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While Native American voters generally stick with Democrats, any actual data on what is driving their decisions for the midterm elections is scarce. We’ll talk with first-time voters as well as veteran get-out-the-vote organizers to hear what is on the minds of voters this Election Day, which President Donald Trump calls “the most important midterm … in our lifetime.” Gasoline and grocery prices make headlines daily, but are historically low poverty rates an issue that voters think about? Are they worried about looming changes to health care access? We’ll ask about what’s important to those headed to the polls. GUESTS Muñeca Danforth (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), Miss Indigenous Wisconsin Tayler Higgins (Seldovia Village tribal member and Cook Inlet Region Corporation shareholder), youth advocate Jordan James Harvill (Cherokee and Choctaw), national program director for Advance Native Political Leadership Mary Kim Titla (San Carlos Apache), executive director of United National Indian Tribal Youth   Break 1 Music: Show the People (song) Bear Creek (artist) On The Move – Powwow Songs Recorded Live at Apache Gold Break 2 Music: Put Your Feathers On (song) Blue Moon Marquee & Northern Cree (artist) Get Your Feathers Ready (Album)

Win or lose, Native American women are making a major showing in state and national races on Election Day. There is a very good chance Native women will fill a state governor’s seat and be represented in the U.S. Senate for the first time in history. The gains in representation come as a record number of Native candidates are on local, state, and national ballots around the country. As the nation prepares to vote, we’ll discuss the direction of political winds for Native candidates and issues. GUESTS Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee), author and journalist Michael Stopp (Cherokee and Muscogee), Oklahoma GOP analyst and president and CEO of Seven Star Holdings James Brooks, state reporter at Alaska Beacon   Break 1 Music: Intertribal (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Pakosiyimitan (album) Break 2 Music: Put Your Feathers On (song) Blue Moon Marquee & Northern Cree (artist) Get Your Feathers Ready (Album)

Rising consumer costs and cuts to subsidized food programs are increasing the pressure on organizations that deliver food assistance. Native American food pantries are trying to forge new partnerships and develop additional tribal resources — like farms and meat processors — to meet the demand, all while reducing the stigma for those seeking help putting food on their tables. We’ll hear about how Native organization in Denver is doing to meet increasing demand. Twelve years since a handful of tribes signed a cross-border agreement to restore bison, the signatories to the Buffalo Treaty are assessing their progress in that time. Over the decades, Native American operations have helped boost bison populations from near extinction to more than 25,000. The tribes just gathered in South Dakota to share knowledge about land acquisition, animal processing, and raising cultural awareness as a way to create a sustainable future for bison. A new flour mill on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation will be both an tribal economic boost and a processor for local farmers. We’ll hear about what is in store for the new 27,000-square-foot facility. GUESTS Monica Rattling Hawk (Oglala Lakota), tribal liaison for the World Wildlife Fund and a representative of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Dawn Sherman (Lakota, Shawnee, and Delaware), executive director of the Tanka Fund Lisa Ansell Frazier (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), founder and director of Buffalo Youth Nation Project Susan Bower, project manager for Cairnspring Mills and business development manager for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s Department of Economic and Community Development   Break 1 Music: Halloween (song) Blood Dance (artist) Halloween (album) Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist) I Saw the Witch Cry (album)

The first woman to hold the Navajo Nation Council Speaker post is now vying to become the tribe’s first female president. Navajo voters will decide November 3 whether Crystalyne Curley or her opponent, attorney Jason Jones, will lead the country’s largest tribe for the next four years. The two candidates edged out current President Buu Nygren in the primary election. The Navajo election is one of major tribal elections going on at the same time as the national midterm elections. We’ll hear about the Navajo race and others that could set new directions for some tribes in the coming years. We’ll also reflect on the legacy of legendary labor leader and civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta, who died at age 96. GUESTS Geri Hongeva (Diné), master of ceremonies of the 2026 Presidential Forum on the Navajo Economy and owner of Native Moto Tours Lisa Marie Byrd (Diné), president of the Upper Fruitland Navajo Nation Chapter house Twyla Baker (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara), president of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College Charlene DeCicco, owner, producer and host of Community Spotlight TV Chuy Martinez, cultural activist and member of the New Mexico Sí Se Puede Committee   Break 1 Music: Leadership Song [Naaí’áanii Biyiin] (song) Radmilla Cody (artist) K’é Hasin (album) Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist) I Saw the Witch Cry (album)

The Trump administration’s intervention in the U.S. Senate race in Alaska indicates the high stakes — and the scrutiny that comes with them — in the November 3 election. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, is one of two candidates hoping to make history as the first Native woman to be elected to the Senate. The Department of Justice is trying to block election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses by a narrow margin. Voting rights advocates in Alaska and elsewhere are urging people go to the polls early to help offset any complications or challenges to election results. And Native voter organizations are deploying hundreds of observers to polling locations across the country in anticipation of potential interruptions that include worries about voting machine seizure and immigration raids. We’ll also get an update on severe flooding on and around the Navajo Nation and other tribal land in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. Heavy rains displaced hundreds of residents, damaged homes, and washed out critical infrastructure. GUESTS Michelle Sparck (Qissunamiut Tribe of Chevak), director of Get Out the Native Vote Samantha Blencke, senior staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund OJ Semans Sr. (Rosebud Sioux), co-executive director of Four Directions Native Vote Lisa Byrd (Diné), president of the Upper Fruitland Navajo Nation Chapter house   Break 1 Music:  Get Up Stand Up (song) Bailey Wiley, Che Fu, King Kapisi, Laughton Kora, Maisey Rika & Tiki Taane (artist) Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist) I Saw the Witch Cry (album)

A mining company unleashes an evil entity as the Arctic village of Chukchi falls into polar night in “It Looks Like You in the Dark“, the debut horror novel from Mathilda Zeller. It’s among several new books by Native writers that are especially fitting during the annual spooky season. Dr. Mat RudeWalker’s story, “Party at the Alvarez Ranch”, is included in the horror anthology, “Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II”. We’ll discuss these titles and others in keeping with the Halloween spirit. GUESTS Dr. Mat RudeWalker (Chickasaw), lecturer at Spelman College Mathilda Zeller (Iñupiaq), author Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of Red Pop! News   Break 1 Music: Episodio (song) Hocico (artist) Aquí Y Ahora En El Silencio (album) Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist)

A new analysis by the Brookings Institution tallies nearly $470 million in federal funding taken from tribes and Native organizations early last year by the Department of Government Efficiency. Advocates at the Piikani Lodge Health Institute worked hard for years to secure an $8.5 million USDA grant to support local producers in and around the Blackfeet community. DOGE cut those funds before the tribe could use it. The cuts have far-reaching implications. More than half of de-obligated funds were for natural resources and environment work followed by agriculture. The Brookings analysis finds they disproportionately affect Native communities and concludes they violate the government’s trust and treaty obligation. GUESTS Robert Maxim (Mashpee Wampanoag), fellow at the Brookings Institution Kim Paul (Blackfeet Nation), founder and co-executive director of Piikani Lodge Health Institute James Meggesto (Onondaga), partner and the head of Native American practice at Holland & Knight   Break 1 Music: Intertribal (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album) Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist)

The Alaska Federation of Natives was formed by tribal leaders in 1966 to protect land and preserve tribal governance. Now, at the 60th convention, tribal leaders and members from across the state gather to discuss current issues of politics, sovereignty, and culture. This year’s central issues include subsistence fishing and hunting, the rising cost of living, climate change, and voting rights and participation. We’ll speak with a longtime Native journalist about these top issues and how they might affect the upcoming midterm elections. About 800 people from rural villages in Western Alaska are still living in Anchorage, a year after being displaced by powerful storms leftover from Typhoon Halong. At the time, the event left two people dead, caused the mass evacuation of several villages, and destroyed hundreds of homes and community structures. With the slow pace of recovery, evacuees contend with not knowing when they’ll be able to return. We’ll hear more about the aftermath of Typhoon Halong. GUESTS Joaqlin Estus (Tlingit), longtime journalist and former correspondent at ICT Noah Attie (Yup’ik), veteran and elder from Kipnuk Alice Rearden (Yup’ik), cultural education manager at the Calista Education and Culture State Rep. Nellie Jimmie (Yup’ik), member of the Alaska House of Representatives representing District 38 Scott Nelson, telecommunications engineer with Alaska Emergency Management   Break 1 Music: Turtle Island Reggae (song) Quese IMC & Cempoalli 20 (artist) Osahwuh (album) Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

Declining salmon numbers are threatening the way of life for Alaska Natives, according to a report by the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), the largest Native organization in Alaska. And report findings are similar across regions: concern about the future of food security in rural villages, frustration with state and federal management of waterways, and difficulty maintaining sacred traditions. Many residents also face fishing restrictions on rivers like the Kuskokwim and Yukon. It’s a key issue for Native voters to weigh during midterm elections. We’re broadcasting live from the AFN Convention in Anchorage. GUESTS Charlie Wright (Athabascan), secretary and treasurer for Tanana Chiefs Conference Frank Grunert (Native Village of Chignik Lagoon), fisher   Break 1 Music: American Indian Movement Song (song) Blackfire (artist) [Silence] is a Weapon [Double disc] (album) Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

Hundreds of Native people from across the state will discuss issues such as declining salmon populations, voting rights, and education funding at this year’s Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in Anchorage. For some, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis remains a top priority. In recent years, law enforcement agencies in Alaska have worked to improve protocols for handling missing persons cases and even established a MMIP Review Commission. But some Indigenous advocates say critical issues, like how cases are classified, how homicide cases are investigated, and how jurisdiction is determined, persist in creating obstacles for justice. We’ll hear from Native MMIP advocates about new and longstanding challenges. GUESTS Charlene Aqpik Apok (Iñupiaq), executive director of Data For Indigenous Justice Michael Livingston (Unangax̂), retired Alaska Native police officer Deilah Johnson (Iñupiaq), tribal resources director and council member for the Village of Solomon Shaun Griswold (Laguna, Jemez, and Zuni Pueblo), reporter with Buffalo’s Fire   Break 1 Music: Water by Jim Pepper [Arranged by Jhoely Garay] (song) Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band (artist) Live at Joe’s Pub, NYC on January 13th, 2024 (performance) Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

In 1966, as Alaska Native leaders worked to secure their lands, Emil Notti (Koyukon Athabascan) helped form the Alaska Federation of Natives. Notti became its first president and later served as a key negotiator of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which was passed nearly 55 years ago. He also held various roles in government and business. At AFN’s 60th anniversary, we’ll speak with Notti, now 93, about his work. We’ll also speak with Miaraq, Warren Jones (Gwich’in, Yup’ik, and Iñupiaq), an accomplished writer and philosopher, whose work focuses on the Cicumpolar North. Jones is also a longtime advocate for Native subsistence and land rights.

As recorder of Pima County in Arizona, Gabriella Cázares-Kelly (Tohono O'odham) is responsible for administering early voting and keeping track of more than 600,000 voter registrations. While in office during the past six years, she's helped make voting more accessible to tribal members and rural communities, including recently installing eight new drop-off ballot boxes across the county. Even before she ran for office, she was helping people with understanding the voting process and advocating for voting access on the Tohono O'odham reservation. Cázares-Kelly is an educator-turned-politician and our October Native in the Spotlight.

The Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe failed to stop the federal government from rounding up hundreds of wild horses this summer from public land next to their reservation at the California-Nevada border. It's part of the government's larger plan to remove about 14,000 wild horses from public lands in several western states in 2026. Wild horse roundups are a controversial issue that has tribes weighing environmental health, animal wellbeing, and horse culture. We'll talk with Native advocates about the challenges wild horses are up against in the face of drought and environmental changes. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Indian National Finals Rodeo. The annual event gathers the best Native rodeo athletes from across the Americas who are vying for fastest time and big scores. Randy "The Cherokee Cowboy" Taylor (Cherokee) joins us for an update from the 50th INFR in Las Vegas.

Before Indian self-determination became federal law, a cohort of angry and disillusioned Native college students, including a young Ponca student named Clyde Warrior, helped lay the foundation for the Red Power movement and inspire the American Indian Movement. Warrior became a pivotal co-founder of the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC), an activist group that protested federal termination policies and rejected assimilation and government paternalism. He and other members participated in the March on Washington and the fish-ins in the Pacific Northwest, and met with U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-New York, to discuss Native education. Through fiery speeches, Warrior inspired Dennis Banks and others to become activists and take pride in their Native identity. We'll talk about the late Clyde Warrior and the groundwork laid by NIYC.

Across the country, tribes are coming up against resistance to having their voices heard on issues involving water. In California, tribes say they feel betrayed by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vetoes of legislation that would have given the tribes more say in access to the state’s dwindling surface water supply. The Karuk Tribe and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians were instrumental in drafting the legislation. On the East Coast, tribes just pulled out of a coalition planning a clean-up strategy for the Chesapeake Bay. After a year of negotiation, the tribes say the other regional elected leaders refused to give them equal status in the clean-up talks. We’ll also hear from attorney Fatima Abbas, the first director to lead he U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, which aims to streamline tribes’ access to federal funding and economic development.