The Daily Show · Season 31 · Episode 125
November 4, 2026 - Erica Chenoweth
Wednesday, November 4 · 31 min · ★ 5.0 on TMDB
Michael Kosta recaps the Democrats’ historic 2026 midterm sweep: Kansas elects its first Democratic senator in ages, Elon Musk burns through $500 million on losing campaigns, and the media exhausts every possible “blue wave” pun. Troy Iwata also laments missing out on Trump’s promised $5K checks. Despite widespread agreement that the election was a rebuke of Trump, the president insists he “wasn’t on the ballot”, celebrates a GOP win in Guam, and remains LASER-focused on the White House ballroom. Later, Harvard Kennedy School professor Erica Chenoweth joins Kosta to discuss "Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know" and the research behind the “3.5% Rule,” which found that mass movements against dictatorships rarely failed once about 3.5% of the population actively participated. They discuss organization, momentum, non-cooperation, and why the Declaration of Independence may be America’s ultimate act of civil disobedience.
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