Political Theater

Jason Dick talks with former Roll Callers and current journalism professors Christina Bellantoni and Neda Semnani about the value of just talking to people, how the years change your perspective on Washington and why it's important to bear witness.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Todd Ruger discuss their (and some public officials') race times at the ACLI Capital Challenge, then delve into the Supreme Court's internal dynamics, how its workload has evolved, what big decisions are expected before the end of the term, a little about David Souter and then cap it off with an ultra-special word of the week segment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales discuss House and Senate races that could be competitive, but aren't quite yet. Basically, what would it take for someone like Brian Fitzpatrick or Raul Ruiz to be in tough races. They also riff on how “Andor” and "Return of the Jedi” fit into this world. Seriously. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire discuss the first Roll Call Most Vulnerable Incumbents list of the 2026 cycle, why House freshman frequently have the blues and how even gobs and gobs of money can't always buy you an election.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does Kevin Bacon fit into the first 100 days analysis of the Trump presidency? Jason Dick and John Bennett discuss, as well as the art of Gretchen Whitmer's non-thank you thank you.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Christina Bellantoni discuss California political leaders' approach to President Donald Trump's second term, Gov. Gavin Newsom's podcast and hair and whether we'll see more retired Dodgers run for state-wide office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick, Mary Ellen McIntire and Andrew Menezes discuss the election results this week in Florida and Wisconsin, whether vermouth will be more expensive with the latest round of tariffs and whether it was wise to do a training run that involved the Tidal Basin this past week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sports is leading the way on diversity, equity and inclusion, but don't expect to hear those words at the game. Plus: Everyone get ready for National Operational Security Awareness Month.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dressing up as a donkey for a skit lampooning politicians at a white tie dinner in Washington is silly. But during difficult times, when the most powerful people in the world are challenging the boundaries of constitutional democracy, it is important to hang onto your sense of humor. The annual Gridiron dinner aims to “singe, not burn” with its humor. What does that mean when it feels like the world is on fire, though? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Democrats are gathering for their annual policy retreat this week, and face a series of questions as they navigate the 119th Congress, including why they are more unpopular than Republicans, what they can do as a minority party in a closely divided country, how do they recruit quality candidates to run for office and what level of coordination to pursue among themselves and their allies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early days of the second Trump administration, congressional Republicans and Democrats face decisions about how to react to White House-led actions. For Democrats, it can be boiled down to: Fight or retreat. Republicans are being advised to restrict contact with the public. We talk with Nathan Gonzales about what, at this point, makes the most sense politically. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent days, the Senate and House have both passed versions of their own budget resolution, one of the key steps in constructing a so-called reconciliation bill that will cut spending and taxes and enact GOP legislative priorities without having to deal with the usual Senate roadblocks. But there is a long way to go until something heads to the president's desk, so we are going to talk about what's been happening and what is going on with CQ Roll Call's illustrious Budget Tracker, David Lerman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For someone who has dominated politics for going on a decade, Donald Trump still controls the narrative in a way that leaves his opponents flat-footed. Trump's connection to professional wrestling offers lessons on how he is able to do this and how to connect in the political arena. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it possible to find beauty amid the horror of the Ukraine-Russia war? The Academy Award-nominated documentary "Porcelain War" argues that it is not only possible, it is essential. Co-director Slava Leontyev discusses how ordinary people keep their culture, art and themselves alive, and how even in a time of fear "it's hard to forbid people to live." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The early days of the 119th Congress and the second Trump administration have been a whirlwind, but here is one observation for those looking to make sense of things: Having a plan beats not having a plan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The early days of the second Trump administration have brought us an intense debate over constitutional authority and the role of government, which has been folded into the unstable and chaotic political era we are in. Is this destabilization something that will endure, or is it one of many similar, rough times in our history, say the 1960s, when politics and the government were tested and evolved, but overall held? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Presidential pardons are all over the place, thanks to outgoing President Joe Biden and newly sworn in President Donald Trump. Presidents' power to pardon is pretty comprehensive, and has been used to pardon the likes of Confederates, Jimmy Hoffa, Richard Nixon, Defense secretaries, family members and dirty tricksters, and most recently the Jan. 6 crowd and even the founder of the black market drug marketplace Silk Road. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Appointed senators: They're a thing. Of the 206 individuals appointed to the Senate since 1913, when the Seventeenth Amendment codified direct election of senators and how to fill vacant seats, 11 of them are currently serving. Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales go through the highlights, lowlights and weirdlights of this category of senators. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the most wonderful time of the year: When Washington says it will cut the federal deficit. Easier said than done! Just ask the 2011 super committee, which had a mandate and bipartisan support, and failed spectacularly. For this podcast, we combine the powers of the Political Theater podcast with sister podcast CQ Budget and its illustrious host, the Budget Tracker, as well as his long-suffering editor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's an "off year" in politics? There is no such thing, according to Nathan Gonzales, Roll Call's campaigns analyst and the publisher of Inside Elections. We run through the top developing political stories of 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the United States Senate The World's Greatest Deliberative Body, or is it the world's most inefficient waiting room, where senators kill time before a flurry of inefficient activity? Part 2 of our discussion with Brookings' Molly Reynolds about ways Congress could function better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It happens every December: We ask ourselves, is this the best Congress can do? And the answer is no. They can do better. And there are a number of ways the legislative branch can function better by implementing some very simple, common-sense proposals. Molly Reynolds of the Brookings Institution joins the podcast for the first part of a two-part series on Congress and how it works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're paying attention to the Senate, you know they're voting on a lot of judges, as happens during lame duck congresses. There are also a lot of partisan broadsides being fired about it all. How did we get to this point and why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump has picked several current and former members of Congress for his Cabinet and senior staff. Here's a quick and dirty on the roster, which includes former Democrats, former critics and one avowed dog killer.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, we have questions in the aftermath of this election. Who is the leader of the Democratic Party? What lessons do Republicans take from their victories? Do we have to keep calling it a "Blue Wall." And more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roll Call looked under every nook, cranny and poll to round off the Most Vulnerable Incumbents lists for the 2024 cycle. Find out how and why who got where! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many film buffs, October is Scary Movie Month, when we go to the vault to watch "Last House on the Left" or head to the theater to catch "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." It is also election season. So does "The Apprentice" fit in here? It's a biopic about the relationship between Roy Cohn and a young Donald Trump and how Cohn helped shape the future president's no-holds-barred approach to business, politics and life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 campaign is in the home stretch, and there are several races that are defined by a high degree of instability. How do we mean? It starts with the campaigns themselves not even agreeing on the basic contours of the race. From there things can get weird. Nathan Gonzales walks us through a few races that fit the bill — and that are incredibly significant in determining which party will be in the majority in the Senate and House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a veterans organization conducting an unscripted role-playing simulation with real political figures about an attempted coup on Jan. 6, 2025 joins forces with filmmakers who have “Dr. Strangelove” and Nathan Fielder on the brain? The experimental but highly relevant documentary “War Game.” Co-director Jesse Moss and Vet Voice's Janessa Goldbeck talk about their project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court starts its new term this coming Monday, October 7th, and while the docket does not include such high-profile cases as the last two years, when the justices overturned Roe v. Wade and granted presidents wide immunity over official acts, the high court will still consider matters of constitutional rights that could reverberate for years — and also might be called upon to referee any lingering fights over the current election season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 presidential race feels a bit "incumbenty." A former president, Donald Trump is running against first the current president, Joe Biden, and now the current vice president, Kamala Harris. There aren't a lot of parallels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All good things come to end, even the tenure of Roll Call Politics Editor Herb Jackson, who wraps up his time here talking congressional granularity, leadership PAC names, FEC data and various whangdoodles and fartleks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in March, Alabama, Arkansas, California, North Carolina and Texas held their congressional primaries, kicking off a mini-epoch of intra-party contests (mostly, with some exceptions), that has just now concluded with Tuesday's primaries in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware (sort of; thanks Louisiana). So what's it all about? What can we learn from this past six months? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda Becker's new book, “You Must Stand Up” is a story about the political fallout of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision that overturned the federal right to an abortion. Becker, national correspondent for The 19th, figured this would be the biggest political event of her career; it might turn out to be the most significant political event in generations. She discusses her book and more on this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here at Roll Call, we like to step back every so often and just groove. And what better way to do that than by being part of the Sept. 17 Congressional Record musical program on Capitol Hill. We'll be the media sponsors, along with The Kennedy Center, Library of Congress and the Recording Academy, when members of Congress from both sides of the aisle will showcase their musical talents at the Capitol Visitor Center. So let's start the shameless plugging with two of the guys who put the event together, Geoff Browning and Kevin Canafax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello from Chicago and the Democratic National Convention. Roll Call and the Political Theater team are on the ground here for all the fuss. We are at the point when folks here are in a groove, slightly fatigued and firmly ensconced in this pop-up political purgatory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kamala-palooza is almost here. The Democratic National Convention starts soon in Chicago, with the party looking to capitalize on the bounce it has gotten since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz quickly wrapped up the nomination. There might be a lack of drama about the outcome of this quadrennial confab, but there is a lot of drama surrounding it: Congressional primaries galore, ballot referenda that could affect turnout and the perennial question of who will show up, and who won't, for presidential party time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio is having a moment in the political spotlight, with the Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance, hailing from the Buckeye State, while his home-state colleague, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, is in a tight re-election contest that will be key to determining the Senate majority. We talk with Jessica Wehrman, CQ Roll Call's health policy editor, Ohio native and previous Ohio political reporter about the political heart of it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If there is one thing elections in the United States brings out, it's chaos. Assassination attempts, resignations, primary challenges, third-party campaigns, economic meltdowns, pandemics and sudden deaths. Join Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales for a ride down bad-memory lane! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee has put some steam in the strides of the GOP, who have taken their 2024 confidence meter up to 11. Republicans feel good about their nominee, Donald Trump, their opponent, Joe Biden, and their chances in November. Roll Callers John Bennett and Briana Reilly join the podcast to talk about what it's like on the ground in Brew City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want a look at George W. Bush's comments at the 2007 White House Correspondents Dinner? Or what coffee shop President Joe Biden visited last weekend in Harrisburg? Or the White House briefing room seating chart from 2015? There are ways to find all of this on your own. Or there is Factba.se, the longtime go-to for all White House transcripts, calendars, releases, etc., whose database goes back decades. Factba.se founder Bill Frischling hangs out and talks about just the facts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roads are such a great metaphor for writers. There are roads to nowhere, to recovery. They can be less travelled. It can be enough for some books to just have the main characters be on the road. Now Roll Call Elections Analyst Nathan Gonzales is hitting the road too, kicking off an occasional series on House races that will determine the majority that run along an actual, not just metaphorical, road. Up first: Interstate 5. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been nearly two years since the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion, overturning Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Since then, several states have instituted their own abortion policies, including total bans on the procedure. We have also had several elections show to what extent reproductive rights affects political outcomes. Amanda Becker of The 19th News has chronicled these topics and more, particularly with her forthcoming book, “You Must Stand Up: The Fight for Abortion Rights in Post-Dobbs America,” and is here on Political Theater to discuss her work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking for guidance on how to get ahead in politics? Be a grunge rocker in college or a NASCAR driver. Don't be ambassador to Iceland, an actor or a video game music composer. A Trump endorsement helps. Less clear: how voting for or against dumping Kevin McCarthy affects things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices