Yes, there actually is good news

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice explore how Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans have rushed to exploit Charlie Kirk’s death, facts be damned.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:David and Aaron discuss:* How the entire MAGA movement wants to use Kirk’s killing to punish the left—regardless of what his killer’s motives might have been.* How Trump is already starting to fumble away any sympathy by obsessing about things like TV ratings and his new White House “ballroom.”* Why this dangerous moment has ramped up the threats to free speech, making independent media more important than ever.And much more. As we do every week, we also took questions from viewers.If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot talks with Joe Sudbay of SiriusXM Progress and Noah Berlatsky of Public Notice about the good news these days—and yes, in spite of everything, there’s a fair bit of it!If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:The three discuss:* Why Joni Ernst’s retirement widens the path for Democrats to retake the Senate* How D.C. Democrats could learn a thing or three from their counterparts in the states who keep winning special elections* Why Donald Trump is going to keep squirming over the Epstein filesAnd much more! We also took several questions from viewers, including a particularly astute one about elections taking place this fall in Georgia.If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above. You can also find a complete transcript.Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our live Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot talks to guest-host Joe Sudbay of SiriusXM Progress about his inside view of Donald Trump’s assault on our nation’s capital as a longtime resident of Washington, D.C.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:David and Joe discuss:* How folks who actually live in the District are reacting to Trump’s invasion* Why Trump’s decision to call up troops from far-off states represents such a dangerous escalation* How a first-time candidate in Maine’s critical Senate race has galvanized Democrats—and is already sticking it to Susan CollinsAnd much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our live Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice discuss two invasions: Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine and Donald Trump’s assault on our nation’s capital.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:David and Aaron discuss:* Why there’s less than meets the eye to Trump’s seeming shift in attitude toward Putin* Why it matters that Trump’s attempted takeover of Washington, D.C., is already unpopular* How Democrats are fighting back against GOP efforts to rig the midterms through an unprecedented batch of new gerrymandersAnd much more! We also turned the tables in our usual audience Q&A when we asked you to help us track down an old Sarah Palin quote. Our viewers stepped up right away!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice dive into Donald Trump’s multi-front efforts to rig the 2026 midterms—and the many obstacles he faces.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:David and Aaron discuss:* Why Republicans face few constraints on passing new gerrymanders—and could face fewer still, if the Supreme Court guts what remains of the Voting Rights Act* How Trump’s completed garbled demand for a new census that would exclude undocumented immigrants runs afoul of the law* Why a totally bonkers GOP meltdown that Aaron clipped got featured in the first attack ad by the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s race for governorAnd much more! We also took your questions about Latino voting trends and the possibility of Texas losing seats if Trump gets his way on the census.If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice explain the GOP’s exceedingly cynical effort to re-gerrymander Texas’ already gerrymandered congressional map.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:David and Aaron discuss:* How the new Texas map would target Black and Latino voters—and members of Congress—in an effort to weaken their power* Why Donald Trump’s unfolding plan to pirouette away from the Jeffrey Epstein debacle could disgust some of his key supporters* Why the worst-case scenario for Trump is a simultaneous spike in inflation and unemploymentAnd much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET, but next week, we’ll be starting early at 1 o’clock. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice explain why, no matter what misdirection he attempts, Donald Trump just can’t shake Jeffrey Epstein.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:David and Aaron discuss:* The damage that Trump’s Epstein cover-up has already inflicted on Republicans* Why Democrats should keep pushing Epstein as a wedge issue that divides the GOP* How Republicans are escalating the gerrymandering arms race, and what Democrats can do to keep paceAnd much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice talk all things Wisconsin with fellow Substacker Dan Shafer of The Recombobulation Area, a site devoted to Badger State politics.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:Dan tells us:* Why, after two successful terms in office, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers should pass the torch to the next generation* How Democrats might finally win back control of state government next year—and what their top priorities would be if they do* What next year’s battle for the Wisconsin Supreme Court — yes, there’s another one! — is looking likeAnd much more.If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above!Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET, though we’ll be taking off next week. We’ll be back on July 25. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice dive into both the awful news from the Supreme Court and the very encouraging news out of New York City.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:David and Aaron discuss:* Why the court’s ruling on Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship is a disaster for democracy—and a recipe for chaos* How Zohran Mamdani exposed the old guard’s decay, and why it should serve as a warning to incumbent Democrats* Why Mamdani’s relentless focus on affordability is a strong message for Democratic candidates just about everywhereAnd much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above!Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET, though we’ll be taking off next week for the Fourth of July holiday and will be back on July 11. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice talk with fellow Substacker Laura Belin all about Iowa!You can subscribe to Laura’s newsletter by clicking the button below:Laura tells us:* Why she wasn’t shocked to hear Republican Sen. Joni Ernst might not run again—but why she still expects her to.* How Democratic strength in Iowa, once a swing state, has eroded but not vanished.* Why MAGA can sniff out phonies from a mile away.And much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above!Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below: Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe