Show Notes
The Trump administration "would prefer to do things that are easy," Rachel Maddow points out. And so, by making the implementation of a nationwide immigrant prison system not at all easy, and, in fact, quite hard, Americans pushing back against Trump's plan are winning, and Trump's prisons are not opening.
More from The Rachel Maddow Show
October 19, 2026; 9pm: Rachel Maddow examines signs Trump and Republicans are delaying unpopular actions until after the midterms, while early voting and No Kings organizing surge nationwide. Senator Mark Warner warns about potential pretexts to contest election results, and Leah Greenberg discusses election-defense organizing.
October 17, 2026 - Long Game examines Bernie Sanders’ rise from Burlington mayor to national progressive force, tracing how his working-class message, outsider identity, and movement politics reshaped the Democratic Party. The episode features Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Zohran Mamdani on electability, party tensions, governing, and the next generation of progressive candidates.
October 17, 2026 - Michelle Norris examines Bernie Sanders’ influence on progressive politics, the 2026 midterms, and the candidates testing whether a grassroots, working-class message can win general elections. The episode features interviews with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on electability, class politics, race, party power, and the future of the Democratic coalition.
Rachel Maddow points out that no matter what the political trends are, candidates and campaigns still matter, and Democrats are enjoying the benefit of some favorable match-ups in addition to Donald Trump becoming an ever deeper black hole for Republicans to try to escape. And as Trump recognizes the dire situation he is in, his behavior is becoming more desperate.