Why Democrats caved

Enough Democrats joined the GOP to strike a deal that could end the government shutdown. And now they're feeling the heat. This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger with help from Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Peter Balonon-Rosen and Ariana Aspuru, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Adriene Lilly, and hosted by Astead Herndon. Our guest was David Axelrod, host of the podcast Hacks on Tap. Listen at http://vmpod.co/hacks Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaking to the press about the shutdown. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 10, 2025

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Why Democrats caved

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Speaking to Politics Mike Politics shape our world. The issues being decided in the halls of government every day have real and lasting impact on all our lives, but discussing politics is extremely unpleasant. It is very difficult today to have a calm, adult conversation about politics. Are the people screaming on TV, the radio, and online really who “we” are? Are they really representative of mainstream America or are they just really aggressive and loud? I believe the adults just got tired of it and walked away, but their silence is not consent. This podcast is the test of that theory. If you see fit to tune in, I will present news of the day, analysis and commentary while doing my best to check my feelings at the door and let you, the listeners, decide what it means to you. No ominous music, no angry rants, just a relaxed conversation and positive vibe. Politics, for reasonable people.

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