A weekly breakdown of current events and the processes behind them.
Just getting into politics, or looking for a news outlet that isn’t trying to shape your opinion? Tune in every Friday morning for impartial coverage of the week’s biggest stories, along with simple explanations of the laws, government processes, and concepts behind them.
No agenda. No commentary. No assuming you already know what a “filibuster” is. Just the facts, the context, and clear explanations so you can form your own informed opinion.
Because seriously- what’s going on in Washington D.C.?
where Dems go now, Hegseth’s impeachment, and midterm results: weekly news recap
what just caused the “blue wave”? what happens now that Democrats have control? why is Hegseth being impeached, and what’s going on with that unfaithful AI CEO? this episode will take you through all the things you need to understand in recent American politics and news before we get into the weekend.
this episode covers November 3 through November 12, 2026.
timeline:
0:00 intro
2:24 senate election results
6:30 explanation of “points” term
12:36 back to senate results
13:58 house election results
18:04 governors election results
20:15 common post-election questions!
29:30 brain break!
30:11 Trump appoints Stephen Miller as his new Chief of Staff
31:14 Pete Hegseth impeached by Thomas Massie
34:21 Nvidia’s CEO resigns among affair exposure and spy allegations
36:43 outro!
resources:
NYTimes election result maps: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/11/03/us/elections/results-house.html?eafs_enabled=false (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/11/03/us/elections/results-house.html?eafs_enabled=false)
Trump’s post-election 60 minutes interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2aC8lAOQbg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2aC8lAOQbg)
follow the instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/whatsupwashDC (https://www.instagram.com/whatsupwashDC)
contact me or further connect with the show here:
https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC (https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC)
thank you all for watching, and i'll see you next week! subscribe to keep up with what's happening in Washington.
30 Oct 2026
what are the midterm elections?
this episode will take you through all the things you need to understand about the midterm elections- what they are, why they’re important, and who is on the ballot this year!
the midterm election will take place on november 3rd, 2026!
political terms, explained: https://youtu.be/yIW-qyy9zYU
timeline:
0:00 intro!
2:00 what are the midterms?
5:00 who do we elect in the midterms?
8:07 who is on the ballot in 2026?
9:00 why do the midterms even matter?
12:47 what is significant about the 2026 midterms?
13:56 brain break!
15:19 what races will determine which party controls the house and senate? what are the toss up races?
21:32 what are the main issues in the 2026 midterms?
22:46 how can you prepare for election day?
25:03 outro!
resources:
The BEST way to get specific voter information is to visit your state’s official Secretary of State’s voting page. Here are additional third party research tools that compile all 50 states:
US Government Website on Voting and Elections: https://www.usa.gov/voting-and-elections (https://www.usa.gov/voting-and-elections)
Check your Registration Status: https://www.vote411.org/check-registration (https://www.vote411.org/check-registration)
Voter ID Laws per State: https://www.vote.org/voter-id-laws/ (https://www.vote.org/voter-id-laws/)
See What’s On Your Ballot via Sample Ballot: https://www.vote.org/ballot-information/ (https://www.vote.org/ballot-information/)
Make A Voting Plan: https://www.vote411.org/make-your-plan (https://www.vote411.org/make-your-plan)
follow the instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/whatsupwashDC (https://www.instagram.com/whatsupwashDC)
contact me or further connect with the show here:
https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC (https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC)
thank you all for watching, and i'll see you next week! subscribe to keep up with what's happening in Washington.
23 Oct 2026
french riots, trump's order on women's healthcare, ramaswamy's ad: weekly news recap
why are the French rioting? what’s happening with the controversial Ohio governor’s race? what does Trump’s women’s healthcare order really say? this episode will take you through all the things you need to understand in recent American (+French!) politics and news before we get into the weekend.
this episode covers October 15 through October 22, 2026.
timeline:0:00 intro!
1:56 updates from last week
4:00 Trump’s executive order about women’s health
8:16 Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial ad about Amy Acton
12:02 brain break!
13:33 Bend, Oregon school shooting
14:50 the French riots
23:41 new national park
24:18 outro!
resources:Trump’s executive order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/advancing-womens-health-to-improve-outcomes-in-all-phases-of-life/
French government explanation: https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-institutions
follow the instagram:https://www.instagram.com/whatsupwashDC
contact me or further connect with the show here:https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC
thank you all for watching, and i'll see you next week! subscribe to keep up with what's happening in Washington.
16 Oct 2026
live streamed execution and new press secretary's "chinese" bar exam: this week's biggest headlines
is the US live streaming Nidal Hasan's execution? is Katie Zacharia a real lawyer, or even claiming to be? did Trump just make an illegal diesel deal with Russia? this episode will take you through all the things you need to understand in recent American politics and news before we get into the weekend.this episode covers October 9 through October 15, 2026. timeline:
0:00 intro
3:03 Trump’s diesel deal with Russian President Putin
7:38 Katie Zacharia named as new WH press secretary
12:37 Kimberly Guilfoyle resigns as US Ambassador to Greece
14:25 Ilhan Omar’s home searched by federal officials
17:32 ICE shooting of Oscar Belgal
18:46 brain break!
21:12 live streamed military execution?
24:03 Tupac’s murderer sentenced
24:28 outro!contact me or further connect with the show here:https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDCthank you all for listening, and i'll see you next week! follow to keep up with what's happening in Washington.
16 Oct 2026
christa pike’s botched execution and flydubai pilot attacked: weekly news recap
welcome to the weekend! let's slow down to learn about what happened last week, October 1-October 8. from Tennessee's failed execution of Christa Pike to the Flydubai pilot-on-pilot attack, this episode will take you through all the things you need to understand in recent American (and this week, international) politics and news. timeline:
0:00 intro
2:41 Flydubai incident
5:07 Christa Pike’s botched execution
8:23 explanation of the death penalty in America
13:53 SCOTUS new term and overview of most popular upcoming cases
18:37 brain break!
20:49 Trump announces
$6.6 billion dollar investment with Anduril Industries for submarine development
23:00 Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger
24:15 Hurricane Isaias
25:16 outro
contact me or further connect with the show here:
https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC
thank you all for listening, and i'll see you next week! follow to keep up with what's happening in Washington.
16 Oct 2026
cornell to clancy: this week's biggest headlines
welcome to the weekend! let's slow down to learn about what happened last week, September 24-September 30. from Cornell's scandal to Clancy's return to court, this episode will take you through all the things you need to understand in recent American politics and news.
timeline:
0:00 intro
2:30 famous actors, politicians, and others detained during anti-Netanyahu protest
5:55 President Trump hosts Xi Jinping, China's president, at the White House
7:22 brain break!
8:20 Trump meets with AI leaders, signs accord, renames AI
12:00 Jane Doe sues Cornell and others over 2024 sexual assault claims
20:06 Lindsay Clancy returns to court for the first time after mistrial
22:40 SCOTUS allows specific Trump deportations to continue
24:40 outro & yap!
resources:Jane Doe complaint document - https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=w3cAcu0L42eUEEFc9PeClw==Cornell statement- https://statements.cornell.edu/2026/20260928-da-investigation.cfm
contact me or further connect with the show here:
https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC
thank you all for listening, and i'll see you next week! follow to keep up with what's happening in Washington.
16 Oct 2026
what does 'partisan' even mean?
it's time for someone to actually start explaining those words news outlets always throw around! let's chat about some of the most commonly used terms in American political reporting, so you can stay more informed this election season.
timeline:
0:00 intro
1:55 battleground/swing state
3:28 majority, supermajority, "flipping" the House or Senate
7:58 referendum
10:33 gerrymandering
15:08 incumbent
15:45 GOP (and 'dems')
17:11 partisan, bipartisan, nonpartisan
18:26 outro
find all the info you need about the show here:
https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC
thank you all for listening! i'll see you next Friday, so subscribe to keep up with what's happening in Washington!
16 Oct 2026
welcome to 'what's up, washington?'
welcome to your new outlet for nonpartisan news and civic education! tune in every Friday morning for simple explanations of America's biggest stories of the week and the ideas behind them.
find all the info you need for the show here:
https://linktr.ee/whatsupwashDC
follow to keep up with what's happening in Washington, and see you next Friday!
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