Oct 15, 2026 · 52 min
Ukraine exposes the risks of Trump’s Russia strategy
Trump’s Putin Deal BACKFIRES as Ukraine Fights Back
The episode connects Republican midterm vulnerabilities at home with the broader consequences of U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia.
- 1Republican candidates face competitive races as tariffs, inflation, and affordability complicate their midterm messaging.
- 2Ukraine’s resistance and reported Starlink restrictions raise questions about sovereignty, U.S. credibility, and the security value of nuclear weapons.
- 3Kamala Harris’s midterm campaigning keeps her possible 2028 ambitions in view while Democrats weigh her political strengths and liabilities.
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The hosts connect Ukraine’s resistance and reported Starlink restrictions to the wider question of whether abandoning nuclear weapons leaves countries vulnerable.
The brief
Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov open with a Republican midterm map spanning Texas, Maine, and Florida, where fundraising and candidate quality could reshape supposedly safe terrain.
Tariffs, inflation, energy prices, and household affordability dominate the campaign discussion, as the hosts argue that Republican messaging is failing to meet voters’ economic concerns.
The sharpest turn comes with Ukraine’s plans to strike Russian oil infrastructure and reported Starlink restrictions, raising questions about sovereignty, U.S. credibility, and nuclear deterrence.
The hosts then weigh Kamala Harris’s midterm campaigning against her possible 2028 ambitions, before turning to Social Security’s cost-of-living increase and long-term solvency.
The episode closes on Pope Leo XIV’s cancer diagnosis and a debate clip about fuel prices and the First Amendment, pairing institutional uncertainty with domestic political friction.