# Midterm Crossfire (with Mark McKinnon and Billy Begala)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hacks-on-tap-771065/midterm-crossfire-with-mark-mckinnon-and-billy-begala
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hacks-on-tap-771065/midterm-crossfire-with-mark-mckinnon-and-billy-begala.md
Podcast: [Hacks On Tap](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hacks-on-tap-771065)
Published: 2026-03-04T03:59:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/257/traffic.megaphone.fm/VMP1479224810.mp3?updated=1772597046
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/257/traffic.megaphone.fm/VMP1479224810.mp3?updated=1772597046
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Duration seconds: 3879

## Resource

This tumultuous week in the news, the Hacks are joined by not one but two expert Hackeroos. First up, Mark McKinnon — former adviser to George W. Bush and co-creator and co-host of The Circus — jumps in with Axe and Murphy to break down the strikes in Iran: what led up to them, what’s happened since the initial attacks and retaliatory strikes across the region, and what the Trump administration is saying (and not saying) about its strategy amid shifting justifications and questions about long-term planning. Then they’re joined by Hacks kin Billy Begala, veteran Democratic strategist and co-founder of The Barbed Wire, to preview tonight’s Senate primary in Texas and what the outcome could signal for the midterms. Photo by Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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## Transcript

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