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Trump and Vance Campaign in Republican States as 2026 Midterms Near Oct 26, 2026

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President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance campaign in traditionally Republican states as the 2026 midterm elections approach. President Trump heads to Mississippi, while Vice President Vance makes stops in Montana and Kansas. Meanwhile, candidates across the country are making their final pitches to voters, with campaign events in Michigan, Texas, Iowa, Alaska, and Ohio. We bring you the latest from the campaign trail as Election Day draws closer.

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Weekend Edition: Charlie Cook on Races to Watch During Midterms, Public Religion Research Institute's New Survey, and Allan Lichtman's Book "Great American Presidents...." Oct 24, 2026

Show notes

First: We're in the final stretch in Campaign 2026. We speak with Cook Political Report founder Charlie Cook about the races HE'S watching that'll determine which party will control Congress.

Then – a conversation with Melissa Deckman – CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute – about her group's new survey examining the political mood among Americans ahead of the midterms.

Finally: Author and History Professor Allan Lichtman discusses his latest book, "Great American Presidents: The Twelve Who Transformed the Nation."

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DOJ sues AK in case GOP Sen. Sullivan loses because of similarly named candidate | Pres. Trump campaigns in FL | Ukrainian Pres. Zelensky says Starlink is still slow Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

President Donald Trump says he ordered the Justice Department to file a lawsuit to block the certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate race results if incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses (R-AK) so there can be an investigation into whether another candidate on the ballot with a very similar name confused voters; Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican nominee for Ohio governor, doubles down on his ad that includes the mother of his Democratic opponent Amy Acton accusing Acton of being a liar, after the mother supported Acton's stepfather when he was accused of raping her as a child; President Trump campaigns today in Florida for Republican candidates. Thursday night he was in Iowa. We talk with New York Times National Political Reporter Bayliss Wagner about why the races for Iowa governor and U.S. Senator are so close this election cycle (14); We also check in on the close open U.S. Senate race in Texas, and what may turn out to be a close race in North Carolina's 7th Congressional District, where a Republican incumbent is starting to run TV ads; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Starlink and Starshield are still running slowly, despite President Trump saying he would speak to Elon Musk about the problems; former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talks about her successor Katie Zacharia leaving after less than a week.

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Rep. AOC campaigns for Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson; OH Gov. DeWine criticizes controversial GOP ad, while POTUS defends it Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) campaigns with Troy Jackson, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Maine, who is running against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). We will hear from them and talk about this close race with Matt Junker, elections reporter with The Maine Monitor (7); Latest on U.S. Senate races in Nebraska, where Vice President JD Vance held a rally today; in Michigan, which held a final debate Wednesday night; and in Iowa, where President Donald Trump heads tonight; Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) criticizes a controversial ad run by Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy featuring the mother of Democratic nominee Amy Acton, but President Trump defends the ad; Attorney General Todd Blanche announces an indictment against senior Democratic Virginia Senator L. Louise Lucas and six co-defendants, including some of her relatives, on charges of marijuana drug trafficking and money laundering; Federal authorities charge 15 people in an alleged $2 billion health care fraud scheme in California; United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutteres says the world is witnessing 'the El Nino of war' amid many conflicts occurring around the world.

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VP Vance says Republicans should 'stop whining' about whether GOP campaign ad in Ohio is appropriate | American Stephen Hubbard is released from Russian prison Oct 21, 2026

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Vice President JD Vance in Ohio less than two weeks before election day, says Republicans should 'stop whining' about whether an ad from Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy is appropriate and focus on winning. The ad has Democratic nominee Amy Acton's mother calling her a liar. The mother defended her husband, Amy's father, 50 years ago when he was accused of sexually assaulting Amy; Former Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) campaigns for Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), calling her the 'soul of the Senate', as she faces a close race for reelection against Democrat Troy Jackson; Senate Democratic leadership campaign arm is investing over a million dollars in the Senate race in Mississippi, usually a solid Republican state. We will talk about the contest between Democrat Scott Colom and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) with Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press Congressional reporter (17); U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff meets Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk about the war in Ukraine, calling Putin a 'humanitarian' for releasing 74-year-old retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard, who was serving a prison term for allegedly being a mercenary in Ukraine; Israel arrests U.S. Congressional candidate Brad Lander (D) in the West Bank; U.S. Secret Service releases a report on how businesses and organizations can prevent workplace violence; U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announces indictments in a North Carolina-to-DC firearms smuggling pipeline.

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Survey of Americans' views on socialism & POTUS' use of power | Two weeks until U.S. election day | Alberta defeats referendum to separate from Canada Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

The annual American Values Survey from the Public Religion Research Institute is released two weeks before election day. This year two of the questions were on how President Donald Trump uses the power of his office and Americans' views of socialism; We will take a closer look at some of the competitive U.S. Senate races: in Michigan between Mike Rogers (R) & Abdul El-Sayed (D); in Kansas where we'll talk with Kansas City Star columnist David Hudnall, who was at Monday's night rally in Wichita with President Trump on behalf of Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who is getting challenged by Adam Hamilton (D) (19); and in North Carolina, where President Trump is campaigning tonight for Michael Whatley (R), who is facing Roy Cooper (D); President Trump announces a Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, paying 1% to anyone who reports fraudulent federal spending; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with U.S. envoys in Norway on the war with Russia and strained relations with the Trump Administration over weapons and intelligence support; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is glad Alberta voters defeated a referendum on whether the province wants to break away from Canada and become independent.

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Trump Eases Russia Fuel Sanctions as Republicans Push Back; Midterm Races Heat Up Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Republican senators are pushing back against President Trump's decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel fuel.

North Carolina's Thom Tillis, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, and Texas' John Cornyn have all criticized the move.

But President Trump is defending his decision, saying easing economic pressure could help bring Russia to the negotiating table with Ukraine.

The president spoke to reporters before leaving for Kansas today, where he's campaigning for Republican Senator Roger Marshall in his closely contested race against Democrat Adam Hamilton.

It's the first stop on a swing through key election battlegrounds...

And with just 15 days until Election Day, we'll check in on the latest races in Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and North Carolina.

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Weekend Edition: MAGA & Midterm Polls, Jessica Tarlov, National Civics Bee Championship Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal.

First: A discussion on polling & how MAGA has impacted the Republican Party with Mark Mitchell, founder of The Honest Poll.

Then: Jessica Tarlov, Democratic strategist and co-host of Fox News Channel's "The Five," discusses her new book "I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends."

Finally: The winner of the 2026 National Civics Bee Championship, Peter Daniell from Broomfield, Colorado, discusses the competition and the importance of civics education.

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Pres. Trump says new WH Press Sec Zacharia should consider leaving | Pres. Trump campaigns in Georgia; Alaska Public Media reporter Liz Ruskin on close AK Sen race Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

President Donald Trump says he told the new White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia she should reconsider whether she wants to continue in that job less than a week after she started; President Trump holds a campaign rally in Georgia, where there are competitive races for governor and U.S. Senator; Debates in the tight U.S. Senate races in Maine and Alaska. We will hear from the candidates and talk about the Alaska contest with Alaska Public Media reporter Liz Ruskin (25); Cook Political Report moves 11 more U.S. House races towards the Democratic side. We'll hear from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who have been campaigning with House candidates across the country; Bend Police provide an update on the mass shooting at an elementary school; Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh at the IMF-World Bank Meeting in Bangkok on the economy, high prices and the impact of AI; Cuba's Ambassador to the UN criticizes the U.S. trade embargo and accuses U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of having an 'obsession' with Cuba.

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Rep. AOC campaigns for MI Senate Dem nominee El-Sayed | Rep. Harris defends trying to kick out of his news conference | Hillary Clinton presents her annual women's leadership awards Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) campaigns in Michigan for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, saying special interest money is being used to make sure no one can 'open their ears and their eyes to even give this guy a shot'; Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District race is a prime example of a Republican held seat that Democrats are hoping to flip on their way to getting majority control of the House. We will hear the candidates debate and talk about the race with Margery Beck, Flatwater Free Press Elections Reporter (14); Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) defends telling a UMD student reporter that she must stop filming his news conference; President Donald Trump says the execution of the Ft. Hood mass shooter will not be livestreamed; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presents the annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security; Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is asked about the growing deadly measles outbreak in Pennsylvania; Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) celebrate the 20th anniversary of a climate change law.

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