Shows / Political Theater
Political Theater
Have 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.
Episodes
- Political Theater
Home-grown horror: The long reach of "The Exorcist"
Washington 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…
- Political Theater
The times, they are confusing: Why is Congress like this?
A speaker is deposed. Members of Congress gets indicted. A former president stands trial. Things feel unsteady, even dangerous. Has it ever been like this…
- Political Theater
The fall of the House of ... Representatives
The 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…
- Political Theater
Bob Menendez: Born to run under indictment?
Sen. 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…
- Political Theater
In “Deadlocked,” it’s increasingly the Supreme Court’s world, and we just live in it
Filmmaker Dawn Porter’s documentaries run the spectrum of the political world and process, including Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, the legacy of…
- Political Theater
If it’s September, it’s government meltdown time
September 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…
- Political Theater
The contemporary reach of ‘Golda’ during the ‘Yom Kippur of democracy’
With “Golda,” director Guy Nattiv depicts the story of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir’s leadership during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, bringing his affection…
- Political Theater
The 'Oppenheimer' expanded universe: Steve James' tale of atomic espionage in 'A Compassionate Spy'
Steve 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…
- Political Theater
I know what you did this summer
What'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…
- Political Theater
Chronicling one year of the post-Dobbs world
June 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…
- Political Theater
DC/DOX adds another diverse layer to Washington's film community
Washington 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…
- Political Theater
Taking flight: Ondi Timoner’s ‘Last Flight Home’
Good 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…
- Political Theater
When 'Yellowstone' came to Capitol Hill
"Yellowstone" and its related series are a cultural phenomenon, and have provided Native Americans a voice and platform that breaks boundaries. Two of the…
- Political Theater
The Capital Challenge race, explained
The 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…
- Political Theater
The most vulnerable 2024 incumbents, so far
It 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…
- Political Theater
The White House Correspondents Dinner, explained
The 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…
- Political Theater
You sunk my battleground! The 2024 campaign gets under way
President 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…
- Political Theater
Nothing is simple in the Senate
Ah, 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…
- Political Theater
The National Press Club, explained
The 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…
- Political Theater
Worlds collide: Separation of powers fights heat up
The 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…
- Political Theater
Yes, they look at ALL the votes
For 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…
- Political Theater
The Gridiron Club, explained
The 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…
- Political Theater
Hope and Despair on the Campaign Trail '24
Trump-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…
- Political Theater
The environmental, agricultural and moral stakes in ‘The Smell of Money’
The documentary “The Smell of Money” chronicles several North Carolina families’ fight for environmental justice against pork producers whose facilities…
- Political Theater
Early onset political prognostication
It 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…
- Political Theater
The State of the Union is ... saucy
Just 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…
- Political Theater
Where do Hollywood screenplays come from? Sometimes Washington
When 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…
- Political Theater
Comeback angles: Trump, McMahon and the art of never quitting
It’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…
- Political Theater
"The Flagmakers," sews a portrait of an icon and the people who make it
The 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…
- Political Theater
Bridge to Somewhere: Joe and Mitch on the Ohio River
The 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…
- Political Theater
‘The Corridors of Power’ shows how genocide goes through the policy calculus
Dror Moreh’s documentary “The Corridors of Power” is a chronicle of the American response to genocide in modern times. It combines difficult footage of…
- Political Theater
'Retrograde' chronicles the human consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
Matthew 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…
- Political Theater
Race, football and religion: Sorting through the Georgia Senate runoff
On 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…
- Political Theater
Measure for measure, the drama of the 2022 midterms starts to conclude
Things we know about the 2022 midterms: There will be a House Republican majority and a Senate Democratic majority. Elections went pretty smoothly. Incumbents…
- Political Theater
The known knowns of the 2022 midterm election
As we prepare for Election Day, what are the things we know that we know about the 2022 midterm election? As the late Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld once…
- Political Theater
Up close and superPAC: Fisher Stevens and Karim Amer on their docuseries ‘The Lincoln Project’
The history of The Lincoln Project is a flash point in contemporary politics. A superPAC founded by high-profile Republican strategists who opposed…
- Political Theater
'No Time to Fail' — An empathetic look at the people who make elections work
There has never been a better time to see how elections work. With intense interest in campaigns, and with the foundations of representative democracy at…
- Political Theater
Supreme Court keeps on truckin'
Congress is in its pre-election recess lull. The president is signing a bunch of bills people can’t remember. But the Supreme Court is running at full speed…
- Political Theater
Mitch and Rick, the GOP's 'Odd Couple'
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell prefers to work behind the scenes. Rick Scott, chairman of Senate Republicans’ campaign arm is an outspoken, outgoing…
- Political Theater
We love it when you're vulnerable: Swing districts, members versus members and more
Elections always come down to a choice. Someone wins, someone loses, and Roll Call has long chronicled the path to Election Day by reporting on Congress' most…
- Political Theater
Law and order revisited at "Riotsville, USA"
Filmmaker Sierra Pettengill’s documentary, “Riotsville, USA,” examines the history of the government’s efforts to crack down on protest movements. The title…
- Political Theater
Weird times, Weird poll numbers
Politics works in patterns. But we might be in one of those outlier election cycles, when politics don’t always match up with typical narratives. Roll Call…
- Political Theater
Strange days are here: August in Washington
August can be a strange month, especially in a place like Washington. On one hand, things are slow. Congress goes on recess. People take vacations. On the…
- Political Theater
Moving right along: A political reporter’s turning point
Amanda Becker is a veteran political journalist. The Washington correspondent for The 19th News has covered a variety of beats here in The Swamp over the last…
- Political Theater
The long story for victims of Camp Lejeune gets a new chapter
President Joe Biden will soon sign legislation that will give easier access to health and disability benefits to more than 3.5 million veterans who were…
- Political Theater
Previously on the 2022 primary show: crazy cash, ISIS brides and representatives prohibited from representing
We are at a pause in the congressional primary season, with several major states having selected their nominees for November’s general election, including…
- Political Theater
'Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down' has impeccable timing
The new documentary from filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” comes out amid a nationwide debate about gun safety, the…
- Political Theater
Cruel summer: The Supreme Court’s lengthy break in the spotlight
Supreme Court justices have it made: Not only do they get to remake American society with a few opinions, they get to take three months off afterward! Chief…
- Political Theater
It’s a small White House after all
The walls sure are thin in the West Wing. That is just one takeaway from the testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson to the House select…
- Political Theater
Send lawyers, footballs and money: the strange twists and turns of Washington's football team
Washington's professional football team has a long history of controversy, and Congress and local governments spend a lot of time picking apart its foibles…
- Political Theater
"The Martha Mitchell Effect" gives voice to one of Watergate's great characters
This week marks the 50th Anniversary of the Watergate break-in, a scandal that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. This is one of…
- Political Theater
How ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ reflects a stranger, more vulnerable political time
"Top Gun: Maverick," the legacy sequel to the 1986 movie "Top Gun," has soared at the box office since its Memorial Day weekend opening, making more than 550…
- Political Theater
Adam Conover and the quest to make government accessible, funny and human
In "The G Word with Adam Conover,” his new series on Netflix, the titular host explores government, how it works, what it does, and also how it fails. Among…
- Political Theater
So, who exactly is the establishment in politics now?
Tuesday’s primary races in states — be they Idaho, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Oregon — were good news for the establishment of both political parties. Or…
- Political Theater
Six months out, why these congressional incumbents are vulnerable
As the November midterm elections continue to come into focus, several Senate and House incumbents are vulnerable in their bids for re-election. Some are…
- Political Theater
Mod (Com) Squad: The people modernizing Congress
Reps. Derek Kilmer and Williams Timmons are under no illusion about the challenges to make Congress a more modern and efficient institution. But as the leaders…
- Political Theater
White House Correspondents' Dinner is back: Expect super-spreader jokes
For the first time since 2019, the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner is back, stepping gingerly into the COVID-19 era, awkward jokes and all. CQ…
- Political Theater
Cash Rules All Politics? Maybe, maybe not. Breaking down the latest FEC fundraising numbers
It's the year of our Midterm Election, 2022, and Q1 fundraising numbers are in. What's a million dollars get you these days? How are incumbent members running…
- Political Theater
Let's get specific about the generic ballot
We're going to hear a lot about the congressional generic ballot as we get deeper into the 2022 midterm campaign. But, as Edwin Starr might ask, "What is it…
- Political Theater
There's no crypto in baseball! ... Oh, wait
Major League Baseball is back — and it's got some cryptocurrency-sportsbook-anti-competitive-business-practice baggage. District Fray's Brandon Wetherbee joins…