Ten Things You Need to Know: Episode 710
🗳️ The 2026 Midterm Elections are officially a wrap! Get the inside scoop on why they matter with Pam & Ryan.
🌊 What’s a “blue wave,” and why is everyone talking about it? (Hint: It has nothing to do with surfing!)
Plus, uncover the big bucks behind campaigns, key races across the U.S., and the wild question: Bigfoot for president!? 🤑🇺🇸
🌎 We’re also covering elections around the world, from Israel to Brazil, revisiting historic wins, and testing your knowledge on how much power just one vote can hold! 💪
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Transcript:
[INT. STUDIO]
RYAN: (muffled) PAM! PAAAAMALAAAMAAAAA?!
PAM: Ry? <SFX knock knock knock> Are you in there?
RYAN: (muffled) Yes! But I don’t know how to– <SFX Pam opens door>
<SFX 8,733 pieces of political mailers pour out>
PAM: Are those… What is all this mail?? Are these political advertisements??
RYAN: Yeah, I was undecided on a few candidates and ummm, I think they figured that out because I’ve gotten SO many ads.
PAM: But the midterms were on Tuesday–
RYAN: Yeah I was trying to clean out my office but they piled up so fast–
OWEN: <SFX walks up> Hey Ry, mail delivery for you– <SFX throws garbage bag full of political ads>
<SFX knocks Ryan over and crashes into things>
RYAN: Thanks Owen! Yeah, I wanna get away from these ads and maybe start the show. Cause I’m Ryan Willard and it’s Thursday, November 5th.
PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland. We are the Ten News and here are Ten Things You Need to Know.
RYAN: Kicking off today with Number One: Midterms Mania
PAM: America went to the polls on Tuesday for the MIDTERM elections. These elections happen halfway through a president's four-year term. While the President isn’t on the ballot for a midterm election, many people see the outcome as a report card for how things are going. There are usually a lot of Congressional seats at stake during midterm elections. All 435 members of the House of Representatives and this year 35 U.S. senators were on the ballot. Plus governors in 36 states!
RYAN: That's a LOT of jobs up for grabs!
PAM: And here's why it matters. Congress is responsible for making federal laws and deciding how the government spends money. Before Tuesday’s election, Republicans controlled both the House and Senate. And now, the balance of power in Congress has shifted and the Democratic party has the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
RYAN: And these results could change what President Trump is able to accomplish?
PAM: Yes, Ry. Usually, when the president's party controls Congress, it’s easier for him to pass his proposals. But if the other party controls one or both chambers, one party can block the other or hopefully, the parties will be better about working together on behalf of their voters.
PAM: Number Two: What’s a blue wave?
RYAN: You may have heard a lot of people talking about a BLUE WAVE this week, but they were not going surfing. The U.S.’s two major political parties are represented by the colors red for the Republican party and blue for the Democratic party. When one political party wins a whole bunch of elections and gains a lot of seats, people sometimes call it a wave. So a blue wave means Democrats made big gains, while a red wave would mean Republicans did.
PAM: And in the case of this week’s election, people are calling it a blue tsunami. The wave was huge and the results were historic. The Democrats won even more races than political experts predicted.
RYAN: Number three: Setting a Very Expensive Record
PAM: Ok, Ry. We’ve talked about what midterms are, the big outcome, and now we have to talk about something historic that many people think isn’t a good record to hit. How much do you think politicians and their supporters spent trying to win this year's midterm elections? A million dollars? A hundred million?
RYAN: That’s easy. 67 bongojillion dollars.
PAM: Ummm, bongojillion isn’t an actual number. But you were close! Nearly TWELVE BILLION DOLLARS!
RYAN: That’s a lotta pepperoni pizzas!
PAM: According to the group OpenSecrets, total spending on the 2026 midterms is expected to reach about 11.9 billion dollars, the most expensive in US history. That's money spent on things like campaign commercials, online ads, mailers, staff, and getting voters to the polls. And not all of that money comes directly from candidates. Outside groups, including organizations called Super PACs - that stands for Political Action Committees - can spend enormous amounts trying to influence elections.
RYAN: So that’s why all my YouTube ads have been political ads. Hey SUPER PACS! STOP SENDING ME ADS. Why are they always serving me ads, when they should be serving me some nachos, chicken tendies and fruit punch? It’s lunacy!
PAM: Number four: Tuned in to Texas
RYAN: Every election cycle, there are a few state races that have the whole country watching. Sometimes they are ones that can flip the power in the Senate, or other times, they are ones that highlight the changing political make-up in a particular state. This year, the race in Texas was one of those closely watched races. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico faced Republican Ken Paxton for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Talarico is a former middle school teacher and state lawmaker, while Paxton has served as Texas's attorney general. Keeping with the theme of this election, it was a blue wave with James Talarico soundly beating his opponent. And this race attracted national attention because Republicans have held both of Texas's U.S. Senate seats for decades.
RYAN: Wow! Who knew so many people would care about one state Senate race.
PAM: That's the thing about the Senate. Every state gets two senators, no matter how big or small its population! Do we have any Ten’ers in Texas out there? Let us know what you thought of this election and what you want to see your senator focus on for your state. Leave us a voicemail at 877-TEN-NEWS or send us an email at hello@thetennews.com
RYAN: Number Five: Bigfoot for President?!
<SFX: Wait, What?!>
PAM: Enough about the Democrats versus Republicans for now, in Washington state, some students are facing a MUCH more mysterious choice. Bigfoot... or a lake monster?!
RYAN: Now this is a choice I am VERY invested in. The Washington Secretary of State created a mock-election for students where kids can choose their favorite cryptid, including Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch or the legendary Lake Chelan Dragon. Cryptids are mysterious creatures like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. People claim they've spotted them, but there's no scientific proof they're real.
PAM: The face off is a fun way for students to practice filling out ballots and learning about elections.
RYAN: I wanna know who the Washingtonian students elect! President Bigfoot sounds AWESOME.
PAM: And on that note, let’s take a quick break.
RYAN: So we wanted to know what you dressed up as for Halloween… and y’all had some awesome costumes.
PAM: Audrey and Alex from Nashville were Jessie and Buzz Lightyear! <SFX quick Jessie and Buzz Lightyear clip?> We love Toy Story! Great choice.
RYAN: Xavier from all the way in Northern Ireland dressed up as Edward Scissorhands which is AWESOME SAUCE. And his sis sister was a vampire with their dog as her pet bat. How is your dog as cool as you two?!? And Wolfgirl84 said she went as Sandy Cheek from Spongebob and her dad was Squidward, her mom was Patrick and their dog Leroy, was Gary. Okay why does everyone have S-Tier costumes up in here? I’m impressed.
PAM: Ry, I got one more… Carter from Texas said, “My family is dressing as different buildings from around the world. I’m being the Empire State Building, my little brother is Big Ben, my mom is the Eiffel Tower and my dad is the Burj Khalifa.” Okay Carter, that might be one of the most original group costumes I’ve ever heard of. So cool!
RYAN: And how tall is your dad? Is he like, 2,722 feet tall? Cause that would’ve been perfect for his costume.
PAM: Thanks for letting us know Ten’ers, it makes our day and our show so much more fun when we hear from you!
RYAN: Speaking of the show… back to it!
PAM: What’s next, Ry?
RYAN: Number seven, and eight: Historic Wins
PAM: Every election has winners and losers, but sometimes, the results make history. And this year, voters in several states had the chance to break some pretty big barriers. In New Mexico, Democrat Deb Haaland ran for governor against Republican Gregg Hull. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe and has already made history once, becoming the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary! Now she’s the first Native American woman ever to serve as a state governor.
RYAN: And number 8: In Florida, Republican Representative Byron Donalds will succeed Ron DeSantis and will make history as the first black governor of Florida. Congratulations to both of them on their historic wins!
RYAN: Number six: Israel’s Election Puzzle
PAM: Looking beyond the U.S. voters in Israel headed to the polls last week to elect a new parliament, called the Knesset, which helps determine who becomes prime minister. This was a big election for the country, the first since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking a devastating war in Gaza. Many people were watching to see whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose his position and whether Israel might take a different direction.
RYAN: The results? No clear winner! Netanyahu's party won 27 seats, more than any other single party. But his group of allied parties won just 53 of the 120 seats in parliament. His main opponent was Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief who once served in Netanyahu's war cabinet but later left, criticizing his handling of the war. Eisenkot's party and its allies won 48 seats. And the other big news? Arab-led political parties, which represent many of Israel's Arab citizens, won a record 19 seats!
RYAN: So what happens now?
PAM: Well, Israel has 120 seats in parliament, and a government needs the support of at least 61 members. Neither group has enough seats, which means political leaders have to negotiate and find other parties willing to work with them. Those 19 seats won by Arab-led parties could play a major role in deciding what happens next.
RYAN: Wait! So you can win the most seats but still not be able to form a government?
PAM: Yes, Israel has a parliamentary system, which means political parties often need to team up to get enough seats to govern. If nobody can put together a majority, Israel could end up holding another election and since many Israelis living abroad flew home to vote, the outcome for the new election could be very different.
PAM: Number Nine: A Big Comeback in Brazil
RYAN: In Brazil, the largest country in South America, voters just reelected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula. He defeated his opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, with nearly 52 percent of the vote.
PAM: And this is a return for Lula. This will be his fourth term as president, although not all in a row.
Brazil also has a different way of choosing its president. If no candidate wins more than half the votes in the first round, the top two face off in a second round, called a runoff. And this year's race was a close one, showing just how divided voters were over the country's future.
RYAN: From Brazil to Israel to right here in the U.S., it's been a BIG week for democracy around the world. And for the last thing you need to know, let’s go to Owen.
OWEN: Number Ten: The Power of One Vote
OWEN: Thanks, Ryan! You know how people sometimes say, "What's the big deal? It's just ONE vote!" Well, today's trivia might change their minds! Since 2018, how many U.S. elections have been decided by just ONE vote, according to Ballotpedia?
A. 16
B. 43
C. 67
D. 104
The answer is... D! ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR! That's 104 elections where the winner finished just one vote ahead! Talk about a nail-biter! And there have been hundreds more decided by just a handful of votes. So the next time someone tells you one vote doesn't matter, you can tell them this trivia answer!
PAM: And that was Ten Things You Need to Know.
RYAN: So now that the midterms are over, I wonder if Bigfoot would actually run for president…that would be pretty cool right??
PAM: Yeah…no. You gotta be a human to run for president. And remember, every vote matters, so maybe vote for someone who isn’t a fictional character….
RYAN: Well it’s unclear if Bigfoot is real or not… but FINE. So then how about we do some Ten News Snaps?
PAM: I’m in. But before that, here’s a quick note for the grown ups.
<AD BREAK>
RYAN: It’s time for Ten News Snaps!
RYAN: A Ten’er named Andreas McNugget16 left us a five star review on Apple Podcasts and said, “YO! I LOVE THIS SHOWWWW!!!!! I DON’T KNOW HOW THIS ISN’T ONE OF THE TOP TEN SHOWS ON APPLE PODCASTS.” NEITHER DO I ANDREA I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENT! AND HOPE YOU CAN HELP US GET TO THE TOP TEN!
PAM: Ummm, Ry, just because they wrote it in all capitals doesn’t mean you have to respond in all caps.
RYAN: Oh, you right. You right.
PAM: Thanks for listening, AndreasMcNugget16! Feel free to tell your friends about us!
PAM: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
RYAN: The Ten News creative team includes Tracey Crooks, Brian Douglas, Earl Davis and Carson Potter. Big thanks to our titan of trivia, Owen!
PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I’m Pamela Kirkland.
RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News. <SFX Facetime sound, then PICKUP SFX>
RYAN: Whatup BF–
BIGFOOT: <SFX short roar>
RYAN: Yeah, Pam said you can’t actually run because you’re not human–
BIGFOOT: <SFX LOUD SAD ROAR>
RYAN: I know buddy–
PAM: Ry, who are you talking to? No way, is that Bigffff–
BIGFOOT: <SFX ROOOOAR!>
