Parting shot: Trump and Harris make closing arguments as Hollywood steps up

With Election Day just days away, you can almost feel the anxiety in the air. And this anxiety permeates almost everything, from the news to pop culture. It’s as if we all collectively want this – elections, news, celebrities campaigning, etc. – just for it to end so we can get back to normal. But what exactly is normal? Is it even possible to get there after next Tuesday? Let’s go through the week as we prepare for the great unknown.

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We’ll start by analyzing the state of this chaotic presidential race on Parting Shot podcast. The big question is: will people come out to vote or is the apathy so strong that people will decide to stay home? While the vice president Kamala Harris initiates a case against the former president Donald Trump and an argument for unity, Trump is doing everything possible (and tricks) to get middle-class Americans to vote for Trump again. NewsweekUSA’s Jason Lemon and Jenny Fink stopped by to check the progress of the presidential race before next Tuesday. You can watch the full episode in the video above or listen to it on the channel Parting Shot podcast.

Now, since the presidential race is sucking up all the energy in the room (and rightfully so), it makes sense that we as a culture could use a little distraction. (Even though celebrities like Harris’s Jennifer Lopez and Trump’s Hulk Hogan continue to show up at all these campaign events, it feels like you can’t escape the political news even when you start watching your favorite show.) Even so, millions people can’t avoid political news. Americans find this distraction with the help CBS‘ Matlock starring Oscar winner Kathy Bates. In Andy Griffith’s reimagining of the classic series, Bates plays Madeline Matlock, a woman who, in her old age, returns to work at a prestigious law firm. She stopped at Parting Shot podcast talk about why the character means so much to her and whether she feels like she’s changed the way Hollywood looks at leading women.

Also on the podcast is Amber Ruffin to talk about CNN‘s Do I have news for you?. Late night comedy show on CNN? Yes, it’s real, and it’s funny.

“On a regular late-night show, you have to explain to the audience what the news is, and then you can talk about it,” Ruffin says. “But here (at CNN) there’s a lot less training. You’re all people who like to know what’s going on in the world, so things happen a lot faster.”

And if it didn’t distract you, I spent some time with SurvivorThis is Tiyana Hallums. If you watched the last episode survivor, then you know all about this shocking Tribal Council. (It was a plot twist I didn’t see coming.) I spoke with Hallums about that shocking Tribal Council, why she was so emotional, and where she thinks her game went wrong.

We’ve come to the end of this week. It’s a bit like the calm before the storm, and guess what? We’ll be here to talk about it all. Make sure you are subscribed to For the Culture newsletter And Parting Shot podcast to get the latest in culture, entertainment and all the ways it intersects with the news of the week.