Russia is a long time adversary of the United States. So why has Donald Trump been so cozy with them? David Corn, Mother Jones' Washington bureau chief, joins Frank Figliuzzi to discuss his new book 'How Russia Won'.

Vice President JD Vance has in the past accused Omar of committing immigration fraud — an allegation she has denied — and has said he and a top White House official were trying to figure out how to investigate the Minnesota congresswoman.

Cutting generals isn’t just a numbers game. Who loses experience, who takes over—and who will question a dangerous order?

Four-star General Barry McCaffrey joins Frank Figliuzzi to explain what Pete Hegseth’s reduction of senior military leadership could cost America. They examine the experience being pushed out, the consequences for U.S. alliances, and the pressure on officers asked to carry out potentially unlawful orders.

“We depend upon the commander in chief and the secretary of defense to be committed to the rule of law,” McCaffrey says. His assessment of the current leadership: “I don’t think these people are.”

The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson argues that the Trump DOJ exists mainly to protect Donald Trump by targeting his enemies, shielding the Epstein files and related tapes, and blocking investigations such as the one involving Zorro Ranch, while also using antitrust actions against TV networks in ways he sees as tied to media consolidation and foreign money. He then shifts to election politics, saying Democrats are gaining momentum and could flip the Senate and House, with possible wins in places like North Carolina, Texas, Alaska, and other states, driven by strong candidates, Republican scandals, and a broader “blue wave” fueled by early voting and rising turnout among Latino and Black voters.

Even on Fox News, Trump’s agenda isn’t getting a unanimous endorsement.

Decoding Fox News founder Juliet Jeske joins Susan J. Demas to examine the network’s coverage of the Iran war, gas prices, affordability, and AI data centers. She describes criticism from Laura Ingraham—and moments when Fox appears to be sending warnings directly to its most powerful viewer.

“And I think Fox is trying to plan its exit strategy.”

What do those cracks reveal about the relationship between Trump and his favorite network?

Angie Nixon is done playing polite while everyday people struggle.

Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon joins Maya May on Lincoln Square to take on JD Vance’s fear politics, billionaire influence, Florida’s affordability crisis, and the fight over banned books. After watching Vance explain what he thinks “socialism” means, Nixon delivers her response—and argues that blaming your neighbors lets the people in power off the hook.

“Government is supposed to work for us and not against us.”

Nixon also discusses hurricane relief, her criticism of Florida’s emergency spending priorities, and why she refuses to give up on a better future.

00:00 Maya May Welcomes Angie Nixon
00:29 Hurricane Readiness and FEMA Cuts
01:23 Meeting Voters Where They Are
03:51 A Former Hialeah Mayor Changes His Mind
05:57 Who Benefits While Floridians Struggle?
08:00 Nixon Says Her Opponent Won’t Debate
09:40 Hurricane Relief and Florida’s Spending Priorities
11:02 Rejecting the Normalization of Cruelty
12:22 Nixon Responds to JD Vance
14:08 Done Going High
15:49 Watch Vance Explain “Socialism”
16:43 Nixon Answers Vance
17:27 Banned Books and Controlling History
20:38 The Cost of Raising a Family
22:33 Why Nixon Still Has Hope
24:19 “Politics Is Doing You”
25:24 Nixon’s Closing Campaign Message

Senator Tammy Baldwin discusses the pressures facing Wisconsin farmers, including record-high diesel and fertilizer costs, tariffs, lost export markets, and the impact of Trump’s trade decisions on beef and soy producers, while also warning that climate change, flooding, drought, and water contamination are adding to agricultural challenges. She then turns to election security in Wisconsin, arguing that local clerks are carefully safeguarding voting and criticizing election denialism and threats to ballot security, before explaining that flipping the Senate would allow Democrats to set the agenda, block harmful bills, shape potential Supreme Court nominations, and begin advancing policies that make life more affordable and improve opportunity.

Plus as a bonus we have journalist and author Beth Macy about her run to flip Virginia’s 6th congressional district.

George Conway argues that Donald Trump has done to the federal deficit what he did to the Trump Organization, comparing it to bankruptcy and saying the country’s debt has reached record levels under Trump. He discusses reports about Kimberly Guilfoyle and other Trump-aligned figures as examples of a broader culture of sleaze, corruption, and money sloshing around through lobbying, donations, and foreign interests, while noting he cannot say for sure that Guilfoyle broke the law. Conway says these situations may lead to investigations when someone feels cheated, and he stresses that without a real Justice Department, accountability is unlikely for now. He also points to the importance of Democrats winning Congress, turning over rocks, and supporting candidates focused on practical solutions, especially in races like Michigan, Kansas, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Maya May joins Susan Demas and Sam Osterhout to discuss the reported raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home, the escalating rhetoric aimed at immigrant communities, and what Democrats should watch for in the weeks before the midterms.
Maya warns that the raid could be “the first of many October surprises” and says Democrats can’t afford to get complacent. The conversation also covers voter intimidation, Trump’s taxpayer-funded ads, why progressive candidates are connecting with voters, and how to stay grounded while the news keeps coming.
Plus: Maya explains her podcast, America, You Got This?, and shares why sometimes we need to “touch grass.”
Subscribe to Lincoln Square for independent conversations about politics, democracy, and what we can do next.

00:00 Welcome to The Weekly Assignment
01:33 The reported raid on Ilhan Omar’s home
05:30 Maya: Take Trump at his word
07:03 October surprises and midterm complacency
09:11 Minnesota politics and the Senate race
12:06 Why Democrats need to listen
14:58 Trump’s ads and taxpayer money
18:20 Scapegoating versus real problems
19:20 How Trump turns economic pain into identity
22:18 What comes after the midterms?
23:45 Maya’s podcast, America, You Got This?
25:13 Why we need to touch grass
28:04 The case for talking to your neighbors
30:43 Where to find Maya
31:52 This week on Lincoln Square
38:20 The assignment: speak up about troops at ballot boxes
39:40 No Kings and getting out to vote early

Jon Ossoff presses Mike Collins. Abdul El-Sayed hits Mike Rogers with his voting record. Troy Jackson answers Susan Collins’ PAC explanation with a pointed rebuttal.

Joe Sudbay and YouGov pollster John Ray break down three debate exchanges—and why Democrats are approaching these races with a different kind of confidence.

“What a disaster to find yourself in.”

Birth control protections may be far less secure than many Americans assume. Andra Watkins and Sam Osterhout trace the fight over contraception—from Griswold v. Connecticut to Project 2025 and the Comstock Act.
“It would be delusional for anyone to think that” contraception rights are settled law.

What does authoritarianism look like when it controls where you walk, whom you marry, what you say—and whether you can challenge those in power?
Former NAACP president Cornell William Brooks joins Brian Daitzman to explain how Black Americans experienced and resisted authoritarian rule long before today’s warnings about American democracy.
They discuss slavery, Jim Crow, racial terror, and Ida B. Wells’s work exposing the justifications for lynching. Then Brooks shares a deeply personal connection to that history: a family quilt used by his formerly enslaved great-great-grandfather, which Brooks also slept beneath as a child.
“My point being is slavery is not that long ago.”
This history offers essential context for understanding the freedoms at stake today.

This site has report cards, videos and news for all the 2026 Republican incumbents: https://www.magareportcards.com that are good for sharing on social media. You can also see breakdowns by state (Texas pictured) and compare states directly to each other across a number of quality of life metrics: https://www.magareportcards.com/compare

22 days to go!