The Bill Press Pod

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Justice Has No Expiration Date: A New Generation in Congress Demands Accountability. May 05, 2026

Show notes

Guest host Joe Cirincione talks with Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA), a new member of Congress sworn in last September to fill the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s seat, about his work on Oversight and Homeland Security. Walkinshaw says DOJ remains out of compliance with the Oversight subpoena for Epstein files and is violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act through illegal redactions; he wants answers from former Attorney General Pam Bondi about who ordered the redactions and any White House involvement, noting Committee Chair Comer chose a transcribed interview rather than a deposition. He also outlines Oversight inquiries into alleged DHS misconduct by Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski. Walkinshaw argues accountability and affordability are linked, condemns Trump’s Iran war as unconstitutional under the War Powers Act, and warns a Supreme Court Voting Rights Act ruling could spur aggressive partisan redistricting and retaliation by Blue states.

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"The lights are flashing red ." The Reporters' Roundtable. May 1, 2026 May 01, 2026

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SCOTUS Cancels Minority Districts.

Attack at White House Correspondents Dinner.

Iran War Goes On. Gas Prices Still Going Up.

Gaslighting Voters on the Economy Not Working..

Gov. Mills Out of Maine Senate Race.

With Guest Host Joe Cirincione, Jeff Dufour, Editor-in-chief at National Journal, John Bennett, White House Correspondent for CQ-Roll Call, and Amanda Becker, National Reporter for 19th News.

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

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Power Hungry: How the AI Oligarchy Is Reshaping America. Apr 28, 2026

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Guest host Joe Cirincione fills in for Bill Press and interviews Mother Jones investigative journalist Tim Murphy about his cover story, “Power Hungry: How the AI Oligarchy Gobbled Up America.” Murphy describes how the post–ChatGPT AI race has driven a boom in hyperscale data centers—projects the size of Central Park that demand immense electricity, water, and even on-site power plants, sometimes pushing nuclear plants like Three Mile Island to reopen. He argues this “hyperscale” moment has narrowed and intensified U.S. oligarchy, fusing concentrated tech wealth with political power, including major 2024 election spending and alliances with Donald Trump. Murphy details disruptive impacts on rural communities, secrecy via shell companies and NDAs, fears of boom-and-bust “empty hulks,” and growing bipartisan local backlash raising questions about democracy, agency, and the future envisioned by AI leaders.

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"What we're seeing is panic ." The Reporters' Roundtable. April 24, 2026 Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

Iran Blockade Stalemate. Severe Political Fallout.

Top Trump Officials Ousted. Do Voters Care?

Midterms: Dems Look Strong for House. Senate?

VA Redistricting Win for Dems. Florida Next for GOP?

Michigan Senate Democratic Primary Mess.

California Governor Jungle Primary Shake Up.

Kash Patel Drinking Story. Who’s Next Out the Door?

DC WH Correspondents Dinner Controversy.

With Ginger Gibson, former Senior Washington Editor at NBC News, Jennifer Bendery, Senior Politics Reporter for HuffPost, Jessica Taylor, Senate & Governors Editor at the Cook Political Report and Kirk Bado, Editor of the National Journal Hotline.

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

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The War in Iran: How we got here. Can we get out? Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

Joe Cirincione, sitting in for Bill, interviews Middle East Expert Rob Malley. Rob served as a senior Middle East official under Presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden. Under Obama, he was one of the top negotiators on the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal. Under Biden, he served as the special envoy for Iran. He is now a lecturer at Yale University, the former president of the International Crisis Group, and the co-author with Hussein Agha of a new book, Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine. They talk about the current U.S.-Israel war with Iran, arguing that while U.S. and Israeli military power is overwhelming, political objectives are unclear and Iran retains asymmetric capabilities, including disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Malley says Trump’s public claims about Iranian concessions and battlefield success are unreliable and may fuel escalation, while reporting suggests Iran still has significant missile and small-boat capacity. He contends the war is unlawful, unnecessary, and economically disruptive, and that promised goals—destroying Iran’s nuclear program, missiles, drones, or achieving regime change—have not been met and would not justify the war even if they had. Malley traces how Trump was encouraged by Netanyahu and others, but ultimately owns the decision, and argues diplomacy like the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) was the only approach that contained Iran’s nuclear program. They discuss shifting Democratic opposition toward calling the war illegal, and Malley briefly connects these themes to his book Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine. on Israel-Palestine and U.S. misunderstandings of what motivates other peoples. In Israel, Palestine and now Iran.

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"It felt like a hostage exchange program." The Reporters' Roundtable. April 17, 2026 Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

Trump as Jesus. Trump & Vance vs Pope Leo.

GOP Off Message. Trump Coalition Restless.

Trump vs Fed Chair. Swalwell & Gonzales Gone.

More House Scandals? Campaign Fundraising Soars.

Today's Panel: Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ Roll Call, Ledge King, Managing Editor of National Journal Daily, Maeve Sheehy, Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg Government and Savannah Behrmann, Congressional Leadership Reporter for CQ Roll Call.

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

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Is Political Civility and Cooperation Still Possible. With Democratic super lawyer, Lanny Davis Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

Bill talks with lawyer and former Clinton special counsel Lanny Davis about his book, Finding the Third Way, and the need to restore civility and “disagree agreeably” in U.S. politics. Davis recalls a Yale campus culture shaped by President Kingman Brewster that encouraged civil discourse and public service, even amid 1960s turmoil. He defines the “Third Way” as Bill Clinton’s principled blend of social liberalism, fiscal conservatism (balanced budgets and responsibility), and cultural moderation, offering a positive alternative to Trumpism. Davis argues most Americans want civil politics, but extremes dominate, and Democrats must stand for affordability, fiscal discipline, and tolerance—especially within their own party—while rejecting lies, racism, and attacks on the Constitution. He predicts a potential realignment with disenchanted Trump voters and says Democrats need younger leadership after Biden’s decision to run again. You can get a copy of Lanny's new book, coming our today, Finding the Third Way: Lessons in the Politics of Civility from My Journey through History here.

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

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"More Fire than Cease." The Reporters' Roundtable. April 10, 2026 Apr 10, 2026

Show notes

Iran: Real Cease Fire? Strait of Hormuz Still Closed.

NATO Under Attack. Europe Not Happy with USA.

War Powers Resolution Blocked. Impeachment/25th Folly.

Democrats Focus on Economy. High Costs Continue.

Dems Overperform in Special Elections.

Melania Speaks About Epstein. WTF?

Will Pam Bondi Testify? Trump vs Football.

With Jeff Dufour, Editor in Chief at National Journal Olivier Knox, Senior National Correspondent at U.S. News & World Report, Allan Smith, Political Reporter at NBC News and Zach Cohen, Senior Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg.

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

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The American Revolution Is Not Over. With Historian Rick Atkinson Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

Bill hosts historian Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of a WWII trilogy and a new American Revolution trilogy, with two volumes out (The British Are Coming and The Fate of the Day) and a third he hopes to finish by 2031. Atkinson describes his archival research approach and argues the Revolution became an eight-year global war and an American civil war, turning especially brutal in the South. He highlights key turning points including Trenton/Princeton, Saratoga’s role in bringing decisive French alliance, and French indispensability at Yorktown. He assesses Washington’s early missteps and growth, Benedict Arnold’s battlefield brilliance and festering grievances, Robert Morris’s critical wartime financing, and women’s essential roles. He discusses enslaved and Indigenous peoples’ tragic outcomes, black participation on both sides, and concludes the Revolution’s democratic aspirations remain unfinished and must be renewed to prevent future tyrannies.

Check out Rick's Authors Page on Amazon to see all his books.

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"No one tells him what to do." The Reporters' Roundtable. April 3, 2026 Apr 03, 2026

Show notes

Pam Bondi Fired. Trump’s SCOTUS Visit.

Birthright Citizenship Seems Safe.

Trump’s Primetime “Address!?”

A Most Unpopular War. Ground Troops?

House GOP Disarray. Ballroom Chaos.

Trump’s Name Everywhere. Great Space Launch. . With Emily Goodin, White House Correspondent for The New York Post, Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ-Roll Call and Philip Bump formerly of the Washington Post and about to take on a new role at Hearst Media Group in Connecticut as a columnist and to head-up their data journalism team.

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

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