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Special Episode: Decoding US midterms jargon

BBC World Service· Oct 19, 2026· 31m 53s

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

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Special Episode: Decoding US midterms jargon

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Sample transcript — click Live captions above to run Whisper on the actual audio in your browser.
  1. Welcome to the program. I'm your host.

    Welcome to the program. I'm your host.

    0:00
  2. Today we look at the major stories shaping the news cycle.

    Today we look at the major stories shaping the news cycle.

    0:04
  3. We start in Europe, where leaders met in Brussels.

    We start in Europe, where leaders met in Brussels.

    0:09
  4. The summit focused on energy policy and migration.

    The summit focused on energy policy and migration.

    0:14
  5. Reporting from the ground, our correspondent has more.

    Reporting from the ground, our correspondent has more.

    0:19
  6. Thank you. The mood here was tense but constructive.

    Thank you. The mood here was tense but constructive.

    0:24