Background Briefing: November 9, 2026
Should the Democrats Prioritize Accountability or Affordability?
We begin with whether calls by Democrats for Republicans to “lawyer up” and threats of impeachment should be the priority of the next congress and speak with John Nichols, The Nation magazine’s Washington correspondent. His books include The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party: The Enduring Legacy of Henry Wallace’s Anti-Fascist, Anti-Racist Politics, and his latest article at The Nation is “Democrats Crushed Trump. Here’s What They Should Do Next.”
The “Deal Guys” Could Never Deliver Trump’s Promised “Big, Beautiful Agreement” Between Russia and Ukraine Unless There is a Referendum on the Deal By the Ukrainian People
Then we assess the chances of the “deal guys” Witkoff and Kushner delivering what Trump promised from the talks between Russian and Ukraine beginning tomorrow in Abu Dhabi: “it’s going to be a big beautiful agreement, and everyone is going to be thrilled.” Joining us to make clear that only a referendum by the Ukrainian people could ratify any agreement if there is to be one is Olga Lautman, a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. She is also the creator and co-host of the Kremlin File podcast series, which features expert discussions on the Kremlin’s internal affairs, global operations, and tactics used from their hybrid warfare toolkit to destabilize Western democracies. Olga has a Substack newsletter covering Russia, Ukraine, Eastern, and Central Europe with a focus on Russia’s intelligence operations available at olgalautman.substack.com where her latest article is “Trump’s Russian Blood Diesel Deal Is Running Into Trouble as Tankers Turn Away.”
Anna Leah on Corruption As the Number One Issue and the People’s Demand For Clean Government
Then finally Anna Leah looks into the number one campaign issue of corruption and our massively corrupt president – in the pocket of big oil, tech oligarchs, and foreign despots. Trump’s kowtowing to the elite and unethical has made the country less safe and cost Americans both their trust in government and money in their bank accounts. He’s not alone – justices have gotten grafts and members of Congress can trade stocks using insider information. Will the next Congress do what is needed to give us the clean government the people are demanding? Joining Anna is Abigail Bellows, the Senior Policy Director for Anti-Corruption & Accountability at Common Cause and a former non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She previously served as Director for Anti-Corruption for the National Security Council and has worked with senior officials at USAID, the State Department, and the DoD. She graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was awarded the Public Service Fellowship.