Political Theater

By CQ Roll CallNews Government Politics

Political Theater episodes

October 29 Taxidermy, attack ads, early voting and more: On the road in Iowa and Texas
Jason Dick talks with former Roll Call Editor in Chief Christina Bellantoni, now director of USC Annenberg's Media Center, about her students' recent political reporting trips to Iowa and Texas, where the battle for the House and Senate majorities could be decided.

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34 min
October 15 How Sha Na Na could help determine the House majority
Jason Dick talks with the latest Roll Call on the Road mission crew, Mary Ellen McIntire and Tom Williams, about what they learned on their reporting trip to Pennsylvania, including interacting with candidates from Scranton to Harrisburg, as well as Sha Na Na frontman and Social Security advocate Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, who is trying to fire up voters.

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43 min
October 02 Alex Gibney and the odyssey of ‘Musk’
Jason Dick talks with Alex Gibney about his new film “Musk,” a documentary about Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. It’s an exploration of how one person accumulated so much power — in the White House, over AI, space exploration, transportation, robotics and more — and asks the question: What will he do with it.

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34 min
September 24 Gathering threads: The stories defining the midterm elections
Jason Dick talks with Roll Call campaign writers Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire about their on-the-ground reporting as the midterm general election kicks into high gear; the latest batch of polling in key races; the crazy money being raised and spent; why we're still not done with redistricting, and what to expect from their forthcoming Most Vulnerable Incumbents list.

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36 min
September 18 What a long, strange primary season it’s been
Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales dive into what they learned now that the 2026 congressional primary season is over, whether re-redistricting and midterm conventions will be the new norm, if we can trust polls and how, ultimately, it might still be the economy, stupid.

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37 min
September 04 Congress punts on big issues
Congress avoided a shutdown fight until December, but passed on several sticky problems it will need to address after Election Day. CQ Roll Editor in Chief Jason Dick and CQ Roll Call Budget Editor David Lerman outline the major fights looming in November in a very special Political Theater and CQ Budget podcast collaboration.

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35 min
August 26 The Roll Call and 535 deep dive on the affordability agenda
Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Political Analyst Susan Davis discuss congressional efforts to address affordability with CQ Roll Call leadership Staff Writer Savannah Behrmann for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.

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25 min
August 19 The Roll Call and 535 Deep Dive on Surface Transportation Reauthorization
Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Political Analyst Susan Davis discuss surface transportation reauthorization legislation and other transportation-related issues with CQ Roll Call transportation Staff Writer Kelly Livingston for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.

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23 min
August 12 The Roll Call and 535 Deep Dive on Permitting Reform
Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Editor in Chief Brody Mullins discuss the bipartisan legislative efforts on permitting reform with CQ Roll Call Energy and Environment Staff Writer David Jordan for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.

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20 min
August 05 The Roll Call and 535 Deep Dive on Cryptocurrency
Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Editor in Chief Brody Mullins discuss major cryptocurrency legislation in the 119th Congress with CQ Roll Call Financial Services Staff Writer Mark Schoeff Jr. for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.

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21 min

About Political Theater

From the publisher's feed

Have you ever asked, “WTF?,” about politics? Or, “who are these people making decisions about my life?” Political Theater pulls back the curtain on the stunts, antics and motivations that drive…