Today’s episode is all about politics.   I’ve been thinking a lot about what will happen in this year’s midterm elections, as well as what has happened in the past two years. Will this election be a referendum on Biden’s first two years, are we going to see new populous issues come up, or are we still going to be voting against someone instead of for them?    There are a lot of hot-button, current events issues that will come into play in this election like reproductive rights, the economy, and the cultural issues that are plaguing American society. As we prepare to vote on these issues, it’s important to discuss how many of the systemic, underlying issues that are playing into unrest aren’t often brought up in the discussion. We still have a major homelessness crisis, the opioid addiction epidemic is running rampant, and there are cultural issues that are dividing us. On top of this, the rich are getting richer and the poor are staying poor.    It seems to me that the problems that are woven into the fabric of our society are just getting worse, while we are distracted by hot-button issues that are important but are more symptomatic of deeper troubles.   To help me navigate this difficult topic, I invited Saagar Enjeti onto the show for a frank discussion about the state of American politics. Saagar is a political analyst and commentator who hosts the Breaking Points Podcast and The Realignment Podcast.   Saagar followed me on Instagram when Love Is Blind season 2 aired and was surprised to find that I had been following him for a long time. Saagar reached out to me, and I revealed to him that I was a big fan of his older show “The Hill Rising,” which I watched frequently leading up to the presidential election. I’m a news and politics junkie, and I try to inform my opinions and conclusions with a variety of different sources.    Saagar and his co-host Krystal invited me to join them on their show to talk about media and press freedom, two topics that I am very passionate about. I really considered that a dream come true because I was such a fan and believe in the perspective that independent media can provide. Find Saagar here:   Twitter: https://twitter.com/esaagar    Breaking Points Podcast: https://breakingpoints.supercast.com/new_landing   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esaagar/   Find Nick Thompson here:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nthompson513/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXipWcR8Pit6vYHd1ZcKgKg