The Bill Press Pod

Latest Episodes:

Joe Biden: "Grossly 'Misunderestimated.'" With Franklin Foer Sep 19, 2023

Show notes

Franklin Foer, author of "The Last Politician," discusses his book about President Joe Biden's first two years in office. You can get it here. Foer argues that Biden has been grossly underestimated, highlighting his accomplishments such as managing the Covid-19 crisis, passing major bipartisan legislation, ending the war in Afghanistan, and strengthening the American economy. However, Foer notes that Biden often doesn't receive credit for these achievements, possibly due to public misconceptions about him. The book also explores Biden's relationships with other political figures, including former President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris. Foer concludes that Biden's experience and human qualities have informed his political approach and enabled him to make significant progress despite his limitations.

Bill highlights the members of the United Autoworkers striking for a fair wages. More information at UAW.org.

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

"Very, very thin." The Reporters' Roundtable September 15 Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Impeachment. Shutdown Coming. Hunter Biden Charged. UAW Strike. Pelosi Running. Romney Not. With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ-Roll Call, Philip Bump, National Columnist at the Washington Post, Author of the great book, The Aftermath and the How to Read This Chart newsletter and Katherine Doyle, White House Reporter for NBC News.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The International Brotherhood of Teamsters. More information at Teamster.org.

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

"The Republican Party is an authoritarian movement." With Stuart Stevens. Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

Stuart Stevens spent 30 years helping to elect Republicans at all levels of government as a top political strategist. In 2012 he was Mitt Romney's top political advisor. He is now a senior advisor for the Lincoln Project, a pro-democracy group made-up of Republicans, and former Republicans trying to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. And rescue the GOP from itself.

In 2020, he wrote a book, It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump. His main thesis was not that Donald Trump hijacked the Republican Party, but the Republican Party was waiting for someone like him for nearly 70 years. He says the only way the MAGA Republicans are going to be stopped, is to beat them at the ballot box over and over. Stevens has a new book coming out in October, The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy. You can pre-order it here.

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

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

"Well that clears everything up." The Reporters' Roundtable September 8 Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

McConnell Health. Gov’t Shutdown Over MAGA Issues. Navarro Guilty. Long Prison Terms for Proudboys. Trump Still Dominates GOP. Noem for VP? Biden’s Bad Polls. GOP vs Hunter Biden. With Jeff Dufour, Editor-in-chief of the National Journal and author of the Sunday Nightcap Newsletter, Igor Bobic, Senior Politics Reporter for HuffPost and Leah Askarinam, Contributing Analyst to The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.

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

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

"He so overrated." With Larry Sabato of Crystal Ball Fame Sep 05, 2023

Show notes

Bill talks with one of the most astute political scientists and commentators in the business, Larry Sabato, the founder and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He’s the author of the Crystal Ball newsletter which is free and you can sign up here. In the podcast, Sabato discussed the upcoming political season, suggesting that if the election were held today, it would likely be a rematch between Trump and Biden. However, he noted that the legal system and Biden's health could impact this. Sabato also discussed the potential impact of Trump's legal issues on his campaign, suggesting that while they could conflict with his campaign schedule, they could also help him raise more money. He also discussed the potential impact of the Dobbs decision on abortion rights on the election, suggesting it could be a powerful issue for Democrats. Sabato also criticized the current state of politics, noting that there is no longer a governing interim between elections and that politicians are constantly campaigning.

Today Bill highlights the work of Act Blue, your one-stop shop for donating to any democratic candidate. Go to ActBlue.com, choose your candidate and give what you can. Thanks.

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

"It keeps you up at night." The Reporters' Roundtable. September 1 Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

SCOTUS Ethics(?) McConnell Freezes. Age on the Ballot. Government Shutdown? GOP Debate Fallout. Haley Attacks Harris. Trump’s Many Trials. Gov. Kemp Says No. With Maya King, Politics Reporter for The New York Times covering the South, Linda Feldmann, Washington bureau chief, White House/politics correspondent at Christian Science Monitor. Host of the Monitor Breakfast and Kirk Bado, Editor of The National Journal Hotline.

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

"Fox News is a right-wing talk network." With CNN's Oliver Darcy Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

Oliver Darcy is the Senior Media Reporter at CNN. His nightly newsletter, Reliable Sources, is the top source for media news and commentary. Darcy has been outspoken about Fox News and the inability of mainstream media to call it what it really is, a right- wing talk network. We read his newsletter every night. It's free and you can sign up here reliablesources.com.

Here is a summary of Bill's conversation with Oliver. Darcy discussed the state of media and news consumption today. He criticized Fox News for its reluctance to address significant issues within the Republican Party and its role as a mouthpiece for the party. Darcy also discussed the impact of social media and AI on news consumption, noting that the landscape is more fractured than ever. He expressed concern about AI's potential to spread misinformation and capitalize on the work of news outlets without crediting them. Darcy also touched on the changes at CNN, including the introduction of a new generation of news anchors and the shift towards streaming with CNN Max. He noted that the business model around linear television is contracting faster than anticipated.

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

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

"Trump IS the Issue." The Reporters' Roundtable. August 25, 2023 Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

Trump DID Get Indicted. Trump DID NOT Debate. But Others Did. With Lynn Sweet, Columnist and Washington Bureau Chief at the Chicago Sun-Times, David Jackson, National Political Correspondent for USA TODAY and Arthur Delaney, Senior Reporter at HuffPost.

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.

"We have lost that sense of shame." With Dana Milbank Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

The bestselling author of three books and an op-ed columnist covering national politics for the Washington Post, Dana Milbank makes his third appearance on The Bill Press Pod. Bill describes his work: "A combination of insight with disbelief, outrage and biting humor." Today the two old political pros try to understand the modern Republican Party, Wither Trump goest and can we ever be free of the MAGA madness in the short term. Or long term. You can read Dana's columns here.

It's back to school and that means teachers take center stage in the lives of children. It’s a good time to highlight the work of teachers and their union, The American Federation of Teachers. More information at AFT.org.

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

"Where did things go wrong?" The Reporters' Roundtable August 18 Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

Trump RICO’d. Threats to Judge/Grand Jurors. Hands off Trump in Iowa. GOP Debate Chaos. Selling Bidenomics. Abortion Still News. With Jason Dick, Editor in Chief at CQ-Roll Call, Host of the Political Theater Podcast, Amanda Becker, Washington Correspondent for 19th News, Sarah Wire, Justice Dept./ National Security and Washington Accountability Reporter for The Los Angeles Times focused on Jan. 6 and extremism and John Bennett, Editor-at-Large & Analysis Columnist and writer of the CQ Afternoon Briefing.

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

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