The legislative branch consistently misses statutory deadlines, lurching from crisis to crisis, all while sniping at one another in a way that would get most people fired from regular jobs. What are the long-term consequences of operating in perpetual crisis? Is there a way Congress could become boring and efficient? With us to discuss the branch most representative of the American public is Norm Ornstein, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a former Roll Call columnist and a person who knows more about the institution of Congress than most anyone on the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political Theater

Just what is wrong with Congress?

The team behind the Hulu mini-series “Dopesick,” discusses with Political Theater how they approached a story of monumental tragedy and loss, putting a human touch on the sprawling opioid epidemic that the United States is still in the throes of dealing with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Dopesick’ humanizes the overwhelming losses of the opioid epidemic

President Joe Biden took his pitch for enhanced infrastructure and social safety net spending to Howell, Mich., this week. CQ Roll Call Senior Writer Paul Krawzak also went there and spoke to people in that small town about how they felt about the president, his positions and politics more broadly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The view from Howell: Michiganders weigh in on Biden agenda

The Supreme Court begins its new term on Oct. 4, and the stakes are sky high for the justices, who will hear cases that could usher in sweeping changes on abortion and gun rights, all amid a time of intense political pressure and scrutiny for the high court. CQ Roll Call senior writer and legal affairs correspondent Todd Ruger joins the Political Theater podcast to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court takes on big issues — and more scrutiny

The Circus is back in town. At least Showtime’s political documentary series "The Circus" is back, resuming its sixth season this past Sunday. And the show has no shortage of topics to explore. Just in the coming weeks Congress is staring at a possible government shutdown, a debt limit breach, the fate of President Joe Biden’s agenda, fighting the COVID-19 Delta variant. And more! Two of the show’s hosts, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri join the Political Theater podcast to discuss what they’ll be up to amid these crazy times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Circus’ comes back to (this) town

Congress is deeply split, but not when it comes to the Olympics. Former U.S. women's national gymnastics’ team doctor Larry Nassar’s serial sexual abuse of female gymnasts provoked bipartisan action to toughen oversight of the Olympics organizing committee and amateur athletics. But there are still unanswered questions about Nassar and how this happened. CQ Roll Call Chief Correspondent Niels Lesniewski discusses what happened in Congress to address the situation and what lawmakers and the Justice Department could still do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can Congress stay bipartisan on Olympic oversight?

Filmmaker Greg Barker’s new documentary, “Detainee 001” comes at a turning point in U.S history and its timing could not be more ideal. The story of John Walker Lindh, the “American Taliban” makes for a poignant narrative as the United States stands on the cusp of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and has ended its war in Afghanistan. Barker discusses the Taliban, Afghanistan and the bizarre story of John Walker Lindh on this week’s episode of the Political Theater podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Detainee 001’ and the untold story of the American Taliban, John Walker Lindh

President Joe Biden this week declared that the longest war in U.S. history was over, and that after evacuating thousands of Americans and Afghan allies, there was no vital national security interest that justified staying in Afghanistan. But after 20 years, the withdrawal of troops and civilians this summer was messy, and deadly. CQ Roll Call Senior Defense Writer John Donnelly, joins us to discuss how much of it was standard operating procedure and a lack of good options for the U.S. mission there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was the sad, messy end in Afghanistan inevitable?

Health inequities between different racial and ethnic groups existed well before COVID-19, but the pandemic has revealed just how stark the disparities are. Throw in the politicization of science, and the United States has a big mountain to climb to conquer the virus. Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and former health commissioner of Baltimore sits down with guest host Sandhya Raman to unpack where we are and what can be done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The politics of public health

A little known public-health directive, Title 42, allows border agents to swiftly “expel” migrants who cross the border —without considering their asylum claims. It was implemented in March 2020 as COVID-19 cases spread across the U.S. This expulsion policy was criticized by presidential candidate Joe Biden, but President Biden has embraced it. At least for now. Special host Suzanne Monyak unpacks the politics of this thorny immigration policy with Cris Ramón, an independent immigration consultant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything you wanted to know about Title 42 but didn't know to ask

Special elections to the House this year have offered more evidence that local and state contests have been nationalized, even down to the intra-party primary contests for safe seats. CQ Roll Call Politics Editor Herb Jackson and Inside Elections Reporter and Analyst Jacob Rubashkin join Political Theater to discuss what we can learn from special election results so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s so special about special elections?

The HBO documentary series “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union,” arrives at a tumultuous time in American politics. It explores the formative years and presidency of Barack Obama, an era that seems both faraway and contemporary, with race relations continuing to define the public sphere. The three-part series premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Aug. 3, just in time for Obama's 60th birthday this week on Aug. 4. As part of the American Film Institute's AFI Docs 2021 documentary film festival, Political Theater host Jason Dick moderated a post-screening discussion with Peter Kunhardt, the director and producer of the series, and Jelani Cobb, staff writer for the New Yorker, also a producer and contributor to the series, as well as one of the country's prominent journalists covering race, culture and politics. Interview contents: AFI DOCS copyright 2021, courtesy of American Film Institute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union’ explores path, legacy of 44th president

This week, the White House celebrated the 31st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, touted as a bipartisan success that has delivered for Americans, and hinted it could be used to help secure voting rights. CQ Roll Call Chief Correspondent Niels Lesniewski joins the Political Theater podcast to talk about the law, and the challenges remaining. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ADA at 31: Still striving to remove barriers

Initially conceived as a temporary solution for vulnerable immigrants, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has become an intractable political battlefield as Congress continues to punt, year after year, a comprehensive overhaul of the country's immigration program. The latest chapter has underscored the fragility of even a government policy that has been around for almost 10 years: A district court judge in Texas last week struck it down, blocking new applications but allowing the more than 600,000 current recipients to stay in the program. More court cases will work their way through the system, but the onus is now also on a Congress that has tried, and failed, for years to address the topic. CQ Roll Call Staff Writer Suzanne Monyak joins us on the Political Theater Podcast to talk about why even a popular program supported by both sides of the aisle continues to be such a political football, as well as what's next.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How DACA went from temporary plan to forever battle

Midterm elections have patterns, but the political calculus we use sometimes needs a little adjusting. A delayed redistricting cycle, former President Donald Trump’s influence over key Senate and House races and changes to several states’ voter access laws make the 2022 campaign particularly hard to gauge. Nathan Gonzales, elections analyst for CQ Roll Call and the publisher of Inside Elections, joins the Political Theater podcast to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump, voting access defining 2022 midterm election outlook

Have you ever asked, “WTF?,” about politics? Or, “who are these people making decisions about my life?” Political Theater pulls back the curtain on the stunts, antics and motivations that drive Washington. Host Jason Dick and the Roll Call team spotlight the spectacle, the players and what’s going on behind the curtain in Washington’s long-running drama: Congress.

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Political Theater

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