The Bill Press Pod

Iran Blockade Stalemate. Severe Political Fallout.

Top Trump Officials Ousted. Do Voters Care?

Midterms: Dems Look Strong for House. Senate?

VA Redistricting Win for Dems. Florida Next for GOP?

Michigan Senate Democratic Primary Mess.

California Governor Jungle Primary Shake Up.

Kash Patel Drinking Story. Who’s Next Out the Door?

DC WH Correspondents Dinner Controversy. 

With Ginger Gibson, former Senior Washington Editor at NBC News, Jennifer Bendery, Senior Politics Reporter for HuffPost, Jessica Taylor, Senate & Governors Editor at the Cook Political Report and Kirk Bado, Editor of 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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Joe Cirincione, sitting in for Bill, interviews Middle East Expert Rob Malley. Rob served as a senior Middle East official under Presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden. Under Obama, he was one of the top negotiators on the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal. Under Biden, he served as the special envoy for Iran. He is now a lecturer at Yale University, the former president of the International Crisis Group, and the co-author with Hussein Agha of a new book, Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine. They talk about the current U.S.-Israel war with Iran, arguing that while U.S. and Israeli military power is overwhelming, political objectives are unclear and Iran retains asymmetric capabilities, including disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Malley says Trump’s public claims about Iranian concessions and battlefield success are unreliable and may fuel escalation, while reporting suggests Iran still has significant missile and small-boat capacity. He contends the war is unlawful, unnecessary, and economically disruptive, and that promised goals—destroying Iran’s nuclear program, missiles, drones, or achieving regime change—have not been met and would not justify the war even if they had. Malley traces how Trump was encouraged by Netanyahu and others, but ultimately owns the decision, and argues diplomacy like the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) was the only approach that contained Iran’s nuclear program. They discuss shifting Democratic opposition toward calling the war illegal, and Malley briefly connects these themes to his book Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine. on Israel-Palestine and U.S. misunderstandings of what motivates other peoples. In Israel, Palestine and now Iran. 

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Trump as Jesus. Trump & Vance vs Pope Leo.

GOP Off Message. Trump Coalition Restless.

Trump vs Fed Chair. Swalwell & Gonzales Gone.

More House Scandals? Campaign Fundraising Soars.

Today's Panel: Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ Roll Call, Ledge King, Managing Editor of National Journal Daily, Maeve Sheehy, Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg Government and Savannah Behrmann, Congressional Leadership Reporter for CQ Roll Call.

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

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Bill talks with lawyer and former Clinton special counsel Lanny Davis about his book, Finding the Third Way, and the need to restore civility and “disagree agreeably” in U.S. politics. Davis recalls a Yale campus culture shaped by President Kingman Brewster that encouraged civil discourse and public service, even amid 1960s turmoil. He defines the “Third Way” as Bill Clinton’s principled blend of social liberalism, fiscal conservatism (balanced budgets and responsibility), and cultural moderation, offering a positive alternative to Trumpism. Davis argues most Americans want civil politics, but extremes dominate, and Democrats must stand for affordability, fiscal discipline, and tolerance—especially within their own party—while rejecting lies, racism, and attacks on the Constitution. He predicts a potential realignment with disenchanted Trump voters and says Democrats need younger leadership after Biden’s decision to run again. You can get a copy of Lanny's new book, coming our today, Finding the Third Way: Lessons in the Politics of Civility from My Journey through History here.

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

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Iran: Real Cease Fire? Strait of Hormuz Still Closed.

NATO Under Attack. Europe Not Happy with USA.

War Powers Resolution Blocked. Impeachment/25th Folly.

Democrats Focus on Economy. High Costs Continue.

Dems Overperform in Special Elections.

Melania Speaks About Epstein. WTF?

Will Pam Bondi Testify?  Trump vs Football. 

With Jeff Dufour, Editor in Chief at National Journal Olivier Knox, Senior National Correspondent at U.S. News & World Report, Allan Smith, Political Reporter at NBC News and Zach Cohen, Senior Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg.

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 hosts historian Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of a WWII trilogy and a new American Revolution trilogy, with two volumes out (The British Are Coming and The Fate of the Day) and a third he hopes to finish by 2031. Atkinson describes his archival research approach and argues the Revolution became an eight-year global war and an American civil war, turning especially brutal in the South. He highlights key turning points including Trenton/Princeton, Saratoga’s role in bringing decisive French alliance, and French indispensability at Yorktown. He assesses Washington’s early missteps and growth, Benedict Arnold’s battlefield brilliance and festering grievances, Robert Morris’s critical wartime financing, and women’s essential roles. He discusses enslaved and Indigenous peoples’ tragic outcomes, black participation on both sides, and concludes the Revolution’s democratic aspirations remain unfinished and must be renewed to prevent future tyrannies.

Check out Rick's Authors Page on Amazon to see all his books.

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Pam Bondi Fired. Trump’s SCOTUS Visit.

Birthright Citizenship Seems Safe.

Trump’s Primetime “Address!?”

A Most Unpopular War. Ground Troops?  

House GOP Disarray. Ballroom Chaos. 

Trump’s Name Everywhere. Great Space Launch. . With Emily Goodin, White House Correspondent for The New York Post, Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ-Roll Call and Philip Bump formerly of the Washington Post and about to take on a new role at Hearst Media Group in Connecticut as a columnist and to head-up their data journalism team. 

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

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Bill speaks with CNN Legal Commentator and New York Times Opinion Writer, Jeffrey Toobin about major legal issues surrounding Donald Trump, including an executive order creating an anti-fraud task force targeting alleged Medicare and Medicaid fraud in Minnesota and California, which Toobin describes as an effort to embarrass Gov. Tim Walz while Trump simultaneously issues numerous pardons to wealthy fraud convicts. Toobin says pardons can erase restitution, citing an estimate that $1.5 billion in potential restitution has been wiped out, and argues Trump’s presidential immunity and the Constitution’s pardon power make such actions effectively unprosecutable. They discuss the Supreme Court’s upcoming birthright citizenship arguments, with Toobin predicting a decisive loss for Trump based on the 14th Amendment’s text. The conversation also touches on judges’ responses to Trump’s attacks and concerns about election integrity in 2026 and 2028, with Toobin cautiously optimistic due to state control of elections.

Today Bill highlights the work of the American Civil Liberties Union.  Check out all the great work they're doing at ACLU.org.

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TSA Funding on Track. Who Won This Fight?

Cabinet “Meeting” Follies. Trump’s Wandering Thoughts.

MAGA vs Ground Troops. Gas Prices vs Iran War. Trump

Texas No-show. Mar-a-Lago Dem Win.  

With Jennifer Haberkorn, Deputy White House editor at POLITICO, Igor Bobic, Senior Politics Reporter at HuffPost and John Bennett, White House Correspondent, CQ Roll Call.

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

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Bill interviews former DNC chair and Senate candidate Jaime Harrison about the midterms, arguing they’re a chance to check Donald Trump by flipping the House and potentially the Senate. Harrison says Trump’s push to restrict mail-in voting is hypocritical and would disenfranchise many voters, including military overseas. Harrison is bullish on Democratic prospects, comparing the cycle to 2006, citing GOP overreach, corruption, and strong Democratic special-election performance. He discusses countering GOP redistricting moves, candidate recruitment, and targeting Senate races in Georgia, Michigan (a concern due to a heated primary), Alaska (a “dark horse” with Mary Peltola), North Carolina (Roy Cooper), Texas, Ohio (Sherrod Brown), Maine, and Montana via an independent who would caucus with Democrats. He urges a message centered on affordability and healthcare, downplays fundraising gaps, and promotes his “Dirt Road Dems” PAC focused on rural organizing in the South.

Today Bill reminds us that the best way to support Democrats financially is through ACTBlue.com.

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