The Bill Press Pod

Bill felt we all needed a break from Politics and so this Fourth of July edition of the Bill Press Pod features NPR’s Scott Simon, discussing Simon’s book, Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known, and his family’s view that animals are members of the same family as humans. Simon shares stories about early pets like Penny the German shepherd and Hoppy the grasshopper, including how caring for Hoppy revealed his father’s ingenuity during a difficult time. He also talks about current pets Daisy the French poodle and Gato Blanco, an oversized, opera-loving cat who frequently interrupts home interviews. Simon reflects on animals’ roles in art and literature and recounts moving examples from covering Sarajevo and Hurricane Katrina where people risked danger or refused evacuation to protect their pets, leading to changed evacuation policies. Bill closes by previewing a Supreme Court discussion with Dahlia Lithwick next Tuesday.

You can order Scott’s new book at Bookshop.org. 

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Bill talks with political strategist and messaging consultant Anat Shenker-Osorio about what Democrats should say—and who should say it—heading into the midterms to check Trump 2.0. Shenker-Osorio argues Democrats must combine an affordability agenda with a clear villain frame, calling Trump’s team “bullies for the billionaires,” and pair warnings about authoritarianism with credible promises to act as a real check, not just “shout fire.” She says corruption messaging is not automatically a Democratic advantage because many voters believe all politicians are corrupt, and criticizes party leaders like Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Amy Klobuchar for ineffective communication. And the need for money has pols spending too much time on donor-driven “call time.” They discuss campaign “magnetism,” lessons from New York races and Zohran Mamdani’s focus on concrete benefits, Jon Ossoff’s anti-corruption appeal, backlash from James Carville, and the mixed calculus around Maine candidate Graham Platner’s working-class message amid allegations about past behavior.

Today Bill urges you to support Jon Ossoff by going to ACTBlue.com.

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Housing Bill/SAVE Act Chaos.

POTUS/Senate Shouting Match.

House/Senate Just Go Home.

Midterms GOP Panic.

NYC Democratic Socialists Win.  

Mamdani Flexes Power.

Jeffries and Schumer Wounded.

But Some Centrists Win.

Reflecting Pool Debacle.

SCOTUS Backs Trump.

With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ Roll Call, Kirk Bado, Managing Editor of National Journal’s Hotline, Arthur Delaney, Senior Reporter at Huff Post and Savannah Behrmann, Congressional Leadership Reporter, CQ Roll Call.

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 talks with national security analyst Joe Cirincione about Trump’s shifting claims on Iran and argues the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) functions as a ceasefire and “surrender document” after a war the U.S. and Israel could not win. Cirincione says the MOU mainly restores shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while leaving core U.S. objectives—curbing Iran’s uranium enrichment and missile forces—unmet and deferred to talks, and he notes Trump’s renewed threats violate the pledge to refrain from force or threats of force. He contrasts the deal with the JCPOA, the Obama Nuclear Deal, saying Trump lifts broader sanctions than the JCPOA, allows Iran to sell oil, and leaves Iran geopolitically stronger, with demonstrated leverage over the strait and Gulf economies. They discuss costs rising from Pentagon estimates to broader economic impacts, Netanyahu’s (and Trump’s) massive miscalculation and political fallout here and in Israel. Jared Kushner’s role and conflicts, and broader alliance strains including NATO.

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Shaky Iran Agreement. Vance Attacks Israel.

Worse Deal Than Obama’s. The Politics of War.

Where is Rubio? Jon Ossoff Rising.

Obama’s Shade Trump. Reflecting Pool Fail.

With Olivier Knox, Senior national political correspondent, US News & World Report, Maya King, Politics Reporter at The New York Times andand Erika Filter, National Campaign Correspondent for The National Journal Hotline. 

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 legal scholar and former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade about her book, "The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government," arguing that core democratic principles—rule of law and equality before the law—are eroding under Donald Trump. McQuade describes Trump’s tactics as extortionate and mob-like, pressuring institutions such as law firms, media, universities, and allies, and warns that Congress has failed to check executive overreach while the Supreme Court’s shadow docket and unitary-executive approach can enable it. She says DOJ independence has been damaged by political payback efforts and cites examples of alleged lawbreaking and self-dealing, including tariffs, Iran action, emoluments-style profiteering, and a proposed tax-related settlement. McQuade outlines “fixes” including restoring DOJ norms, extending ethics rules, and structural reforms like ranked-choice voting, independent redistricting, and overturning Citizens United, emphasizing elections and accountability, including reviving the election-interference case after Trump leaves office.

You can get McQuade’s great new book at Bookshop.org.

 Today Bill directs listeners to ACTBlue.com, your one stop shop for donating to the causes and candidates you support.  

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Iran War Over? Its Political Impact.

“I Love the Inflation.” Pain at the Pump.

UFC at the White House. GOP and Masculinity.

Platner vs. Collins in Maine. Sleeping Trump. 

With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ-Roll Call, Amanda Becker, National Reporter for 19th News and Philip Bump, senior editor and columnist at Hearst Connecticut. 

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

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Guest host Joe Cirincione interviews nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein about his book The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age, revisiting the run-up to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the postwar fight between nuclear hawks and doves over who should control nuclear weapons. Wellerstein argues there was no single “decision” to use the bomb—plans were already underway under military control, Truman was largely excluded and poorly briefed, and he may not have known a second bomb was coming. After Nagasaki, Truman asserted presidential control to halt further use, motivated by horror at civilian casualties. They discuss debates over whether the bombings ended the war and Truman’s moral framing of nuclear weapons. The events of the past have clear echoes in today’s nuclear policy debates, and the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program and who is telling the truth about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

You can check out his Nuke Map at nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/.

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GOP Begins to Try to Oppose Trump:

Ballroom. Weaponization Fund. War Powers. Pulte.

Resonating With Voters? California Governors’ Race.

Could Iowa Turn Blue? Maine Platner Troubles.

Democrats Narrow Path to Senate Majority.

The Politics of AI and Data Centers in the Midterms.

60 Minutes Under Attack.  

With Shirish Date, Senior White House Correspondent for Huff Post, Allan Smith, Politics Reporter for NBC News and Jessica Taylor, Senators and Governors Editor for 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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Guest host Joe Cirincione interviews David Rothkopf. Rothkopf is the host of the Deep State Radio podcast. He is also Chief Global Affairs Columnist at the Daily Beast and was formerly the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine. He has taught at Columbia, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins universities. He was the Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration and is the author of ten books including, most recently, Traitor: A History of Betraying America from Benedict Arnold to Donald Trump. His newsletter "Need to Know" is available at davidrothkopf.substack.com. Cirincione talks with Rothkopf about what he calls the unfolding catastrophe of Trump’s war on Iran, arguing the U.S. has repeatedly failed in Southwest Asia and that this conflict has achieved neither tactical nor strategic objectives, while causing greater-than-reported damage to U.S. bases and eroding trust in military and government accounts. Rothkopf says the war has weakened U.S. alliances, empowered Iran, Russia, and China, and further damaged America’s global standing, while also tying U.S. policy to an increasingly destabilizing Israeli government. The conversation then shifts to domestic consequences, with Rothkopf alleging Trump has monetized the presidency through pervasive corruption, including favors, pardons, and an IRS-related settlement he calls theft from the Treasury. Rothkopf remains hopeful but warns against complacency, argues accountability and progress are linked, and urges resistance ahead of 2026 elections.

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