Pivot
Pivot

Michigan's Primary Drama, the DOJ's Next Boss, and Hillary Clinton Co-Hosts

August 7, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Hillary Clinton on Pivot: Michigan's Primary, the DOJ's Next Boss, and the State of the Race

Kara Swisher kicked off "Scott Free August" with a guest co-host who needs no introduction: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The conversation ranged from women's basketball to the mechanics of the Michigan Senate primary, the Todd Blanche nomination, the Iran situation, and the state of play for Democrats heading into the midterms. Clinton was characteristically direct, often funny, and occasionally worried about things she thinks her party is not worried enough about.

Michigan's Senate Primary and the Democratic Coalition

Progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, defeating moderate incumbent Haley Stevens in a race widely viewed as a test of the party's direction. Stevens outspent El-Sayed by a factor of roughly nine to one — $64 million in ads versus $7.1 million — and still lost by a razor-thin margin that wasn't called until the morning after.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:50) **Guest Introduction: Hillary Clinton Kicks Off Scot Free August** - Kara introduces former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the first guest co-host of the month.
  • 2 (07:08) **Summer Travel and White House Renovations** - Clinton shares her summer travels and criticizes the current state of the White House.
  • 3 (13:44) **Michigan Senate Primary: Progressive Victory** - Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeats incumbent Haley Stevens in a closely watched Democratic primary.
  • 4 (23:29) **Gerrymandering and the Fight for the House** - Clinton expresses concern about Republican redistricting efforts narrowing the Democratic path to retaking the House.
  • 5 (30:13) **Todd Blanche's Attorney General Nomination Advances** - Senate Republicans advance Blanche's nomination after he commits to killing the anti-weaponization fund.
  • 6 (41:16) **Iran Deal and the "Domain of Loss"** - Clinton analyzes the reported interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, framing it as a series of losses.
  • 7 (52:46) **Memes and the "Looming" Debate Moment** - Clinton reflects on her memes, including the viral photo of her laughing with Obama and Trump looming behind her.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Show Notes

Kara sits down with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the first episode of Scott-Free August.  They discuss Michigan's messy Democratic primary, state redistricting brawls, and Trump's gold-plated redecoration of the the presidency. Then — Todd Blanche's path to attorney general, where things really stand with Iran, and why we aren't paying enough attention to AI governance.

Watch this episode on the ⁠⁠Pivot YouTube channel⁠⁠.
Follow us on Instagram and Threads at ⁠⁠@pivotpodcastofficial⁠⁠.
Follow us on Bluesky at ⁠⁠@pivotpod.bsky.social⁠⁠
Follow us on TikTok at ⁠⁠@pivotpodcast⁠⁠.
Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pivot

More from this podcast

Pivot →