Authorities were still searching for survivors of the deadly July 4 floods in Central Texas when some Democrats started asking whether President Donald Trump’s cuts at the National Weather Service exacerbated the disaster. Republicans, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, accused those Democrats of “partisan finger-pointing.” How early is too early to talk about accountability? And is a nuanced policy conversation to prevent future tragedies possible in our political climate? Democratic strategist Rebecca Pearcey joins on the left, Republican strategist Mike Dubke joins on the right, and host David Greene holds down the center.

Five years after the pandemic, American kids are still struggling in reading and math. Glimmers of hope are shining in red states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. What are those states doing right? And are both parties too distracted by the culture war to focus on improving public education?

Elon Musk threatened to start a third party if Trump passed his “Big Beautiful Bill.” The tech billionaire launched that party on X this week, saying he wants to represent the “80%” of Americans “in the middle.” Is anyone on the left or the right taking him seriously? Or is this just the latest development in his very-public spat with the president?