Why Now? A Political Junkie Podcast

About Why Now? A Political Junkie Podcast

Where contemporary history and politics meet the challenge of today. clairepotter.substack.com (https://clairepotter.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Claire Potter and Neil J. Young

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Oct 2022

Latest episode

31 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

144 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   31 Oct 2026

   Is the “Red Wall” Crumbling?

   We began this episode with an excerpt from a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edk2gR2KQls) where Illinois grain and soybean farmer John Bartman and his mother explain the effects of Trump’s policies on the agricultural sector. Our theme music this week is “Good News,” written and performed by Shaboozey and licensed from LickD. (https://app.lickd.co/account/licenses) Barack Obama, coolest ex-president ever, tosses the mic offstage after speaking at a Michigan rally for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, October 25, 2026. Image credit: Abdul for Michigan In the News: * The Department of Justice continues to flood the courts (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/27/us/politics/trump-blanche-elections-comey.html) with revenge cases intended to harass Democrats. This week, prosecutors filed a third set of charges against former FBI director James Comey. it’s a sealed indictment, so we don’t know what they are. However, only a day earlier, a federal court ordered Comey’s daughter restored (https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-maurene-comey-trump-be7de14f705def3bb6eeadafa7e60805) to her post with back pay: she was fired without explanation almost a year ago. Also this week? A federal grand jury refused to indict (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/27/us/politics/cassidy-hutchinson-indicted-trump-testimony.html) Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump aide, for lying to Congress about January 6. * After the New York Times reported that Democrat Mary Peltola’s Alaska Senate campaign engaged in ballot-stacking (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/politics/alaska-dan-sullivan-conspiracy-peltola.html) by recruiting Dan J. Sullivan to run against incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan, President Donald Trump went berserk and ordered Attorney General Todd Blanche to delay certification if Dan S. lost. One of many dirty tricks routinely pulled by both parties, it’s not illegal (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/29/briefing/alaska-midterms-cheesecake-factory.html). Now, Alaska’s Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy is ordering an investigation (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/politics/trump-peltola-sullivan-alaska-senate.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share). It’s unclear what this does to improve matters, since months ago the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that Dan J. could remain on the ballot provided that he was clearly distinguished from Dan S. * New York Times reporter Lauren McGaughy has finally pulled back the curtain (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/27/us/ken-paxton-divorce-tracy-duhon.html) on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s love life. In a tight Senate race with Democrat James Talarico, Paxton’s new-ish squeeze is Tracy Duhon, a Christian influencer from New Orleans who is also, intriguingly, a registered Democrat. While the Paxton campaign has successfully kept Duhon’s name out of the news, the relationship has been memorialized on social media, and the couple appear to own a home in a North Dallas suburb. Duhon has seven children with her former husband Troy Duhon (although his biography (https://www.troyduhon.com/about) says they have four), a billionaire automotive dealer (https://www.capitalone.com/cars/about/leadership/podcast/from-washing-cars-to-a-2-billion-empire-troy-duhon-playbook), and they also run a charitable nonprofit together. * Finally, we want to note the death (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/dolores-huerta-california-legacy.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share) of civil rights organizer Dolores Huerta at 96. With Cesar Chavez, Huerta founded the United Farm Workers and built a platform that boosted Latino politicians and voters into a powerful force across the United States. In the past year, she exposed the cult-like atmosphere around Chavez, his penchant for sexual violence and exploitation, and her own victimization by the partner in her life’s work. Your hosts: * Claire Potter is a historian of politics and media, a writer, a podcaster, and the sole author and editor of the Political Junkie Substack. Her most recent book is Political Junkies (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991): (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991) From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy (Basic Books, 2020), and she is currently writing a biography of feminist journalist Susan Brownmiller. * Neil J. Young is a historian of religion and politics, a journalist, and a former co-host of the Past Present podcast. His most recent book is Coming Out Republican: (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9780226818054) A History of the Gay Right (University of Chicago Press, 2024). Neil is currently co-writing a history of the Hamptons with his former collaborator on the Past Present podcast, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela. The so-called “red wall” is made up of states that were part of the Democrats’ “blue wall” before 2016, including Ohio and Wisconsin. Image credit: Chessrat, MaGioZal/Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Wall_states.svg) News focus: * As of yesterday, the Cook Political Report has shifted (https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/house/house-overview/dozen-more-House-October2026) 12 more House races towards the Democrats, and is estimating that leader Hakeem Jeffries will end the night with a 12 to 25 seat majority. * In 2016, the political map changed radically: traditionally Democratic states like Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan turned bright red, with Florida—one of only three states to vote for Obama twice, and Pennsylvania, blue since 1992 (https://www.270towin.com/states/pennsylvania)—swinging right. Since then, Democrats have chipped away at these states. Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin were critical (https://thesuffolkjournal.com/31852/politics/race-to-270-rebuilding-the-blue-wall-proved-key-in-bidens-win/) to Biden’s victory in 2020, t flipped back (https://www.wavy.com/hill-politics/democrats-warn-party-must-look-beyond-blue-wall-to-win/) to Trump in 2024, and are now slipping away from the GOP again as swing voters blame the President’s policies (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/28/democrats-rural-midwest-rebecca-cooke-01137050) for the economy. * PBS’s final poll (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/poll-likely-voters-favor-democrats-as-trump-disapproval-drives-early-turnout) shows Democrats going into election day with an eight-point lead nationally, 52% approval from independent voters, and more GOP than Democratic voters crossing party lines. The Cook Political Report (https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings) reports intriguing House numbers: NE-02, formerly held by Republican Don Bacon, has moved into Likely D (https://www.npr.org/2026/10/15/nx-s1-6002919/candidates-vying-for-nebraska-house-seat-face-off-in-debate). In the Lean D column there are only 4 Democrats and 12 Republicans, including two seats in Iowa, one in North Carolina, two in Pennsylvania and one in Wisconsin. The toss-up category also favors Democrats—5 to 12, with eight of those seats coming out of red wall states. * It will be the Senate contests that tell the story Tuesday night—can Democrats hold the seats they have and pick up four more? Democratic Governor Roy Cooper appears to have sewn up (https://quantusinsights.org/polling/f/north-carolina-senate-cooper-holds-a-9-point-lead-over-whatley) North Carolina with a whopping nine-point lead. But again, in the toss-up category, we see 7 races, only one of which is a seat Democrats are defending. They are mostly in red wall states: Ohio, Texas, Maine, Kansas, Iowa, and Alaska. Cook has also moved the Senate race in South Carolina from Likely to Lean Republican as Annie Andrews closes in on Darline Graham: the New York Times is listing this race (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/south-carolina-florida-minnesota-poll.html) as a tossup. * Yes, Donald Trump is dragging the ticket down-but as Benjamin Wallace Wells pointed out at The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/11/02/the-republicans-remarkably-bad-midterm-campaigns), Republicans are running terrible campaigns. * In Texas, a high focus on corruption (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/26/voters-rising-ire-corruption-plays-central-role-texas-senate-race/) may be playing a significant role in Talarico’s strong showing against Paxton. Then there are just dumb moves. When incumbent Republican Monica De La Cruz derided (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/bobby-pulido-texas-congress-de-la-cruz/) singer Bobby Pulido, the Democrats’ candidate in TX-15, by saying “This election isn’t about who you want performing at your niece’s quinceañera,” Texans started reaching out to have him do just that. Embedded in communities, Pulido has almost made up an 18-point deficit. * In Ohio’s Senate race, Democrat Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat in 2024, is the face of the party’s efforts to win back labor (https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/can-democrats-win-back-labor). * Culture wars campaigns, which was MAGA’s strength, may be ineffective when voters are anxious about the economy. In Alaska, Mary Peltola has been highly focused on (https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/alaskas-senate-race-could-be-decided-by-salmon) the damage that Trumponomics and environmental deregulation have had on the fishing industry. In Michigan Donald Trump and Mike Rogers’ Islamophobic attacks (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/trump-islamophobic-attacks-against-abdul-el-sayed/) on Abdul El-Sayed may have moved voters away from Rogers: one poll this week has El-Sayed ahead (https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/el-sayed-widens-lead-rogers-michigan-senate-poll/) by 7 points, with 4% of voters (https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6180606-democrats-lead-texas-michigan-polls/) interested in neither candidate. * In Florida, Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, in a surprising tight race (https://www.cookpolitical.com/governor/race/479481) with born-again Democrat David Jolly, made a point (https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/byron-donalds-misgenders-transgender-constituent) of repeatedly misgendering a trans woman who asked him a question, but that too has not moved the needle (https://floridapolitics.com/archives/827487-final-st-pete-polls-byron-donalds-leads-david-jolly-48-to-46-as-long-as-republicans-show-up/), and a victory there will depend on turnout. That will be true in Texas as well, where Democrat Gina Hinojosa is challenging (https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/gina-hinojosas-populism-for-democrats) incumbent Greg Abbot. * One factor here is the disconnect between the story Donald Trump tells about the economy and what is happening on the ground. Yes, wages are rising but costs are outpacing them (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/27/costs-basics-climbed-faster-than-wages-battleground-house-districts/), and in sectors that rely on fuel, imports, and sustainable borrowing, like agriculture and trucking, business owners are under water. * Another factor may be Democrats’ enhanced skill in speaking about the cloud of corruption around a President who twice promised his voters that he was going to Washington to “drain the swap,” only to settle into a pattern of open self-dealing (https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/10/midterm-elections-and-return-of-good-and-evil/689145/) that includes his cabinet, family, appointees, and numerous members of Congress. * Corruption, an… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clairepotter.substack.com/subscribe (https://clairepotter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   24 Oct 2026

   If He Did It

   We began this episode with a short excerpt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apeIbRFm5dE) from September 27, 1995, day 1 of defense attorney Johnnie Cochran’s closing argument in O.J. Simpson’s trial for the murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Our theme music this week is “.44 Special Blues,” written and performed by Hank Williams, Jr. copyrighted music licensed from Likd (https://t.lickd.co/l/d285Ek3M8pY). As an NBC Sports commentator, movie star, and former professional football player, O. J. Simpson became a symbol of success and graciousness that masked private violence. Here, he watches a Thanksgiving football game with servicemen deployed in Operation Desert Shield on November 22, 1990. Photo credit: Gerald Johnson/Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:O.J._Simpson_1990_·_DN-ST-91-03444.JPEG) In the News: * We learned on Tuesday (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/20/us/politics/julio-herrera-pardon-alina-habba.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KVE.XNeE.7K42q3wUulh-&smid=url-share) that billionaire Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, who plead to a misdemeanor bribery charge in August 2025 that carried no time, still wanted a full pardon from President Donald Trump. But it was hard to get. Despite a $3.5 million donation to a Trump Super PAC, the President remained unpersuaded. Then, Trump’s former lawyer Alina Habba (cooling her heels after having been booted by a federal judge as a U.S. Attorney), received an offer of employment worth $10 million from a mysterious corporation established in Florida by Velutini’s daughter in 2025. Pardon obtained! * More on the grift watch: According to ProPublica (https://www.propublica.org/article/navatek-lindsey-graham-jim-clyburn-fbi-anti-corruption-bribery?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature), in early 2025, before the FBI was purged of so-called deep state loyalists, the agency was investigating pay-to-play deals in Congress. Two members of the South Carolina delegation were prime suspects: Republican Senator Lindsay Graham and Democratic Representative Jim Clyburn (SC-06). In exchange for campaign donations ($100,000 in Graham’s case), the two men allegedly steered military contracts worth millions to Navatek (now the Martin Defense Group.) Republican incumbent Susan Collins, who is in a tight race for her Maine Senate seat, was under investigation for a similar scheme: she has dismissed the charges as “nonsense.” * Speaking of Lindsey Graham: a thirty-minute video released on the Young Turks YouTube channel features (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/us/politics/video-lindsey-graham.html?unlocked_article_code=1.K1E.mMA0.hzNa--ZM5qi5&smid=url-share) three Washington D.C. area sex workers who claim to have been paid to have sex with the late senator. One alleges he was 17 at the time he did business with Graham in Arizona, which would be a felony in that state. One man says he did not realize he was having sex with a Senator until he saw Graham on TV during a 2016 presidential debate. * When does “owning the libs” become a self-own (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/22/trumps-shock-jock-politics-dont-work-everyone-an-ohio-attack-ad-is-proof/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzkyNjQxNjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzk0MDI3NTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3OTI2NDE2MDAsImp0aSI6IjNjMWVjODQ5LWQ1MDctNGIyNS04YWE2LTIyMDkxMjg0NTk1MiIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDI2LzEwLzIyL3RydW1wcy1zaG9jay1qb2NrLXBvbGl0aWNzLWRvbnQtd29yay1ldmVyeW9uZS1hbi1vaGlvLWF0dGFjay1hZC1pcy1wcm9vZi8ifQ.c-_Zp9teuKS6OZDQNwDfM6EwomP8m3aLPH8V9Bq8i2k)? In a horrifying new low (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/opinion/acton-ramaswamy-ad-trump-ohio.html?unlocked_article_code=1.K1E.mCxf.hBHWssqtYOGs&smid=url-share) that has divided (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/us/politics/ohio-governor-ad-ramaswamy-acton.html?unlocked_article_code=1.K1E.LU60.RM-nf9mfqfNK&smid=url-share) the Party of Trump, Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy (who appears to be losing (https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/governors/ohio-governor/ohio-gov-race-toss-lean-democrat)the governor’s race with Democrat Amy Acton) has made a $4 million dollar ad buy for a spot featuring Acton’s estranged mother (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/20/ohio-governors-race-uproar-over-video-featuring-democrats-estranged-mother/). When Acton was 13 she and her brother being permanently removed from the Arthur home when she accused her stepfather of rape. Donna Arthur, who hasn’t seen or spoken to Acton in decades, labels her daughter a “liar.” But the incident is backed up by court records, and Acton’s brother has supported her story. Vice President JD Vance has characterized pushback on the ad as “whining (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/21/us/politics/ramaswamy-acton-ad-ohio.html),” while MK Pritzker, wife of Illinois Democratic governor J.B. Pritzker responded by giving $500,000 to an Acton super PAC. Your hosts: * Claire Potter is a historian of politics and media, a writer, a podcaster, and the sole author and editor of the Political Junkie Substack. Her most recent book is Political Junkies (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991): (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991) From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy (Basic Books, 2020), and she is currently writing a biography of feminist journalist Susan Brownmiller. * Neil J. Young is a historian of religion and politics, a journalist, and a former co-host of the Past Present podcast. His most recent book is Coming Out Republican: (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9780226818054) A History of the Gay Right (University of Chicago Press, 2024). Newsweek and TIME covers from the week of June 27, 1994: digital alteration of the mugshot on the right made Simpson seem darker than he was: it was one of many ways that racism shaped court dynamics and news about the crime. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OJ_Simpson_Newsweek_TIME.png) News focus: More than two decades later, O.J. Simpson’s murder trial changed us all. In a look back episode inspired by new reporting, we talk about that cultural pivot. * This week, the New York Times ripped the cover off (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/18/us/oj-simpson-ippolito-informant-accomplice.html?searchResultPosition=2) the sensational 1995 O.J. Simpson trial. Listeners may recall that the football and media star was charged with the June 12 1994 crime. On October 3, 1995, Simpson—defended by a so-called “Dream Team” of defense attorneys (https://abcnews.com/US/oj-simpson-trial-now/story?id=17377772) (a reference to the 1992 men’s basketball (https://usopm.org/1992-mens-basketball-team/)Olympic gold medalists)—was acquitted of the double murder in a jury trial. * One aspect of the acquittal was the defense team’s assertion that Simpson was framed by racist cops. Another was that the murder weapon was never found, and evidence that implicated Simpson was impeached by the investigating officer’s history of racism. Now, it appears that there may have been an accomplice, Joey Ippolito, a mobbed-up drug runner who tried to bargain with New York authorities by testifying that Simpson did commit the crime and he, Ippolito, helped to cover it up. * Nevertheless, in 1997, Simpson was held responsible for the crime by a civil jury which awarded (https://janewells.substack.com/p/follow-the-money-25-years-after-the-22-02-03) Goldman’s parents and Brown’s family $33.5 million in damages. Most of that money was never collected, in part because Simpson’s legal bills and inability to work left him financially strapped, and in part because Simpson hid assets and evaded collection. * Later, Simpson partnered with a ghostwriter to publish an account of the crime titled If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer (Beaufort Books, 2007), which many readers saw as a brazen confession. In 2008, Simpson was convicted of armed robbery (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/05/oj-simpson-jailed) in Las Vegas after an armed confrontation with memorabilia dealers who he claimed had stolen from him. Paroled in 2017, he died of cancer (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/11/oj-simpson-obituary) on April 20 2024, at age 76. * The defense easily framed its case around the historic racism of the LAPD, and simmering civil rights tensions over violent treatment of Black Angelenos. Between 1987-1990, Black neighborhoods in LA endured (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-3/police-brutality-caught-on-video)“Operation Hammer,” a violent paramilitary enforcement operation. In 1991, LAPD officers brutally beat (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-3/police-brutality-caught-on-video) Rodney King, a man they had stopped on suspicion of DUI, using the n-word repeatedly. A bystander filmed the crime and sold the images to CNN, and when the officers were acquitted in 1992, riots broke out. The following year, two officers were convicted of civil rights violations in federal court. * Civil rights attorney Johnnie Cochran’s defense (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY6XBMWFws0-JY1jJHX8SAfvGcADuz7c0) instilled reasonable doubt by characterizing the police as racists. Lead detective Mark Fuhrman, Cochran argued, framed Simpson because he was Black and interracially married; thus, Simpson was the victim of an inept and biased police investigation. This was thoroughly believable to the 9 Black and 1 Hispanic members of the jury. * The media atmosphere the case generated points to changing technology that would shape politics as well. Zoey Tur and Marika Garrard, pioneers in helicopter reporting were part of the famous Bronco chase broadcast (https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/20-years-ago-today-the-o-j-simpson-bronco-chase/) on ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN. The sequence of events, from the murder to the chase to the trial, were the first modern reality TV (https://www.vanityfair.com/style/society/2014/06/oj-simpson-trial-reality-tv-pop-culture?srsltid=AYCX9vI3Y4hpFr4OWw-xwxriLn2uH-eyagLV0beKAviV_Y7XM0AlHZNf). * Other significant milestones lay the groundwork for this moment. Court TV was established (https://cordcuttersnews.com/35-years-ago-today-court-tv-first-premiered-and-brought-the-american-justice-system-into-your-home-a-look-back/) in 1991, reaching 28 million households: the network had already broadcast (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/menendez-brothers-timeline-trials-murders-free-prison-effort-rcna179362) the Menendez brothers’ first trial in 1993. CNN ruled the cable news roost that would end in 1996 when Fox and MSNBC were founded. Coverage by CNN and E! was highly lucrative (https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/02/business/cnn-and-others-look-past-the-trial.html) for both. * The trial also re-ignited a national conversation (https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/04/us/simpson-case-galvanizes-us-about-domestic-violence.html) about violence against women that had been dormant since the mid-1980s. Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister Denise was a major player in pushing the federal 1994 Violence Against Women Act to passage, while states and cities pushed policing reforms and created resources for battered women. And yet, nearly half of women who are murdered are killed by a current or former partner. (https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/04/us/simpson-case-galvanizes-us-about-domestic-violence.html) * A great many murders go unsolved. In 2024, the most recent year for which we have data, around 66% of homicides (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/headway/newsletter-homicide-clearance-rate.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KlE.d7nV.OcrYL1BfKj18&smid=url-share) ended in an arrest and conviction. In Los Angeles in 1994, that number was even lower (https://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Homicide/an%20examination%20of%20homicide%20clearance%20rates%20-%20foundation%20for%20the%20development%20of%20a%20homicide%20clearance%20model%202001.pdf): 58%, when the national clearance rate was 64%. What we want to go viral: * Neil wants you to watch “Furious (https://www.hulu.com/series/furious-5d4924b7-1cde-47c3-8852-f30bdd7fe979)” (Hulu, 2026). FBI agent Alice Black tracks a female vigilante who targets a network of powerful men who have harmed and exploited her. Although it is loosely based on the film Black Widow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Widow_(1987_film)) (Bobb Rafelson, 1987), it is a perfect fit for the Age of Epstein. When does the search for justice become mere vengeance? You decide. * Claire wants you to run, not walk, to see Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s new documentary about Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, “You Can See Everything,” (https://a24films.com/films/you-can-see-everything) (theatrical release by A24 on October 16, 2026). Here’s a spoiler: you will see everything—but not necessarily know what is true. Fielder’s question throughout is not, what did Holmes do, but what does she think she did? And what is up with hubby Billy Evans? Don’t miss new drops from Claire and Neil. You can subscribe for free or support us for only $5 a month. You can also become an annual supporter for $50/year and choose Neil’s Coming Out Republican (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9780226818054) or Claire’s Political Junkies (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991): (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991) as a welcome bonus. You can also get all audio/video content for free by subscribing on Apple iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-now-a-political-junkie-podcast/id1653007976), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@PoliticalJunkieSubstack-j3l), or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3Azy3LXNaKhUhVAWnaoRv8). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clairepotter.substack.com/subscribe (https://clairepotter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   17 Oct 2026

   Death Penalty TV

   We began this episode with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s decision (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOxz2S7-oMY) to livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hassan, the former Army psychiatrist who murdered 13 fellow servicemen and women at Fort Hood in Texas. That decision has since been rescinded by President Donald Trump. Our theme music this week is “The Weight (https://t.lickd.co/l/WgN65MYJxVy),” written by Robbie Robertson and performed by The Staples Singers, copyrighted music licensed from LikD (https://lickd.co/). Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that convicted murderer Nidal Hassan would be publicly executed on October 7, 2026. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Madelyn Keech/Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:261007-D-FN350-4608_SECWAR_Visits_Sailors_Aboard_USS_Lincoln,_PTs_With_Marines_7th_of_October_2026.jpg) In the News: * Another norm bites the dust: the DOJ has long refrained (https://electionlawblog.org/2026/omars-home-search-breaks-from-doj-norms-former-federal-prosecutors-say/) from headline-grabbing actions in the 60 days prior to an election. On Monday, Homeland Security agents raided the Washington-area home (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/us/politics/ilhan-omar-home-searched.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IFE.EKB-.CU_fYCm9WeL_&smid=url-share) of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-05). At a rally later that day (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-rally-crowd-chants-deport-president-rips-ilhan-omar-federal-raid), President Donald Trump led a crowd in chants demanding that she be deported. Omar, who was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, has been a regular MAGA target. The investigation is based on (https://nypost.com/2026/10/12/us-news/why-did-feds-raid-ilhan-omars-dc-home/) accusations that Omar lied about her age to obtain US citizenship over 27 years ago. She has also been investigated (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/us/politics/ilhan-omar-home-searched.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IFE.EKB-.CU_fYCm9WeL_&smid=url-share) for campaign finance violations and contact with foreign entities. Trump has repeatedly threatened (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/12/federal-agents-ilhan-omar-home-raid) to denaturalize Omar on the basis of an unsubstantiated claim that Omar’s first husband is her brother. * Trump has also forced Kimberly Guilfoyle (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/us/politics/kimberly-guilfoyle-resigns-trump-ambassador-greece.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share) out as Ambassador to Greece. Dogged by corruption charges first broken by the Wall Street Journal last weekend (https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/at-davos-kimberly-guilfoyle-boasted-of-private-jet-trips-luxury-stays-d6602442?mod=Searchresults&pos=2&page=1), Guilfoyle appears to have pursued financial and, in one case, sexual, relationships with various Greek tycoons. But that’s not all! She also appears to have asked Trump donor Eric Deters (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/us/politics/trump-kimberly-guilfoyle-greece.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share) to pay a $100,000 AmEx bill and shouldered her way, uninvited, into a dinner with Eric Trump. The twice-married former Fox News host (https://people.com/kimberly-guilfoyle-speaks-out-about-her-ex-fiance-donald-trump-jr-engagement-to-bettina-anderson-11880689) was sent to Greece in the first place after former fiancé Donald Trump, Jr. began to date Bettina Anderson. Although Trump has bragged about using other people’s money (https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/20/politics/donald-trump-foundation-other-peoples-money) to benefit himself, he reportedly hates it when members of his circle exploit their connections for their own grifts. * To paraphrase the immortal words of Richard Nixon, we don’t have Karoline Leavitt to kick around anymore: she’s off to Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/media/karoline-leavitt-joins-fox-news-contributor-leaving-white-house-press-secretary-role), replaced by Katie Zacharia, after a week when there was no press secretary at all. Zacharia has mostly worked for various arms of the GOP, at Newsmaxx, and at Homeland Security, and was worse (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/us/politics/katie-zacharia-white-house-first-briefing.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share)than no press secretary at all: she lasted (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/katie-zacharia-fired-press-secretary.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share)5 days. Zacharia’s first press conference took 15 minutes (https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/article/who-is-katie-zacharia-trumps-new-white-house-press-secretary-212021582.html), much of which was consumed by an opening statement she read haltingly. A graduate of Pepperdine Law School, there is no evidence that Zacharia ever passed the bar (https://popular.info/p/trumps-new-press-secretary-katie). When asked about this, she claimed to have taken the exam “in China” while working for a Chinese law firm, but that too seemed unlikely (https://popular.info/p/update-katie-zacharias-disastrous), and she has now admitted (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/katie-zacharia-lawyer-attorney-bar.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share) that wasn’t true. Your hosts: * Claire Potter is a historian of politics and media, a writer, a podcaster, and the sole author and editor of the Political Junkie Substack. Her most recent book is Political Junkies (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991): (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991) From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy (Basic Books, 2020), and she is currently writing a biography of feminist journalist Susan Brownmiller. * Neil J. Young is a historian of religion and politics, a journalist, and a former co-host of the Past Present podcast. His most recent book is Coming Out Republican: (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9780226818054) A History of the Gay Right (University of Chicago Press, 2024). Former U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hassan killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others on November 5, 2009 at Fort Hood. Texas. Photo credit: Sgt. Jason R. Krawczyk/Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Army_mil-55427-2009-11-07-171121.jpg) News focus: The United States is one of only 53 nations that retains the death penalty, and 30 that use it. Of those 30, nine only use it for the most extraordinary crimes. This puts the United States in the company of nations like Iran and China, although the U.S. executes far fewer people. Last week’s proposed public execution would have put the United States in even more elite company: Iran and Afghanistan. * Eighteen year-old Christa Pike was sentenced to death (https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/advocacy/christa-pike/) on March 30, 1996 for her part in the violent murder of Colleen Slemmer. Like many people who commit horrific crimes, Pike was herself abused. On September 30, Tennessee attempted to kill her by lethal injection (https://apnews.com/article/christa-pike-execution-tennessee-f826a60582083b90ac7695ecb16afbdf)and failed. Pike survived two rounds of phenobarbital injections, and after some confusion, was finally transported (https://www.wsmv.com/2026/10/14/emergency-calls-after-failed-christa-pike-execution-released/) to the hospital. She is now up and walking (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c60rln74yzvxo) but with damaged arms. It’s unclear whether she can be legally executed (https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/12/us/christa-pike-execution-tennessee) again. A repetition raises legal and ethical issues (https://thedispatch.com/article/christa-pike-tennessee-execution-constitution/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=teaser_b_freelister_dugdale_2026-10-13&utm_content=cta_read_article), principally double jeopardy and the Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishment.” Had the state succeeded, she would have been the first woman in 200 years to be executed in Tennessee. * In Texas, Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in a mass shooting at Fort Hood in 2009, also awaits a December 3 execution: he would be the first active-duty serviceman to be executed since 1961. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made news last week when he announced that Hasan’s death by firing squad (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/opinion/hegseth-livestream-firing-squad-execution.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share) would be live streamed, an idea that many Americans find repulsive Conservative pundit George Will called the plan (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/10/11/fill-government-with-barbarians-you-get-barbaric-government/) “barbaric;” JD Vance said he wouldn’t watch it (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck20r39nl3qzo), but declined to comment further; and Speaker Mike Johnson says he “has concerns (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-officials-leaning-against-execution-livestream-nidal-hasan/).” Trump, was said to have doubts about (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-officials-leaning-against-execution-livestream-nidal-hasan/)the visuals of executing Nidal, who is paralyzed from the waist down, and has now canceled the event (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/politics/trump-hasan-fort-hood-execution-livestream.html). Some observers say this spectacle is linked (https://www.npr.org/2026/10/07/nx-s1-5993539/firing-squad-execution-nidal-hasan-fort-hood) to the failure of the Pike execution, and the White House’s desire to re-establish execution as a routine punishment. * Trump has overseen more federal executions (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55236260) than any other President: all 13 were in the final 6 months of his presidency. His return to power (https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-executions-rise-death-penalty-b3058237.html) has sparked a surge of executions nationwide: 47 in 2025 and 28 so far this year. The peak year was 1999, the final year of Bill Clinton’s presidency, when 98 people were put to death. Only 27 states still have the death penalty (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/state-by-state); 23 have abolished it. * Since the founding, 1685 people have been executed (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/executions-overview) in the United States. That does not include 6500 lynchings (https://eji.org/reports/reconstruction-in-america-overview/) between 1865 and 1950, or 160 American servicemen put to death (https://eji.org/reports/reconstruction-in-america-overview/) between 1940 and 1961, the last military execution. Currently, there are almost 2,000 people on death row nationwide. * The last two public executions in the United States were in the 1930s, after which politicians agreed that the practice was degrading to the public (https://law.stanford.edu/2026/10/14/stanfords-john-donohue-on-the-proposed-livestreamed-execution-of-major-nidal-hasan/). In 1936 Rainey Bethea (https://www.wkms.org/history/2025-10-15/20-000-people-watched-a-black-man-hang-in-owensboro-90-years-ago-a-new-book-looks-at-why), an African American handyman accused of rape and murder, was hanged in Owensboro, KY in front of 20,000 people, an event that writer and filmmaker Sonya Lea (https://www.wonderingwhoyouare.com/americanbloodlines) characterized as a “legal lynching.” Prosecutors dropped the murder charge to create this spectacle: state law mandated public hanging as punishment for rape. In 1937, Roscoe Jackson, a white man, was publicly hanged in Galena, Missouri for the robbery-murder (https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=CHP19341215.2.144&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN----------) of traveling salesman Pearl Bozarth. * The Supreme Court suspended the death penalty in 1972. In a 5-4 decision in Furman v. Georgia, the court agreed with plaintiffs that it was being applied “capriciously.” In 1976 the court reinstated execution with “guided statutes,” and in 1977, murderer Gary Gilmore was executed (https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/18/archives/gilmore-is-executed-after-stay-is-upset-lets-do-it-he-said-firing.html) by firing squad, ending the moratorium. Here’s a timeline (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/history-of-the-death-penalty-timeline). * The Trump administration argues that the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-the-death-penalty-and-protecting-public-safety/); Amnesty International argues (https://www.amnesty.org/fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/act500062008en.pdf) that is a myth. Others opposed to the death penalty say that it does not make communities safer (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/dpi-series-facts-about-the-death-penalty-does-the-death-penalty-make-communities-safer). Libertarians also often oppose the death penalty (https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/libertarian-case-against-death-penalty), in part because of the danger of executing innocent people. * Another conservative argument against the death penalty is that it costs (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/what-to-know-costs-and-the-death-penalty) between $1 and 3 million more to sentence a person to death than to sentence them to life. There is also a Christian argument (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-i-oppose-capital-punishment/) against execution by the state: the retribution is not just or restorative, that it undermines a pro-life position, and the clemency permits conversion and repentance. What we want to go viral: * Neil wants you to read Ruth Graham’s article about Adam Hamilton, “A Megachurch Pastor is Running for Senate (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/adam-hamilton-religious-democrats-candidates.html). Will Democrats Support Him?” (New York Times, October 15, 2026). Hamilton’s campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas gives us a birds-eye view of how people of faith might return to the Democratic Party—and what approaches could coax a state away from GOP dominance. * Claire wants you to read Sarah Longwell’s How to Eat an Elephant One Voter at a Time (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781250464170) (St. Martin’s Press, 2026), a book about how to talk to voters in a polarized society. A life-long Republican, Longwell is a political consultant and a former Board member of the Log Cabin Club. She broke with that organization and the GOP in 2015 as Donald Trump took over the party. Subsequently, Longwell was a founder of the Never-Trump publication The Bulwark—the book is both an analysis of why MAGA was able to sway many voters, why it is starting to lose traction, and how Democrats can defeat Trumpism. Don’t miss new drops from Claire and Neil. You can subscribe for free or support us for only $5 a month. You can also become an annual supporter for $50/year and choose Neil’s Coming Out Republican (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9780226818054) or Claire’s Political Junkies (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991): (https://bookshop.org/a/110427/9781541644991) as a welcome bonus. Political Junkie is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You can also get all audio content for free by subscribing on Apple iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-now-a-political-junkie-podcast/id1653007976), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@PoliticalJunkieSubstack-j3l), or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3Azy3LXNaKhUhVAWnaoRv8). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clairepotter.substack.com/subscribe (https://clairepotter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

Who has been a guest on Why Now? A Political Junkie Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Neil J Young
• Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
• Ilyse Hogue

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YouTube views

172

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

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5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 67 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

78

Social presence

0

YouTube

66

Engagement

76

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  The New Yorker Radio Hour

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