Focus groups are often a good way to pair political opinions with voters' identity and demographics in ways that polling can't.

On Today's Show:
Sarah Longwell, political strategist, CEO and publisher of The Bulwark, host of The Focus Group podcast and the author of How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time (St. Martin’s Press, 2026), talks about what she's learned from focus groups on building an opposition to MAGA Republicans.

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This midterm year, several candidates have included a version of "Medicare for All" in their campaigns.

On Today's Show:
Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, talks about how health care policy is playing out in the midterm elections, including which Senate candidates are running on "Medicare for all," and which candidates have different approaches.

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This week, the United Nations General Assembly gavels into session as numerous conflicts around the world draw international attention.

On Today's Show:
Mark Leon Goldberg, editor-in-chief and publisher of UN Dispatch and host of the podcast "Global Dispatches," previews the UNGA as world leaders gather at the United Nations.

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On today’s show: Shefali Luthra, reproductive health reporter at The 19th, breaks down a lawsuit against Texas AG Ken Paxton, which claims a state abortion ban led to a woman's death. Then, we look at the rising numbers of pregnancy-related deaths in states with similar bans.

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A new article argues that the Trump administration's foreign policy approaches are more about enriching officials than national security or prosperity.

On Today's Show:
Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, historian and author of Autocracy Inc. (Penguin, 2024), shares her reporting on how influential figures in MAGA world, including private citizens looking for personal gain, and others peddling anti-Democratic values, have become the primary way the U.S. does foreign policy, and are realigning the world order.

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In a midterm year, many in the political sphere have ideas about the direction of their party.

On Today's Show:
Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff to Senator John Fetterman and a former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid and the author of Supermajority: How Democrats Can Build Lasting Power (WW Norton, 2026), argues Democrats need a supermajority in Congress and offers advice for achieving it, and suggestions for what legislation to enact if it's achieved.

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A recent essay from a leader in the AI industry raised concerns about the threats that this technology poses to humanity.

On Today's Show:
Will Oremus, staff writer at The Atlantic, discusses the uproar over the warnings of potential threats to humanity from unregulated AI, then Andrew Prokop, senior politics correspondent at Vox, talks about possible government actions to prevent disaster from the purposeful or inadvertent consequences of AI harm.

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After the Republican National Convention, have the political conditions in battleground midterm states changed?

On Today's Show:
Stephen Fowler, political reporter with NPR's Washington desk, and Lisa Lerer, national political reporter for The New York Times, talk about the politics of the midterm elections, after Republicans held a convention.

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