President Trump has never been shy about expressing his thoughts regarding the investigation into his 2016 campaign … and whether (1) Russia played a role in his election, and (2) whether his campaign colluded with the Kremlin to make it happen.  But this week’s action by the FBI, a raid on Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s offices and residences, has infuriated the president.  And it once again raised the possibility that he may follow up on his threats and fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the investigation.  Aaron Blake of the Washington Post recaps what might happen if Trump were to take action against Mueller, or Attorney General Jeff Sessions, or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

And, for extra measure, Aaron offers his analysis behind the surprising — but not really surprising — announcement by House Speaker Paul Ryan that he won’t seek re-election in November.

Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections talks about the number of Republican primaries around the country, including Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio (but others as well), in which the candidates try to out-Trump each other; that is, to prove to voters that they are more loyal to the president and his agenda than their rivals.

And we go back to 1999, when former Vice President Dan Quayle announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.  Bill Kristol, who earlier served as Quayle’s chief of staff, talked about his bid and the roadblocks that stood before him.

Photo courtesy of flickr user Gage Skidmore

Music used in this podcast:

Going Home by The Rolling Stones

Emergency by The Motors

Winners & Losers by Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds 

The Addams Family Theme song

Runnin’ Down A Dream by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Fifty years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, and what have we learned?  What lessons has he taught us — and what lessons were ignored.  Wornie Reed, a professor at Virginia Tech who was with King in the 1963 March on Washington, assesses the slain civil rights leader.

The trauma of 1968, which we talked about on our program last week, spurred many listeners to offer their own memories of that fateful year.  We hear from a half dozen of them in this week’s show.

And Democratic strategist Paul Begala offers his memories about his dear friend, Zell Miller, the former Democratic governor and senator from Georgia who died last month at the age of 86.  Among other things, Begala argues that Miller, perhaps more than anyone, is responsible for Bill Clinton’s election to the presidency in 1992.

Music used in this podcast:

Shame on You by Kimié

Pride (In The Name Of Love) by U2 

The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand

The Letter by The Box Tops

Change by Tracy Chapman

A half-century later, 1968 remains etched in our collective memory, a year of tremendous hope and utter tragedy.  This week we take the first of three looks at that iconic year.

Gary Eichten, a longtime reporter and host for Minnesota Public Radio, talks about Eugene McCarthy, his lonely challenge to President Johnson, his strong showing in the New Hampshire primary … and his sense of betrayal after Robert Kennedy entered the race.

Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University and biographer of Lyndon Johnson, talks about LBJ’s surprise decision to drop out of the race not long after the New Hampshire results.

Gordon Durnil, a former Indiana state GOP chair, talks about his role with Richard Nixon’s campaign in the Hoosier State in 1968, what he represented and how he became the antidote to all of the disarray on the Democratic side.

And Larry Tye, author of a biography of Robert Kennedy, on RFK’s belated entry into the race, his masterful speech in Indianapolis the night of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and how his vast promise came to a crushing end the night of the California primary.

Music used in this podcast:

Get Together by The Youngbloods

Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon and Yoko Ono

The Times They Are a-Changin’ by Bob Dylan

Nixon’s The One by The Vic Caesar Orchestra & Chorus

Abraham, Martin and John by Dion

So what’s the lesson to be learned from the Republican loss in Pennsylvania’s 18th District special election?  Jack Pitney of Claremont McKenna College suggests that while it’s clearly bad news for the GOP, there’s no certainty that Republican voters, or Republican politicians, show any sign of creating distance between themselves and President Trump.

Tuesday was the Illinois primary, and A.D. Quig of The Daily Line sums up the two most widely followed contests of the day:  the Democratic primary in the Third Congressional District, where centrist Rep. Dan Lipinski narrowly turned aside the challenge from progressive Marie Newman, and the Republican primary for governor, where incumbent Bruce Rauner spent tens of millions of dollars and still barely escaped with a victory over conservative challenger Jeanne Ives.

Congressman Paul Tonko of New York talks about the life and career of his good friend and colleague, Louise Slaughter, the three-decade congresswoman who died unexpectedly last week.

And Dave Mendell, author of the definitive book about Barack Obama’s rise to power, brings us back to the year 2000 when Obama miscalculated and made an ill-advised primary challenge to Rep. Bobby Rush in Chicago.  Obama had endorsements and money, but didn’t get the votes; he lost to Rush by a 2-to-1 margin.

Music used in this podcast:

Word of Mouth by The Kinks

It’s My Party by Lesley Gore

Chicago by Frank Sinatra

Fearless by Pink Floyd

Sex Dwarf by Soft Cell

Rush by Big Audio Dynamite

It’s a solidly Republican district that both Donald Trump and Mitt Romney easily carried.  The previous Republican congressman was considered so strong that Democrats failed to even run a candidate in either 2014 and 2016.  But in Tuesday’s special election, in Pennsylvania’s 18th District, Democrat Conor Lamb has apparently eked out a narrow victory over Republican Rick Saccone — and led some pundits to say that it may be the beginning of the end of GOP control of Congress.  Jon Delano, the political editor for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, analyzes the results and explains what it means — and doesn’t mean.

The firing of Rex Tillerson this week enticed us to repeat a conversation we had last year with political science professor and historian Ed Mihalkanin about the history of the presidents and the secretaries of state who serve him.

And it was 50 years ago this week that President Lyndon Johnson suffered a grave political defeat in New Hampshire when he beat challenger Eugene McCarthy, a vocal opponent of his Vietnam War policy, by a much smaller margin than expected.  It was a result that was the beginning of the end of LBJ’s presidency, and it was just about two weeks later when he shocked the nation by withdrawing from the race.  John Teague was a student at Amherst College back in March 1968, when he was an influential worker on McCarthy’s staff in the Granite State.  Teague reminisces about that campaign.

Photo via flickr “Conor Lamb For Congress”

Music used in this podcast:

Stormy by Classics IV

New Toy by Lene Lovich

Find The Cost Of Freedom by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Shoeless Joe From Hannibal Mo from the “Damn Yankees” soundtrack

Eugene McCarthy for President (If You Love Your Country) by Peter, Paul and Mary 

It appears that for all the angst over how to respond to the latest mass shootings, this time in Parkland, Florida, Congress is not in any hurry to enact new gun laws.  But what about the legislature in Florida, which is controlled by Republicans?  Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times talks politics, guns, and reality as the Sunshine State prepares for a major midterm election season.

Sure, the talk at Sunday’s Academy Awards was about women’s rights and harassment and pay equality.  But what happened to the Trump jokes?  Or political rants in general?  Bob Mondello of NPR talks about the rich history of political comedy and commentary at the Oscars.

Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran announced this week he will step down on April 1 after nearly 40 years in the Senate.  Emily Wagster Pettus of the Associated Press talks about Cochran’s career, the battle to replace him, and what the new vacancy means for the state’s other Senate race, where Sen. Roger Wicker is being challenged in the primary by arch-conservative Chris McDaniel.

Photo from Disney/ABC via Flickr

Music used in this podcast:

My Song by The Moody Blues

Blood and Fire by Indigo Girls

On with the Show by The Rolling Stones

Bang Bang by Iggy Pop

Mississippi Song by Jim Weatherly 

The latest incident of gun violence has led to the predictable debate about what Congress can, and will, do.  Harry Wilson of Roanoke College reminds us that while previous shootings may have moved public opinion, they haven’t moved lawmakers.  And he thinks that may be the same outcome after the horror in Parkland, Florida.

Dianne Feinstein has been in the Senate for more than a quarter century and always wins re-election by sizable margins.  But she also always has problems with California Democratic activists, as was the case last weekend at the state party convention in San Diego.  Scott Shafer of radio station KQED reports that while she didn’t get the kind of reception she would have preferred, it still doesn’t take away the fact that remains a big favorite over her challenger from the left, state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon.

Terry Madonna of Franklin & Marshall College is focusing on the March 13 special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District.  President Trump carried the district by 20 percentage points in 2016, and the previous Republican incumbent in the district, Tim Murphy, often ran unopposed.  But GOP leaders are nervous about the chances of their candidate in the special.  Either way, both parties see the race as a referendum on the president.

And Brian Ellison of radio station KCUR analyzes the situation of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, considered a rising star in the GOP whose political future looks less promising, now that he has confessed to an extramarital affair and has been indicted for allegedly threatening his mistress against revealing their relationship.  Impeachment proceedings may begin if the governor continues to insist he won’t resign.

Music used in this podcast:

Uprising by Muse

Jackie’s Strength by Tori Amos 

The Times They Are A-Changin’ by Bob Dylan

Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty

Film At Eleven by the David Nelson Band

The Thrill Is Gone by B.B. King 

The new congressional map drawn by the Democratic-controlled Pennsylvania Supreme Court may not only abolish the Republican-drawn gerrymander that’s been in effect since 2011, but it could give the Dems anywhere from 3 to 5 more seats … helping in the party’s hopes of recapturing the House in November.  Katie Meyer of radio station WITF talks about the political ramifications and whether the GOP has any recourse.

Ryan Poppe of Texas Public Radio outlines what’s at stake in the March 6 primaries in the Lone Star State.  Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott seem likely to romp in the Republican contests.  But there is growing interest in the race involving Land Commissioner George P. Bush, son of Jeb, who is facing a challenge from his predecessor.

What’s most interesting in Utah is not that Mitt Romney has declared his candidacy for the Senate seat being vacated by seven-term Republican incumbent Orrin Hatch.  It’s that President Trump, long a bitter enemy of Romney’s, gave his full and complete endorsement.  And Romney accepted it in kind.  Bryan Schott of Utahpolicy.com has all the details.

And with Ed Muskie’s famous “crying in the snow” episode in New Hampshire coming 46 years ago this week, we replay interviews we ran in 2015 with three people who were there at the time:  journalist Jules Witcover and two Muskie staffers, former Sen. George Mitchell and consultant Tony Podesta.

Music used in this podcast:

Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind by The Lovin’ Spoonful

Road To Nowhere by Talking Heads

Remember The Alamo by Johnny Cash

Not To Touch The Earth by The Doors

Show Me A Leader by Alter Bridge

Tears in the Morning by The Beach Boys

There have been many crises and mini-crises in the Trump White House, but usually they seem to vanish pretty quickly … as new ones pop up.  But the current imbroglio involving former staff secretary Rob Porter and the accusations that he physically assaulted two ex-wives and what White House Chief of Staff John Kelly knew about the Porter situation (and when did he know it) hasn’t gone away.  A week later and there are still conflicting stories coming out of the administration about the entire situation.  Chris Whipple, author of “The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency,” talks about Kelly’s credibility and whether he is long for his job.

Rep. Dan Lipinski is a conservative Democrat representing Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District.  He is also facing a tough primary opponent next month who is taking issue with Lipinski’s anti-abortion rights views.  Meanwhile, the candidate running unopposed on the Republican line is a proud neo-Nazi Holocaust denying white supremacist.  Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times analyzes what’s at stake.

And it was 19 years ago this week that the Senate acquitted President Bill Clinton on perjury and obstruction of justice charges over his actions in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.  One of the key “not guilty” votes was cast by John Warner, a conservative Republican from Virginia.  Warner talks about that vote … as well as memories from his 30-year Senate career.

Music used in this podcast:

Leader Of The Pack by The Shangri-Las

Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane

That’s Life by Frank Sinatra

State of the Union by Rise Against

Getting Away With It by Electronic

There doesn’t seem to be any letting up in the war between Democrats and Republicans in the House over the propriety of the investigation into President Trump and Russia.  Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have released a memo that claims the Justice Department and FBI’s inquiry is filled with bias against Trump.  Democrats, who are offering their own memo of rebuttal, arguing that Republicans are less interested in getting at the truth and more interested in protecting the president.  Aaron Blake of the Washington Post tries to make sense of it all.

Amy Howe, an independent contractor, and reporter with SCOTUSBlog, offers a comprehensive analysis of the issue of partisan redistricting that is before the Supreme Court right now — an issue both parties are looking at with great interest.

Dan Nowicki of the Arizona Republic sizes up his state’s Senate race for the seat of the retiring GOP incumbent, Jeff Flake.

And Rick Pearson of the Chicago Tribune takes us back 11 years to a cold day in Springfield, Illinois, when Barack Obama, in the Senate just two years, announced he wanted to be president of the United States — a move widely seen as gutsy and audacious at the time.

Music used in this podcast:

Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John

Burning Down the House by Talking Heads

Where Do We Draw the Line by  Poets of the Fall

Take It Easy By the Eagles

Wish Them Well by Rush

High Hopes by Frank Sinatra