Political Theater
416 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 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.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
The Transition: President Trump's death rattle
January 08, 2021 23:03 - 23 minutesIf anyone thought 2021 would come in like a lamb this week's events prove otherwise. Insurrection, treason, 25th amendment are all terms being tossed around in reaction to President Trump's rally cry to incite his followers to descend on the Capitol. What's next for Trump? The Dems and the GOP? Not to mention that President elect Joe Biden is less than 2 weeks away from being sworn in and is beginning to announce concrete plans for when he takes his office. Jim Saksa hosts and speaks to CQ Ro...
The Transition: Doing the job under duress
January 07, 2021 23:23 - 34 minutesThe shock of the violent overrunning of the U.S. Capitol this week featured a lot of people knuckling down, thinking on their feet and doing their jobs amid a dangerous and unpredictable situation. Katherine Tully-McManus recalls the strange and stirring moments in the Capitol as she evacuated with U.S. Senators, staffers and fellow journalists. Niels Lesniewski, meanwhile, details his thinking as he covered the implications of Congress having to possibly meet off-site, and what may come next...
Get ready for the hump day from hell
January 05, 2021 22:38 - 19 minutesWednesday's joint session of Congress will be a long, potentially tortuous affair to count the Electoral College votes that certify Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election. Republicans plan on objecting to the proceedings and forcing what could become a days-long affair that usually takes under an hour. They don't have the votes to overturn the certified results from states. But it's going to take a long time to get through. Katherine Tully-McManus and Niels Lesniewski explain what ...
The Transition: Meet the new Congress, more weird than the old Congress
January 04, 2021 22:05 - 20 minutesThe 117th Congress is under way, and it is already weird. A time usually filled with ceremony, celebration and at least a faint trace of optimism is clouded over by the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spectacle of members of Congress attempting to overturn the results of certified elections and the uncertainty of who will even be in charge of the Senate, depending on the results of two dramatic runoffs in Georgia. Jim Saksa and Stephanie Akin discuss the spectacle that has already def...
Political Theater: The year we will never forget
December 30, 2020 12:00 - 24 minutesWhile many of us might want to put 2020 in the rear view mirror, CQ Roll Call's three award winning photographers documented the year that was from impeachment (remember that?), the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and so much more. Jason Dick sits down with Bill Clark, Tom Williams and Caroline Brehman. They pick out their favorite photo and explain why and what went into getting the image. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: A showdown over Fed powers stalls deal for COVID aid
December 18, 2020 22:44 - 18 minutesWe're looking at a dispute that is threatening the delicate coronavirus relief bill negotiations that are also tied to a Friday at midnight government funding deadline. The GOP wants to limit Federal Reserve lending programs that would tie the hands of a Biden administration. Also, we examine what energy and environment policy will look like as President-elect Biden's Cabinet comes into focus. CQ Roll Call's Jim Saksa hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Trump's norm-busting. Let us count the ways
December 16, 2020 19:07 - 20 minutesAmong the accomplishments of President Donald Trump is a crash-course in civics that showed the public that a lot of government business and transparency happens because of good will and cooperation, not statute. In the wake of Trump's busting so many norms about the presidency, there is discussion about what Congress can do to more clearly define presidential power in areas like releasing tax returns, congressional subpoenas and the pardon authority. CQ Roll Call Senior Writer Todd Ruger dis...
The Transition: Sorry, but 2020's political drama will be leaking into 2021
December 15, 2020 23:22 - 20 minutesWith the Electoral College certifying Joe Biden’s victory, and Senate Republicans acknowledging that fact, is the presidential race finally over? Not a chance! Katherine Tully-McManus discusses possible challenges to the congressional counting of electoral votes. Meanwhile, Biden picks Pete Buttigieg for Transportation Secretary and then heads to Georgia to stump for the Democrats in key Senate races coming up in less than a month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Will White House officials and Congress be among the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
December 14, 2020 22:31 - 19 minutesWe're delving into why White House officials and members of Congress may be at the head of the line to get a COVID-19 vaccine. CQ Roll Call's Niels Lesniewski has more. We'll also explore what Biden's Cabinet nominees may face if the Senate doesn't flip to blue. Shawn Zeller explains. Katherine Tully-McManus hosts this special edition of Political Theater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: The bureaucrats are back
December 10, 2020 22:57 - 19 minutesPresident Donald Trump loved to hate the swamp, or official Washington. President-elect Joe Biden is bringing a different approach by bringing on a group of no-drama experienced government hands to run the executive branch. Niels Lesniewski discusses. And Ben Hulac outlines some of the outgoing administration's "midnight rules" and how they could affect the incoming administration, and the public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Ag, HUD at forefront of equality debates
December 09, 2020 21:33 - 18 minutesPresident-elect Joe Biden's picks to head the the Agriculture Department and HUD follow a fairly familiar pattern: a former farm-state governor for Ag and a former mayor for HUD. But the president's supporters expect his administration to aggressively address equality issues in a hyper-partisan environment, and Ag and HUD are two departments at the forefront. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Biden finds you can't please all the people all the time
December 08, 2020 23:21 - 19 minutesThe incoming Biden administration continues to come into focus. The president-elect's nomination of retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to be Defense secretary, who would be the first Black man to head the Pentagon, also means Biden passed over a woman long considered a frontrunner for the job: Michelle Flournoy. And as a recently retired officer, Austin requires a waiver from the House and Senate, CQ Roll Call Senior Staff Writer John Donnelly discusses the nomination. Learn more about your ad choices...
The Transition: Let's make a deal
December 07, 2020 22:24 - 17 minutesIn this episode of Political Theater's The Transition, Congress is still in a tug of war over a possible COVID-19 aid package. CQ Roll Call's David Lerman talks about where things stand. Then, we turn to CQ Roll Call health reporter Mary Ellen McIntire, who breaks down who President-elect Joe Biden wants on his team to lead the country out of the pandemic and why. Katherine Tully-McManus hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Congress is racing to finish must-pass bills before the New Year
December 04, 2020 23:00 - 12 minutesAs the holiday season is upon us, so too is a time honored tradition. Congress working at the last minute to shore up must-pass bills. CQ Roll Call's Jim Saksa talks with budget tracker David Lerman on the latest on appropriations and a COVID relief package. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Inauguration 2021 -- It could get weird
December 02, 2020 19:25 - 22 minutesJim Bendat has literally written the book on our Inauguration Day traditions and history. And one thing he is pretty confident of predicting: between Donald Trump's propensity for antics and the ongoing pandemic, the Jan. 20 inauguration of Joe Biden is going to be one we'll remember. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Congress begins decorating its end-of-year legislative tree
December 01, 2020 23:14 - 16 minutesCongress is very good at putting off its most important business until the end of the year. The current spending measure funding the government expires on December 11. And with the economy starting to show signs of strain, lawmakers are offering their own proposals for a COVID relief package that they hope to pass in the coming weeks. The two big ticket items might end up in one big year end measure. But a lot could happen before we get there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...
The Transition: Joe Biden and the Dare to be Dull approach to governing
November 24, 2020 21:16 - 18 minutesThe first full official day of the transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration featured President-elect Joe Biden introducing several of his Cabinet picks in Wilmington, Del., a group of veteran hands that epitomizes what could be called his Dare to be Dull approach to governing. Plus, Todd Ruger discusses changes atop the always-in-the-spotlight Senate Judiciary Committee, and Lindsey McPherson on how the pandemic is changing plans for the swearing in of the new Cong...
The Transition: It's been a long week
November 20, 2020 22:08 - 20 minutesWe're delving into President Donald Trump's latest moves to block President-elect Biden from moving forward, why foreign policy towards Europe may be thorny, and how a big infrastructure bill could be on the table. CQ Roll Call's Jim Saksa hosts with contributions from Niels Lesniewski, Rachel Oswald and Jessica Wehrman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Trump team briefs senators on Operation Warp Speed, but not Biden team
November 19, 2020 23:25 - 18 minutesWith a COVID-19 vaccine in sight, it's more important than ever the Trump administration and the team of President-elect Joe Biden coordinate on the pandemic. But that's not happening. Sen. Chris Murphy discusses how the Trump team is briefing senators, but refuses to bring Biden into the discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: The ‘traffic jam’ gets worse every day that Trump delays
November 18, 2020 20:23 - 20 minutesDavid Marchick, director of Center for Presidential Transition, has a traffic report for us: If the Trump administration doesn’t start doing its part in the transition, the backups could soon threaten the public's well being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Richmond is Biden's gain and Congress' loss
November 17, 2020 22:27 - 13 minutesPresident-elect Joe Biden has poached the first member of Congress for his administration — Louisiana Democrat Cedric Richmond. The lawmaker will become a senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. CQ Roll Call's Jason Dick reports on why Richmond could be among the most influential staffers for Biden. Plus, Katherine Tully-McManus walks us through a busy orientation day on Capitol Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...
The Transition: "More people may die"
November 17, 2020 00:54 - 14 minutesPresident-elect Joe Biden says that "more people may die" if President Donald Trump doesn't soon share what the current plans are to combat COVID-19 and distribute vaccines. Also, a first look at who may be named to be Director of National Intelligence. CQ Roll Call's Katherine Tully-McManus speaks with Niels Lesniewski on the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Trump's post-election moves spark anxiety
November 12, 2020 18:36 - 23 minutesIn a little over a week, President Donald Trump has launched legal action to try to counter election results, fired the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and other top tier civilians at the Pentagon. CQ Roll Call's Jason Dick talks with Todd Ruger and John Donnelly to examine these latest moves and what they mean for the nation's stability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Congress isn't putting its own transition on hold
November 11, 2020 20:59 - 10 minutesPresident Donald Trump might be holding off on his participation in the transition process, but Congress is not. New members report to Capitol Hill this week for orientation, and Katherine Tully-McManus and Mark Satter talk to us about some of the demographic shifts in the freshman class. Jim Saksa also reports on how the incoming Biden administration might have to wait until next year to find out whom to even negotiate its economic proposals with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
The Transition: Was Election Day really a week ago?
November 10, 2020 22:08 - 18 minutesWe're looking at the fallout from the Trump administration fueling the myth that the president didn't lose the election. President-elect Joe Biden and his team can't get national security briefings, or funds usually associated with setting up shop to become president. There are also more than a dozen congressional seats still waiting to be called. Host Jim Saksa speaks with CQ Roll Call's chief correspondent Niels Lesniewski. And then we turn to what the transition will mean for farmers. Lear...
The Transition: The Biden team wastes no time
November 09, 2020 22:21 - 12 minutesPresident-elect Joe Biden launches his transition with a marquee roster to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We also look at what is likely to happen to immigration policy and the fate of the Senate's majority. CQ Roll Call's Katherine Tully-McManus hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: The tipping point
November 06, 2020 21:53 - 9 minutesAt the time of this recording, five states have still not been called in the presidential election, with former Vice President Joe Biden leading in three of them. Then there is the Senate. With two runoff elections set in Georgia in January, chamber majority will be uncertain until then. CQ Roll Call's Jason Dick, Niels Lesniewski and Stephanie Akin report in this special edition of Political Theater as election week continues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Transition: Release the Trump campaign lawsuits!
November 05, 2020 21:54 - 16 minutesThe country is on edge as battleground states continue their vote count in the race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden for the presidency. But that has not stopped Trump’s campaign from filing several lawsuits in hopes of gaining an edge in the final results. But what about all these lawsuits? How likely are they to affect the outcome? CQ Roll Call senior writer Todd Ruger discusses them and what we can expect in the next few days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The 2020 election is a story that just won't end
November 04, 2020 21:02 - 34 minutesIf you like tidy stories, then 2020 is not for you. As election officials continue counting votes for the presidency and Senate and House races, it's tough to get a handle on just what happened: Why were polls off? Who will win? Will each party need to do some soul searching or will they pretend it's all good? Rodell Mollineu of ROKK Solutions and Liesl Hickey, of Ascent Media join the podcast to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The future of the presidency
October 30, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutesWith only days to go before Election Day, my colleague Shawn Zeller was thinking about the last 4 years and whether the way President Trump has governed will have a lasting impact on the presidency. Here is his podcast where Shawn speaks with presidential historian David Greenburg on what the future holds for the presidency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Just in time for Halloween: Worst case scenarios for the election
October 29, 2020 13:31 - 24 minutesThe 2020 Election is “rounding the corner” — sorry, I could not resist — but here we are, just a few days out from Nov. 3, which means that it’s almost Halloween. And what better way to recognize the spooky nature of All’s Hallows Eve than to discuss the scary worst-case scenarios for the elections! Disputed counts! Lawsuits! Candidates refusing to concede! States sending multiple sets of electors to be counted! Runoffs! The House and Senate refusing to seat members. On the latest Political T...
Brent Roske, ‘Iowa’s political bartender,’ talks Hawkeye State races
October 22, 2020 18:40 - 20 minutesBrent Roske is a political animal, but it wasn’t supposed to be that way. A veteran Hollywood creative type, his series “Chasing the Hill,” about a fictional congressional campaign, was supposed to get it out of his system. It just lit the fire though, and he went on to run for Congress himself, move to Iowa, start a political talk show, Roske on Politics, and get involved in political strategy. And now, with several competitive races in the Hawkeye State in 2020, he’s doing what he does best...
Lo-tech crashes hi-tech political campaign tactics
October 15, 2020 15:14 - 21 minutesTechnology increasingly defines modern life, and that is especially so in political campaigns. But for all the sophisticated polling models and ways of raising money in politics, a new organization is betting that a very old school way of doing things will help boost turnout. Senior staff writer Bridget Bowman joins Political Theater to talk about Vote Tripling, a group that's using behavior science to drive voter turnout for Democrats, and how it might affect some key races in the battle for...
The odd, hybrid world of the vice presidency
October 08, 2020 20:41 - 26 minutesThe vice presidency is a strange office, a hybrid of both the executive branch and the legislative branch, someone who breaks ties on Senate votes and can preside over the counting of his own electoral votes in a joint session of Congress. So Wednesday night’s vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris carried with it more significance as we brace for a possibly disputed election, a Supreme Court nomination fight and, oh yeah, health and age questions surrounding their runn...
How this SCOTUS fight will be very different
September 30, 2020 20:39 - 24 minutesAs if the 2020 presidential campaign wasn’t already tense enough, we now have a high-profile Supreme Court confirmation fight playing out in the Senate. But things will look and play out differently for the nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett. CQ Roll Call senior writer Todd Ruger and staff writer Katherine Tully McManus walk us through what we can expect in the weeks ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
SCOTUS fight scrambles Senate schedule, campaigns
September 23, 2020 21:30 - 26 minutesWe thought we were in the home stretch of the 2020 campaign season, with the primaries over and early voting beginning, and then on Sept. 18, another political earthquake shook us when Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. Niels Lesniewski and Bridget Bowman discuss what we know, what we don’t know and what we’ll be watching in the coming days and weeks about the latest Supreme Court news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
'The consulting class is going ape-s***' -- The Lincoln Project, explained
September 16, 2020 20:03 - 20 minutesIf you’ve been anywhere near cable news or social media in the last few months, you have probably seen an ad by the Lincoln Project. The group of Republicans who have aggressively gone after President Donald Trump on cable news and social media. Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Kurt Bardella, explains what motivates the group, what they hope to accomplish and the pushback they've gotten from their GOP brethren. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
‘Surge’ part of ongoing surge in political documentaries
September 10, 2020 16:18 - 23 minutesIf you ran for Congress in 2018, there was a pretty good chance you are part of a political documentary. First came “Knock Down the House,” which featured a (then) little known candidate, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and now comes “Surge,” which follows women who ran against veteran Republican incumbents. Political Reporters Bridget Bowman and Kate Ackley spoke to Rep. Lauren Underwood, a star of “Surge,” and filmmakers Wendy Sachs and Hannah Rosenzweig about their new movie. Learn more about you...
Keynote candidates and no-shows: Who we talk about when we talk about political conventions
August 26, 2020 21:31 - 25 minutesOne of the few things that is not different about this year’s political conventions is that the parties are providing valuable national airtime to candidates for Congress whom they want to see succeed. Who shows up, and who doesn’t, provide context for those House and Senate races, even if some of that context is, quite frankly, mystifying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Virtually the same? This year’s unconventional Democratic National Convention
August 19, 2020 23:27 - 23 minutesWe don’t need hindsight to see that 2020 is a year unlike any other in recent memory. The coronavirus pandemic has touched every fiber of our lives and woven itself inextricably into the fold of presidential politics, including the national conventions blanketing the airwaves this week and next. Usually, the Republican and Democratic parties live up to their collective nouns and really get down at these weeklong rallies, but that’s a no-go with a pandemic raging. Instead of convening in pers...
'It's just history': Kamala Harris' historic run as VP
August 12, 2020 18:01 - 25 minutesKamala Harris' historic run as vice president comes at a time of big societal and generational changes. Roll Call columnist Mary C. Curtis, who covers the intersection of politics, culture and race, discusses the significance of the California Democrat's spot on the 2020 ticket with Joe Biden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
‘It is exhausting’: Women in Congress recount shared experiences
August 06, 2020 15:00 - 30 minutesCongress has a record number of women in its ranks, and it doesn't matter if they are Democrats or Republicans, junior members or elected leaders: They share a common set of experiences about being talked down to, overlooked or outright scorned. Heard on the Hill's Kathryn Lyons spoke to some of them and recounts their stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From middle school to Congress: Jamaal Bowman’s journey
July 30, 2020 04:00 - 24 minutesJamaal Bowman isn’t your average former middle school principal. That’s because the 44-year-old recently beat veteran Congressman Eliot Engel in the Democratic primary in New York’s 16th District. He's part of a changing of the guard of younger, minority politicians who are on their way to Congress. Clyde McGrady discusses his recent conversation with the educator-turned-prospective lawmaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Remembering John Lewis, in his own words
July 23, 2020 19:30 - 10 minutesSince Rep. John Lewis' death on July 17, his colleagues have paid tribute and remembered him in ways big and small. And his own words, like the ones we gathered here, make a fitting memorial to a figure whose public service crossed boundaries and generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For Rep. G.K. Butterfield, the fight for voting rights goes way back
July 16, 2020 13:08 - 17 minutesThe struggle to ensure people have access to the ballot box is one that G.K. Butterfield and his family have been involved in dating back to the early 20th Century. The North Carolina Democrat’s history in Wilson, N.C., is indelibly shaped by his immigrant father and his decades-long advocacy on behalf of Black suffrage in a place notoriously resistant to it. It extends through Butterfield's own place in the Civil Rights Era, and continues to the present day with his own legislative prioritie...
‘Just come home’ — Black lawmakers reflect on their interactions with the police
July 08, 2020 17:45 - 21 minutesIt doesn’t matter if you went to Morehouse, or if you were an undercover CIA officer or even a police officer yourself, if you are a Black man, odds are your interactions with the police are more dangerous and memorable than for others. CQ Roll Call’s Clyde McGrady interviewed three members of Congress who reflect on what it was like for them and what was different for them in their encounters with law enforcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Watching John Lewis Watch Himself: Dawn Porter's documentary on the civil rights icon
July 01, 2020 17:26 - 14 minutesFilmmaker Dawn Porter had a unique challenge in making a documentary about Rep. John Lewis, the Georgia Democrat who recently turned 80 and has been a civil rights hero for more than half a century. How do you say something new and interesting about someone so familiar? She talks about that and more on the latest Political Theater podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Eleanor Holmes Norton’s brass ring: DC Statehood
June 24, 2020 18:38 - 17 minutesDel. Eleanor Holmes Norton is a third-generation Washingtonian who has been witness to the biggest turning points for the Capital city’s long struggle for civil and political rights. One thing has been constant, though: Citizens of the District of Columbia — federal tax paying citizens — have been denied full voting representation. This week, the House will vote on a bill granting Washington full statehood. That’s the first time that will happen in almost 30 years. And the bill’s sponsor, Ele...
'There are no degrees of separation' -- How the Mother Emanuel church shooting hangs over the current debate about racial justice
June 18, 2020 20:44 - 20 minutesIt's been five years since the deadly, racist-motivated shooting at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. But the scars are still present in the current debate over racial justice, Black Lives Matter and the legacy of white supremacist ideology. Roll Call columnist Mary C. Curtis discusses how the tragedy in Charleston still resonates as the United States grapples with its ugly history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A long way in a short time: What George Floyd spurred
June 11, 2020 15:54 - 8 minutesIt might not seem like it, but we’ve come a long way as a country in the last couple of weeks. On May 25th, George Floyd, a black man, died at the hands of Minneapolis Police officers, an all too familiar scene. But this time feels different, in the streets, in the Capitol and everywhere you look. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices