Podcast appearances and mentions of Gerry Connolly

WMAL GUEST: Katie Gorka (Chairwoman, Fairfax GOP) on the Special Election to Replace the Deceased Rep. Gerry Connolly in Virginia's 11th Congressional District WEBSITE: FairfaxGOP.org SOCIAL MEDIA: X.com/GorkaKatie Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple, Audible and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Monday, June 23, 2025 / 8 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stories WAMU is following this week include the major reorganization of Metrobus routes coming Sunday, the firehouse primary to find Gerry Connolly's successor and DIY bike repair in D.C.

This week, Virginia Democrats went to the polls for primaries, choosing state Senator Ghazala Hashmi as their candidate for Lieutenant Governor this fall. Sen. Hashmi joined the show to discuss her primary win, what it means for Northern Virginia residents, and how she will approach November's general election, where she will face Republican radio talk show host John Reid.Virginia voters selected Jay Jones as the Democratic nominee for Attorney General; he'll go up against incumbent Republican Jason Miyares in November. WAMU's Northern Virginia reporter Margaret Barthel got behind the mic to break down the results. Plus, she set the stage for the widely-anticipated governor's race in the fall. Margaret also previewed the Democratic firehouse primary set for later this month to fill Virginia's 11th Congressional District seat after the death of longtime Congressman Gerry Connolly.The D.C. Council is deep into budget hearings, with hundreds of residents coming out to express their views on proposed cuts, the deal to build a new football stadium, and a pitch to repeal the tipped minimum wage increase. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen joined Kojo and Tom to discuss his priorities in a tight budget year. Plus, Allen weighs in on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's push for stricter youth curfew laws.The bill calls for an 11 p.m. citywide summer curfew for 17-year-olds or younger. Currently, the curfew starts at midnight and applies to those 16 or younger. The proposal also would allow D.C. police to create special zones where the curfew could be set as early as 7 p.m. for 15 consecutive days. However, Councilmember Allen questioned the strategy."Are we pulling away MPD resources to go enforce a curfew that we need them in other places,?" he asked.Allen also said a tougher curfew shouldn't be passed as emergency legislation and without public hearings. The Council is expected to consider it early next month.Send us questions and comments for guests: kojo@wamu.orgFollow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885Follow us on Bluesky: bsky.app/wamu.org

The Supreme Court handed a win to President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency on Friday, granting the efficiency unit access to records at the Social Security Administration. The unsigned opinion provides the Elon Musk-associated DOGE with even more access to sensitive government information to fulfill its mission of making government more efficient. Just last month, the team also gained access to payment systems at the Department of Treasury. The ruling also comes at an awkward time for the DOGE, as Musk — its creator — and Trump are in the midst of an apparent falling out on social media. Per the decision, a majority of the justices voted to grant the administration's request to stay a lower court decision and concluded that “SSA may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work.” Justices voted on political lines, with liberals Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor saying they would have denied the government's application for a stay. Simultaneously on Friday, the Supreme Court handed a second win to the DOGE, shielding it from producing documents as part of a discovery process in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. More federal workers would have access to artificial intelligence training under a bill reintroduced in the House on Thursday by Rep. Nancy Mace. The AI Training Extension Act of 2025 aims to expand the Artificial Intelligence Training for the Acquisition Workforce Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, by offering available AI training to more pools of federal employees beyond the acquisition workforce, including “supervisors, managers, and frontline staff in data and technology roles,” according to a release from the South Carolina Republican's office. Chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, Mace previously introduced the bill in 2023 during the 118th Congress with Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who passed away last month. Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, is a co-sponsor of the reintroduced bill. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Plus: The special election to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly is set; license plate readers in Charlottesville stay put – for now; and other stories    In the podcast: Boil water advisories will now come directly to phones in Richmond; Watchdog agency considers improvements to Virginia's youth criminal justice system. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is already playing his biggest card — President Donald Trump — to help push the GOP reconciliation package through the Senate. Plus, Anna and Jake take a look at the special election for the late Rep. Gerry Connolly's seat. Want more in-depth daily coverage from Congress? Subscribe to our free Punchbowl News AM newsletter at punchbowl.news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: why a special election hasn't been called yet to replace the late Northern Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly; a new House Minority Leader is chosen; and other stories 

This episode is a re-release of a conversation from September 2023, in memory of Gerry Connolly, who passed away on May 21, 2025. Gerry will be remembered as a public servant who was driven by purpose and principle. His timeless words of wisdom are an inspiration to many. – Paul Laudicina joins two sitting members of Congress, Representative Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly (VA-11) and Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10) to discuss the future of political engagement. Their conversation spans important policy issues like gun control and campaign finance reform, along with a look at the changing social habits for political representatives in Washington.    Reimagining the Future: Bridging Generations is produced by the Global Business Policy Council at Kearney, a think tank that deciphers sweeping geopolitical, economic, social, and technological changes and their effects on the global business environment. Learn more at kearney.com/gbpc.  

Governor Glenn Youngkin has set a special election on September 9th to fill the seat open due to the death of Gerry Connolly. And as Michael Pope tells us, the news comes on a day when the House is considering one final bill from the late congressman.

Bob reflects on the legacy of late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and provide an update on NAPS' fight to protect postal benefits from congressional attacks on them. In addition, Bob provides an update on USPS governance changes.

The GovNavigators take a moment to honor Memorial Day and reflect on the sacrifices made in service to our country. With Congress narrowly advancing a reconciliation package before the long weekend, Robert and Adam also remember longtime good government champion Gerry Connolly.

In the midst of the terrible Trump tax bill moving through Congress, Ralph invites Sarah Anderson who directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies to discuss the massive tax loopholes huge companies like Amazon get that allow them to pay far less in taxes than ordinary working people. Then, Greg LeRoy from Good Jobs First joins us to discuss how state taxpayers are footing the bill for these massive data centers companies like Google are building all over the country. Plus, Ralph has some choice words for passive unions and responds to listener feedback about our guest last week, Nadav Wieman.Sarah Anderson directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies and is a co-editor of the IPS website Inequality.org. Her research covers a wide range of international and domestic economic issues, including inequality, CEO pay, taxes, labor, and Wall Street reform.They're (Congress is) planning to give huge new tax giveaways to large corporations like Amazon and wealthy people like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. And partially paying for those tax cuts for the wealthy by slashing programs that mean so much to so many Americans like Medicaid and food assistance.”Sarah AndersonWe're not going to have a healthy, thriving society and economy as long as we have the extreme levels of inequality that we have today.Sarah AndersonDubbed “the leading national watchdog of state and local economic development subsidies,” “an encyclopedia of information regarding subsidies,” “God's witness to corporate welfare,” and “the OG of ensuring that state and local tax policy actually supports good jobs, sustainability, and equity,”* Greg founded Good Jobs First in 1998 upon winning the Public Interest Pioneer Award. He has trained and consulted for state and local governments, associations of public officials, labor-management committees, unions, community groups, tax and budget watchdogs, environmentalists, and smart growth advocates more than 30 years.Public education and public health are the two biggest losers in every state giving away money to data centers right now.Greg Le RoyWe know of no other form of state spending that is so out of control. Therefore, we recommend that states cancel their data center tax exemptions. Such subsidies are absolutely unnecessary for an extremely profitable industry dominated by some of the most valuable corporations on earth such as Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, and Google.Good Jobs First report: “Cloudy With a Loss of Spending Control”They've (Congress has) known for years that the ordinary worker pays a higher tax rate than these loophole-ridden corporations.Ralph NaderIn my message to Trump, I ask him, "Why is he afraid of Netanyahu? And doesn't he want to come to the rescue of these innocent babies by saying, ‘Mr. Netanyahu, the taxpayers in this country are paying for thousands of trucks stalled at the border of Gaza full of medicine, food, water, electricity, fuel, and other critical necessities? We're going to put a little American flag on each one of these trucks, and don't you dare block them.'”…No answer.Ralph NaderNews 5/23/251. It seems as though the dam in Israeli politics against acknowledging the horrors in Gaza is beginning to break. In an interview with the BBC this week, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that what Israel "is currently doing in Gaza is very close to a war crime. Thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed.” He went on to say, “the war has no objective and has no chance of achieving anything that could save the lives of the hostages.” These quotes come from the Jerusalem Post. And on May 21st, Haaretz reported that opposition party leader Yair Golan warned that Israel could become a “pariah state, like South Africa once was,” based on its actions in Gaza. Speaking a truth that American politicians appear incapable of articulating, he added, a “sane state does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not set goals for itself like the expulsion of a population.”2. Confirming this prognosis, the Cradle reports “The Israeli military has admitted that more than 80 percent of the people killed in the attacks on Gaza since Israel breached the ceasefire two months ago are…civilians.” This fact was confirmed by the IDF in response to a request from Hebrew magazine Hamakom, wherein “the military's spokesperson stated that 500 of the 2,780 killed in the Gaza Strip as of Tuesday are ‘terrorists.'” Leaving the remaining 2,280 people killed classified as “not suspected terrorists.” The Cradle compares this ratio, approximately 4.5 civilians killed for every combatant, to the Russia-Ukraine war – a ratio of approximate 2.8 to one. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has “claimed that the ratio is just one civilian killed for each combatant killed.” At the same time, AP reports that while Israel has allowed a minimum of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, under immense international pressure, “none of that aid actually reached Palestinians,” according to the United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. The renewed offensive coupled with the barring of humanitarian aid has raised the alarm about mass starvation in Gaza.3. Developments on the ground in Gaza have triggered a new wave of international outcry. On May 19th, leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada issued a joint statement, reading in part, “We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable… The Israeli Government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law…We will not stand by while the Netanyahu Government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.” The Parliament of Spain meanwhile, “passed a non-binding motion calling on the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel,” per Anadolu Ajansı. This potential ban, supported by all parties except the conservative People's Party and the far-right Vox, would “ban the exports of any material that could strengthen the Israeli military, including helmets, vests, and fuel with potential military use.” Left-wing parties in Spain are now pushing for an emergency session to impose a binding decree to this effect.4. The United States however seems to be moving backwards. Drop Site news reports Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff made a deal with Hamas ensuring that, “the Trump administration would compel Israel to lift the Gaza blockade and allow humanitarian aid to enter the territory…[and] make a public call for an immediate ceasefire,” in exchange for the release of Edan Alexander. Of course, once Alexander was released Trump reneged completely. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau, told Drop Site, “He did nothing of this…They didn't violate the deal. They threw it in the trash.” Besides prolonging further the charnel house in Gaza, this duplicity undermines American credibility in the region, particularly with Iran at a time when Trump is seeking a new deal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.5. Democrats in Congress are inching towards action as well. On May 13th, Senator Peter Welch introduced Senate Resolution 224, calling for “the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to address the needs of civilians in Gaza.” Along with Welch, 45 Democrats and Independents signed on to this resolution, that is the entire Democratic caucus except for John Fetterman. On May 14th, Rashida Tlaib introduced House Resolution 409, commemorating the Nakba and calling on Congress to “reinstate support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides life-saving humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.” This was cosponsored by AOC and Reps. Carson, Lee, Omar, Pressley, Ramirez, Simon, and Coleman. And, on May 21st, a group of eight senators – Welch, Sanders, Kaine, Merkley, Murray, Van Hollen, Schatz, and Warnock – sent a letter urging Secretary of State Rubio to reopen the investigation into the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu-Akleh, per Prem Thakker. The Biden administration ruled the death “unintentional,” but a new documentary by Zeteo News reveals a “Biden cover-up.”6. More action is occurring on college campuses as well, as students go into graduation season. At NYU, a student named Logan Rozos said in his graduation speech, “As I search my heart today in addressing you all…the only thing that is appropriate to say in this time and to a group this large is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine,” per CNN. NYU announced that they are now withholding his diploma. At George Washington University, the Guardian reports student Cecilia Culver said in her graduation speech, “I am ashamed to know my tuition [fee] is being used to fund…genocide…I call upon the class of 2025 to withhold donations and continue advocating for disclosure and divestment.” GWU issued a statement declaring Culver “has been barred from all GW's campuses and sponsored events elsewhere.” The moral clarity of these students is remarkable, given the increasingly harsh measures these schools have taken to silence those who speak up.7. Moving on, several major stories about the failing DOGE initiative have surfaced in recent days. First, Social Security. Listeners may recall that a DOGE engineer said “40% of phone calls made to [the Social Security Administration] to change direct deposit information come from fraudsters.” Yet, a new report by NextGov.com found that since DOGE mandated the SSA install new anti-fraud checks on claims made over the phone, “only two claims out of over 110,000 were found to likely be fraudulent,” or 0.0018%. What the policy has done however, is slow down payments. According to this piece, retirement claim processing is down 25%. Meanwhile, at the VA, DOGE engineer Sahil Lavingia, “found…a machine that largely functions, though it doesn't make decisions as fast as a startup might.” Lavingia added “honestly, it's kind of fine—because the government works. It's not as inefficient as I was expecting, to be honest. I was hoping for more easy wins.” This from Fast Company. Finally, CBS reports, “leaders of the United States Institute for Peace regained control of their offices Wednesday…after they were ejected from their positions by the Trump administration and [DOGE] in March.” This piece explains that On February 19th, President Trump issued Executive Order 14217 declaring USIP "unnecessary" and terminating its leadership, most of its 300 staff members, its entire board, installing a DOGE functionary at the top and transferring ownership of the building to the federal government. This set off a court battle that ended Monday, when U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the takeover was “unlawful” and therefore “null and void.” These DOGE setbacks might help explain Elon Musk's reported retreat from the political spotlight and political spending.8. On May 21st, Congressman Gerry Connolly passed away, following his battle with esophageal cancer. Connolly's death however is just the latest in a disturbing trend – Ken Klippenstein reports, “Connolly joins five other members of Congress who also died in office over the past 13 months…Rep. Raúl Grijalva…Rep. Sylvester Turner…Rep. Bill Pascrell…Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee…[and] Rep. Donald Payne Jr.” All of these representatives were Democrats and their deaths have chipped away at the close margin between Democrats and Republicans in the House – allowing the Republicans to pass Trump's “Big Beautiful Bill” by a single vote. Connolly himself prevailed over AOC in a much-publicized intra-party battle for the Ranking Member seat on the House Oversight committee. It speaks volumes that Connolly was only able to hold onto that seat for a few short months before becoming too sick to stay on. This is of course part and parcel with the recent revelations about Biden's declining mental acuity during his presidency and the efforts to oust David Hogg from the DNC for backing primaries against what he calls “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats.9. Speaking of “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats, Bloomberg Government reports Senator John Fetterman “didn't attend a single committee hearing in 2025 until…May 8, about a week after an explosive New York Magazine story raised questions about his mental health and dedication to his job.” Fetterman, who represents Pennsylvania on the Commerce, Agriculture, and Homeland Security committees skipped the confirmation hearings for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Budget Director Russ Vought, some of the most high-profile and controversial Trump appointments. Fetterman still has yet to attend a single Agriculture committee hearing in 2025.10. Finally, in more Pennsylvania news, the state held its Democratic primaries this week, yielding mixed results. In Pittsburgh, progressives suffered a setback with the ouster of Mayor Ed Gainey – the first Black mayor of the city. Gainey lost to Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor, the son of former Mayor Bob O'Connor, the Hill reports. In Philadelphia however, voters approved three ballot measures – including expanding affordable housing and adding more oversight to the prison system – and reelected for a third term progressive reform District Attorney Larry Krasner, per AP. Krasner has long been a target of conservatives in both parties, but has adroitly maneuvered to maintain his position – and dramatically reduced homicide rates in Philly. The Wall Street Journal reports Philadelphia homicides declined by 34% between 2023 and 2024, part of substantial decline in urban homicides nationwide. Kudos to Krasner.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

We're losing the penny… Jailbreak update… Annabelle still out there... Open AI buying startup io… Cloning possible?... Extinction on Netflix… www.blazetv.com/jeffy Promo code: Jeffy… Fountain of Youth on Apple TV+… Theater movies this weekend... Email: ChewingTheFat@theblaze.com Marvel delaying two Avengers movies...   TRANSISTION: oc: lets do that 26:32 ish…   Who Died Today: Michael McStay 92 / Congressman Gerry Connolly 75 / Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26… Plane crash in San Diego / six dead… Alan Alda / prosopagnosia / parkinsons… Game Show: What's The Lie? Contestant: Allen Blodgett, Returning Champion… Joke of The Day… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long-time Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly passed away unexpectedly this week. He was a fierce advocate for federal workers, a former chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and a frequent guest on The Politics Hour. Former U.S. Representative Tom Davis - and the man who held the 11th congressional district seat before Connolly was elected - shared his memories of the congressman.Connolly had an outsized impact on Fairfax County, from his work on the Board of Supervisors to representing Virginia's largest county in Congress. Virginia State Sen. Dave Marsden, representing parts of Fairfax County, joined the show to discuss Connolly's legacy. Plus, he talked about the commonwealth's financial future amid massive federal cuts and after the U.S. House passed a huge tax and spending bill. He'll also discussed what might be on the docket for next year's legislative session.A shooting on Wednesday night in front of the Capital Jewish Museum has many community members concerned. Ward 5 D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker discussed how the District is keeping the public safe. Plus, we asked him to weigh in on the RFK stadium deal, the mayor's budget proposal, how the city will prepare for President Trump's massive military parade, and World Pride, which starts this week.Send us questions and comments for guests: kojo@wamu.orgFollow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885Follow us on Bluesky: bsky.app/wamu.org

The Democratic-led legislature and the Republican governor are still at odds over how federal cuts will impact Virginia. Radio IQ politics analyst Jeff Schapiro and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

Hear Sherman's thoughts on three major stories this week (former President Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis, Rep. Gerry Connolly's passing, and the tragic shooting of two young staffers of the Israeli Embassy DC) and the value of the American people setting aside political differences to come together.The Hill (dated 5/18/2025): Biden's cancer diagnosis prompts bipartisan outpouring of supportMoment of bipartisanship between Rep. Connolly and Rep. Hice (Sept. 2022)Politico article (dated 5/22/2025): 'Something horrific like this was eventually going to happen': DC's Jewish community reels from Israeli Embassy staffers' killingsSupport the showVisit georgewashingtoninstitute.org to sign up for our e-mail list! The site is the one-stop shop of all things Friends & Fellow Citizens and George Washington Institute!JOIN as a Patreon supporter and receive a FREE Friends & Fellow Citizens mug at the $25 membership level!IMPORTANT NOTE/DISCLAIMER: All views expressed by the host are presented in his personal capacity and do not officially represent the views of any affiliated organizations. All views presented by guests are solely those of the interviewees themselves and may or may not reflect the views of their affiliated organizations, the host, Friends & Fellow Citizens, and/or The George Washington Institute.

If you're a certain age, Sean' Diddy' Combs was inescapable during some really formative years of your music-listening habits. The entertainment mogul and producer showed up in music videos, hosted a reality show, and had a clothing line. His label Bad Boy Records helped launch the careers of iconic names in Hip-Hop and R&B, like Mary J. Blige, Usher and Notorious B.I.G. Now, he's standing trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison, if convicted. Anne Branigin, a staff writer for The Washington Post has been covering the trial from the Manhattan courthouse. She joins us to talk about the latest developments in the case and what's still to come.And in headlines: The U.S. government officially accepted a $400 million Boeing 747 from Qatar, President Donald Trump lectured the president of South Africa about a 'white genocide' in his country that's not happening, and Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly passed away at 75 after a battle with esophageal cancer.Show Notes:Follow Anne for more coverage of the trial – www.washingtonpost.com/people/anne-branigin/Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Today's Headlines: Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia passed away at 75 from esophageal cancer, just weeks after announcing he would not seek re-election and being named the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. Meanwhile, President Trump hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, derailing trade discussions by screening a video alleging a white genocide in South Africa—claims Ramaphosa rejected. This comes as the administration continues to deport refugees from numerous countries while welcoming white Afrikaners. Separately, the DOJ has launched a criminal investigation into Andrew Cuomo over his COVID-era decisions as governor, raising suspicions of political motives ahead of his likely NYC mayoral bid against Eric Adams, whose own federal charges were recently dropped. The DOJ also announced it will dismiss police reform consent decrees in Louisville and Minneapolis and rescind earlier findings against the Phoenix Police Department, effectively reversing major civil rights investigations. Finally, a federal judge found the Trump administration in violation of a court order after it deported migrants—most not from South Sudan—to South Sudan, only for the flight to be rerouted to Djibouti, again without legal basis. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: CNN: Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly dies at 75 after battle with cancer  The Guardian: Trump makes baseless claims about white genocide in chaotic meeting with South Africa's president - live The NY Times: Justice Dept. Opens Inquiry Into Andrew Cuomo, Singling Out Another Political Target  Axios: Trump's DOJ to halt police reform deals in Louisville, Minneapolis  Axios: DOJ to drop civil rights probe into Phoenix police, rescind findings  NY Times: Judge Finds Trump Administration Violated Court Order With Deportation Flight to South Sudan  Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Butthurt Musk will not be giving money to campaigns for a while. Democratic legislator Gerry Connolly passed away with no one to replace him. Israel can't take out Iran's nukes without America's weapons of war. Speaking of Iran, former Fox load Pete Hegseth held a Christian/ Nazi prayer service at the Pentagon. Rightwing meathead Joe Rogan was bumped from the top of Youtube's podcast chart. McDonald's sold less crap as of late because the economy is tanking. Ninny loon Jack Hibbs suggested the founding fathers meant to ban Catholics from serving in the government. Supposedly, President Rape-Face is stressed about upcoming loan payments. The wording in a recent police-buffer law was a score for the side of good. Pat explained cypto and derivatives while Shelby barked. Finally, Elmo cried like a big apartheid nepo-baby because he's a sad little beyotch.

Today we learned about the passing of Representative Gerry Connolly. This was a shocking and sad day for everyone, and I want to pass along my condolences to the family and friends that are mourning the loss of a father, husband, mentor, leader, and friend. In this episode I give me thoughts about his passing and prayers for his family. VanMeterforVirginia.com Music-Scott Buckley-Monomyth, The Fury

Congressman Gerry Connolly made a big impact for his constituents in Congress, but he also made a big impact on the people who got to work with him every day. Here to share a glimpse into that daily environment is one of his former staffers, Wendy Ginsberg.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The oversight system that is supposed to watch over federal spendingAn inside look at Congressman Gerry Connolly's careerThe perfect storm drove payroll consolidation to successSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We begin this morning remembering the life of Congressman Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee who died yesterday morning. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last fall and said he would not seek re election next year. His colleagues are remembering him as a longtime advocate for the federal workforce and for modernizing government. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with me now to speak more about Congressman Connolly's impact.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Abby Livingston joins guest host Leigh Ann Caldwell to break down the challenges facing House Republicans in passing their legislative agenda, particularly Trump's “big, beautiful bill.” They highlight the tensions between the centrists and hardliners, the pressure on individual members, and, of course, the overarching influence of Trump. Then they dig into the race to replace Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly after his unfortunate passing yesterday. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode: UN aid enter Gaza; two staff members of the Israeli Embassy were killed in Washington; the latest on the GOP tax bill; Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth accepts a jet from Qatar; and North Korea fails to launch a naval destroyer. House Republicans pushing through an all-nighter trying to pass Trump's big bill. Budget cuts at Trump EPA become flashpoint at a heated hearing — and, Democrats say, may kill people. Judge bars Trump administration from shutting peace institute that sought to end violent conflicts. Trump confronts South African leader with baseless claims of the targeted killing of white farmers. Gerry Connolly, a Democratic congressman and fixture of Virginia politics, dies at 75. Judge vacates federal rules requiring employers to provide accommodations for abortions. Judge says the Trump administration violated a court order on deportations to third countries. Justice Department moves to cancel police reform settlements reached with Minneapolis and Louisville. New Orleans jail worker thought he was unclogging a toilet, not helping 10 escape, lawyer says. Fire at historic Black church in Memphis was intentionally set, investigators say. A Texas bill to clarify exceptions to the state's abortion ban clears a key hurdle after rocky path. Over boos, Columbia University president notes Mahmoud Khalil's absence at graduation. Flight at San Diego airport evacuated and 1 arrested following reports of a bomb threat. Former New York state trooper pleads guilty to faking his own shooting. Massachusetts 19-year-old pleading guilty to stealing, extorting teacher and student private data. Wall Street tumbles under the weight of rising Treasury yields and US debt worries. Jim Morrison bust stolen from Doors singer’s Paris grave in the ‘80s has finally been recovered. Rapper Kid Cudi to testify at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial this week. A shocking comeback for the Pacers opens the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, a Thunder star takes home the MVP award, the Stars rally furiously to take Game 1 of the Western Conference Final in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and an outspoken longtime NFL owner dies.  UK court puts last-minute block on a deal to hand Chagos islands to Mauritius. Iran insists it won't stop enriching uranium and agrees to new round of US talks. Pope Leo XIV calls for aid to reach Gaza and an end to hostilities in his first general audience. Report World's supply of critical minerals for clean energy is concentrated in fewer countries. The UN says no aid that has entered Gaza this week has reached Palestinians. —The Associated Press About this program Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate. Theme music The News Tonight, used under license from Soundstripe. YouTube clearance: ZR2MOTROGI4XAHRX

DAVID! David Waldman hasn't washed his clothes in days, but you can hardly tell that on today's podcast. GREG! And Greg Dworkin bellies up to the bar with another raft o' stories. If actor George Wendt had ever run for office, he would have been the one most voters would have wanted to have a beer with. RIP Rep. Gerry Connolly, although even that won't give him enough seniority to head some House committees. The TLDR bill is stuck while Gops who say they'll vote no but will definitely vote yes say they'll vote no. Sure, they will be wrecking the economy for people in the short run, but in the long run they will really wreck the economy for people, with the exception of those people that they will kill. Thomas Massie isn't falling in line at the moment, and at this moment Trump is mad about that. Donald won't keep his bib on... and keeps throwing his food on the floor... and keeps screaming… Oh for God's sake, just let him have his toy already! Maybe then he'll shut up and tell us his “new numbers” that he learned. What a smart boy! Ashli Babbitt's lawyers scored a big payday. Sure, beats working… maybe they can get the money directly from the police officers' families? On the other hand, police won't be held responsible for any future killings. An FBI Agent goes public with a Russian intelligence operation that hooked Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, while American intelligence is being rewritten to not incriminate Donald K. Trump. Joe Kent, who likes more those more MAGA friendly intelligence reports, has been cast as Trump's pretty boy to direct the National Counterterrorism Center. Amazingly, we are still allowed to have elections. Gops fight to flip a NY Senate seat in a blue territory that Trump won in. Meanwhile, “reform DA” Larry Krasner won his primary on his way to his election in Philadelphia.

President Donald Trump is hosting a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday. Trump has accused the country's government of allowing a “genocide” to take place against its minority white farmers. Ramaphosa pushed for the meeting with Trump in an attempt to salvage his country's relationship with the United States.Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia has died aged 75, his family said in a statement posted to his account on social media platform X on Tuesday following his cancer diagnosis last year.

Gerry Connolly, the longtime Virginia Democratic congressman responsible for some of the most influential federal IT reform legislation of the past two decades, died Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was 75. Connolly's family shared in a public message that the Northern Virginia congressman “passed away peacefully at his home this morning surrounded by family.” “Gerry lived his life to give back to others and make our community better. He looked out for the disadvantaged and voiceless,” they wrote. “He always stood up for what is right and just. He was a skilled statesman on the international stage, an accomplished legislator in Congress, a visionary executive on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, a fierce defender of democracy, an environmental champion, and a mentor to so many. But more important than his accomplishments in elected office, Gerry lived by the ethos of ‘bloom where you are planted.'” While Connolly served on a variety of committees during his 16-year career in the House of Representatives, including an assignment on the Committee on Foreign Relations that spanned the entirety of his service, he was most known in the federal technology community for his leadership on the Oversight and Reform Committee, during which he made agency accountability for modernization and cybersecurity a staple issue. A White House group helmed by national security adviser Stephen Miller and other homeland security-focused leaders has taken up a new focus: evaluating the federal government's powerful biometrics program. The Homeland Security Council is now working with federal agencies and departments to review “all biometrics programs to ensure they perform as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, told FedScoop on Tuesday. “The Safety and Security of the American People is the President's highest priority,” Jackson said. “Biometric screening and vetting programs are a vital part of the Administration's efforts to protect U.S. Citizens.” The review comes amid recent FedScoop reporting that the Department of Government Efficiency has extended its operations to the Office of Biometric Identity Management, a small but influential office within DHS that helps oversee one of the world's largest biometric databases. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on a Democratic congressman who has died.

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Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia died Wednesday morning at age 75, his family announced, according to CNN. In a statement, the family said Connolly died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones. Last month, Connolly announced he would not seek reelection and would step down from his leadership role on the House Oversight Committee following the return of his esophageal cancer, first diagnosed in November. He vowed transparency, saying he would continue serving “with grace.” Connolly had represented Virginia's 11th District since 2009 and previously served 14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. His family remembered him as a devoted public servant who championed justice and the voiceless, saying, “His absence will leave a hole in our hearts.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Northern Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly died Wednesday morning after a battle with cancer. Connolly served as chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors before being elected to Congress in 2008. Michael Pope reports on the life and legacy of the congressman.

The National Labor Relations Board's inspector general is conducting an investigation into the Department of Government Efficiency's work at the agency. In April, an IT staffer named Daniel Berulis filed an official whistleblower disclosure with Congress highlighting concerns over DOGE's practices at the NLRB and data that may have been removed from the agency. In response to the disclosure, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, requested an investigation in a letter to Luiz A. Santos, acting inspector general of the Labor Department, and Ruth Blevins, inspector general at the NLRB. Timothy Bearese, an attorney at the NLRB currently serving as its acting director of congressional and public affairs, told FedScoop that the agency has no comment but “can confirm that the OIG is conducting an investigation, as requested by Ranking Member Connolly.” Back In April, Bearese told NPR that the NLRB had not granted DOGE access to agency systems. At that time, he also said that there had been a past investigation based on Berulis' concerns that “determined that no breach of agency systems occurred.” A spokesperson for House Oversight Committee Democrats told FedScoop on Thursday that “there are multiple investigations into Elon Musk's violations of sensitive investigatory information at the NLRB.” House Oversight Democrats are asking a Treasury Department watchdog to open an investigation into DOGE's data and IT modernization dealings at the IRS following reports of an internal “hackathon” at the tax agency that may have involved Palantir. In a letter sent Thursday to Heather Hill, acting head of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, House Oversight ranking member Gerry Connolly, D-Va., cited “deep concern” over reporting in Wired last month that revealed plans for a 30-day sprint where DOGE engineers and a third-party vendor — potentially the data analytics giant Palantir — would create a new application programming interface connected to taxpayer data. That API, Wired reported, would essentially serve as a storage center for all IRS data and enable agency systems to interact with unknown cloud services. Building a “mega API” is likely connected to plans for a “master database” that also pulls in data from the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration, according to Wired, part of a Trump administration effort to track and surveil immigrants. “The reported data centralization and integration effort could undermine intentional compartmentalization of IRS systems,” which raises “serious privacy questions,” Connolly wrote. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

This week is mainly devoted to listener questions and feedback. First, Ralph answers some of the questions you have submitted over the past few weeks. Then we invite back last week's guest, Erica Payne, of Patriotic Millionaires, to respond to your very thoughtful comments on the interview we did with that group's plan for preserving democracy by taxing the rich. Plus, Ralph highlights the outrages of the Trump/Musk assault on government programs that help ordinary people.Erica Payne is the founder and president of Patriotic Millionaires, an organization of high-net-worth individuals that aims to restructure America's political economy to suit the needs of all Americans. Their work includes advocating for a highly progressive tax system, a livable minimum wage, and equal political representation for all citizens. She is the co-author, with Morris Pearl, of Tax the Rich: How Lies, Loopholes and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer.The real reason for taxation is democracy protection.Erica PayneI think the question is not: do we need to fix the estate tax? The question is: what is the best, most defensible mechanism through which you can tax the transfer of wealth from one generation to the other in order to protect American democracy from dynastic wealth—that is sufficient that you find five generations from now Elon Musk's kid isn't spending as much money on these elections as their great great great great great granddaddy is.Erica PayneAusterity applied at a federal level to a society that is in distress does the exact opposite of what the proponents of austerity are saying it should do. The tightening of the belt actually cuts off the circulation of the society.Erica PayneNews 5/9/251. While the Catholic clergy convene in Rome for the Papal Conclave, Pope Francis graces the world with one final gift. Vatican News reports, “His popemobile, the very vehicle from which he waved and was close to millions of faithful all around the world, is being transformed into a mobile health unit for the children of Gaza.” This article states this was Francis' “final wish,” and quotes his refrain that “Children are not numbers. They are faces. Names. Stories. And each one is sacred.” The vehicle is reportedly being outfitted with equipment for “diagnosis, examination, and treatment – including rapid tests for infections, diagnostic instruments, vaccines, suture kits, and other life-saving supplies,” and it will be staffed by doctors and medics. Yet, given Israel's track record for the destruction of medical facilities in Gaza, it is unclear how long this mobile health unit itself will survive.2. In more distressing news from Gaza, CNN reports that “A Gaza-bound activist aid ship [part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition] caught fire and issued an SOS, after what its organizers claimed was an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta…[on] Friday.” Per CNN, the ship was due to make port in Malta and pick up “a large contingent of activists” there before departing for Gaza. These included environmental activist Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright. Thunberg said this flotilla “is one of many attempts to open up a humanitarian corridor and…[try] to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza,” adding “for two months now, not a single bottle of water has entered Gaza…it's a systematic starvation of 2 million people.” The United Nations World Food Programme said this week “its warehouses are…empty; soup kitchens that are still running are severely rationing their last stocks; and what little food remains in Gaza's markets is being sold for exorbitant prices that most cannot afford.”3. Pro-Palestine activists scored a major victory in Michigan this week. The Guardian reports, “Michigan's attorney general, Dana Nessel, announced on Monday that she was dropping all charges against seven pro-[Palestine] demonstrators arrested last May at a University of Michigan encampment.” As this report notes, “The announcement came just moments before the judge was to decide on a defense motion to disqualify Nessel's office over alleged bias.” The Guardian itself published a major report “detailing Nessel's extensive personal, financial and political connections to university regents calling for the activists to be prosecuted,” last October. Defense attorney Amir Makled is quoted saying “This was a case of selective prosecution…rooted in bias, not in public safety issues…We're hoping this sends a message to other institutions locally and nationally that protest is not a crime, and dissent is not disorder.”4. In another legal victory, Prem Thakker reported on May 6th that “A federal court has [denied] the Trump administration's attempt to move Mahmoud Khalil's case…out of New Jersey.” The government attempted to move the venue to Louisiana, where they have Khalil detained. A press release by the ACLU, their New York and New Jersey affiliates, and the Center for Constitutional Rights states, “It is the fundamental job of the judiciary to stand up to…government manipulation of our basic rights. We hope the court's order sends a strong message to other courts around the country facing government attempts to shop for favorable jurisdictions by moving people detained on unconstitutional immigration charges around and making it difficult or impossible for their lawyers to know where to seek their immediate release.”5. Trump has released his budget for Fiscal Year 2026. This budget cuts nondefense spending by 23%, per Reuters, while allocating 75% of discretionary spending to military and police, per Stephen Semler of the Cost of War Project. This includes a 13% increase in military spending that tips the Pentagon budget over $1 trillion for the first time. So much for increasing government efficiency.6. At the same time, this country's infrastructure and transportation safety agencies continue to crumble. Just this week, NPR reported “Hundreds of flight delays and cancellations…[hit]… Newark Liberty International Airport at once: [due to] air traffic controller staffing shortages, aging technology, bad weather and the closure of one of the airport's busiest runways.” The air traffic controller staffing shortages, a chronic issue, has been compounded in recent months by the mass layoffs initiated by the Trump administration. NBC News reports that one air traffic controller handling Newark airspace said, “Don't fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs.”7. It might be nice to have competent, energetic leadership among the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee right about now. Unfortunately, the party opted to install 75-year-old, cancer-ridden Gerry Connolly to serve as Ranking Member on that committee instead of AOC. Now, Axios reports Connolly is stepping down from this position after just four months and will not seek reelection to his seat in Congress, citing his declining health. AOC, once-bitten, has opted not to seek the position a second time, the Hill reports. Instead, the top contenders emerging to fill Conolly's seat are Stephen Lynch, a 70-year-old Congressman who won his seat in 2001 and is currently filling Conolly's role on an interim basis, and Eleanor Holmes-Norton, the non-voting delegate representing Washington D.C. Norton is the most senior Democrat on the committee at 87-years-old, having assumed office in 1991.8. Another ghost is coming back to haunt the Democrats: former Senator Bob Menendez. The New Jersey Globe reports, “The New Jersey Attorney General's office will seek a court order to permanently bar…Menendez from ever holding public employment in the state following his conviction on federal corruption charges last year.” Critically if a Superior Court judge approves the action, Menendez could lose his state pension. Menendez still draws over $1,000 per month from his New Jersey public employee pension, even after being sentenced to 11 years in prison for corruption last July. More recently, Menendez has sought to cozy up to Trump in an effort to obtain a pardon. So far, no dice.9. In some positive news, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum continues an unbelievable run. Back in April, KJZZ reported that Mexico will invest nearly $3 billion in “food sovereignty,” to “produce more staples like corn, beans and rice in Mexico over the next five years.” This money will be directed at small and medium sized farms in Mexico and is intended to anchor both the rural economy and the nation's food supply amidst the growing uncertainty of trade with the United States vis a vis Trump's erratic trade policy. Then, after May Day, Labor Minister Marath Bolaños said that “before the end of President Claudia Sheinbaum's term…the government would gradually install a…40-hour workweek,” Mexico News Daily reports. The standard workweek in Mexico currently sits at 48 hours. As this report notes, the 40-hour workweek is Number 60 on Sheinbaum's list of 100 promises. Americans can only dream of having a government that even makes that many promises, let alone keeps them. Perhaps the most impressive of Sheinbaum's recent actions however is her recent rejection of Trump's attempt to strongarm her into allowing American troops to enter Mexico. Democracy Now! reports Sheinbaum told the American president, “The territory is sacrosanct. Sovereignty is sacrosanct. Sovereignty is not for sale.”10. Finally, on the other end of the presidential spectrum, there's Trump furiously posting on Truth Social about the “Movie Industry in America…DYING a very fast death,” deeming that this is “a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,” and threatening a “100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.” Obviously, this screed is basically nonsensical and it remains to be seen what will actually come of this threat, but what is notable is the response from organized labor. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) issued a statement threading the needle between supporting Trump's effort to “return and maintain U.S. film and television jobs, while not…harming the industry overall.” On the other hand, the Teamsters – led by Sean O'Brien who has tied himself to Trump more and more since he spoke at the 2024 RNC – issued a statement “thank[ing] President Trump for boldly supporting good union jobs when others have turned their heads.” Would such a policy truly revitalize the workforce of the American entertainment industry? We'll have to wait for the sequel to find out.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

In episode 121, we dive into:* Socialism vs Communism & Socialism vs Democratic Socialism* The Progressive Platform in the U.S.* The media coverage of Bernie Sanders & his messaging* The media coverage of AOC & her messagingSources:* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and socialism, explained* Socialism - Definition, Origins & Countries* How Did 'Socialism' Become a Dirty Word in America? | History* How Are Socialism and Communism Different? | HISTORY* Socialist vs. Capitalist Political Systems: Ideologies, Operations, and Impact on Society* Understanding the Political Spectrum from Left to Right* Congressional Progressive Caucus – The Progressive Promise* The Free Lance Star - March 5, 1985* The Telegraph – March 4, 1987* The Newburgh-Beacon Evening News - March 7, 1989* The Sunday Telegraph - November 11, 1990* Toledo Blade – February 25, 1999* The Item – February 13, 2001* 14 things Bernie Sanders has said about socialism - POLITICO* Bernie Sanders's speech defining democratic socialism, explained | Vox* Bernie Sanders - Policies* AOC - Policies* How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the race that shocked the country - City & State New York* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "Call me a radical" - YouTube* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | SXSW 2019 - YouTube* AOC Shoutout to my fellow radicals, who think we shouldn't live under the thumb of $7 minimum wage* AOC vs. GOP: The Long List of Smears and Insults Hurled at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - Newsweek* Trump lauds AOC: 'She's got a spark that's pretty amazing'* Gerry Connolly defeats AOC to become top Democrat on Oversight Committee - CBS News* Ocasio-Cortez's future uncertain after House Oversight defeat* One Vote | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez* Rep. Ocasio-Cortez fundraising soars as she blasts TrumpConnect with USS:* Substack* Instagram* TikTokThis episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:* Website* Instagram Get full access to United SHE Stands at www.unitedshestands.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.comRob gives us an update on the Canadian elections, we explore where the NDP goes from here as their numbers continue to shrink and examine how Mark Carney and the Liberals might strategize with a minority government. We also talk about the US/China trade war, David Hogg ruffling feathers at the DNC and Gerry Connolly a…

We made it, ya'll. One hundred days of President Donald Trump's second term down. Only 1,362 to go…. not that we're counting (we're definitely counting). While the White House is pushing the narrative that Trump's early days have been an unmitigated success, the American public clearly feels otherwise. A bunch of new polls show the president's approval rating hovering around 40 percent. He's also underwater on every issue respondents were asked about, from the economy to immigration. Jon Favreau, co-host of Pod Save America and founder of Crooked Media, stops by to help make sense of the 100-day wreckage and where we go from here.And in headlines: Spain and Portugal entered a second Dark Age amid a massive power outage, Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly announced his retirement, and Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a unilateral temporary ceasefire in May in honor of the Russian holiday Victory Day.Show Notes:Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Fighter jets are just falling off the back of our aircraft carriers now in yet another Keystone Kops-ass bungle in the Red Sea. Gerry Connolly announces he'll step down from the oversight committee in another moment of glory for the funeral home waiting room of Democratic leadership. Will reads us a profile of a new up-and-coming conservative influencer so annoying it drives Felix to the brink of rage-quitting. Alex Nichols returns to the pod to discuss these stories and more on today's program. We are putting a limited number of overstock copies of ¡No Pasarán! Matt Christman's Spanish Civil War next Wednesday, April 30th at 8am Pacific Time at: https://chapotraphouse.store/

We are deeply saddened to share that Congressman Gerry Connolly has resigned as Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, citing his ongoing battle with esophageal cancer. Congressman Connolly has been a dedicated public servant throughout his career, and we send him and his family strength and support during this difficult time. But as Don warned back in December, the Democratic Party missed an important opportunity. Instead of selecting a younger, more dynamic leader like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they stuck with the "safe" choice, and now find themselves scrambling for new leadership at a critical moment. Join Don as he revisits the warning he gave months ago, and breaks down what this moment means for the future of Democratic leadership, and why bold choices matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I discuss my thoughts on Gerry Connolly's announcement today that he will be stepping back as Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee. Gerry has also announced he will not be seeking re-election, which means the 11th Congressional District in Virginia will have a new face. VanMeterforVirginia.com Music-Scott Buckley-Monomyth, The Fury

It was a busy news weekend so it's a pretty jam-packed show today. First Emma and Sam take in the latest Trump administration spin on the blowback from their self-imposed tariff disaster. After that, they're joined by The Nation's legal analyst and justice correspondent Elie Mystal who breaks down some of the overarching legal issues that have emerged in Trump's first 100 days. Elie also has a new book out, “Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America" which is available here: https://thenewpress.org/books/bad-law/  Also check out Elie's writing in The Nation: In a Normal World, Harvard's Lawsuit Against Trump Would Be a Slam Dunk: https://www.thenation.com/authors/elie-mystal/  Did the Supreme Court Just Grow a Spine? https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/did-the-supreme-court-just-grow-a-spine/ After that, Sam and Emma react to the news that Rep. Gerry Connolly is stepping down as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee due to his worsening health. Basically at this point there's no good reason that the party shouldn't back AOC to replace him. In the Fun Half, Sam, Emma and Matt react to "Mr. Wonderful" attacking AOC by saying she's against the American dream because she's rallying tens of thousands of people against oligarchs. Then, Republican congressman Mike Lawler gets shouted out by a room full of his constituents over his acquiescence to Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker is in New Hampshire (gee, I wonder why) where he gave a fiery speech where he calls for mass protests against the Trump administration, saying that Republicans "must not know peace." Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today's sponsors: Liquid IV: Get 20% off your first order at LIQUIDIV.COM Use code MAJORITYREP at checkout. Prolon: ProlonLife.com/majority Get 15% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Nutrition Program Smalls: For 50% off your first order, head to Smalls.com and use code MAJORITY Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @RussFinkelstein Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

The director of the National Science Foundation announced his departure Thursday after five years at the agency. In a brief public statement, Sethuraman Panchanathan said he was stepping down effective Thursday and called it “an honor and privilege to serve as the Director of NSF.” He also informed employees at NSF in an internal memorandum viewed by FedScoop. “I believe I have done all I can to advance the critical mission of the agency and feel that it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership,” Panchanathan said in the public statement. Panchanathan assumed the role as NSF director during the first administration of President Donald Trump and carried on under Joe Biden. Under his leadership, the department launched its 27 AI institutes, began its Technology, Innovation, and Partnership Directorate, which has funded regional hubs for innovation across the U.S., and started the National AI Research Resource pilot project. His departure comes soon after the agency began terminating grants that didn't comply with the priorities of the current administration, including items related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and misinformation and disinformation. A bipartisan pair of House lawmakers are pushing for the reauthorization of the law that launched the Technology Modernization Fund. Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Thursday reintroduced the Modernizing Government Technology Act, which largely mimics legislation introduced during the last Congress, just with an updated sunset date of 2032 instead of 2031. The bill revises and adds some additional requirements to the original Modernizing Government Technology Act, which passed in 2017. Connolly said in a press release that the reauthorization bill is a “welcome show of support for the [TMF] and the critical goal that drove its creation — bringing federal IT into the 21st century.” The bill looks to increase the TMF's effectiveness by creating new reporting requirements for the federal chief information officer and agency CIOs, requiring a list of high-risk legacy IT systems that are used, operated or maintained by the agency, according to the bill's text. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

The U.S. Agency for International Development is taking its final steps toward shuttering, sending a memo last Thursday to bureau heads focused on recruiting workers on administrative leave to assist with final steps required to decommission the agency. The memo states that the “default position” is that all staff are reporting to work — except those who have been requested and approved to go on administrative leave — and that USAID employees may be asked to work beyond their typical subject areas and to help with other projects. Those based in a bureau or independent office are supposed to have a space allotment, though managers are instructed to minimize the need for people to be shifted in and out of work. Teams that do not have an onsite presence will need to return to the office for “closeout procedures,” the email adds. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to White House officials Monday expressing serious concerns about the recent installation of Starlink internet service in the executive branch complex. The letter, which was signed by Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Shontel Brown, D-Ohio and shared exclusively with FedScoop, comes amid reports that Starlink — provided by Elon Musk's SpaceX — is now integrated into the White House property's IT systems. The members of Congress are also flagging the use of the internet service at the General Services Administration. A physical Starlink terminal connects to the low-Earth orbit satellite constellation that provides the internet service. But the White House has gone further than simply purchasing that equipment — the service has now been connected and routed into an administration data center. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

A bipartisan group of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members reintroduced a bill Thursday that aims to overhaul federal software purchasing for better efficiency and reduced costs. The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets (SAMOSA) Act would make agencies conduct “comprehensive” software inventories and undergo independent assessments of management practices and contracts.The legislation, which is backed by several leading software trade groups, would also require agency chief information officers to create a plan to adopt enterprise licensing agreements in order to improve costs and negotiating power against vendors. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget would have to publish a governmentwide strategy for software modernization based on audits and plans. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who introduced the bill with Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., April McClain Delaney, D-Md., and Pat Fallon, R-Texas, said in a statement that the government spends money on software that “it doesn't need, doesn't use or already has.” The Trump administration's council of federal CIOs has so far been much like a carousel at some agencies, with officials who frequently associated with DOGE coming in and out of the top tech role. The Social Security Administraiton is the latest such agency to trade out one DOGE staffer for another. The Social Security Administration has tapped a DOGE associate named Scott Coulter as its new chief information officer, replacing another member of the Elon Musk-led group who spent a little more than a month in the role. Coulter, a Harvard graduate with a background in investment management, was added to SSA's org chart this week as CIO. Mike Russo, who started as the agency's top IT official Feb. 3, according to an SSA spokesperson, is now listed as senior advisor to the commissioner. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Fairfax County, VA, County Supervisor James Walkinshaw as he navigates the significant  impact of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency  on his community amid firings of federal employees who safeguard our national security, energy, social security, public health, and much more. Walkinshaw discusses how these cuts impact families, morale, and the politics of Virginia. He also talks about his path to public office, from his decade serving as Chief of Staff to Congressman Gerry Connolly to his transition to local office, worrying about sewer lines and trash, which he finds even more rewarding. Tune in to hear Walkinshaw's outlook on Virginia's elections later this year and what they might mean for the rest of the country in 2026 and 2028. IN THIS EPISODE:  • [01:04] Introducing County Supervisor James Walkinshaw and our conversation with him. • [02:21] How the Federal workforce is responding to Elon Musk and DOGE. • [04:29] Walkinshaw's perspective on the Federal Government's ability to respond to national need. • [06:50] The shifting role of nonpartisan governance and the future of government careers. • [09:03] Why Supervisor Walkinshaw likes to think of local government as the end of the line. • [11:47] What local government focuses on and how this interacts with its other levels. • [14:13] Addressing the changing needs of the fast-growing Fairfax County. • [17:00] His journey to public service as a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. • [19:43] What keeps him motivated to stay in politics through difficult times. • [21:56] Advice for anyone who wants to run for local office. • [24:34] Navigating politics in the vast state of Virginia in 2025. • [29:02] The political response to the shocking shifts that have recently occurred in the federal government.  

A group of 21 engineers, data scientists, designers, project managers and other tech experts resigned from their positions at the U.S. Digital Service on Tuesday, writing in a letter to the White House that they would not “carry out or legitimize” the actions of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The technologists said in their letter that they all left senior tech positions in the private sector to “pursue nonpartisan public service” and “stood ready to partner with incoming officials” as the Trump transition unfolded. But over the course of the past month, the staffers said it became clear that they could “no longer honor those commitments” at USDS, rebranded in January as the United States DOGE Service. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a top federal IT advocate on Capitol Hill, has called for the Office of Personnel Management to rescind its recent guidance pushing for federal agencies to redesignate chief information officer roles in a way that could make them more political. In a letter sent to acting OPM Director Charles Ezell on Tuesday, Connolly requested that the federal HR agency rescind its Feb. 4 memo “Guidance Regarding Redesignating SES CIO Positions,” which recommends that federal agencies with senior executive service CIO positions designated as “career reserved” should redesignate those roles to be “general.” The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

It's News Day Tuesday! Sam and Emma speak with Gil Duran, journalist based in California, proprietor of the website The Nerd Reich, co-writer of the FrameLab newsletter, to discuss his recent piece in The Nerd Reich entitled "'Reboot' Revealed: Elon Musk's CEO-Dictator Playbook." First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Trump/Elon's abject refusal to follow court orders, the release of the White House Ethics Czar, the repeal of a ban on bribing foreign officials, the DOJ dropping its case against Eric Adams in an open case of blackmail, Trump's gutting of the CFPB, Oregon Nurses' ongoing labor battle, IRS and ICE, Mike Johnson's Budget, and Hegseth's revival of Fort Bragg, before diving a little deeper into the open insanity of the ongoing collusion between Eric Adams and the Trump Regime. Gil Duran then joins, diving right into the concept of the Network State – an idea advanced by Big Tech's thought leader Curtis Yarvin and his billionaire buddies (Thiel, Andreessen, Musk, etc) that Tech CEOs should take advantage of the collapse of Nation States and democracy in favor of establishing corporate, CEO-run dictatorship, either by gutting and replacing existing governments or purchasing sovereign territories – as Duran unpacks his first introduction to this ideology with Silicon Valley's attempt to hijack San Francisco's political institutions, before parsing a little deeper through the recent, much more public discussions of this theory advanced by the likes of Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and Curtis Yarvin. After expanding on how we are already seeing the blueprint for a Network State in action, with Trump serving as a figurehead to a Tech CEO's gutting of our administrative and democratic institutions in favor of sycophants and centralized power, Duran looks to how this came to be the active ideology of the GOP so quickly, unpacking how the collapse of the Biden campaign and naming of JD Vance as Trump's VP opened up an opportunity for the Big Tech to step in, starting with Elon's massive public $300m investment and culminating in Yarvin's Reboot conference in San Francisco last September, exploring the obvious parallels between Big Tech's dictator obsession and the GOP's white nationalism and parsing through their unified scapegoating of “woke” and “DEI” in the leadup to the election to the point of completely dominating both mainstream and social media (bolstered by the financial leverage and ownership Big Tech has over those institutions). Next, Gil, Sam, and Emma unpack the major challenges facing the Trump-Musk regime, as Trump is on his last legs with no other favorable alternative in sight while any failure to maintain control over both political and media institutions potentially meaning a complete upending of their “progress,” not to mention the obvious lack of preparedness (or ability) for this institution to deal with any real public or institutional opposition – the latter of which seems to be particularly hopeless among Democratic leadership – wrapping up by emphasizing the genuine insecurity this regime faces in the face of public scrutiny and touching on the potential danger of Big Tech's goal of replacing the US Dollar with Bitcoin. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch Rep. Gerry Connolly – aka Pelosi's pick to take over AOC's bid for Oversight chair –  embody the Democrats' impotence amid an ongoing threat to US Democracy, parse through some highlights from a “Hands off our CFPB” rally, and unpack Hakeem Jeffries' claim (and thus failure to address) that access to healthcare is an established right. They also touch on the ongoing GOP push to gut your Medicaid/Medicare and Social Security, before basking in the hilarity of Milo Yiannopoulos questioning Tim Pool's failure to background check the millions he was getting from Russia, plus, your IMs!   It's News Day Tuesday! Sam and Emma speak with Gil Duran, journalist based in California, proprietor of the website The Nerd Reich, co-writer of the FrameLab newsletter, to discuss his recent piece in The Nerd Reich entitled "'Reboot' Revealed: Elon Musk's CEO-Dictator Playbook." 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On this week's episode of 'The Saturday Show with Jonathan Capehart': two major stories tonight. First, NTSB investigators share new information from the flight data recorders recovered after the deadly crash of a passenger jet and military helicopter.   Aviation analyst Jeff Guzzetti unpacks the importance of the new findings. We also have breaking news on President Trump's newly imposed tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China.  Rep. Gerry Connolly and Rep. Glenn Ivey weigh in on the cost to American consumers, and the flurry of chaos during the second week of Donald Trump's presidency.  All that and more on “The Saturday Show with Jonathan Capehart.” 

House Democrats choose not to elevate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, arguably the party's most compelling messenger, to Ranking Member on the House Oversight Committee—instead selecting 74-year-old Gerry Connolly, a committee lifer with no national reach. Jon and Dan discuss the magnitude of this missed opportunity, House Republicans laying the groundwork for an FBI investigation of Liz Cheney, whether Democrats should play ball on government funding, and a new effort to clamp down on progressive fundraising spam. Then, longtime immigration advocate Cecilia Muñoz stops by to talk with Jon about how Democrats found themselves out of the mainstream on the issue, and how we can win back voters' trust without compromising our values.

President-elect Donald Trump made good on his promise late Monday to sue The Des Moines Register, the newspaper's former pollster, Ann Selzer, and the paper's parent company, Gannett. His lawyers argue that Selzer's early November poll showing Vice President Kamala Harris beating Trump in Iowa amounted to "election interference." The suit comes on the heels of ABC News' decision to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump. Dylan Byers, media reporter and founding partner of Puck News, explains what it could mean for coverage of Trump's second term. Later in the show, Crooked correspondent and longtime climate reporter Stephanie Ebbs breaks down the Biden Administration's rush to spend funds for clean energy projects tied to the Inflation Reduction Act.And in headlines: Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly beat New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in the contest to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect is charged with murder, and Ukraine claimed credit for the killing of a senior Russian general in Moscow.Show Notes:Check out Dylan's reporting – puck.news/author/dylan-byers/Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday