"Two things can be true at the same time."

This week, we dive right into the midterm elections. What does it mean to be in a country that makes great strides in one midterm election - placing a record number of women & religious minorities in office, electing the first openly gay man as a governor, and giving the voting rights back to 1.4 million people - yet, still elects individuals who openly propagate white supremacist ideals? We wrestle with the tension, as well as the data that shows us nothing is really changing, particularly with religious voters. 

We spend the second half of the episode talking about the drama around the Conference of US Bishops this week. US Bishops want to make significant, overdue changes in how the Catholic church handles instances of abuse, but the Vatican pulled the e-brake. What's the deal? 

If you want to support the show financially--for as little as $1 per month--please visit our Patreon Page to become a monthly patron. We're putting together plans for an audio documentary about campaigns and religion, and your help could free us up to concentrate on it and other show projects.

Discussed on the show this week:

Records broken during the 2018 midterms (BBC)

Record number of women elected to Congress (Vox)

Blue wave, or not? (WaPo)

Voting rights restored to individuals who served time for non-violent felonies in Florida (NPR)

Duncan Hunter wins with islamophobic campaign. (Vox)

Vatican stops US Bishops from voting on sexual abuse responses.(WaPo)

Rome orders US Bishops to wait on their plan to curb sex abuse. (NY Times)

Game of Thrones returns in April for it's final season (Variety)