Podcast appearances and mentions of Matt Bai

Since Republicans took over government in January, Democrats haven't been able to find a unified message or opposition strategy. While Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tour the country speaking to massive crowds about fighting billionaires, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is taking heat for supporting a Republican-led budget plan. How can the Democrats get out of the wilderness? Columnists Dana Milbank, Shadi Hamid and Matt Bai discuss the need for a fresh philosophy and a messenger from outside of Washington.Additional reading by our columnists:Dana Milbank: My month of living RepublicanlyShadi Hamid: Why half of America is cheering for chaosMatt Bai: Where is the anti-Trump resistance?Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Elon Musk, the unelected billionaire tasked by President Trump with finding government efficiencies, is in many ways treating the federal bureaucracy as if it's a private company he just bought. Columnists Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank and Matt Bai talk about Musk and Trump's strategy to demoralize those they can't fire, whether they're actually saving any money with his actions and what sort of legal hiccups they are running into along the way.

The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson captivated America, as it played out in an almost cinematic fashion. But there are disturbing issues underneath this crime – the simmering anger over health-care costs and the growing normalization of violence in the United States. The Post's David Von Drehle talks with columnists Molly Roberts and Matt Bai about what it means when citizens try to take justice into their own hands.Read the Washington Post column by Catherine Rampell referenced in the podcast: "Fan club for suspected shooter is a symptom of burn-it-all-down populism"

Donald Trump's election might feel like déjà vu. But America is in a different place than it was eight years ago. Contributing columnists Amanda Ripley, Matt Bai and Theodore Johnson talk through how they're thinking about Trump's second term, how to set boundaries between the personal and political, and what type of civic involvement is actually useful.

[This blog will always be free to read, but it's also how I pay my bills. If you have suggestions or feedback on how I can earn your paid subscription, shoot me an email: cmclymer@gmail.com.]Yesterday, just before noon, The Washington Post, through CEO William Lewis, announced it would not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, the first time the nation's third-largest daily newspaper by circulation hasn't done so in nearly four decades.The announcement was shocking for two immediate reasons.The most grave—and, frankly, terrifying—reason is that the United States is obviously at threat of sliding into a horrific dictatorship from which it's difficult to see how we'd ever recover. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have made it abundantly clear that they aspire to devolve our nation into the world's most powerful authoritarian regime. One need look no further than the chilling plans outlined in Project 2025.But there are many other warning signs, too. A small sampling:There's Trump openly praising Hitler's generals, according to his former chief-of-staff John Kelly (himself a retired four-star Marine Corps general), just the latest marker of fascist narcissism in Trump's very long and documented history of being obsessed with dictators.There's Trump repeatedly pledging to carry out the largest deportation of undocumented migrants in American history, a sweat-lipped plan made in blustering tones that somehow manages to exceed its inherent cruelty with an inexplicable failure to understand basic economics.(Not only is it logistically impossible to deport our nation's 11 million undocumented migrants, not only would it cost taxpayers an estimated quarter trillion to do so, but the American economy would completely collapse from the loss in labor force.)There's Trump's flagrant disregard for the Constitution and the rule of law: an indictment that resulted in a guilty verdict on 34 felony counts (his sentencing for that is on Nov. 26th), three other pending indictments on 52 more felony counts, two impeachments, being found liable for defamation of a woman he raped, etc.Oh, and, of course, there's Trump's frequent statements to serve past the constitutional limit of two terms as president (I'm sure he's just kidding), and the extremist conservative majority of the Supreme Court ruling last year that Trump is essentially a king beyond accountability for official acts in office.That's all an abbreviated version of why Donald Trump is obviously unfit.The second reason is The Washington Post's abdication of journalistic integrity under the ownership of Jeff Bezos, a development that is especially chilling for a publication that has long prided itself on being the vanguard for American democracy and free speech.The storied newspaper has won 76 Pulitzer Prizes over its history—second only to The New York Times—one of which was for the investigative reporting by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein that eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon. Another was for the reporting on the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.The Washington Post has long been synonymous with the essential role of the free press in a healthy, functioning democracy in the same manner we associate Babe Ruth with baseball or July Fourth with fireworks or Dolly Parton with a clean soul.And so, it was with great confusion and incredulity that I read Mr. Lewis' painfully shameless attempt to justify the decision. He sure did try to put on a powdered wig and insist that the bowl of s**t he wanted to feed to the American public was actually chicken soup for the American soul.Most curiously, in writing about The Washington Post's history of largely declining to endorse presidential candidates prior to 1976, he stated that year's endorsement for then-Gov. Jimmy Carter was made “for understandable reasons at the time…”Did you catch that? He's obliquely referencing Watergate, the scandal that brought down Nixon with reporting by the paper — Nixon, who, by any measurable standard, comes across like Lincoln when compared to Trump.Mr. Lewis, for some odd reason, thought it persuasive to essentially say: “Look, we don't regret endorsing Carter because Nixon was terrible, but also: Trump is not nearly terrible enough to justify continuing this dangerous practice of presidential endorsements.”Furthermore, aside from the dollar store cheap imitation of logic, he failed to mention in his desperate, sorry excuse for rationalizing that The Washington Post, for the past several weeks, had been drafting an approved endorsement for Vice President Harris.He failed to mention that the endorsement was still on track a week ago, and there was no indication that it would be halted for any reason, let alone on the rather cringe-inducing reasoning he put forward in his announcement.He failed to mention that Trump met today with corporate leaders of aerospace company Blue Origin—also owned by Bezos—which is, at best, godawful timing or a pretty clear signal of Bezos' reasoning in killing the endorsement. Maybe both.Probably both.If none of this makes sense, you're far from alone. It completely failed to persuade the staff and alums of The Washington Post. Conservative columnist and editor-at-large Robert Kagan immediately resigned in protest. Sixteen other Washington Post columnists—Perry Bacon Jr., Matt Bai, Max Boot, E.J. Dionne Jr., Lee Hockstader, David Ignatius, Heather Long, Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank, Alexandra Petri, Catherine Rampell, Eugene Robinson, Jennifer Rubin, Karen Tumulty, and Erik Wemple—published this statement on the paper's website:The Washington Post's decision not to make an endorsement in the presidential campaign is a terrible mistake. It represents an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love. This is a moment for the institution to be making clear its commitment to democratic values, the rule of law and international alliances, and the threat that Donald Trump poses to them — the precise points The Post made in endorsing Trump's opponents in 2016 and 2020. There is no contradiction between The Post's important role as an independent newspaper and its practice of making political endorsements, both as a matter of guidance to readers and as a statement of core beliefs. That has never been more true than in the current campaign. An independent newspaper might someday choose to back away from making presidential endorsements. But this isn't the right moment, when one candidate is advocating positions that directly threaten freedom of the press and the values of the Constitution.Mr. Woodward and Mr. Bernstein issued this statement:We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 12 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post's own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy. Under Jeff Bezos's ownership, the Washington Post's news operation has used its abundant resources to rigorously investigate the danger and damage a second Trump presidency could cause to the future of American democracy and that makes this decision even more surprising and disappointing, especially this late in the electoral process.Retired WaPo executive editor Martin Baron, who led the paper from 2012 thru 2021, including the tumultuous years of Trump's presidency, responded with a scathing statement: “This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty. Donald Trump will see this as invitation to further intimidate owner Jeff Bezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”The Washington Post Guild—the paper's employee union—had this to say:We are deeply concerned that The Washington Post—an American news institution in the nation's capital—would make the decision to no longer endorse presidential candidates, especially a mere 11 days ahead of an immensely consequential election. The role of an Editorial Board is to do just this: to share opinion on the news impacting our society and culture and endorse candidates to help guide readers.The message from our chief executive, Will Lewis—not from the Editorial Board itself—makes us concerned that management interfered with the work of our members in Editorial. According to our own reporters and Guild members, an endorsement for Harris was already drafted, and the decision to not publish was made by The Post's owner, Jeff Bezos. We are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers. This decision undercuts the work of our members at a time when we should be building our readers' trust, not losing it.Washington Post editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes published this jarring work on the paper's website, titling it “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” referencing WaPo's official slogan that was introduced in 2017, just a month after Trump took office.As of 7:30pm yesterday, Semafor's Max Tani reported that at least 2,000 subscriptions to the paper had been canceled in the previous 24 hours, the overwhelming bulk of those likely being in the seven-and-a-half hours following the announcement from Mr. Lewis. Numerous public figures—including Stephen King, Mark Hamill, Jon Cryer, and former Congresswoman Marie Newman—publicly announced they were cancelling their own subscriptions.Last night, I made the same decision. I had heard rumblings early in the morning from friends in media that WaPo was about to announce a non-endorsement, credible enough that I mentioned it during a 10am meeting with colleagues and they were understandably shocked.I spent most of yesterday morning and afternoon, in the midst of a very busy schedule, privately agonizing over what I would do as a subscriber.Over the years, I've published a number of op-eds in The Washington Post, pieces of which I'm quite proud in a paper I've put on a pedestal since I was a kid, and I've worked with numerous editors and reporters at the outlet whom I admire for their professionalism and public service.It is not lost on me that cancelling a newspaper subscription will not hurt Jeff Bezos but will hurt those employed at the paper.And yet, as much as my heart breaks for the staff of The Washington Post, who haven't done anything to deserve this, I am still left with the simple truth that if Bezos is willing to kill an endorsement 11 days out, whether out of fear or ambition, what else is he willing to do with the paper?There are numerous journalists at the outlet doing critical work, but how we do know anymore when Jeff Bezos is putting his thumb on the scale, backed up by a complicit CEO who blatantly lies about the paper's direction?There have to be consequences for an action this brazen and irresponsible and dangerous for our democracy. Something's gotta give. I respect the decisions of other subscribers, but I simply cannot stomach giving another dime in reward to a publication with such great influence that can be used to do such great harm moving forward.It is my hope that there will be a time, after Vice President Harris is elected, after Trump is held accountable, after the craven capitalists of media have learned there's not much to be made in the long run from these corrupt and shameless tactics, that The Washington Post will be restored to its former glory.In the meantime, I will pay for my news elsewhere.Charlotte's Web Thoughts is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Charlotte's Web Thoughts at charlotteclymer.substack.com/subscribe

In 1987, Gary Hart was a young charismatic Democrat, poised to win his party's nomination and possibly the presidency. Many of us know the story of what happened next, and even if you don't, it's a familiar tale. Back in 2016, we examined how, when this happened, politicians and political reporters found themselves in uncharted territory. And with help from author Matt Bai, we looked at how the events of that May shaped the way we cover politics, and expanded our sense of what's appropriate when it comes to judging a candidate.In the wake of the 2016 election, and in the throes of our current political moment, it would seem we've come full circle in the weirdest way. So we sat down with Brooke Gladstone, co-host of our sister show here at WNYC, On the Media, to talk about why sex scandals don't matter anymore. We have some exciting news! In the “Zoozve” episode, Radiolab named its first-ever quasi-moon, and now it's your turn! Radiolab has teamed up with The International Astronomical Union to launch a global naming contest for one of Earth's quasi-moons. This is your chance to make your mark on the heavens. Submit your name ideas now through September, or vote on your favorites starting in November: https://radiolab.org/moonEPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Simon Adlerwith help from - Jamie YorkProduced by - Simon AdlerUpdate produced by Rebecca LaksSignup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.Leadership support for Radiolab's science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Kamala Harris has come under fire for ignoring interview requests from the press. On this week's On the Media, the debate over whether giving media access actually helps inform voters. Plus, a guide to understanding election polls, and how they've evolved since the failures of 2016 and 2020.[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone explores a rising complaint from some in the political press that Vice President Kamala Harris isn't engaging enough with reporters, featuring: Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post columnist, Matt Bai, a journalist at the Washington Post who has interviewed many presidential candidates, and David Lurie, a contributing writer for Public Notice.[19:57] Host Micah Loewinger speaks to Courtney Kennedy, Vice President of Methods and Innovation at Pew Research Center, to reassess our Breaking News Consumer's Handbook on polls and answer the age-old question: should we care about them at all?[34:26] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Gordon Hanson, an economist and a co-director of the Reimagining the Economy Project at Harvard University's Kennedy School, about why tariffs have rebounded in political popularity amongst Democrats and Republicans. Further reading:“Harris should talk to journalists more. Particularly the wonky ones,” by Perry Bacon Jr.“The media gets nothing from Kamala Harris. That's mostly on us,” by Matt Bai“Kamala Harris is cutting off Trump's political oxygen,” by David Lurie“Key things to know about U.S. election polling in 2024,” by Scott Keeter and Courtney Kennedy“Washington's New Trade Consensus: And What It Gets Wrong,” by Gordon Hanson On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

There is nothing more loathsome to the average upper-crust liberal intellectual than an American holding Donald Trump's book in one arm and the Bible in the other. At least, that's what the stock image on Matt Bai's column in the Washington Post tells us.Matt Bai — political columnist and one-time screenwriter for a DOA film about Gary Hart called The Front Runner — is going to give the Left all the justification it needs to continue their ongoing hate campaign against ordinary Americans.He writes:But now? After the violent sacking of the Capitol? After Trump's promise to behave like a dictator (well, okay, I guess if it's only for a day)? After eight years of bigotry and baseness and flat-out lies?To say that Trump's voters aren't aware of these things, or don't fully comprehend them, or are firmly in the grip of misinformation, is to say that they're simply fools. And I've met way too many rural Americans to believe that. If they're ignorant, then their ignorance, at this point, is willful.It's a rebuttal to a column by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times pleading with the Left to find their humanity when it comes to Trump and MAGA.It isn't enough that Kristof writes:By all means denounce Trump, but don't stereotype and belittle the nearly half of Americans who have sided with him.We can't separate them, argues Bai. If they support Trump then they are the named enemy. They are not worthy of our empathy, at least not until — he hopes — Kamala Harris wins the presidency. Then, they might thaw out and treat them like they belong in the country they love. Don't bet on it. Bai writes:These voters don't support Trump because they labor under some illusion that he's going to rescue their communities — not anymore. They support him because he's willing to blow up the country if it means teaching insufferable intellectuals a lesson, and so are they. It's the same vengeful impulse that leads to autocracy in unequal societies all over the world. It is, at its core, unpatriotic, no matter how many flags you fly, or how many ways you try to rationalize it.Are you starting to see why The Front Runner flopped?The Frontrunner is a rescue operation for Gary Hart's legacy. It was the mean old media, you see, a media that has suddenly grown a conscience because now they don't do their jobs of chasing stories lest they weaken a weak candidate like Gary Hart or Kamala Harris. Instead, they spread propaganda on why America should hate and fear Trump and his supporters lest they be accused of “normalizing” them.The Front Runner was bad for the same reason The Washington Post and the New York Times are unreadable: their bias suffocates any practical purpose they might have otherwise had. It's like spending time with the kid who sits in the front of the class, always raising his hand with the right answer. After a while, you overdose on the sanctimony. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sashastone.substack.com/subscribe

Tim Walz went from being a little-known Midwestern governor to Democratic vice-presidential candidate in a matter of a few weeks. But in this sprint of a campaign, nothing is moving slowly. Charles Lane, Molly Roberts and Matt Bai talk through whether Walz can keep up the momentum of the Harris campaign, if the “weird” strategy is good or bad, and how much of a unifier Walz will be for the Democratic ticket.Read more from our columnists about Kamala Harris's choice of a running mate here:Karen Tumulty: “Tim Walz made ‘weird' happen. What he offers the ticket is much more.”Perry Bacon Jr: “Tim Walz is a bold, smart choice for Harris's running mate”Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Amidst a current conversation on how Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pronounces his name, and how some celebrities change their names, brings back the memory of this conversation about former presidential candidate Gary Hart, who shortened his last name from Hartpence. Michael spoke to Matt Bai in 2014 about his book "All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid." Original air date 2 October 2014. The book was published on 30 September 2014.

Gary Hart has perhaps the most unique political career of his generation...staffer for Robert Kennedy's Justice Department...manager of George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign...two-term US Senator...nearly becoming the Democratic nominee for President in 1984...starting 1988 as the Democratic frontrunner before leaving the race amid a media frenzy...and 5+ decades as a forward-looking thinker on the challenges facing the U.S. and the world.(To donate to support The Pro Politics Podcast, you may use this venmo link or inquire by email at mccrary.zachary@gmail.com)IN THIS EPISODE…Growing up in a farming town in Eastern Kansas and his roots in the Church of the Nazarene…How a connection to Robert Kennedy leads to managing the McGovern campaign in 1972…The Iowa strategy that helped McGovern win the '72 Democratic nomination…The one word that defined the success of the McGovern primary campaign…Inside the chaotic Tom Eagleton / Sargent Shriver '72 VP process…How he made the jump from campaign manager to a winning first-time US Senate candidate…Senator Hart remembers his Colorado Democratic colleague, the late Congresswoman Pat Schroeder…Early memories as a 36-year old U.S. Senator…How he forged a path as a new breed of Democrat…What led him to run for President in 1984 and how he nearly won the nomination….Who might have been Gary Hart's 1984 VP choice?Why he didn't run for re-election in 1986?What he will and won't say about the short-lived '88 campaign and why the “true story” may never come out…How he tackled his career after leaving the national stage as a candidate…The current issue Senator Hart believes is most under-discussed…Reflecting on his 50+ year friendship with Joe Biden…His confusion over the current state of US politics…His lifelong affinity for used-book stores… AND Atari Democrats, Matt Bai, Michael Bennet, Brumus, Carnegie libraries, clever journalistic shorthands, Bill Clinton, cool and aloof, Walter Cronkite, Detroit, Eisenhower Republicans, The Fairness Doctrine, Geraldine Ferraro, generational friction, Dick Gephardt, Newt Gingrich, John Glenn, Al Gore, Happy Days, hinges of history, Hubert Humphrey, Hugh Jackman, Jacob Javits, JFK, Pat Leahy, Mike Mansfield, Mac Mathias, the McGovern Army, Ed Muskie, the Military Reform Caucus, the National Security Division, The New York Times, Richard Nixon, peanut butter sandwiches, Warren Rudman, the Sermon on the Mount, Silicon Valley, super-delegates, Rick Stearns, Stu Symington, tremendous ferment, Stewart Udall, Watergate, Theodore White, Tim Wirth & more!

On the next Story Told, in a post-midterm breath, Matt Bai calls to “Cancel Election Night.” Also, The late Dr. Robert Brake elucidates the “Downward Slide of American Politics.” And finally, in honor of Armistice Day, “Veterans of America: I Salute You,” by Rick Rubin.  

For weeks the conventional wisdom in Washington couldn't have been clearer. There was a red wave coming that would sweep Republicans to a historic victory. Winning back control of the US House by wide margin and potentially control of the Senate as well. But then the voters spoke and the conventional wisdom of the pollsters and pundits was wrong once again. As we sit on Wednesday the GOP seems likely to win control of the House after all, but by an exceedingly fine margin that could prove a nightmare for presumptive speaker Kevin McCarthy. And the Senate seems that it could once again depend on the results of a run-off in Georgia where the party's Donald Trump backed candidate Hershel Walker will have huge challenges in his hopes of unseating incumbent Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock. What do the election results say about what passes for the conventional wisdom in American politics? And what do they mean for a 2024 Presidential contest that could well begin as early as next week. We talk to Yahoo News Political Reporter Andrew Romano and Washington Post columnist Matt Bai.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is an abbreviated version of The Michael Medved Show. To get the full program, plus premium content, become a subscriber at MichaelMedved.com

This is an abbreviated version of The Michael Medved Show. To get the full program, plus premium content, become a subscriber at MichaelMedved.com

This is an abbreviated version of The Michael Medved Show. To get the full program, plus premium content, become a subscriber at MichaelMedved.com

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown joins Meet the Press to discuss the latest on the investigation into the Buffalo shooting. New York Governor Kathy Hochul talks about the state's response. Senator Bernie Sanders discusses the economic hardship families are facing and the Biden administration's agenda. Matt Bai, Al Cardenas, Susan Page and Ashley Parker join the Meet the Press roundtable.

On the next Story Told, celebrating Astoria’s Birthday in an original rant by Michael McCusker. Also, Julie Snyder’s open letter to the Astorian titled “Clearing the Streets.” Finally, Matt Bai states “I reject both parties’ idea of Americanism. And I’m not the only one.”  

While the Biden White House waits nervously to see if Russia invades Ukraine, perhaps in the next few days, the biggest political story this week that took place was as local as it gets. In San Francisco, where voters, by an overwhelming margin, recalled three school board members. Why? Incompetence and frustration to be sure over the board's decision to keep public schools shut down all last year over Covid even as schools elsewhere were opening. But perhaps even more the recall vote was a rejection of the board members progressive woke agenda. In the name of racial justice the board was looking to rename schools. Even those named after Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. It had ended merit based admission to one of the city's elite high schools because it lead to too many Asian-American students and not enough African-American and Hispanics getting in. That vote has been seen as a wake up call for Democrats when the eyes of some have too often embraced the progressive agenda that has alienated voters across the political spectrum. Washington Post columnist Matt Bai joins us to talk on why the woke agenda has alienated him and what the radical drift of both political parties could mean for the country's future. GUEST:Matt Bai (@mattbai), Contributing columnist focusing on politics at @washingtonpostHOSTS:Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo NewsDaniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo NewsVictoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)RESOURCES:Matt Bai's latest piece for @washingtonpost discussed on pod - Here.Yahoo News' Alex Nazaryan's piece on the San Francisco School Board situation - Here.Follow us on Twitter: @SkullduggeryPodListen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's September 9th. This day in 1987, former Colorado Senator Gary Hart gave an interview on Nightline where he, finally, admitted that he'd been unfaithful to his wife. But it was too little, too late. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Matt Bai, author of “The Frontrunner,” to discuss the infidelity scandal that brought down Hart's campaign, and changed political journalism forever. Matt's book was also turned into the movie “The Frontrunner” starring Hugh Jackman. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Julie Shapiro, Executive Producer at Radiotopia

Governors Larry Hogan (R-Md.) and Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) discuss the state of polarized Covid politics. Former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) break down what the Texas abortion law means for the future of Roe v. Wade. Yamiche Alcindor, Matt Bai, Brendan Buck and Betsy Woodruff Swan join the Meet the Press roundtable.

  In this unique episode the four of us, Dr. Duff Watkins, Siebe Vanderzee, Jeffery Wang, and Robert Hossary will be reviewing the previous episodes and share with you, our audience, what we found most fascinating about our guests.    We will be discussing our interviews with Ligia McLean, George Bradt, Matt Bai and Duff Watkins. Join us and hear what we learned from our guests.  

       Hear top US political reporter MATT BAI explain why, “People make YOU feel the way THEY feel”, “Life is in the re-write”, “Look away from the ball”, and 7 other lessons for career and life on 10 Lessons It Took Me 50 Years to Learn.  Making the world wiser place, lesson by lesson. MATT BAI Matt Bai is a nationally known journalist, author and screenwriter. Starting in 2002, he covered three presidential campaigns for the New York Times, where he was the chief political writer for the Sunday magazine and a columnist for the newspaper. He then spent five years as the national political columnist for Yahoo News. In January 2020, he became a contributing columnist for the Washington Post. Bai's most recent book, All the Truth is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid(Alfred A. Knopf, 2014) looks back at the ruinous scandal involving the presidential candidate Gary Hart in 1987 and how it shaped the political and media culture. It was selected as one of the year's best books by NPR and Amazon and was one of 10 books long-listed for the PEN Faulkner Award in nonfiction.  Bai also co-wrote, with Jay Carson and Jason Reitman, the feature film adapted from the book, titled “The Front Runner.” The film, directed by Reitman and starring Hugh Jackman as Hart, debuted in theatres nationally in 2018. Bai and Carson have co-written two other feature films that are currently in production.  Bai is also the author of The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics (Penguin Press, 2007), which was a New York TimesNotable Book for 2007. He contributed a personal essay to the anthology I Married My Mother-in-Law: And Other Tales of In-Laws We Can't Live With—And Can't Live Without, published by Riverhead Books in 2006.  Bai has appeared frequently on NBC's “Meet the Press” and played himself in a recurring role on season two of the Netflix drama “House of Cards.”   In his early twenties, Bai was a speechwriter for UNICEF, where he worked with Audrey Hepburn during the last year of her life. He began his journalism career as a city desk reporter for the Boston Globeand spent five years as a national correspondent for Newsweek. His international experience includes coverage from Iraq and Liberia.  Bai is a graduate of Tufts and Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, where the faculty awarded him the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship. He has been a visiting fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Harvard, the University of Chicago and Stanford. He serves on the board of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts.  A native of Trumbull, Connecticut, Bai lives with his wife and two children in Bethesda, Maryland. He rarely misses a Yankee game or a Timescrossword. You can follow him (occasionally) on Twitter at @mattbai.   Episode notes  Lesson 1: Life is in the rewrite 11m 17s Lesson 2: there is no such thing as abhorrent behaviour 16m 15s Lesson 3: listen to the things people say about themselves 18m 57s Lesson 4: Don't fight with someone you don't know 23m 26s Lesson 5: Have the difficult conversation 28m 20s Lesson 6: People always make you feel the way they feel 314m 04s Lesson 7: Know what you don't know 33m 32s Lesson 8: No one really likes surprises 36m 37s Lesson 9: Choices are everything 39m 27s Lesson 10: Look away from the ball 48m 30s

In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Dr. Francis Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health, talks to Chuck Todd about the vaccine rollout. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) talks about negotiations in Congress over a Covid relief bill, during an exclusive interview with Meet the Press. In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) talks to Chuck Todd about President Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and the upcoming electoral college vote. Matt Bai, Lanhee Chen and Kristen Welker join the Meet the Press roundtable to discuss the president's court loses as he continues to attempt to overturn the election.

The prevailing belief of the day may be that the Republican Party has sold its soul to the devil and a Democratic victory in November is America's only hope for salvation. But Oklahoma Senator James Lankford begs to differ, asserting that his colleagues in Congress have made efforts to ensure rule of law and equality for all, including introducing police reform and voting protection measures. At the same time, journalist Matt Bai ("All The Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid") argues that by valuing urbanity over all else, the Democrats loosen their connection to some of the most important voters in the country, allowing Trumpism to take hold.

In a week where the president cancelled a trip to Denmark because of a spat over Greenland, considered letting Russia off the hook for invading Crimea and sided with Israel in a fight with two American congresswomen, Chuck Todd asks what is wrong with Washington. This week's guests, author and columnist Matt Bai, Politico White House reporter Gabby Orr. Plus an interview with the Wall Street Journal's Chief Economics reporter, Nick Timiraos. 

In a week where the president cancelled a trip to Denmark because of a spat over Greenland, considered letting Russia off the hook for invading Crimea and sided with Israel in a fight with two American congresswomen, Chuck Todd asks what is wrong with Washington. This week's guests, author and columnist Matt Bai, Politico White House reporter Gabby Orr. Plus an interview with the Wall Street Journal's Chief Economics reporter, Nick Timiraos.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yahoo political columnist Matt Bai, author of the book All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid, joins this week's show to assess the ugliness of today's political discourse, lament the news media's focus on ratings over substance, and break down the state of the Democratic presidential primary.

Brian talks with The Front Runner screenwriters Matt Bai & Jay Carson & Jason Reitman (director), the team behind the Gary Hart political drama.

Matt Bai is a political journalist, author, and now screenwriter. His book, "All The Truth Is Out," about the presidential candidate Gary Hart was the basis for the new movie, "The Front Runner," starring Hugh Jackman. Domenech and Bai discuss the historical transformation of political press and the movie-making process.

The new movie The Front Runner looks at the rise and fall of Gary Hart, whose affair was uncovered by investigative reporters and sparked his quick exit from a presidential race many thought he had sewn up. But was the press right or wrong? Should Hart have stayed in? And would it matter today? I spoke to author Matt Bai, whose book, All The Truth Is Out, is the basis for the movie that he co-wrote and helped produce.

It's season two of the podcast, and we're hitting the ground (front-)running. In this episode, our season 2 host Caroline Waxler sat down with THE FRONT RUNNER co-writers Matt Bai, Jay Carson, and Jason Reitman. The film, based on a book by Matt Bai, explores how, in 1988, Senator Gary Hart's presidential aspirations were derailed after an affair became national news, and chronicles the moment when politics crossed over into entertainment. Matt Bai is a journalist, author, and screenwriter. He's currently the national political columnist at Yahoo News. Before that, he was chief political correspondent for the New York Times Magazine. You may also recognize him from his recurring role as himself in season two of HOUSE OF CARDS. Jay Carson is an international and American policy advisor and strategist. Throughout his career, he's been the press secretary for Hillary Clinton, a senior staffer for several other elected officials - including President Bill Clinton, and Chief Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles. He was also the supervising producer and political consultant for HOUSE OF CARDS. Jason Reitman is an Oscar- and Writers Guild Award-nominated screenwriter, director, and producer. In addition to THE FRONT RUNNER - which, in addition to co-writing, he also directed - his screenwriting credits include UP IN THE AIR and THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org -- Follow us on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

There might not be singing, dancing, or mutants in Hugh Jackman’s latest movie, but it’s a big hit with Katie and Brian. Hugh stars as Gary Hart in “The Front Runner,” about the Democratic senator from Colorado who seemed destined to become his party’s presidential nominee in 1988. But an alleged extramarital dalliance — and the media’s newfound interest in a candidate’s personal affairs — led to Hart’s downfall and changed political journalism forever. Hugh talks with Katie and Brian about the movie, and joining the conversation are Matt Bai and Jay Carson, who co-wrote the screenplay. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

For those that study and write about politics, the holy grail is to find those seminal moments in the nation's public and political life that change everything. And while the antecedents of those events may be years in the making, they usually create a perfect storm that results in an event that is a kind of tipping point; one that marks a permanent tectonic shift in the political landscape. Sometimes we have to let time pass, before we appreciate or even understand those moments. The televised Nixon-Kennedy Debate, Watergate, the Nixon’s resignation and the Vietnam war piped into our living rooms, are such event. And, according to longtime political journalist Matt Bai, the implosion of Gary Heart's presidential campaign in 1987, was also such a moment. One that Bai captures in all its complexity,  in All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid.  The book has been turned into the recently released movie THE FRONT RUNNER, also co-written by Bai. It's about a time when politics became a plot-line, when the personal became both political and public, and when Who, What, Where and When, became Gotcha. This conversation, while it originally took place in 2014, shows the blueprint of how Trump got elected and how we got to where we are today. My conversation with Matt Bai:

'The Front Runner' director Jason Reitman and co-writers Matt Bai and Jay Carson join me to talk about their new political drama, starring Hugh Jackman as scandalized 1988 Presidential hopeful, Gary Hart!

Writer Matt Bai discusses his start as a journalist at New York Times Magazine, his novel All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid and how he later adapted his work into his new film The Frontrunner. Written by Matt Bai, Jason Reitman and Jay Carson, The Frontrunner stars Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga and J.K. Simmons and is scheduled for limited release on Nov. 6th - the first film to ever be released on an election day. The film will see a nation-wide release on Nov. 21st. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!   

Matt Bai, author of "All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid" & Jason Reitman, director of "The Front Runner" sit down with Chuck to discuss the story of Gary Hart's embattled 1988 presidential campaign.

Matt Bai, author of "All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid" & Jason Reitman, director of "The Front Runner" sit down with Chuck to discuss the story of Gary Hart's embattled 1988 presidential campaign.

“The Front Runner” is not going to tell you how to feel about politics. The new film, starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by him and Matt Bai and Jay Carson, tells the story of the short-lived 1988 presidential campaign of Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., who went from being the presumptive favorite to win the presidency to political oblivion within the span of a few days, felled by a scandal fueled by the senator’s extra-marital affair. “You could see the seeds of politics we’re dealing with now,” says Carson, a former Capitol Hill staffer. The central tenet of the film is that few people — the candidate, his staff and family, journalists, etc., — were prepared for what happened to Hart, and they made the best decisions they could at the time in what would help define the electoral and political process for years to come. “We’ve created a process that rewards a bit of shamelessness, that both attracts and rewards candidates that who will do anything to get or hold office,” Bai adds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman sit down with award-winning director Jason Reitman, Yahoo News national political columnist Matt Bai and political strategist Jay Carson to discuss their new movie, “The Front Runner.” The movie is is based Matt Bai’s book, “All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid” and stars Hugh Jackman as the 1988 Democratic presidential front-runner Gary Hart. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman recently went down to Austin, Texas for the Online News Association’s annual conference and recorded a special edition of Skullduggery in front of a live audience. The topic — Fake News and the Fourth Estate: How history will rate this media moment. It was enlightening conversation featuring an esteemed panel of guests including presidential historian and author Doug Brinkley, CEO of the LBJ Foundation and presidential historian Mark Updegrove, and former news executive and current CEO of the Civil Foundation, Vivian Schiller. The co-hosts also chat with Yahoo News national political columnist Matt Bai about the latest in Kavanaugh Supreme Court battle. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Bai, National Political Columnist for Yahoo News, elaborates upon his conceptualization of "American exceptionalism" as a unique contribution to the advancement of humanity through the promotion... Good hearts make the world a better place

Matt is one of the best journalists in America. He's a weekly columnist at Yahoo News and author of two books, "The Argument," and "All the Truth is Out." His second book has been turned into a major motion picture, starring Hugh Jackman, and titled The Frontrunner, in theaters this year. Matt's column this week was a response to the piece I wrote that grew out of this podcast. My piece was published Tuesday, and called, “Power to the party: Why political reforms can be bad for democracy.” Matt’s response to this was called, "We need stronger candidates, not stronger parties.” Matt writes that he’s long been a skeptic of political parties, and that just because Donald Trump has been a destructive outsider, that doesn’t mean non-politicians who run for office have to be negative forces. "I still believe that an unconventional campaign — a candidate respectful of governing expertise, but determined to rethink how we use it — can be the thing that restores our faith in public life,” he writes. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelonggame. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Salena Zito, political reporter for the Washington Examiner and host of "Main Street Meets the Beltway" on SiriusXM POTUS, joins the guys to talk about her interview with President Trump. Matt Bai, national political columnist for Yahoo! News, also stops by to talk about his recent column in which he wonders if Trump's political opponents will allow him to evolve into a more typical president.

Matt Bai, the national political columnist for Yahoo! News, talks with David Axelrod about the intersection between politics, media, and celebrity; the media’s role in Donald Trump’s political rise; and how news organizations can effectively cover President Trump and the new administration.

In this episode, Duff discusses the 'US Election Reality Show' with Matt Bai, National Political Columnist, Yahoo! News. Matt Bai is the national political columnist for Yahoo! News, where his “Political World” column appears every Thursday. Before joining Yahoo at the end of 2013, he was the chief political correspondent for the New York Times Magazine, where he covered three presidential campaigns, and a columnist for the Times.  In addition to being a national US political journalist, Matt is a published author, screenwriter and sometime actor – having played himself in several episodes of the second season of the Netflix series House of Cards. He also appears regularly on major national US political television shows as an expert commentator. Matt is presently covering the US Presidential Election for Yahoo News. This is the fourth Presidential election he has covered as a major political journalist. His weekly column ‘Political World’ is widely read with his most recent column on Donald Trump generating in excess of 12,000 comments. Thank you for your continued support of this podcast series. Please continue to let us know how we can improve this service for you by sending an email to podcast@amcham.com.au

Roosevelt, Kennedy, Eisenhower … they all got a pass. But today we peer back at the moment when poking into the private lives of political figures became standard practice. In 1987, Gary Hart was a young charismatic Democrat, poised to win his party’s nomination and possibly the presidency. Many of us know the story of what happened next, and even if you don’t, it’s a familiar tale. But at the time, politicians and political reporters found themselves in uncharted territory. With help from author Matt Bai, we look at how the events of that May shaped the way we cover politics, and expanded our sense of what's appropriate when it comes to judging a candidate.   Produced by Simon Adler Special Thanks to Joe Trippi

In the second installment of our DecodeDC special series, “Inside House of Cards,” we go into the world of journalism and politics. Our guide, Matt Bai, spent years as a Washington political reporter for The New York Times Magazine and is now a political columnist for Yahoo News. He has a particularly interesting perspective on how “House of Cards” depicts his profession, because Bai plays himself in several episodes of the second season of the series. While Bai thinks journalism in “House of Cards” is much darker than what really happens in Washington, D.C., he says there still is a lot that rings true. Frank Underwood and other characters are more transactional than real politicians, Bai says, but the series represents some essential truths about how the public sees Washington politics. “Sadly the thing that ‘House of Cards’ gets at is that everybody is about themselves, everybody is trying to game the system to their own advantage” Bai says. “There’s virtually no one for whom the end game is the actual enactment of policy.”

February has been a brutal month for most of us – snow and cold and ice and kids home from school and trips cancelled. Perhaps the only thing that redeems this month is the release of season three of “House of Cards” on Feb. 27. Perhaps it is our fascination with the dysfunction of Washington that makes the Netflix drama so irresistible. Perhaps it’s the fact that the series takes you where no journalist is allowed to go - into the fantastical and not so fantastical political wheeling and dealing going on all around us – with a large dose of dramatic license. Where exactly is that line between truth, fiction and Washington politics? That’s the question we try to answer with a special series of podcasts – that’s right, it is “House of Cards” week on DecodeDC. Whether you are a series fan or just want to get the inside scoop on the dirtiest deeds of politicians, journalists and the political operatives that occupy Washington, you will definitely want to listen. **Spoiler alert – we’re going to talk about things that happened in seasons one and two.** In case you missed the first two seasons – here are the essentials. Francis Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, has wheedled and schemed his way from Congress to the vice presidency to the Oval Office. Together with his equally conniving wife, Claire, played by Robin Wright, they knock down every conceivable barrier, using any means necessary, in their quest for power. Along the way there’s murder, blackmail, a risque assortment of sexual forays, a crazy trade deal with China, a lot of seduction and deception. Those on the Underwoods’ side are rewarded, those obstructing their path are mowed down. Where do these people come up with these plots? We go to the sources for the answer. In episode one of “Inside House of Cards,” we take you into the writers room. Staff writer Bill Kennedy explains the narrative and the relationships and the key scenes that define seasons one and two. Journalism takes a shellacking in the series and in our second episode, we speak with Matt Bai, formally a political reporter at The New York Times Magazine. Bai plays a political reporter for The New York Times in season two and says the series gets at some essential truths about Washington and journalism. In episode three, we enter the world of Capitol-Hill-staffer-turned-lobbyist. Jimmy Williams has led the real life of one of the fictional characters in the series, Remy Danton. Williams says the life of a lobbyist is about one thing, raising money for members of Congress. House of Cards has a lot of nasty people, but some of the nastiest are female reporters. In episode four, we talk to two real-life women journalists who cover Washington -- Pam Kirkland of the Washington Post, the paper fictionalized in "House of Cards", and Carrie Wells of the Baltimore Sun, stand-in and real life set for the imagined "Washington Herald." In our fifth and final episode, we speak with Beau Willimon, the man behind the series. Willimon adapted the British version of “House of Cards” for the American audience and runs the show. A former campaign staffer, Willimon knows how the system works from the inside out, and as playwright he knows how to do drama. Download the DecodeDC's "Inside House of Cards" special series starting today and all next week – or, you can just binge listen to them all before the 27th!

Former New York Times political correspondent Matt Bai is out with a new book about the decline of US campaigns and it's a timely read in the cold post midterm winter. Bai's topic is the downfall of Gary Hart, the Democratic Party's 1988 front-runner until reporters working on a tip, staked out his home and turned up what looked a whole lot like an extramarital affair. Bai describes the Hart campaign's unraveling thereafter as a disaster not just for the candidate, but for US elections thenceforth: “The first in a seemingly endless parade of exaggerated scandals and public floggings” that he argues have driven good talent out of politics. While the rest of the world was finished with the Hart story, Bai says he just couldn't get it out of his head. Well here's another, from four years earlier. If, as Bai writes, '88 was the campaign in which, “politics went tabloid,” '84 was arguably the year it became hazing, when the candidate was a woman. While it's barely recalled in media accounts now, in 1984, the GOP mixed misogyny with mendacity and dirty tricks to defeat Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro. Mondale was centrist and dull and Ferraro certainly had her faults, but the first female vp's opponents didn't just stake out her house; they followed her every step, hurling abuse and misrepresented themselves as regular citizens. A Catholic, Ferraro was pro-choice. People posing as regular voters, stalked her route and did their best to drown out her campaign speeches with their heckling. “VP for Death” and “baby killer” were favorite epithets. The language got more brutal from there. The GOP said they had nothing to do with the thugs, of course. An audiotape proved different. On it, pickets could be heard being trained by party operatives to say, “I'm a concerned citizen” instead of “I'm with Students for Reagan.” Looking for the birth of today's “dark money” tactics? You'd do well to look more closely at '84. Bai blames technology and the proliferation of satellite news for the downward spiral of elections, but what the old media lacked in speed they more than made up for in well-organized mob tactics. The scene at Ferraro rallies came back into my head, when I saw a very similar bunch of bullies shut down the vote-count in 2000 in Florida. It's worth noting today, as Democrats wrap up one humiliating election and rush horribly into another, where a woman may, just may be on the ballot. Watch out. If history teaches us anything it's that the gutter tactics we tolerate being used on some today, have a habit of coming back to haunt everyone tomorrow. For more from me, watch “The Laura Flanders Show” at GRITtv.org where you can see our exclusive report on the blowback from anti-Sex Trafficking legislation in Alaska. To tell me what you think, write to: Laura@GRITtv.org.

Matt Bai, national political columnist for Yahoo News, talks about his new book, “All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid.” The book examines how press coverage of 1988 presidential candidate Gary Hart’s personal life marked a turning point in the relationship between the media and politics.

For those that study and write about politics, the holy grail is to find those seminal moments in the nation's public and political life that change everything.  And while the antecedents of those events may be years in the making, they usually create a perfect storm that results in an event that is a kind of tipping point;  one that marks a permanent tectonic shift in the political landscape.  Sometimes we have to let time pass, before we appreciate or even understand those moments. The televised Nixon-Kennedy Debate, Watergate, the Nixon’s resignation and the Vietnam war piped into our living rooms are such event.  And, according to longtime political journalist Matt Bai, the implosion of Gary Heart's presidential campaign in 1987, was also such a moment. One that Bai captures, in all its complexity, in All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid.It was a time when politics became a plotline, when the personal became both political and public, and when Who, What, Where and When became Gotcha.My conversation with Matt Bai:

One week of presidential politics in the spring of 1987 changed political journalism forever and not for the better. So says noted political writer (and alumnus of three presidential campaign trails) Matt Bai in his new book, All the Truth is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid. On this episode, Bai speaks with Schmidt Family Fellow Christopher Leonard to tell us how Gary Hart's failed presidential bid fundamentally shaped this modern age of political tabloid journalism and what he thinks that means for the future of democracy.

A discussion of how Millennials will shape the political landscape. Panelists were: Matt Bai, contributing politics writer, The New York Times Magazine; Eli Pariser, board president, MoveOn.org; Reihan Salam, fellow, New America Foundation; Scott Keeter, director of survey research, Pew Research Center; and Michael Dimock, associate director, Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.