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 TheaterWhy Trump’s Drive to Replace Obamacare Faces a Bumpy Ride
With control of the White House and Congress, Republicans can easily repeal big parts of President Obama’s health care law, but finding alternatives could…
Political TheaterTrump Effect Could Be Felt Long After Election Day
Roll Call columnists Patricia Murphy and Matt Lewis reflect on the nasty presidential campaign, how it changed some of the norms of politics and the role…
Political TheaterHow GOP Election Losses Could Imperil House Speaker Ryan
Democrats are poised to pick up House seats. If GOP losses are particularly heavy, then Republicans are likely to blame Speaker Paul Ryan, say CQ Roll Call’s…
Political TheaterAssured Freshmen Will Boost House Diversity
Long before the polls close, 29 nominees for open seats are all but certain to win and they could end up as half or more of the House’s Class of 2016. CQ Roll…
Political TheaterThe Next U.S. President's Challenges in Iraq and Syria
The U.S.-backed military campaign in Iraq to drive the Islamic State from the city of Mosul is expected to succeed, but it could open the door to a host of…
Political TheaterGOP Assesses Damage After Trump’s Lewd Comments
Republicans are polling to see if their House and Senate candidates have been tainted by Donald Trump’s crude comments about women captured on video, says CQ…
Political TheaterKaine, Pence Square Off
CQ Roll Call Columnist Walter Shapiro, CQ Policy Editor Catalina Camia and CQ Roll Call’s News Director Steve Komarow weigh in on the vice presidential debate…
Political TheaterFlint Aid Averts Government Shutdown
A deal to fund the government until Dec. 9 all came down to House Republicans giving in to Democratic demands to help Flint, Michigan, address its contaminated…
Political TheaterThe Obstacles to Funding the Government Past Sept. 30
With the clock ticking, CQ Roll Call explains the obstacles lawmakers must overcome to reach a temporary solution to fund the government beyond Sept. 30, when…
Political TheaterGOP Tries to Defang Agency That Fined Wells Fargo
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created after the 2008 financial crisis just fined Wells Fargo millions of dollars for creating unauthorized accounts…
Political TheaterU.S. Is Failing Some Families of the Fallen
A scoop by CQ Roll Call’s defense reporter John M. Donnelly reveals how the U.S. military bureaucracy treats the fallen differently, shortchanging some…
Political TheaterFunding Fight Doesn't Squelch Zika Research
Though Congress and the Obama administration are still fighting over how to respond to the Zika virus outbreak, the gridlock hasn’t kept government scientists…
Political TheaterCongress' Geek Caucus Tackles Tech
Congress is grappling with a plethora of technology-related legislation that appears to be headed nowhere fast, in part because of concerns over security and…
Political TheaterWhat It Would Take to Dump Trump From GOP Ballot
Many have asked what it would take to remove Donald Trump from the GOP ticket and nominate a new presidential candidate. CQ Roll Call’s senior Senate reporter…
Political TheaterTPP Trade Pact Drives Wedge in Democratic Party
The 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement has become a thorny issue for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her Democratic Party, says CQ…
Political TheaterCruz Douses Republican Talk of Unity
Texas Sen Ted. Cruz has cast a shadow over the last day of the Republican National Convention after he was booed off stage Wednesday night for refusing to…
Political TheaterBig Issues Left Unresolved by a Dysfunctional Congress
Congress is going on a seven-week summer break without resolving critical issues from funding the government beyond Sept. 30 to paying for a response to the…
Political TheaterBig Issues Left Unresolved by a Dysfunctional Congress
Congress is going on a seven-week summer break without resolving critical issues from funding the government beyond Sept. 30 to paying for a response to the…
Political TheaterGuns Divide Speaker Ryan’s House
Gun legislation is posing a real challenge for House Speaker Paul Ryan. Last month it was a Democratic sit-in demanding votes on gun control measures that…
Political TheaterGoing Broke Working for Congress
Working on Capitol Hill may sound glamorous, but for many congressional staffers their salaries don’t match the importance of their jobs. A Roll Call analysis…
Political TheaterWall Street Takes Priority Over Zika Concerns in Senate
Despite dire warnings that the mosquito-borne Zika virus is poised to become a public health threat, the Senate was unable to overcome partisan bickering to…
Political TheaterBrexit's Impact On The U.S.
Listen to The Economist Washington Bureau Chief David Rennie describe the potential economic consequences to the U.S. economy of the United Kingdom leaving the…
Political TheaterChaos in Congress Over Guns
Lawmakers in the House and Senate remain divided over gun control in the aftermath of the June 12 Orlando attack. But, as CQ Roll Call's Adriel Bettelheim and…
Political TheaterFrequent 'Poison Pills' Are Grinding Congress to a Halt
CQ Roll Call's Managing Editor Adriel Bettelheim and CQ Magazine Deputy Editor Jason Dick break down how so-called ''poison pill'' amendments get the majority…
Political TheaterWhy Japan Fears Trump More Than It Does China
As President Barack Obama heads to Japan for a summit of leaders of the Group of Seven, the world's biggest economic powers, CQ Roll Call's foreign policy…
Political TheaterStates Balk At Insurers Setting Rates By Consumers’ Online Habits
Watching Consumers’ Online habits to Set Insurance Rates State lawmakers across the country are growing concerned about a new practice by the insurance…
Political TheaterNevada’s Wild Card
She’s from Nevada, via Brooklyn, N.Y., carries two pistols at all times, supports gay rights, Ted Cruz for President and helped negotiate the end of a deadly…
Political TheaterIowa Rides the Wind
Champions of clean energy often look to California and other blue states for leadership on green issues, but lately the state that is the king of wind power is…
Political TheaterFlint Residents Still Can't Drink The Water
Three congressional oversight hearings and at least four visits by lawmakers to Flint, Mich., have provided little traction for legislation to address the…
Political TheaterWorking for Medicaid
The handful of red state governors and lawmakers who have been willing to expand Medicaid under the 2010 health care law have tried to put their own spin on…
Political TheaterStates See Tax Revenue Slip As Big Earners Make Less
There’s good news and bad news for state treasuries – and a surprise about what can happen when states raise taxes on high-income households whose earnings are…
Political TheaterControversial Cash for Cops Is Squeezed by Budget Deal
A controversial federal program that over the years has sent billions of dollars to state and local police was halted in December after Congress raided the…
Political TheaterStates Move To Ban "Gay Conversion" Therapy
There is a movement by states to prohibit mental health professionals from providing so-called gay conversion therapy. In just the last two years California…
Political TheaterEven LSU Football is Threatened by Louisiana’s Budget Crisis
The new Democratic Governor, John Bel Edwards, and the Republican Legislature are going to have to work together to clean up a mess that even some Republicans…