Political Theater
411 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 40 ratingsHave you ever asked, “WTF?,” about politics? Or, “who are these people making decisions about my life?” Political Theater pulls back the curtain on the stunts, antics and motivations that drive Washington. Host Jason Dick and the Roll Call team spotlight the spectacle, the players and what’s going on behind the curtain in Washington’s long-running drama: Congress.
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Episodes
‘Food, Inc. 2’ filmmakers provide plenty to chew on
April 11, 2024 16:49 - 28 minutesPeople feel so passionately about food that perhaps it is not a surprise it has yielded that rarest of things: A sequel to a documentary. The makers of 2008’s “Food, Inc.,” are, as the new movie’s tagline goes, back for seconds with “Food, Inc. 2,” a multi-layered look at the food industry, its farmers, workers, scientists, journalists and more. Co-directors Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo are here to talk about it, from soup to nuts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...
When the most powerful people get what they want, Ohio version
March 25, 2024 15:22 - 28 minutesWhat does it mean when both Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and former President Donald Trump agree on the same candidate? Because that happened in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary. That was not the only win for the establishment, such as it is, during Tuesday’s elections. Roll Call campaign staff writer Daniela Altimari spent some quality time in Ohio recently, and she and Campaigns Editor Herb Jackson join the podcast to discuss the results in Ohio, Illinois and California. Learn ...
The highs, lows and weirds of the White House beat
March 14, 2024 22:36 - 31 minutesCovering the White House is one of the most high-profile beats in politics. Covering the Trump, then the Biden White House, and starting during a pandemic and an election year makes it even more high profile. Roll Call Chief Correspondent Niels Lesniewski has been at the helm for a little over four years and shares his experiences as he prepares for a new assignment in the newsroom: The highlights, the lowlights and the weirdlights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The changing 2024 Senate landscape
March 07, 2024 16:25 - 39 minutesLost in this year’s highly competitive presidential nominating contest (sarcasm detector!) is the coming-at-you primaries for House and Senate that kicked off with a bang on Super Tuesday. We got some clarity about fall matchups in some high-profile races on that most special of Tuesdays, and some of that clarity came from folks who were not even facing the voters. With us to discuss is Jacob Rubashkin, deputy editor of Inside Elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...
What we talk about when we talk about Super Tuesday
February 28, 2024 16:04 - 34 minutesTuesdays can get a bad rap. Sometimes the best that can be said about them are that they're the day that's the furthest from next Monday. But not Super Tuesday! More than a quarter of the House of Representatives faces a primary race on March 5, and there are two high-profile Senate races as well. And while not all of Super Tuesday's races are competitive, there are major implications for November’s general election, especially in California, Texas, North Carolina and Alabama. We’ll discuss t...
Exploring the inbetweenness of Taiwan
February 21, 2024 14:00 - 30 minutesS. Leo Chiang’s documentary films explore lives across continents and culture, from the first Vietnamese-American congressman to the first LGBT political party in the Philippines to a legendary Hawaiian ukulele player. His latest film, the documentary short “Island in Between,” has been nominated for an Academy Award. Its subject, Taiwan’s Kinmen Island and Chiang’s own relationship to his native Taiwan, couldn’t be more timely, in the wake of Taiwan’s recent presidential election and as Cong...
One special place: New York’s 3rd Congressional District
February 15, 2024 21:40 - 29 minutesWhat’s not to like about political stories that encompass not only New York City, Queens specifically, but reach into Long Island’s northern shore in Nassau County. The special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District to replace expelled GOP Rep. George Santos is over, with Democrat Tom Suozzi defeating Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip for the honor of representing the birthplace of Walt Whitman and the one-time home of F. Scott Fitzgerald when he was gathering string for “The Great Gats...
'What the Hell just happened?' Congress reaches deep into the failure well
February 08, 2024 18:37 - 39 minutesThe current congress started off last year with an historic show of dysfunction, taking 15 rounds of voting to elect a speaker. Things did not get better. And then this week we saw the House and the Senate devolve into what some observers dubbed “failure theater.” One senator, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, asked simply, “What the Hell just happened?” Helping us answer that question is Molly Reynolds, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution. Learn more about your ad cho...
A sense of where he is: Bill Bradley's 'Rolling Along' one-man show
February 03, 2024 15:56 - 26 minutesThere are not a lot of resumes that read like Bill Bradley’s. Gold medal Olympian. Rhodes Scholar. Pro basketball player. Author. Senator. Presidential candidate. Radio host. And now a documentary film storyteller. His latest project, "Rolling Along," premiered last June at the Tribeca Film Festival, appropriate for the iconic New York Knick, and started streaming on Max on Feb. 1. He joins the podcast to discuss the story of his life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...
What's the big idea? The big political stories beyond the headlines
January 25, 2024 15:48 - 39 minutesWe’re off and running in a pivotal election year, but beyond the horse race coverage and hot takes, there are always big stories that will help define what is going on. Herb Jackson, Roll Call’s politics editor, and Political Theater host Jason Dick trade big ideas about what the big stories are for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Signs of life? Democrats start to sound off about Biden campaign
January 17, 2024 22:55 - 25 minutesDemocrats are voicing concerns that the Biden re-election campaign needs to start getting on the road, but the question is, which direction? And who's driving? Dispatches from a fretting Capitol Hill, courtesy of Roll Call editor-at-large John Bennett, who joins the podcast to discuss his reporting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Whyiowa? Because we start at the beginning
January 09, 2024 22:02 - 31 minutesIt’s January 2024. It’s cold, especially in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first stops on the presidential campaign voting calendar. We kick off this year by discussing the early contests, as well as setting the stage for the rest of this election year, particularly House and Senate races, with Roll Call’s elections analyst, Nathan Gonzales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Don't hassle me I'm local: The DC episode
December 13, 2023 16:39 - 44 minutesHow big a deal is the pandas leaving the National Zoo? Or the sale of the Commanders? Or the Wizards and Capitals possibly leaving downtown DC? Or all the retail vacancies piling up? Recommend If You Like Editor Brandon Wetherbee gets local with the Political Theater podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The view from 2073: What political stories this year will be relevant in 50 years?
December 07, 2023 13:00 - 34 minutesAs political journalists, it is easy to get wrapped up in the story of the day. Elections and court decisions. Wars and strikes. Retirements and deaths. But what news events will endure and mark this year as unique? Fifty years ago, in 1973, we had the Watergate, Roe v. Wade and more. Nathan Gonzales joins the podcast to consider what political stories will stand out in half a century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Facing backlash: LGBTQ+ families in 'We Live Here: The Midwest'
November 30, 2023 19:41 - 28 minutesThe recent elevation of Rep. Mike Johnson to be Speaker of the House has brought up questions about the Louisiana Republican’s record and positions in several areas, particularly his opposition to equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Filmmakers Melinda Maerker and David Miller have a new documentary for Hulu, “We Live Here: The Midwest,” which gives voice to the LGBTQ+ community in places that are not hospitable to them, and they join the podcast to discuss their project and its message. L...
The harrowing journey out of North Korea in ‘Beyond Utopia’
November 10, 2023 15:24 - 23 minutesIf you know anyone who clings to antiquated notions that documentary films are dry affairs, kindly refer them to “Beyond Utopia,” Madeleine Gavin’s movie about the perilous paths North Korean defectors and their allies take to get them safely out of one of the world’s most repressive and cloistered countries. In addition to addressing the important issues about a geopolitical hot-spot, the filmmaking here makes for a compelling adventure. Director Madeleine Gavin and Producer Sue Mi Terry joi...
The cranky American: A tale of public polls
November 03, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutesIf you’re feeling cranky about politics, you’re not alone. Public polling shows a remarkably wide swath of Americans with historically poor views of politics and politicians. Nathan Gonzales, Roll Call’s campaign analyst and publisher of Inside Elections, joins the podcast to discuss why and the campaign ramifications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Home-grown horror: The long reach of "The Exorcist"
October 26, 2023 13:06 - 29 minutesWashington is a city rooted in politics and history. It is also the home of one of the most iconic horror stories of all time, “The Exorcist.” The novel and movie, set in Georgetown, have been freaking people out for more than a half-century. Louis Bayard, author of "The Pale Blue Eye" and other novels, has written about growing up with "The Exorcist." He comes on the podcast to talk about that and why horror resonates, especially in places like D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
The times, they are confusing: Why is Congress like this?
October 17, 2023 19:13 - 35 minutesA speaker is deposed. Members of Congress gets indicted. A former president stands trial. Things feel unsteady, even dangerous. Has it ever been like this before? And will it change? Molly Reynolds, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, discusses what’s going on in Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The fall of the House of ... Representatives
October 06, 2023 13:26 - 30 minutesThe instability of the House of Representatives is on full display, with this week seeing the first-ever ouster of a speaker, which led to the first-ever use of continuity of government rules to install a speaker pro tempore to preside over the institution until the chamber can elect its next speaker. And, if you remember how that went in January, it is uncertain how long that will take. Political Theater podcast host pro tempore Herb Jackson and Roll Call editor at large John Bennett walk us...
Bob Menendez: Born to run under indictment?
September 27, 2023 16:40 - 31 minutesSen. Bob Menendez is a New Jersey institution, and in a familiar place, running for election while fighting federal corruption charges. He has always come out on top before, but times have changed, and his Democratic colleagues are pressuring him to resign. How did Menendez get to where he is, and what are his options? Roll Call Politics Editor Herb Jackson, a man of New Jersey, walks us through it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In “Deadlocked,” it’s increasingly the Supreme Court’s world, and we just live in it
September 20, 2023 14:13 - 27 minutesFilmmaker Dawn Porter’s documentaries run the spectrum of the political world and process, including Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, the Tulsa massacre, Civil War spies, abortion and more. Her latest project, the mini-series “Deadlocked,” is a history of the modern Supreme Court, from the Warren Court to the present, and how politics have changed the court, and how the court has changed politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...
If it’s September, it’s government meltdown time
September 14, 2023 10:00 - 32 minutesSeptember is always stressful around Washington. Congress rarely even tries to pass its spending bills in time for the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Throw in the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, and you have even more stress. Both topics, along with another developing wild card, redistricting, are likely to help define the 2024 campaign. We discuss with Nathan Gonzales, Roll Call’s campaign analyst and the publisher of Inside Elections. Learn more about your ad ch...
The contemporary reach of ‘Golda’ during the ‘Yom Kippur of democracy’
August 23, 2023 16:21 - 19 minutesWith “Golda,” director Guy Nattiv depicts the story of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir’s leadership during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, bringing his affection for the paranoid thrillers of the 1970s to the screen during a time of heightened political tensions in Israel and the rest of the democratic world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The 'Oppenheimer' expanded universe: Steve James' tale of atomic espionage in 'A Compassionate Spy'
July 25, 2023 13:36 - 27 minutesSteve James is a documentary filmmaker whose body of work has taken him from "Hoop Dreams" to the 2008 financial crisis and more. His latest film, "A Compassionate Spy," is about Ted Hall, a physicist who worked at Los Alamos during World War II and helped develop the atomic bomb. You may have heard something or other about the bomb lately, with Christopher Nolan’s "Oppenheimer" in theaters now and creating buzz by the gallons. Hall’s story is just as important. He took what he learned at Los...
I know what you did this summer
July 13, 2023 17:57 - 30 minutesWhat's the difference between launching a political campaign on June 30 and July 10? Does it really matter? Here to explain why it does is Nathan Gonzales, Roll Call’s Election Analyst and the publisher of Inside Elections. We also talk about sharks, ditches and an unlikely double feature of "The Skulls" and "Back to School." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chronicling one year of the post-Dobbs world
June 23, 2023 14:24 - 20 minutesJune 24 marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to an abortion. Amanda Becker, a former Roll Caller who writes about politics for the 19th and just completed a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, is writing a book about the immediate fallout of the decision. She joins the podcast to talk about her work and reporting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DC/DOX adds another diverse layer to Washington's film community
June 14, 2023 09:00 - 21 minutesWashington is a film capital, home to a diverse slate of festivals to match a diverse slate of interests and people. This week, the DC/DOX festival gets under way with dozens of documentary features on topics ranging from the war in Ukraine, the Supreme Court, Joan Baez, Steph Curry and more. DC/DOX co-founder Sky Sitney joins the podcast to talk about movies, creating a community and even Kim's Video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Taking flight: Ondi Timoner’s ‘Last Flight Home’
June 08, 2023 15:39 - 26 minutesGood documentaries tell stories that work on multiple levels. Filmmaker Ondi Timoner’s “Last Flight Home” does this by portraying a family as it prepares for the loss of its patriarch, who has chosen to end his life, and documenting a very specific time in our history, when the most personal medical and health care choices are the sources of monumental political debate. The fact that the family is Timoner’s gives the movie an extra resonance, and she is sharing not just the movie but her pers...
When 'Yellowstone' came to Capitol Hill
May 25, 2023 14:09 - 33 minutes"Yellowstone" and its related series are a cultural phenomenon, and have provided Native Americans a voice and platform that breaks boundaries. Two of the actors in the series, Mo Brings Plenty and Michael Spears, discuss their recent visit to Capitol Hill, Native representation in movies and pop culture and what makes "Yellowstone" different. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Capital Challenge race, explained
May 19, 2023 12:40 - 20 minutesThe annual Capital Challenge foot race is a unique gathering of the three branches of government and the journalists who cover them: a three-mile, mid-week, morning race of about 600 people that raises money for youth financial literacy. But there is more going on beyond folks pounding the pavement. CQ Roll Call's Health Team Editor Jessica Wehrman, a long-time runner of the race herself, coordinated our many teams this year and lets us know how it all went. Learn more about your ad choices. ...
The most vulnerable 2024 incumbents, so far
May 12, 2023 18:09 - 43 minutesIt is a Roll Call tradition: identifying the most vulnerable House and Senate incumbents each election cycle. And for our first look at the franchise for 2024, we will discuss the 20 on the hot seat whom we have put on the list with Herb Jackson, Roll Call’s politics editor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The White House Correspondents Dinner, explained
May 04, 2023 09:00 - 35 minutesThe White House Correspondents Dinner, the crown jewel of Washington’s spring prom season, roared back this past week, freed from many of the physical and psychological restraints of the COVID pandemic. But the pandemic is but one of the many turning points in the dinner’s long history — which includes the Mummers. George Condon, the White House Correspondents Association historian and White House correspondent for National Journal, joins the podcast in the latest in our occasional series on ...
You sunk my battleground! The 2024 campaign gets under way
April 27, 2023 09:00 - 26 minutesPresident Joe Biden made it official this week: He is running for re-election. The 2024 presidential race will be determined largely in the same battlegrounds it did the last few elections. In some cases, that means the presidential race could have a down-ballot effect on competitive House and Senate races. Nathan Gonzales, publisher of Inside Elections and Roll Call’s elections analyst, joins the podcast to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nothing is simple in the Senate
April 20, 2023 15:14 - 24 minutesAh, the Senate. Anything you think should be simple never really is. Democrats there are trying to figure out what to do about the extended absence of Sen. Dianne Feinstein from committee work. But they cannot just replace her on committees temporarily, as they sought to do this week. Why? Because the Senate is a continuing body subject to organizing resolutions that the chamber has to pass. And it is very easy to grind things to a halt in the Senate, even on something that seems routine. Le...
The National Press Club, explained
April 13, 2023 13:47 - 27 minutesThe National Press Club is part of the fabric of Washington politics and news. It is a professional and social gathering place for people in the news, or people looking to make news, from Charlie Chaplin to Barack Obama. It’s got a complicated history, but it is also a key part of the battle for press freedoms across the globe. On this episode we’re dipping back into our series of explaining some of the institutions around Washington, this time with Herb Jackson, politics editor at Roll Call ...
Worlds collide: Separation of powers fights heat up
March 31, 2023 09:00 - 22 minutesThe country’s founders were big fans of separating the powers of the branches of government. The current tussles among Congress, the White House and the courts show that the debate over where one institution’s authority ends and another begins is as lively as ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yes, they look at ALL the votes
March 24, 2023 14:20 - 29 minutesFor decades, CQ has studied the votes of members of Congress and lined them up according to party unity, loyalty to the president, participation, and more. There is a lot that goes into it, and people around the world look to these studies to make sense of the legislative branch. Ryan Kelly and Herb Jackson from the CQ Roll Call newsroom discuss CQ’s annual vote studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Gridiron Club, explained
March 16, 2023 13:00 - 28 minutesThe Gridiron Club is one of Washington’s longest-standing journalism institutions. Founded in 1885, it is known for its annual dinner, a gathering of club members, fellow journalists and Washington elites. Normally shrouded in secrecy, the Gridiron is making news. National Journal’s George Condon discusses everything you wanted to know about the Gridiron, but were afraid to ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hope and Despair on the Campaign Trail '24
March 08, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutesTrump-first Republicans have CPAC. Never Trumpers have Principles First. And on one magical weekend, the two twain did meet, or at least met at roughly the same time. Roll Call political writers Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari unpack these two disparate political hootenannies and their implications for the 2024 elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The environmental, agricultural and moral stakes in ‘The Smell of Money’
March 02, 2023 17:59 - 27 minutesThe documentary “The Smell of Money” chronicles several North Carolina families’ fight for environmental justice against pork producers whose facilities adversely affect their surrounding land. Senior CQ Roll Call writer Ellyn Ferguson discusses the film with its writer, Jamie Berger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Early onset political prognostication
February 16, 2023 10:00 - 32 minutesIt might be early in the 2024 election season, but that doesn't mean there aren't significant events, candidates, polling and topics to tune into. Nathan Gonzales, Roll Call’s elections analyst and the publisher of Inside Elections, joins the podcast to discuss why it's so important to pay attention to what's going on now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The State of the Union is ... saucy
February 08, 2023 22:31 - 25 minutesJust when you think the State of the Union address is played out, we get one like Tuesday's: A call and response of political spectacle that very clearly defined differences in policy and approach between Democrats and Republicans, and might have previewed the 2024 campaign ahead for President Joe Biden and the GOP. Niels Lesniewski and Jim Saksa join the podcast to discuss the raucous caucus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Where do Hollywood screenplays come from? Sometimes Washington
January 30, 2023 06:00 - 27 minutesWhen we say “Hollywood,” it’s kind of like saying “Washington.” There’s more that makes up these places than just – these places. In many cases, the people who make things go in Hollywood, like in Washington, come from somewhere else, and they land in those places after long professional or personal journeys that start all over the globe. And sometimes those Hollywood scripts start in a place like Washington, where people toil in a variety of pursuits. Political Theater talks to three of thos...
Comeback angles: Trump, McMahon and the art of never quitting
January 23, 2023 13:33 - 32 minutesIt’s a reliable plotline. Old, battle-hardened wrestler left for dead and in exile mounts a comeback, looking to vanquish the people who always seem to underestimate him. Of course, we’re talking about Donald Trump. Or Vince McMahon. Or both. With us to discuss wrestling in politics and politics in wrestling is Brandon Wetherbee, host of the You Me Them Everybody Podcast, founder of Recommend if You Like magazine and co-author, with Chris Kelly, of the book, The Donald: How Trump Turned Presi...
"The Flagmakers," sews a portrait of an icon and the people who make it
January 11, 2023 13:29 - 23 minutesThe flag of the United States is a worldwide icon. It’s a symbol of liberty with a complicated history. “The Flagmakers” a documentary from veteran filmmakers Sharon Liese and Cynthia Wade, profiles the people at Eder Flags in Wisconsin, a major manufacturer of flags and flagpoles in the United States. They are a diverse lot, in an influential, swing state, and they represent the tapestry of American society, all while they literally stitch together the tapestry that is the American flag. Le...
Bridge to Somewhere: Joe and Mitch on the Ohio River
January 05, 2023 21:27 - 20 minutesThe Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River has long been a symbol of the country's crumbling infrastructure, a familiar prop politicians used as backdrop to call for needed repairs. Now through bipartisan legislation, the old bridge is finally getting a $1.6 billion makeover. And this week, while the House plunged into chaos over the election of its speaker, President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gathered at the bridge to tout their records and offer a preview of the ...
‘The Corridors of Power’ shows how genocide goes through the policy calculus
December 12, 2022 17:24 - 27 minutesDror Moreh’s documentary “The Corridors of Power” is a chronicle of the American response to genocide in modern times. It combines difficult footage of atrocities and violence with Moreh’s one-on-one interviews with powerful U.S. officials, from such iconic figures as Colin Powell and Madeline Albright to contemporary ones who are still serving at the highest levels of government like Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
'Retrograde' chronicles the human consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
December 07, 2022 14:00 - 25 minutesMatthew Heineman is one of the pre-eminent documentary filmmakers working, and his movies have provided ground level views of the world not available to many: drug cartels in Mexico, journalists working in the Syrian civil war and COVID-19 wards in New York in the early days of the pandemic. His latest project “Retrograde” captures the U.S. withdrawal in Afghanistan last year, and the ensuing fallout among the Afghan military personnel left to fight the Taliban. Learn more about your ad choic...
Race, football and religion: Sorting through the Georgia Senate runoff
December 01, 2022 23:12 - 30 minutesOn Dec. 6, the last race of the 2022 campaign will conclude, when voting in Georgia ends in the runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker. This campaign has been close since the get-go; It is the first time the major parties have nominated Black men to run against each other in Georgia, and who these two are and where they come from means a lot to the state. Joining us on Political Theater is Clyde McGrady, an enterprise reporter at the New York Times (and ...