The Press Box

Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson break down Ross Douthat’s '60 Minutes' interview with Donald Trump, examining Douthat’s aggressive follow-ups, his questioning of Trump’s cryptocurrency business and immigration policies, and the religion-themed closing that highlighted the president’s fixation on punishing his political enemies (01:29). They also survey the early maneuvering around the 2028 presidential race, roast The Free Press’s erroneous claim that Abdul El-Sayed delivered his victory speech in Arabic, debate the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams, and assess Dianna Russini’s return to NFL media with BetUS (25:45).

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson

Producers: Jon Jones, Steve Ahlman, and Ben Cruz

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Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson sit down with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker following his historic third-term victory and the Democrats’ sweeping midterm success. Pritzker discusses Donald Trump naming Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff, whether the war with Iran cost Republicans the election, how Democrats changed their message, and the investments he made in Texas races (0:00)—later touching on his long-running feud with Greg Abbott (18:15). They also ask about his conversations with Jim Clyburn and Pritzker's possible 2028 ambitions, as well as the effort to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois (28:08). In the conversation that followed, Bryan and Joel assess Pritzker’s presidential prospects.

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson

Guest: Governor JB Pritzker

Producers: Jon Jones, Steve Ahlman, and Ben Cruz

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Bryan Curtis, Joel Anderson, and David Shoemaker break down the stunning 2026 midterm election, in which Democrats swept Texas’s statewide offices and scored major Senate victories in Kansas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, and Maine. They examine the reporting and candidate failures that helped produce the wave, visit the “Fox News Funeral Parlor” to assess conservative media’s response, and check in on the still-unresolved contests in Mississippi and Alaska before trading election-night television takes.

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis, David Shoemaker, and Joel Anderson

Producers: Jon Jones, Steve Ahlman, and Ben Cruz

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Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker preview Election Day by unpacking a final wave of Democratic-friendly Senate polling and the bizarre fallout in Michigan after Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers, then struggled to explain her reversal to Anderson Cooper (12:52). Bryan and David rank the 10 races they’ll be watching most closely—from Michigan and Texas to Kansas, Iowa, and potential surprise states (41:02). Then Bryan offers his final predictions for control of the House and Senate before they discuss an update on Michael Wilbon’s health (53:44).

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producers: Jon Jones, Steve Ahlman, and Ben Cruz

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Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker celebrate Halloween by dressing as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman before reflecting on Ernie Johnson’s 37-year run as host of 'Inside the NBA,' the understated instincts that made him a uniquely beloved broadcaster, and what the show might become without him. They also dissect Pat McAfee’s escalating response to a harmless Utah student video and how his outsize presence has changed 'College GameDay' before surveying a batch of startling midterm polls in South Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Maine, and Michigan.

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producers: Jon Jones, Steve Ahlman, and Ben Cruz

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Welcome to the October Issue of the Press Box. First, author Michael Connelly joins the show to talk about his years as an LA crime reporter, his Harry Bosch novels, why Bosch lives in the hills above LA, and much more. He also weighed in on the Bosch Amazon series and the current state of his old paper, the LA Times.

Then, Chris Ryan and Bryan list their all-time favorite detective novels.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guests: Michael Connelly and Chris Ryan

Producers: Jon Jones and Steve Ahlman

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Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson make their final predictions ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, debating whether James Talarico can break Texas Democrats’ statewide drought, whether Susan Collins can survive once again in Maine, and whether Democrats will take control of the Senate (5:35). They also examine the consequences of weakened voting protections, the possibility of challenges to election results and why celebrities and athletes who align themselves with Donald Trump may face lasting backlash (24:15). Bryan also bids farewell to an unsung broadcast hero (46:00).

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson

Producers: Jon Jones, Steve Ahlman, and Ben Cruz

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Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker break down CBS’s decision to elevate J.J. Watt to its top NFL broadcast team alongside Jim Nantz, assess Watt’s development as an analyst, and consider what the network shuffle could mean for Troy Aikman’s future in the booth. They also examine an increasingly ugly Ohio governor’s race, the wider midterm media narrative (16:31), and Blake Griffin’s new media-criticism show, 'The Step Back,' including whether its John Oliver-inspired format makes the best use of Griffin’s perspective as a former player (37:58).

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producers: Jon Jones, Steve Ahlman, and Ben Cruz

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Today on The Press Box, Bryan and Joel kick things off by talking through more of the Joe Buck-Troy Aikman drama at ESPN (6:20).

They then get into the incredible O.J. Simpson story that the New York Times dropped over the weekend (24:47) and Katie Zacharia’s five-day tenure as White House press secretary (34:13), before closing out with thoughts on the potential 24-team college football playoff (40:17).

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson

Producers: Jon Jones and Ben Cruz

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Today on The Press Box, Bryan and David discuss all the reports around the tension between Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the 'Monday Night Football' booth. They talk about how we got here and what could be next for Troy and ESPN (13:16). Then they talk about the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia (33:57). After that, Bryan is joined by Peter King to talk about his long career covering the NFL and his new book, 'The Game' (47:05).

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Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Guest: Peter King

Producers: Isaiah Blakely and Jon Jones

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