
Show Notes
Why are these US midterms so important, and what has Rory been seeing on the ground in Ohio? Could the Democrats really flip Texas, and is Trump alienating the Hispanic voters that were crucial to his 2024 victory? If the Republicans lose control of Congress, will Trump accept the result?
Rory and Alastair are joined by Issy Stanley, reporting from Texas, as they answer all these questions and more in this week’s edition of Question Time.
__________
Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Michael Lewis by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Join The Rest Is Politics Plus. Start your free trial at therestispolitics.com to unlock exclusive bonus content – including Rory and Alastair’s miniseries – plus ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, exclusive newsletters, discounted book prices, and a private chatroom on Discord.
Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.
The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.
🌏 Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 4 months extra here ➼ nordvpn.com/restispolitics It’s risk free with NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!
Sponsored by Lloyds. Learn how to avoid scams and protect yourself. See how Darkhorse® Anti-Fraud Technology helps keep you safe from fraud. Search Lloyds protect yourself from fraud.
__________
Instagram: @restispolitics
Twitter: @restispolitics
Email: [email protected]
__________
Social Producer: Bex Tyrrell
Video Editor: Oli Ortega, Tom McCagherty
Assistant Producer: Jake Preston, Daisy Alston-Horne
Producer: Evan Green
Exec Producer: Bella Soames, Nicole Maslen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from The Rest Is Politics
With the UK’s new Chancellor, John Healey, announcing his first budget and Kemi Badenoch asking him, “is that it?”, how will the public judge his plans? With Lula making an historic return to Brazil’s presidency, was it the strength of his campaign or Bolsonaro Jr’s electoral gaffes in the leadership race that proved decisive? How did Aleksandar Vučić’s gamble on an early election backfire so spectacularly, and what does his shock defeat to a leaderless student movement tell us about just how unpredictable modern politics has become?
This week, we bring you one of Alastair’s favourite interviews.
What is at stake for Israelis and Palestinians in the upcoming parliamentary elections and, if Netanyahu loses, will anything actually change given the major parties reject a two state solution? Why does the IDF’s ‘bureaucracy of mass murder’ and its ‘NAZA’ collateral damage policy in Gaza feature so little in Israel’s domestic political debates? From Trump’s new press secretary’s disastrous five-day tenure, to the fallout from the Reform UK documentary, are we all now living in parallel political universes where scandals have less impact than they used to?
After another devastating week for Ukraine, is Trump now firmly on Putin’s side, and how much leverage does Elon Musk have over Zelensky’s war effort through his ownership of Starlink? With more civil unrest in France, what does this mean for a protest movement increasingly overshadowed by rioting, and could it play into Marine Le Pen’s hands ahead of next year's presidential election? What do we know about the attack on Australian MP Helen Haines, after she was hit by a car twice in what the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described as a “deliberate” act?
How has Alastair managed to come back from some of the darkest places in his life, overcoming a breakdown while in the public eye? Is his obsession with work unhealthy, or necessary to achieving great things and what does it cost his family and those around him? And, beyond the personal, could the word he invented, “Persevilience”, be the antidote to populism, polarisation and post-truth?