soapboxUpdated 16m agoEmerging issues
Issues the shows are talking about that aren't in our taxonomy yet. We harvest the off-taxonomy subjects our classifier flags, cluster them into candidate issues, and rank them by reach, recency, and momentum: an issue accelerating this week outranks a bigger one that has plateaued or is fading, so the top is what's emerging, not just what's loudest. Recent episodes count for far more (a topic's weight halves about every week), and issues the shows stop talking about drop off the board entirely. The ↑/↓ column shows how each issue moved since the last refresh, and a flame badge () marks issues breaking out: mentioned far more this week than last. Switch between independent and legacy outlets to see where the two diverge. These are raw, auto-detected signals, refreshed through the day and not hand-curated; whether one becomes a tracked Soapbox issue stays a human call. Expand any row for the receipts: the exact things shows said, with links to the episodes.
Board refreshed just now· Oct 19, 2:51 AM EDT
| # | Emerging issue | Reaction | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ilhan Omar investigationnew Federal investigations and allegations against Representative Ilhan Omar regarding immigration fraud and citizenship issues. Last mentioned yesterday | 60 | 60 | 38 | Critical -2.5 | ||
2 | new | White House press secretary personnelnew Reporting on hiring, firing, credentials, and access policies involving White House press secretaries. Last mentioned yesterday | 38 | 38 | 34 | Critical -3.2 | |
3 | Abdul El-Sayed Michigan Senate race6× Discussion of Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed's 2026 Michigan Senate campaign, including allegations about Muslim Brotherhood ties and dual citizenship. Last mentioned yesterday | 49 | 49 | 32 | Critical -3.9 | ||
4 | 3 | Elon Musk midterm election spendingnew Coverage of Elon Musk's financial contributions and spending in support of Republican candidates in midterm elections. Last mentioned yesterday | 13 | 13 | 12 | Critical -1.6 | |
5 | Kimberly Guilfoyle ambassador scandal2.2× Investigations into Kimberly Guilfoyle's ambassadorial appointment, dismissal, and alleged corruption. Last mentioned yesterday | 55 | 55 | 42 | Critical -3.1 | ||
6 | new | Houthi-Saudi regional conflict5.7× Regional military escalation and conflict between Houthi forces and Saudi Arabia. Last mentioned yesterday | 21 | 21 | 20 | Critical -3.1 | |
7 | 1 | Ken Paxton Texas Senate race Coverage of Republican Ken Paxton's 2026 Texas Senate campaign against Democratic opponent James Talarico/Tallarico. Last mentioned yesterday | 108 | 108 | 67 | Critical -1.3 | |
8 | new | Michigan Senate race Coverage of Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Rogers in 2026 Michigan Senate race. Last mentioned yesterday | 63 | 62 | 42 | Critical -1.1 | |
9 | 1 | Lindsey Graham Russia sanctions Senator Lindsey Graham's legislation proposing sanctions against Russia. Last mentioned 2d ago | 8 | 8 | 7 | Favorable +1.0 | |
10 | 1 | Trump Russia diesel fuel deal Allegations regarding Trump's involvement in diesel fuel export deals and energy trade with Russia. Last mentioned 3d ago | 27 | 27 | 25 | Critical -1.2 | |
11 | new | Nidal Hasan Fort Hood execution Execution proceedings, firing squad method, and live-streaming debate related to Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. Last mentioned 2d ago | 19 | 19 | 16 | Favorable +1.5 | |
12 | Bend Oregon school shooting Coverage of an elementary school shooting incident in Bend, Oregon. Last mentioned 2d ago | 5 | 5 | 5 | Neutral +0.1 | ||
13 | 3 | Congressional stock trading ban Legislative proposals and debates regarding restrictions on insider trading and stock trading by members of Congress. Last mentioned yesterday | 14 | 14 | 13 | Favorable +3.0 | |
14 | new | Fort Hood military execution Coverage of execution proceedings, firing squad methods, and live-streaming debates related to Fort Hood shooter executions. Last mentioned 2d ago | 28 | 28 | 22 | Critical -0.9 | |
15 | 4 | Columbus Day vs Indigenous Peoples Day Debate regarding the recognition and naming of the federal holiday between Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. Last mentioned yesterday | 9 | 9 | 8 | Critical -3.2 | |
16 | 3 | Starlink military access Ukraine Coverage of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet access for Ukrainian military. Last mentioned 3d ago | 5 | 5 | 5 | unscored | |
17 | 5 | Cornell University sexual assault case Investigation and legal proceedings related to a campus sexual assault case involving Cornell University fraternity members. Last mentioned 4d ago | 115 | 115 | 60 | Critical -1.9 | |
18 | new | 2026 US midterm Senate races General coverage and forecasting of 2026 midterm Senate elections, polling, and battleground race dynamics. Last mentioned yesterday | 43 | 43 | 35 | Critical -0.8 | |
19 | 5 | Epstein files suppression Allegations that Trump administration suppressed or prevented release of Jeffrey Epstein investigation files. Last mentioned 2d ago | 16 | 16 | 12 | Critical -1.9 | |
20 | 2 | Trump taxpayer-funded campaign ads Allegations that Trump used government resources and taxpayer funds for personal campaign promotion and political advertising. Last mentioned yesterday | 58 | 58 | 33 | Critical -3.2 | |
21 | 1 | Charlie Kirk assassination investigation Investigation into conspiracy or assassination plots targeting conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Last mentioned 3d ago | 16 | 16 | 5 | Critical -2.3 | |
22 | new | Talarico mental health campaign Political campaign attacks on James Talarico regarding mental health issues. Last mentioned 5d ago | 4 | 4 | 3 | Critical -3.3 | |
23 | new | Campus sexual assault Title IX Policy and enforcement of Title IX sexual assault protections on college campuses. Last mentioned 2d ago | 9 | 9 | 8 | Neutral +0.1 | |
24 | 3 | Jack Smith Senate testimony Special counsel Jack Smith's testimony and hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Trump investigations. Last mentioned 2d ago | 34 | 34 | 28 | Favorable +0.4 | |
25 | 3 | Supreme Court expansion reform Legislative proposals and debate regarding expansion of the Supreme Court and reform of its structure. Last mentioned yesterday | 11 | 11 | 8 | unscored | |
26 | new | Lethal injection execution botches Failed and botched lethal injection executions in Tennessee and other states, including cases of Christa Pike and related execution method debates. Last mentioned 5d ago | 47 | 46 | 35 | Critical -2.2 | |
27 | 4 | Brazil 2026 presidential election Coverage of Brazilian presidential election dynamics and political developments in 2026. Last mentioned 2d ago | 16 | 16 | 7 | Critical -0.9 | |
28 | new | 2026 Senate races battleground Comprehensive coverage of 2026 midterm Senate race battlegrounds and electoral dynamics. Last mentioned 4d ago | 12 | 12 | 11 | Favorable +0.5 | |
29 | new | Maine Senate race Coverage of 2026 Maine Senate race involving Senator Collins and Democratic opponent Troy Jackson. Last mentioned yesterday | 13 | 13 | 10 | Critical -1.4 | |
30 | 1 | Vivek Ramaswamy Ohio governor race Coverage of Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign for Ohio governor in 2026. Last mentioned yesterday | 7 | 7 | 7 | Neutral +0.2 | |
31 | 2 | US military withdrawal from Iraq Coverage of US troop withdrawal decisions and policy regarding military presence in Iraq. Last mentioned 5d ago | 23 | 23 | 18 | Favorable +0.8 | |
32 | Nolan Wells death investigation Investigation into the death of Nolan Wells. Last mentioned 3d ago | 11 | 11 | 5 | Critical -1.7 | ||
33 | 1 | Nobel Peace Prize Trump snub Reporting on Trump not receiving or being excluded from Nobel Peace Prize consideration. Last mentioned 6d ago | 5 | 5 | 5 | Critical -3.1 | |
34 | new | Strait of Hormuz conflict Regional tensions and potential military conflict involving the Strait of Hormuz and Iran. Last mentioned 3d ago | 13 | 13 | 10 | Critical -0.8 | |
35 | new | Terror plots UK and US Investigation and reporting on terrorist plots and security threats in the UK and United States. Last mentioned 9d ago | 23 | 23 | 21 | Critical -3.3 | |
36 | Marco Rubio Western civilization speech Secretary of State Marco Rubio's speech in Athens promoting Western civilization themes. Last mentioned 5d ago | 8 | 8 | 7 | Favorable +2.6 | ||
37 | 1 | Permanent Daylight Saving Time Legislative proposals to make Daylight Saving Time permanent year-round. Last mentioned 7d ago | 7 | 7 | 7 | Favorable +1.9 |