Just weeks before the midterm elections, federal agents searched the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., seizing her phone and issuing around a dozen subpoenas, two people familiar with the DOJ investigation told NBC News. NBC News senior justice reporter Ryan J. Reilly explains how the move fits into a broader trend of the DOJ going after President Trump’s perceived political enemies and why it’s so unusual to launch this kind of probe right before an election.

Then, Cleo Abram is a video journalist and the host of the widely popular YouTube series “HUGE* if true” and “HUGE* conversations,” where she looks at the potential and the solutions offered by science and technology. Cleo talks about why she’s still a tech optimist in light of growing AI doomerism and how her interviews with industry leaders have shaped her perspective on security and regulation.

Lastly, we wade into the internet’s favorite controversy this week: singer and TV personality Kelly Clarkson’s social media fight with a Brooklyn shop over a mechanical bird. NBC News entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas spills the tea on the back-and-forth – and why the bird is now going for $15 million.

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Consumer prices are up 3.7% from a year ago, according to the latest inflation numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s largely driven by gas prices, which rose 9.1% in September. NBC News chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles breaks down how the GOP is dealing with rising inflation as early voters head to the polls. Plus, Ukraine says that Elon Musk’s SpaceX limited critical Starlink internet access and that some allies didn’t share key intel ahead of attacks, making the country more vulnerable to Russian assaults. NBC News national security and global affairs reporter Dan De Luce discusses whether Ukraine is being cut off from key allies as President Donald Trump’s attitude toward Russia softens. Finally, the Vatican said that Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer and that he is recovering after surgery Tuesday. NBC News Vatican analyst Deborah Lubov joins us from Rome to discuss Leo’s transparency about his condition and how Catholics are responding.

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Kimberly Guilfoyle has resigned from her post as U.S. Ambassador to Greece, after being accused of asking a Trump donor for $100K in exchange for access to the president and taking luxury trips from Greek tycoons, all of which she denies. NBC News chief White House correspondent Garrett Haake explains why the White House called for her to step down now and what’s next for the longtime Trump loyalist.

Then, Americans are finding it harder to put food on the table – and more are relying on food banks. An NBC survey of 90 of the largest food banks across the country found that nearly three-quarters were serving more people this year, while 4 out of 5 said they were getting less food and funding from the government. NBC News senior policy reporter Shannon Pettypiece shares how food pantry workers in rural West Virginia are managing the shortages.

Lastly, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any advanced economy – even though it spends the most on healthcare. Former supermodel Christy Turlington Burns joins the podcast to explain how her own experience with a childbirth complication led her to start a maternal health organization, why impending changes to Medicare coverage could exacerbate the maternal mortality crisis, and how people can take action.

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