Politics chat: Progressive candidates in primaries, Trump's influence on midterms

NPR | By Ayesha Rascoe,

Mara Liasson

Published August 9, 2026 at 5:12 AM PDT

Republicans are trying to hang fringe positions on Democrats but may not be able to withstand the economic headwinds in November's midterms.

Politics

Ayesha Rascoe

Ayesha Rascoe is the host of Weekend Edition Sunday and the Saturday episodes of Up First.

Mara Liasson

Mara Liasson is a national political correspondent for NPR.