Daily Briefing Oct. 18: With election days away, polls still can’t predict a winner

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. News editor Ben Sales joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode. WATCH the full episode here: Ahead of the final barrage of election polls before the October 27 election, Sales notes that the canvassing can’t accurately predict who will win and explains why, including the issue of the smaller parties on both sides of the political spectrum that are hovering around the 3.25% electoral threshold. More from The Daily Briefing October 15, 2026 Daily Briefing Oct. 15 - Why are the Saudis so poor at war despite spending billions? October 14, 2026 Daily Briefing Oct. 14 - IDF, police, Education Ministry spar over deadly school trip blast October 13, 2026 Daily Briefing Oct. 13: Mamdani's political balancing act backfires October 12, 2026 Daily Briefing Oct. 12 - How the Houthis' multi-pronged strategy is unbalancing the Saudis October 11, 2026 Daily Briefing Oct. 11 - A message to Eisenkot? Joint List vows to do 'anything' to oust Netanyahu Sales also discusses rising tensions between members of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s political base and NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, as they call for her to be fired after police officers clashed with protesters following the shooting of a man in the Bronx by ICE agents. The shooting, and the NYPD’s response to it, had no direct connection to Israel or antisemitism in the city. But the protest against Tisch relates to her role as a pro-Israel presence in City Hall and the implications of her potentially losing her job. Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: 3 experts on how you’re reading election polls wrong — and why they can’t predict the result Threats to NYPD’s pro-Israel commissioner are an inflection point for New York Jews Subscribe to The Times of Is rael Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht. Check out yesterday’s episode here: Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this read more: Israel & the Region The Daily Briefing podcasts Times of Israel podcasts 2026 Israeli election polls Zohran Mamdani Jessica Tisch If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.