Join Shumita Basu every weekday morning as she guides you through some of the most fascinating stories in the news — and how the world’s best journalists are covering them.
Trump’s and Obama’s dueling rallies in a crucial swing state
President Trump and former President Barack Obama campaigned in Michigan this weekend, where Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are in a close Senate race. Reuters (https://apple.news/AHht-rzvRQzq8ojQzV3Ng0g)’s Bo Erickson breaks down the contest.
Ukraine has regained full access to Elon Musk’s Starlink and Starshield satellite systems after a slowdown. Alex Ward of the Wall Street Journal (https://apple.news/Af4Mq9T4eR2yv2qawUwqyOA) discusses the dispute over who ordered it.
Anthropic and OpenAI are drawing up plans to give away part of the wealth expected from their public offerings. James Pollard of the Associated Press (https://apple.news/ALWqtA9M-RgKZptAqAsPPQA) explains the questions over who will decide where the money goes.
Plus, Brazilian voters reelected (https://apple.news/AelhrfixdQKOGGKGIx39p4g ) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a rebuke to Latin America’s rightward shift, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned home (https://apple.news/AzjYeIYs3Q0yZPJNskxR5XA ) after nearly a year in exile, and the Department of Justice defended its lawsuit (https://apple.news/Aq3YHnwpZSr-WnxYQSxXmfw) seeking to stop Alaska from automatically certifying midterm results.
Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.
23 Oct 2026
The scramble to save the internet from a catastrophic threat
The Guardian (https://apple.news/Ar47S8DSXQCWYS2NHk70cvA)’s Robert Booth takes us inside the global scramble to fix a code vulnerability threatening 70% of websites.
Minnesota hasn’t elected a Republican statewide in decades, but an open Senate seat there is looking surprisingly competitive. Minnesota Public Radio (https://apple.news/A4fHbTLbLQbuJSepJP5cPLg)’s Dana Ferguson breaks down the forces reshaping the race.
Wall Street Journal (https://apple.news/AE9CmUJ7qTLSyziALsQOW2w)baseball writer Jared Diamond previews the World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays — and explains why a gold-ticket offer has left some Brewers fans stewing.
Plus, the U.S. and Israel are preparing possible strikes (https://apple.news/AL4OCkyOGSdqjzHEHbhBOfA) on Iran after the midterms, a federal judge is threatening to throw out President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit (https://apple.news/A5uMZu3oLRx6l68XtetVkig) against the BBC, and how Airbnb is telling hosts to clean up (https://apple.news/AqAKTKOBUQoKJBmSjX0v5Qg).
Today’s episode was hosted by Cecilia Lei.
22 Oct 2026
The billionaires behind the record midterm ad blitz
More than $10 billion (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/14/us/politics/midterms-ad-spending-10-billion.html) is expected to be spent on advertising in this midterm cycle. New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/by/theodore-schleifer) 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.
Russia freed a retired American schoolteacher (https://apple.news/Ak0xkJ5CnQ_y1OuMCF9Sn2g), and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff called Putin a “humanitarian” — drawing swift bipartisan criticism. Francesca Ebel, Ukraine correspondent for the Washington Post (https://apple.news/AM-aMCyzbTV-HE-BB3U-h-Q), explains what the prisoner release and a fresh promise of peace talks actually signal about where negotiations stand, and why Ukraine is heading into a difficult winter.
Nearly a decade after Apu quietly disappeared from ‘The Simpsons’ amid controversy, the character is back — this time voiced by an Indian American actor. The AP (https://apple.news/AYErILHvUTDCjIFIoEju_JQ)’s Terry Tang looks at what the recast means at a moment of growing South Asian political visibility.
Plus, the Supreme Court ruled (https://apple.news/A2dlysylLSgiHr2UWvmJFTg) that the Trump administration must continue providing gender-affirming care to transgender federal inmates, a New Mexico court made a substantial financial ruling against Meta (https://apple.news/A4cCa5TF-R7eBlqnU-Am8yw), and America just got its first new national park (https://apple.news/AbmjMP4WvRDiE-aBkv-qkmg) in six years.
Today’s episode was hosted by Gideon Resnick.
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