Oct 29, 2026 · 10 min
Spain crash kills 68 as Alaska ballot strategy targets Senate race
At Least 68 Killed in Spain Train Crash, and Democrats’ Secret Effort to Stack Alaska’s Ballot
The episode connects a deadly transport disaster with an unusually tactical election maneuver and the legacy of a major labor organizer.
- 1Survivors describe the aftermath of a high-speed train collision in Spain that killed at least 68 people.
- 2Democrats considered recruiting candidates named Dan Sullivan to divide Republican votes and aid Mary Peltola in Alaska.
- 3Dolores Huerta’s death prompts a look at her United Farm Workers legacy and response to César Chávez’s abuse.
Don't miss
The episode’s most consequential historical turn comes as Dolores Huerta’s organizing legacy is considered alongside her response to revelations about César Chávez’s abuse.
The brief
The episode opens with survivor accounts and emerging details about a deadly high-speed train collision in Spain, where at least 68 people were killed.
It then turns to Alaska, where Democrats explored recruiting candidates named Dan Sullivan to split Republican votes and potentially help Mary Peltola in a closely watched Senate race.
The final major story remembers Dolores Huerta, whose organizing with the United Farm Workers helped shape farmworker and civil-rights activism.
Huerta’s legacy is presented alongside her response to revelations about César Chávez’s abuse, complicating the history of the movement they built together.
The episode closes with a promotion for temporarily free New York Times election coverage before the headlines return with a Friday news quiz.
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