America's elections never fail to capture the world's attention,
and the upcoming midterms are no exception.
The vote on November 3rd is effectively a referendum on Donald Trump.
And right now, it's not looking good for the president.
Our Economist election forecast model suggests
the Democrats are heavy favorites to flip the House,
and that they have a one in two chance of taking the Senate.
If a midterm loss leaves President Trump embattled at home,
will he lash out abroad?
Or will he play peacemaker, perhaps with an eye to the history books?
With wars raging in Europe and the Middle East,
and an uneasy detente with China,
will the outcome of the midterms make the world more or less dangerous?
I'm Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist's editor-in-chief.
Welcome to The Insider.
Joining me here in the studio is Ed Carr, our deputy editor,
and David Rennie, our Chaguan columnist and host of Inside Geopolitics,
and down the line from Washington is our bureau chief there, Shashank Joshi.
Thank you all for joining.
What I thought we'd do today is, first,