Congress’ Freshman Orientation

November 8; 9am: Ballots are still being counted in Mississippi, and a critical deadline is fast approaching as the race remains neck-and-neck. Democratic nominee Scott Colom is leading the Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by just over 2,500 votes. Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson joins “The Weekend” to discuss.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnbc.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnbcTikTok: @theweekendmsnbc  To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 8; 8am: Democrats not only managed to secure a House majority that could expand further, but they also brought home wins in typically red territory. Today, the nation’s newly elected lawmakers are descending on DC as new member orientation kicks off in the Capitol. Rep-elect Brian Poindexter of Ohio joins “The Weekend” to discuss his big win, flipping a Republican seat blue, and what he’ll be learning this week in Congress.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnbc.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnbcTikTok: @theweekendmsnbc To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 8; 7am: Senator-elect James Talarico made his first public appearance since election night, placing his "I voted" sticker on the Houston memorial for Lorenzo Salgado, who was killed by an ICE agent this summer. President Trump's immigration crackdown was one of the midterms' key issues in Texas, where voters delivered a historic blue wave on the federal and state levels. The Lone Star State elected its first Latina governor, Gina Hinojosa, and its first woman lieutenant governor, Vikki Goodwin, and Democrats also flipped the state House. State Representative Senfronia Thompson says she's secured enough votes to become the next Texas House Speaker, putting her on track to be the first woman and first Black lawmaker to lead the chamber. Texas House minority leader and incoming majority leader, Representative Gene Wu, joins “The Weekend” to discuss.For more, follow us on social mediaBluesky: @theweekendmsnow.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnowTikTok: @theweekendmsnow  To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 7; 9am: This year, the single largest issue voters said affected their vote was government corruption. According to the AP Voter Poll, which surveyed midterm voters in all 50 states, “More than half of voters nationally said government corruption was 'crucial' for their vote for Congress.” And Democrats are already preparing to provide oversight of the Executive branch. Democratic member of Congress, Representative Robert Garcia of California, joins “The Weekend” to discuss. He is the Ranking Member on the House Oversight Committee and is expected to become the committee chairman in the next Congress.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnbc.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnbcTikTok: @theweekendmsnbc To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 7; 8am:  The massive wave of Democratic victories also came with historic firsts. Some of these wins include Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. New Mexico's Deb Haaland, the first Native American woman elected governor. Gina Hinojosa, the first Latina elected Governor of Texas, and Stacey Plaskett, who will become both the first female governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. territory. Governor-elect Plaskett joins “The Weekend” to discuss her historic win.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnbc.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnbcTikTok: @theweekendmsnbc To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 7; 7am: Votes are still being counted, but MS NOW currently projects Democrats will send at least 256 members to the House of Representatives once every race is called. That's a net gain of at least 41 seats. In the Senate, Democrats have flipped 7 seats, currently giving them 54 seats, but that could change as they await the results of the Alaska and Mississippi races. President Trump has made his first big move since the massive Republican losses on election night. He announced Stephen Miller will take over as White House Chief of Staff. MS NOW Contributing Editor Michele Norris and MS NOW White House Reporter Laura Barrón-López join “The Weekend” to discuss. For more, follow us on social mediaBluesky: @theweekendmsnow.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnowTikTok: @theweekendmsnow  To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 1, 2026, 9 AM; Polling averages from Fifty-plus-one show Democrats pulling ahead in Iowa and Ohio, states where the party hasn’t won a governor’s race since 2006. And tight races in Nevada and Georgia where Democrats would make history. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear joins The Weekend to discuss how Democrats have been hammering home a unified message on the state of the economy and corruption surrounding the Trump administration.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnow.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnowTikTok: @theweekendmsnow To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 1, 2026, 8 AM; It the issue that propelled Donald Trump to victory in 2024 was the economy and his promises to end inflation and bring prices down. But since the start of Trump’s 2nd term, his tariffs and the war in Iran have caused inflation to spike to it’s current level of 3.7%. Prices have also spiked across the board, with everything from groceries to electricity becoming less affordable. Trump’s policies also ushered in a wave of economic uncertainty, making companies hesitant to hire new people, and created a low-hire, low-fire job market. But despite all of this, Trump still boasts about the so-called successes of his economy while voters continue to give his performance historically low ratings. Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan and the host of "Platypus Economics", Justin Wolfers joins The Weekend to discuss the economy and how it'll likely be the key issue to decide the midterm elections. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 1, 2026, 7 AM; According to the Associated Press early voting is significantly outpacing the last midterm election with sharp increases in states hosting competitive Senate races. South Carolina has seen a massive 83 percent surge. Texas is up 50 percent. Maine is up by 44 percent. As candidates continue their sprint to the finish line, it is now in the voters' hands to decide who they want representing them starting in the new year. Former. Rep. Barbara Comstock and MS NOW Political Analyst Elise Jordan join The Weekend to discuss the latest.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnow.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnowTikTok: @theweekendmsnow To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

October 31, 2026, 9 AM; In Alaska, we’ve seen the efforts by the Justice Department to potentially block the certification of the Senate race results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly loses to Democrat Mary Peltola, over allegations Peltola’s campaign recruited another Dan Sullivan to run as a spoiler. The DOJ has expanded its investigation issuing dozens of new grand jury subpoenas. Meanwhile, in California, the Justice Department is escalating its investigation into alleged noncitizen voting, issuing subpoenas to state and local election officials. The administration has also been trying to force California to set aside more than 20K ballots — an effort rejected by a federal judge and, again, by an appeals court last night. Former Sen. Claire McCaskill and Ned Foley join The Weekend to discuss the intensifying, last-minute battles over vote security and what happens to your ballot after Tuesday's elections.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnow.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnowTikTok: @theweekendmsnow   To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.