How Trump’s unconvincing narrative on Iran lost him the US midterms

Video Duration 25 minutes 00 seconds play-arrow25:00Donald Trump and the Republicans struggle to spin a historic defeat in the US midterms.It was the most expensive election in American history: nearly $12bn spent, much of it on advertisements, with the majority of that money going to Republican candidates. But most voters weren’t buying it. The result: a Democratic sweep on a scale not seen in half a century.In the aftermath of the vote, United States President Donald Trump – who has long revelled in his ability to turn controversy and crisis into spectacle – appeared to lose control of the narrative. The scale of the Republican defeat amounts to a repudiation of Trump’s politics and the US-Israel war on Iran. Meenakshi Ravi and Richard Gizbert examine the political and media fallout.Contributors: Alex Shephard – Senior editor, The New Republic Rob Arlett – former Trump state campaign chair & Republican strategist Maya Berry – Executive director, Arab American InstituteOn our radarSerbia’s new political leadership has yet to form a government, but the country’s media institutions are already being purged of voices who gave former president, Aleksandar Vucic, years of favourable coverage. Tariq Nafi looks at the news outlets being held to account.Equator: a magazine for a post-American worldEquator magazine is the brainchild of a group of writers and editors – some of them ex-mainstream media – who came together during a “moment of moral despair” as they witnessed Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza unfold. One year after its launch, Equator has produced some quality stories and essays on global politics, culture and art – all presented with an eye for design. We speak to cofounder and former Guardian editor, Jonathan Shainin, about the magazine’s vision and how it’s going.Featuring: Jonathan Shainin – Founding Editor, Equator magazinePublished On 6 Nov 20266 Nov 2026SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylink