On The Hill

This time the On The Hill podcast is joined by Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. Montgomery County is currently dealing with the first confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Maryland. He walks us through the timeline and behind-the-scenes activity as officials put their response plan into action. We also discuss several other topics, from plans to expand Interstate 270 and the American Legion Bridge to criticism Elrich has faced in regards to his controversial stance on immigration enforcement in Montgomery.  He also reveals his take on what Maryland Democrats need to do to re-take the Governor’s office once Republican Governor Larry Hogan leaves office. 

This time the On The Hill podcast takes a look at the vocabulary of guns. What is an assault weapon and what’s not? What’s considered a high-capacity magazine? The difference between gun control supporters and Second Amendment advocates are not just political, but also rooted in different terms they use talking about firearms. Ky Hunter spent her military career as a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran. Now, she’s on a new political battlefield with the Brady Campaign, trying to pass laws to stop gun violence. Ky is also trying to get pro-gun and gun control advocates to start talking with each other in hopes of finding common ground. 

This time the On The Hill podcast is joined by Phillip Thompson. He's a former member of the Virginia State Conference NAACP and current Executive Director of the National Black Nonpartisan Redistricting Org. Phillip talks about African American voter issues, ranging from opportunity zones to economic development. He also discusses the state of Virginia politics one year after individual scandals rocked the top three Democrats in Virginia. 

On this episode of the On The Hill podcast we look at “The Blue Collar Boom.”  President Donald Trump is heading into the re-election year with an economy running on all cylinders. How much credit does he deserve and does he take too much credit? Or does he deserve more than he’s getting? Nick Timiraos, the chief economic correspondent of the Wall Street Journal, joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald with a look at where we’re going in the economy and some of the road signs that could signal trouble.

There have been no shortage of books about the Trump administration. Most center on palace intrigue and eye-opening tidbits.  Historian and New York Times Bestselling author Doug Wead spend nearly two years in the Trump White House, and came away with something very different than other authors.  Wead had unprecedented access to the First Family, and President Trump himself.  His book, “Inside Trump’s White House” is out and he joins the On The Hill Podcast to discuss what he saw behind the walls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

American University Professor Allan Lichtman joins FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald on this episode of the On The Hill podcast. Lichtman has correctly predicted the outcome in seven of the last eight presidential races. He also predicted in 2016 that President Donald Trump would face impeachment. Now he’s turning his quasi-scientific method he calls “13 keys” to predict the outcome of the 2020 race. Join us!

This time the On the Hill Podcast welcomes Neal Simon. He’s a former Independent candidate for U.S. Senator in Maryland, who’s now the author of a new book called “Contract to Unite America.” Neal talks about what it was like trying to run as an independent in a political system dominated by Democrats and Republicans. Now he’s written a book to try and find a way back from the extreme political divides on the left and the right. Join us!  

This time the “On The Hill Podcast welcomes Nicole Mason. She’s the president and C.E.O. of the Institute For Women’s Policy Research. Six women candidates for President started in the race and now only two, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar remain. Women make up 53% of our electorate. So what’s different about 2020’s race in the wake of a 2016 campaign that saw Democrats nominate a woman? We’ll discuss that and more. Join us.

Rebecca Grant, an Iranian expert at the IRIS Independent Research Group, joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald on this episode of the On The Hill podcast. Grant looks at the recent history between the U.S. and Iran leading up to the U.S. drone strike that killed an Iranian general. She also discusses what’s ahead for the U.S. and what actions Iran may take in response.

In this episode of the “On The Hill” podcast, we’re discussing impeachment. No, not the 2019 impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, but way back to 1868 and Andrew Johnson. We’ll go back in time with producer Kevin Manzel and historian David Stewart about their new riveting documentary, “Going to the Devil: The Impeachment of 1868.” It turns out there are a lot of comparisons between the very first impeachment and the impeachment inquiry gripping Washington right now. Join us!

When Amazon announced it was opening a second headquarters outside the District in Northern Virginia, it delivered a massive impact on the housing market in Virginia, D.C. and Maryland. Corey Burr, a Senior Vice President of Sotheby’s International Realty, chats with FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald on this episode of the On The Hill podcast about what Amazon’s HQ2 has done to prices now, the housing needs of low and middle class income people, and how Millennials should get in on the housing market themselves. Join us!

This time the “On The Hill Podcast” welcomes noted Attorney and Political Strategist A. Scott Bolden for a conversation about the impeachment hearings, where things are headed, what are the next steps. Join us!

This time the On the Hill podcast doesn’t go inside the Beltway, but on the Beltway. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam made a historic announcement that the states are teaming up to rebuild and expand the traffic-clogged American Legion Bridge. Jason Miller, the CEO of the Greater Washington Partnership business group, looks at how transportation is a dominating public policy regionally. He also explains how the DC region is starting to shed its business image as just a government town as that Amazon and bio-tech industries make their homes here.

Newly elected incoming Chairwoman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors Ann Wheeler joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald on this episode of the On The Hill podcast. Wheeler will take over the leadership of the board in what will be a dramatic power shift for the Northern Virginia county.  She replaces Republican Conservative Corey Stewart, who was one of the architects of the hardline immigration enforcement policies which were later embraced and enacted by the Trump campaign and administration. She discusses what’s next as she moves forward with a Democratic majority board, and discusses challenges the county is facing in education, economic development and transportation.  We also discuss what the Democrats' big 2019 election means and for the 2020 elections after they took control of the Virginia General Assembly for the first time in a generation.

Dr. Rob Cohen, an Army Veteran Doctor who was “boots on the ground” with the Kurds in the Middle East, joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald in this episode of the On The Hill Podcast. As the U.S. racked up a major achievement with the takedown of ISIS’ top leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, here at home, there is an intense debate over the withdrawal of U.S. troops in the region. Cohen breaks down the situation in the region and talks about the key players in it all. Cohen also states what he thinks the focus and the next steps should be.

On this episode of the On The Hill podcast, we’re taking you out to the ballgame. The Washington Nationals are in the World Series for the first time in their franchise history. Boston had the “Curse of the Bambino” and Chicago had “The Goat.” DC has not hosted a World Series since 1933 and has not won a World Series since 1924. Fred Frommer, the baseball author of “You Gotta Have Heart,” breaks down DC’s long, frustrating relationship with the great national pastime, as the Nationals are ready to rewrite that history.

Gene Healy, the vice president of the Libertarian think-tank Cato Institute, joins FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald on this episode of the On The Hill podcast. In 2008, Healy wrote a book called “The Cult Of The Presidency,” which examined the power of the executive branch of government. The Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton and Reagan administrations have all expanded the scope of the presidency. Now, Healy says 11 years later that book is more important than ever. The U.S. faces new challenges in the form of Impeachment and Congress’ role in growing the office the Executive Branch at its own expense. Join us!

How old is too old to be president? Lee Edwards, a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation, joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald to look at the impact of age on politics - both from the candidate perspective and the voter perspective. With Bernie Sanders’ recent health issues, and both Joe Biden and Donald Trump being in their 70s, how much are voters focusing on age and are younger candidates going to make an issue of it moving forward? Join us!

Irvin McCullough, a National Security Analyst at the Government Accountability Project, joins FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald on this episode of the On The Hill podcast. Given the headlines surrounding the President and the whistleblower complaint against him, we look at how the whistleblower protections are supposed to work, why they exist and how the current blowback from the White House could impact other whistleblowers from coming forward. Join us!

Should DC become the 51st state? DC Vote Executive Director Bo Shuff joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald in this episode of the On The Hill podcast. We look at the Congressional hearing that was just held on H.R. 51 in Congress, the arguments for and against statehood, national public opinion against Statehood, and the political challenges the effort faces in both the House and the Senate. Finally, we do a deep dive on how even some folks on the same side of the issue have very different ideas about how best to achieve their goal of full representation in Congress for the more than 700,000 DC residents. Join us!

Paul Rosenzweig, a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, joins Tom Fitzgerald on this episode of the On The Hill podcast. Rosenzweig is now a Senior Fellow at the R Street Institute, a foreign policy think tank in Washington. We look at the removal of John Bolton as National Security Advisor, what would happen if the Secretary of State takes over the job and the subsequent national security implications. In addition, why has foreign policy been largely absent as a topic in the Democratic presidential campaign? Join us!

NASA scientist Tom Neumann joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald on this edition of the On The Hill podcast. While NASA is often known for exploring other worlds, Neumann’s specialty at NASA is studying planet earth. Neumann is an expert on the Arctic ice melt that he’s tracked for years. It has been a summer of record temperatures – even the earth’s coldest places felt the heat as the arctic is seeing extreme levels of ice loss. What is the latest with the heatwave and why should we care? We will get the scientific, factual perspective with NASA scientist who’s on the front lines of the battle against climate change.

Aaron Zitner of the Wall Street Journal joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald on the latest episode of the On The Hill podcast. Zitner is the Polling Editor for the Wall Street Journal and has some fascinating new data on how American values are changing on issues ranging from patriotism, religion to even whether or not to have children. As politicians look to connect with younger voters, it’s key information to know heading into the 2020 presidential election. Join us!

Dr. Rob Cohen, a former staffer for Sen. John McCain, an Army veteran and host of the "Democrises" podcast, joins Tom Fitzgerald on the “On The Hill” podcast. On the one year anniversary of Senator McCain’s death, Cohen looks how even after his passing McCain’s legacy still looms large over the Republican party, even as few in the GOP seem interested in carrying on McCain’s “maverick” reputation.

 This time the On The Hill podcast is joined by Dr. Ibram Kendi, a professor at American University and the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. Dr. Kendi joins us to talk about his new book out this week is called “How To Be An Antiracist.” It’s a blueprint on how to move America forward on the issue of race and racism, and looks at what everyone can do in their own lives to bring people together on the issues of race.

Kate Davidson, the economic policy reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins us On The Hill. Davidson has been tracking the budget deal that’s on-track to be passed without any issues. So how did this happen when Democrats and Republicans have been at odds for so long? It is a 2-year deal to suspend the debt ceiling and both sides received some of what they wanted. Davidson also lets us in on the surprising behind-the-scenes negotiating team switch that the White House made to help hammer out the deal.

Howard University Political Science Professor Michael Fauntroy joins the On The Hill podcast to discuss a wide range of topics, including Fauntroy’s take on the reaction to President Donald Trump’s tweets aimed at “The Squad,” why the election system in the U.S. needs to be overhauled, DC Statehood and how the debate over gentrification is growing as a political movement of its own. Join us! 

Veteran Washington D.C. attorney A. Scott Bolden of the Reed Smith Law firm joins us this time the 'On The Hill' podcast. Bolden, who is a well know figure in political circles in the nation’s capital, talks about the latest subpoenas and the ongoing investigations that have come out of Robert Mueller’s report. Bolden has analysis on the investigation of DC Councilman Jack Evans and also shares remembrances of his former client and friend, the late mayor of Washington DC Marion Barry. Join us! 

Maryland Congressman David Trone joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald on this week’s “On The Hill” podcast. Trone is known as the businessman behind a successful wine retail business who made the jump into politics in the 2018 mid-terms. We discuss the potential impact of the Supreme Court gerrymandering ruling in his 6th Congressional District, his view of the difference between being a businessman and being in politics.  We also look at the continued effort to increase the fight against opioid abuse. Plus, as a cancer survivor himself, Trone talks about his recovery and the work to fund medical research for cancer and other diseases. Join us!

Robert McCartney, the Washington Post’s senior regional correspondent, joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald on this week’s On The Hill podcast. We tackle a wide view of local politics around the National Capital Region, including Virginia’s big primary and the “Northam Effect” on the Democratic Party. We look at an unprecedented budget battle threatening DC and how leaders are responding to rising community protests about gentrification. Meanwhile, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan isn’t running for president in 2020, but was he testing the waters for 2024? Join us!

Maryland Delegate Marc Korman joins FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald on this week’s “On The Hill” podcast. The Democratic lawmaker represents Montgomery County, Maryland. We talk about the Board of Public Utilities decision this week to approve Gov. Larry Hogan’s plan to expand, improve and add toll lanes to I-270 and eventually the Beltway. Korman is not a fan of the plan and tells us why. He also takes us behind the scenes of the political maneuvering during the effort to name a replacement in the wake of the passing of former Speaker Michael Busch. Join us!

Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland joins the “On The Hill” podcast to discuss the current debate over impeachment surrounding President Donald Trump. Raskin, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, also talks about the effort to end gerrymandering through a new bill on Capitol Hill which also addresses voting rights. The Congressman also give us a look into his lifelong fandom of Bruce Springsteen. How can Democrats win back the farmers, factory and steel workers that “The Boss” has sung about for decades? The Congressman talks about that and how the artist’s works have informed his own life and outlook on America. Join us!

Gregg Rothschild of The Glover Park Group joins the On The Hill podcast. If you use Facebook, Google or Waze, or if you sign up for a grocery card your data is being used and shared in many ways. For the first time in 20 years a broad federal data privacy bill is being hammered out in Congress. How should that data be protected, who should be allowed to get it and use it? Join us!

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the On The Hill podcast. Taleblu’s been following the recent heightened Iran tensions and the evacuation of the embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. What’s the backstory that led up to this latest standoff? How has the U.S. changed its way of dealing with Iran under the Trump administration? What is Iran’s endgame? What does it mean for us? It’s a 20 minute deep dive with an expert who can boil it all down. Join us!

Aaron Zitner, the Wall Street Journal’s polling editor, joins Tom Fitzgerald in this week's episode of the On The Hill podcast. With the 2020 campaign underway, Tom and Aaron dive into the latest numbers which include numbers on the enthusiasm of voters. With more than 20 candidates on the Democratic side, the Wall Street Journal looked at voter enthusiasm and who voters are or are not comfortable with. We also have a frank conversation about people’s opinions of polling in general. How relevant are polls after 2016? What can we learn from them? Join us!

Zach Terwilliger, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, joins the On the Hill podcast to discuss the opioid crisis. For the first time in a decade, opioid-related deaths dropped in Virginia. Fatal drug overdose has been the leading method of unnatural death in Virginia since 2013. Terwilliger discusses what his office is doing to combat the opioid epidemic, which includes prosecutions of drug dealers, gangs, dirty doctors and fentanyl coming in from China.

Bill McCarren of the National Press Club joins Tom Fitzgerald on this episode of the “On The Hill” podcast. Bill and Tom look at the story of Austin Tice, the American Journalist who’s been held in Syria since 2012. The FBI has a $1 million reward for Tice’s return. Bill talks about “Night Out For Austin,” which will be held on May 2, where restaurants from around the country will donate a portion of their proceeds to the effort to #FreeAustinTice.

Virginia 8th District Congressman Don Beyer joins the On The Hill podcast. He’s been a well-known car dealer, lieutenant governor of Virginia, a U.S. Ambassador and now a Congressman. Beyer talks about what first-time candidates often get wrong, equating success in the business world with being a good elected official. And we also look at how the Mueller report may be robbing the media spotlight from an issue critical to Democrats recent success: healthcare. Beyer also has a blunt take on the current state of Virginia politics with the top three elected officials facing calls to resign (some from Beyer himself) and yet no one seems to be moving forward past recent controversies facing the governor, lieutenant governor and the attorney general. Join us!

DC’s member of Congress, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, joins the “On The Hill" podcast. She’s one of the most well-known members of Congress and a fixture on the national stage for 25 years now. In this wide-ranging conversation, we tackle D.C. Statehood and how she’s fought against “Taxation without Representation” for D.C. residents. Known as one of the toughest questioners in Congress, she pulls back the curtain on her process of preparing for hearings and how she knew when a witness is answering the question, or just stalling for time. Join us!

If you drive a car, buy food or do just about anything, what happens with the US and China trade relationship impacts your wallet. So what’s the deal with the trade war rumblings and exactly what would a “good deal” or a “bad deal” look like for the United States? Riley Walter, an Asia Studies expert at the Heritage Foundation, joins the “On The Hill” Podcast to help break down all the ins and outs into the plain talk that makes a difficult subject much easier to understand. Join us!

Robert McCartney, the senior regional correspondent for the Washington Post, joins the “On the Hill Podcast.” McCartney is focusing on the political landscape in DC, Maryland and Virginia, which is a region that may be locked in a transportation and infrastructure nightmare.  A truck crash at the American Legion Bridge closed the Beltway for hours and sent the entire region into gridlock. So how can the political leaders in the area break the gridlock by creating more transportation projects without busting the backs of taxpayers? Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has a plan for highway expansion, but he’s getting pushback from Democrats. Meanwhile, Metro’s Board Chairman, DC Council Member Jack Evans, is facing a federal investigation for influence peddling. We also talk with McCartney about the latest in a rare Northern Virginia appearance by Gov. Ralph Northam, two months after a controversy over blackface and KKK pictures on his yearbook page.

Jeff Mason, the White House correspondent for Reuters and a past-president of the White House Correspondents Association, goes “On the Hill.” FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald and Mason talk about the next shoe to possibly drop now that Robert Mueller has finished his Russia special counsel investigation and the ongoing tug-of-war between the White House Press Corps and President Donald Trump. Also, while more Democrats jump into the 2020 nomination race, Trump is also setting his sights on his re-election effort even though he’s stayed on “campaign mode” ever since he was elected.

Daniel Mulhall, the Irish ambassador to the United States, goes “On The Hill” during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Mulhall returned to D.C. after a four-day tour across the U.S. with the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald spoke to the ambassador about the close bond between Ireland and America, the effects of the United Kingdom’s Brexit on Ireland, and the trade boom currently underway in Ireland which is being led by a renaissance of Irish whiskey being shipped around the world.

Doron Ezickson, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League for the Washington D.C. region, goes 'On The Hill.' The ADL is currently faced with increasing instances of anti-Semitic incidents in the news. Democrats on Capitol Hill debated and passed a resolution against hate speech that was sparked by Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments on Israel. In our conversation, Ezickson talks about how politicians can be critical of the Jewish State, but need to be careful to avoid anti-Semitic remarks against Jewish people. Also, he discusses what he sees as the greatest threat to the anti-hate movement: The continued incidents of school-age children writing hate speech and swastikas on school walls. We discuss how ADL is trying to work closely with educators and parents to make sure children understand the impact of their words and actions.

This week, Michael O’Hanlon, the Senior Fellow of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, goes “On The Hill.” Michael and Tom take a closer look at what President Donald Trump achieved during his second summit with Kim Jong Un. Plus, what is the latest with our defense strategy and national security? Does the lack of an agreement represent a setback or opportunity? And what is Russia’s endgame as we approach another volatile presidential election here in the United States?

This week Christopher Metzler, author of “Divided We Stand: The Quest for America’s Soul,”  goes “On The Hill.” Metzler’s latest book states that the deep political divide in America didn’t start with President Donald Trump, but instead with the Clinton administration when America’s no-holds-barred politics took a sharp turn that’s still in place today. Also, as an African-American conservative, Metzler talks about “identity politics” and the way forward in possibly fixing what’s broken in our politics and political dialogue with each other.

This week David Adesnik, the director of research for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, goes “On The Hill” to give us insight on Iran and Syria. This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Iran, and later this November will mark the 40th anniversary of the U.S. hostages being taken at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The U.S. and Iran were once allies, but that ended in 1979 with the overthrow of the Shad of Iran.  Now, four decades later, the two countries are still at odds and the stakes are even higher. President Donald Trump has taken the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal at a critical moment. David talks about how not only is Iran’s nuclear ambitions are concerning, but how the Iranian leaders are looking to step into the power void left behind in the Syrian Civil War.

Allan Lichtman, a distinguished professor of history at American University in Washington DC, goes "On The Hill" to talk about the prediction he made back in 2016 during the beginning of the presidential campaign. Against all the pundits, experts and political operatives, Lichtman came out with a bold prediction that Donald Trump would be elected president. Turns out, he was right. Now he’s predicting that despite economic indicators that would put any president on a steamroller to re-election, the professor says he predicts Trump is on the road to impeachment. He explains why as he sits down for a conversation with FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald. 

Jason Rezian, who served as the Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post, goes “On The Hill” as he talks with Tom Fitzgerald about his new book “Prisoner.” Jason’s life took an unexpected turn when he was arrested by Iranian authorities and falsely accused of being an American spy for the CIA. After a sham closed-door trial, he spent 544 days in an Iranian prison, enduring solitary confinement. Jason talks about the high stakes diplomacy between the Obama Administration and Iran, and the extraordinary efforts to free him. He also shares stories of his friendship and work with the late Anthony Bourdain.

Marty Crutsinger, the Economics Correspondent for the Associated Press since 1984, goes "On The Hill." Even after 35 years on the job, Marty will tell you he’s never covered anything like the just concluded government shutdown. What is the long-term economic impact of the shutdown? How has Donald Trump’s longtime trade philosophy shaped his presidency and U.S. trade policy? And, what is the looming economic danger hiding in plain sight that nobody is talking about? (Spoiler alert: It’s the deficit, and it’s not good.)