The midterm elections are coming up on November 6, 2018, and there are lots of close races to watch at the federal, state, and local levels. Clare Malone from FiveThirtyEight joins Katie and Brian to highlight some of the most interesting contests: Cruz v. O’Rourke for Texas senator, DeSantis v. Gillum for Florida governor, Abrams v. Kemp for Georgia governor, and more. Clare also breaks down how recent events might affect the elections. Then Katie and Brian talk with Michael Lewis—author of The Blind Side, Moneyball, and The Big Short—about his newest book, The Fifth Risk. Michael spent months investigating the decay of the federal government under the Trump administration and why that could be dangerous for the country.

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Over the weekend, a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. It was the deadliest attack on Jews that the United States has ever seen. On this special episode, Katie and Brian talk with Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League — an organization that fights against anti-Semitism and other racially-motivated hate. Jonathan talks about the rise of hate crimes in the U.S., the role of social media and political rhetoric, and what all Americans can do in the wake of this tragedy.

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Busy Philipps made her name on TV shows like Freaks and Geeks, Dawson’s Creek, ER, and Cougar Town. But Instagram Stories was the place where Busy really found her own voice — and that might’ve set the stage for her new E! talk show, Busy Tonight, which premieres on Oct. 28. Katie and Brian talk with Busy about why she loves Instagram so much, the moment she thought she was “done” with acting, the political causes that get her fired up, and how she’s still coping with the sexual assault that happened when she was 14. Plus, Katie gives Busy her best advice about hosting a TV talk show.

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In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and #MeToo, women in Hollywood formed a coalition, called Time’s Up, to combat sexual harassment and sexual assault. As part of the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, Katie talks with two important women in the Time’s Up movement: America Ferrera, one of the actors involved in creating Time’s Up, and Lisa Borders, the incoming president and CEO of the organization. America and Lisa talk about why Time’s Up is so important to them, how recent news has affected the movement, and the ways they are working towards change.

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After the spectacle of Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings, the already deep political divide in the country seems to have calcified. To try to understand where this rancorous political moment came from — and where it might be going — Katie and Brian talk with two experts. First, they welcome back to the show Rebecca Traister, author of the new book Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger. Rebecca explains why she’s so devastated about the new Supreme Court justice, and she reckons with the fact that women have been on both sides of this bitter political debate. Then they turn to Laurence Tribe, a constitutional law expert and Harvard Law professor, for a legal perspective. What will happen to the Supreme Court as an institution, and what does that mean for the American people?

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In the second and final chapter of their documentary series, Katie and Brian explore what happened after the Palin interviews aired: from the struggles of the McCain campaign to Sarah Palin’s decision to start “going rogue.” Plus, they explore how Palin helped usher in a new brand of American politics— and President Donald Trump.

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The Palin Interviews, 10 Years Later is a two-part documentary series from the Katie Couric podcast. For this special series, Katie and Brian look back at Katie’s interviews with then vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin and the impact those conversations had on the 2008 election. Plus, they consider the path Palin may have paved for the rise of Donald Trump. In Part One, Katie and Brian go behind the scenes with top officials from the McCain and Obama campaigns and cover Palin’s extraordinary emergence on the national stage: her selection as John McCain’s running mate (which almost didn’t happen) and her electrifying speech at the Republican National Convention. And of course, they examine the interviews heard round the world and consider why they struck such a chord.

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Katie and Brian welcome their first couple to the show! Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan have made their mark on the fashion and design world. Jonathan is a potter-turned-housewares guru who is known for his namesake brand of home goods. Simon is arguably the most famous window dresser in the world and the creative ambassador-at-large at Barneys. Together, they are a cheeky and glamorous pair. The couple joins Katie and Brian to dish on their unconventional families, how they turned their respective passions into wildly successful careers and why they’ve lasted as a couple. But first, they remember their first date.

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Jonathan Van Ness, better known to his fans as JVN, is a beloved member of the "Fab Five" cast of Netflix's hit show Queer Eye. He joins Katie and Brian for a lively discussion about everything from standing out as a gay kid growing up in Quincy, Illinois to what it was like filming for Queer Eye in rural, conservative areas of Georgia. Plus, JVN recalls his epic 6th grade talent show performance.

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Katie and Brian celebrate 10 years of Stand Up to Cancer, the organization that Katie co-founded that has raised close to half a billion (with a b!) dollars for cancer research. First up: Katie gets personal with actor Matthew McConaughey to discuss how cancer has affected his life and loved ones. Next, Katie and Brian sit down with Dr. Bill Nelson, a nationally recognized physician and scientist, to discuss the groundbreaking research that SU2C supports and what the future of cancer treatment looks like.

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