Susan Crabtree joins the program to discuss her latest report on Secret Service officials suspended over the president’s use of a decoy aircraft during overseas travel, and the larger questions about the Secret Service’s performance.
Plus, a quick memorial for Dolly Parton
Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.
00:00 — Opening:
Cannon, Bevan, and Trende discuss Darline Graham’s victory over Ralph Norman in South Carolina’s Republican primary for Senate. Was endorsing and campaigning for her the best use of the president’s time, with competitive races in other red-leaning states?
Watch: Darline Graham’s Victory Speech: “South Carolina Is Truly Trump Country”
Election Results: South Carolina US Senate Republican Runoff | Graham +5
“You’ve got to give credit to Donald Trump,” RCP senior elections analyst Sean Trende said. “Norman in his concession speech just seemed kind of flabbergasted that Trump had done that, which makes me wonder where he’s been for the last 10 years.”
“His time is finite. He’s the president of the United States. He’s a wartime president. It’s a midterm election,” Carl Cannon added. “Is that the best way for him to spend his time? I don’t think so.”
***
05:33 — Is Iowa Purple?
A new Suffolk poll shows competitive Senate and gubernatorial races in Iowa, raising questions about whether the state is headed back to being a toss-up.
Suffolk Poll: In Iowa, Close Midterm Races for Senate and Governor May Show GOP Hold on Highest Offices Slipping
RCP Average: 2026 Iowa Senate – Hinson vs Turek | Hinson +1.4
RCP Average: 2026 Iowa Governor – Lahn vs. Sand | Sand +4.8
“Iowa still has some Democratic DNA that can be resuscitated,” Sean Trende said.
***
10:33 — Talarico Leads Paxton in Texas
RCP Average: 2026 Texas Senate – Paxton vs. Talarico | Talarico +1.7
The panel reviews polls showing Democrat James Talarico essentially tied with or narrowly ahead of Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race. Trende argues that Paxton’s scandals, weak fundraising, and difficulty appealing to suburban voters are giving Talarico an opening.
“If Republicans lose Texas, they’re gonna lose everything, right?” Tom Bevan wondered.
“Paxton isn’t just a bad candidate with scandals, or he went to London with his mistress on July 4, or any of these things. But he’s not raising money; his attacks on Talarico have been basically ‘we think he might be gay.’ That might have worked in Texas in 2004, but this is a competitive state now,” Trende said. “You say Texas is blue dots in a sea of red — but no one lives in a lot of those red areas. Some of those counties have like 200 people. If a Republican can’t win in the suburbs in Texas, the traditional GOP base, he really can lose.”
***
16:05 — Alaska’s Two Dan Sullivans
A second Dan Sullivan has made it out of the primaries in Alaska’s Senate race. Republicans worry this could confuse voters and siphon support from the incumbent senator. Could the state’s ranked-choice voting system mitigate the damage, or could even a small amount of confusion matter in such a close race?
RCP Average: 2026 Alaska Senate – Sullivan vs. Peltola | Peltola 2.0
“Every point’s going to matter for Dan Sullivan in this race,” Bevan said. “We did see ‘imposter Dan Sullivan’ get 2.5%. Even if those 2.5% were meaning to vote for the incumbent and just got it wrong, it’s still a problem.”
“I think Sullivan probably pulls it off because of ranked-choice voting. But remember, this is a state Lisa Murkowski won as a write-in vote,” Trende said about “Temu Dan Sullivan.”
***
18:38 — Secret Service Officials Suspended
Susan Crabtree discusses her new report that three Secret Service communications officials have been suspended as part of an apparent leak investigation related to Trump’s use of a decoy aircraft: “Three Secret Service Agents Suspended Amid Leak Probe”
The discussion broadens into questions about the Secret Service’s credibility and internal culture, and whether the administration’s leak investigations are primarily about national security or controlling damaging press coverage.
***
28:47 — Stars and Stripes Fires Its Editors
The Pentagon leadership removed senior ‘Stars and Stripes’ journalists after disputes about how they reported morale issues on naval vessels in the Persian Gulf. How should the administration balance national-security concerns and First Amendment principles when a government-supported publication reports critically on military readiness?
***
37:29 — Meta’s $17.1 Billion Settlement
The episode ends with Meta (Facebook/Instagram) agreeing to settle a lawsuit about the addictive nature of their social media products.
“The kids haven’t been using Facebook for like 15 years. I mean, the grannies are the ones who should be suing for damages here,” Bevan joked.
“This is really ultimately something that needs to be addressed through legislation, not through the court system,” added Trende.
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