The Bill Press Pod

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Trump Overwhelms the Media. With crack Media reporter/analyst, Oliver Darcy. Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

The Trump administration is issuing a steady stream of controversial executive orders that are testing Congress, the courts, and the Constitution. This "flooding the zone with shit" strategy is making it difficult for the media to keep up and provide in-depth coverage. Today Bill speaks with leading Media Reporter, Oliver Darcy. Darcy, formerly with CNN, now writes the excellent daily newsletter, Status. Bill and Oliver discuss how the media is struggling to adequately cover and contextualize the Trump administration's actions, which range from pardoning Capitol rioters to making extreme claims about seizing control of Gaza. There are concerns that some media outlets are caving to pressure from the administration or the administration's allies.

Examples of the media's challenges include the Politico subscription scandal, the 60 Minutes lawsuit, and the Pentagon removing longstanding media outlets from their press corps. Darcy calls for the media to adopt a different approach, such as framing coverage as a "national crisis" and devoting more resources and airtime to these issues. Their discussion exposes the Trump administration's efforts to overwhelm and undermine the media, and spotlights the media's struggle to effectively cover and contextualize the administration's actions. Bill is a subscriber to Oliver’s newsletter and suggest you do as well. Go to Status.news to sign up.

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Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by the Laborers' International Union of North America. More information at LIUNA.org

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"The Chaos Comes First." The Reporters' Roundtable. Feb. 7, 2025 Feb 07, 2025

Show notes

Gaza Chaos. Trump Never Changes. Elon’s Power Grab. Will Trump Dump Musk? USAID and Soft Power Gone. Rubio Falls In Line. Powerless Democrats. NYC Mayor’s Race. Shutdown Coming. Constitutional Crisis Already Here. Will Court Orders Be Ignored? With Maya King, Political Reporter for the New York Times based in New York, Philip Bump, Columnist for the Washington Post and author of the How to Read This Chart Newsletter and Kirk Bado, Editor of The National Journal Hotline.

Today Bill highlights the work of Jose Andres and the World Central Kitchen. With USAID gone, we need the World Central Kitchen more than ever. Please give whatever support you can at WCK.org

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It takes Chutzpah. With Senator Ron Wyden Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

In this episode Oregon Senator Ron Wyden discusses the chaotic first weeks of the Trump administration, including the firing of inspectors general, threats to federal spending, and Trump's nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS Secretary. Wyden criticizes Trump's disregard for the law and his attempts to undermine the federal government. He argues Democrats must focus on issues like healthcare costs, housing, and education to counter Trump's agenda that benefits the wealthy. Wyden also discusses the importance of principled bipartisanship and his new book "It Takes Chutzpah" which outlines his approach to progressive politics. Overall, Wyden presents a critical view of the Trump administration's actions and calls for Democrats to take bold action to help working families. You can purchase your copy of his bookIt takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Changeby clicking on this link.

This episode of the Bill Press Pod is supported by the Iron Workers Union more information at Ironworkers.org.

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"That's what he does." The Reporters' Roundtable-January 31, 2025 Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

DC Plane Crash. Consoler-in-chief-Not. False DEI Blame. Funds Freeze Fail. POTUS Power Grab. Deportation Theater. GOP Congress Capitulates. Democrats Muted. Flooding the Zone. Tight Confirmations. With Lynn Sweet, Columnist and Washington Bureau Chief at the Chicago Sun-Times, John Bennett, White House Correspondent & Editor-at-Large at CQ Roll Call and Emily Goodin, Senior White House Correspondent for DailyMail.com.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The American Federation of Teachers. More information at AFT.org.

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What Democrats Must Do. With Rep. Mark Pocan Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

Trump's back in and tearing up the Constitution, the Federal Government and the World Order. What can elected Democrats do? In this pod, Bill talks with Congressman Mark Pocan of Wisconsin. He is a a long-time advocate for progressive policies. He was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second congressional district in 2013. A small business owner, union member, Rep. Pocan fights for policies that promote economic and social justice. In the current Congress, he serves on the House Appropriations Committee where he sits on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee; and the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. He is Chair of the Equality Caucus, Co-Chair of the Labor Caucus, and Chair Emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. More information at UFCW.org.

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"So much outrage." The Reporters' Roundtable-January 24, 2025 Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

J6 Pardons. Pardon Backlash. Executive Order Theater. Birthright Citizenship. No Appeal to Unity. Hegseth Vote. Gabbard Iffy. Ramaswamy Out. Musk’s Power. Trump to NC and CA. With Jeff Dufour, Editor-in-chief at The National Journal, Igor Bobic, Senior Politics Reporter at HuffPost and Evan McMorris-Santoro, Reporter at NOTUS.

Today's Bill Press Pod is The American Federation of Government Employees supported by More information at AFGE.org.

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It IS As Bad As We Thought. With Susan Glasser of The New Yorker Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

Susan Glasser, is a staff writer at The New Yorker based in Washington, D.C., writes a weekly column on life in Washington and is a host of the Political Scene podcast. She is the co-author of “The Divider,” a best-selling history of Donald Trump in the White House, which she co-wrote with her husband, Peter Baker. She and Bill talk about the Trump's Inaugural Address and his "Niagara" of Executive Orders. And if there are any guardrails still in place. Spoiler Alert: No.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The Laborers' International Union of North America. More information at LIUNA.org.

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"A simmering beef." The Reporters' Roundtable-January 17, 2025 Jan 17, 2025

Show notes

DOD-Hegseth In. DOJ-Bondi In. DNI-Gabbard?? Trump Dumps Turner. Biden’s Warning. TikTok Survives. Day One Exec. Orders. Deep Freeze Inauguration. With Linda Feldmann, Washington Bureau Chief and White House-Politics Correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, Jason Dick, Editor in Chief at CQ-Roll Call and Arthur Delaney, Senior Politics Reporter at Huff Post.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The United Food and Commercial Workers Union. More information at UFCW.org

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It was the (personal) economy. With CNN's Ron Brownstein Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

This episode examines what went wrong in 2024 and how Democrats can win back the House, Senate, and White House after Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election. Our guest is one of the smartest political writers in the country. Ron Brownstein is a CNN Senior Political Analyst, and Senior Editor at Atlantic Magazine. He analyzes the factors behind Trump's win, including dissatisfaction with the economy under the Biden administration and Trump's ability to appeal to some pro-choice and economically dissatisfied voters. Brownstein suggests that Democrats will need to focus on issues like cost of living and portraying Republicans as helping the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. He also predicts that the next Democratic nominee will likely take a more centrist tone to neutralize Republican arguments on cultural issues. Overall, Brownstein sees the 2026 midterms as a strong opportunity for Democrats to regain control of Congress but notes the 2028 presidential election will present a greater challenge.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The American Federation of Teachers. More information at AFT.org.

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"Spectacles are Created. "The Reporter's Roundtable-January 10, 2025 Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

Trump Sentenced. Trump’s SCOTUS? Jimmy Carter. Biden Dings Trump. Trump & Obama Chatting. Trump on Greenland. Use the Military? Fact-Free Facebook. One Big GOP Bill? John Fetterman? With Phillip Bump, National Columnist at The Washington Post and author of the How to Read This Chart Newsletter, Amanda Becker, Journalist covering politics and Washington for 19th News and Sudeep Reddy, Senior Managing Editor at Politico.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The Ironworkers Union. More information at Ironworkers.org.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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