The Bill Press Pod

Latest Episodes:

Truman and The Bomb. Plus: Who Controls Nuclear Weapons. The Truth about Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions. — with Author Alex Wellerstein Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Guest host Joe Cirincione interviews nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein about his book The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age, revisiting the run-up to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the postwar fight between nuclear hawks and doves over who should control nuclear weapons. Wellerstein argues there was no single “decision” to use the bomb—plans were already underway under military control, Truman was largely excluded and poorly briefed, and he may not have known a second bomb was coming. After Nagasaki, Truman asserted presidential control to halt further use, motivated by horror at civilian casualties. They discuss debates over whether the bombings ended the war and Truman’s moral framing of nuclear weapons. The events of the past have clear echoes in today’s nuclear policy debates, and the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program and who is telling the truth about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

You can check out his Nuke Map at nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/.

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

"Absolutely stunning." The Reporters' Roundtable. June 5, 2026 Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

GOP Begins to Try to Oppose Trump:

Ballroom. Weaponization Fund. War Powers. Pulte.

Resonating With Voters? California Governors’ Race.

Could Iowa Turn Blue? Maine Platner Troubles.

Democrats Narrow Path to Senate Majority.

The Politics of AI and Data Centers in the Midterms.

60 Minutes Under Attack.

With Shirish Date, Senior White House Correspondent for Huff Post, Allan Smith, Politics Reporter for NBC News and Jessica Taylor, Senators and Governors Editor for The Cook Political Report.

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.

The unfolding catastrophe of Trump’s war on Iran with David Rothkopf. Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

Guest host Joe Cirincione interviews David Rothkopf. Rothkopf is the host of the Deep State Radio podcast. He is also Chief Global Affairs Columnist at the Daily Beast and was formerly the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine. He has taught at Columbia, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins universities. He was the Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration and is the author of ten books including, most recently, Traitor: A History of Betraying America from Benedict Arnold to Donald Trump. His newsletter "Need to Know" is available at davidrothkopf.substack.com. Cirincione talks with Rothkopf about what he calls the unfolding catastrophe of Trump’s war on Iran, arguing the U.S. has repeatedly failed in Southwest Asia and that this conflict has achieved neither tactical nor strategic objectives, while causing greater-than-reported damage to U.S. bases and eroding trust in military and government accounts. Rothkopf says the war has weakened U.S. alliances, empowered Iran, Russia, and China, and further damaged America’s global standing, while also tying U.S. policy to an increasingly destabilizing Israeli government. The conversation then shifts to domestic consequences, with Rothkopf alleging Trump has monetized the presidency through pervasive corruption, including favors, pardons, and an IRS-related settlement he calls theft from the Treasury. Rothkopf remains hopeful but warns against complacency, argues accountability and progress are linked, and urges resistance ahead of 2026 elections.

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

"They are very unhappy." The Reporters' Roundtable. May 29, 2026. May 29, 2026

Show notes

Paxton Crushes Cornyn in Texas. Can Talarico Turn Texas Blue?

Can Democrats Stay Focused? Will Cornyn Cross Trump Now?

Does Trump Care About the Midterms? House Vote on Iran Next Week.

Who’s Ahead in CA Governor Race? Trump’s DOJ Pursues His Critics.

With Ginger Gibson, former Senior Washington Editor for NBC News and Cameron Joseph, Politics Editor at Politico, Ledge King, Managing Editor of The National Journal Daily and Maeve Sheehey, Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg Government.

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

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

Lamar Alexander on Saving Democracy, Standing Up to Trump, and Why Young People Should Run for Office. May 26, 2026

Show notes

Bill interviews former Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander about his memoir, The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump, and the Senate’s decline from bipartisan, amendment-driven lawmaking to today’s gridlock. Alexander criticizes Republican senators for failing to check abuses of presidential authority, argues Trump’s purges of GOP incumbents risk costing him a Senate majority, and calls a DOJ compensation fund for January 6 participants “Trump suing Trump” and an outrage, given assaults on Capitol Police. He contrasts Senate pushback in Trump’s first term with silence in the second, including cuts affecting USAID/PEPFAR and NIH research. Alexander says January 6 undermined the Constitution, praises public service as the best way to help people, prefers being governor to senator, and expresses confidence in America’s resilience.

You can buy his book from Bookshop.org here.

Today Bill reminds us that one great way to support the Democratic candidate(s) is through ACTBLUE.org

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

The Reporters' Roundtable. May 22, 2026. May 22, 2026

Show notes

Bill talks with three top political journalists about the week's news.

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

Susan Page on Queen Elizabeth II’s Quiet Influence on 13 U.S. Presidents. May 19, 2026

Show notes

Bill Press interviews USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page about her book, "The Queen and Her Presidents," exploring how Queen Elizabeth II helped sustain the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship” through soft power over her 70-year reign. Page recounts the Queen’s meetings with 13 sitting U.S. presidents (plus Herbert Hoover and pre-presidency LBJ), including Truman steadying a nervous young Princess Elizabeth; her reverence for Eisenhower; a complicated early dynamic with the Kennedys; LBJ’s refusal to visit amid Vietnam tensions; Nixon’s fascination with royal pageantry and his thwarted desire for a state dinner during Watergate; Reagan’s bond with her over horses and later knighthood; the “talking hat” mishap with George H.W. Bush; Clinton-era distrust over British file searches; George W. Bush’s teasing cowboy-boot moment; the Obama-Michelle protocol “touch” incident; and Trump pressing her about her favorite president. Page argues the Queen, highly briefed and shrewd, quietly smoothed crises (Suez, Ghana, Falklands) and preserved long-term ties.

Get "The Queen and Her Presidents" book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-queen-and-her-presidents-the-hidden-hand-that-shaped-history-susan-page/065fc3604a68c142?ean=9780063397392&next=t

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

The Reporters' Roundtable. May 15th, 2026 May 15, 2026

Show notes

Bill talks with three top political journalists about the week's news.

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

Dr. John Gartner Warns Trump’s Cognitive Decline and Megalomania Could Escalate Global Conflict May 12, 2026

Show notes

Bill Press interviews psychologist Dr. John Gartner about a new ABC/Washington Post poll finding 59% of Americans believe Donald Trump is mentally unfit for the presidency and a physicians’ letter urging Trump’s lawful removal due to an unsanctioned war and his sole authority over nuclear weapons. Gartner argues Trump is a “malignant narcissist” with worsening frontotemporal dementia, claiming his disinhibition, tangential speech, confabulation, language errors, and loss of social context are increasingly visible, citing clips about “SEA” vs “SEE,” a Sharpie story, and graphic remarks to schoolchildren. He links Trump’s self-glorification (coins, passports, building names, images as Pope/Jesus, a triumphal arch) to delusions of grandeur and warns of escalating war and possible first-use nuclear action, doubting political checks like the 25th Amendment or Senate conviction.

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

The Reporters' Roundtable. May 8, 2026 May 08, 2026

Show notes

Bill talks with three top political journalists about the week's news.

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

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected