Karoli and I briefly considered a Halloween theme for this week’s podcast, but decided that the authoritarian reality Americans are actually experiencing this year is a lot scarier than goblins and ghosts:
The Republicans claim that “the well is dry” where SNAP benefits are concerned, even though the government has billions of dollars in emergency funds that - by law - are allocated for this purpose. Instead, they are creating a hunger crisis to “own the libs.”
On top of that, with insurance subsidies set to expire, millions more Americans will see their premiums double. “It’s not sustainable,” says Karoli.
In the meantime: 2025 elections take place in a couple of days and California’s Proposition 50 is looking strong - so does Abigail Spanberger’s chances of becoming Virginia’s next Governor. Will we see a real blue wave in 2026? And will Democratic leaders listen to the voters and make a real show of fighting the MAGA overlords?
We had a few things to say about that, too.
