Sep 2, 2026 · 37 min
Political media’s new era gets a numbers-driven launch
We’re Back! What’s Changed in US Politics?
The hosts argue that politics is being reshaped by fragmented media, technological change, economic pressure, and a public less engaged than political coverage suggests.
- 1Still Counting will pursue independent political analysis from within Crooked Media’s progressive media ecosystem.
- 2The hosts use war, AI valuations, inflation, social platforms, and primary challenges to map politics since 2020.
- 3Only a minority closely follows politics, leaving political media vulnerable to mistaking intense engagement for public opinion.
Don't miss
Galen Druke identifies 15% to 20% as the share of Americans who closely follow politics, challenging media’s assumptions about the public.
The brief
Claire Malone, Nate Silver, and Galen Druke reunite after FiveThirtyEight’s end to launch Still Counting, a show promising analytical independence while working with Crooked Media.
Their preview frames a new political-media landscape shaped by prediction markets, sports gambling, technology, and the fading power of traditional gatekeepers.
The hosts’ number draft moves from wars and Anthropic’s two-trillion-dollar valuation to inflation, social news consumption, and Democratic primary challenges.
The sharpest argument arrives with Galen Druke’s 15% to 20%: political media may reflect a highly engaged minority more than the broader American public.
The launch positions Still Counting as a cross-cutting alternative to increasingly partisan coverage, using numbers to examine long-term political change.
Books & mentions
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