces that he's banning journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.

Jon and Tommy react to Trump and JD Vance's justifications for the decision, before breaking down the details of the Ellisons' deal with the California attorney general that will allow the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger to proceed.

They then discuss the Iran war expanding to other countries, the president's call for an "AI Force" as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent negotiates with China, the Republican Party's growing cash advantage in the midterms, and Trump's announcement that his triumphal arch will now also serve as a military installation.

Then, Cait Conley, the Democratic nominee in New York's 17th District, stops by the studio to talk to Dan about her race to unseat Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.

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Fox News host Jessica Tarlov, the lone liberal voice on "The Five," stops by the studio to talk to Tommy about her new book "I Disagree: Winning Arguments without Losing Friends." Tarlov offers Tommy a behind the scenes look into the making of Fox's most combative show and her relationships off-screen with her conservative colleagues.

She also talks about how she handles criticism from Fox News's most infamous viewer, what it's like watching her former colleagues serve in the President's cabinet, and why she thinks Democrats need to spend more time on Fox News in 2028.

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