The Rest Is Politics: US

@therestispoliticsus · Podcast

Latest segments

• Trump weighs pre-midterm Iran strikes, 2026-10-30
  Speculates on Trump's post-midterm moves abroad
  Speculates about what Trump would do abroad if Democrats take the Senate, predicting he will move on Iran and possibly Cuba. It recaps the carrier deployments and post-midterm strike preparations already on the record and adds only the hosts' own forecast.
• Hegseth impeachment push, 2026-10-30
  Adds Democrats' case against impeaching Hegseth
  Takes a listener question on whether Democrats would impeach Hegseth after a midterm win. Adds the on-the-record counterargument from Democrats on the Hill: impeaching him would make Trump fight to keep him, so staying hands-off may be the faster route out.
• El-Sayed's Michigan Senate bid, 2026-10-30
  Recaps the Michigan Senate race polling
  Answers a listener question on polling accuracy, then folds in the Michigan race: Stevens is refusing to campaign with El-Sayed and her fiance has publicly backed Rogers. A brief recap that stays inside the coverage already on the record.
• Times ties Peltola to Dan Sullivan…, 2026-10-30
  Recalls the JFK decoy candidate precedent
  Answers a listener's point that Republicans have pulled dirtier tricks by reaching back to Joe Kennedy Sr. paying a janitor named Joe Russo to run against JFK, and calls the Alaska scheme not without precedent. History and framing, no new development.
• Paxton-Tallarico Texas Senate race tightens, 2026-10-30
  Reads prediction markets shifting to Democrats
  Scaramucci reads the prediction markets live: Democratic Senate odds up seven points to a 72-73 percent average and Tallarico above 70, a move since the previous night's stream. The rest is color on Peltola's independent streak and Murkowski's distance from Trump.
• Alaska probe into Dan Sullivan, 2026-10-30
  Predicts Peltola wins and Alaska delays
  Runs through the Alaska subpoenas and Trump's campaigning on the decoy candidate story, then turns to predictions: Scaramucci says Peltola wins and that Alaska could delay a Senate call on election night. Stays inside the week's coverage.
• Times ties Peltola to Dan Sullivan…, 2026-10-30
  Explains ranked choice and the Peltola denials
  Explains Alaska's ranked choice voting and how voters can rank both Sullivans, then argues the Times texts undercut six months of Peltola campaign denials. Reaction and framing on the disclosure, with no new reporting of its own.
• Paxton-Tallarico Texas Senate race tightens, 2026-10-30
  Argues Trump's insults boosted Tallarico
  A short detour into Texas between Alaska segments: the hosts argue Trump's insults damaged Paxton and may have given Tallarico a real shot, then return to Alaska. Opinion and recap, with no new reporting on the race.
• Alaska probe into Dan Sullivan, 2026-10-30
  Debates the legality of the decoy scheme
  Debates the legality and the optics of the decoy Dan Sullivan scheme: the state Supreme Court let him run, so jurisdiction sits with Alaska, not the DOJ. Concludes it smells fishy and hurts Peltola, with a Jill Stein comparison and a Casablanca riff.
• Paxton-Tallarico Texas Senate race tightens, 2026-10-30
  Reads out a tied Fox News poll
  Reads out a Fox News poll released during the taping that puts the Texas Senate race at 49-49 with 1 percent undecided, and treats it as a warning for Democrats. Notes Hispanic and Asian voters have moved most against Trump since 2024.
• Trump weighs pre-midterm Iran strikes, 2026-10-30
  Frames the naval buildup as pre-midterm signal
  Takes the naval buildup reporting as a given and reads it as a signal: once the money is spent on a buildup, the strikes follow after the midterms. Frames the whole thing as Trump's need for a distraction from losing Congress, and stays inside that read.
• Fox corruption poll, 2026-10-30
  Runs the corruption poll forward as opinion
  Picks up the corruption thread from the Fox poll and runs it forward as opinion: the hosts expect corruption to define the exit polling and treat Hungary as a model for rowing back from it. No new figure or document, just the argument the poll set up.
• Fox corruption poll, 2026-10-30
  Explains why corruption polls as a top issue
  Answers a listener question on why corruption polls as a top issue, arguing the administration has been brazen about it and citing the Kimberly Guilfoyle pay-for-access story. It stays inside the corruption-poll frame without adding a new figure or document.
• South Carolina Senate tightens, 2026-10-30
  Predicts Graham holds South Carolina
  Brief segment on South Carolina between other races: the hosts predict Graham holds the seat on the strength of the Graham name, and sketch what bicameral investigations would mean if Democrats sweep. Prediction and framing, no new reporting.
• Hamilton's Kansas Senate run, 2026-10-30
  Predicts Hamilton wins Kansas
  Predicts Hamilton wins Kansas, arguing J.D. Vance's attacks on his religion hit his whole congregation, the largest Methodist church in the country. A prediction segment that stays inside the race's existing coverage.
• Maine Senate debate, 2026-10-30
  Runs through Senate picks for three states
  Runs through Senate race picks for Maine, Michigan and Texas. On Maine it stays inside the familiar frame - Collins's 500-towns line, the anti-incumbency mood, a candidate the hosts rate poorly - and lands on a prediction, not a development.
• Trump's Kansas rally, 2026-10-30
  Uses a raspy voice as evidence of fatigue
  Uses Trump's raspy voice at a Monday rally and his line that his vocal cords weren't made for daily rallies as evidence he was tired, then reads the Washington Post Kansas poll as outside the margin of error.
• Trump's Kansas rally, 2026-10-30
  Adds the tarmac exchange account
  Adds the on-the-record account of the tarmac exchange: a Reuters reporter asked why the rally was canceled, Trump attacked him and his outlet, and a Trump ally says the reversal came because he hated looking weak.
• Trump's Kansas rally, 2026-10-30
  Recaps the rally U-turn and questions the RNC
  Opens the episode on the rally U-turn, recapping the cancel-then-reinstate sequence and questioning the RNC's explanation. It floats fatigue and candidates not wanting Trump as the real reasons, but adds no new reporting beyond what the rally point already holds.
• New Hampshire Senate race, 2026-10-28
  Answers a listener on New Hampshire's basics
  Answers a listener question on blue states at risk by naming New Hampshire, then stays inside the race's basics: Sununu's name recognition, his popularity as a former senator, and the state's libertarian lean. No new polling or reporting.