Donald Trump’s Texas Troubles – podcast

For decades it would have been unthinkable, but next week the Democrats are aiming for a momentous midterms win in Texas.

Washington bureau chief David Smith charts the senate race between Democrat James Talarico – a 37-year-old Presbyterian – and Republican Ken Paxton, who has been heavily backed by Donald Trump.

But, as David explains, with the president almost unprecedentedly unpopular, it is an endorsement that might be harming Paxton more than helping.

What would a victory in Texas tell us about the midterms more widely, asks Nosheen Iqbal, and what danger would a defeated Trump pose to the world?

Photograph: Kaylee Greenlee/Reuters