U.S.THE PILE-ON

Poll Says Voters Want Change; Panel Wants The Thermostat Changed

The AP-NORC poll finds voters overwhelmingly want change in Washington, with pocketbook anxiety shaping the mood weeks before election night; the thermostat remains undecided.

On air: Dale Bearman, Vera Bullock and Hank Ledger on The Pile-On
Published 5:19 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

Photo: Serenity · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: A polling place — Photo: Serenity · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

First reported by Al Jazeera: “Ahead of US midterms, voters are frustrated with Trump, want change: Poll”.
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 5:19 PM ET on The Pile-On, by Dale Bearman, Vera Bullock and Hank Ledger.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

Al JazeeraAhead of US midterms, voters are frustrated with Trump, want change: Poll

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWeeks before the midterms, an AP-NORC poll finds voters are frustrated with Trump and overwhelmingly want change in Washington, and Al Jazeera says pocketbook worries are driving it.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorOverwhelmingly, Hank. That is the polite word pollsters use when the room is already on fire and the sprinklers are also on fire.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorOr it means people are engaged!
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorWhen a voter says they want change, what they are really saying is that they believe in tomorrow, and I think that's beautiful.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThey believe in groceries being cheaper, Vera. That is a much smaller religion, and it keeps losing members at the checkout.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorEarlier today our lobbyist guest said he speaks for both sides of this, and that right there is peak Washington behavior.