08/17/2026 Betrayed? Trump, Congress and the 2026 Midterms

Published August 19, 2026 at 4:00 PM MDT

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With the 2026 midterm elections less than three months away, control of Congress is at stake, but so are larger questions about presidential power, the role of Congress, and Americans’ declining trust in their political institutions.

Tonight’s discussion centers on the Common Sense Coalition’s recently published report, Betrayed: America Didn’t Vote for This, which was written and edited by a group of Republican and Democratic experts who describe their work as a “damage assessment” of the first 16 months of Trump 2.0.

During the conversation, John Lawrence and Ira Shapiro examine how the Trump administration has taken actions they argue go far beyond what was promised during the 2024 campaign.

They discuss the impact on the economy and America’s foreign relations, and express concern about steps being taken by MAGA loyalists they believe could cast doubt on the results of the upcoming midterm elections.

Later in the program, Lawrence and Shapiro share their views on why Congress has failed to uphold its constitutional responsibility as a co-equal branch of government and to act as a check on presidential overreach.

The program concludes with a call for citizens to become better informed, demand accountability, and vote.

Host:             Jim Falk
Co-host:           Daniel James
Guests:            John Lawrence, Ph.D., author, Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi’s Speakership; Visiting Professor at the University of California’s Washington Center
Ambassador Ira Shapiro, author and co-editor, Betrayed: America Didn’t Vote for This