We’ve got a whopper of a show today, with so many issues to cover that could impact the midterms.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan continues, with multiple polls showing widespread support for President Biden’s decision to finally end the decades-long war. But Democrats in Congress are reportedly nervous about how the chaotic evacuation could play next year. We’ll break it down.

Also on tap, several GOP governors have continued to execute their war on masking, leaving kids under 12 defenseless against COVID-19 as they return to in-person learning. The school boards of most major metropolitan areas in both Florida and Texas have implemented in-school mask mandates in defiance of their governors. In response, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handpicked Board of Education is moving to withhold salaries from school officials who have mandated universal in-school masking. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who tested positive and then negative for COVID-19 within the past week, is litigating his battle through the courts, logging both wins and some losses. But bottom line: Abbott, DeSantis, and several other GOP governors have placed so-called “personal freedoms" above securing the safety of teachers and students—particularly children under 12.

Polling-wise, survey after survey has shown broad public support for mask and vaccine mandates. Still, a "violent minority” of GOP voters are convinced their personal freedom trumps everyone else’s right to be safe in public.

We’ll be exploring all these issues with someone who is right in the center of the fight: former Democratic presidential candidate, mayor of San Antonio, and Obama-era secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro. Castro has recently been pounding Abbott’s lack of leadership on the pandemic among other failures, such as the “big freeze” of February 2021. We’ll unpack the current state of COVID-19, voting rights, and electoral politics in Texas with Castro—as well as whether he’s positioning himself to run against Abbott next year! 

Watch it here!

YouTube Video