It was a monday night, just after 8 30 eastern time when news broke that shook the entire country. Political had the once in a lifetime scoop about a draft opinion. Supreme court has voted to overturn Abortion Rights. We hold that roe and casey must be overruled, Justice Alito writes in a draft circulated inside the courtroom. That scoop, that headline changed everything. It certainly changed the course of the Midterm Elections. In that moment, the stakes of the upcoming november election, they skyrocketed. It gave democrats over a month and a half a head start to start campaigning on that issue before the opinion was handed down in late june. And on june 24th, the Supreme Court struck down roe v. Wade. The law of the land for nearly 50 years, they stripped away Reproductive Rights for millions in this country. Just six weeks later, the first test of Abortion Rights at the ballot box came in kansas. Voters in kansas headed to the polls in early august to vote on a constitutional amendment that would strip away Abortion Rights from the state constitution. In kansas, of all places, voters rejected that republican effort. People overwhelmingly voted to protect Abortion Rights in the states constitution. It was not even close. Voters in kansas rejected the amendment by nearly 60 . The turnout for that election soared. It was the largest turnout for a primary in the states history. But beyond kansas, that primary changed the entire Midterm Election landscape. It gave the democrats bona fide momentum. Until that point, all expectations were that the party was headed for traditional and Sizeable Midterm losses in congress. But that night in kansas, expectations shifted. Voters were engaged, we are showing up in a way that was largely unseen in modern political history. And then there was the Special Election in new yorks 19th congressional district. Democrat pat ryan campaigned on Abortion Rights, he even released his first ad that highlighted Reproductive Rights minutes after the Supreme Court overturned roe. Pat ryan labelled his campaign as a referendum on Abortion Rights. That strategy worked. Coupled with that, democrats headed into november with significant legislative momentum in congress. There was the American Rescue plan, and the infrastructure bill. There was the sweeping gun reform legislation, the first in decades. The President Biden signed this after roe fell. In early august, biden signed the Landmark Bill Protecting veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits. Democrats fought a long battle to get that one past. They did it. The same week that president he also signed the chips and science act, a investment into chip manufacturing that is already started attracting business to u. S. Soil. And then there was the inflation reduction act. President bidens massive and signature bill that invested that bill that democrats hundreds of billions in Climate Change and health care, fighting inflation and setting a corporate minimum tax rate. Passed into law is the largest investment combatting Climate Change ever. It was against that backdrop that democrats headed into the Midterm Elections. And yet, in the closing weeks of that race. Questions about the economy and inflation, and crime, they seemed to cloud the midterm landscape. Despite the utter insanity of the republican field, with candidates like kari lake and doug mastriano, the polls got really uncomfortably tight. There was fingerpointing and questioning about the democrat strategy and whether the party had focus on the wrong issues. Expectations once again reverted back to historical patterns and then got worse. But as it turns out, the message had been the right one. The candidates had been the right ones. Against precedent, the democrats did a lot better than expected. They outperformed all predictions. This great socalled red wave never materialized. Instead, republicans squeaked out a nine Seat Majority in the house. The democrats not only held on to the senate, but they gain a seat with Raphael Warnocks victory in the georgia runoff. At the state level, democrats just knocked it out of the park. They flipped four state legislative chambers. Also the pennsylvania house. They reelected Michigan Democratic governor gretchen whitmer, giving democrats control of all three bodies in that key swing state. It is the first time the party had full governing control in michigan in nearly 40 years. Democrats offended off republicans from having a supermajority in wisconsin and in kansas by defying the odds and maintaining control of the governorship in both states. So, as we head into 2023 and the start of a new congress, Where Do We Go From Here . What can we expect from this new congress where democrats will no longer be in control of the house and republicans are eager to exert their power whenever and wherever possible. What can even get done with a divided congress . Joining us now is former missouri democratic senator Claire Mccaskill and mark, staff writer at the atlantic and author of thank you for your servitude. Donald trumps washington and the price of submission. Claire, mark, it is great to close out the year with you. And claire, i just want to start with you first since you are a creature of the senate and know its contours well. You are someone who has led fierce campaigns yourself, is there anything about the Midterm Elections that surprised you . Well, listen, i get that dobbs was an earthquake politically. I understand that democracy was very important. At the end of the day, this is about candidate quality, it really is. If you look in pennsylvania, dr. Oz, if you look in many states. If you look at georgia, when extreme candidates were nominated by the republican party. When trump election deniers were nominated, what most of the states did was, they said we are not going to go down that road. That is not what we are looking for in our elected representatives. As we look towards the next election, and believe me, a lot of people in the senate are already doing that, i know it feels like we just got 51, 24 is brutal for us. We have montana, we have west virginia, we have ohio. Once again we have pennsylvania. We have wisconsin, ron johnson just got reelected. We can talk about victories in wisconsin. Ron johnson is a terrible senator and he just got reelected. And then in arizona, where it was a squeaker and nevada, that is also a squeaker. Those states are all up in 2024. It is about finding the right candidates if there are any open seats, which doesnt look like there is going to be. Mark, should democrats be dismayed at that assessment . Obviously, there was a coordinated message. There were legislative victories, there is the reality that republicans ran bonkers candidates. Herschel walker was a bonkers candidate, so was mehmet oz, so was doug mastriano, so was don bolduc. One would think that republicans wont do that again, so what should democrats take away from their victories in the last election . There is a very clear glass half empty view of this, which is that Herschel Walker, kari lake, adam laxalt came extremely close. Despite all of Herschel Walker s Herschel Walkerness and terry lakes kerry lakeness. It couldve gone the other way. Clares right, the math is absolutely brutal. This was supposed to be a very favorable democratic map. They won one seat. On a whole, it is been a great cycle, surprisingly good cycle for democrats. But no, this is not a won race. I dont know i think republicans know how to learn a lesson here. This is not a Rational Party right now, donald trump is still driving it. If he falls in love with candidate x in montana and decides to go all in with him or her, that is potentially great news for john or whoever the vulnerable democrat is. Do you think that trump will hold that sway over the nominating process in terms of the senate in 2024 . His record is so abysmal from 2022. And yet, he has done plenty of things to cause departures from his loyalists. And yet, we always have to end every sentence with, and yet he still is the center of this gop. Im asking you to look into a crystal ball, but at this moment, do you think he still has the power, the king making power that he did in the last election . He had a brutal cycle. In the last few weeks, theyve not been kind to him. But i see what is going on in the media right now, the narrative that trump is losing his grip and how desantis is rising, and trump is going to be history in the Rearview Mirror any minute. And it kind of reminds me of the democrats, theyre gonna have a brutal election in november. It was going to be this big red wave. I kind of think we have to wait and see. I think right now, desantis is an unknown to most of america. I think republicans are being fed his name by a lot of people who dont want trump. But desantis has problems too. Its not like he is not wacky, he is banning books and arresting people on bogus charges who tried to vote, who have fallen apart. All kinds of things that he has done, they will come front and center. He is an extreme guy. Joe biden is not an extreme guy, he is a Middle Of The Road guy who won because he is Middle Of The Road. If they nominate either trump or desantis, i still think that the democrats are in a commanding position if they stick to their knitting at the Kitchen Table stuff. Doing something about prescription drugs, continuing to bang away on the Infrastructure Victories and working on gun safety and the things that theyve gotten done. I think president ial politics is going to come into play here because we have a president at the top of the ticket every election. Mark, youve reported on ron desantis and his likability, which is actually a real factor when it comes to electing a president. But there is also his legislative record. We have covered it all on the show, whether its the stop woke act, the dont say gay bill, or his fraudulent election police. He has done a lot of stuff that may play well in florida, which is a strange laboratory. It is a state like any other. But could that become a political liability the more light is shown on it on a National Stage . Theres no question about this. If you look at pretty much all of the consequential attention getting stuff that he is done, it hasnt worn particularly well. He got this attention when he sent the refugees from Latin America to marthas vineyard, new york, wherever. This is taxpayer money. When you look, when that thing unfolded, it was not a good look for ron desantis. I cant imagine floridas taxpayers, beyond the initial speculative look, we owned the liberals here, could be happy about this once these things play out. There is this pattern, very trumplike in some ways, which is that you get this spasm of attention and then once it unfolds, it becomes a bit of an embarrassment. His strategy seems to be so deeply rooted in owning the libs, with nothing else as a goal. Shuttle Asylum Seekers to points north with no resources when they get there to own the libs on immigration. Prevent them from saying things about racism and systemic injustice to own the libs and censor their language. This is the stuff that may play well amongst a very specific slice of an engage gop voter. But when it comes to the kind of person that someone wants to sit down and have beer with, it is hard to imagine the meanness and the cruelty that is so animated, plays well with the national voter. Also, in his haste to strip the Erogenous Zones of Tucker Carlson or whoever. Did you really have to say that . Im sorry, i withdraw that. Is it, okay. But look, he went full antivaxxer here at the end of the year. He is basically, he wants to investigate people who are studying vaccines at the cdc. That is not where the country is. It might be were his Rarefied Little Conservative Bubble in florida, or conservative media is, but its not where the country is. So, stay tuned. Clare, what should President Biden be thinking about in the closing hours of 2022 as we head towards a divided congress . Trump, who is officially running, desantis whos waiting in the wings, and a president ial election that starts sometime next year. Well, i think he has a big decision to make. I dont think that he has made a final decision. First and foremost, he has got to figure out if he wants to run again. If he does, and he has to start looking at his record and building a narrative about why the country should trust him to navigate another four years, that is always a tall order. It is not easy to get elected to a second term. I dont care who you are. He has got that in front of him. And then also, hes going to have to manage a crazy town over in the House Of Representatives. Hes going to figure out if theres anything. That mccarthy can get across the finish line that would be palatable to americans. It is going to be tough because right now, mccarthy is On Bended Knee to crazy town. Marjorie Taylor Greene and all the others are the ones who can make him speaker. He cant be speaker without them. So you think boehner had trouble with the freedom caucus. You think paul ryan had trouble with the rightwing, you havent seen anything until you see what is going to happen in the House Of Representatives with mccarthy and this very slim majority, and everyone pushing and pulling to try to be more extreme than the next. This just seems like one of those situations where Everybody Needs to buckle up and brace for impact. Next year is going to be a doozy in the lower chamber. Mark, staff writer at the atlantic, and former missouri democratic senator Claire Mccaskill, the greats, thank you so much for being here in closing out the year with me. Thank you. Happy new year. Coming up, the one, the only, my interview with the recently departed host of the daily show, trevor noah. His take on race in america, how the media should cover candidates like donald trump, and what life has in store for him after the daily show. Plus, i went down to florida to explore desantis land. What i found, just ahead. Research shows people remember ads with a catchy song. So to help you remember that Liberty Mutual customizes your Home Insurance, heres a little number youll never forget. Did you know that Liberty Mutual custo Liberty Mutual only pay for what you need only pay for what you need custom Home Insurance created for you all now the song is done back to living in your wall theyre just gonna live in there . Yes only pay for what you need. Liberty Liberty Liberty liberty its something about having that piece of paper. Some people think thats worth more than my skills. Liberty Liberty Liberty ive run this place for 20 years, but i still need to prove that im more than what you see on paper. You gotta be so good they cant ignore you. Its the way my mind works. I have a very mechanical brain. Analytics and empathy. Thats how i gain clients. I am more. Im more than who i am on paper. Yall wayfair has just what you need for your home. Is that glitter . This table is on its last leg. Yall need this. Youre Kelly Clarkson a whole new look for a whole lot less. Ahhh youre Kelly Clarkson i am. And you need this. I love it are we in a wayfair commercial . Maybe. Personal sauna. Ok i need that. Ahhhhh wayfair, youve got just what i need just look around. This digital age were living in, its pretty unbelievable. Problem is, not everyones fully living in it. Nobody should have to take a class or fill out a medical form on public wifi with a screen the size of your hand. Home internet shouldnt be a luxury. Everyone should have it and now a lot more people can. So lets go. On december 8th, trevor noah the digital age is waiting. Signed off from the daily so for the very last time, ending his epic sevenyear run with the show. And just before he left, i had a great pleasure of sitting down with him for a wide ranging interview. We spoke about the politics of race in america and the extreme polarization in our politics. Take a listen. Joining us now is trevor noah, host of the daily show. Trevor is also the Executive Producer of the new tenpart documentary series, the turning point. Welcome, my friend. Thank you for having me. It is a pleasure. It is more exciting for me, i guarantee than you with your star studded history. I dont think thats true. You were sitting there through that long wind up, and i felt like it was really important to contextualize w