There are a lot of red states with big elections this year where Democrats are 'sayin' there's a chance,' like Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, or Iowa, where they may have more than just a chance. The Atlantic's Elaine Godfrey joins Sarah to talk about her travels with Iowa's two leading Democratic candidates, the other long shots Democrats are eyeing in red states, and what disaffected Trump voters are saying about all of it.

Show links:
Sarah's Focus Group Newsletter on Ashley Hinson and the MAGA establishment
Elaine Godfrey: A Democrat in Name Only
Elaine Godfrey: Democrats Might Actually Win Iowa
Elaine Godfrey: The GOP’s Culture-War Hail Mary

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Replit CEO Amjad Masad envisions a future of “self-driving companies,” where AI agents handle day-to-day tasks and people focus on higher-level decisions.

It’s been a packed agenda at the European Council summit, with little sign of progress on key issues. EU leaders continued to argue over the bloc’s long-term budget, with energy supply and security taking up much of the discussion … including questions over strategic gas reserves and the future of the Emissions Trading System.

The war in Ukraine looms large over the summit. Earlier this week, President Trump alarmed European leaders and horrified Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by announcing a deal to release Russian diesel onto the U.S. market, apparently in an attempt to lower fuel costs for American consumers.

Host Sarah Wheaton unpacks developments late into the night with colleagues who have been reporting on the summit. She’s joined by Chief EU Correspondent Zoya Sheftalovich, Chief Political Correspondent in Europe and the U.K. Tim Ross and Gregorio Sorgi, financial services reporter.

Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann discuss the FBI raid on Ilhan Omar, Trump’s latest overtures to Putin, and the courts’ efforts to stop his taxpayer-funded campaign ads. Plus, Weissmann explains why simply ordering Trump to stop breaking the rules isn’t enough, and whether DOJ lawyers pursuing politically motivated prosecutions could eventually face disbarment.

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Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt, Amazon devices chief Panos Panay described a future where ambient AI devices work in the background, anticipating users' needs instead of waiting for commands.

Bluesky is bringing “social vibe coding” to its experimental Attie platform, allowing users to create interactive experiences like games, quizzes, and websites that can tap into the social network's audience.

Amazon-owned Bee has launched its first new AI devices since its acquisition, including an updated wearable and a credit-card-sized recorder that attaches to smartphones. The devices can summarize conversations, create to-do lists, and integrate with Alexa and Amazon shopping, with prices starting at $74.99.

EU leaders meet today for their first chance to beef about the budget face to face.

On the show, Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton dive deeper into why leaders look increasingly unlikely to reach an agreement on the EU’s next money pot by December. Plus, Zoya obtained a document revealing deepening relations between Russia and Slovakia. Will that be a cause for concern around the Council table?

Next up, Zoya spoke with Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius on stage yesterday. His main message? Europe should boost its defense capabilities and stop relying so heavily on U.S. military support.

And finally, ECB President Christine Lagarde plugged her upcoming memoir at a press conference … is she allowed to do that? 

If you have a question or comment, don’t hesitate! message us on our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• “How to watch the EU leaders’ summit like a pro.”
• “Slovakia deepening ties with Russia, document shows.”
• “Lagarde’s book plug raises questions about ECB ethics standards.”
• “Weakened Macron and Merz sink hopes of a quick EU budget deal.”

At TechCrunch Disrupt, Flock CEO Garrett Langley defended his company's surveillance technology despite growing privacy concerns, arguing that its crime-fighting benefits outweigh the risks of abuse.

Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman predicts a future where personal AI assistants become as commonplace as household appliances, running partly on local devices and partly in the cloud.

Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman has a message for AI leaders spreading doomsday warnings: Maybe stop talking? At TechCrunch Disrupt, he argued that the industry's focus on AI's risks is drowning out its potential benefits.

A federal judge ruled that Apple can access OpenAI's interview materials involving former Apple employees, as well as private messages and testimony from key figures in the case.

Google is making it easier to build and use personal Android apps created with AI, without having to make them available to everyone on the Play Store.

Siri can now learn users' preferred music app, allowing Spotify listeners to request songs, podcasts, and playlists without specifying which app to use.

The new X Subscription combines X's paid features with AI tools like Grok and Cursor, offering plans ranging from $8 to $200 per month.

American Express is introducing a new framework designed to ensure AI agents only make purchases their users have authorized, potentially preventing costly mistakes and disputes as AI-powered shopping grows.

ONE OF THE UNEXPECTED NEW STARS of this midterm election has been Adam Hamilton, the Kansas megachurch pastor who has a chance—though it’s nowhere near certain—of defeating Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and becoming the first Democratic senator elected from Kansas in ninety-four years.

Donald Trump won Kansas two years ago by 16 points. That’s bigger than his margins in Iowa, Florida, Alaska, or Texas. So a Hamilton win would be one of the most impressive feats of any Democratic candidate this cycle. Hamilton has tied or led in every poll tracked by the New York Times since mid-September, but never by more than 5 points (and that was in a poll his campaign sponsored).

Getting to the heart of why Hamilton is overperforming is important, because Democrats are going to take lessons from this race about how they should run—and whom they should run—in red parts of the country, even if he falls just short. It’s important they learn the right lessons.

We talked to 2024 Kansas Trump voters to find those lessons. And what we found out was that

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The American Geographical Society has long invited big-name adventurers—Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong—to sign its ceremonial globe. The latest? Astronaut Kathryn Sullivan.

On the heels of her Emmy win for “Widow’s Bay,” the “GLOW” star reflects on her slew of new projects, growing up with actor parents, taking on Cole Escola’s role in “Oh, Mary!,” and the importance of performing with your whole heart.

Republicans have been on a long winning streak in Florida...but they might be playing defense in 2026...because they have one candidate who's REALLY into data centers, and another candidate running what's being called a 'Joe Biden Basement' campaign. And the Democratic ticket may be one of the oddest couples in the history of politics, led by a former Republican Congressman (David Jolly) and a DSA-aligned state legislator (Angie Nixon). POLITICO's Kimberly Leonard joins Sarah to discuss whether Florida is back in the 'swing state' column in 2026.

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Tickets are on sale for CrookedCon on November 7 in Washington. Get discounted tickets at CrookedCon.com/Tickets, with code Bulwark20.

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