'If You Can Keep It': What Democrats Can Actually Get Done

Democrats had a feeling that the midterms would go well for their candidates. But few would have predicted that traditionally red states like Mississippi would flip. Now, Scott Colom will head to Washington as the state’s first Democratic senator since 1982.The House tried and failed to impeach the Defense Secretary Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie sponsored a resolution to effectively fire the head of the military. But his fellow GOP members did not back him.And Jensen Huang, the co-founder and now former CEO of Nvidia, resigned on Thursday. That’s after revelations of several affairs with his employees and a potential Chinese spy.And, in global news, President Donald Trump said he would hold off on new military action against Iran after appeals from Gulf allies, but the U.S. military continues to build its presence in the Middle East region.Saudi air defences intercepted Houthi missiles and drones launched towards Riyadh, Mecca, and other regions. Houthis have denied targeting Mecca, saying they only target oil facilities and military bases.And there were two days of U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. They ended with no major breakthrough. It was the first meeting between the two delegations in nine months.We cover the most important stories from around the globe in the international hour of the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The weekend before election day, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy was hospitalized after a stroke. He is 53. He has since left the hospital and is continuing his recovery at a rehabilitation center.A stroke at 53 may sound surprising. Of course, the risk of stroke rises with age. But researchers say strokes in younger adults are becoming more common.A study published in September in the journal Neurology tracked stroke cases in the Cincinnati area for nearly three decades. Among adults ages 20 to 54, the rate nearly doubled. Nationwide, nearly 800,000 people have strokes each year. That’s about one every 40 seconds.In this edition in our series, “In Good Health,” we talk about strokes and put your questions to the experts.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Corporate intrigue. National security secrets. A suspected Chinese spy. The rise and possible fall of a powerful man. The Nvidia espionage story has the makings of a great spy movie. But the implications are very real. CEO Jensen Huang is facing an investigation — and federal scrutiny— after admitting to an affair with a business executive believed by U.S. intelligence to be a spy for Beijing.But this isn’t just corporate gossip. Nvidia’s microchips fuel the AI race. Did tech secrets change hands? And what does this mean for national security and the global economy?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

“Today, the convergence of automation, robotics and A-I is rapidly transforming the very structure of work. It is said that this will bring great improvements for everyone. In reality, however, the “new ways” of working are not necessarily better,… …it is necessary to design systems that are centered on the human person and not solely on performance.” That critique of artificial intelligence is one you might expect to find in an op-ed or an online forum. It’s actually from Pope Leo the XIV, writing recently about protecting humanity in the AI era.The risks that generative artificial intelligence pose to human work are a common source of worry. A summer survey from Pew showed a majority of respondents – 52 percent – are more concerned than they are excited about the technology. And for the first time in five years of asking the question, a majority of people surveyed under 30 years old said they were more concerned than excited.How much of this worry about work and AI is based in reality? How are employees changing their work to include AI?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It’s a historic moment for the Democrats. Right now, the party is basking in a landslide victory glow. But after taking back the House and Senate and taking wins in reliably red areas across the U.S., the real work is just beginning.Last week, voters delivered a rebuke to the Trump administration and its policies. Now, they’re looking to the left to deliver on their key concerns.How will the Democrats take on the issues that matter most to Americans right now? How much of that is investigations and accountability versus actual legislation? What will they actually be able to get done?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Massive Democratic midterm wins on Tuesday flipped control of the U.S. House and Senate across the country. Democrats will go to Congress in 2027 with a clear directive from voters — for change.The Affordable Care Act marketplace opened Sunday and millions of Americans are facing double-digit hikes to their health insurance premiums.And as Democrats take back control of the Senate, The New York Times reports that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has decided he will not retire until at least the end of the current court term.And, in global news, Vice President JD Vance wrote Wednesday on social media that the reason the GOP lost so many seats in the midterm election was the Iran war.Global reactions to the midterm elections poured in this week. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez praised voters in the U.S. for electing Democrats, posting on social media that, “It happened in Brazil. It has just happened in the US. And it will happen soon in Spain.”And the day of the midterm elections, President Donald Trump announced his administration would end the $4 billion in aid the U.S. sends annually to Israel.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The cost of most necessities is rising right now. And healthcare is no exception.In 2026, the average employer-based family healthcare plan cost a little over $28,000. And employees contributed over $7,400 more to those plans than in 2025. That’s according to analysis from the health research group KFF.And the nearly 20 million Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act for health insurance are facing a 13 percent premium increase next year.Two days out from the midterm elections, what can Congress do to keep healthcare affordable in the United States?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The polls predicted a “blue wave.” And this time, the voters followed through.Democrats have taken control of the U.S. House and Senate, along with a slew of governorships, in what proved to be a stunning reversal of political power nationwide.In the Senate races, the Dems flipped seven seats, picking up a string of victories in Republican strongholds like Texas, Ohio, and Kansas — the latter last electing a Democrat almost 100 years ago. Control of the House was the first projected to flip on Tuesday, with Democrats picking up 29 seats.In this installment of “If You Can Keep It,” we unpack the 2026 midterm results — what we know, what we are still waiting on, and what it all means for the state of our democracy.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It’s election day in America.All 435 districts in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate are up for grabs. And five of the House’s six non-voting members are also in play.Democrats will need to gain a net of four seats to win a majority in the Senate. Meanwhile, Republicans can lose no more than two seats to retain a majority in the chamber.In this installment of “If You Can Keep It,” we check in as millions of Americans cast their ballots in the midterm elections.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The final weekend of campaigning before Election Day has passed. President Donald Trump attended rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday — despite initially announcing those rallies were cancelled. The president said they were back on the schedule on Friday.In more than two dozen campaign stops in October, the president’s influence among Republican voters has been tested — in a midterm election that is a referendum on his presidency so far.And while GOP campaigning continues to hinge on Trump — among Democrats, a fractured party in Michigan is becoming a problem of its own. In Michigan’s Senate Race, former Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens issued a late and shocking endorsement for the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers. Michigan’s Senate seat is a key piece to retaking control of the chamber for Democrats.More than 50 million votes have already been cast. What insight did this weekend’s campaigning give us to the state of the midterms?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy