If last election week ended with a bang for Democrats, this week ended in a whimper with eight Senate Democrats breaking from their party and signing a deal to end the historic government shutdown. And voters are not happy about it. Our Talkin' Politics guest today, Andrew Gillum [former Mayor of Tallahassee and co-host of Native Land Pod], helps S.E. dissect this game of chicken — who won, who lost, and what lessons can Democrats take from these past two weeks as the 2026 elections loom over the broken party. Stay tuned for S.E.'s own hot take — did Democrats even have a shot at winning this fight? And is there potential for any long-term rewards despite blowing their momentum?

Make sure to check out what Andrew Gillum and his co-hosts, Angela Rye, Tiffany Cross and Bakari Sellers, have to say about all week's biggest news stories at Native Land Pod.