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rollcall Mitch McConnell is an extraordinarily successful politician, despite lacking what might be described as traditional attributes of a public official. The Senate majority leader pursues his policy goals with metronomic unflashiness. He is almost proudly uncharismatic, brandishing his fuddy-duddyism as a boy scout might display a merit badge. He is, relatively speaking, unpopular in […]
RollCall Democrats continue to throw their hats into the 2020 presidential race, and veteran strategist Rodell Mollineau thinks that’s a healthy way to work out the party’s message during a "once in a generation time" for them. "I’m all for this," he says. Mollineau, a founder of American Bridge and Rokk Solutions, and previously a […]
RollCall The writing of fiscal 2020 spending bills begins with the biggest nondefense measure, Labor-HHS-Education. CQ’s health care reporter Andrew Siddons previews the bill and the partisan fights it triggers, including on gun violence research. And CQ’s tax and finance reporter Doug Sword unpacks the new data on the future of Social Security. Show Notes: […]
Roll Call senior political reporters Bridget Bowman and Simone Pathé explain the political ramifications, if any, after the conclusion of the Russia election interference report of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. roll call Subscribe to this podcast below Â
RollCall When Ben Masters began the 1,200-mile journey along the Rio Grande to film his new documentary "The River and the Wall," he had no idea the border wall would dominate politics the way it does today. Nor did he think, as he spoke with such locals as Beto O’Rourke and Will Hurd, that their […]
RollCall For the U.S. Navy, buying warships that are defective, unfinished or both has become the norm. The habit is expensive, dangerous and leaves overworked sailors to deal with faulty ships in need of repair from day one. Yet, the practice has escaped sufficient scrutiny in Washington even though taxpayers are on the hook for […]
RollCall The latest edition of CQ’s study of congressional voting comes out in CQ Magazine on Feb. 25 and the authors, CQ reporters John Bennett and Jonathan Miller, explain that Congress voted as Trump wanted at record levels in 2017 and 2018, while representatives and senators who crossed party lines more than their peers paid […]
RollCall President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget request, due out next week, is likely to skirt a defense spending cap to boost the military while proposing deep cuts to nondefense programs. CQ’s Paul M. Krawzak explains how the White House blueprint is sure to trigger a new showdown over spending limits, along with the need […]
rollcall CQ Homeland Security Editor Patrick B. Pexton discusses the details of the deal between President Donald Trump and lawmakers to end the shutdown. Max Stier, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, says it has done lasting damage to the civil service and that Congress must never allow it to happen again. Show […]
rollcall When President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to both chambers of Congress on Feb. 5, he will not be the only star of the night. Several Democrats seeking to replace him — and there are many —  could end up stealing the limelight, says Nathan Gonzales, publisher of Inside Elections and Roll Call’s elections analyst. […]
RollCall CQ senior defense writer John M. Donnelly and Michael Rubin, a former Middle East adviser in the George W. Bush administration who’s now a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, discuss the implications of President Donald Trump’s moves to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan and Syria and the Republican-led backlash in Congress.  […]
 RollCall CQ defense reporter John M. Donnelly spells out how President Donald Trump’s emergency action to raid Pentagon accounts to pay for a border wall could affect military facilities and programs already stretched thin. Show Notes: Raiding military budget for wall would contradict previous Trump administration statements Legal fight expected for Trump’s national emergency […]
RollCall Last year, Julian Ha of Heidrick & Struggles said the swamp was "constipated," as the lobbying world continued adjusting to the Trump administration and Congress. And now? Things are starting to flow again. Ha and CQ Roll Call lobbying reporter Kate Ackley discuss the state of lobbying, 2019 edition.  Subscribe to this podcast […]
rollcall The co-chairwoman of the select committee tasked with overhauling the budget process threw her colleagues a curveball that could derail plans to report out a bill by the Nov. 30 deadline, CQ’s senior budget reporter Paul Krawzak tells host Jennifer Shutt. Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y., pushed to delay the bill’s markup until an […]
 rollcall  In her new film, director and producer Alexis Bloom examines the life of the late Republican Party kingmaker and controversial Fox News leader who, before his death, was forced out amid multiple sexual harassment allegations. "He was a heat over light kind of guy," Bloom tells Political Theater of Roger Ailes. "He […]
Senators are considering several options to punish Saudi Arabia over the suspected murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, says CQ foreign policy reporter Rachel Oswald. She adds that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have grown frustrated with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. He was once seen as a reformer but his crackdown on […]
Praising violence against reporters. Sending pipe bombs to public figures. Threatening political opponents. The fiery rhetoric is in full swing as the nation enters the homestretch of the 2018 midterm election. Is any of it changing voters’ attitudes or behavior? Roll Call Senior Political Writer Simone Pathé and Inside Elections Editor Nathan Gonzales discuss the […]
Every campaign season is defined by moments when the big picture starts to come into focus. A parade outside Kansas City where Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder is confronted about gun violence. A pizza parlor in New Jersey becomes an overflow town hall. Roll Call politics reporters Simone Pathé and Bridget Bowman and elections analyst Nathan Gonzales discuss such moments […]
House and Senate leaders like to brag about their respective chambers’ progress on passing spending bills but not one has won final passage, CQ budget and appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich says. She unpacks the reasons behind the bottleneck that now includes a new hurdle:President Trump’s freeze on federal workers’ wages.  Show Notes: Road Ahead: […]
July 24, 1998 changed everything on Capitol Hill. The shooting and ensuing deaths of two Capitol Police officers left a scar on the close-knit community and began a ramping up of hardened security around the legislative branch that continues today. Roll Call Senior Editor David Hawkings covered the event, and Roll Call multimedia reporter Thomas […]