Cordial VP debate was a throwback to a bygone era

With days left in the race, some say the onus is on Vice President Kamala Harris to distinguish herself from Joe Biden’s previous not-Donald Trump strategy. At a CNN town hall on Wednesday, she walked back former progressive policies and hammered in working across the aisle. Is her strategy of playing the middle enough to win? Polls suggest that nearly half of voters in the U.S. intend to cast their ballots early. Tens of millions have already done so,  but in this tight a race, the fate of the election may rest on the undecided. How must Trump and Harris change their strategies to sway voters who haven’t picked yet? The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 largely delegated abortion rights to the states. In a place as purple as Nevada, is codifying abortion at the federal level enough to influence voters to go blue? Or will abortion rights voters be content with state-level rights? As part of our 50 states series, the Left, Right, and Center panel examines what a post-Dobbs election means for single-issue voters in Nevada.

A new front has opened in the culture wars: meteorology. Rampant disinformation spread across the Southeast after Hurricanes Helene and Milton left thousands in need of disaster relief. While some conservative lawmakers have been trying to manage the devastation, others including Donald Trump have platformed dangerous conspiracy theories. What does the GOP’s relationship with disinformation mean for the party’s future, and where does it go after Trump? Nebraska is one of two states that does not use a winner-take-all system for its electoral votes. That means the blue dot of Omaha, Nebraska could conceivably swing a close presidential election. Does this reveal the weirdness of the Electoral College overall? In a system designed to protect the minority from the majority, is the reverse now true? Can journalism save a marriage? Journalist Brian Reed is the host of KCRW’s new podcast Question Everything, which turns the critical lens on his own profession. Reed tells the Left, Right, and Center team a story of an Orange County couple that almost lost a decades-long marriage over where they get their news before finding an outlet they could both agree on.  So how do journalism and politics tie into our personal relationships?

Teamsters President Sean O’Brien recently announced that the influential union wouldn’t be endorsing a presidential candidate. Meanwhile, other major unions are supporting Kamala Harris, but she’s struggling to secure the working-class male vote. Have Democrats lost the ability to connect with this bloc, or is something else at play? And what do we mean when we say “working class” these days? There was a lot of attention on Kamala Harris’ previous stances on fracking when she joined the presidential race. In 2019, Harris was firmly against fracking, but has since reversed course. It’s seen as a key issue in the swing state of Pennsylvania, but the industry actually accounts for less than half of 1%  of jobs there. With such little impact on the state’s economy, was supporting the controversial form of energy production necessary? A Drag Queen Story Hour in Lancaster, Pennsylvania made the town’s library another front in the culture war. As part of our 50 states series, KCRW discusses how to overcome the urge to tune out the people and ideas we disagree with and find opportunities to unite.

The “never Trump” sentiment has long existed in the media. But there is a growing divide between what it means to be conservative, Republican, and pro-Trumper — they are not all one and the same. Established Republicans, including Liz Cheney, endorsed Kamala Harris in this election due to concerns that Trump has taken over the GOP. This week’s Left, Right, and Center panel consists of three conservatives breaking down what it means to be a “never Trump” Republican. Both Trump and Harris have campaigned on similar policies when it comes to the economy, immigration, and gun ownership. Both have focused on winning over the same swing and Centerist voters. But is this middle ground a good thing? Is it the start of bridging party divides? While the Israel-Hamas conflict continues in Gaza, there have been a number of strikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah. This has gained international attention, as worries rise of a full-fledged war. Can the U.S. come together on foreign policy?

U.S. politicians have focused on China for the last few years, specifically data concerns with TikTok and A.I. Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans are working on several bills to counter Xi Jinping’s Communist Party. The legislation package received overwhelming bipartisan support. Did the House come together on this issue, or are Democrats trying to keep pace with the GOP’s “tough on China” image? Meanwhile, as Congress takes on TikTok, Brazil’s government banned X (formerly known as Twitter). Minister Alexandre De Moraes ordered CEO Elon Musk to bar accounts being investigated by the Brazilian justice system for misinformation. Musk refused and emphasized the importance of free speech. But when does free speech go too far? The Left, Right, and Center panel discuss the consequences of censorship.  Governor Gavin Newsom proposed a gas inventory to maintain low prices for California residents. But neighboring state legislators are not happy about it. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo wrote that the decision will spike their state prices, and possibly affect markets across the West. This week’s 50 states series looks at gas prices and the politics of appeasing constituents.