CQ Roll Call Policy and Politics

The Trump administration announced plans to cancel $810 million, mostly for health and education programs,that Congress had already appropriated, in a so-called pocket rescission. CQ Roll Call's Paul M. Krawzak and Aris Folley join host David Lerman to discuss the funding at stake, the programs affected, and the likely court battle to come over whether the move is legal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick talks with Roll Call campaign writers Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire about their on-the-ground reporting as the midterm general election kicks into high gear; the latest batch of polling in key races; the crazy money being raised and spent; why we're still not done with redistricting, and what to expect from their forthcoming Most Vulnerable Incumbents list.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The price tag of the Iran war is $43 billion and counting, but Congress has yet to agree on a funding plan. CQ Roll Call's John M. Donnelly joins host David Lerman to discuss the latest cost estimates, projections of future costs, and prospects for funding the war by year's end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales dive into what they learned now that the 2026 congressional primary season is over, whether re-redistricting and midterm conventions will be the new norm, if we can trust polls and how, ultimately, it might still be the economy, stupid.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Congress’ fall priorities — cryptocurrency, college sports and permitting — are not budget-related, a new December spending deadline is setting the stage for another funding fight. CQ Roll Call's Peter Cohn, Savannah Behrmann and Aidan Quigley assess the fall agenda and the prospects for a final fiscal 2027 spending deal during the lame-duck session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress avoided a shutdown fight until December, but passed on several sticky problems it will need to address after Election Day. CQ Roll Editor in Chief Jason Dick and CQ Roll Call Budget Editor David Lerman outline the major fights looming in November in a very special Political Theater and CQ Budget podcast collaboration.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Political Analyst Susan Davis discuss congressional efforts to address affordability with CQ Roll Call leadership Staff Writer Savannah Behrmann for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Political Analyst Susan Davis discuss surface transportation reauthorization legislation and other transportation-related issues with CQ Roll Call transportation Staff Writer Kelly Livingston for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Editor in Chief Brody Mullins discuss the bipartisan legislative efforts on permitting reform with CQ Roll Call Energy and Environment Staff Writer David Jordan for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate left town for its August recess with much of its agenda put on ice, including a third budget reconciliation package. CQ Roll Call's Paul M. Krawzak and Aris Folley join host David Lerman to assess what the pile-up of work means for September and a lame-duck session following the midterm elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Editor in Chief Brody Mullins discuss major cryptocurrency legislation in the 119th Congress with CQ Roll Call Financial Services Staff Writer Mark Schoeff Jr. for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a bipartisan deal in hand to avoid a partial government shutdown, Senate leaders hope to pass the stopgap measure this week. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley join host David Lerman to assess the obstacles to passage that lie ahead and what else could cross the finish line before the Senate adjourns for its August recess. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebellion and activism have always been necessary to move America toward progress, with always present obstacles to overcome, including violent opposition from those with their own view of what makes the country great. That truth, with all the contradictions that arise when ideals fail to match reality, is explored in “We’ve Been Here Before.” When mythmaking threatens to replace history, this book, by Angela P. Dodson and Michael I. Days, is an essential and timely present for America’s 250th birthday. Co-author Angela P. Dodson joins Equal Time to talk about the heroes and the hard work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate wants to pass an expanded version of a House-passed stopgap funding bill before it leaves town for the August recess. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and Paul M. Krawzak join host David Lerman to discuss the prospects for a funding extension and why work on reconciliation 3.0 is being put on the back burner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is trying this week to adopt a budget resolution and pass the annual defense authorization bill and stopgap spending measure. CQ Roll Call’s Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton join guest host Aidan Quigley to discuss the prospects of the continuing resolution and the budget resolution in the House’s final week before August recess.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Molly Reynolds discuss how history will view the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., how congressional illnesses are starting to affect the institution, why things are getting stuck in both chambers, and what a weird time it is for the legislative branch.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., triggers a Senate Budget Committee shake-up as House Republicans make a new push this week for a third reonciliation package. CQ Roll's Paul M. Krawzak and Aidan Quigley join host David Lerman to assess the impact of Graham's death and prospects for a new reconciliation bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick talks with film legend Sean Astin, the president of SAG-AFTRA, about his deep connections to Washington, D.C., public service, the issues he is advocating on Capitol Hill and meeting the moment at a pivotal time in human history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A push for new voting restrictions has held up business in the House, including appropriations bills. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley join host David Lerman in assessing the leadership test facing Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and what it means for spending bills and a third reconciliation package. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While House appropriators move forward with their fiscal 2027 spending bills, the usually bipartisan Senate process has run into major roadblocks with disputes over spending levels and amendments. CQ Roll Call's Aris Folley and Aidan Quigley discuss the status of appropriations in both chambers, as well as the prospects for reconciliation progress and an Iran war supplemental funding bill.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee discuss the big UFC bout at the White House, the relationship between President Donald Trump and combat sports and entertainment and the expansion of Brandon's media empire, Recommend If You Like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick talks with filmmaker Rory Kennedy about her new documentary, "Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing," a sequel to her 2022 "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing" and how, despite a very public airing of the company's quality control failings after numerous crashes, so little has changed and who is to blame.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Republicans are scrambling to produce a third reconciliation bill focused on defense spending and combating fraud, but they face numerous obstacles. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and Paul M. Krawzak join host David Lerman to assess the bill's prospects and all the complications that lie ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick talks with Sky Sitney about this year's DC/DOX documentary film festival, which brings a slate of more than 100 nonfiction movies about Billie Jean King, Earth Wind and Fire, AI, a Washington Commanders superfan, Sea Monkeys and even Yugoslavian leader Josip Tito's parrot.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans appeared set to clear a Senate-passed reconcilation bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies through the rest of President Donald Trump's term. CQ Roll Call's Aris Folley and Paul M. Krawzak join host David Lerman to discuss the final chapter of the reconciliation battle and how a controversial Justice Department "anti-weaponization" fund continues to complicate the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about Super Junesday, with its reality-tv-infused results in California, missing persons intrigue in New Jersey and dusting of Rep. Dusty Johnson, among many, many results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration began to back down from its push for a $1.8 billion Justice Department fund rewarding alleged victims of past administrations. CQ Roll Call's Michael Macagnone and Aidan Quigley join host David Lerman to discuss what the apparent retreat might mean for a GOP reconciliation bill on immigration enforcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The surprise creation of a Justice Department "anti-weapononization" fund outraged Senate Republicans and disrupted plans to pass their reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement before the Memorial Day recess. CQ Roll Call's Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton join host David Lerman in assessing the blow-up and the challenge ahead for getting the reconciliation bill back on track. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are scrambling to rewrite portions of the $72 billion budget reconciliation bill after the Senate parliamentarian advised against key parts, including Secret Service funding connected to the White House ballroom project. CQ's Paul M. Krawzak and Aidan Quigley discuss the parliamentarian's advice and the prospects of passage before the upcoming Memorial Day recess. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a weird election cycle, and one only has to look at Roll Call's Most Vulnerable Incumbents list to see the multiple storylines playing out. Jason Dick talks with Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari about who's on the list, who's leaving the list and why making a House list is so difficult. (Spoiler alert: It's redistricting) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats are taking aim at $1 billion in the GOP's reconciliation bill for security funds connected to plans for a White House ballroom. CQ Roll Call's Paul M. Krawzak joins host David Lerman for a look at the procedural challenges facing the security money and how it could complicate passage of a bill designed to provide immigration enforcement funding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Passage of a bill to end the record-breaking shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security exposed widening tensions between House and Senate Republicans. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley join host David Lerman to discuss what it took to end the shutdown, the source of simmering friction between the two chambers, and what it could mean as Republicans attempt to pass a reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement funding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick talks with Mark Kassen, the director, writer and star of the new movie "PH-1," a contemporary political drama whose mix of mystery, social media and taut pacing make it a pretty good encapsulation of our fraught time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Black women show up – as election workers, activists, advocates, voters – they make a difference. So, when they step forward, why do they so often meet resistance, not just from opponents, but also from supposed allies? And why has that never stopped them. Atima Omara’s new book, “The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (And what we can learn from them),” is both a history lesson and a blueprint for the future. In an almost two-decade career, Omara, founder of the award-winning Omara Strategy Group, has worked at the intersection of electoral politics and advocacy in the progressive movement. She is my guest on this episode of Equal Time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick talks with George Condon, long-time White House reporter, historian and a past president of the White House Correspondents Association, about Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner, putting the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump into the context of the century-old event. They also talk about The Great Ribber. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real estate magnates, secret societies, alternative means of communicating, psycheledic drugs used as therapy? It's not our world; it’s the world of Thomas Pynchon’s ”The Crying of Lot 49.”Jason Dick, Sean Carswell and Alan Tuszynski discuss Silent Tristero’s Empire and whether we’re living in it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Molly Reynolds discuss the Brookings Institution’s latest update to Vital Statistics on Congress, the recent resignations of two members of the House for alleged misconduct and whether the legislative branch is truly representative of the U.S. population. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has backed Senate Republicans' plan for two more reconciliation bills, the first of which would focus solely on immigration enforcement funding. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley describe the prospects of the bill and the next steps for the fiscal 2027 spending process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the line separating church and state in America has not yet disappeared, it is certainly fading fast. The evidence? A Supreme Court willing to rule in favor of faith-based lawsuits; a Secretary of Defense framing the war in Iran in apocalyptic terms; a president pushing a law restricting voting rights, exhorting legislators to pass it -- for “Jesus.” Is today’s elevation of a certain kind of Christianity at odds with the ideals of a diverse country where freedom of and from religion is guaranteed in the Constitution? David Gibson -- award-winning religion journalist, author, and filmmaker -- is director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, and the guest on this episode of Equal Time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman wonder what members of Congress are doing on their two-week recess, coming as it does while the Homeland Security Department isn't being funded by Congress, as well as what they did, and observed, on recent trips back home to Arizona and Ohio, respectively.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House and Senate standoff over homeland security funding exposed a stunning disconnect between the top two Republican leaders. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and David Lerman discuss the clash over funding strategies between the two chambers, the prospects for reaching a deal and whether a two-week recess will have to be cut short. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about what we learned from March's congressional primaries in Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, as well as special elections and what to expect as the primary season takes a little break before revving back up in May.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump is preparing to send Congress a fiscal 2027 budget request, even as lawmakers try to find a deal on this year's Homeland Security funding and consider a potential supplemental funding package for the Iran war. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman assess all the fiscal and political pressures shaping the upcoming budget cycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration has sent mixed signals about plans for a supplemental war funding package, while providing Congress with little information about the costs of military operations against Iran. CQ Roll Call's John M. Donnelly and David Lerman assess the potential timing for a war funding bill, the options for passing it, and what else might get attached to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Brody Mullins talk about the ongoing disruption of politics, business and journalism, how history repeats itself, Brody's book and podcast, "The Wolves of K Street" and his new podcast, "The Deciders," which focuses on the lobbying and influence world.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump threatened to block all legislation until Congress passes an expanded voter ID bill that Democrats oppose. CQ Roll Call's Paul M. Krawzak and David Lerman assess what the president's stance means for long-stymied Homeland Security funding and a potential emergency military spending package for the Iran war. We also discuss the status of Trump's fiscal 2027 budget request. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Sean Carswell discuss Thomas Pynchon's 2013 novel "Bleeding Edge," and how its story about the dot-com bubble and 9/11 applies to the present day, with politics and society dominated by AI, technology and venture capitalism firms running wild and the national security apparatus pushing war here, there and everywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The war against Iran gave Republicans a new line of attack in a push to end the partisan standoff over Homeland Security Department funding. CQ Roll Call's Aris Folley and David Lerman assess how the war might impact negotiations over an immigration enforcement overhaul compromise that could clear the way for full-year appropriations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just who is a “domestic terrorist,” and what is the danger when a protest is labeled “an act of domestic terrorism”? President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has announced a drawdown of troops in Minnesota, where immigration raids swept up many, including U.S. citizens, triggered protests and left two of those citizens dead. But the administration hasn’t ruled out future surges across the country. In analyzing federal actions – in the past and yet to come -- Rachel Levinson-Waldman, director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, does not deny the presence of domestic terrorists among us. But does the Trump administration’s expansive definition of the term clash with First Amendment rights? And do recent enforcement activities make us more or less safe? Levinson-Waldman explains on this episode of Equal Time.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee discuss the artistic merits of the 2026 State of the Union, whether Hollywood or Washignton is the entertainment capital and the reasons for sitting through President Donald Trump’s one hour, 47-minute, 43-second event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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As a partial Homeland Security Department shutdown enters its first full week, there's no sign of a bipartisan immigration deal that could unlock a full-year funding bill. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Savannah Behrmann and David Lerman assess the major sticking points to reaching a deal and the state of negotiations in the Senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Mark Schoeff Jr. talk about Mark's new position as president of the National Press Club and the club's mission, press freedoms, how politicians and journalists interact and explain how legendary Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady fits into all this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawmakers are staring down a Friday deadline for Homeland Security funding, with little hope to avoid a partial shutdown. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Chris Johnson and Valerie Yurk examine the Democrats' demands for changes to immigration enforcement policies and the limited potential areas for compromise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman digest their experience at the Washington Press Club Foundation dinner, which came at a time of trauma for the national press and frayed nerves in the nation's capital.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House leaders face a difficult challenge to muster the votes for ending the second partial government shutdown of this fiscal year. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman examine how mounting Democratic opposition and a fractious GOP conference put a $1.2 trillion spending package in jeopardy, and whether any compromise is in sight for a Homeland Security bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ongoing conflict in Minneapolis has increased the chances of a partial government shutdown, and the stress of finding a solution is only building, with talk of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem circulating, the public souring on the administration's immigration actions and a double-whammy winter storm in the mix.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A glide path for a final fiscal 2026 spending package suddenly evaporated after the second fatal shooting of a Minneapolis citizen in an immigration crackdown. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Jacob Fulton and David Lerman assess the chances for finding an escape route from another partial government shutdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House has passed all 12 spending bills for the current fiscal year and the Senate is on track to clear them by the Jan. 30 deadline to avoid another shutdown. CQ Roll Call's Jessica Wehrman, David Lerman and Aris Folley recount the drama of the House dealmaking and the state of the appropriations process.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Todd Ruger unpack the politics of a congressional committee's pursuit of Contempt of Congress charges against Bill and Hillary Clinton, how the process works, who's been prosecuted before for Contempt of Congress and why, and, of course, how it all relates to the Epstein files. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

November 2026 is closer than it may seem, with candidates already campaigning for the midterms. But are enough Americans paying attention to current action in the courts that could affect the process – and the result? You need a lawyer to sort out all-important voting rights battles. Elisabeth Frost, the Litigation chair of the Elias Law Group, is in the middle of many of these battles. With Marc Elias as chair, the firm’s stated mission is to help Democrats win, citizens vote, and progressives make change. On Equal Time, Frost answers the question: How is that going?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Mary Ellen McIntire look at the biggest political news of the new year and discuss how big a deal it is for the 2026 midterm election cycle, from Alaska's Senate race to Greenland -- and don't worry, they eventually discuss non-Polar climes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House and Senate appropriators had to punt on a compromise Homeland Security bill as they race toward a Jan. 30 funding deadline. And behind the scenes, talks continue on a potential second "big, beautiful" reconciliation bill. CQ Roll Call's Aris Folley, Paul M. Krawzak and David Lerman outline the challenges ahead for both appropriations and a reconciliation sequel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In politics, there is a lot going on, it can be hard to focus. But some polling and economic indicators are good guideposts for what is shaping the electorate as the 2026 campaign gets under way. Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about their favorite numbers to peruse, as well as some of their meh numbers.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congressional leaders have big hopes for the new year: passing all the remaining, long-delayed spending bills by a Jan. 30 funding deadline. But can they pull it off? CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman assess the outlook for appropriations and what accounts for a new bipartisan cooperative spirit that could make progress possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As an aspiring equestrian facing obstacles, Jack Goldberg learned that even with good intentions and legislation, follow through can be uncertain. So, as a young teen, he leaned into leadership. While the dual American and Canadian citizen can appreciate progress -- the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities -- he is worried that what has been hard won may be dismantled unless advocacy and activism keep the pressure on. On Equal Time, the honored Para Equestrianexplains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first session of the 119th Congress has been consequential: the legislative branch ceded much of its constitutional responsibilities to the executive branch, senators changed the process for confirming presidential nominees, and the House rank and file grew more emboldened to sidestep their leaders and force votes. Jason Dick and Molly Reynolds discuss these topics and much more as they put 2025 into context. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Republicans face a showdown vote this week over health care affordability as enhanced insurance subsidies are set to expire at the end of the month. And Senate leaders are holding out hope for taking up a major spending package despite objections from GOP conservatives. CQ Roll Call's Sandhya Raman, Aidan Quigley and David Lerman assess the challenges on health care and appropriations in the final week of this year's legislative session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thomas Pynchon's latest novel, "Shadow Ticket," has a lot to say about politics, so Jason Dick checks in with Sean Carswell, the official Pynchon scholar of the Political Theater podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new compromise defense authorization bill calls for a higher level of defense spending than President Donald Trump requested for the current fiscal year. CQ Roll Call's John M. Donnelly, Aidan Quigley, and David Lerman assess the new bill and what it means for the defense appropriations process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite its propensity for making itself look bad, some of the inner workings of Congress reveal lawmakers who are finding ways to work together. Can they cut through the noise and solve some real problems? Jason Dick and Justin Papp discuss the changing institution and the people who make it, or try to make it, function. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As appropriators aim to finish the nine remaining fiscal 2026 spending bills ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline, CQ Roll Call's Aris Folley and Aidan Quigley discuss two recently released Senate spending bills and the two chambers' competing approaches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration’s war on DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, has left many companies that value a welcoming workplace more than a little confused. What is allowed — and legal? Barbara L. Johnson, the founder of BLJohnsonLaw and counsel with Potter & Murdock, is an accomplished employment lawyer and workplace consultant with a passion for creating safe, productive and thriving workplace cultures. She is a guest on this episode of Equal Time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about how multiple rounds of redistricting congressional boundaries and the lawsuits surrounding them are making a weird year and weird election cycle even weirder.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that the partial government shutdown is over, can Congress make up for lost time and get long-delayed appropriations bills moving again? CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman assess the political and logistical obstacles of passing appropriations by the Jan. 30 funding deadline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enough Senate Democrats finally broke ranks with their party to clear a path for ending the longest partial government shutdown in history. CQ Roll Call's Aris Folley, Aidan Quigley and David Lerman assess the political fallout of the shutdown, what it means for the Democratic Party, and the steps still required to finally reopen government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick talks with Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire about the new Roll Call Most Vulnerable Incumbent list, Tuesday night's election results and the latest rounds of redistricting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate is under growing pressure to find a way out of the partial government shutdown that is set to become the longest in history. But President Donald Trump signaled no willingness to negotiate with Democrats on health insurance concerns until the government is reopened. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Jacob Fulton and David Lerman assess the state of shutdown negotiations and whether there is a path toward a deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Sean Carswell discuss how Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland” led to Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie “One Battle After Another,” the conversation those two works have about American culture and politics, as well as the 1960s left, the Nixonian right, Reaganism, the drug war, Trumpism and, for good measure, Emerson's concept of the level of divine justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The largest union of federal employees has called on Congress to pass a "clean" continuing resolution as crucial Nov. 1 deadlines for the start of health care open enrollment and food stamp funding near. CQ Roll Call's Aris Folley, Jacob Fulton and Aidan Quigley discuss the prospects of stand-alone legislation to pay federal workers and provide food aid and the chances of the shutdown reaching its conclusion in coming weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Chris Johnson talk about how immigration and racial issues frame the action and plot in the Paul Thomas Anderson movie "One Battle After Another," the salience of those issues in American history and culture and why movies still matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump's decision to divert Pentagon research and development funds to pay the troops during the partial shutdown has ignited a fierce debate among budget and legal analysts over whether the move is legal. CQ Roll Call's Paul M. Krawzak, Aidan Quigley and David Lerman explain the arguments on both sides and what the decision may mean for the "power of the purse" that the Constitution reserves for Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neither party shows any sign of blinking in the standoff over a partial government shutdown that enters its third week. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman assess how long the shutdown could last, which party may have the upper hand, and whether any pressure points remain that could force a resolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick talks with filmmaker Raoul Peck about his documentary "Orwell: 2+2=5," the importance of stepping back from the news cycle to keep things in context and how degrading language leads to degrading humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A partial government shutdown enters its second week with both parties dug in for a protracted fight and congressional leaders unwilling to negotiate. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley, Peter Cohn and David Lerman assess the roadblocks to a deal that could reopen government and how long it might take to break the logjam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being a college president has never been the easiest job. But today, it seems an impossible one. The campus may still be a place that encourages students to think critically and to cultivate a network of fellow creative problem-solvers. But those goals have been overshadowed by concerns over academic freedom and free speech, the challenges of building a welcoming community in the face of anti-DEI legislation and more. In her latest book, “Perils and Promise: College Leadership in Turbulent Times,” Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, an award-winning psychologist, president emerita of Spelman College and best-selling author, sees room for hope -- and solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Mary Ellen McIntire talk about how the government shutdown hasn't created much urgency on Capitol Hill, even though the effects could be significant, why each party thinks they have the upper hand and how it might play in upcoming races like the Virginia governor's race, where a lot of furloughed federal workers have a vote.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Dick and Molly Reynolds talk about the most significant things Congress has done this year and what kind of ripple effects could follow, as well as how lawmakers disenfranchise themselves when it comes to putting in the work.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A partisan divide over extending health insurance subsidies that expire at year's end threatens to trigger a partial government shutdown next week. CQ Roll Call's Sandhya Raman and David Lerman explain what the fight is about, why it's been so intractable, whether a compromise is in sight and what it might look like.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There had been progress on the issue of environmental justice, with the contributions of citizen-activists, who spurred the government to protect historically marginalized communities. But in the past few months, the Trump administration has made staff, program, and budget cuts that leave rural, coastal, and frontline communities vulnerable. That’s one observation of Cameron Oglesby, internationally awarded environmental justice organizer and solutions journalist. But, Oglesby says, organizations, communities and grass-roots efforts aren’t giving up on their vision for a cleaner, greener country. She joins Equal Time to explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Poetry readings, brewing beer, helping out kids:  Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman talk about Roll Call’s revived Life After Congress feature and what former members do with their time, then they round it out with a little wisdom from Henry Cabot Lodge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With barely three weeks to spare, Congress and the Trump administration are struggling to settle on a strategy for a funding extension that would avoid a partial government shutdown next month. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and David Lerman discuss the competing interests at play, the status of appropriations markups, and the ongoing court battle over a White House attempt to claw back previously appropriated foreign aid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discharge petition: congressional procedure or great band name? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats are warning that Republicans risk a partial government shutdown next month if they don't resist President Donald Trump's plan to claw back $4.9 billion in foreign aid through a so-called pocket rescission. CQ Roll Call's Paul M. Krawzak and David Lerman explain how the White House push to cancel funding without congressional approval could derail work on a bipartisan stopgap funding extension needed by month's end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s back to school time, with excitement mixed with uncertainty and anxiety. News from the Department of Education is primarily about cutting its budget or eliminating the department altogether. How will these and other proposed changes affect students? Will the traditionally underserved be short-changed, and fall further behind? James E. Ford, a former teacher of the year in North Carolina, is founder/director of CREED: the Center for Racial Equity in Education, a stand-alone nonprofit that deals explicitly with race and education issues in the state. He is also Principal at Filling the Gap Educational Consultants. Ford and his organizations have been working on solutions to education challenges the nation faces, and he is a guest on Equal Time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Wehrman talks with David Jordan of CQ Roll Call about how energy affordability could become a sleeper issue in next year's midterm elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The effort to avert a partial government shutdown next month could be uglier than usual after Congress left town for its August recess with partisan tensions at a fever pitch. As the Trump administration seeks to claw back funding, fights over Senate confirmations and the files of convicted sex offender Jefrrey Epstein all threaten to create a toxic brew that could derail the bipartisan appropriations process. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and David Lerman outline the challenges facing Congress this fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari discuss how a potential new congressional map in Texas could set off a race among other states to redraw their own maps, and how that might affect the 2026 midterm elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The appropriations process is under threat from a poisonous political climate as Republicans seek cooperation from Democrats while pursuing partisan reconciliation and rescissions measures. CQ Roll Call's Aidan Quigley and David Lerman discuss the state of the appropriations process at a recent webinar conducted for CQ subscribers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices