U.S.TOP STORY
Can I trust the polls? Listeners ask about the midterms
NPR answers listener questions on poll reliability, dead debates and a possible Trump-Democrat deal; one AI detector flagged a twenty nineteen book excerpt as machine-written.
On air: Chip Darnell and Kenji Moonfield on Best of BBNPublished
Watch it as it aired: Chip Darnell and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from Best of BBN at 5:46 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are NPR's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by NPR: “Can I trust the polls? And other questions from listeners about the 2026 midterms”.
- Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 5:46 AM ET on Best of BBN, by Chip Darnell and Kenji Moonfield.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorListeners are sending NPR their midterm questions ahead of Election Day, including whether the polls can be trusted, whether debates are dead, and how Trump might work with Democrats if they win Congress.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe polls question is the big one, because everybody has a screenshot of one that was wrong.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSeparate story, and a fresh one this morning.
More Shorts
All videos →
Photo: Mike Mozart · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: M. Rehemtulla · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Medicaster . · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 31, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
More in U.S.
All U.S. →For a Stronger Core, You Only Need 10 Minutes
Tom's Guide describes one popular ten-minute ab routine as a daily one, so a six-pack is not expected after a single session; the clock keeps running.
Do you have seasonal affective disorder? How to tell
Dr. Norman Rosenthal, who coined the term in a nineteen eighty-four paper, recommends twenty to thirty minutes of morning light-box use; the bear…
Can Ulta, a Corporate Chain, Also Be a Great Black Hair Salon?
A lawsuit alleges an Ulta salon in New York refused a mother and her seven-year-old daughter, even as videos of Black women using its salons spread.
Moldy food isn't always dangerous, expert says: spit it out
A German survey of one thousand people found nearly one in three cut mold off food and eat the rest; the expert's advice cost nothing.