It Doesn't Have to Be Like This

We're waiting on the midterms like everyone else. Instead of reading polls, Sarah and Beth draft their personal midterm 'Avengers' team, spotlighting Jon Ossoff, Roy Cooper, Adam Hamilton, James Talarico, Abdul El-Sayed, Marilyn Zayas, and more. They cover: A draft of favorite midterm candidates, including Jon Ossoff and Roy Cooper Must-watch races in Kansas, Texas, and Michigan, and what makes them stand out Down-ballot and across-the-aisle picks, from Marilyn Zayas in Ohio to Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania Kentucky races to watch, including Sarah Cole McIntosh and Melissa Strange Outside of Politics: Sarah shares her family's new Thursday night open-invite pizza ritual for teens Links: Our pre-midterms premium sale (25% off our annual rate) Our conversation with Zach Dembo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah and Beth break down the pervasive corruption in the Trump administration, from White House renovations to rare earth mineral deals, and cover: Alina Habba, Ric Grenell, and high-dollar pardons How White House renovations became a marketplace for influence, with major corporations making anonymous, tax-deductible donations The scale of government contracts and rare earth mineral deals tied to the Trump family and allies The impact of unchecked corruption on public trust and the upcoming midterm elections Outside of Politics: Kelly Clarkson's viral feud with a Brooklyn shop over a mechanical bird Next week, we're featuring great candidates for office in a draft-style episode and would love to hear your nominations. You can also help us prepare for our Halloween episode--a political version of the "a haunted house but it's just..." meme. Join the conversation on Substack (and sign up for our 25% discounted annual rate before the election) or by emailing [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the midterms close, Sarah and Beth step back to ask how a profit-first mindset came to shape so much of public life and what might replace it. Inspired by Chris Marquis's New York Times guest essay on closing business schools, they discuss: the pervasive influence of MBA thinking on leadership and society the need for philosophy, art, and new vocabularies about values and priorities rethinking measurement and growth Outside of politics (not really!): The Social Reckoning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Attorney General Rob Bonta joins Beth to talk about how state attorneys general are preparing for this election and pushing back on federal overreach. They discuss: the security of mail-in ballots the fight over "citizenship lists" preparations to safeguard against intimidation at the polls the Supreme Court's emergency docket and strain on the court system immigration enforcement AI and the tools needed to protect citizens outside of politics: soccer brings people together Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We did not expect to be discussing the death penalty less than a month before midterm elections, but here we are. Today, Sarah and Beth discuss: Our individual perspectives on the death penalty Tennessee's failed attempt to execute Christa Pike Pete Hegseth's plan to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan Outside of politics: seeing leaves last week in New England and Quebec Mentioned in the episode: Still Listening, our free pop-up book club for the midterms Pew Research polling on the death penalty Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" Common Ground Pilgrimages Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beth talks with Zach Dembo, the Democratic candidate for Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, running against Republican Ralph Alvarado in one of the closest House races in the country: Zach's path to running: Teach for America, active-duty Navy, policy advisor to Gov. Andy Beshear, and most recently a federal prosecutor Why he resigned from the DOJ, and how that decision affected his marriage (his wife is also a prosecutor) His anti-corruption platform: no stock trading for members of Congress, 12-year term limits, a ban on lobbying, a ban on dark money and corporate PAC contributions Why the corruption message is landing with voters across party lines in central Kentucky right now His "team Kentucky, not team party" case for independence in a polarized Congress The "nightmare scenario": what Congress can actually do if the executive ignores its own laws His committee priorities — armed services and agriculture — and why farm economics are personal to both hosts The contrast with his opponent, Ralph Alvarado Running a true toss-up race, and how listeners can help A closing conversation about UK football under Will Stein and UK basketball Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah and Beth talk with Kristin Kobes Du Mez about her new book Live, Laugh, Love, exploring the history and influence of white Christian women's culture in America: how Live, Laugh, Love traces the roots of white Christian women's culture beyond evangelicalism, including Mormon and positive thinking influences the intertwining of religion, capitalism, and multi-level marketing, and how corporate power shaped Christian subcultures the impact of Christian fiction, media, and influencers from Little House on the Prairie to modern blogs and Instagram the challenges of writing recent history and representing living figures in the Christian women's influencer space Outside of politics, some easy organizing has improved our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah and Beth discuss the horror described in Jane Doe's complaint, the campus culture at Cornell, and the challenges of addressing sexual assault in college environments. They cover: The reporting and investigation into the Cornell 7 case and the role of student journalism How campus culture, Greek life, and university responses shape outcomes The complexities of Title IX, criminal investigations, and legal standards in sexual assault cases Broader questions about prevention, parenting, and the ongoing struggle to change campus safety Outside of Politics: Sarah and Beth talk about Derek Thompson's essay on the decline of hosting and why fewer people are having others over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah and Beth discuss the viral stories that took over the weekend, and what they reveal about conflict, context, and civic life heading into the midterms: - The New York Times report on Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola's treatment of staff - The Boston Globe story on Last Ditch, a COVID-cautious lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts - The Giants game "mom of the year" couple and iced coffee at job interviews - Taylor Swift's four-song encore to The Life of a Showgirl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beth talks with Dr. Robbyn Wacker, a former university president (most recently at St. Cloud State University) with a background in gerontology, about the book she's writing on leadership and values in higher education. They cover: Robbyn's path from gerontology and legal aid for older adults into higher-ed leadership, and eight years as a university president The current state of higher education: flipped funding models, the enrollment cliff, cuts to research funding and student loans, restrictions on international students, and a growing public skepticism about the value of a degree Why Robbyn's book centers on values rather than tactics, and how to choose two or three core values as an actual decision-making tool rather than a platitude "Values drift" — how leaders rationalize small departures from their stated values until those values stop driving behavior at all A detour through Lindsey Graham's admission that his real value is "relevance," and what that reveals about naming one value in service of another Whether organizations — and an entire sector like higher education — can meaningfully hold values, and how to navigate different constituencies without seeming inconsistent Beth's own reflection on the three values guiding her work this year: honesty, distinctiveness, and joy A closing story about the real budget dilemmas university presidents face, and how a "North Star" value holds up under pressure Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices