On this hour of Nightside, Dan discusses a clip submitted by a listener in which President Trump asks the attendees at his rally to pledge to "cheat" in the upcoming midterm elections. Did you interpret this as the President being serious or did you think that he was being sarcastic and poking fun at his Democratic opponents? 

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With Election Day just around the corner, what are the polls telling us about the political landscape in Massachusetts? David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University’s Political Research Center, joins Dan to discuss the latest polling, voter concerns about the economy and cost of living, and where things stand in key races and ballot questions. Could we see any surprises on Election Day?

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Djuna Perkins is a Dedham attorney with more than 30 years of legal experience, including work as a prosecutor and assistant attorney general in Massachusetts. Now she’s running for Norfolk County District Attorney, saying she wants to rebuild public trust, increase transparency, and make sure everyone is treated fairly under the law. Perkins also wants to put victims first and take a closer look at how the office has handled high-profile cases, including those involving Karen Read and Sandra Birchmore. Tonight, it’s your turn to talk with Djuna Perkins!

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Continued discussion about how Alaska’s Republican governor has ordered an investigation into whether Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign helped recruit a candidate with a name similar to Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, potentially confusing voters in a race that could help determine control of the Senate. The move comes after President Trump called for Peltola to face criminal prosecution, following reports that her campaign may have been involved in the effort. Peltola has dismissed the allegations as a distraction, while the controversy raises questions about how far campaigns will go to win an election.

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Alaska’s Republican governor has ordered an investigation into whether Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign helped recruit a candidate with a name similar to Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, potentially confusing voters in a race that could help determine control of the Senate. The move comes after President Trump called for Peltola to face criminal prosecution, following reports that her campaign may have been involved in the effort. Peltola has dismissed the allegations as a distraction, while the controversy raises questions about how far campaigns will go to win an election. Dan discussed.

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Joe Pagliarulo is an independent candidate for Norfolk County District Attorney with more than 30 years of courtroom experience, including over 18 years as a Boston prosecutor and time working as a criminal defense attorney. He wants to take politics out of prosecution, improve transparency, hold offenders accountable, and restore public trust in the DA’s office. Pagliarulo entered the race amid controversy over the office’s handling of high-profile cases, including the Karen Read trials and the death of Sandra Birchmore. He says he wants to bring greater accountability and fairness to the justice system, and joined Dan to discuss.

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The defense presented its first full day of witnesses today in the trial of former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell, who is accused of killing Sandra Birchmore in 2021 and staging her death to look like a suicide. After prosecutors wrapped up their case yesterday, Farwell’s attorneys shifted the focus to challenging the evidence and questioning witnesses to cast doubt on the allegations. Dan talked with criminal defense attorney Phil Tracy, who broke down the specific details of this case.

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A new article from the New York Times alleges that Democrats were involved in an effort to cause confusion during the Alaskan midterm election. Dan discussed.

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A new study from Boston University on the correlation between NFL players and CTE estimates that 75% of players who died between 2008 and 2023 had CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), which is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disease caused by repeated head impacts. With more information being released about the connection between contact sports and CTE, does it make you second guess allowing your kids to play contact sports? Julia Gallini, lead author of the BU study, joined to discuss the study’s results.

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