It Could Happen Here Weekly 257
Summary
This compilation episode features an article by Caio Almendra detailing how Lula’s campaign in Brazil reversed a first-round deficit through grassroots mobilization and the digital strategy of "Yanones." The episode also includes an interview with experts from the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public, who analyze the typology of election rumors and discuss the unique challenges of misinformation in the 2026 U.S. election cycle.
Topics discussed
Sponsorship and introduction
Brazil election shock and organized crime context
Campaign dynamics and international doom
Policy threats and political defections
Grassroots mobilization and vote-flipping tactics
Fear, hope, and political mobilization
Election disinformation and voter fraud rumors
Analysis of non-citizen voter claims
Sponsorship break
Iranian Kurdish groups and regional tensions
US-Iran conflict and Kurdish political dynamics
Sponsorship break
Midterm election results and House flips
Senate races in Maine, Alaska, and Florida
Texas Senate race and Abbott's defeat
State ballot measures and local elections
Tech industry spending and California Prop 40
Voter turnout and Republican strategy failures
Sponsorship and transition
Legal challenges and international drone reports
Alaska race update and DSA internal politics
New York politics and Mamdani-Trump dynamics
Progressive vs. moderate candidate performance
Epstein files and accountability for Trump
Democratic strategy and corporate power
Paraguay crisis and global labor movements
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