The Bill Press Pod

Rand Paul’s Contempt for Anthony Fauci.

The Reflecting Pool Fiasco Reflects Trumpism.

Todd Blanche’s Nomination in Jeopardy.

Outsider El-Sayed Wins in Michigan.

Trump Out of Touch on the Economy.

Data Centers Backlash. Rep. Miller Defiant.

With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ-Roll Call, Allan Smith, Politics Reporter for NBC News and Sabrina Siddiqui, National Political Reporter at The Wall Street Journal.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. More information at UFCW.org.

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Bill previews four of the most competitive Senate races shaping midterm control, noting Democrats must hold their 47 seats and flip four GOP seats to retake the Senate. In Michigan, reporter Rick Pluta, Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network, describes a vicious, expensive Democratic primary between Rep. Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, with party unity concerns and GOP nominee Mike Rogers looming. In Ohio, Andrew Tobias, Political Reporter at Signal Ohio, says both sides are treating Sherrod Brown vs. appointed Sen. John Husted as a tipping-point Senate race, while the governor’s contest pits Dr. Amy Acton against Vivek Ramaswamy amid heavy spending, plus a House scandal involving Rep. Max Miller. In Texas, Maria Recio of the Austin American Statesman, explains Ken Paxton’s divisive nomination and polls showing Democrat James Talarico competitive, alongside new congressional maps. In Maine, Alex Seitz-Wald, Deputy Editor of The Midcoast Villager, details Troy Jackson’s challenge to Sen. Susan Collins, contrasting local vs. national issues and tight polling.

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Lindsey Graham Passes. Senate Loses Trump Whisperer.

The Race to Replace Graham. Trump vs GOP Senate.

Rand Paul Persecutes Anthony Fauci. TMZ’s Harvey Levin Weighs In.

Fauci’s Diary Outed. Public Health Suffers.

RFK Jr’s Cooking Show. God and the Midterms. 

With Kirk Bado, Editor, National Journal Hotline, Evan McMorris-Santoro, covering national politics for NOTUS and co-author of the NOTUS’ daily newsletter and Jen Bendery, Senior Politics Reporter at HuffPost. 

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by AFSCME. More information at AFSCME.org.

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Bill speaks with American Federation of Teachers President, Randi Weingarten about the political fallout from Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” ahead of the November midterms, noting a Politico poll showing most Americans haven’t heard of it and many who have think it mainly helps the wealthy. Weingarten says July student-loan changes eliminated most prior income-driven repayment plans, raising payments by hundreds or thousands per year for many of the 44 million borrowers, with 3.6 million defaults since Trump returned to office. Now with higher interest, and more debt collection. She promotes the coalition-led One Big Bill Campaign (onebigbill.org) to collect borrowers’ stories—such as a Philly school counselor whose payment rose from $90 to $440—and take them to Congress, linking the cuts to tax breaks for the rich alongside reductions to Medicaid and SNAP. They also discuss Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, voucher expansion, and pressure on universities over DEI and antisemitism claims.

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Iran War Grinds On. Trump Still Interested?

President vs The Senate. GOP Midterm Malaise.

Data Centers Opposition. SAVE America Act Dying.

Hegseth Loves Manliness. GOP: Dems are Commies.

Maine Democrats Recover. WH Correspondents Dinner. 

With Emily Goodin, White House Correspondent for the New York Post, Philip Bump, Editor and Columnist for Hearst Connecticut and Rachel Schilke, Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg Government. 

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The American Federation of Teachers. More information at AFT.org.

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Bill welcomes former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler to discuss his new book, "This Is the Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy," and Wisconsin’s political arc from La Follette-era progressivism to Scott Walker’s rollback and a comeback under Gov. Tony Evers. Wikler argues the most effective political work is grassroots, trust-based conversations that target persuadable and low-propensity voters, noting how tiny margins can decide outcomes. He contends Democrats must prioritize state-level races—governors, legislatures, attorneys general, secretaries of state, and especially elected state Supreme Courts—to set election rules and defend democracy against Trump-era threats. Wikler describes building a year-round “permanent campaign” infrastructure in Wisconsin and outlines a step-by-step roadmap from weekly local elections through 2026 battleground-state trifectas, advancing the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, and pursuing major federal democracy reforms in 2029.

You can order your copy of Ben's great new book at Bookshop.org.

Today Bill highlights the work of Run For Something that has worked with over 200,000 people to run for office. More information at RunForSomething.net.

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The Speech With No Evidence. Networks Stiff Trump.

SAVE Act Won’t be Saved. Trump TACO’s on Tolls.

Lindsey’s Mixed Legacy. Mitch Still MIA.

Low T at the DOD. Daylight Savings Time. Again.

With Olivier Knox, Senior National Correspondent at U.S. News and World Report, John Bennett, White House Correspondent at The Hill and Igor Bobic, Senate Reporter for NOTUS. 

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The Laborers' International Union of North America. More information at LIUNA.org

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Bill frames current Democratic primaries as “establishment versus outsider,” citing races in New York City, Maine, and Michigan, and introduces Bernie Sanders’ former strategist Tad Devine and his book, "How the Democrats Screwed Bernie." Devine recounts the first Sanders presidential planning meeting at Press’s home, explains why Sanders ran to elevate issues like wages, healthcare for all, climate change, and campaign finance reform, and describes how Sanders’ large email list fueled unprecedented small-dollar fundraising. Devine argues the 2016 nominating system—including superdelegates, limited debates, DNC coordination with the Clinton campaign, and a voter-file shutdown—was stacked against Sanders, and says Sanders would have beaten Donald Trump. Looking to 2026, Devine urges Democrats to let voters decide primaries, prioritize authenticity and economic issues, curb big-money influence, and mobilize to stop Trump.

You can get your own copy of Tad Devine's book at Bookshop.org.

Once again, Bill highlights the necessity of winning the midterms for Democrats to stop Donald   Trump and his enablers. If you can support the cause financially, the best and easiest place to do that is ACTBLUE.com.

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The Iran War Continues. Bad for the GOP.

New Airforce One Fail. Platner Out.

Convention for Maine. Good for Susan Collins?

How D’s and R’s Handle Sex Scandals.

Where is Mitch? GOP Needs His Vote.

4 Governors Races Shift Toward Democrats.

Political Generation Gap. Trump and Communism.

With Linda Feldmann, Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, Jeff Dufour, Editor-in-chief of the National Journal and Jessica Taylor, Governors and Senators Editor at The Cook Political Report. 

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The United Food and Commercial Workers Union. More information at UFCW.org

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Bill talks with Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick about the Supreme Court’s 2025–26 term, arguing it is decisively the Roberts Court and increasingly deferential to President Trump, especially through heavy reliance on the shadow docket, where Trump has won many emergency orders without signed opinions or reasoning. They discuss major rulings: a narrow outcome on birthright citizenship that Lithwick warns could be revisited; a decision granting broad presidential immunity; decisions expanding presidential power to fire heads of independent agencies; and immigration rulings allowing removal of Haitian and Syrian immigrants’ Temporary Protected Status and restricting asylum. Lithwick also highlights Voting Rights Act and redistricting decisions, expanded campaign spending, and a tariffs loss for Trump tied to economic stability concerns. Press closes urging Democrats to win the Senate to block future Court appointments.

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