Living in the USA

What a week! Tuesday's historic Democratic victories this midterm election were more than just about the price of gas. And, they are part of a worldwide tend: the people's rejection of authoritarian rule. Alan Minsky comments.Also: What we won this week, starting with Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and James Talarico in Texas – John Nichols comments on the candidates and the issues. He’s The Nation’s Executive Editor.Plus: Why victories in the South are especially historic and transformational – Harold Meyerson explains. He’s editor at large of The American Prospect.

Midterm Elections Roundup: California ballot initiatives – starting with the proposed 5% wealth tax in California – where if passed, 90% of the collected wealth tax would go to healthcare: What do supporters say about why the billionaire tax is a good idea? PDA executive director Alan Minsky comments.Also: If the election goes roughly as the polls say it will, next Tuesday will mark the beginning of the end of the Trump era. Harold Meyerson comments, focusing on getting to 51 in the Senate—or, better yet, 52. Harold is editor-at-large of The American Prospect.Plus: Trump's efforts to interfere with voting, and with certification of the results, have not been successful. Rick Hasen of the UCLA Law School says “We're doing well on election protection”: the courts have been strong, the blue states have been a bulwark, and—most important—early voting has been big. Rick is also director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project and editor of the Election Law Blog.

Republicans are spending hundreds of millions on the midterms, but their money hasn’t been able to counter the crisis of affordability, the disgust with Trump’s corruption, and the quality of many of the Democratic candidates. Harold Meyerson comments – he’s editor at large of The American Prospect.Also: Katha Pollitt argues that the gang rape at a Cornell fraternity party could have been stopped--if someone had bothered to intervene. But no one did. “Where were the good guys?” She asks.Plus: From the Archives: Twenty Minutes without Trump: Q: Who is the opposite of Trump in American History? A: Elvis. Peter Guralnik wrote the definitive two-volume biography of Elvis "Last Train to Memphis" and "Careless Love" – and he co-authored "Elvis Day by Day" – we discuss Elvis' purely American rags-to-riches story (originally recorded in 2010).

Most political reporting has been about Democrats’ chances of taking control of Congress, but the Governors’ races hold the key to election protection in the 2028 presidential vote. Harold Meyerson explains, and examines the contest now underway in Nevada. Harold is Editor-at-Large of The American Prospect.Also: The real threat of AI is not the destruction of humanity, but rather replacing human labor with machines—that’s what Garrison Lovely argues. He’s the author of Obsolete: The AI Industry’s Trillion Dollar Race to Replace Us—and How to Stop It.Plus: John Berger, author of the classic “Ways of Seeing,” was more than a Marxist art critic. On the 100th anniversary of his birth, John Powers comments on his life and work—both of which were extraordinary. John is critic-at-large on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

The big question about the midterms — control of the Senate. Statistician and political analyst Nate Silver estimated the Democrats winning the Senate at 74%. Harold Meyerson commentsAlso: Our right to peaceful protest is under assault. To save it, we need to “respect it, defend it, and more than anything – use it.” that’s what Annie Leonard says - she’s a longtime activist who spent 17 years with Greenpeace USA, then she helped launch the Jane Fonda Climate PAC. And she’s co-author of the new book, “Protest.”Plus: The secret history of the Koch Brothers: how the key to their empire, and their fortune, is a refinery south of St. Paul. “Kochland” author Christopher Leonard has that story (originally recorded 5/28/2020).

Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, answers the question, “What’s the Plan – for the next No Kings Nationwide Day of Action?” This one shifts from mass protest in the streets to organizing for early voting – and preparing for whatever Trump does to disrupt or undermine the vote, the count, and the certification.Also: The Supreme Court last Friday issued an order allowing states to use Trump’s SAVE database to purge their voter rolls of people the DHS considers ineligible – but it’s too late to apply to the midterms. Rick Hasen explains – he teaches law at UCLA and he’s Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project and editor of the Election Law Blog.Plus: Your Minnesota Moment: Trump's TEN-billion dollar announcement about Minnesota iron and steel: he said that ore processed in Minnesota, with a TEN-billion dollar loan from the Trump administration, is to be moved to Iowa to support Iowa Republicans, throwing Minnesota Republicans overboard.

The primary force behind the settlement that will allow Trump’s allies at Paramount to take over Warners-Discovery and CNN was Gavin Newsom, who pressured California Attorney General Rob Bonta to end the anti-trust fight defending media independence. Norm Eisen explains – he’s co-founder and executive chair of the Democracy Defenders Fund and Democracy Defenders Action, and, the New York Times reported, “the leader of a coalition of entertainment and news industry professionals who opposed the deal.”Also: After Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House newsroom, the TV networks united in refusing coverage of his events – including Fox News. John Nichols has our analysis.Plus: Your Minnesota Moment: Minnesota has joined the national popular vote interstate compact — that's a way to assure that the presidential candidate who gets the most votes nationwide is elected president. The compact has been enacted into law by 19 states with 220 electoral votes; we need 48 more in 2027 in order to mqke the 2028 presidential election the first where the national popular vote will determine the president.

To win control of the Senate in the midterms, the Democrats need to hold all of the seats they have and flip 4 to get to 51 – but, the wild card Dem that is John Fetterman of Pennsylvania means the Dems really need 5 to get to 52 – how and where might the Democrats win those seats? Harold Meyerson comments.Only two Justices backed Trump in the Court’s ruling blocking his efforts to enlist the postal service in restricting voting by mail in the midterms. David Cole explains why this is a huge victory, but far from the end of Trump’s efforts to undermine Democratic voting.Also: The blue state attorneys general have succeeded in blocking the efforts of Trump’s allies at Paramount-Skydance from taking over Warners-Discovery, at least for now, but their lawsuit followed months of protests organized by, among others, Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment. Rashad Robinson has our analysis – his new book is From Presence to Power: How to take on the Fights that Matter – and Win.

The Republicans held their midterm convention in Dallas, TX on Wednesday and Thursday, which, featured Trump talking for two hours about the "increasingly fictitious" achievements of the GOP – Harold Meyerson comments.Also: Is the resistance to data centers a new kind of mass politics? David Wallace-Wells explains why the answer is “yes.” He’s a writer for The New York Times Opinion pages and author of the unforgettable book “The Uninhabitable Earth.”Plus: Skye Perryman discusses her New York Times Bestselling "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times" – now available in paperback just in time for the midterms. The book is recommended by Dolores Huerta, Stacey Abrams, Hillary Clinton and Willy Nelson – and there is a website full of resources for everyone: https://ordinarypeopleaction.com/

The political surprise of 2026: the movement to block AI data centers – it's popular among both Democrats and Republicans at the grassroots. But, in many places the building trade unions are opposing that movement – they want to build those data centers – and in some places, Democratic political candidates are standing with those unions. Harold Meyerson comments on this "trans-partisan" issue.The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Trump could proceed with construction of his ballroom—they explicitly did not rule on the merits of the case, but on the issue of standing for the plaintiff. Robert Weisman has our analysis – he’s co-president of Public Citizen.Also: The Democrats are now favored to win not only the House but also the Senate in November – they need to flip four seats, and their candidates are ahead in five. John Nichols explains.