The Fly

Enjoy this Thanksgiving BONUS episode with the Fly! We are joined by DSCC Communications Director David Bergstein. We talk 2022 election prospects, candidates to watch, and the Democratic Party's message heading into the midterms. Bergstein also touches on how the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will impact senate races across the country.

This week on the Pod, the Flies spoke with Amna Nawaz, chief correspondent for PBS NewsHour and GU Politics fellow. After serving as an ABC News anchor and NBC News foreign correspondent, Amna joined PBS, where she currently reports on a wide range of topics, including politics, foreign affairs, education, climate change, culture and sports. In this interview, she delves into her journalism journey following the events of 9/11, the importance of diversity in the newsroom, and advice for promoting balanced dialogue on partisan issues.

GU Politics hosted an amazing watch party for the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial elections. The Fly spoke with students from across the political spectrum, delving into their thoughts on the competition between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe. Hear the buzz from election night in this special episode of Fly On the Wall!

The Flies were joined by Brian Stelter — CNN’s chief media correspondent, the anchor of “Reliable Sources,” and a fall GU Politics fellow — in this week’s episode. A familiar face on cable news, he sheds light on the “post-truth” era, how TV news has evolved over time, and the challenges that journalists face when reporting on science and changing public health policies.

This week on the Pod, GU Politics fellow Charlotte Clymer (S’16) shared her extensive experience as a transgender activist and military veteran. In addition to serving as the Press Secretary for Rapid Response at the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest civil rights organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality, Charlotte was a communications and strategy director for Catholics for Choice. Tune in to hear about what it was like shaping messaging in response to the White House, being a transgender activist in both military and political spheres, and the issues she is watching in upcoming elections.

Rory Cooper sat down with the Flies in this episode to discuss his experience working for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and his role shaping the Department of Homeland Security. Cooper and the Flies also touch on the changing character of the Republican Party, the War in Afghanistan, and the future of national security. Don’t miss this insightful conversation with Fall 2021 GU Politics Fellow Rory Cooper

The Flies kicked off Season 10 this week with a recap of some of our favorite episodes from last year. Revisiting interviews with Jenny Durkan (Mayor of Seattle), Julie Pace (Associated Press Executive Editor), Sarah Rogers (former Chief of Staff to Rep. Patrick Meehan), Faiz Shakir (Campaign Manager, Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign), Hilary Franz (WA State Commissioner of Public Lands), and former Congressman Charles Djou (HI-01), we discussed lessons learned from the pandemic, elections, and more. Enjoy this jam-packed, laughter-filled episode featuring the entire Pod team!

In this special episode of Fly On the Wall, we bring you analysis of the recent effort to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom. Mike Madrid, expert in Latino voting trends, former political director for the California Republican Party, and co-founder of the Lincoln Project shared his take on conservative politics in liberal states, the fate of American Experiment, and how both parties are changing their messaging in response to demographic changes in the country. Madrid also touched on what it's like swimming against the political current in the age of culture war politics, and his favorite moments from his time studying here at Georgetown University!

For our Season 9 finale, we interviewed Tom Perez, a Spring 2021 GU Politics Fellow and former Chair of the Democratic National Committee. He served President Obama for eight years, first as DOJ Civil Rights Head and then as U.S. Secretary of Labor. In this episode, Tom not only took the Flies behind the scenes of his civil rights career, but also shared his take on Democratic party unity following the 2020 election cycle and the biggest challenges facing the nation moving forward.

In this episode, the Flies sat down with Guy Benson, host of “the Guy Benson Show,” spring GU Politics Fellow, Fox News contributor, and political editor at TownHall.com. Guy shares his journey from a high school student calling baseball games on local access channels to being a political commentator for Fox News. We also explore politics in post 9/11 America, party realignment, cancel culture, and young people in the conservative movement.