Oct 2, 2026 · 16 min
Trump’s Rio Grande Valley support shows signs of strain
Where Voters Are Abandoning Trump, and Barriers to New Cancer Treatments
The episode connects voter dissatisfaction, Democratic turnout problems, and broader fights over technology, justice, and access to cancer treatment.
- 1Former Trump supporters in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley cite economic conditions and immigration enforcement, but Democrats have not secured their votes.
- 2Google’s 100 Zeros partnership seeks more optimistic portrayals of AI while developing new entertainment formats and production tools.
- 3The Friday quiz moves from Trump’s preferred AI terminology to emerging technology and tree-flavored foods.
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The quiz reveals that Donald Trump wants technology leaders to call artificial intelligence “superintelligence,” prompting a dispute with Gavin Newsom.
The brief
The episode opens in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, where some Hispanic voters who once backed Donald Trump express anger over economic conditions and immigration enforcement. Their dissatisfaction creates an opening for Democrats, but not necessarily enthusiasm or turnout.
That political tension anchors a wider news roundup, including Christa Pike’s critical condition after Tennessee’s botched execution attempt and a report on barriers that keep patients from promising cancer treatments.
Google and Range Media’s 100 Zeros project is trying to reshape Hollywood’s AI story, pairing new entertainment formats and production tools with more positive depictions of technology.
The episode ends with a quiz that moves from Donald Trump’s preferred replacement for “artificial intelligence”—“superintelligence”—to technology news, consumer culture, and tree-flavored foods.
Donald John Trump
The New York TimesBooks & mentions
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