The Conversation with Dasha Burns

Latest Episodes:

Inside Biden’s slow-walk on Cuba Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

Cuba’s sweeping protests — and sweeping crackdown — are historic. But the situation is a political hot potato for Biden, whose sanction orders came nearly two weeks after the unrest began. His go-it-slow approach has emboldened Republicans, while Florida Democrats fear the president could blow an opportunity to reorient U.S.-Cuba policy and improve the party’s political chances in a former swing state. POLITICO’s Sabrina Rodríguez and Marc Caputo unpack the political minefield with Playbook's Tara Palmeri.

Tara Palmeriis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Sabrina Rodríguezis an immigration correspondent for POLITICO.
Marc Caputois a national political reporter for POLITICO.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

Biden’s student debt promise comes due Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

$1.6 trillion — that's how much student loan debt there is in the United States. Progressives want to cancel student loan debt. Republicans say that's wildly unfair. And President Joe Biden is....waiting. Playbook co-author Tara Palmeri and education reporter Michael Stratford discuss the fight on Capitol Hill over student loans and whether Biden could tackle the problem through executive action.

Tara Palmeriis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Michael Stratford is an education reporter for POLITICO.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

How the 'burbs turned blue Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

Michigan’s Oakland County, once a Republican stronghold, is turning blue. Playbook's Eugene Daniels and Zack Stanton (also a Michigan native — he's from the "knuckle"), talk about whether shedding these suburbs is a warning light for Trumpism. Plus: Former Michigan GOP leader Jeff Timmer on what he thinks losing this stronghold says about the strength of a Republican electoral map.

Eugene Danielsis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Zack Stanton is Playbook deputy editor for POLITICO.
Jeff Timmer is a longtime GOP strategist who was executive director of the Michigan state party from 2005-2009.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

Weed is popular. So what's the holdup in Congress? Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

Eight — that’s how many states have passed some form of cannabis legalization since November. And even though marijuana is gainingpopularity in conservative states, that's not breaking through with GOP senators on Capitol Hill. Cannabis reporter Natalie Fertig and Playbook co-author Tara Palmeri discuss the growing cannabis dissonance between Republican senators and voters in their home states, and why Chuck Schumer shouldn’t be optimistic about passing federal legislation.

Tara Palmeriis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Natalie Fertig is cannabis policy reporter for POLITICO.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

Special thanks to producer Olivia Reingold.

‘It’s a clusterf*ck’: The college kid who cracked the election industry Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

Matthew Caulfield was a college senior when he was given a seemingly simple assignment that took him more than five years and 3,000 emails to start to answer: How much did a voting machine cost? And how big, precisely, was the U.S. elections industry? Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels and reporter Ben Wofford dive into the mysterious world of voting technology companies and the voting rights debate happening right now in Congress.

Eugene Danielsis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Ben Wofford is a contributor at WIRED.
Matthew Caulfield is incoming Assistant Professor of Management at West Chester University.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

The drama-filled race for 'America's mayor' Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

It’s one of the top jobs in politics, period: mayor of the Big Apple. In a heavily left-leaning town, Tuesday’s crowded Democratic primary will essentially decide who will become the 110th mayor of New York City — an election that will determine who has the ear of powerful figures on Capitol Hill. POLITICO New York’s Sally Goldenberg and Playbook co-author Tara Palmeri unpack the race while producer Olivia Reingold pounds the pavement to find out what New Yorkers really think.

Tara Palmeriis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Sally Goldenberg is City Hall bureau chief at POLITICO New York.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

Special thanks to producer Olivia Reingold.

The Capitol rioter next door Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

Imagine learning that someone you've known for 18 years is alleged to have been responsible for some of the worst violence on Jan. 6. How do you square that? Playbook co-author Rachael Bade and journalist Melanie Warner dive into the story of Jeffrey Sabol, one man whose alleged activity on Jan. 6 left many in his life confused and grappling for answers — about how a highly educated, middle-aged man with so much to lose could participate in what FBI Director Christopher Wray called “domestic terrorism." What does his story tell us about the Capitol insurrectionists, and how everyday Americans became the new face of extremism?

Rachael Badeis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Melanie Warneris a freelance journalist based in Boulder, Co.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

Special thanks to Margy Slattery.

McConnell, Oklahoma and the education culture war Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

A century ago, a violent white mob razed the heart of Tulsa's thriving Black community. Now, Oklahoma — and Republicans on Capitol Hill — are swept up in a national culture war over how schools teach kids about racism and sexism. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has inserted himself into that battle. POLITICO's education editor Delece Smith-Barrow and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza delve into the tug-of-war, its implications for 2022, and how McConnell is turning what was once the subject of an occasional Fox News segment into a core piece of the Republican platform.

Ryan Lizza is a co-author of POLITICO Playbook.
Delece Smith-Barrowis education editor at POLITICO.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

Special thanks to Juan Perez Jr.

Why UFOs are crashing into Congress May 28, 2021

Show notes

Talking about UFOs was once kryptonite for your political career. Now, senators are openly talking about UFOs, and the Pentagon is set to deliver a long-awaited report in June detailing what it knows — and what it doesn’t. So why the sudden change? POLITICO’s Bryan Bender and Playbook co-author Rachael Bade dissect why lawmakers including former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are concerned about national security and forcing UFOs into the political spotlight.
Rachael Badeis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Bryan Benderis a senior national correspondent for POLITICO.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

Special thanks to Mary Newman.

Is Hill oversight dead? Inside the Jan. 6 commission fight May 21, 2021

Show notes

This week's vote on a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection exposed some serious rifts on the Hill — rifts that could get even wider as the bill heads to the Senate. POLITICO's Marianne LeVine and Playbook co-author Rachael Bade dig into the dynamics playing out among congressional leadership, from Mitch McConnell's 2022 calculations to Kevin McCarthy's quest to become speaker.

Rachael Badeis a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Marianne LeVineis a congressional reporter for POLITICO.
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Reesis a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

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