Federal Worker Purge. Cuts Begin to Hurt. Voter Backlash. Trump’s Worsening Polls. GOP Senators Fear Trump, MAGA. Death Threats. McConnel’s Legacy. Trump Lies About Ukraine. Trump Wants DC Rule. Eric Adams on a Leash. With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief of CQ-Roll Call, Arthur Delaney, Political Reporter at Huff Post and Amanda Becker, Journalist at 19th News covering politics and Washington. 

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In the latest episode of the Bill Press Pod, Bill interviews CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who discusses his new book, The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy. (Click the link to purchase.) Before addressing the book, they dive into current legal controversies, notably Trump's influence in New York, where a U.S. Attorney resigned rather than drop a case against Mayor Eric Adams, raising alarms about the politicization of the Justice Department.

Toobin compares the situation to the "Saturday Night Massacre," noting the troubling implications and potential quid pro quo involved in the dismissal request. He argues that Trump's administration is projecting its own actions onto others, accusing Democrats of weaponizing the DOJ while engaging in similar behaviors themselves.

The conversation shifts to executive orders from the Trump administration that some critics view as legally questionable. Toobin underscores the challenge of accountability, mentioning that state attorneys general have been stepping in to address these overreaches but acknowledges they face difficulties against a Republican-dominated government.

Toobin articulates a crucial warning about the potential for a constitutional crisis if the administration openly defies court rulings. He cites historical precedents, noting that the rule of law has long dictated that the courts, not the executive branch, determine constitutionality.

They move on to Toobin's book that evaluates the presidential pardon power, emphasizing its political nature rather than legal. Toobin acknowledges that while it is subject to abuse, it can also serve compassionately, highlighting the disparities in pardons by various presidents, including Biden's controversial pardon of his son, Hunter Biden.

Lastly, the conversation addresses Trump's pardons, especially the January 6th rioters, which Toobin describes as a grotesque abuse of power, compounding the larger trend towards authoritarianism within the administration. He concludes that these actions contradict principles of equal legal treatment and reinforce systemic corruption by rewarding allies and punishing adversaries.

Overall, the episode critiques the current political landscape, underlining the importance of maintaining the integrity of legal institutions in the face of executive overreach.

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Musk in the Oval. Mass Firings. GOP Afraid of Trump. Where Are the Democrats? “The Price of Eggs.” Cuts Will Hurt. Trump Bans AP Reporters. Trump’s Own Gulf. Cabinet Forced Through. Constitutional Crisis. Trump Takes The Kennedy Center. With Geoff Earle, US Deputy Political Editor, Mail Online, Sudeep Reddy, Senior Managing Editor at Politico and Linda Feldmann, Washington Bureau Chief, White House/Politics Correspondent at Christian Science Monitor.

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The Trump administration is issuing a steady stream of controversial executive orders that are testing Congress, the courts, and the Constitution. This "flooding the zone with shit" strategy is making it difficult for the media to keep up and provide in-depth coverage. Today Bill speaks with leading Media Reporter, Oliver Darcy. Darcy, formerly with CNN, now writes the excellent daily newsletter, Status. Bill and Oliver discuss how the media is struggling to adequately cover and contextualize the Trump administration's actions, which range from pardoning Capitol rioters to making extreme claims about seizing control of Gaza. There are concerns that some media outlets are caving to pressure from the administration or the administration's allies.

Examples of the media's challenges include the Politico subscription scandal, the 60 Minutes lawsuit, and the Pentagon removing longstanding media outlets from their press corps. Darcy calls for the media to adopt a different approach, such as framing coverage as a "national crisis" and devoting more resources and airtime to these issues. Their discussion exposes the Trump administration's efforts to overwhelm and undermine the media, and spotlights the media's struggle to effectively cover and contextualize the administration's actions. Bill is a subscriber to Oliver’s newsletter and suggest you do as well. Go to Status.news to sign up.

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Gaza Chaos. Trump Never Changes. Elon’s Power Grab. Will Trump Dump Musk? USAID and Soft Power Gone. Rubio Falls In Line. Powerless Democrats. NYC Mayor’s Race. Shutdown Coming. Constitutional Crisis Already Here. Will Court Orders Be Ignored? With Maya King, Political Reporter for the New York Times based in New York, Philip Bump, Columnist for the Washington Post and author of the How to Read This Chart Newsletter and Kirk Bado, Editor of The National Journal Hotline. 

Today Bill highlights the work of Jose Andres and the World Central Kitchen. With USAID gone, we need the World Central Kitchen more than ever. Please give whatever support you can at WCK.org

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In this episode Oregon Senator Ron Wyden discusses the chaotic first weeks of the Trump administration, including the firing of inspectors general, threats to federal spending, and Trump's nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS Secretary. Wyden criticizes Trump's disregard for the law and his attempts to undermine the federal government. He argues Democrats must focus on issues like healthcare costs, housing, and education to counter Trump's agenda that benefits the wealthy. Wyden also discusses the importance of principled bipartisanship and his new book "It Takes Chutzpah" which outlines his approach to progressive politics. Overall, Wyden presents a critical view of the Trump administration's actions and calls for Democrats to take bold action to help working families. You can purchase your copy of his book It takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change by clicking on this link.

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DC Plane Crash. Consoler-in-chief-Not. False DEI Blame. Funds Freeze Fail. POTUS Power Grab. Deportation Theater. GOP Congress Capitulates. Democrats Muted. Flooding the Zone. Tight Confirmations. With Lynn Sweet, Columnist and Washington Bureau Chief at the Chicago Sun-Times, John Bennett, White House Correspondent & Editor-at-Large at CQ Roll Call and Emily Goodin, Senior White House Correspondent for DailyMail.com.

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Trump's back in and tearing up the Constitution, the Federal Government and the World Order. What can elected Democrats do? In this pod, Bill talks with Congressman Mark Pocan of Wisconsin. He is a a long-time advocate for progressive policies. He was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second congressional district in 2013. A small business owner, union member, Rep. Pocan fights for policies that promote economic and social justice. In the current Congress, he serves on the House Appropriations Committee where he sits on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee; and the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. He is Chair of the Equality Caucus, Co-Chair of the Labor Caucus, and Chair Emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

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J6 Pardons. Pardon Backlash. Executive Order Theater. Birthright Citizenship. No Appeal to Unity. Hegseth Vote. Gabbard Iffy. Ramaswamy Out. Musk’s Power. Trump to NC and CA. With Jeff Dufour, Editor-in-chief at The National Journal, Igor Bobic, Senior Politics Reporter at HuffPost and Evan McMorris-Santoro, Reporter at NOTUS. 

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Susan Glasser, is a staff writer at The New Yorker based in Washington, D.C., writes a weekly column on life in Washington and is a host of the Political Scene podcast. She is the co-author of “The Divider,” a best-selling history of Donald Trump in the White House, which she co-wrote with her husband, Peter Baker. She and Bill talk about the Trump's Inaugural Address and his "Niagara" of Executive Orders. And if there are any guardrails still in place. Spoiler Alert: No.

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