Vox

It's not over for Francesca Hong | America, Actually - October 10, 2026 - Vox

Most of the focus in this year’s midterms is naturally on Congress. But the battle for control of state legislatures matters just as much, if not more.

Currently, Republicans hold a trifecta — control of the governorship, state senate, and state house — in 23 states, while Democrats hold 16.

Flipping just a handful of state seats can change who holds the majority of power nationwide. That has major policy implications. On this week’s episode of America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon travels to Wisconsin to dig into the national strategy behind state-level trifectas, what’s at stake for working-class voters, and what it takes to flip rural districts.

00:00 A blue wave beyond Congress

01:50 Wisconsin: The perfect case study

04:48 What a Wisconsin trifecta could deliver

06:09 Winning back rural voters

07:07 Wisconsin’s gerrymandering legacy

08:17 The growth of data centers

10:41 Francesca Hong’s narrow primary loss

12:43 The electability debate

16:17 Wisconsin’s national stakes

18:45 Rallying to flip the legislature

20:40 The issues that matter most to rural Democrats

29:00 Takeaways

America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.

If you enjoy our reporting and want to learn more, sign up for Astead’s weekly newsletter, Midterms, Actually. Just go to www.vox.com/midtermsactually to learn more, and get in-depth analysis about this year’s election right to your inbox.

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The problem with the death penalty | The Gray Area - October 9, 2026 - Vox

Is there a humane way for the state to kill someone?

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Guest host Miles Bryan sits down with New York Times Magazine writer and ProPublica reporter Pamela Colloff to pull back the curtain on critical flaws in America's approach to the death penalty. From the tragedy of wrongful convictions to the profound impact capital punishment has on victims' families, can the death penalty ever truly be justified?

Drawing on decades of reporting and a new book, Catch the Devil, Colloff examines the reality of executions in states like Florida, the prevalence of unreliable jailhouse informants, and why a system built on human judgment can never be infallible.

00:00 Intro

01:59 Why Colloff changed her mind on the death penalty

06:57 The declining use of the death penalty

11:49 Governor Desantis and the death penalty

20:50 The governor’s power in Florida

32:45 Jailhouse informants

42:02 To Catch a Devil

Guest Host: Miles Bryan, Vox Senior Producer and Reporter

Guest: Pamela Colloff, author of Catch the Devil

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If Dems take Congress, what can they actually do? - October 8, 2026 - Vox

With the US midterm elections a few weeks away, Vox is bringing you conversations with our political reporters and correspondents. Today, Explained host Sean Rameswaram speaks with senior politics correspondent Andrew Prokop about the challenges a reshaped Democratic Party could face if it wins control of the House and potentially the Senate.

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Democrats need a stronger message on abortion | America, Actually - October 6, 2026 - Vox

Jessica Valenti says Democrats are playing it too safe on abortion. As the founder of Abortion, Every Day on Substack, she said the party should treat abortion rights as a matter of affordability, healthcare, and personal freedom, and make a stronger case for keeping the government out of decisions about pregnancy.

In this special episode of America, Actually, Valenti joins Vox’s Astead Herndon for a conversation about why support for abortion rights hasn’t always translated into Democratic victories, the consequences of abortion bans, and how Republicans are changing their rhetoric while continuing to pursue restrictions. They also discuss threats to birth control, the stakes of the midterms, and why Valenti wants Democrats to go beyond promising to “restore Roe” in 2028.

America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday, tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.

Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO

Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.

Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE

Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o

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