Political Theater

Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman talk about how unpopular the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in Congress is, why Republicans will likely pass it anyway and the short history of how, regardless of how hard politicians try, sometimes the public won’t go along with their public relations efforts.

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Jason Dick and Jim Saksa discuss how easy it was to be angry in 2010, tea-party infused town halls, astroturf versus paid protesters, the Koch Brothers and George Soros and the wisdom of politicians reminding constituents that we're all going to die anyway.

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Jason Dick talks to Sky Sitney, co-founder of DC/DOX, about this year's documentary festival, as well as how grants being canceled and studios pulling back on the genre are playing out as both challenge and opportunity. 

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Jason Dick talks with former Roll Callers and current journalism professors Christina Bellantoni and Neda Semnani about the value of just talking to people, how the years change your perspective on Washington and why it's important to bear witness. 

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Jason Dick and Todd Ruger discuss their (and some public officials') race times at the ACLI Capital Challenge, then delve into the Supreme Court's internal dynamics, how its workload has evolved, what big decisions are expected before the end of the term, a little about David Souter and then cap it off with an ultra-special word of the week segment.

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Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales discuss House and Senate races that could be competitive, but aren't quite yet. Basically, what would it take for someone like Brian Fitzpatrick or Raul Ruiz to be in tough races. They also riff on how “Andor” and "Return of the Jedi” fit into this world. Seriously.

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Jason Dick, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire discuss the first Roll Call Most Vulnerable Incumbents list of the 2026 cycle, why House freshman frequently have the blues and how even gobs and gobs of money can’t always buy you an election. 

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How does Kevin Bacon fit into the first 100 days analysis of the Trump presidency? Jason Dick and John Bennett discuss, as well as the art of Gretchen Whitmer's non-thank you thank you. 

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Jason Dick and Christina Bellantoni discuss California political leaders' approach to President Donald Trump's second term, Gov. Gavin Newsom's podcast and hair and whether we'll see more retired Dodgers run for state-wide office.

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Jason Dick, Mary Ellen McIntire and Andrew Menezes discuss the election results this week in Florida and Wisconsin, whether vermouth will be more expensive with the latest round of tariffs and whether it was wise to do a training run that involved the Tidal Basin this past week.

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