PN Pod

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice explain how Republicans have fumbled their response to their shutdown of the federal government.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Aaron discuss:

* Why the normally calm Mike Johnson has started growing testy this week.

* Marjorie Taylor Greene’s unexpected dissent from the party line, and what it means for the GOP’s negotiating stance.

* How Republicans have grown fixated on the upcoming No Kings rallies—and why they’ve increasingly started painting legitimate protest as “terrorism.”

And much more. As we do every week, we also took questions from viewers.

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice explain why Democrats are winning the battle of public opinion over the federal government shutdown.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Aaron discuss:

* The broad array of polls all showing that a much wider share of the public blames Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown compared to those who point the finger at Democrats.

* The three different approaches Democrats can use to convince Americans the GOP is responsible—and why a subtle shift in the party’s message is a heartening sign.

* Why Trump’s poor health and absenteeism make an already impossible situation even worse.

And much more. As we do every week, we also took questions from viewers.

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice examine why Donald Trump’s efforts to consolidate his authoritarian rule are falling far short of his fantasies.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Aaron discuss:

* How Trump’s paper-thin indictment of Comey is a sign of weakness, not strength

* Why Trump’s deep unpopularity — and an organic protest movement — forced ABC to backtrack on Jimmy Kimmel

* How Democrats are taking a much smarter approach to a looming government shutdown than they did last time

And much more. As we do every week, we also took questions from viewers.

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice discuss Donald Trump’s war on the First Amendment and how Democrats should approach a possible government shutdown.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Aaron discuss:

* New polling showing that the Trump administration’s efforts to get Jimmy Kimmel thrown off the air are already unpopular

* Trump’s buffoonish lawsuit against the New York Times that a judge dismissed four days after it was filed

* Why shutdowns rarely if ever have a long-term impact on the party that gets blamed for them

And much more. As we do every week, we also took questions from viewers.

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice explore how Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans have rushed to exploit Charlie Kirk’s death, facts be damned.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Aaron discuss:

* How the entire MAGA movement wants to use Kirk’s killing to punish the left—regardless of what his killer’s motives might have been.

* How Trump is already starting to fumble away any sympathy by obsessing about things like TV ratings and his new White House “ballroom.”

* Why this dangerous moment has ramped up the threats to free speech, making independent media more important than ever.

And much more. As we do every week, we also took questions from viewers.

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot talks with Joe Sudbay of SiriusXM Progress and Noah Berlatsky of Public Notice about the good news these days—and yes, in spite of everything, there’s a fair bit of it!

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

The three discuss:

* Why Joni Ernst’s retirement widens the path for Democrats to retake the Senate

* How D.C. Democrats could learn a thing or three from their counterparts in the states who keep winning special elections

* Why Donald Trump is going to keep squirming over the Epstein files

And much more! We also took several questions from viewers, including a particularly astute one about elections taking place this fall in Georgia.

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above. You can also find a complete transcript.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our live Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot talks to guest-host Joe Sudbay of SiriusXM Progress about his inside view of Donald Trump’s assault on our nation’s capital as a longtime resident of Washington, D.C.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Joe discuss:

* How folks who actually live in the District are reacting to Trump’s invasion

* Why Trump’s decision to call up troops from far-off states represents such a dangerous escalation

* How a first-time candidate in Maine’s critical Senate race has galvanized Democrats—and is already sticking it to Susan Collins

And much more!

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our live Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice discuss two invasions: Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine and Donald Trump’s assault on our nation’s capital.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Aaron discuss:

* Why there’s less than meets the eye to Trump’s seeming shift in attitude toward Putin

* Why it matters that Trump’s attempted takeover of Washington, D.C., is already unpopular

* How Democrats are fighting back against GOP efforts to rig the midterms through an unprecedented batch of new gerrymanders

And much more! We also turned the tables in our usual audience Q&A when we asked you to help us track down an old Sarah Palin quote. Our viewers stepped up right away!

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice dive into Donald Trump’s multi-front efforts to rig the 2026 midterms—and the many obstacles he faces.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Aaron discuss:

* Why Republicans face few constraints on passing new gerrymanders—and could face fewer still, if the Supreme Court guts what remains of the Voting Rights Act

* How Trump’s completed garbled demand for a new census that would exclude undocumented immigrants runs afoul of the law

* Why a totally bonkers GOP meltdown that Aaron clipped got featured in the first attack ad by the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s race for governor

And much more! We also took your questions about Latino voting trends and the possibility of Texas losing seats if Trump gets his way on the census.

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice explain the GOP’s exceedingly cynical effort to re-gerrymander Texas’ already gerrymandered congressional map.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:

David and Aaron discuss:

* How the new Texas map would target Black and Latino voters—and members of Congress—in an effort to weaken their power

* Why Donald Trump’s unfolding plan to pirouette away from the Jeffrey Epstein debacle could disgust some of his key supporters

* Why the worst-case scenario for Trump is a simultaneous spike in inflation and unemployment

And much more!

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET, but next week, we’ll be starting early at 1 o’clock. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.

Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!