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Americans are preparing to vote in their midterm elections. The rising cost of living, abortion, immigration, crime and gun rights are all issues that may affect decisions at the ballot box.

We bring together two women from Massachusetts: Christine, a self-employed dog walker and Sheena, a single mother of four children aged three, five, seven and 13. As the price of almost everything has been rising, we hear how they are struggling to afford essentials and Sheena shares her worries about paying for Christmas presents for her kids.

As well as the economy, another contentious issue in the United States is abortion. Earlier this year, the US Supreme Court ruled that abortion could be banned or restricted in the country, upending the landmark Roe v Wade case which for almost 50 years had made abortion legal. In several states, the right to abortion will be on the ballot. We hear from two centres running clinics for women.

We also get advice on how to ‘disagree well’ from couples where the partners have different political opinions. Hilary tells us how Matt woke her in the middle of the night to discuss healthcare and Stephen and Coleen compare views on Donald Trump and Joe Biden. How do they stop their arguments from getting too heated? We discover their secrets.

(Photo: Hillary and Matt Glasgow. Credit: Hillary and Matt Glasgow)