Neutral Pirate Radio

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Presenter: Rob Medvers

November 8 is the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s reelection in 1864 and the birthday of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, who was born in Atlanta in 1900. Democrats continue to hold a substantial House majority with seats still uncalled. Alaska and Mississippi Senate races remain unresolved. In Alaska, controversy continues over a second candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot alongside incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan; a federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification on November 1. A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan overnight, injuring 22 people. Overnight Russian strikes hit the Kyiv region, damaging infrastructure.

Weather: Oakland partly cloudy near 68°; Syracuse cloudy and windy near 54°; Austin rainy near 64°; Portland cloudy near 58°; Charleston clear near 70°. Moon essentially new.

Features cover remaining races and the Alaska ballot dispute along with the Wiles departure and Miller appointment as chief of staff, the Japan earthquake, Ukraine infrastructure strikes, research linking acorn abundance to later Lyme disease risk in New York forests, Montana’s admission to the Union on this date in 1889, the National Peanut Festival underway in Dothan, Alabama, and Theodore Roosevelt’s 1906 departure for Panama as the first sitting president to travel outside the continental United States on an official diplomatic trip.

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Presenter: Rob Medvers

Democrats hold 254 House seats with roughly 20 still uncalled. The Senate remains at 54 seats for the Democratic caucus, with Alaska and Mississippi unresolved. In Mississippi, Scott Colom leads Cindy Hyde-Smith by about 2,700 votes as mail and provisional ballots continue to be counted. A gunman killed six people and wounded 15 in a drive-by shooting in central Kraków, Poland; the attacker was shot and arrested. Russian missile strikes overnight hit Kyiv, damaging infrastructure and cutting power and water in parts of the capital.

Weather: Santa Rosa clear near 72°; Utica rainy and windy near 54°; Phoenix clear and warm near 82°; Nashville cloudy near 59°; Boise mostly clear and breezy near 65°. Moon essentially new.

Features cover remaining uncalled races and the implications of Susie Wiles’ departure and Stephen Miller’s appointment as chief of staff, the Kraków shooting, Ukraine infrastructure strikes, and research on New Zealand’s Fiordland crested penguins nesting in coastal rainforest.

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Presenter: Rob Medvers

Democrats continue adding to their House majority, with latest estimates near 250–256 seats. Alaska and Mississippi Senate races remain uncalled; in Mississippi, Scott Colom’s lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith has narrowed as outstanding mail and provisional ballots are counted. President Trump announced Susie Wiles is departing as White House chief of staff, effective Monday, and will be replaced by Stephen Miller; Wiles moves to the Trump political operation.

Markets closed sharply lower Thursday (Dow −3.4%, S&P 500 −4.4%, Nasdaq −5.5%, entering correction territory). Friday trading has seen a partial rebound as chip stocks recover. October jobs report showed 165,000 positions added.

Weather: San Francisco mostly clear near 69°; Binghamton cloudy near 66°; Denver cloudy and breezy near 60°; Atlanta mostly cloudy and windy near 75°; Billings cloudy and breezy near 58°. Waning crescent moon.

Features cover remaining House and Senate contests, the Wiles-to-Miller chief of staff change and related Justice Department resignations, the Thursday semiconductor-led sell-off and Friday rebound, and the latest on Iran and Hormuz diplomacy.

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Presenter: Rob Medvers

Democrats expand midterm gains. Latest projections show a 54-seat Senate majority (net +7) with Alaska and Mississippi still uncalled. House projections range from roughly 240–247 seats. Republicans debate the causes of the losses, citing inflation and the Iran conflict. Harmeet Dhillon steps down as head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Markets trading sharply lower Thursday afternoon, reversing Wednesday’s rally. Nasdaq down about 5%, S&P 500 down roughly 3.5–4%, Dow down more than 1,000 points. Semiconductor and AI names lead the decline. Oil continues to ease.

Weather: Oakland clear near 69°; Syracuse partly cloudy with drizzle near 74°; Portland mostly cloudy near 59°; Miami mostly clear near 84°; Minneapolis cloudy and breezy near 50°. Waning crescent moon.

Features cover remaining uncalled races and certification timelines, Republican reaction including Vance’s comments and the Dhillon resignation, the concentration of Thursday’s sell-off in semiconductor and AI stocks, and the latest on Hormuz incidents and Iran diplomacy.

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Presenter: Rob Medvers

Democrats win control of both chambers of Congress. Early projections show a 54-seat Senate majority after flipping at least seven seats, including Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina, Maine, and North Carolina. House majority also secured with a net gain of 25 or more seats. Susan Collins loses reelection in Maine. Abdul El-Sayed wins in Michigan. Alaska and Mississippi remain uncalled. Several governorships flip as well.

Markets closed mixed Tuesday. S&P 500 up 0.36%, Nasdaq up 0.83%, Dow down 197 points. Oil and gasoline prices continue to ease.

Weather: San Jose mostly clear near 69°; Albany mild near 73°; Bozeman cool and clear near 49°; Charleston breezy near 78°; Des Moines cloudy and windy near 51°. Waning crescent moon.

Features cover the scale of the majorities and remaining uncalled races, notable individual contests including Collins’ loss, market and energy reaction, and ballot-counting timelines.

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Presenter: Rob Medvers

Election Day coverage with polls still open. First closings at 6 p.m. Eastern (3 p.m. Pacific) in parts of Indiana and Kentucky; West Coast at 11 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Pacific); Alaska’s western Aleutians at 1 a.m. Eastern. Record early voting exceeds 50 million ballots. Final generic ballot averages show Democrats leading by roughly 7–9 points. Republicans hold narrow majorities; Democrats need net gains of 3 House seats and 4 Senate seats to flip both chambers.

Markets closed mixed. Crude near $97 a barrel; national average gasoline about $4.12.

Weather: Santa Rosa cloudy with rain; Albany partly cloudy near 67°; Bozeman cooler and clearer near 49°; Charleston clear and breezy near 76°; Des Moines rainy near 66°. Unseasonably warm air across the Midwest and Northeast. Waning crescent moon; Beaver Moon November 24.

Features cover early results signals, differentiated Senate polling with concrete examples from Iowa, Texas, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Alaska; the House path to a three-seat net gain; ballot-counting timelines including late mail and Alaska’s ranked-choice count on November 18; and falling oil prices amid U.S.–Iran diplomatic signals.

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Election Day coverage leads the program. Republicans hold a narrow House majority and a 53–47 Senate edge. Democrats need a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to flip both chambers. Final generic ballot averages show Democrats leading by roughly 7 to 9 points. Key Senate toss-ups include Alaska, Michigan, Texas, Maine, Ohio, Iowa, and Kansas. Early voting has already exceeded 50 million ballots.

Also covered: pre-market futures mixed ahead of the open; crude oil near $97–102; national gasoline average about $4.12. Weather highlights for San Jose, Syracuse, Billings, Asheville, and Portland, Oregon. Moon phase and brief notes on the Learjet crash investigation, Iran diplomacy, and Ukrainian energy strikes.

Presenter: Rob Medvers

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Neutral Pirate Radio in California — Evening Edition Monday, November 2, 2026

Midterms are one day away. Control of the House and Senate is closely contested. In Michigan’s Senate race, Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers over the Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, three months after losing the primary to him.

Also: markets closed mixed; weather conditions around the country; the Palm Beach Learjet crash; Iran diplomacy and falling oil prices; strikes in Gaza and Ukraine; FDA approval of a generic HIV prevention injection; and Spain’s high-speed train crash that killed 69.

Presented by Rob Medvers.

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Monday, November 2, 2026

Midterms are one day away. Republicans hold a narrow House majority and a 53–47 Senate edge. We look at the key Senate contests and zero in on Kansas, where incumbent Roger Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.

Also: markets open higher; national weather with temperatures in San Francisco, Binghamton, Dallas, Minneapolis, and Atlanta; overnight strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure; the Palm Beach Learjet crash; and the FBI’s attribution of the Binance crypto theft to North Korea’s Lazarus Group.

Presented by Rob Medvers.