Jim Antle, the Washington Examiner magazine’s executive editor, brings to life the pages of the magazine in the show Inside Scoop. Each episode features exclusive insight from the article authors and expert analysis.
In this episode, Antle breaks down Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) many compromises to maintain political power, zeroing in on his decision to back Abdul el Sayed despite concerns about rising antisemitism within the Democratic coalition. As Antle explains, Schumer’s calculation is ultimately about control of the Senate.
“Chuck Schumer would like to be Senate majority leader again,” Antle said. “And Democrats need to retain the Michigan Senate seat to have any hope of recapturing control of the Senate in the midterm elections. But is winning that Senate race, and is winning in the midterm elections, more important than the rise in antisemitism?”
Next in the show, Antle is joined by columnist David Harsanyi to discuss how 9/11 reshaped American politics and the lasting damage it did to our country as we approach the solemn 25th anniversary.
“It had a huge impact on me,” Harsanyi said. “Having been in proximity of it, seeing the aftermath, walking around downtown, and all of that, I think affected me greatly. I mean, it’s the reason I moved over to political writing in the end and changed the course of my life … of all our lives in many ways.”
For Harsanyi, the transformation was not just personal. The attacks marked a dividing line in American life, ushering in an era of high‑stakes politics reverberating through everything from the Iraq War, the Patriot Act, and the rise of new political movements and leaders.
“Barack Obama is a direct result of the Iraq War,” Harsanyi said. “We probably don’t get Barack Obama without the Iraq War, and we probably don’t get Donald Trump without Barack Obama.”
“When you think about the counter history, the possibility of what would have happened in this country without 9/11, it’s probably a very different world we’re living in right now,” Harsanyi continued. “If you didn’t live through that moment, you probably don’t view it the same way we might.”
For this week’s in-depth report, reporter Barnini Chakraborty takes a look at how Maine and Georgia could test whether ticket-splitting is making a comeback.
“If Maine and Georgia produce split outcomes, they could offer an early sign of a more fractured electoral map,” Chakraborty writes. “One where incumbency, candidate appeal, and local issues can still overcome partisan loyalty.”
Tune in each week at washingtonexaminer.com and across all our social media platforms to go behind the headlines in the Washington Examiner’s magazine show, Inside Scoop.