The Bill Press Pod

Latest Episodes:

The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism. With Rep. Jared Huffman Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

Bill interviews California Rep. Jared Huffman about his book, “No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism,” defining Christian nationalism as the fusion of fundamentalist Christian identity with Republican politics and a false claim that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation. Huffman argues MAGA Christian nationalism is more militant and openly theocratic than earlier movements, is deeply embedded in Congress, the Trump White House, and even the Pentagon, and uses ministries and “biblically sanctioned government” rhetoric to push policy. He describes January 6 as a “Christian coup” shaped by groups like the New Apostolic Reformation and says Liz Cheney removed the religious dimension from the J6 Committee’s final report. They discuss Christian Zionism’s influence on U.S. Israel policy and how prophets elevated Trump as a biblical King Cyrus figure after the Supreme Court ruled for marriage equality in the Obergefell decision.

You can get a copy of Congressman Huffman’s great new book at your local bookstore or at Bookshop.org.

Today Bill highlights the work of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. More information at AU.org .

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"I'm not sure the president understands that." The Reporters' Roundtable. August 14, 2026. Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

Trump Saves Himself. Rating Karoline Leavitt.

Pirro Still Under Fire. Reflecting Pool Farce.

Wisconsin Chooses Electability. Rogers Leads El-Sayed.

Minn Chooses Progressive. S. Carolina Senate Race.

GOP House Scandals. Data Centers Get Toxic.

With Linda Feldmann, Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, Arthur Delaney, Senor Reporter at HuffPost and Samuel Benson, National Politics Reporter for Politico.

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

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"They are all moral cowards." With Congress Scholar, Norm Ornstein. Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Bill welcomes back American Enterprise Institute emeritus scholar Norm Ornstein to assess Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson, and President Trump. Ornstein calls this the worst Congress ever, citing little constructive legislation beyond a Reconciliation bill that delays major Medicaid cuts until after the midterms, lack of oversight, and a Senate that offers only “rubber-stamp” consent, including confirming Todd Blanche as Attorney General. He argues Johnson is effectively “speaker of Donald Trump” and criticizes Democratic leaders for failing to project a coherent daily message despite strong individual members. Ornstein and Press discuss Republican senators backing Blanche despite Trump’s attacks, which Ornstein attributes to moral cowardice and a party functioning like a cult. They also cover Trump’s mishandling of Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool repairs, no-bid contracting and bogus vandalism prosecutions, legal battles over Trump’s White House construction projects, and Rand Paul’s McCarthy-like pursuit of Anthony Fauci.

Today Bill highlights the work of The Constitutional Accountability Center. More information at TheUSConstitution.org.

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"His way or the highway." The Reporters' Roundtable. August 7, 2026. Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Rand Paul’s Contempt for Anthony Fauci.

The Reflecting Pool Fiasco Reflects Trumpism.

Todd Blanche’s Nomination in Jeopardy.

Outsider El-Sayed Wins in Michigan.

Trump Out of Touch on the Economy.

Data Centers Backlash. Rep. Miller Defiant.

With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ-Roll Call, Allan Smith, Politics Reporter for NBC News and Sabrina Siddiqui, National Political Reporter at The Wall Street Journal.

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

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Four Crucial Senate Races: Michigan’s Bitter Primary, Ohio’s Battleground, Texas Upset Watch, and Maine’s Collins Challenge. Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Bill previews four of the most competitive Senate races shaping midterm control, noting Democrats must hold their 47 seats and flip four GOP seats to retake the Senate. In Michigan, reporter Rick Pluta, Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network, describes a vicious, expensive Democratic primary between Rep. Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, with party unity concerns and GOP nominee Mike Rogers looming. In Ohio, Andrew Tobias, Political Reporter at Signal Ohio, says both sides are treating Sherrod Brown vs. appointed Sen. John Husted as a tipping-point Senate race, while the governor’s contest pits Dr. Amy Acton against Vivek Ramaswamy amid heavy spending, plus a House scandal involving Rep. Max Miller. In Texas, Maria Recio of the Austin American Statesman, explains Ken Paxton’s divisive nomination and polls showing Democrat James Talarico competitive, alongside new congressional maps. In Maine, Alex Seitz-Wald, Deputy Editor of The Midcoast Villager, details Troy Jackson’s challenge to Sen. Susan Collins, contrasting local vs. national issues and tight polling.

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"There are a lot of tensions simmering." The Reporters' Roundtable. July 31, 2026. Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

Lindsey Graham Passes. Senate Loses Trump Whisperer.

The Race to Replace Graham. Trump vs GOP Senate.

Rand Paul Persecutes Anthony Fauci. TMZ’s Harvey Levin Weighs In.

Fauci’s Diary Outed. Public Health Suffers.

RFK Jr’s Cooking Show. God and the Midterms.

With Kirk Bado, Editor, National Journal Hotline, Evan McMorris-Santoro, covering national politics for NOTUS and co-author of the NOTUS’ daily newsletter and Jen Bendery, Senior Politics Reporter at HuffPost.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by AFSCME. More information at AFSCME.org.

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Trump's Heartless Attack on Education. With Teachers Union President, Randi Weingarten. Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Bill speaks with American Federation of Teachers President, Randi Weingarten about the political fallout from Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” ahead of the November midterms, noting a Politico poll showing most Americans haven’t heard of it and many who have think it mainly helps the wealthy. Weingarten says July student-loan changes eliminated most prior income-driven repayment plans, raising payments by hundreds or thousands per year for many of the 44 million borrowers, with 3.6 million defaults since Trump returned to office. Now with higher interest, and more debt collection. She promotes the coalition-led One Big Bill Campaign (onebigbill.org) to collect borrowers’ stories—such as a Philly school counselor whose payment rose from $90 to $440—and take them to Congress, linking the cuts to tax breaks for the rich alongside reductions to Medicaid and SNAP. They also discuss Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, voucher expansion, and pressure on universities over DEI and antisemitism claims.

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"Stuck in some weird holding-pattern." The Reporters' Roundtable. July 24, 2026. Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Iran War Grinds On. Trump Still Interested?

President vs The Senate. GOP Midterm Malaise.

Data Centers Opposition. SAVE America Act Dying.

Hegseth Loves Manliness. GOP: Dems are Commies.

Maine Democrats Recover. WH Correspondents Dinner.

With Emily Goodin, White House Correspondent for the New York Post, Philip Bump, Editor and Columnist for Hearst Connecticut and Rachel Schilke, Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg Government.

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

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The Plan: How each of us can save our Democracy. With Former Wisconsin Democratic Chair, Ben Wikler. Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

Bill welcomes former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler to discuss his new book, "This Is the Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy," and Wisconsin’s political arc from La Follette-era progressivism to Scott Walker’s rollback and a comeback under Gov. Tony Evers. Wikler argues the most effective political work is grassroots, trust-based conversations that target persuadable and low-propensity voters, noting how tiny margins can decide outcomes. He contends Democrats must prioritize state-level races—governors, legislatures, attorneys general, secretaries of state, and especially elected state Supreme Courts—to set election rules and defend democracy against Trump-era threats. Wikler describes building a year-round “permanent campaign” infrastructure in Wisconsin and outlines a step-by-step roadmap from weekly local elections through 2026 battleground-state trifectas, advancing the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, and pursuing major federal democracy reforms in 2029.

You can order your copy of Ben's great new book at Bookshop.org.

Today Bill highlights the work of Run For Something that has worked with over 200,000 people to run for office. More information at RunForSomething.net.

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"Generally speaking, this is not great." The Bill Press Pod Reporters' Roundtable. July 17, 2026. Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

The Speech With No Evidence. Networks Stiff Trump.

SAVE Act Won’t be Saved. Trump TACO’s on Tolls.

Lindsey’s Mixed Legacy. Mitch Still MIA.

Low T at the DOD. Daylight Savings Time. Again.

With Olivier Knox, Senior National Correspondent at U.S. News and World Report, John Bennett, White House Correspondent at The Hill and Igor Bobic, Senate Reporter for NOTUS.

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

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