Beyond Politics

Jason Fields, Deputy Opinion Editor at Newsweek, shares the five sources of fresh insights in politics and current affairs that are worth spending your time on, give new insight or just freshen up what you thought you knew.

Also, is Kamala Harris pulling off a major vanishing act? What's up with the Elon Musk's bizarre, illegal scheme to help Trump that came to light over the weekend? And how have things changed in the way we do political discourse in America?

We just crossed an invisible line in the 2024 election. Ever since the presidential debate, Kamala Harris has held a small but steady lead in the critical swing state polls. That made her the favorite to win in the election, even by a small amount. But this week that forecast slipped away. So we ask: is this really happening? Is this really a situation where Trump is now the favorite to win? Alicia laid out a case that it will not end up that close. And she remains confident that Trump cannot and will not win. We also talked about the US political impact of the death of the Hamas leader and Kamala Harris' big Fox News interview. And at the end we give you the definitive readout on Donald Trump's 39 minutes of straight dancing at a rally.

What if I told you that we're looking at polling numbers in the wrong way? We're all inundated with polling right now as we enter the final three weeks of the 2024 election, and we're used to looking at those polls with one question in mind. Who's ahead? But today's guest says we shouldn't be looking at the margin. We should be looking at the share of the vote that each candidate is getting. And that tells us a LOT more about what's going to happen in the election. Our guest is Nate Moore, a public opinion expert who writes for the American Enterprise Institute and the Liberal Patriot.

Kamala Harris has every advantage -- money, ads, volunteers -- but is stuck in polling against Donald Trump. Matt, Paul and Alicia explore what's going on. We also delve into Bob Woodward's explosive claims about Trump's secret interactions with Putin during the COVID pandemic. Also, a friendly fight breaks out on misinformation in politics. And finally, a look at the wackiest unfounded conspiracy theory circulating online these days, plus our parody (note: you do actually have to cast your vote by Election Day people!) of the kind of misinformation that's out there.

Painful as it is for Democrats (like us at the Beyond Politics podcast) to say, there's no denying that Donald Trump's economic pitch is working, especially among working-class voters. Despite significant backlash from non-partisan experts and economists, Trump is tied or ahead of Kamala Harris on the issue that voters say is most important to them. Why? And is there something Trump is saying that we should all be paying more attention to. Matt welcomes back Newsweek Opinion Editor Batya Ungar-Sargon to talk about what she sees in Trump's economic message, why she ran Trump's plan and Matt's critique of it back-to-back, and where she finds Kamala Harris hitting the right notes.

***For those wanting to see the draft piece Matt discussed on Friday on the most intriguing questions coming out of the VP debate, check out this link to his Patreon page (patrons always welcome!)***

The Fallout from the VP Debate: Implications for 2024 and Beyond. The big VP debate may not significantly affect the 2024 election, but it raises critical questions for American politics. Here's a quick look at the top5 big questions for the future coming out of the debate

Decoding the 2024 VP Debate: Key Takeaways and Insights: Matt, Paul, and Alicia discuss the significant moments and lessons from the 2024 vice presidential debate. There is a lot going on under the surface, and even if the debate didn't move the needle that much in 2024, there's a lot to unpack about the future of the Republican Party, Trump's brain, and how we consume information in America.

Is the Presidential Race Over? Examining the Impact of the Mark Robinson Scandal: If Trump loses North Carolina, he has almost no chance at the presidency. Will the scandal be enough to end things? Also: the indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the extensive history of corruption in New York politics; the huge strategic decision Democrats must make in the fight for the Senate; and, is there a 'war on pets in American politics?

What would Trump's actual policy plan be if he got back into office? We can tell an awful lot from what he tried to do the first time, and most of it came at the expense of less wealthy Americans. Bob Greenstein, founder of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, joins us to discuss the far-reaching implications of Donald Trump's budget proposals during his presidency.

Alicia's Fiery Rebuke and Trump's Scandalous Rhetoric: Unpacking the Fallout

00:59 Trump's Racist Rhetoric and Real-World Consequences