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 TheaterIt's the Economy Stupid? Maybe Not
Roll Call Political analyst Stu Rothenberg explains why GOP gains in a generic ballot represent just a part of the overall political picture and political…
Political TheaterThe Lone Star Midterm Lowdown
Texas kicks off primary season in less than a month, and will shape midterm contests that could help determine majorities in the House and the Senate. Roll…
Political TheaterCan The Trump Show Win Over a New Audience?
Ben Terris, national political reporter at The Washington Post, discusses with Roll Call how President Trump used his State of the Union to build congressional…
Political TheaterSenate Democrats’ High-Wire Act
Roll Call political reporters Simone Pathé and Bridget Bowman discuss the Senate Democrats up for re-elections in the 2018 midterms in states won by Donald…
Political TheaterOrdinary People, Extraordinary Times in Obama's 'Final Year'
“The Final Year,” director Greg Barker’s documentary about a year in the life of the Obama administration’s foreign policy team, opens this Friday in theaters…
Political TheaterDonald Trump Loves Football, But Does Football Love Him?
The Big Story Podcast is now Political Theater, in which we examine the spectacle of politics and how it fits, or doesn’t, into the nation’s culture. Brandon…
Political TheaterA Big Finish for Trump's First Year; Can He Sell Conservative Accomplishments?
The biggest tax overhaul in three decades, a record roster of judicial confirmations, strikes at Obamacare and a regulatory rollback: White House correspondent…
Political TheaterAlabama, Tangled Up In Blue
Roll Call politics reporter Bridget Bowman, who is on the ground in Alabama, discusses how Democrat Doug Jones’ win is reverberating in the political sphere…
Political TheaterA Mystery PAC and the Rest of the Strange Alabama Senate Finale
A week before Alabama's special election, Roll Call election analyst Nathan Gonzales describes how he unearthed an obscure political action committee…
Political TheaterWhy Democrats Are Willing to Play Ball With Trump
Even though Democratic leaders snubbed President Donald Trump's invitation to the White House this week, it doesn't mean they don't want to negotiate with him…
Political TheaterSexual Harassment in Congress: More to Come
Allegations against current lawmakers, plus revelations of many taxpayer-funded settlements, are forcing leaders of both parties to confront the Hill’s…
Political TheaterAll Politics Is State and Local
Roll Call columnist Walter Shapiro and Leadership Editor Jason Dick discuss the political morass Congress finds itself in with the debate over state and local…
Political TheaterWhat Tuesday's Elections Signal for the 2018 Congressional Map
While the Democratic surge in the off-year voting gives the party reason to smile, the midterm election is a long way off. Roll Call reporters Simone Pathé and…
Political TheaterRepublicans Tinker With Tax Plan, As Lobbyists Dig In
CQ lobbying reporter Kate Ackley explains how K Street and the business community are shaping the much-anticipated GOP tax overhaul. Learn more about your ad…
Political TheaterWomen's Political Power in the Age of Trump
Donald Trump's presidency has encouraged women to make campaign contributions in unprecedented numbers. Will more women run for Congress, too? CQ lobbying…
Political TheaterReading Is Fundamental, Just Not Always In Congress
Do lawmakers read or understand the legislation they pass? They are about to pass a budget resolution they say isn't about the budget and passed legislation…
Political TheaterPrimary Elections and Steve Bannon's Role
Roll Call political reporters Simone Pathé and Bridget Bowman explain how the primaries are shaping up ahead of the 2018 midterm elections amid a Republican…
Political TheaterCassidy Says He's Not Giving Up on His Health Care Plan
Louisiana's Sen. Bill Cassidy, a key architect of the Graham/Cassidy health care overhaul proposal, tells CQ Roll Call that with some adjustments and time he…
Political TheaterQuitting Congress When the 'Swamp is Constipated'
CQ Roll Call lobbying reporter Kate Ackley and executive talent-hunter Julian Ha discuss the job market for lawmakers and staff members in the Age of Trump. "I…
Political TheaterWhat’s Moore Strange Than Alabama’s Senate Race?
Alabama's Senate contest Tuesday is the first election skirmish in this year’s Republican civil war. Appointed Sen. Luther Strange is the candidate of the…
Political TheaterQuitting Congress
A recent spate of lawmakers have announced they're retiring from Congress, and they are likely to be followed by others, says Roll Call elections analyst…
Political TheaterHow the GOP Congress Could Help ‘Dreamers’ Now
Hill Republicans lambasted President Barack Obama’s deportation protections for 800,000 young people brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents, but now…
Political TheaterThe Suburban House Districts of Brotherly Love?
Philadelphia's suburbs have long been political bellwethers, and any road to a House majority will likely run through them. Democrats are targeting three…
Political TheaterJeff Flake Feels the Heat
Sen. Jeff Flake's path to re-election is complicated. The Arizona Republican was potentially vulnerable even before President Donald Trump touched down in…
Political TheaterAfter Charlottesville, Civil Rights Under Trump at the Fore
Last weekend’s bloody Virginia demonstrations incited by white supremacists will focus new attention on how the Trump administration is altering the Justice…
Political TheaterAlabama's Strange Election Turns Anti-McConnell But Pro-Trump
Republicans competing for Jeff Sessions’ Senate seat in Alabama are striving to tell primary voters just how much they support President Donald Trump and…
Political TheaterInside the Senate’s Struggle With Civility
Senators are heading home for summer break, after a health care implosion highlighted the partisan ill will that’s festered all year. Ed Pesce, who edits CQ’s…
Political TheaterWhat's the Spiel With Democrats' Better Deal?
The Democratic Party rolled out a new platform to win back voters, but is the reboot going to work? Roll Call Columnist Jonathan Allen, Senior Reporter Bridget…
Political TheaterWhy Republicans Haven’t (Yet) Said Nyet to Trump on Russia
CQ Roll Call columnist Walter Shapiro and senior editor David Hawkings consider the Watergate scandal and what its rhythms reveal about why today’s GOP…
Political TheaterShort Recess, Long on Goals
The Senate will stick around Washington a little longer in August, shortening its recess to focus on an ambitious agenda. The list of things to do could…
Political TheaterGOP’s Health Care Puzzle Not Solved by Protests, Parades
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell likened his search for 50 senators willing to vote for the same repeal-and-replace legislation to solving a Rubik’s Cube, a…
Political TheaterMcConnell's Health Care Seesaw
The Senate majority leader hasn’t abandoned hope of finding 50 votes for the year’s top GOP priority. But postponement over the July Fourth break won’t make it…
Political TheaterWhat We Learned From the 2017 Special Elections
Special election season is over, yielding an expensive status quo in the House’s partisan balance. But there are lessons to learn from these contests…
Political TheaterDemocrats' Big Test in Georgia
Roll Call political correspondent Simone Pathè explains how the most expensive House race in history, next week's contest to fill an open seat in suburban…
Political TheaterPodcast: Senate Picks Up Pace on GOP Health Care Bill
After a series of fits and starts, the Senate is starting to clear a path so it can consider legislation dismantling Obamacare, say CQ Roll Call's Jason Dick…
Political TheaterIn Congress, GOP at a Legislative Standstill
Even with the first all-Republican government in a decade, Congress has yet to send any meaningful legislation to President Donald Trump, say CQ Roll Call…
Political TheaterLessons of a "Shattered" Campaign
Democrats heading into the 2018 midterm elections should pay attention to the party hubris that likely contributed to Hillary Clinton's presidential loss, says…
Political TheaterSpecial Elections in the Time of Trump
Special elections are coming up in Montana, Georgia and South Carolina and candidates are trying to work around the seemingly endless White House drama, says…
Political TheaterHouse GOP at Home Defending Health Vote, Not Always Truthfully
The Republican effort to replace Obamacare has put some electorally vulnerable House Republicans on the defensive, CQ Roll Call political reporter Bridget…
Political TheaterThe Art of the Spending Deal
Congress struck a deal on a long-overdue spending bill to keep the government running, and all hell broke loose. CQ Roll Call’s Jason Dick, Niels Lesniewski…
Political TheaterTrump's About-Face in His First 100 Days
The first 100 days of an administration have been used as a benchmark to gauge the progress made by a sitting president. Donald Trump’s first 100 days are…
Political TheaterTroubled Climate for Trump’s First Earth Day
President Donald Trump is moving on several fronts to deregulate environmental protection, prompting some states to intervene. But deep EPA budget cuts will…
Political TheaterTrump’s Ethics Give Democrats a Midterm Weapon
President Donald Trump has a blasé approach to the long list of complaints about his ethical conflicts and quandaries, and his GOP base hardly seems to mind…
Political TheaterTrump’s Empty Seats
The Senate is waiting for hundreds of high-profile nominations to lead the federal government and the U.S. court system, but it might be a long time before any…
Political TheaterHow the Senate Risks Losing Its Essence Over Gorsuch
The Republican majority is preparing to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court confirmations if that’s what it takes to assure Neil Gorsuch is confirmed…
Political TheaterAs Kentucky and Mitch McConnell Go, So Goes the Nation?
CQ Roll Call's senior Senate reporter Niels Lesniewski leads us through a fascinating conversation on how the Senate leader's political machine wields power in…
Political TheaterInside the GOP’s Uphill Health Bill Battle
CQ Roll Call’s health editor Rebecca Adams breaks down why the Republican replacement for Obamacare is being attacked on all sides. And senior editor David…
Political TheaterRepublicans Grab Health Care’s Third Rail
CQ Roll Call's leadership editor Jason Dick and senior political reporter Bridget Bowman explain the bumpy road ahead for Republican leaders as they try to…
Political TheaterThe Problems Facing Trump's Big Government Agenda
President Donald Trump's well-received speech reflects three factions operating within the White House, says CQ Roll Call White House reporter John Bennett…
Political TheaterDemocrats, Finally, Select a Chairman
For four long months, Democrats have debated what to do to get out of the political wilderness. This weekend, the Democratic National Committee votes on who…
Political TheaterVoter Anxiety May Force GOP to Stall Obamacare Repeal
As they head back into their states and districts next week, lawmakers could continue to face angry voters at town halls over repealing the Affordable Care…
Political TheaterElizabeth Warren's War: Risk or Rebuke?
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's selectively applied rebuke of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren touched on volatile issues of race and gender, say CQ…
Political TheaterNot Even the Usually Lofty Senate Can Escape the Trump Tumult
The Senate is known for its courtesies and decorum, but it’s just two weeks into the Donald Trump administration and the chamber has become as chaotic as it’s…
Political TheaterTrump and GOP: The New Odd Couple
Ahead of the GOP retreat, CQ Roll Call's leadership editor Jason Dick and White House correspondent John Bennett provide insight into the awkward relationship…
Political TheaterTrump’s Attack on Civil Rights Icon Leads to Inauguration Boycott Movement
CQ Roll Call Senior Editor David Hawkings and Leadership Editor Jason Dick examine the fallout from President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of civil rights…
Political TheaterCongress Set To Revoke Last-Minute Obama Regulations ... But There's a Risk
CQ Roll Call's Senate leadership reporter Niels Lesniewski walks us through how the GOP-controlled Congress can use the Congressional Review Act to rescind…
Political TheaterLawmakers Poised to Debate Immigration and Trump’s Wall
With Donald Trump in the White House, Republicans in Congress may finally have the momentum to change immigration policy that could spell trouble for more than…
Political TheaterCIA Russian Hacking Assessment Roils Congress
CQ Roll Call's National Security reporter Ryan Lucas explains how Republicans and Democrats reach sometimes conflicting conclusions about whether the Kremlin…
Political TheaterTaking Over for Dad Could Leave Trump Children With Taxes to Pay
CQ Roll Call’s Money and Politics reporter Kate Ackley digs into President-elect Donald Trump's web of potential conflicts of interest and his pledge to hand…
Political TheaterTrump Request Complicates Government Funding
Lawmakers have until Dec. 9 to pass a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running until President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. But Trump has asked…