Podcasts about public strategies' howard schweitzer

With progressive Democrats holding firm on domestic spending bills, moderates trying to trim the cost, and Republicans largely out of the action, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are hurtling toward a political showdown over President Biden's vast and ambitious economic agenda. Adding to the challenge, they have only a few days left to adopt a measure to fund the government, preventing a shutdown in the middle of a pandemic. Ahead of one of the most important legislative weeks of Biden's presidency, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Towner French discuss the fraught political landscape Congressional leaders are trying to navigate in the midst of a fast-ticking clock, where any misstep could have dire consequences for the national economy.

Congress is headed for a high-stakes showdown over the debt ceiling. The federal government could run out of funding authority next month if the two sides can't crack a deal. Will the federal government enter yet another shutdown and create a debt crisis that would rattle global financial markets? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the political football around the debt limit and the status of president Biden's $3.5 trillion spending plan, and ponder the road forward for the GOP following Thursday's announcement from Rep. Gonzalez (R-OH), one of only 10 House Republicans who voted for Trump's impeachment earlier this year, that he will not seek reelection.

A solemn nation on Saturday marked two decades since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a milestone that came less than a month after President Biden formally ended the war in Afghanistan launched in response to the attacks.   Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin talk about their memories of that calamitous day in American history and how the country has changed in the 20 years since, and discuss how August turned into a month of crises for Biden's presidency – with the Taliban toppling Kabul and the Afghan government, the killing of 13 U.S. service members in Afghanistan, rising Covid-19 cases and deaths, persistent inflation concerns, declining poll numbers, and an uncertain path forward for his sweeping infrastructure agenda.

A solemn nation on Saturday marked two decades since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a milestone that came less than a month after President Biden formally ended the war in Afghanistan launched in response to the attacks. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin talk about their memories of that calamitous day in American history and how the country has changed in the 20 years since, and discuss how August turned into a month of crises for Biden's presidency – with the Taliban toppling Kabul and the Afghan government, the killing of 13 U.S. service members in Afghanistan, rising Covid-19 cases and deaths, persistent inflation concerns, declining poll numbers, and an uncertain path forward for his sweeping infrastructure agenda.

On Wednesday, just days before the House left for its August recess, Senate Democrats and Republicans banded together to advance an infrastructure proposal - including $550 billion in new spending, to improve the country's aging infrastructure, overcoming months of political deadlock on one of President Biden's signature economic policy priorities. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the related developments, and discuss other key issues in Washington last week.

On Wednesday, just days before the House left for its August recess, Senate Democrats and Republicans banded together to advance an infrastructure proposal - including $550 billion in new spending, to improve the country's aging infrastructure, overcoming months of political deadlock on one of President Biden's signature economic policy priorities.   Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the related developments, and discuss other key issues in Washington last week.  

The Supreme Court on Thursday, by a 7-2 vote, left “Obamacare” intact and showed that the conservative majority doesn't fall along partisan lines as much as the left thinks it does. In other big news last week, antitrust scholar and Big Tech critic Lina Khan – a prominent figure in the “New Brandeis Movement” - which espouses a 21st century version of the populist competition policies once championed by Justice Brandeis, was sworn in as FTC chairwoman, after President Biden elevated her to the agency's top post.   Is Biden, in his early policy moves, developing an answer to Trumpist populism? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin debate last week's events inside the Beltway and ponder whether Biden is developing a new policy synthesis as an antidote to conservative populism.

The Supreme Court on Thursday, by a 7-2 vote, left “Obamacare” intact and showed that the conservative majority doesn't fall along partisan lines as much as the left thinks it does. In other big news this week, antitrust scholar and Big Tech critic Lina Khan – a prominent figure in the “New Brandeis Movement” - which espouses a 21st century version of the populist competition policies once championed by Justice Brandeis, was sworn in as FTC chairwoman, after President Biden elevated her to the agency's top post. Is Biden, in his early policy moves, developing an answer to Trumpist populism? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin debate this week's events inside the Beltway and ponder whether Biden is developing a new policy synthesis that is as an antidote to conservative populism.

President Biden is in Cornwall, England, where the G-7 annual economic summit began on Friday with a sense of new unity among the group and an endorsement of the theme that a renewed global alliance and commitment to multilateralism were ready to prove themselves capable. Yet, in an odd dynamic, it was the former president who was in the headlines of all top publications, an acknowledgment he is still the GOP's engine — even as his actual voice has been diminished - and thus very much still a factor in their news cycle and political coverage. Are we are then really in the post-Trump era? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French discuss Trump's continued importance in Republican politics and underscore the intensity of current crises around the globe, noting it extends beyond the former president and his efforts to undermine election results.

President Biden is in Cornwall, England, where the G-7 annual economic summit began on Friday with a sense of new unity among the group and an endorsement of the theme that a renewed global alliance and commitment to multilateralism were ready to prove themselves capable. Yet, in an odd dynamic, it was the former president who was in the headlines of all top publications, an acknowledgment he is still the GOP's engine — even as his actual voice has been diminished - and thus very much still a factor in their news cycle and political coverage. Are we are then really in the post-Trump era? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French discuss Trump's continued importance in Republican politics and underscore the intensity of current crises around the globe, noting it extends beyond the former president and his efforts to undermine election results.

The U.S. appears to be trying to close the curtain on the pandemic, as COVID-19 cases continue to fall and increasing numbers of Americans are getting vaccinated. Combined with the latest jobs report, with the economy knocking the unemployment rate below 6 percent, many analysts are hoping for an economic boom this summer as a full “reopening” draws nearer. But is it really that simple, or are there signs that a broader shift might be remaking the economy in ways that make it harder to see the road ahead? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the impact of the jobs report on the biggest questions shaping the partisan debate, including Biden's multitrillion-dollar spending push and ponder whether we are seeing long-term behavioral shifts or short-term alterations on the road to economic recovery.

The U.S. appears to be trying to close the curtain on the pandemic, as COVID-19 cases continue to fall and increasing numbers of Americans are getting vaccinated. Combined with the latest jobs report, with the economy knocking the unemployment rate below 6 percent, many analysts are hoping for an economic boom this summer as a full “reopening” draws nearer. But is it really that simple, or are there signs that a broader shift might be remaking the economy in ways that make it harder to see the road ahead? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the impact of the jobs report on the biggest questions shaping the partisan debate, including Biden's multitrillion-dollar spending push, and ponder whether we are seeing long-term behavioral shifts or short-term alterations on the road to economic recovery.

Mask-wearing in the U.S. has become another flashpoint in the partisan culture wars. As a result, despite the recent change in CDC mask guidelines, which signaled a welcome shift toward pre-pandemic social norms yet left people across the country scrambling to make sense of the abrupt change, the debate about masks will almost surely continue. On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to reconsider a controversial Mississippi abortion law. It will be a blockbuster case, which will thrust the court -- with a 6-3 conservative majority -- into the 2022 midterm election debate. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the cultural aspect of the rapidly changing mask rules and ponder the implications of the Supreme Court's decision to revisit an issue that still deeply divides the country.

A president who prides himself on choreography and planning faced a string of unexpected events last week that showcased the need for political agility: from the Colonial Pipeline shutdown and the resulting surge in gas prices to a rapid escalation of violence in the Middle East, a spike in the costs of consumer goods, and new CDC mask guidance which, although welcome by most Americans, caught the President's aides off guard and prompted a confusing rush in states to update their rules.   Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the simultaneous foreign and domestic crises that amounted to a reality check for a president who has placed nearly all of his political capital in resolving longer-term issues, such as ending the pandemic and served as a reminder that any manner of crises can intervene to throw the trajectory off course.

A months-long dispute over Republican principles among House leaders and across the broader GOP landscape is expected to culminate this week with a vote to remove Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney from her position as the third-ranking House Republican. Meanwhile, Friday's mediocre jobs report for April puzzled many analysts who expected hundreds of thousands of more new jobs and added fuel to arguments that no more government spending should be approved until the effects of the last package can be understood.   Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the GOP leadership fracas and its impact on Biden's agenda and address major questions about the economic recovery raised by the jobs report.

On his 99th day in office, Joe Biden pitched an ambitious plan to reshape America in his first major address to Congress, striking a decidedly optimistic tone and ushering in a new era of big government and big government spending. It was a historic evening, as for the first time in US history, two women were seated behind the president addressing a joint session of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Patrick Martin discuss Biden's populist, direct appeal to working-class Americans and break down his sweeping proposals which, despite broad bipartisan support among voters, face a partisan reality check.

For decades, corporations have steered clear of politics. Now, however, there's more of an expectation for big businesses to speak out and weigh in on hot-button social issues, as reflected in their recent response to Georgia's new voting legislation. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss corporate America's growing political activism and, as companies increasingly use their clout to speak out on social issues, argue that “conscious capitalism” is here to stay.  

The Era of Big Government is Not Over   On the heels of the just-enacted $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief law, President Biden unveiled on Wednesday his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, a far-reaching program that he will seek to pay for with a substantial increase in corporate taxes. If his full set of proposals become law, they would mark a new era of ambitious federal spending to address longstanding social and economic problems.  Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin debate the infrastructure plan, including the challenge Biden has in balancing his big goals and the growing national debt, and discuss corporate America's willingness to criticize Georgia's new voting law and otherwise speak out on social justice issues.

With President Biden's cabinet confirmed, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss how to talk to the Administration, the political implications of the new Georgia voting law, and President Biden's recent press conference.

On Thursday, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law, cementing the first major legislative victory of his presidency that will set off a massive government rescue effort aimed at sending aid to millions of Americans. Is the bill, which had broad bipartisan public support but which no Republican lawmaker voted for, a blueprint for Biden's legislative agenda? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin debate the impact of the landmark legislation and discuss other political, economic and cultural issues that have dominated this week's headlines.

Since January 20, there has been a noticeable change of style in Washington: in sharp contrast with the previous administration, the Biden White House has been more calculable, with extreme message discipline and carefully managed appearances. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss whether, despite deep factors in our politics and society that make unity more difficult and the parties' strong ideological, cultural, and geographical opposition – Biden can achieve success through his governing style.

Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Matt Glavin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the contentious legislative negotiations over the proposed stimulus package and grade the new administration's efforts during its first 30 days to meet the daunting challenge to balance Biden's stated desire for bipartisanship with his sense of urgency to provide the much-needed relief to the economy. Matt provides a unique view of the events inside the Beltway from Chicago and Springfield.

As an unprecedented winter storm crippled the Lone Star state's deregulated electrical grid and triggered mass outages - leaving millions trapped without heat for days in freezing homes and putting nearly half of all Texans under a boil-water advisory, Ted Cruz, the junior senator from Texas, made a spectacularly ill-timed decision to leave with his family for a vacation in Cancun in the middle of the energy crisis. Speaking of government blunders, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been trying to contain political fallout from revelations that his administration had concealed the full extent of nursing home-related deaths during the Covid pandemic.   Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Stuart Shorenstein discuss the impact of these scandals and whether they seem to indicate the return to old-school, rough-and-tumble, hardball-style politics.

In the midst of impeachment and the latest coronavirus relief package negotiations, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin debate whether bipartisanship still matters if actions ultimately take place along partisan lines, and ponder whether President Biden is a transitional or transformational president. 

In the shadow of the former president, the GOP is struggling to find its footing, as it continues to wrestle with a deep cultural divide that has moved to the forefront of Republican politics. Meanwhile, the White House is forming a government that must battle a variety of simultaneous crises. Where is the true power in Washington? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin break it all down.

Facing twin public-health and economic emergencies, racial justice, climate change, and other urgent and compounding crises, President Biden is working with little, if any, political honeymoon. Since January 20, he has signed more than three dozen executive orders and directives aimed at addressing those crises. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin grade the new administration's first 10 days and discuss Biden's daunting challenge to balance his stated desire for bipartisanship with his sense of urgency, as he wrestles with contentious legislative negotiations over his $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, a slow confirmation process for his senior team, and the Senate impeachment trial of his predecessor.

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president on Wednesday amidst fear and uncertainty and facing a combination of overlapping and compounding crises. President Biden entered the White House hours after the historic inauguration and signed his first executive orders targeting Trump's policies on immigration, climate change, racial equity, and coronavirus. Can Biden make the executive branch function effectively and will his appeals for unity bear fruit? Can Congress juggle the Biden agenda and an impeachment trial? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Patrick Martin try to answer these questions as they reflect on the most consequential people of the past four years and discuss the thicket through which Biden and his team are navigating in the first week of the new administration.

On January 20 – two weeks after a violent mob stormed the Capitol and one week after Trump became the first American president to be impeached twice, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th U.S. President, surrounded by an extraordinary show of security. Even amid a global pandemic and economic downturn, Biden's most pressing challenge when he takes office may be calming a rattled nation and assuring it that the unrest seen in Washington won't continue under his watch. Can he restore a sense of normalcy and unite America's disparate political factions after four tumultuous years? And is this the end of the road for Trump, especially if he is convicted in the Senate and barred from holding future office? If so, what does it mean for a badly divided Republican Party?  Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the anxious state of the country and ponder the possibility for Biden to restore bipartisan spirit within the government, along with the viability of Trumpism and the MAGA Movement.

January 6 will be remembered as one of the darkest days in U.S. history, when the unthinkable happened: an assault on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob that drove Congress from its chambers as it was seeking to count Electoral College votes. The day before, a fractured Republican Party lost both Senate runoff races in Georgia, thereby handing the Senate majority to the Democrats, and serving as a prelude to a deadly week. As Washington struggles to decide what to do in the wake of the assault in the 10 days before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the events of one of the most consequential weeks in American history and debate where a hyperpolarized country and a deeply damaged electoral system go from here.

As members of the electoral college are convening in state capitals throughout the country to formally vote for the nation's next president and vice president, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin share their views on how President-elect Biden's administration is taking shape now that he has announced top White House staffing picks and unveiled key members of his national security, foreign policy, economic, and health teams, many of whom served in the Obama administration.

In the 2020 elections, a polarized nation yielded a polarized outcome. On the one hand, Biden won more votes than any U.S. presidential candidate in history. On the other, millions of Americans who rejected Trump also voted for the Republicans who backed his policies on down-ballot races. Is the inescapable reality of the election results then that Trumpism remains a powerful current in American politics? As President-elect Biden continues to assemble his Cabinet, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin evaluate the current state of the Biden-Harris transition team and ponder whether the highly polarizing, highly mobilizing Trumpism is a platform that is here to stay.  

The grinding 2020 presidential election that rendered millions of Americans exhausted and frustrated represented a big test for our democracy, a test the country would eventually pass. The election system appears to have worked in the face of many challenges – including a pandemic and the resulting unprecedented shift to widespread mail-in voting, as well as a threat from foreign interference from sophisticated adversaries.   Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin reflect on the bruising route to the White House and share their views on how President-elect Biden's administration is taking shape after he unveiled his national security and foreign policy team and top White House staffing moves.

The results of the 2020 presidential election, in which each candidate received more than 70 million votes, show that the nation remains deeply divided. As Trump campaign's legal challenges to the results continue, Biden's team forges ahead with transition planning, and the pandemic rages on, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss the current state of the election and ponder whether, despite a bitter split, there may be some policy issues where Trump and the Democrats could find common ground.

The polls have closed and the voters have cast their ballots, but the nation has yet to find out who the winner of the 2020 presidential election is. As several states work to finish counting the ballots, with key battleground states too close to call, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss and analyze the current state of the presidential election.

One of the most divisive and intensely personal presidential campaigns in contemporary history is coming to a close tomorrow.  Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss the two presidential candidates' starkly different political identities and make their final predictions for the election that is likely to be a referendum on the president. Will it be Mr. Trump, who has largely wasted his chance to show emphatic leadership, has shifted almost exclusively to law-and-order rhetoric, and effectively has no second-term message beyond four more years of himself? Or will it be Mr. Biden, who has offered himself as the candidate best equipped to halt the nation's raging coronavirus pandemic and heal its economic decline and whose key message is that the election is a fight for the soul of the nation?

17 days before the 2020 election, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Darren Collier are joined by Congresswoman Robin Kelly, who has served as the U.S. Representative from Illinois's 2nd Congressional district since 2013. They discuss the current state of the presidential race and, regardless of who becomes President-elect on November 3, what it will take to move the fiercely politically divided nation forward and repair the health and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yesterday, the day after a divided Washington came together to honor Justice Ginsberg, President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. A law clerk to and mentee of the late Justice Scalia, Barrett is described as an "originalist" and a "textualist" and the polar opposite of the liberal icon in judicial philosophy. Trump, who calls himself “president of law and order,” says the nomination was the fulfillment of one of his constitutional duties, but how does that square with his refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jerry Kilgore discuss a partisan and ideological battle Barrett's nomination has ignited and its impact on the final days of the presidential campaign.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court Justice and a liberal icon who dedicated her life to defying and dismantling institutionalized gender discrimination, died on Friday at the age of 87. This being one of the most polarized moments in our history, on the eve of an election in which the stakes were already extremely high, it was inevitable that the politics of replacing her would surge to the fore even before most tributes had been delivered. As President Trump prepares to nominate a successor and Republican leaders move urgently to make the political and procedural case for bucking recent precedent in order to seize a monumental chance to solidify the court's rightward ideological shift, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the maelstrom on Capitol Hill and its impact on the election, which is just 44 days away.

On the heels of Labor Day, when traditionally the most intense campaigning begins, Joe Biden continues to hold a lead over President Trump. A brace of new polls suggest a majority of voters don't like the President or approve of the job he is doing. Is the race then Biden's to lose? Will Trump's inflammatory campaign tactics be sufficient to alter the underlying dynamics of the election? The future is unpredictable. Data and polls certainly have its limits. As anyone who lived through the 2016 election or the first eight months of 2020 knows, surprises happen and things can change quickly. 50 days before the Election Day, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss the current state of the presidential race, as the public health and economic crises continue to grip the nation.

On today's episode of Beltway Briefing podcast, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz are joined by Congressman Eric Swalwell, the U.S. Representative in California's 15th Congressional district and a U.S. presidential candidate in the 2020 Democratic primaries. Less than 70 days before the Election Day, they discuss the just-completed Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the continuing debate about police violence, use of force and the need to reform America's criminal justice system, as well as the ongoing public-health and economic crises.

More than 170,000 people in the U.S. have died from coronavirus. Beyond the terrible death toll, the pandemic has wrecked the economy and interrupted everyday life. As a result, while Americans may be more politically polarized than ever, if there is one thing people on all sides of the political spectrum agree on, it is that COVID-19 has fundamentally disrupted the 2020 presidential election. On August 17, the general election season kicked off with back-to-back political conventions which, thanks to the pandemic, have taken an unconventional turn, swapping a week of festivities for each party with somber-toned, two-dimensional television shows, indicating the seriousness of the moment. On the heels of the Democratic convention and on the eve of the Republican one, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss this year's biggest political events and what to expect over the next 70+ days, as the turmoil in the country continues and the election nears.

On today's episode of Beltway Briefing podcast, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz are joined by Congressman Dan Meuser, the U.S. Representative in Pennsylvania's 9th Congressional district, who previously served as the Secretary of Revenue in Governor Tom Corbett's cabinet. 79 days before the 2020 Election Day, they discuss the current state of the presidential race, including the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's historic choice of Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) as his running mate, President Trump's recent executive orders on COVID-19 relief, and the ongoing twin public-health and economic crises.

Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss the current state of the 2020 presidential race and the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's candidates for Vice President. N.B. Shortly after today's podcast concluded, former Vice President Joe Biden announced that he has chosen Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), as his running mate. Harris, who previously served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, is the first African American woman and first Asian American to run for vice president, representing a historic choice. Should Biden win, she would become the nation's first female vice president.

In a matter of months, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our society and changed our entire way of life. President Trump has said over the weekend that the virus is “under control as much as you can control it” in the U.S., yet infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths have been soaring in recent weeks. So far, more than 152,000 U.S. deaths and more than 4.72 million coronavirus cases have been reported nationwide. The Administration's response to the pandemic has been criticized for months, as it has failed to produce a coordinated, national strategy to contain the virus and set up national programs for testing and contact tracing. According to a recent poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of the pandemic. 91 days before the November election, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss President Trump's response to the worst public-health crisis in a century, which stands to be one of the key issues that will ultimately determine who becomes President-elect on Nov. 3.

99 days before the 2020 Voting Day, the public health and economic crises are emphatically far from over and political rifts are intensifying. How President Trump and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Biden plan on handling pressing issues will become emblematic of their values and priorities and will ultimately determine who becomes President-elect on Nov. 3. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the country's fractured state, the two presidential candidates' starkly different political identities, and what we can expect over the next few months, as the anxiety deepens and the nation braces for one of the most divisive, intensely personal, and anything-but-typical general election campaigns in contemporary history.

As coronavirus cases climb, Trump's poll numbers, stagnant for the first three years of his presidency, have largely evaporated. A double-digit advantage in numerous national polls, solid leads in a number of battleground states, and competitive showings in states Trump carried handily in 2016, suggest Biden is the favorite to win on November 3. Even the Trump campaign's efforts to define the presumptive democratic nominee with a bombardment of negative advertising, has yet to dent the former vice president. Many people are wary of polls now, however, and understandably so. The overwhelming majority of polls four years ago indicated Trump would lose, too. So why put much faith in the 2020 polls that show Biden consistently on top? Will enthusiasm for a candidate translate into enthusiasm about voting? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz break it all down and discuss what we can expect over the next 105 days, as the pandemic continues, the economy reels, and the election nears.

Amidst the dramatic changes that the U.S has undergone in the last four months, the 2020 presidential election remains ongoing. How the two presidential candidates plan on handling pressing issues will become emblematic of their values and priorities and will ultimately determine who becomes President-elect on Nov. 4. Will it be Mr. Biden, whose key message is that the election is a fight for “the soul of the nation” and who hasn't even had to campaign to take a large lead in battleground states? Or will it be Mr. Trump, who has largely wasted his chance to show emphatic leadership, has shifted almost exclusively to “law-and-order” rhetoric, and effectively has no second-term message beyond four more years of himself. But are four more years more risk than millions of Americans can stand? Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the two candidates' starkly different political identities and what we can expect over the next 129 days, as the public health crisis continues and the pandemic-patchwork nation braces for its most divisive presidential election.

After three months of little public activity, and on the heels of a blockbuster week at the Supreme Court, both presidential candidates have launched their campaigns in earnest. Amid widespread civil unrest and ongoing public health and economic crises, the opening stage of what is likely to be one of the most divisive, intensely personal, and anything-but-typical general election campaigns in contemporary history began to unfold. 134 days before the election, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the current events and what to expect next.

142 days before the 2020 Voting Day, the public health crisis is emphatically far from over, demonstrations against racial injustice continue to spread, political rifts intensify, and the pandemic patchwork nation seems unable to understand the direction it is going as it braces for its most divisive presidential election. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the country's fractured state, two presidential candidates' starkly different political identities, and what we can expect over the next few months, as the crisis continues, the anxiety deepens, and the election nears.

For the past eight days, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has so far claimed more than 100,000 U.S. lives and left more than 40 million Americans unemployed in its wake, protests have been held in all 50 U.S. states and spread to countries around the world, in an all-out rebuke of aggressive police tactics and racism. A wave of epic changes and profound events seen in more than 100 cities since the heartbreaking and unjustified killing of George Floyd, has cut through the hyper-polarized divides of modern America. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman and Jim Schultz discuss what has undoubtedly been an unprecedented week in the country and one that has communicated a powerful and transformative sense of urgency.

The twin health and economic crises have reached a tragic new milestone, as the pandemic death toll has surpassed 100,000 and the American economy has shed more than 30 million jobs. Meanwhile, a police killing of a black American has once again sparked outrage and violent protests across the country, laying bare the country's political dysfunction and racial inequalities. As a grim tableau of a union in crisis has emerged, leaving some to believe that a fundamental change is at hand, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss what to expect next.

House Democrats on Friday passed a $3 trillion relief package, named HEROES Act in honor of the front-line workers and designed to assuage the health and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The mammoth bill, approved largely along the party lines, seeks to add pressure on Senate Republicans to start negotiations on a new round of emergency aid and avoid making the process yet another partisan flashpoint. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz break it all down and discuss what's next, as the patchwork approach to reopening the economy continues to reveal divides between states and the federal government, on the one hand, and between blue and red states, on the other, that are likely to widen as the pandemic continues and the election nears.

After weeks of stay-at-home orders, millions of lost jobs, and trillions in emergency government spending, President Trump is calling for state and local governments to reopen their economies. Governors, for their part, are moving ahead with their own plans for how to safely resume normal activity, as they face the same competing pressures between keeping people safe in a pandemic and reviving some elements of a more functioning society. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz assess the leadership of both the President and the governors and look ahead to the November election, which will be not just about who can better return the country to normalcy but also about who can better stem the damage from what is likely to be the worst economic contraction in 90 years.

After more than a month under pandemic-related shutdown, and a resulting economic nosedive, the reopening of America is happening with little consensus on how it should proceed. Is testing really the deus ex machina that many claim? Several governors have issued a joint call for Congress to approve extra money in direct aid to states, depicting an increasingly dire financial strain on states struggling with the coronavirus crisis. It is also clear that the crisis will have a profound effect on this year's presidential campaign and on American politics in the long term. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss these and related issues and ponder what lies ahead as the country enters the next phase of an unprecedented national experiment resulting from the pandemic.

President Trump last week signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, freeing up almost half-a-trillion dollars in additional relief funds to deal with the pandemic and its blow to the American economy. Less than three months since the first known COVID-19 death in the U.S., the country's reported fatalities make up a quarter of the world's known coronavirus death toll. Meanwhile, as many states still struggle to secure critical test kits, governors across the political spectrum continue to lack persuasive arguments to safely reopen the country and have asked that the federal government step up its support for state efforts. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss how the crisis continues to reshape the American economy and life as we know it.

Less than seven months before the November election, the issue of reopening the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is a high-wire act for the president. The politics of the situation is hanging over the health data, as a swift economic restart could backfire politically for Trump if it causes a flare up. Meanwhile, governors across the political spectrum are also facing growing pressure to revive economies decimated by the coronavirus. But if they drew praise for taking quick action to protect public health, taking responsibility for when and how to reopen the country could prove far more politically perilous. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss what lies ahead, as the ongoing public health crisis continues to test both the economy and the public's patience.

In a matter of months, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our society and changed our entire way of life. As hospitals across the country have become overwhelmed, and industries, transport networks and businesses have closed down, the macroeconomic consequences seem dire. The public health and economic crises caused by pandemic will test our political institutions and our willingness to sacrifice for the common good, too. Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the roots of these crises and what it will take to overcome the daunting challenges that lie ahead.