Special Episode: Decoding US midterms jargon

Loading player...
What happens if Donald Trump loses the midterms, and why do these elections matter for Republicans and Democrats? What is gerrymandering? A stump speech? PACs and Super PACs? Dark money? In this special joint episode, we explain some of the basics of next month's US elections. The Global News Podcast's Celia Hatton is joined by Anthony Zurcher and Sumi Somaskanda from Americast to help decode the weird and wonderful jargon surrounding the midterms. We hear from our listeners about which phrases have them stumped.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.

Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.
Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Photo: US President Donald Trump responds to a question from the news medis.
Credit: Shawn Thew - POOL/EPA/Shutterstock
19 Oct 5AM English United Kingdom News

Other recent episodes

Yemen's humanitarian crisis

Our senior international corrrespondent Orla Guerin reports from Yemen where fighting has intensified between government forces and Houthi rebels. Also: Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong steps into the limelight as rumours swirl over the health of the North Korean leader. Demonstrators stage peaceful protests across Venezuela calling for the safe…
23 Oct 12AM 28 min

Ukraine comes under renewed Russian attack

The Ukrainian president has accused Russia of responding to the latest negotiations about ending the war by launching three waves of ballistic missiles. Nine people were killed and more than 30 injured across Ukraine, as homes, power facilities, shops and a medical centre were hit. The attacks came after Russia…
22 Oct 11AM 29 min

US and European websites go offline over security concerns

A cyber security flaw has prompted governments in Finland and the Netherlands and websites such as Wikipedia and the BBC to go completely dark temporarily. The flaws in a programming language were discovered by AI. PHP is a scripting language that powers 70 per cent of all websites in the…
22 Oct 12AM 31 min

Witkoff praises Putin as 'a humanitarian'

Russia has released a retired American teacher who was jailed for allegedly fighting on behalf of Ukraine, as President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff. Mr Witkoff praised the decision, calling Mr Putin "a humanitarian", while also thanking him for a diesel deal that has angered Kyiv's allies. The…
21 Oct 12PM 33 min

Zelensky says US intelligence sharing is back on

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says intelligence on early warning systems for Russian strikes "works now", and that he is thankful to the US. After meeting President Zelensky, Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff is now in Russia to share peace proposals with President Putin. Also: We report from Kansas ahead of…
21 Oct 12AM 29 min