Show Notes
Voters in Alberta today decide if the province should pursue secession. Leyland Cecco from The Guardian breaks down the long-shot independence referendum.
New polls found President Trump’s approval rating hitting new lows just weeks before the midterm elections. Politico’s Alex Gangitano explains why Republicans are shifting campaign funds away from key battlegrounds.
Pope Leo made his first public appearance following lung-cancer surgery. Joshua McElwee, Vatican correspondent for Reuters, joins to discuss the pontiff’s recovery and planned international travel.
Plus, violence erupted in France amid widespread cost-of-living protests, Trump endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Nathan Fielder’s Theranos documentary scored a massive box-office debut.
Today’s episode was hosted by Cecilia Lei.
More from Apple News Today
More than $10 billion is expected to be spent on advertising in this midterm cycle. New York Times reporter Teddy Schleifer joins to explain where the money comes from, how a recent Supreme Court ruling has shifted power back toward party committees, and what voters should watch for in the final two weeks.
The Guardian’s Ashifa Kassam takes us inside Europe’s “autumn of discontent.” The Justice Department has charged 28 people in California with election crimes and is seeking to block roughly 20,000 ballots from being counted in the midterm elections despite experts saying noncitizen voting is extremely rare. NPR’s Miles Parks discusses the implications of the move. Federal judges in Washington are being asked to weigh in on details of President Trump’s attempt to make over the capital, and they’re getting increasingly frustrated. Associated Press reporter Gary Fields explains why. Plus, Trump’s $8 billion bailout for farmers, the NASCAR driver diagnosed with CTE, and how a novel piece of infrastructure is saving wildlife in the West. Today’s episode was hosted by Gideon Resnick.
President Trump says he is open to a trilateral summit with Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi to discuss Ukraine without Zelenskyy present. The Wall Street Journal’s Lingling Wei explains what the talks signal to smaller nations.
From Apple News In Conversation: With the 2026 midterms just two weeks away, many Americans are paying close attention not only to races and candidates but to the election process itself. Cook Political Report editor in chief Amy Walter and veteran GOP pollster Patrick Ruffini join Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to answer questions from our listeners — including why polling has become so hard to trust, how redistricting fights are reshaping races, and what guardrails are in place after results start coming in.
Iranian officials told Reuters they are intentionally ramping up attacks on commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz to drive up energy prices and hurt Republicans ahead of the midterms. Senior correspondent Jonathan Saul breaks down the strategy and how the Trump administration is weighing its response. With less than three weeks until Election Day, Cook Political Report editor-in-chief Amy Walter and veteran Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini join Apple News In Conversation to answer your big questions about the midterms. The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant previews the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream. Plus, at least four are dead after a shooting at an Oregon elementary school, authorities are investigating suspicious letters sent to U.S. lawmakers and election officials, and Joni Mitchell is now an American. Today’s episode was hosted by Yasmeen Khan.