Mother Jones launches ‘Stress Test,’ a pop-up podcast in the lead-up to the midterm elections

The 2026 midterm elections are a referendum on where the country is headed, and Mother Jones is capturing that energy and uncertainty in “Stress Test,” a new pop-up podcast tracking the fight for power, the money involved and the major issues across the nation all the way through Election Day. 

Available via video and audio, the first episode aired Oct. 2 and is available for free on Mother Jones’ YouTube page, major podcast platforms and Mother Jones’ website. The episode focuses on election interference and key issues such as the Supreme Court's decision on mail-in voting and retreat from the Voting Rights Act and the prospect of seeing ICE agents at the polls. 

On new episodes every Wednesday and Friday, Mother Jones’ Washington D.C. Bureau Chief David Corn and video correspondent Garrison Hayes will trade off in the host chair in conversation with Mother Jones’ acclaimed journalists, connecting the day's headlines to the newsroom's deeply reported coverage of the issues and people influencing the election.

“Stressed out by this election? Me too. Luckily, I work with incredibly talented journalists, and this show is a release valve — a place to figure out, together, how to think about the biggest issues driving the midterms,” said James West, executive editor of Mother Jones. “You’ll be in great hands with David, Garrison and a cast of Mother Jones reporters who will help you understand everything from the real threat of election interference and immigration enforcement to the backlash against data centers and the war in Iran.”

Hayes is an award-winning journalist whose work explores the intersection of history, culture, and power. Known for connecting today's headlines to the history behind them, Hayes is an NAACP Image Award nominee, two-time Webby Award winner and NABJ award winner and was named to the 2026 EBONY Power 100 List.

Corn is a veteran investigative journalist and political commentator and has written for Harper’s, The Nation, The New Republic, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author or co-author of five New York Times bestsellers and has won the George Polk Award and a National Magazine Award.

Mother Jones is produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting, which also produces the weekly investigative public radio show and podcast “Reveal” and the weekly interview podcast “More To The Story.” The Center for Investigative Reporting is listener and reader supported, with offices in San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. 

“Stress Test,” “Reveal” and “More To The Story” are brought to listeners in partnership with Pulitzer-winning public media organization PRX.