In this episode of the Bill Press Pod, Norm Ornstein discussed the significant changes in the Republican Party and the broader implications for American democracy since the publication of his 2012 book, "It's Even Worse Than It Looks". Ornstein is a political scientist and an emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a leading expert on Congress.  Ornstein asserted that the party has dramatically shifted from being a traditional problem-solving entity to one that is highly radicalized, especially in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency. He expressed concern that current Republican leaders are either fanatically loyal to Trump or too cowardly to oppose him, leading to a lack of effective checks and balances.

Ornstein also criticized the Supreme Court for its decisions that, in his view, have accelerated the slide towards autocracy. He described House Speaker Mike Johnson as the worst in history, claiming he acts primarily as an enabler of Trump’s agenda rather than protecting congressional prerogatives.

The Pod also touched on Trump's use of the pardon power, highlighting the corrupt implications of pardoning individuals involved in criminal activities and insurrections. Ornstein noted a growing trend of using presidential powers for personal gain, directly contrasting this with historical standards of conduct.

He expressed skepticism about the future, worrying that even if a supportive political shift occurs (e.g., Democrats regaining control of Congress), the damage done could take a long time to undo, as many experienced professionals may not return to public service due to the toxic political climate.

Overall, Ornstein depicted a bleak view of the current political landscape, warning of the long-term consequences of the ongoing erosion of democratic norms and institutions. Throughout the talk, he emphasized the importance of integrity and accountability in government, expressing hope for reforms but recognizing the steep challenges ahead.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by Iron Workers Union. More information at Ironworkers.org.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump’s Tariff Tirade. Tariff Chaos Continues. The MAGA Path to Pardons. Putin Plays Trump-Again. Big Beautiful Bill Backlash. Flawed RFK, Jr. Report. Musk’s Tragic Legacy. 2028 Democrats. With Linda Feldmann, White House Correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief for The Christian Science Monitor, Phillip Bump, Columnist for the Washington Post and author of the How to Read This Chart Newsletter and Evan McMorris-Santoro, Reporter for NOTUS and writer for NOTUS Reports daily newsletter.  

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

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the Bill Press Pod, our own foreign policy expert, Joe Cirincione, discussed several pressing foreign policy issues. Cirincione is a National Security Analyst with decades of experience in DC. They began by touching on King Charles' historic visit to Canada for the parliamentary opening—a gesture seen as supportive of Canada amid criticism from Donald Trump. They then shifted focus to Trump's peculiar interest in Greenland, interpreting it as a potential financial motivation rather than geopolitical strategy.

The conversation moved towards the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, where Russia launched its largest attacks in three years. Cirincione criticized Trump's lack of military support for Ukraine and highlighted the strategic miscalculations of both Trump and Putin, suggesting that Putin is manipulating Trump for his own benefit.

They also talked about the leadership of Ukrainian President Zelensky, praising his resilience in the face of adversity, and provided insights into the situation in Gaza. Cirincione described the Israeli military strategy under Netanyahu as destructive, with plans to essentially depopulate Gaza.

The discussion also touched on the U.S.'s dwindling support for its NATO allies, suggesting that Europe may need to step up and take independent action in global politics, particularly given Trump's erratic foreign policy.

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

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More Tariff Chaos. Public Feeling It? Markets Not Happy. Big “Beautiful” Bill. It’s Chances in the Senate. Trump’s Crypto Corruption. The Used 747 Bribe. White House Shakedowns. The End of the Penny. With Emily Goodin, Senior White House Correspondent for DailyMail.com, Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief of CQ-Roll Call and Jeff Dufour, Editor-in-chief of the National Journal. 

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

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Bill speaks with Sylvia Poggioli from Rome about the new Pope, Leo XIV, and what he might bring to the table. Poggioli is the legendary NPR Rome, Vatican and Senior European Correspondent. They talk about Pope Leo’s inauguration mass, which was a big event with around 200,000 people attending. Leo XIV's homily focused on love, unity, and peace, similar to Pope Francis, but with a stronger push for unity within the Church.

Leo XIV's background is pretty diverse, and he seems to understand the importance of both unity and diversity in the Church. He's getting praise from both conservative and progressive factions, which suggests he might be a skilled politician. His election was a bit unexpected, but it shows how the College of Cardinals has shifted under Pope Francis.

One of the big issues Leo XIV might tackle is the Latin Mass, which has been a point of conflict. Sylvia thinks he might be more open to discussing this and finding a middle ground. Leo XIV is likely to follow Pope Francis' legacy, focusing on outreach and collaboration within the Church, as well as addressing global challenges like immigration and international conflicts.

Overall, Leo XIV seems poised to unite diverse factions within the Church and tackle pressing global issues with compassion and collaboration. His background as a descendant of immigrants shapes his perspective, and he might advocate for solidarity with migrants.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The American Federation of Government Employees. More information at AFGE.org

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bill had the great fortune of being in Saint Peter's Square when the new Pope was announced. He tells us what it was like and his thoughts on Leo XIV

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are back next week with new episodes of The Bill Press Pod. The 12th and final chapter chronicles the demise of our fictional magazine, Capital Monthly. The pressure from the White House, from advertisers and from Social Media algorithms kills the independent journalism that was, in our stories, documenting what life was like for people under Donald Trump's second term guided by Project 2025. We now have seen, in real life, what evil Project 2025 has wrought. We hope this update of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal restores in all of us, our commitment to halt the march to disaster that is MAGA, Trump and most of the GOP. 2026 cannot come fast enough. But for us to stop the madness, we must VOTE and convince friends and family to vote as well.

We’d like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this series. Especially the talented sound designers Marilys Ernst and Jonathan Moser who worked on every episode. Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal is written by David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bill is back next week from his research and writing sabbatical. While he's gone, we decided it’s important to revisit the horrors we laid out in our Project 2025 podcast series, Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal – and have the series author, pro-democracy advocate and the author of nine books, David Pepper, tie them to what’s actually happened so far. In Chapter 11, set in November in Tallahassee, fictional Florida, Governor Buck Bryce confidently addresses the press regarding Hurricane Timothy, initially predicted to be a manageable Category 1 storm. However, the hurricane unexpectedly strengthens to a devastating Category 4 upon landfall, causing widespread destruction and significant loss of life. The governor, previously assured by Washington that all preparations were sufficient, is confronted with the reality of inadequate storm forecasting due to recent cuts to federal meteorological services as proposed by Project 2025 and now DOGE following through.

As emergency response efforts falter, Bryce grapples with the new federal policies under Trump that make it difficult to declare emergencies and provide immediate assistance to affected businesses and citizens.(As is now actually happening: Under President Donald Trump, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied federal assistance for tornadoes in Arkansas, flooding in West Virginia and a windstorm in Washington state. It also has refused North Carolina’s request for extended relief funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. This fictional but predictive narrative highlights the consequences of disregarding climate science and federal data, resulting in death and destruction

As always, the series author, David Pepper updates on how what he predicted has come to pass.

We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode:

Mark Ruffalo who read the chapter and others who contributed character voices. 

Sound design by Jonathan Moser.

Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal is written by David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While Bill is on a research and writing sabbatical for the next 2 weeks we decided it’s important to revisit the horrors we laid out in our Project 2025 podcast series, Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal – and tie them to what’s actually happened so far. The first part of Chapter10 introduces the fictional character Dr. Joy Brewer, a dedicated researcher focused on studying cancer clusters affecting Black Americans. Joy learns from her colleague, Dr. Matthias Kunz, that all federal grants linked to race or gender are being canceled, jeopardizing her life’s work. Despite her attempts to advocate for her essential research, the political climate forces her into a corner where she must reconsider her direction. This part of the chapter closes with Joy’s resolute decision to remain true to her mission, suggesting a significant personal and professional loss amidst the disaster of Trump and his ideological allies.

In the second part of chapter, the fictional Webster "Web" Powers, addresses a packed ballroom in Washington, D.C., on a day he considers pivotal for his political ambitions. Web, who has transformed from a simple condo salesman into a powerful figure opposing what he sees as “woke” ideologies in education and government, relishes the fear among his audience—representatives from universities and research institutions. 

He recalls how his concerns about a lack of patriotic historical education for his children led him on a crusade to eliminate anti-American content from schools, which in turn propelled him into politics. After achieving success in Florida by banning critical race theory and related concepts from education, he is ready to extend his efforts nationally. During his speech, he unveils plans to remove references to race, gender identities, and diversity from federal policies and grants, branding the funding of such initiatives as “racism.” 

His announcement indicates that billions in federal research funds supporting various racial and gender-focused studies will now be terminated, causing dread among established academics who relied on these grants. Web takes pleasure in exerting control, sensing that his audience, once dismissive towards him, is now subservient to his newfound authority.

Ultimately, both narratives illustrate what happens when a Trump second term guided by Project 2025 destroys the lives and work of dedicated individuals committed to social justice and scientific integrity.

We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode:

Danai Gurira and Joel Hurt Jones who read the chapter and others who contributed character voices. 

Sound design by Jonathan Moser and Marilys Ernst. 

Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal is written by David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.

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

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While Bill is on a research and writing sabbatical for the next 2 weeks we decided it’s important to revisit the horrors we laid out in our Project 2025 podcast series, Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal – and tie them to what’s actually happened so far. The story in this chapter follows fictional Private Troy Marquis, who attends a tense early morning briefing at a military reserve base in Philadelphia. Troy is told that a radical group, Antifa, has invaded the city, prompting a second-term President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act.  US law currently prohibits the military from operating on US soil. However, the Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the president broad and sweeping authority to use the military to quell domestic violence or conspiracy that the president thinks is a domestic rebellion or insurrection. Donald Trump tried use the Insurrection Act against Black Lives Matter protests in his first administration and has threatened use the U.S. Military to shut down protests against him in a second term.

As the soldiers in Troy Marquis company advance towards City Hall, tensions rise with the conflict between what the soldiers were told and what they see with their own eyes. In the midst of a peaceful protest against police violence, the situation escalates when one soldier purposely makes up a perceived threat, leading to gunfire. The chaos results in the deaths of dozens and many injuries, including their own soldiers. Overcome with horror and guilt, Troy grapples with the aftermath of their actions and the brutal reality of their mission.

In a view from the other side, the fictional Julie Brown joins that protest in Philadelphia calling for justice after the police killing of two Black students. Despite her parents' concerns about the increasing hostility towards protesters, she feels compelled to stand up for her beliefs. The protest initially unfolds peacefully, filled with songs and chants, until military forces arrive with orders to disperse the demonstrators. As the military's authoritative tone becomes increasingly menacing, panic ensues when gunfire breaks out, resulting in casualties among the protesters. Julie is injured in the chaos and wakes up in the hospital, facing a representative of military intelligence who informs her that the protest group is being investigated for allegedly attacking the military. Once again in a trump administration up is down and down is up.

We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode:

Mark Hamill and Andrea Guidry who read the chapters and others who contributed character voices. 

Sound design by Jonathan Moser and Marilys Ernst. 

This episode of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal was jointly written by Daniel Miller—lawyer, writer and democracy advocate—and David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by the American Federation of Government employees. More information at AFGE.org

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.