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Every Friday, Amy Walter brings you the trends in politics long before the national media picks up on them. Known as one of the smartest and most trusted journalists in Washington, D.C., Amy Walter is respected by politicians and pundits on all sides of the aisle. You may know Amy her from her work with Cook Political Report and the PBS NewsHour where she looks beyond the breaking news headlines for a deeper understanding of how Washington works, who's pulling the levers of power, and how it all impacts you. Politics with Amy Walter is a co-production of PRI and WNYC Radio in collaboration WGBH.
- 306 - How a Biden White House will Approach Climate Change
The priority for many Democratic voters in the most recent election cycle was removing President Donald Trump from the White House. This was clear after a crowded primary field coalesced around Joe Biden. But the world is a different place than it was in March and because the election cycle was dominated by the ongoing pandemic and economic crisis, it was difficult for other issues to gain traction.
But for younger voters, environmental justice and climate policy are a top priority. Climate change has animated a generation of voters, many of whom spent months making calls and texts to swing states, even though Joe Biden was not their first choice nominee. These voters are paying close attention to who Biden appoints to his cabinet and to lead agencies as a means to gauge how seriously he’ll be taking their top issue.
Throughout his time in office, President Trump aggressively went after more than 100 environmental rules aimed at protecting the integrity of water, land, and air.
While President-elect Biden will have the ability to issue executive orders at his disposal, there’s division within his own party about how aggressive he should be on the issue.
Coral Davenport, energy and environmental policy reporter at The New York Times, Jody Freeman, law professor at Harvard University and former counselor for energy and climate change in the Obama White House, and Waleed Shahid, spokesperson for the Justice Democrats describe how the Biden administration might proceed with pursuing climate change policy in a hyperpolarized political landscape.
As part of our continuing series with the freshman members of the 117th Congress, host Amy Walter spoke with Democratic Congresswoman-elect Marilyn Strickland from Washington and Republican Congresswoman-elect Ashley Hinson from Iowa. They both share what they’re hoping to accomplish in their first term and how they plan on working through partisan gridlock. You can hear extended conversations with the newest members of congresshere.
Fri, 20 Nov 2020 - 305 - A Presidential Transition Delayed
By refusing to concede, President Trump is not only disrupting the peaceful transfer of power, a cornerstone of American democracy, but he’s delaying the Biden administration access to pertinent information. The formal transition process we know today came to exist after the 9/11 Commission Report found that the delay in installing President George W. Bush hurt his administration.
Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center and senior research director at the White House Transition Project, describes the impact of a truncated presidential transition.
President-elect Biden is attempting to assemble members of his senior team while the current president seems determined to do the opposite. With just about two months left in his term, President Trump has fired a number of high-profile members of his administration. This includes Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Lisa Gordon-Hagerty.
Lisa Rein, a reporter covering federal agencies and the management of government in the Trump administration for The Washington Post, describes why the president would pursue this avenue at the end of his tenure.
This week, newly elected members of Congress convened on Capitol Hill for freshmen orientation. Although Democrats speculated that they would expand their majority, they ended up losing eight seats. In the days since, some moderate members of Congress have speculated that progressive issues like Medicare for all cost Democrats a supermajority. Congressman-elect Mondaire Jones and Congresswoman-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux share what it’s like to be joining Congress at this moment. This conversation is part of a continuing series on the freshmen members of the 117th Congress. You can listen to extended interviews here.
If President-elect Biden holds his lead over President Donald Trump, it would mean that Georgia has moved from red to blue for the first time since 1992. For years, southern states like Georgia have sat reliably in the Republican column, but voters in cities like Atlanta and the surrounding suburbs played a definitive role in moving the state to the left. Georgia's competitive political landscape is emphasized by the fact that the state will soon hold two runoff elections that will determine which party controls the senate. Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory University, describes the state’s changing electorate and the future of state-wide races.
After every election members of the media and politicians attempt to understand patterns that emerged among voters. One element of the 2020 election cycle that stood out to many is how in South Texas, President-elect Joe Biden underperformed when it came to predominantly Latino counties that typically break for Democrats by wide margins.
While Biden won the majority of support in predominantly Latino precincts in El Paso County and Dallas county, in counties along the border including Hidalgo, Zapata, and Starr, Biden’s standing slipped considerably from where Hillary Clinton stood four years ago.
Arelis Hernández, a reporter covering the U.S. southern border, immigration, and Texas for The Washington Post, explains how President Trump made gains within these communities.
Fri, 13 Nov 2020 - 304 - Joe Biden Wins Presidency
All week, election results have trickled in from across the country. With just a few states outstanding, Vice President Joe Biden has surpassed the 270 threshold of electoral votes to win the race for the presidency. Maya King, politics reporter at Politico, and Joel Payne, Democratic strategist and host of "Here Comes the Payne," weigh in on what a Biden win means and how political dynamics in Congress could shift.
Sat, 07 Nov 2020 - 303 - The Next President of the United States
Not immediately knowing which candidate won the White House has long been a reality of a world changed by COVID-19. What campaigns, pundits, and pollsters failed to predict was the distance that would separate the results from the expectations. Tim Alberta, chief political correspondent at Politico, Sahil Kapur, national political reporter for NBC News, and Clare Malone, senior politics writer at FiveThirtyEight, analyze the incomplete election results and what Congress could look like when the dust settles.
President Trump has consistently and falsely asserted that losing reelection would mean that the White House was stolen from him. Meanwhile, election officials across the country have been working diligently to maintain free and fair elections. This year, their jobs include responding to a pandemic and refuting conspiracy theories. Election officials from across the country describe how Election Day 2020 went and how things could improve for future elections.
As Joe Biden gets closer to winning the electoral college, the Trump campaign is taking to the courts in an attempt to challenge the results. In the past few days, states like Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania have all seen lawsuits calling into question their process of counting ballots, though there’s no evidence supporting the president’s claims of voter fraud. While some of the lawsuits have already been dismissed, others are still in play. Toluse Olorunnipa, a White House reporter for the Washington Post, breaks down the Trump campaign’s recent legal action.
In the Trump era, political polarization has reached a level not seen since the Civil War. Though this polarization didn't start with President Trump's campaign and subsequent administration, it has brought the deepening divide to the surface--and to the ballot box--with voter turnout this week reaching record numbers. Lilliana Mason, professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland and author of "Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity," walks us through the widening political divide in the U.S. and what it means for how the country moves forward, regardless of who wins the 2020 election.
Amy's closing thoughts:
"The political profession. No other career as prosaic has been glamorized more. In movies and on TV, everyone who works for or as a politician is beautiful, smart, and ambitious. All are doing super important work that is changing the world. Even the interns are drafting amendments that protect our way of life.
In real life, of course, politics is messy. And, more important, boring. For every election night balloon drop victory party, there are a million days filled with the crushingly tedious work of voter contact and fundraising and town hall meetings filled with cranky and angry constituents.
But, as we learned this week, it is the people who do the non-glamorous work, those who spend almost every single day of their entire career in relative ambiguity, who help keep our democratic institutions steady. I’m talking about the elected officials, poll workers, and office staff, who ensured that this election - an election taking place in the middle of a health pandemic and with record turnout - was conducted as fairly, smoothly, and judiciously as possible. They are doing this work under great duress and stress. They continue to do their job even as the president of the United States - without any evidence - takes to the White House briefing room to question their integrity.
When the election is over, these folks aren’t going to get a sweet cable TV gig or their own podcast. Instead, they are going to go back to their offices and prepare for the next election.
For all of you who are cynical or anxious about the sturdiness of the guardrails protecting our democratic institutions, look no further than the local officials in charge of voting. They are not bowing to pressure from the president. They are not abandoning their posts for fear of political reprisal. They are doing their jobs. And, doing them well.
At the end of the day, it is regular people who are responsible for our democracy. And, the regular people are saving it."
Fri, 06 Nov 2020 - 302 - Final Thoughts Before Election Day
The ongoing campaign cycle was met by a number of twists that couldn’t have been predicted. A consequential presidential race, the pandemic, an economic downturn, and the killing of George Floyd by police. As the election cycle comes to an end, Heather Long, Economics Correspondent at The Washington Post, Maya King, Politics Reporter at Politico and Clare Malone, Senior Politics Writer at FiveThirtyEight analyze the last year of politics and dissect what it could mean for Tuesday’s outcome.
A standard election cycle would’ve meant interacting with voters at conventions, town halls, and canvassing events. As the pandemic upended traditional forms of campaigning, we’ve spent the last few months engaging with students, teachers, small business owners, religious leaders, and individuals from across the U.S. They update us on how things have changed since we last spoke and what hopes, if any, they have riding on Election Day.
The most recent national polls shows President Trump is trailing Vice President Joe Biden by almost nine points. Four years ago, pundits and politicians relied on polls that failed to account for counties that should’ve served as warning signs for Democrats. This time around there are fewer undecided and third-party voters who could swing us towards a surprise. Dave Wasserman, House Editor for The Cook Political Report, describes his reporting on key bellwether counties that could determine the outcome of the election.
President Trump has spent the last few months maligning the voting process and attempting to cast doubt on the outcome of the election. He’s made a number of misleading comments regarding absentee voting and has incorrectly stated that the process of counting ballots should end on November 3rd. Grace Panetta, Senior Politics Reporter Covering Elections and Voting for Business Insider, describes what we can expect on election night and beyond.
Fri, 30 Oct 2020 - 301 - What Early Voting Patterns Tell Us About Wisconsin
This week marked the second and final debate between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. What has felt like a never-ending election cycle is taking place against the backdrop of a pandemic, an economic crisis, and a groundswell for racial justice and police reform. With less than two weeks until Election Day, Joel Payne, Democratic strategist and Host of Here Comes the Payne, and Patrick Ruffini, Republican Party pollster and political strategist reflect on the rest of the race.
It’s been six months since the $2 trillion CARES Act was signed into law. The bill provided much-needed aid to states, businesses, and individuals who were deprived of traditional means of income as a result of the pandemic. The relief the CARES Act provided has since dried up and millions have fallen into poverty as a result. Emily Cochrane, a congressional reporter at The New York Times, shares the latest from the ongoing stimulus talks between Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Mnuchin and what could happen if a deal doesn’t come together before Election Day.
Turnout is up in Wisconsin where voters will play a pivotal role in deciding who will become the next president of the United States. As some Wisconsin neighborhoods have already surpassed turnout levels from 2016, Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin shares how the level of enthusiasm compares to four years ago. Plus, Craig Gilbert of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describes trends in early voting and what’s happened to pockets of support for President Trump since 2016.
This election cycle special attention is being paid to growing voting blocs that have the power to move the needle towards or away from a second term for Donald Trump. Since 2016, millions of Latino voters have become eligible to vote, making young Latino voters a powerful political force. Takeaway host Tanzina Vega joins Amy to discuss her A Votar series and what she's observed from the conversations she’s had with this group ahead of Election Day.
Fri, 23 Oct 2020 - 300 - Democrats Gain Edge in Quest to Overtake the Senate
After the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18th and nomination of Amy Coney Barrett just a week later on September 26th, there’s been a lot of speculation about the political implications of a Supreme Court fight just days before Election Day.
Democrats have seen a boon in fundraising with Jaime Harrison, the Democrat running against Republican Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham, pulling in millions in the days after Ginsburg’s death. Graham himself, as well as several other vulnerable Republican senators, are hoping that the confirmation of a conservative to the court will help boost GOP enthusiasm and turnout.
As the hearing wrapped up on Thursday, it was clear that Barrett had made it through the process unscathed. A vote is expected on October 22nd in the Judiciary Committee and by the full Senate at the end of the month. We spoke about this with Sahil Kapur, national political reporter for NBC News, and Jessica Taylor of The Cook Political Report.
Also on the show, a look at the political landscape in Texas going into the 2020 election. For years now, Democrats have been predicting they can turn this red state blue. But the last time a Democratic presidential candidate actually won the state was in 1976.
However, Texas is changing. A diverse electorate, combined with a backlash to Trump in traditionally Republican suburbs has given Democrats serious political traction. The latest polls show President Trump leading Joe Biden by an average of just two points. We got an overview of what’s happening in Texas from Abby Livingston, D.C. Bureau Chief at the Texas Tribune.
There’s also a Senate race in the state this year. In 2018, a Texas Senate race was the center of the political universe. Then, Democratic Representative Beto O’Rourke raised millions of dollars and gained national attention for his race against Senator Ted Cruz. O’Rourke came up short, but his impressive showing gave him enough momentum and fame to mount a presidential run—albeit a short-lived run. Two years later, another Republican Senator, John Cornyn is up for re-election in Texas.
We spoke to his opponent, MJ Hegar, the Democratic Senate candidate and U.S. Air Force veteran, about her race against the three-term incumbent. Her campaign brought in $13.5 million in the third quarter and she’s been outspending Cornyn in TV ads over the past few weeks. But even though the race is tightening, polls show Cornyn is still ahead by over seven percentage points.
We also took a look at the Latino vote in Texas with Jason Casellas, an associate professor of political science at the University of Houston. According to recent estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Latino population in Texas grew by two million over the last decade, and it’s on track to become the state’s largest demographic group in 2021.
Fri, 16 Oct 2020 - 299 - What A Year This Week Has Been
There are just over three weeks until Election Day and President Donald Trump is trailing Joe Biden in national polls by double digits. Sidelined with COVID-19 and unable to participate in traditional campaign events, the president has taken to Twitter, cable TV, and homemade videos to pitch voters on promises to deliver everything from free coronavirus drug cocktails to stimulus checks. Amidst the political theatre, more than six million voters have cast their ballots. Laura Barrón-López, national political reporter at POLITICO, and Clare Malone, senior political writer at FiveThirtyEight breakdown the state of the race for the White House.
Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence gathered in Utah on Wednesday for the first and only vice presidential debate. The advanced age of President Donald Trump and Joe Biden against the backdrop of a highly contagious pandemic has emphasized the role of vice president. Maya King from POLITICO and Annie Karni from the New York Times explain what role Harris and Pence will play between now and Election Day.
An unusually competitive senate race in South Carolina is among the many twists and turns of this election cycle. Lindsey Graham, Senator from South Carolina, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Trump loyalist is fighting for his political career. The latest polling has Senator Graham virtually tied with charismatic newcomer, Democrat Jaime Harrison. Danielle Vinson, professor of politics and international affairs at Furman University, explains why the state is in play in this year and what Senator Graham misunderstood about South Carolina's electorate.
It's been four years since Donald Trump was elected after one of the most unconventional and divisive campaign cycles in recent history. During his norm-shattering first term, President Trump has been impeached, emboldened far-right groups, refused to release his tax returns, and attempted to use his status to influence the Department of Justice. Moments that would've ended anyone else's political ambitions are just bumps in the road for Donald Trump. The authors of "After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency" describe how Trump has taken advantage of his office and how the presidency could be reformed to prevent similar abuse. Bob Bauer is a senior adviser to the Biden campaign and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama and Jack Goldsmith is a professor at Harvard Law and served as George W. Bush’s assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel.
Fri, 09 Oct 2020 - 298 - How the President's Coronavirus Diagnosis Alters the Race for the White House
On Friday morning, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump said they had tested positive for the coronavirus. More than seven million people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 200,000 have died as a result.
With about a month to go before the election, this news could upend a cycle that has already been buffeted by major events on an almost weekly basis. White House Reporter for The Washington Post Toluse Olorunnipa describes what this could mean for President Trump's ability to govern.
Both President Trump and Joe Biden are preparing for a drawn-out battle over election-related litigation. They are going to court over everything from signature-match rules, to who can and can’t collect absentee ballots, to where ballots can be dropped off. The results of these disputes taking place before and after Election Day could have serious implications regarding the future of voting. At the same time, false allegations of voting abnormalities from the White House pose the risk of casting doubt over the final result.
Justin Riemer, Chief Counsel at the Republican National Committee, shares how they’re approaching pre-election litigation. Grace Panetta, Politics and Voting Reporter for Business Insider, describes how both campaigns are attempting to substantiate their arguments and how that’s playing out in state courts.
Pennsylvania is among a handful of states that will play a decisive role in electing the winner of the upcoming election. In 2016, Trump won the state's 20 electoral votes by less than one percent. Pennsylvania, which recently began allowing no-excuse absentee voting, has also become ground zero for pre-election lawsuits. Jonathan Lai is a reporter covering voting and elections for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He joins Politics with Amy Walter to describe how voting in Pennsylvania has changed since 2016 and he expands on the false assertions the president made about Philadelphia in Tuesday's debate.
The New York Times recently published new reporting about President Trump’s tax returns that detailed how the president avoided paying income taxes. Andrea Bernstein, co-host of the Trump, Inc. podcast from WNYC and ProPublica, outlines how Trump has benefitted financially from the presidency and what it could mean for the Trump Empire when he leaves office. She is also the author of "American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power."
Fri, 02 Oct 2020 - 297 - What's Next for Amy Coney Barrett's SCOTUS Nomination?
On Saturday, President Trump nominated 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat. If confirmed, conservative Judge Barrett would become the youngest member serving on the court.
Senate Republicans will scramble to confirm Judge Barrett ahead of Election Day, while Democrats argue that Judge Barrett's nomination could hurt the Affordable Care Act and Roe v. Wade.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to start hearings on October 12, just a few weeks before the general election.
POLITICO White House Reporter Gabby Orr reacts to the announcement and describes how Judge Barrett's nomination and pending confirmation will impact the rest of the race.
Sun, 27 Sep 2020 - 296 - A Look at the SCOTUS Nomination Fight
The U.S. has observed a week of mourning since Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, in addition to partisan warfare regarding her replacement. Senate Republicans have decided they will move to confirm President Trump's nominee ahead of the general election. His announcement is expected Saturday. President Trump has said that the election could be decided by the Supreme Court and has implied that a justice appointed by him would be loyal in any case involving the election. NBC News National Political Reporter Sahil Kapur discusses what we can expect from the nomination process from now through the election.
Wisconsin is among the few states that played a decisive factor in Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss. This year, the state made headlines because of a flawed primary election that took place towards the beginning of the pandemic. Election officials struggled to keep up with absentee ballot requests, thousands of mail ballots were ultimately rejected, and when it came to in-person voting, photos of people waiting in line for hours, at the height of the pandemic, went viral.
Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe, Politics Reporter and Washington Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Craig Gilbert, and Wisconsin Public Radio’s Laurel White dissect Wisconsin's political landscape and share how seriously we should be taking polling.
Also, Black voters are the backbone of the Democratic Party. They are one of the party's most reliable voting blocs and failing to secure their votes will have significant electoral consequences. There is also a significant generational gap between younger Black Americans who feel alienated from traditional politics and older Black voters who are typically loyal to the Democratic Party. Vice President and Chief of Campaigns at Color of Change Arisha Hatch shares how Black voters are thinking about the voting process.
These conversations are part of a series called Every Vote Counts.Fri, 25 Sep 2020 - 295 - How Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Death will Affect the Battle for the White House
After serving 27 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday from complications associated with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Justice Ginsburg was the second woman to be appointed to the highest court in the land. Early in her career as a lawyer, she was a champion for gender equality and in the time since has been elevated to a feminist icon.
Clara Spera, Ginsburg's granddaughter said her grandmother dictated the following statement before her death: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."
While the race for the White House had already morphed into a turbulent, hyper-partisan event there's no doubt that Ginsburg's death underscores how consequential the November 3rd election will be.
In a statement issued on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Trump's nominee "will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.” That statement exists in direct opposition to his stance on Barack Obama's 2016 nomination of Merrick Garland.
Professor Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, and Sahil Kapur, national political reporter at NBC News, discuss Ginsburg's legacy and how her death could change the trajectory of the election cycle.
Sat, 19 Sep 2020 - 294 - Raising (Votes in) Arizona
Arizona has been a reliably Republican state at the presidential level in every election since 1952 — except when Bill Clinton won in 1996. But a rapidly growing population has chipped away at the Republican advantage. In 2020, Arizona is rated a toss-up.
The state has had no-excuse absentee voting since 1991 and the numbers of voters who use this method continue to grow. As the president continues to malign the U.S. Postal Service and absentee ballots and question the integrity of the upcoming election, we hear from Katie Hobbs, Arizona Secretary of State, KJZZ Phoenix host Steve Goldstein, and Professor Lisa Sanchez from the University of Arizona.
Latino voters are a growing share of the population in states like Florida, Texas, and Nevada. In Arizona, they account for about a quarter of voters in the state according to Pew.
While national polling indicates that Joe Biden is ahead of President Trump when it comes to Latino voters, he hasn't been able to match Hillary Clinton’s margins from 2016. The Trump campaign is appealing to Latinos with a message centered on crime and the economy. The Biden campaign is using President Trump's response to the pandemic to illustrate that he's unfit to lead.
Daniel Garza, president of the conservative Libre Initiative, and Carlos Odio, co-founder of democratic Latino polling and analysis firm Equis Research, share their insights as to what's at stake for this electorate.
These conversations are part of a series called Every Vote Counts.
Fri, 18 Sep 2020 - 293 - How North Carolina's Electoral Process Is Unfolding
While the bedrock of democracy is free and fair elections, the President has been sowing seeds of distrust throughout the course of the campaign. He's used his platform to spread conspiracy theories about the integrity of absentee ballots to his millions of followers.
The consequences of those lies can be seen in a recent Monmouth University poll that found almost 40 percent of Americans don’t believe that the elections will be conducted fairly and accurately. A majority of Americans say that they think the Trump campaign will try to cheat if necessary to win in November, while 39 percent say the same of the Biden campaign.
Aside from Barack Obama in 2008, North Carolina hasn't voted for a Democrat for president since Jimmy Carter in 1976, but polls show President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are neck and neck there. A contentious senate race is also on the ballot in the state.
North Carolina began sending out absentee ballots on September 4th. The more than 700,000 mail ballots that have been requested has shone the national spotlight on the Tar Heel State.
Chair of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Damon Circosta, Michael Bitzer, a professor of Political Science at Catawba College, and Rusty Jacobs, politics reporter at WUNC North Carolina Public Radio, walk us through the state's electoral process.
Many credit Barack Obama’s win in North Carolina to strong turnout from African American voters. Exit polls that year showed African Americans making up almost a quarter of the electorate and they gave Obama 95 percent of the vote. Congresswoman Alma Adams of North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District and Professor Kerry Haynie, Political Science and African & African American Studies at Duke University, describe how the Biden/Harris ticket is working to convince Black voters to turnout.
As part of our continuing series on how the pandemic has changed campaigns, we checked in with Chase Gaines, Coalition Director North Carolina GOP. He describes what it's like to organize at this moment and what he's heard from voters while knocking doors.
These conversations are part of a series called Every Vote Counts.
Fri, 11 Sep 2020 - 292 - The Role of Political Disinformation in the Race for the White House
Since May, protests have unfolded to denounce the way police interact with Black Americans. Most recently, the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed father, has grabbed national headlines. Blake was shot in the back seven times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The violent event has resulted in many taking to the street and demanding answers to why this keeps happening.
Maya King, political reporting fellow at POLITICO, and Katie Glueck, national politics reporter for The New York Times unpack how questions surrounding the role of law enforcement could alter November's election.
NextGen America is a political group that engages young voters to support progressive causes and candidates. Before the start of the pandemic, they interacted with students in-person on college campuses through voter registration drives and casual conversations about voting. Jared DeLoof, State Director NextGen America explains how they've adapted to the new reality.
The idea that disinformation and conspiracy theories thrive on the internet is widely known and has been part of the mainstream conversation since the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Despite attempts to remove bad actors and regulate social media networks, conspiracy theories are still making their way to the forefront of our politics in 2020.
Ben Collins, covers disinformation, extremism, and the internet for NBC, and Cindy Otis, vice president of analysis at the Alethea Group and author of “True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News” describe the methodology behind these nefarious actors and why they're committed to their cause.
Fri, 04 Sep 2020 - 291 - Whose Convention Resonated Best?
Over the last two weeks, both the Republican and Democratic parties have proposed their visions for America and they could not be more different.
President Trump used his primetime speech to convince those watching that he was still the outsider that had been elected four years prior and that he would not conform to establishment politics, even though he is now the establishment. Joe Biden used his time to demonstrate that he believes that Trump is a threat to democracy and that reelecting him would mean four more years of divisive politics and the continued mishandling of the coronavirus.
Toluse Olorunnipa, White House Reporter at The Washington Post, Tim Alberta, Chief Political Correspondent at Politico, and Elaina Plott, National Political Reporter at The New York Times analyze the Republican National convention and share what the next 60 days could look like.
The economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic has left millions of Americans without work. That includes Angelica Garcia, who was a barista at Starbucks in The Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for 19 years. She shares what the last few months have been like for her and what her hopes are for the future. Plus, Heather Long from The Washington Post describes the overall health of the U.S. economy and whether Americans can expect more economic relief from the federal government.
In 2018, former defense department analyst Elissa Slotkin flipped a seat from red to blue in a suburban Michigan district that Trump carried by seven points. She credited extensive grassroots organizing for her success, including the 200,000 doors her team knocked. This time around, the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic have made it impossible for her to reuse her 2018 playbook. Congresswoman Slotkin shares how she's adjusted her campaign and how she's working to safely interact with voters in person and online.
Fri, 28 Aug 2020 - 290 - A Virtual Democratic Convention
This week, Joe Biden officially became the Democratic nominee for president in the first-ever virtual convention. While there were no crowds, handshakes, or applause to demonstrate excitement, the new format allowed for Americans across the country to participate.
Each night consisted of live and taped speeches where voters implored those watching to vote for Joe Biden. They spoke about President Trump's failure to address climate change, structural racism, gun violence, economic insecurity, and the coronavirus that has killed more than 170,000 Americans. A significant portion of the week was dedicated to bringing Republicans into the fold as many shared that they had voted for Trump in 2016 and came to regret doing so.
Headliners like Michelle and Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren stressed that the country is at an inflection point and that those in positions of power are working to dilute American votes.
Maya King from Politico, Astead Herndon from The New York Times, and Alex Roarty from McClatchy reflect on the historic convention and how it was received by those watching from home. Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, analyzes how President Trump spent his week.
Also, progressives are using a method called “deep canvassing” to engage with voters ahead of November’s general election. These are longer conversations that take place over the phone or in-person with the goal of changing someone’s beliefs by using personal stories and empathy to create a lasting connection. In the early 2000s, Steve Deline and Ella Barrett got involved with deep canvassing to understand why people had voted against same-sex marriage in California. They now run the New Conversation Initiative, a group that works with People's Action to teach deep canvassing to progressives.
This conversation is part of our continued look at the limits of campaigning during the pandemic and how activists and candidates are trying to connect with voters in spite of restrictions.
Fri, 21 Aug 2020 - 289 - Processing a New Kind of Election Night
The surge in absentee ballots because of the coronavirus could mean the outcome of the presidential race remains undetermined for weeks after the first Tuesday in November. Recently, The New York Times published a piece about what the media may not understand about covering election night 2020.
The way election night coverage has unfolded in the past makes this new reality particularly tough to understand. But just because the exit poll data and electoral college tally that we are used to seeing populate our screens may not all be there by the time we go to bed does not mean there's something sinister going on.
Caitlin Conant, Political Director of CBS News and Rick Klein, the Political Director of ABC News describe how they're preparing both their newsrooms and the American people for election night.
This week, Joe Biden announced that Kamala Harris would join him on the Democratic presidential ballot as his vice president. Black women have been among the most loyal supporters of the Democratic Party, even though they're underrepresented in positions of power within the party. The Biden-Harris ticket is historic, especially as notable women in media and politics announced that they would be paying special attention to the way the media covers them. Valerie Jarrett, Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama reacts to the news.
On this show, we've been following how elections and campaigns have changed because of the pandemic. Among the most notable differences is the way campaigns interact with voters since large gatherings have been discouraged. Americans for Prosperity Action, a conservative organization linked to the Koch network, is knocking on doors in swing states in support of Republicans running in senate and congressional races. Tim Phillips, President of Americans for Prosperity, shares what he's learning from voters at the doors.
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 - 288 - Black Women Are Center Stage in 2020
This week, Cori Bush defeated longtime Democratic Congressman Lacy Clay, in the primary for Missouri’s First Congressional District. A safe Democratic seat, Bush is all but guaranteed to win in November when she will become the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri.
Bush is one of more 100 Black women running for Congress this cycle, a record-breaking number, according to an analysis by the Center for American Women and Politics.
Women of color have also become the focal point of discussions around who Joe Biden will choose as a running mate. With this attention and scrutiny has come criticism and attacks, many from within the Democratic Party itself, which fall along familiar lines of racism and sexism.
Guests:
Kimberly Peeler-Allen, a visiting practitioner at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
Aimee Allison, is the founder and president of She the People.
Mon, 10 Aug 2020 - 287 - In Pursuit of a Coronavirus Vaccine
While many countries have curbed their total number of coronavirus cases, the U.S. has recorded more than four and a half million, and more than 160,000 deaths. Inadequate national leadership has caused one of the easiest and simplest solutions to curb the spread of the disease, mask-wearing, to become the latest front in the culture wars
The White House has spread not only conflicting messages about the severity of the virus but also conspiracy theories about the science and the solutions to stopping the pandemic.
With no certainty to the end of the pandemic, many are relying on a vaccine as the only way back to the way things were but even a vaccine comes with its own set of issues. Finding a way to distribute hundreds of millions of doses of a vaccine in addition to convincing Americans that it is safe and effective could be an uphill battle. Communicating transparently is especially important with communities of color who have been disproportionately hurt by the coronavirus.
Guests:
Umair Irfan, Staff Writer at Vox
Carolyn Johnson, Science Reporter at The Washington Post
Dr. Jesse Goodman, Professor at Georgetown University and the Former Chief Scientist at the Food and Drug Administration
Gary A. Puckrein, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Minority Quality Forum
Sun, 09 Aug 2020 - 34min - 286 - The Path to November
This week, President Trump renewed his commitment to questioning the integrity of our election system and the Senate left town on Thursday without reaching an agreement on a new stimulus bill, leaving millions of unemployed Americans in economic limbo. At the same time, the U.S. surpassed 150,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus as confirmed cases in many states continue to climb.
With less than 100 days until the general election, Jane Coaston, a senior politics reporter at Vox, and Tim Alberta, chief political correspondent for Politico, share how voters are processing this moment and their options for November.
Joni Ernst is a Republican Senator from Iowa whose seat was considered relatively safe until recently. Today, she’s fighting off a challenge from Democrat Theresa Greenfield, an Iowan who, like Ernst, has farm-girl roots. Ernst describes how campaigning has shifted as a result of COVID-19 and what she thinks of the president's response to the pandemic.
You can listen to Amy's interview with Theresa Greenfield here.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.
Check out our local leader series here.
Sat, 01 Aug 2020 - 285 - Diagnosing Georgia's Primary Problems
Perhaps, no state better embodies the polarization and partisanship with which we approach election administration than Georgia.
After a messy primary in June with long lines and shuttered polling locations, election officials in the state have been working to improve and restore faith in the process for what is certain to be a contentious election in November. And, in a little over a week, they’ll get another try. On August 11th, more than half of Georgia’s 159 counties will hold runoff elections giving voters and election staff another test run prior to the election.
Efforts to recruit and train more poll workers are underway and more early voting locations are open in Fulton County, the epicenter of Election Day problems. Situated in metro Atlanta, Fulton County is also the state’s most populous. 45 percent of the population there is African American. It is also heavily Democratic. Hillary Clinton carried the county with almost 70 percent of the vote and 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacy Abrams won it with 72 percent.
Guests:
Robb Pitts, Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Evan Malbrough, a 2020 graduate of Georgia State University and founder of The Georgia Youth Poll Worker Project
Stephen Fowler, a political reporter, Georgia Public Broadcasting
Fri, 31 Jul 2020 - 284 - An Unexpected Battle for the Senate
Conventional wisdom had most people thinking that any gains that Democrats made in the Senate would be nominal. But, unexpected events over the last six months have turned a long-shot into the very real possibility that Democrats take control of the Senate in November. Seats that were formerly considered safe for the GOP are now in play as a result of the Trump administration’s failure to handle the coronavirus crisis and provide a national plan for recovery while simultaneously stoking racial tensions at a moment of national reckoning.
In Iowa, a state that President Trump easily won in 2016, Democrat Theresa Greenfield is challenging Republican Senator Joni Ernst, where the latest polling has her up by a few points. Greenfield shared her motivation for getting in the race and what she thinks Iowans want to see in Washington.
You can listen to Amy's conversation with Senator Joni Ernst here.
Also, this week President Trump announced new guidelines for school reopenings. He said that public schools in coronavirus hotspots could delay reopening for a few weeks but ultimately that decision will fall to governors. As many schools across the country are expected to begin the academic year in the next month or so, school districts have been grappling with how to manage the reality of COVID-19 with the expectations for curriculum.
In Iowa, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds recently announced limitations on remote learning and mandated that at least 50% of the time students spend on learning core subjects must take place in person. Grant Gerlock, a reporter for Iowa Public Radio, shares how schools are dealing with balancing the governor's latest requirements against the well-being of their students and staff.
Guests:
Theresa Greenfield, Democratic Candidate for Senate in Iowa
Grant Gerlock, Reporter for Iowa Public Radio
Sat, 25 Jul 2020 - 283 - Remembering John Lewis
Last Friday, the world learned of the death of Congressman John Lewis. A civil rights icon and hero, John Lewis was known as the "conscience of the Congress," where he served for more than 30 years. In the week following his death, we’ve seen countless tributes across social media and from his colleagues on the House floor. There is a growing movement for Alabama’s Edmund Pettus Bridge to be renamed in his honor and on Wednesday, The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was introduced in the Senate.
Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence of Michigan, Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina, and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood of Illinois share their remembrances and reflect on the legacy of John Lewis.
In the last year, the Congressional Black Caucus, one of the most powerful blocks in Congress, has lost three veteran members after the deaths of Elijah Cummings, John Conyers, and John Lewis. John Bresnahan, Congressional Bureau Chief at Politico, weighs in on this moment for the CBC as it sits at the forefront of the national effort to enact police reform.
Fri, 24 Jul 2020 - 282 - A Look at the Next Stimulus Package
It’s been four months since the U.S. economy shut down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, more than three million Americans have been infected by the virus and tens of millions have lost their jobs. In March, Congress passed a $2 trillion economic relief package tasked with getting money to individuals and businesses after coronavirus brought the global economy to a halt. The CARES act expanded unemployment benefits, provided direct stimulus payments, and assistance with federal student loans.
And while wishful thinking had many hoping that by now we’d have a better grip on the virus and the economic downturn, the reality is just the opposite. At the end of this month the additional $600 per week in unemployment benefits that many have come to depend on is set to expire. Congressional reporters Nick Fandos from The New York Times and Li Zhou from Vox share what we can expect as Congress prepares to return from their July recess.
Mon, 20 Jul 2020 - 281 - North Carolina, Up For Grabs
With its 15 electoral votes, North Carolina is one of a handful of states truly up for grabs come November. Since 2008, no presidential candidate has carried the state by more than three points. The most recent polls show Vice President Joe Biden ahead of President Donald Trump by about two points. And, only one Democrat running for president has been able to build a winning coalition in the state in the last 10 elections, and that was Barack Obama in 2008. Associate Professor, Jarvis Hall from North Carolina Central University explains North Carolina’s political geography.
North Carolina is significant for another reason, it is one of a handful of states with two other top offices on the ballot; Governor, Roy Cooper, a Democrat is up for reelection as is US Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican. The race for Senate is of national prominence, Republicans are fighting to hold onto the seat and Democrats are hoping a win here puts them on the path back to majority control. Cal Cunningham, the Democrat who is challenging Tillis tells us why he thinks he’s the right choice for North Carolinians. We’ve reached out to the Tillis Campaign for an interview but have yet to receive a response.
Of course, all of this is happening amid a global health crisis, putting increased scrutiny on the voting process in every state. Legislators and election officials in North Carolina have been working to ensure a safe and accessible election, Rusty Jacobs a political reporter at WUNC explains what changes have been made to both absentee and in-person voting ahead of the election.
Finally, recent polling has put President Trump behind Joe Biden in the general and re-energized Democrats about their chances for winning both the White House and Senate. Amy talks with Jessica Taylor, Senate and Governors Editor for The Cook Political Report about this year’s competitive Senate races and what the senate map might look like come November.
Some of the music on this pod by Gypsy George.
Fri, 17 Jul 2020 - 280 - How Cities Across the U.S. are Responding to Demands for Police Reform
Lately, President Donald Trump’s speeches and tweets have become more pointed and divisive as he attempts to appeal to members of his base. There are four crucial months until election day and the president is spending them emphasizing racial divisions and defending symbols of white supremacy. The move is at odds with a cultural moment of awareness about systemic racism and police brutality. Maya King, campaign 2020 reporting fellow at POLITICO, David Nakamura, White House reporter for The Washington Post, and Clare Malone, senior political writer at FiveThirtyEight share what they've observed in their reporting on the President's reelection bid.
The killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis sparked an uprising for racial justice and renewed demands for police reform. Across the U.S., calls to defund the police and reinvest the funds into schools and mental health services have grown louder as the mission of police departments is reconsidered. Daniel Nichanian, founding editor, The Appeal: Political Report, shares where these proposals are taking place and whether or not it’s just a liberal city phenomenon.
Plus, Cincinnati Council Member Chris Seelbach and founder of the Cincinnati Black United Front, Iris Roley reflect on the state of policing in their city and how effective their community-based model has been since it was enacted in the early 2000s.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.
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Fri, 10 Jul 2020 - 279 - What it's Like To Start A Career During The Coronavirus Pandemic
When the COVID-19 swept the U.S. in March, it was hard to fully understand how society would fundamentally change. Since then, more than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment. As states grapple with the uncertainty that comes with reopening their economies, Politics with Amy Walter returns to a conversation from April about what it's like to be entering the workforce at this time.
Hannes Schwandt, assistant professor at Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, shares how cohorts unlucky enough to join the workforce during a recession see a loss in lifetime earnings.
Amanda Mull, a staff writer at The Atlantic, describes how disasters like pandemics alter the worldview of those transitioning into adulthood and how the current economic downturn has the potential to do the same for Generation C.
Judah Lewis was finishing the second semester of his senior year at Howard University when COVID-19 caused the school to close and classes to move online. The path to his last semester was not an easy one and now he feels like the rug has been pulled out from underneath him. Lewis talks to us about how the pandemic has jeopardized his post-graduation prospects and provides an update on his career plan.
In May, activist and playwright Larry Kramer died at age 84. He'd devoted his life to advocating for the gay community during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Kramer was an outspoken critic of the government's response to the crisis and famously criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, who at the time was the face of the federal government's response, in the pages of the San Francisco Examiner.
Dr. Fauci reflects on his friendship with Larry Kramer and how their bond influenced the rest of his career in public health.
Fri, 03 Jul 2020 - 278 - What a Surge in Absentee Ballots Means for November 2020
The uncertainty caused by COVID-19 has resulted in a record number of people requesting to vote-by-mail. While increased access to mail ballots will stem the spread of the disease, waiting for ballots to arrive will delay the final result.
Kentucky and New York are among the states that hosted primaries this week. In both states, several candidates of color, many who ran on progressive platforms, had strong performances. While officials wait for absentee ballots to arrive so they can provide a final tally, the delayed outcome has raised questions about future elections. Amy Gardner, National Political Reporter at The Washington Post and Astead Herndon, National Political Reporter at The New York Times, share how Tuesday's elections bode for November.
The general election will likely come down to a handful of swing states. In Pennsylvania, where a primary was held on June 2, the process of counting votes lasted until days after. Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence weighs in on the looming pressure regarding the upcoming presidential contest.
Plus, Democratic Congressman Conor Lamb flipped his seat from red to blue in a special election in 2018. A pro-second amendment, pro-fracking moderate, Lamb was cautious to weigh in on President Trump in a district he'd won in 2016. Congressman Lamb describes how his campaign has shifted its messaging for 2020.
The ongoing protests against police brutality have prompted a national reexamination about the role of the police. In Philadelphia, Larry Krasner was elected as District Attorney in 2017. He ran as a reform candidate and promised to reduce the number of people in jail by overhauling the sentencing process and the bail system, in addition to holding officers accountable for misconduct. He weighs in on the culture of policing and police unions as we move towards a national tipping point.
As protesters continue to demand justice for George Floyd and accountability for police brutality, public symbols of white supremacy have become a target. Confederate statues have long held the ire of those who’ve said they elevate those who fought (and lost) to keep slavery alive. As the demands to remove public reverence to confederate generals become more widespread, historians are requesting that schools modify textbooks that romanticize what confederates were fighting for. James W. Loewen, historian, sociologist, and author of "Lies My Teacher Told Me," and Keisha N. Blain, Associate Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh, join Politics to discuss.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.
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Fri, 26 Jun 2020 - 277 - Politics with Amy Walter: A National Reckoning
In the weeks since George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis, we’ve been watching uprisings take place against police brutality. What many Americans have finally woken up to is what Black Americans have known for years: That it’s impossible to separate police brutality from the racism that is baked into the structure of every American institution. Institutions, like schools, healthcare, housing, and policing have failed to give Black Americans a level playing field.
Ninety-nine years ago, Tulsa, Oklahoma was the site of one of the deadliest and most destructive race massacres in U.S. history. On that day, violent white people took it upon themselves to murder Black Americans and loot their businesses. Black homes, churches, restaurants, drugstores, and doctors offices were razed. In the end, Black Wall Street, one of the most prosperous Black communities, was destroyed.
At a time when Americans are grappling with the role white supremacy played in shaping modern society, President Donald Trump chose to hold a rally in Tulsa during the weekend of Juneteenth. We take look at how the holiday resonates differently this year.
Guests:
Karlos K. Hill, Chair of the African and African American studies department at the University of Oklahoma
RJ Young, Host of the RJ Young Show. Excerpts from his audio diary were provided to us by KOSU. RJ's story is part of the America Amplified initiative.
How Progressive District Attorneys Are Approaching Criminal Justice Reform
It’s been almost a month since George Floyd was brutally killed by police officers in Minneapolis. Protester's demands for police accountability have not waned, forcing officials to address the role of racism in policing and policy. As calls to defund the police grow louder, mayors, police chiefs, and local law enforcement step into the spotlight. At the same time, officials that attempt to reprimand officers for misconduct must face the wrath of powerful police unions. We speak with Kimberly Gardner, the Chief Prosecutor for the City of St. Louis, who was elected on the promise of reform on what it's like to go toe-to-toe with the police.
Guest:
Kimberly Gardner, Chief Prosecutor for the city of St. Louis
How the Economy Fails Black Americans
Not only has the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately hurt Black Americans who've been infected at a higher rate, but the economic uncertainty it's created has set them back in terms of employment. Black Americans are concentrated in parts of the economy that have been designated as essential, like grocery store workers and transit operators. Still, Black unemployment almost tripled from February to May to almost 17 percent.
Today, Black households have one-tenth of the wealth compared to white families and are much less likely to own their homes. Historically, recovering from recessions is tougher for Black people. We sit down for a conversation about the unemployment rate for Black Americans and what an economic recovery might look like.
Guest:
Amara Omeokwe, Economics Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
Fri, 19 Jun 2020 - 276 - The Politics of "Defund the Police"
Georgia’s Primary, George Floyd’s Funeral, and Congress’ Approach to Police Reform
As the coronavirus pandemic has created uncertainty for the upcoming general election, many Americans are reconsidering how they’ll cast their ballots. This week, many primary voters in Georgia were greeted by long lines and malfunctioning voting machines. The chaos surrounding Georgia’s recent election has raised questions about whether or not the same issues will reoccur in November.
Also, George Floyd was laid to rest in Houston following weeks in which thousands of Americans took to the streets to decry police brutality in his name. Meanwhile, Congress is reckoning with how to respond to the protests and calls for police accountability. Two national reporters join Politics with Amy Walter to discuss the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, how Republicans are responding to calls for police accountability, and Georgia’s flawed elections.
Guest Host:
Matt Katz, WNYC
Guests:
Nick Fandos, Congressional Correspondent for The New York Times
Laura Barron-Lopez, National Political Reporter at POLITICO
Congressman James Clyburn on his Time in the Civil Rights Movement and Addressing Systemic Racism
This week, Democrats introduced the Justice in Policing Act on Capitol Hill. If passed, the bill would prohibit chokeholds, ban some no-knock warrants, tracking police misconduct at the national level, and make it easier to pursue legal and civil action against the police. The momentum for the bill stems from the uprisings against police brutality after George Floyd was brutally killed by police officers in Minneapolis. Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina reflects on his time in the civil rights movement and what he hopes to accomplish through the Justice in Policing Act.
Guest:
James Clyburn, Congressman from South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District and Majority Whip
How “Defund the Police” has Become More Palatable to the Mainstream
The killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis has shifted the way Americans see policing. Recent polling from The Washington Post found that 69 percent of Americans found “the killing of Floyd represents a broader problem within law enforcement.” While many high-ranking members of the Democratic Party don’t support calls to defund the police entirely, the notion of some form of defunding is picking up traction. A conversation about the politics of defunding the police.
Guests:
Alex Vitale, Author of "End of Policing" and Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of The Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College
Andrea Ritchie, Researcher at the Interrupting Criminalization Initiative and author of "Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color"
How Minneapolis Plans to Dismantle Their Police Department
Minneapolis has been in the national spotlight since George Floyd was killed by police on video. Although the events there sparked protests across the nation, the city is also a catalyst for change. One progressive city leader, Steve Fletcher, has been working on police reform since he took office in 2018. He was among nine members of the Minneapolis city council that recently announced their commitment to dismantling the city’s police department.
Guest:
Steve Fletcher, Minneapolis City Council, Ward 3
Fri, 12 Jun 2020 - 275 - The Tipping Point for the End of Systemic Racism in Policing
How a Legacy of Racist Policies and Police Brutality Contributed to the Mass Disenfranchisement of Black People
The death of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis has ignited protests and conversations surrounding the mistreatment of Black Americans at the hands of the state against the backdrop of a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting Black people. Americans in every state have taken to the streets to protest police brutality and chant "Black Lives Matter." A look at the history of Black disenfranchisement, failures in leadership and policy, and the role ongoing protests will play in the general election.
Guests:
Adam Serwer, Staff Writer at The Atlantic covering politics
Elizabeth Hinton, incoming Professor of History, law and African-American studies at Yale and the author of “From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America”
Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of "White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide"
Mayors, Past and Present
Since George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis, demonstrations against police brutality have taken place across the United States. For mayors, listening to the protester's grievances and balancing them against the responsibility of engaging with police chiefs is a challenging task.
A conversation with Michael Tubbs, the first Black Mayor of Stockton, California, about addressing police brutality at the local level and what he hopes will come from the protests.
Plus, a conversation with former San Antonio Mayor, Julián Castro. As a candidate for the Democratic nomination, Castro spoke often about the pattern of police brutality and how bias in the criminal justice system disproportionately impacts Black Americans. He reflects on his time as mayor, ending police brutality, and the future of the movement.
Guests:
Michael Tubbs, Mayor of Stockton, California
Julián Castro, former Mayor of San Antonio and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
How Demonstrations Across the U.S. have changed the Vice Presidential Selection Process
A national conversation about race and the lack of police accountability has shifted the trajectory of the VP selection process for the Biden campaign. With the disparities in health care that coronavirus has underscored and the brutal killing of George Floyd, the selection process faces heightened scrutiny.
Guests:
David Siders, National Political Correspondent at Politico
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 - 274 - The Future of the Democratic Party
The Future of the Democratic Primary
At the beginning of the Democratic nominating contests, the party faced a number of challenges. The field being crowded with candidates with such varied politics demonstrated that there were different visions for the future of the party. And today, while Joe Biden is the presumed nominee, there is concern that he won't drive excitement and turnout in the way a candidate like Senator Bernie Sanders might've been able to.
The Democratic Party's foremost goal is to remove President Donald Trump from office, but they'll need to respond sufficiently to questions surrounding racial and economic inequality in addition to the fault lines exposed by the coronavirus pandemic. A roundtable discussion about the future of the Democratic Party and the role progressive candidates will play within the larger institution.
Also, a conversation about the killing of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis and how Trump's response demonstrates his need to exploit division.
Guests:
Joel Payne, former aide to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign and host of "Here Comes the Payne"
Maya King, Campaign 2020 Reporting Fellow at Politico
Dave Weigel, National Political Reporter at The Washington Post
Jamaal Bowman, Democratic Primary Candidate for New York’s 16th Congressional District
The Legacy of Larry Kramer with Dr. Anthony S. Fauci
This week, activist and playwright Larry Kramer died at age 84. He devoted his life to advocating for the gay community during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Kramer was an outspoken critic of the government's response to the crisis and famously criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, who at the time was the face of the federal government's response, in the pages of the San Francisco Examiner.
Dr. Fauci reflects on his friendship with Larry Kramer and how their bond influenced the rest of his career in public health.
Guest:
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Fri, 29 May 2020 - 273 - How Social Psychology Influences Political Behavior
How Political Identities Have Become About What We Hate Instead of What We Love
Individual reactions to the coronavirus pandemic and the public health restrictions that have accompanied it have underscored how powerful negative partisanship can be in the formation of political opinions. In past crises, national shocks have urged partisans to put aside their personal grievances in pursuit of the greater good, but today, that doesn't seem to be the case.
A look at how the perception of risk influences our political behavior and the impact it has on public opinion.
Guests:
- Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School
- Lynn Vavreck, Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics and Public Policy at UCLA and contributor to The Upshot at The New York Times
Georgia's Reopening
Last month, Georgia became one of the first states to begin easing restrictions associated with COVID-19. The decision was criticized by health officials as moving too quickly and risking a potential surge in cases.
Across the state, citizens, business owners, and mayors hold mixed feelings regarding how Governor Brian Kemp has approached the public health crisis. While many governors across the U.S. have seen a bump in approval for their handling of the crisis, just 39% approved of Governor Kemp's handling of the pandemic.
A look at how Georgia residents and business owners are navigating the reopening and what they need to see before they decide to participate.
Guests:
- Andra Gillespie, Associate Professor of Political Science at Emory University and Director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute
- David Bradley, President and CEO of the Athens Chamber of Commerce
Back to School
Parents can't go back to work if they're also responsible for co-teaching and childcare throughout the day. Any return to normalcy for families across the U.S. will be impossible without schools reopening. And while online learning has become the norm, it's exacerbated inequality as having a computer and reliable internet access have become precursors to learning from home.
A look at how schools in Colorado are approaching what a return might look like and the steps that would be necessary to get students back in the classroom.
Guest:
Katy Anthes, Commissioner of Education for the State of Colorado
Fri, 22 May 2020 - 272 - How California is Preparing for the General Election During the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a serious toll on not only our health, but on the economic well-being of cities and states across the country. As leaders grapple with how best protect the health of their constituents in addition to mitigating the economic fall out caused by stay-at-home orders, preparation for future elections is in front of mind. Recently, California became the first state to modify its plans for the general election after Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that said the state's 20 million-plus registered voters would receive ballots in the mail. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla explains the logistics behind getting ballots to voters and what precautions will be taken for those who need to vote in person. John Myers, the Sacramento Bureau Chief of the Los Angeles Times, shares why it's so easy to vote absentee in the state. David Wasserman, House editor for The Cook Political Report, dissects what a primarily vote-by-mail election looks like and uses the special election in the state's 25th District as a case study.
In April, Wisconsin held its primary and local elections in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Many voters who did not receive their absentee ballots in time had to choose between risking their health to vote in person or not voting at all. This week, the state's Supreme Court struck down the stay-at-home order signed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers in March. Amy shares her thoughts on the partial reopening.
Heather Long, economics correspondent at The Washington Post, and Betsey Stevenson, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Michigan, explain what the economic downturn means for small businesses and the American middle-class long term.
Fri, 15 May 2020 - 271 - A Look at Phase One of North Carolina's Plan to Reopen
The White House has deferred to states about reopening their economies. This week, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that his state would move to phase one of their plan to reopen. Phase one will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, May, 8th. While the stay-at-home order will still be in effect, there will no longer be a distinction between essential and non-essential businesses.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, shares what metrics the state used to determine that it's the right time to begin phase one.
Phase one of North Carolina’s reopening includes a relaxation of restrictions on social gatherings, including worship services. Services with more than 10 people can take place as long they are outside and social distancing is respected. Spence Shelton, lead pastor at Mercy Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares what it's like to lead group worship remotely and how he's navigating phase one.
Dr. Lucian Conway is a professor of Social Psychology at the University of Montana studying what shapes human thoughts and communications at the Political Cognition Lab. He shares what's driving the gap between what liberals and conservatives think about how seriously to take the threat of COVID-19 and how the government should respond to it.
Small business owners have been saddled with the enormous responsibility of managing their businesses during the pandemic. They've seen a sharp decline in sales with no end to the public health crisis in sight. This week, we hear from two small business owners trying to navigate the new normal. Lenore Estrada is the owner of Three Babes Bakeshop in San Francisco and Abigail Opiah is the cofounder of Yeluchi by Unruly, a mobile hairstyling service.
This week, the Justice Department announced that they were dropping the criminal case against Michael Flynn, President Trump’s first national security adviser. Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI twice regarding conversations he’d had with a Russian diplomat in 2016. Katie Benner, who covers the Justice Department for The New York Times, shares how the decision came about and whether or not it undermines the credibility of the Russia investigation.
Fri, 08 May 2020 - 270 - The Return of Big Government
The Great Depression, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis dealt serious shocks to the nation and resulted in the expansion of government.
When a crisis happens, leaders in Washington try to mitigate financial ruin and to boost morale which often results in the creation of programs that have a lasting impact. The creation of Homeland Security, unemployment benefits, and new regulations on banks have stemmed from national disasters. The coronavirus pandemic is no exception as more than 30 million Americans have applied for unemployment insurance over the last six weeks.
This week, Politics with Amy Walter examines how the government response to the coronavirus pandemic compares to dilemmas of the past. Tony Fratto, deputy assistant to President George W. Bush and Jason Furman, top economic adviser to President Barack Obama share what it was like to lead the country through an unprecedented shock. Jerry Seib, the executive Washington editor of The Wall Street Journal, explains why there’s more widespread support for government intervention today versus during the 2008 financial crisis.
Erica Werner, a congressional reporter for The Washington Post, describes how members of Congress have been working together on multiple COVID-19 recovery packages and how likely it is that the partnership lasts. Annie Linskey, a national political reporter at The Washington Post, shares how Joe Biden’s campaign is adjusting to the realities of campaigning from home as a result of the pandemic.
Finally, Mayor Quentin Hart of Waterloo, Iowa shares how his constituents are dealing with the coronavirus outbreak and how a local outbreak is tied to the city's Tyson Foods plant.
Fri, 01 May 2020 - 269 - Social Distancing on the Campaign Trail
Rallies, conventions, and press conferences were once the primary method for campaigns to connect with voters. The coronavirus pandemic has forced politicians and strategists to rethink how they approach campaigning. Stephanie Cutter, deputy campaign manager for President Barack Obama in 2012, and Matt Rhoades, campaign manager for Mitt Romney in 2012, share how campaigns will need to rely heavily on digital efforts.
Recent graduates seeking to get involved in field campaigns have also had to shift expectations. Sam Aleman, a digital organizer for the Democratic National Committee, and Kiran Menon, a senior at the University of Virginia studying politics, discuss what it's like to pursue campaign jobs during the pandemic.
States have scrambled to adjust long-planned elections because of the public health risk posed by COVID-19. Earlier this month, the governor of Wisconsin attempted to postpone in-person voting but was ultimately unsuccessful. So on April 7, Wisconsin voters stood six feet apart in long lines to cast their ballots while respecting social distancing. Since then, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation found systemic problems with the state's absentee ballot request process. Reporter Daphne Chen described the electoral shortfalls.
Also, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose describes how he's navigating the changes of the state's upcoming all vote by mail primary.
As part of our series on governing during a pandemic, we spoke to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. He shared how his constituents are holding up and how he's advising the governor on reopening the state.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.
Fri, 24 Apr 2020 - 268 - How Coronavirus Will Hurt those Attempting to Enter the Workforce
It's hard to know how the coronavirus pandemic will permanently alter the fabric of society. So far, 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment over the last month of social distancing. This week, Politics with Amy Walter looks at the impact the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 will have on a generation that was just starting to find their footing.
Hannes Schwandt, Assistant Professor at Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, shares how cohorts unlucky enough to join the workforce during a recession see a loss in lifetime earnings in addition to other less desirable life outcomes.
Amanda Mull, a staff writer at The Atlantic, describes how disasters like pandemics alter the worldview of those transitioning into adulthood. The economic fallout from the Great Recession made it difficult for millennials to start stable careers causing them to protest the institutions and policies that contributed to their struggle. The current economic downturn has the potential to do the same for Generation C.
Judah Lewis was finishing the second semester of his senior year at Howard University when COVID-19 caused the school to close and classes to move online. The path to his last semester was not an easy one and now he feels like the rug has been pulled out from underneath him. Lewis talks to us about how the pandemic has jeopardized his post-graduation prospects and his job with Teach for America.
Heather Long, an economics reporter at The Washington Post, shares an update on who is left out when it comes to the $1,200 government stimulus checks meant to soften the blow from the economic downturn.
As part of our continuing look at how mayors across the country are tackling this pandemic, Mayor Linda Gorton of Lexington, Kentucky describes the measures she's taken to fight COVID-19.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here. Check out our local leader series here.
Fri, 17 Apr 2020 - 267 - React or Prepare? How to Handle a Crisis
The scale of the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented but history is often a helpful guide. KathleenSebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Obama administration, and Andy Card, Secretary of the Department of Transportation for President George H.W. Bush and White House Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush, describe what it's like to govern during a crisis. Plus, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense Dr. Asha George chronicle the political challenges to preparedness.
A handful of rural states are without statewide stay-at-home orders and Arkansas is one of them. Marco McClendon is the Mayor of West Memphis, Arkansas, a town located just across the Mississippi River from downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Mayor McClendon shares the measures he's implementing in his town to contain COVID-19.
This week, Senator Bernie Sanders ended his bid for the Democratic nomination. Ruby Cramer has been covering the Sanders campaign for BuzzFeed News. She shares what his legacy might look like and which factors contributed to his shift from frontrunner to dropout.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here. Check out our local leader series here.
Fri, 10 Apr 2020 - 266 - A Primary Election During a Pandemic
The Latest:
BREAKING: Wisconsin's Democratic Gov. Tony Evers issues order delaying Tuesday’s presidential primary election until June because of the coronavirus pandemic; court challenge expected. https://t.co/9l3Ui0tZZ4
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 6, 2020NOTE: This is an evolving story, our Politics host Amy Walter be keeping up with it and tweeting her analysis throughout the weekend. You can find Amy at @amyewalter or click her Twitter thread below for all of the latest:
Just now: WI Gov. Evers (D) calls for special session to turn the 4/7 primary into all vote-by-mail. According to MKE Journal’s @MollyBeck , GOP legislature has rejected it & “WI polls will be open on Tues. & people will be voting in person.” 1/
— amy walter (@amyewalter) April 3, 2020On Tuesday, April 7th, Wisconsin will hold its primary election in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. While 15 states have postponed their primaries, officials in Wisconsin have decided to move forward with the race rather than leave local elected positions in limbo.
Patrick Marley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, State Representative Tyler August, and Congresswoman Gwen Moore join Politics with Amy Walter to discuss the decision to host an election during the coronavirus pandemic.
Also, Austin Mayor Steve Adler shares what it's like to govern during a pandemic in a blue city within a red state.
Finally, Chryl Laird, Assistant Professor of Government at Bowdoin College and author of "Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior," shares why Black Americans are such a loyal voting bloc for Democrats.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here. Check out our local leader series here.
Fri, 03 Apr 2020 - 265 - How COVID-19 has Changed Small Business
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on every aspect of life. Hospitals and healthcare workers are overwhelmed as the number of those infected grows every day. The global economy has been upended and entire industries have come to a halt leaving millions without jobs.
As Americans wait for a coordinated federal response, small business owners are running out of resources to keep their livelihoods afloat and their employees on the payroll. Lenore Estrada is the founder of Three Babes Bakeshop in San Francisco and the Executive Director of SF New Deal. She's had to lay off most of her employees and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in business. She joined Politics to share how things have changed since the start of the economic downturn.
Congressman Colin Allred of Texas weighs in on the $2 trillion stimulus package out of Washington this week. Among many things, the stimulus package is supposed to provide relief for small businesses struggling to adapt to the loss in traffic.
The Washington Post's Paul Kane covered the 2008 financial crisis in addition to the ongoing one. He joins Amy Walter to analyze the details of the stimulus package and how Democrats are working to ensure there are checks on assistance for large corporations.
First responders are putting their lives on the line throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. James Augustine is the Medical Director of South Fulton, Georgia. He describes how first responders are adjusting to the realities of the pandemic.
Finally, Anita Dunn, senior adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden, shares how campaigning has changed as a result of the pandemic.
Fri, 27 Mar 2020 - 264 - Politics with Amy Walter: Governing, the Economy, and Coronavirus
This week, a look at the way coronavirus is reshaping our worldview.
Louisiana was the first state to postpone their primary contest as a result of the ongoing public health pandemic. Several states have since followed its lead. Louisiana's Secretary of State R. Kyle Ardoin joins Politics to explain the reasoning behind the decision to move their primary.
The global economy has slowed considerably as communities attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus. Economist and Howard University professor Andria Smythe describes the tools that policymakers are using to soften the economic blow.
Wendy Parmet, professor of law and the director of Northeastern University's Center for Health Policy and Law in Boston, discusses the power that state and local governments have to deal with a public health crisis.
During times of crisis, people look to the President. A strong show of leadership has the power to calm nerves and reassure audiences that everything will be okay. Professor Barbara Perry is the Presidential Studies Director at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. Professor Perry weighs in on what the role of the president has been historically and what lessons can be applied to the ongoing pandemic.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here.
Fri, 20 Mar 2020 - 263 - The Politics of Coronavirus
Coronavirus has caused the cancellation of major sporting events, religious services, and other mass gatherings. It's even forced presidential contenders to rethink the way they campaign as people begin self-isolating. This week, Politics with Amy Walter takes a look at how the pandemic is reverberating across politics.
Michigan will have an outsized role come November. This is why Biden's performance in the swing state mattered a great deal during Tuesday's primary where he won every county in the state. Maya King of Politico, Ruby Cramer of BuzzFeed News, and Democratic strategist Joel Payne join us to discuss the primary results and what it means for the future of Bernie Sanders' campaign.
Mayor Michael Taylor of Sterling Heights in Macomb County Michigan has voted for Republicans his whole life, but that changed ahead of his state's primary. Although Macomb County supported President Obama twice, it flipped for Trump in 2016. The county has traditionally been a bellwether in elections: whoever wins this blue-collar county wins the state. Mayor Taylor shares why he can no longer support Trump.
In the midst of election season, Jessica Huseman of ProPublica's Electionland project analyzes what about the election process has changed since 2016 and how that will affect turnout.
Plus, Reid Wilson, national correspondent at The Hill and author of "Epidemic: Ebola and the Global Scramble to Prevent the Next Killer Outbreak," joins Politics to discuss the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus outbreak here.
Fri, 13 Mar 2020 - 262 - Super Tuesday and Beyond
Joe Biden, the one-time frontrunner turned underdog is now the frontrunner again. While Bernie Sanders, the one-time underdog turned frontrunner, is once again in the fight for his political survival.
We hear from various constituencies across the Democratic spectrum about how they're feeling now that the race has narrowed. Our voices include Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, Domingo Garcia, national president of LULAC, Lanae Erickson, senior vice president at Third Way, and Aracely Jimenez, deputy communications director of Sunrise Movement.
While the attention has been on the fight happening on the Democratic side, President Trump certainly hasn't been sitting on the sidelines. Politico's Alex Isenstadt discusses Trump's reelection strategy. Also on the show, a look at the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus outbreak with Yasmeen Abutaleb, a health policy reporter at The Washington Post.
Plus, a conversation with Joshua Geltzer of Georgetown's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection about the lost words of the 14th Amendment and what they could mean for voting rights in this country.
Fri, 06 Mar 2020 - 261 - EXTRA: Biden Wins South Carolina
For the last few weeks, Joe Biden has been counting on South Carolina to save his campaign. And, last night, Palmetto state voters did just that.
Biden took almost 50 percent of the vote in the state, besting 2nd place finisher Bernie Sanders by almost 30 points. His win was built on the strength of support among African American voters, he took almost two-thirds of the black vote. But can Biden’s momentum from South Carolina translate into wins in the 14 states that hold elections on Tuesday?
Amy Walter talks with Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist, Dave Weigel, national reporter covering politics for The Washington Post, and Jamie Lovegrove, political reporter at The Post and Courier.
Sun, 01 Mar 2020 - 260 - The Final Early State
On Saturday, primary voters in South Carolina will decide which nominee has earned their votes. While Vice President Joe Biden is polling ahead of his rivals in the state, his lackluster performance in Iowa and New Hampshire has called into question his electability. Just a few days later, national attention will shift toward the 14 states casting ballots on Super Tuesday. Darren Sands of BuzzFeed News, Clare Malone of FiveThirtyEight, and Meg Kinnard of AP join Politics to discuss.
Voters in Texas will choose their candidate on Super Tuesday. Abby Livingston of The Texas Tribune weighs in on how some Democrats are feeling about the likelihood of Bernie Sanders as the nominee.
Plus, Ellen Nakashima of The Washington Post provides analysis regarding reports of Russian interference in the 2020 election process. Finally, a look at the impact of coronavirus on global markets with Reuters' Heather Timmons.
Fri, 28 Feb 2020 - 259 - Nevada Goes for Bernie
The Nevada caucuses were held on Saturday. Senator Bernie Sanders easily claimed victory, proving he can build a broad coalition of voters.
Host Amy Walter discusses the results of the Silver State with Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist; Tara Golshan, 2020 reporter at HuffPost Politics; and Zach Montellaro, campaign reporter for Politico.
Sun, 23 Feb 2020 - 258 - Extra: Nevada Goes for Bernie
The Nevada caucuses were held on Saturday. Senator Bernie Sanders easily claimed victory, proving he can build a broad coalition of voters.
Host Amy Walter discusses the results of the Silver State with Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist; Tara Golshan, 2020 reporter at HuffPost Politics; and Zach Montellaro, campaign reporter for Politico.
Sun, 23 Feb 2020 - 15min - 257 - The Nevada Caucus and Beyond
Democratic strategist Joel Payne, Maya King from Politico, and Jon Ralston from The Nevada Independent join Politics with Amy Walter to discuss Saturday's caucus in Nevada and how candidates fared this week.
On Wednesday, Michael Bloomberg joined his rivals in Nevada for his first debate as a presidential candidate. The former mayor has positioned himself as a moderate businessman alternative to President Donald Trump. While he's spent millions on highly-produced advertisements, his debate performance has caused some to question whether the appeal from his ads translates into a candidate that could beat President Trump. Rosie Gray from BuzzFeed News shares some insights from the campaign trail.
On Super Tuesday, California's 415 Democratic delegates will be up for grabs. But as of writing, more than one million voters have already submitted their ballots. Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc. shares how campaigns are trying to sway voters ahead of March 3rd.
Also, a look at the role Latino voters will play in the Democratic primary and beyond. We hear from Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Mark Hugo Lopez from the Pew Research Center, and Dr. Stephen Nuño-Perez from Latino Decisions.
Fri, 21 Feb 2020 - 256 - Black Voters and the Democratic Primary
Andrew Prokop of Vox, Adam Harris of The Atlantic, and Philip Bump of The Washington Post join Politics with Amy Walter to discuss the results from New Hampshire, Senator Bernie Sander's perceived lead, and Attorney General William Barr's handling of sentencing recommendations for Roger J. Stone.
Also, The Democratic Party of Nevada is trying to avoid the tech issues that disrupted the final result of the Iowa caucuses. Rebecca Katz of New Deal Strategies and Megan Messerly of The Nevada Independent weigh in on the process and how candidates are making their case to voters in the final days before the caucuses.
Finally, Maya King of Politico and Errin Haines of The 19th* join Amy Walter to discuss how presidential hopefuls are modifying their messages to court black voters.
Fri, 14 Feb 2020 - 255 - Politics with Amy Walter: Behind the New Hampshire Primary
On Tuesday, voters in New Hampshire will cast their votes in the first primary contest of the 2020 election. Typically, the candidate who emerged as the winner in Iowa would slingshot to New Hampshire where the momentum picks up or gets checked, but a delay in the final tally has muddled the outlook. Priscilla Thompson, 2020 campaign embed with NBC and Josh Rogers, Politics Reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio join Politics with Amy Walter to discuss.
Executive Director of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Amy Kennedy, weighed in on how The Party plans on engaging the state's contingent of Democratic voters. Dante Scala, professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire explains the impact the Iowa caucuses have on voters on Tuesday.
David Weigel of The Washington Post weighs in on the State of the Union Address and the Senate's vote to acquit President Trump on two articles of impeachment.
Fri, 07 Feb 2020 - 254 - Caucus Time
In the second installment of Politics with Amy Walter from Iowa, we contextualize the caucuses set to take place on Monday.
Democratic Strategist Matt Paul fills us in on why many voters are undecided until the last minute and what it will take to convince them to get behind a candidate. Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Troy Price and Iowa Public Radio's politics reporter Clay Masters explain how the caucus process has changed since 2016. Iowa State University student Megan Johansen explains why she's supporting Pete Buttigieg.
Also, Peter Ambler, the executive director of Giffords explains how the national conversation surrounding gun control has shifted, even in the suburbs.
ICYMI: Check out the first installment from Iowa here.
Fri, 31 Jan 2020 - 253 - The View from Iowa
This week, Politics with Amy Walter took a trip to Iowa to get a sense of how voters are feeling ahead of the upcoming caucuses. We asked politicians, economists, pollsters, and caucusgoers about what issues are important to them and which candidate could deliver the White House to Democrats. The issues of foremost concern included race, healthcare, labor protections, hyper-polarization, climate change, and defeating President Trump.
J. Ann Selzer, whose poll is considered the “gold standard”, walks us through her latest data set and what to make of this incredibly close race.
From Waterloo, we heard from Mayor Quentin Hart, who has endorsed former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Pastor Frantz Whitfield, a supporter of Vice President Joe Biden, about the calculus behind their endorsements.
Dave Swenson, an economist at Iowa State University, explained the economy of the state which holds an outsized influence on the rest of the primary season.
Fri, 24 Jan 2020 - 252 - A Look at Pennsylvania and 2020's Battleground States
With caucus and primary season around the corner, it’s only a matter of time until candidates shift gears and begin expanding their campaigns in battleground states. Come November, voters in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin will play a critical role in determining what party will take the White House.
Although Pennsylvania handed President Obama victories in 2008 and 2012, voters decided to take a chance on President Trump in 2016, awarding him 20 electoral votes. This week, Politics with Amy Walter traveled to Pennsylvania to hear from politicians in the state about the lessons learned from 2016 and what’s at stake in 2020. Congressman Brendan Boyle, Congressman Dwight Evans, and Philadelphia Councilmember Kendra Brooks sat down with Amy Walter.
Plus, Jerome Dillard, the State Director for Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO), highlights the implications of failing to engage disenfranchised voters. Also, the New York Times’ Margot Sanger-Katz explains the Republican-led lawsuit that attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and what that means for the 20 million Americans that would lose coverage.
Finally, Steve Mistler, Chief Political Correspondent of Maine Public Radio, weighs in on Senator Susan Collins’ legacy and how it might change in light of the ongoing impeachment trial.
Fri, 17 Jan 2020 - 251 - How are Republicans and Democrats Approaching Campaigning on Facebook in 2020?
Tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google have redefined the way both Republicans and Democrats approach digital campaign outreach and fundraising. However, calls to regulate social media platforms grew louder after evidence surfaced that nefarious actors attempted to use social media to influence the last US presidential election.
While Twitter recently announced that it would no longer run political advertisements, Facebook has moved in the opposite direction. Earlier this week, Facebook announced that it would continue to allow political advertisements on the platform, even ads containing false information.
Patrick Ruffini, co-founder of Echelon Insights and Tara McGowan, CEO and founder of Acronym, join Politics with Amy Walter to discuss what both parties have learned since 2016 about using social media platforms to target voters for fundraising.
Sat, 11 Jan 2020 - 250 - Iran, Impeachment, and Iowa
Against the background of impeachment, heightened tensions with Iran, and the Iowa Caucuses, Astead Herndon of The New York Times and Clare Malone of FiveThirtyEight join Politics with Amy Walter to provide an update on the state of the Democratic Primary.
Plus, Thanassis Cambanis of the Century Foundation analyzes the future of the US-Iran relationship in light of the assassination of Major General Qassim Soleimani and Andrew Clevenger of CQ Roll Call provides context about the War Powers Resolution.
Fri, 10 Jan 2020 - 249 - What's next for Trump and Saudi Arabia?
On Thursday, presidential candidates seeking the Democratic nomination gathered in Los Angeles for the sixth debate. Maya King of Politico and Kevin Robillard of HuffPost join Politics with Amy Walter with analysis of the state of the Democratic primary field.
Also, Toluse Olorunnipa of The Washington Post recaps President Trump's time in office as we head into 2020 and Jesse Paul of the Colorado Sun weighs in on how vulnerable Republicans in the Senate are thinking about 2020.
Plus, Nader Hashemi of the Center for Middle East Studies and Senator Chris Murphy provide context regarding the past and present of the United State's relationship with Saudi Arabia.
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Fri, 20 Dec 2019 - 248 - The Political Power of Women
This week, Nick Fandos joined Politics with Amy Walter to share the latest about the House's impeachment vote. But while the national media has been saturated with impeachment, Democratic candidates are focused on Iowa, where voters will cast their ballots in the new year. Tiffany Muller, President and Executive Director of End Citizens United and Michael McAdams, National Press Secretary of the National Republican Congressional Committee, weigh in on how the two parties vision impeachment playing out in 2020 and the messages they're relaying to their separate bases.
Also, The Washington Post's Heather Long discusses why it's rare to hear about the loss of administrative jobs that were primarily held by women. The president of the Voter Participation Center, Page Gardner, explains why presidential candidates should harness the voting power of unmarried women.
Fri, 13 Dec 2019 - 247 - The State of the Democratic Primary Field
The road to the White House is rarely a linear path. That was abundantly clear this week when Senator Kamala Harris announced that she was suspending her campaign. The announcement came as a surprise to many because at the time of launch, Senator Harris was one to watch. Political reporters Darren Sands, Laura Barron-Lopez, and Maya King join us to discuss the end of her campaign and what challenges the Democratic Party faces in putting forth the best candidate.
Also, Congressman Krishnamoorthi provides an update on the impeachment inquiry. Finally, Caitlin Zaloom and Alia Wong describe how college went from being accessible to burdensome and expensive.
Fri, 06 Dec 2019 - 246 - RERUN: The Politics of Climate Change
Scientists have painted a bleak picture of the future if we fail to curb greenhouse gas emissions, but we’ve already started to witness the fallout of a warming planet. Politics with Amy Walter looks at the role climate change is playing across politics and at the vulnerable communities that stand to lose the most.
Our coverage this week is part of a collaboration with 250 other media organizations called “Covering Climate Now.”
President Donald Trump was elected in 2016 fresh off of giving campaign speeches that promised to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement and bring back coal jobs. Just over two years later, we look at whether or not he's made good on those promises.
Guests:
Rachel Cleetus, Policy director with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists
Kendra Pierre-Louis, Climate reporter for The New York Times
Christine Todd Whitman, Former Governor of New Jersey and Former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Zahra Hirji, Climate reporter for BuzzFeed News
Rich Fitzgerald, County Executive (D) for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Leandra Mira, Pittsburgh climate activist
Comment from Shell:
"Shell received its Air Quality Permit in 2015 from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, with oversight from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. In line with its permitting requirements, Shell will meet the regulatory standards created to protect people and the environment."
Fri, 29 Nov 2019 - 245 - The Divided States of Government
Not that long ago, state government was seen as one of the last places for functional governing. But, over the last 10 years, state politics have become as polarized as Washington, DC.
At the same time, 2020 Democratic candidates for president are debating which approach they should take to governing. Some, like former Vice President Joe Biden, argue that voters want a return to a more pragmatic style of governing. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are less interested in bringing GOP legislators to the table than they are in bringing a grass-roots revolution to Washington.
Wisconsin State Senator Janet Bewley joins us to discuss what it's like to govern in the minority. Governing reporter Alan Greenblatt weighs in about how state legislatures have become increasingly entrenched in party politics.
Political analysts Joel Payne and Ty Mastdrof join us for analysis of the last debate. Plus, New York Times congressional reporter Nick Fandos fills us in on the latest surrounding the impeachment inquiry.
Fri, 22 Nov 2019 - 244 - The Impeachment Will Be Televised
This week marked a shift in the ongoing impeachment inquiry as the first round of televised testimony began on Wednesday. Marie Yovanovitch, the well-respected former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine until May of this year became the third televised testimony on Friday. Yovanovitch believes she was removed from her post by President Trump because as she sees it, she was impeding his - and Rudy Guiliani’s - personal political agenda.
While the televised inquiry didn't reveal much new information, it provided an opportunity for those watching from home to hear from long-time government civil servants involved in Ukrainian foreign policy. Amanda Terkel from HuffPost and Anita Kumar from Politico join Politics with Amy Walter to discuss the latest on impeachment. Pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson weighs in on public opinion surrounding the President and the inquiry.
Barbara Perry of the University of Virginia's Miller Center describes how social media and the 24-hour news cycle changes how Americans metabolize impeachment. Alan Frumin walks us through the rules that govern impeachment proceedings.
Fri, 15 Nov 2019 - 243 - What Did Democrats Get Wrong About Religious Voters in 2016?
A recent study from Pew Research found that white people who identify as Christians represent about two-thirds of all Republicans. Meanwhile, Americans unaffiliated with any religion, and racial minorities who identify as Christians, now each make up a bigger share of the Democratic coalition. This week, we take a look at how people of faith are balancing their religious beliefs with politics.
The Atlantic's Emma Green explains what Democrats misunderstood about religious voters in 2016. Reverend Joe Darby of Nichols Chapel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina talks to us about what he's hearing from his congregation in the early-primary state. Pastor Bart Barber of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas joins us to discuss Evangelical support for President Trump in 2016. Doug Pagitt, pastor and executive director of Vote Common Good, discusses his campaign to ask Evangelicals and Christians to consider Democratic candidates.
Finally, Congresswoman Elaine Luria of Virginia's second district joins us to discuss the ongoing impeachment inquiry and the implications of televised testimony.
Fri, 08 Nov 2019 - 242 - Prescription Drug Costs and 2020
The rocketing cost of prescription drug prices makes the burdensome healthcare landscape more difficult to navigate for the millions of Americans that rely on a prescription. One thing that voters, regardless of party, have agreed on is that the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. is way too high. Americans spend significantly more on prescription drugs when compared to any other country. But, why? Senator Amy Klobuchar joins Politics with Amy Walter to discuss her work in Washington on reducing the cost of prescription drugs.
Sarah Kliff of The New York Times and Yasmeen Abutaleb of The Washington Post join us to discuss why there's been such little movement on this subject, even though there's broad support for reform. Finally, Nick Fandos, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times, joins us to discuss the House's vote to authorize a resolution to establish the next phase of the impeachment inquiry.
Fri, 01 Nov 2019 - 47min - 241 - Are Democrats Breaking Up with Big Tech?
What began as a love affair is now a relationship on the rocks. This week on Politics with Amy Walter, a look at the relationship between Democrats and big tech giants like Amazon, Facebook, and Google.
When it comes to big tech, the conversation has shifted from if they should be regulated to how and by whom. For a long time, these tech giants grew quickly and quietly beyond what many of us could’ve imagined. As a result, incredible wealth and power started to concentrate in Silicon Valley, largely unchecked by Congress.
Tim Wu, the author of The Curse of Bigness and a professor at Columbia University, explains how big tech companies became embedded in the social and economic fabric of our country. Senator Mark Warner is one of a growing number of Democrats who are critical of how much power big tech has amassed, and he shares his ideas on how to rein them in on today's show. Representative Ro Khanna, the Democrat who represents Silicon Valley in Congress, walks us through the adversarial nature of the relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.
Plus, Cecilia Kang, a tech reporter at the New York Times, gives an update on the antitrust investigations going on. Finally, journalist and author Charles Duhigg explains the spectacular growth of Amazon, from its early days as an online retailer to the tech giant it is today.
Fri, 25 Oct 2019 - 240 - Will Impeachment Inspire more Republicans to Run for Office?
The midterm elections of 2018 served as a rude awakening for Republicans who watched their majority slip away in the House. Many Americans that had supported Donald Trump in 2016 decided to support moderate Democrats. In 2019, a record number of incumbent Republican retirements poses another challenge for the GOP.
Winning back the seats in districts that Trump carried in 2016 is a priority for Republicans and the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry might give them the support to do so.
On the latest episode of Politics with Amy Walter, Parker Poling from the National Republican Congressional Committee and Dave Wasserman from The Cook Political Report join us to discuss the role impeachment will play in drumming up Republican candidates in 2020. Plus, Jennifer Duffy, senior editor for The Cook Political Report, provides an update on upcoming Senate races.
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia of Texas tells us what she's hearing from her constituents about the impeachment inquiry. Elena Schneider, a national politics reporter for Politico, provides an update on Mayor Pete Buttigieg's debate performance and his ability to fundraise.
Finally, Politics with Amy Walter reflects on the legacy of Congressman Elijah Cummings.
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 - 239 - Digital Campaign Advertising and 2020
Even though Congress is technically on recess, it has been a busy week in the nation’s capital.
The week started with a letter from White House Counsel Patrick Cipollone to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, informing the House leader that the White House was not going to participate in an impeachment inquiry that it considered unconstitutional. Resistance to the impeachment inquiry escalated when the White House refused to let the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, testify to Congress.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, joined Politics with Amy Walter to discuss the latest on the impeachment inquiry and how the House will continue their investigation without a cooperating White House.
Also, Eugene Kiely and Erika Franklin Fowler discuss the implications of political digital advertising for 2020. Congresswoman Katherine Clark weighs in about the House Democratic Caucus and efforts to prioritize the issue of gun violence. Finally, Peter Beinart shares why the presidency might skip generation X.
Fri, 11 Oct 2019 - 238 - Quid Pro Quo My God
This week, new information about President Trump’s interactions with foreign governments have rattled Washington, D.C.
While the White House works on beating back the impeachment inquiry, members of Congress are home in their districts checking in with constituents. This task might prove difficult for those representing districts that have supported the president in the past, like Democratic Congresswoman Elaine Luria from Virginia.
Representative Luria joined Politics with Amy Walter to discuss why she decided to support the impeachment inquiry and the response she's received from constituents in a district that voted for Donald Trump in 2016.
DC-based reporters Yamiche Alcindor of PBS and MSNBC and Rachael Bade of The Washington Post contextualize the ongoing impeachment proceedings. Tim Alberta from Politico chronicles the transformation of the Republican Party and historian Timothy Naftali demonstrates the role of bipartisanship during past impeachments.
Amy's Final Take
This week, we also got our first polls taken since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House was starting a formal impeachment inquiry. Here’s what they show: Even as support for impeachment has grown, opinions about how the president is doing his job are virtually unchanged. In other words, as we’ve seen over the last 2 plus years, voters are pretty locked into how they feel about this president and there’s nothing that has been able to alter that.
This is different from what we saw back during the Nixon impeachment. Back then, as support for impeachment rose, Nixon’s approval rating dropped. While support for impeaching Trump is basically at the same point it was with Nixon in 1974, Trump’s job approval rating is 41 percent Nixon’s was just 25 percent. It is a testament to just how much more polarized the electorate is today than it was 45 years ago. And, a reminder that even as more and more information about Trump’s interactions with Ukraine are revealed — much of it is getting to Americans through partisan, biased filters like social media and cable news - making it harder and harder for any sort of ‘consensus’ to be found either among members of Congress - or the electorate.
And, we end up where we’ve been all along. A divided country, more deeply and firmly entrenched than ever. And, those who aren’t as politically engaged or aligned, struggling to make sense of it all.
Opening music: I Think Like Midnight
Fri, 04 Oct 2019 - 237 - In Pursuit of Impeachment
This week, President Donald Trump was accused of enlisting the President of Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Vice President Joe Biden. A whistleblower's complaint alleges that the White House tried to hide the transcript of the conversation between the two leaders.
For many, the allegations leveled against President Trump this week broke the dam. Several Democrats from purple districts who previously had not supported impeachment decided to back an impeachment inquiry announced by Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday. Shortly after, an unclassified version of the whistleblower's complaint was released and the acting Director of National Intelligence went before Congress.
Purple-district Democrat, Rep. Colin Allred of Texas, joined Politics with Amy Walter to discuss what changed his mind on the impeachment inquiry.
Guests:
Representative Colin Allred, Democrat, Texas-32
John Bresnahan, Congressional Bureau Chief for Politico
Margaret Taylor, Senior Editor and Counsel at Lawfare
Doug Heye, Republican Strategist and CNN Contributor
Joel Payne, Democratic Strategist and Former Aide to Harry Reid
Fri, 27 Sep 2019 - 236 - The Politics of Climate Change
Scientists have painted a bleak picture of the future if we fail to curb greenhouse gas emissions, but we’ve already started to witness the fallout of a warming planet. Politics with Amy Walter looks at the role climate change is playing across politics and at the vulnerable communities that stand to lose the most.
Our coverage this week is part of a collaboration with 250 other media organizations called “Covering Climate Now.”
President Donald Trump was elected in 2016 fresh off of giving campaign speeches that promised to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement and bring back coal jobs. Just over two years later, we look at whether or not he's made good on those promises.
Guests:
Rachel Cleetus, Policy director with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists
Kendra Pierre-Louis, Climate reporter for The New York Times
Christine Todd Whitman, Former Governor of New Jersey and Former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Zahra Hirji, Climate reporter for BuzzFeed News
Rich Fitzgerald, County Executive (D) for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Leandra Mira, Pittsburgh climate activist
Comment from Shell:
"Shell received its Air Quality Permit in 2015 from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, with oversight from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. In line with its permitting requirements, Shell will meet the regulatory standards created to protect people and the environment."
Fri, 20 Sep 2019 - 235 - Democratic Candidates Battle It Out in Houston
The third Democratic primary debate is behind us now--all three hours of it. On Thursday night, the top ten polling Democratic candidates met in Houston, Texas. And for the first time, frontrunners Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders shared a single stage. So, did anything from the latest debate reshape the battle for the nomination? That’s the question at the center of today's show.
We also look at how the caucus process works in Nevada and what we might expect in the first primary state, New Hampshire. Finally, a conversation about the Democrats and impeachment, in light of the House Judiciary Committee vote this week to move forward with an impeachment inquiry.
Guests:
Claire Malone, senior politics writer for FiveThirtyEight
Joel Payne, former aide to the Hillary Clinton Campaign
Issac Dovere, staff writer at The Atlantic
Shelby Wiltz, caucus director for the Nevada State Democratic Party
Rebecca Katz, founding partner of New Deal Strategies
Karen Hicks, founder and CEO of Civix Strategy Group
Kyle Cheney, Congress reporter for Politico
Fri, 13 Sep 2019 - 234 - What Have We Learned on the Campaign Trail?
Amy Walter's take:
There’s something of a consensus-building within the so-called mainstream political media that it’s only a matter of time before Biden’s Teflon shield is deflated. His debate performances have been shaky. He is not as quick on his feet as the other candidates. And, he’s spent most of the campaign on defense - either explaining past votes, or changing long-held positions on policy.
But, it also seems to me that many in the political class may be underestimating the staying power of a flawed - but popular and well-known - candidate. In 2016, for example, the assumption among the political elites - me included - was that once the summer ended, so would Trump’s hold on the lead in the GOP race. Voters would start to get serious about electability and stability and would reject this unorthodox candidate. Obviously, we know that didn’t happen.
This isn’t to say that Biden’s destined to win the nomination. But, just that his staying power may be more durable than we think. He’s built up a lot of goodwill over his many years in office that no one else can claim.
Guests:
Annie Linskey, National politics reporter for The Washington Post
Josh Jamerson, National politics reporter for The Wall Street Journal
Elaina Plott, White House correspondent for The Atlantic
Matt Paul, Democratic Strategist based in Des Moines
Sun, 08 Sep 2019 - 25min - 233 - Will Unions Deliver 2020 to the Democrats?
In the episode before Labor Day, we look at the rise and fall of the labor movement, particularly unions. By collectively bargaining for better work conditions, unions elevated the middle class. Over the years, we've watched their membership numbers decline. As a result of a few Supreme Court decisions, a loss in manufacturing jobs, and a lack of increased federal protections, unions saw their influence reduced.
As we edge closer to 2020, candidates hoping to win the Democratic nomination have made rebuilding the middle class the central tenant of their candidacies. What role will unions and organized labor play in 2020? Plus, we look at domestic workers and caregivers and how they've been left out of the conversation when it comes to labor protections.
Guests:Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers
Lee Saunders, President of AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Mary Kay Henry, President of Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO
Rusty McAllister, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Nevada ALF-CIO
Rick Bloomingdale, President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
Dave Jamieson, Labor Reporter at the Huffington Post
Ai-jen Poo, Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance
Fri, 30 Aug 2019 - 232 - Should We Be Worried About a recession?
The ongoing trade war with China, a weakened global economy, and a lack of investment by companies indicates that a recession might be looming. President Trump has spent his first term saying that the economy is in better shape than ever before, but is that really the case? Who stands to suffer most during another recession? Has the trade war with China fulfilled President Trump's objective for the economy?
Also, when it comes to understanding economic opportunity in Africa, the continent is still largely overlooked by the West. We look at the African Continental Free Trade Area and the opportunities it could unlock.
Finally, a conversation with the political heavy-hitter from New Hampshire that Democratic hopefuls are trying to woo.
This episode was guest hosted by Duarte Geraldino.
Guests:
Nancy Cook, White House Reporter, POLITICO
Andria Smythe, Assistant Professor of Economics at Howard University
David Luke, Coordinator of the African Trade Policy Centre at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Howard French, Journalism Professor at Columbia University and former New York Times foreign bureau chief in Africa and China
Carlos Cardona, Laconia Democratic Party Chair
Fri, 23 Aug 2019 - 231 - Texodus: Can Democrats Turn the Lone Star State Blue?
A number of Republicans in the House have announced their retirements... and turns out many are in suburban districts, where the GOP’s support has been dwindling. In June, we saw one of the more high-profile Republican retirements when Congresswoman Susan Brooks, who represents Indiana’s 5th congressional district, announced that she would not seek reelection.
In fact, 4 of the 11 retirements are Congressman in Texas. This on top of 5 Texas Republican retirements in 2018 and two districts where Democrats flipped the seat. Could this turn Texas -- a historically red state -- blue, or at least purple?
This week, we break down these Republican retirements.
Guests:
Brendan Buck is a partner at Seven Letter Communications and the former chief communications advisor and counselor to Speaker Paul Ryan.
Susan Brooks (R), represents Indiana’s 5th congressional district.
Pete Sessions (R), former Congressman from Texas.
Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Manny Garcia, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party.
Fri, 16 Aug 2019 - 45min - 230 - The Past and Present of Gun Control
Last weekend, there were two mass shootings in the span of 13 hours. In El Paso, 22 were killed in what federal authorities are considering a domestic terrorist attack. And in Dayton, nine people were killed when a gunman opened fire in the city’s Oregon district.
After horrific events like these, there's always questions like "Will lawmakers take action?" and "Will this time be different?" While there has been some small movement in the wake of the Parkland and Las Vegas mass shootings, the issue of gun control is largely at a standstill.
This week, we're revisiting the last time major gun control legislation was signed into law. Twenty-five years ago, Congress passed two major gun control bills, but the votes didn’t line up exactly as you’d expect. The Brady Bill, which was signed in 1993, didn’t go into effect until February 1994, and that was followed by the Assault Weapons Ban later that year.
Plus, we take a look at the complex world of absentee ballots. Last week, a new round of charges were filed against a political operative in North Carolina. He's being investigated for alleged voter fraud related to his handling of absentee ballots during the 2016 and 2018 elections. We also break down another voter fraud scandal in Brooks County, Georgia, from 2010.
Guests:
Hank Brown (R), former Senator from Colorado
Glen Browder (D), former Congressman from Alabama
German Lopez, senior correspondent at Vox
Professor Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Steve Harrison, political reporter for WFAE
Jon Ward, national political correspondent with Yahoo News
Andra Gillespie, associate professor of political science at Emory University
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 - 229 - Michigan, Michigan, Michigan: the Upcoming 2020 Elections in the Battleground State
This week, Politics with Amy Walter is coming to you from Detroit.
The city has gotten a lot of attention over the course of the week as it hosted the latest round of democratic debates. But why Detroit? Because — Michigan.
President Donald Trump won Michigan by just over 10,000 votes in 2016. But Democrats are hoping to put the state firmly back in their column. After a strong showing in the 2018 midterms, Democrats are feeling hopeful. Republicans say there's still a lot of support for President Trump — even in the counties, the Democrats were able to flip.
Guests:
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D), representing Michigan's 12th District
Lavora Barnes, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party
Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D), representing Michigan's 11th District
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive activist who ran against Whitmer in the primary
Congressman Paul Mitchell (R), representing Michigan's 10th District
Jamie Roe, a Michigan-based Republican strategist
Fri, 02 Aug 2019 - 228 - Mueller's Testimony Underscores a Crisis of Faith in Democracy
Much of the coverage of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's congressional testimony this week focused on optics, with pundits on both sides framing the hearings as either beneficial or damaging to a particular political narrative.
But where the hearings may have lacked in made-for-TV soundbites, Mueller's comments reiterated the fact that the United States remains under attack from a foreign adversary, one that seeks to undermine our faith in the foundational principles of democracy.
We hear from cybersecurity experts about how this problem goes far deeper than just election meddling, and what needs to be done to address the continuing threat.
Plus, we take a look at the growing amount of student debt owed in the US, which passed a staggering $1.5 trillion in 2018. With more and more students struggling to pay for a college education, what are political leaders, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, doing to address this crisis?
Guests:
Suzanne Spaulding, former Under Secretary for cyber and infrastructure protection at the US Department of Homeland Security.
Lisa Kaplan, founder of the Alethea Group.
M.H. Miller, editor at The New York Times, and author of a forthcoming book about his experience with student debt.
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, a reporter covering the economics of education for The Washington Post.
Fri, 26 Jul 2019 - 227 - There's a Generational Divide Upending U.S. Politics
After a bruising political week in which President Trump's feud with "The Squad" reached a fever pitch, Amy Walter reflects on how both Republicans and Democrats could be alienating crucial voters ahead of the 2020 elections.
Plus, we look at the yawning generation gap, as voters from different eras compete for political relevance.
With the U.S. electorate divided along generational lines, there are transformational demographic trends already having clear impacts on the way 2020 presidential candidates are trying to appeal to voters. But while the Baby Boomer bloc is increasingly eclipsed by the combined numbers of Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z, so far it's an open question whether or not the influence of younger voters will have the final say in determining the results of the Democratic primary, or the general election.
This week, we look at the different generations active in U.S. politics, and try to figure out the forces at play in deciding the country's future.
Guests:
Dave Weigel, national political reporter for The Washington Post
Paul Taylor, author of The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown
Clare Malone, senior political writer at FiveThirtyEight
Manuel Pastor, professor of sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California
Fri, 19 Jul 2019 - 226 - Democrats Divided
The ongoing migrant crisis is getting worse, as the Department of Homeland Security is running out of room to house the increasing number of migrants detained at the border. And when evidence of the conditions dominated the news cycle earlier this month, the outrage prompted lawmakers to get involved. But how that involvement played out became the latest point of contention between factions within the Democratic Party.
The Senate passed a spending bill aimed at alleviating what the Trump administration said was a lack of funding to properly house detained migrants. But the Democratic-controlled House, wary of writing a blank check without strict limits on how that money would be spent, sent a revised bill back to the Senate. But when that bill died with Mitch McConnell, the conservative-leaning "Problem Solvers" caucus of the House Democrats signaled that they were willing to pass the Senate's no-strings-attached bill, with or without the support of Speaker Pelosi.
When Pelosi ultimately sided with the Problem Solvers, it set off a backlash among the party's progressive wing, most notably Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar, known collectively as "The Squad." And the outrage breathed new life into a long-simmering division between The Squad and Party leadership.
This week, Amy examines how deep these divisions go, and whether or not party unity is possible heading into 2020.
Also, Representative Seth Moulton from Massachusetts, who's running for the Democratic presidential nomination, joins Amy for her Candidate Talk series. And Eric Liu discusses his new book, Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy.
Guests:
Ryan Grim, the DC bureau chief at The Intercept, and the author of We’ve Got People: From Jesse Jackson to AOC, the End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement
Seth Moulton, Represents Massachusetts's Sixth District in the House of Representatives, Democratic presidential candidate
Heidi Heitkamp, former Senator from North Dakota
Steve Kornacki, National Political Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, author of the book The Red and the Blue
Eric Liu, CEO of Citizen University and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship and American Identity Program, author of Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy
Sat, 13 Jul 2019 - 225 - Candidate Talk: Seth Moulton
Amy sits down with Representative Seth Moulton who announced in April that he is running for president. He's one of the few combat veterans seeking the Democratic nomination, having served as a Marine in Iraq over the course of four deployments.
Moulton has been a vocal critic of Democratic leadership, wanting to see a new generation take the helm.
Fri, 12 Jul 2019 - 224 - Unpacking the Democratic Debates from the Aspen Ideas Festival
At this year's Aspen Ideas Festival, Amy hosted back-to-back post-debate discussions with a panel of influential writers. We'll hear excerpts from the conversation, in an effort to provide analysis of the first Democratic debates of the 2020 presidential campaign.
We also talk with two academics to discuss how their policy work could be used in tandem with politics to bring about change in areas of technology and inequality.
Finally, Amy reflects on the LGBTQ movement, on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
Guests:
Kristen Soltis Anderson, co-founder of Echelon Insights and author of The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (and How Republicans Can Keep Up)
Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of National Review
Jonathan Capehart, opinion writer for The Washington Post and a member of its editorial board; he also hosts the “Cape Up” podcast
Raj Chetty, professor of economics at Harvard University, and the director of Opportunity Insights
Ramesh Srinivasan, professor and director of the Digital Cultures Lab at UCLA
Ilene Chaiken, co-creator of The L Word and executive producer of Empire
Fri, 28 Jun 2019 - 223 - Digital Ads and the Wild West of Political Campaigning
As U.S. voters increasingly spend more of their lives online, political campaigns and other outside groups are trying to figure out how best to meet them on these digital spaces.
But in the rush to perfect the effectiveness of digital ads, regulators have been slow to catch up. Will the lessons of 2016, and what can happen when nefarious actors hijack those platforms to spread disinformation, prove an effective warning for 2020 and beyond? And will Democrats be able to catch up to the Trump campaign's robust online operation?
Also, continuing with our "Candidate Talk" series, Amy talks with Senator Michael Bennet about trying to break out in a crowded Democratic field.
Guests:
Patrick Ruffini, Republican digital strategist, partner and co-founder of Echelon Insights, a polling and data analytics firm
Guy Cecil, Chairman of Priorities USA, a Democratic super PAC
Kevin Roose, tech columnist for Business Day at The New York Times
Young Mie Kim, professor at the school of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ellen Weintraub, Chair of the Federal Election Commission
Michael Bennet, United States Senator from Colorado, Democratic Presidential candidate
Sat, 22 Jun 2019 - 222 - Candidate Talk: Michael Bennet
Colorado Senator Michael Bennet rose to national prominence in part, due to the 35-day federal government shutdown in January. On the 34th day, the normally mild-mannered Democrat gave a fiery speech that went viral, and rumors about a Bennet 2020 bid began to circulate. Bennet officially announced his candidacy on May 2.
Amy Walter spoke with Senator Bennet to discuss his campaign, his 10-year Senate career, and his vision for the nation.
Fri, 21 Jun 2019 - 221 - Democratic Socialism is Having a Moment; Will Voters be Receptive to its Message?
Throughout most of the 20th century and beyond, the term "socialism" has carried a lot of baggage in U.S. political history. Socialism itself has deep historical roots in the U.S. But the ideology became a toxic brand thanks in part to the Cold War, as Soviet republics and their imitators around the world saw authoritarians seize power under the guise of socialism.
But almost 30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, socialism is once again having a moment in mainstream U.S. politics. As politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pitch their Democratic Socialism to a generation not familiar with Cold War rhetoric, skeptics remain unconvinced about the promise of sweeping social reform.
Guests:
Bernie Sanders, United States Senator from Vermont, Democratic presidential candidate
Peter Beinart, contributing editor for The Atlantic and professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Congressional Correspondent for The New York Times
Ilya Somin, Professor of Law at George Mason University
Sat, 15 Jun 2019 - 220 - Candidate Talk: Bernie Sanders
The reason the term “socialism” has become a ubiquitous presence in our current political discourse is because of Bernie Sanders:
"Democratic Socialism means to me requiring and achieving political and economic freedom in every community in this country. Let me be very clear, as well, when I state that the only way we achieve these goals is through a political revolution.”
On Wednesday, at George Washington University, Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders laid out his vision of Democratic Socialism.
The speech also came at a time when his campaign seems to have stalled. He trails Vice President Joe Biden in national and early state polls. Meanwhile, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg are eating into his support among liberal voters. The speech was an opportunity for Sanders to reset the terms of the debate - and, he hopes, his position in the race.
Amy Walter sat down with the senator in a conference room at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee near Capitol Hill not long after he finished his speech.
Fri, 14 Jun 2019 - 219 - The Impact of Black Voters: “When We Show Up, We Transform How Power Operates”
When it comes to elections there’s always a key voting bloc that gets the media attention. If candidate X wins the FILL IN THE BLANK they’ll win the election.
Over the past few years, we’ve heard a lot about the Latino vote.
The white working class vote.
The suburban women vote.
But a core constituency of the Democratic electorate, since Barack Obama was elected has not gotten the same level of attention: African Americans.
Will this change before 2020?
According to the strategists we talked to, if Democrats want to win back the White House, it better.
Guests:
Alicia Garza, a founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, and the head of the Black Futures Lab
Bakari Sellers, former South Carolina state representative and a CNN contributor
Thelisha Eaddy, South Carolina Public Radio reporter
Theodore R. Johnson, Senior Fellow at the Brennan Center
Aimee Allison, founder of She the People
Fri, 07 Jun 2019 - 218 - Celebrating One Year of Amy Walter
Five times in history, the candidate elected president of the United States was not the winner of the national popular vote. With two of those five elections in recent memory, and a demographic shift that will likely continue the trend, the electoral college is facing increasing criticism and calls for abolishment.
On the one-year anniversary of the launch of Politics with Amy Walter from The Takeaway, the show takes a look back at the history of the electoral college. Amy moderates a debate for and against the institution, plus an exploration of the public’s shifting support for the electoral college.
Guests include The New York Times columnist and CBS News political analyst Jamelle Bouie, Carrie Dann, political editor for NBC News, Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Lina Newton, associate professor of political science at Hunter College.
Fri, 31 May 2019 - 217 - The Evolution of the Executive
Every president leaves their mark on the office of the presidency.
The office of the presidency also leaves its mark on every person who holds it.
This week, we broadcast from the Presidential Ideas Festival, hosted by the University of Virginia’s Miller Center in Charlottesville. It’s a three-day festival attended by presidential scholars, journalists, political junkies, as well as politicians and administration officials.
We spent our time here talking to people who have worked closely with former presidents, on both sides of the aisle, to get their perspective on how the office changes those who serve, and on how those who served have changed the office.
Guests:
Barbara Perry, Professor and Director of Presidential Studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center
Andy Card, White House Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration
Kathleen Sebelius, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Barack Obama administration
Karl Rove, Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration
Susan Rice, U.S. National Security Advisor during the Barack Obama administration
Fri, 24 May 2019 - 216 - Candidate Talk: Andrew Yang
It feels like every day someone new announces they are running for President. But Andrew Yang, the founder of the fellowship program for recent college graduates Venture for America, was one of the first to declare. If elected, he says he would implement a universal basic income, meaning that every American citizen over 18 years of age would get $1,000 a month. Amy Walter talks to him about how that would actually work, and how he would pay for it.
Sat, 18 May 2019 - 215 - The Political Power of Teachers
It feels like every day someone new announces they are running for President. But Andrew Yang, the founder of the fellowship program for recent college graduates Venture for America, was one of the first to declare. If elected, he says he would implement a universal basic income, meaning that every American citizen over 18 years of age would get $1,000 a month. We speak to him about how that would actually work, and how he would pay for it.
Also, the teachers’ strikes across the country that began in 2018 are a sign that teachers’ unions are stronger than ever. As the 2020 Democratic candidates compete for their support, they are laying out ambitious education proposals. Will this be the election that people vote on education? Or is this still largely viewed as a state issue, not a federal one?
Guests:
Andrew Yang, Democratic presidential candidate
Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers
Sarah Reckhow, Associate Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University
Jeffrey Henig, Professor of Political Science at Teachers College, Columbia University
Linda Tillman, Ph.D., Professor Emerita at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Fri, 17 May 2019 - 214 - "The World's Most Exclusive Club"
In his 1957 book, Citadel, journalist William White refers to the Senate as “the world’s most exclusive club.” But for many high-profile Democrats, it's a club that seems to have gone out of style. In April, Stacey Abrams, the Democrat who narrowly lost the race for governor of Georgia in 2018, announced that she is not running for Senate. Joaquin Castro in Texas, Ambassador Susan Rice in Maine, Congresswoman Cindy Axne and former Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa have all made the same decision. Then, there's the Democrats who have decided to run for president instead: John Hickenlooper, the former governor of Colorado, and Beto O’Rourke who rose to prominence in 2018 when he challenged Texas Senator Ted Cruz. What's going on here?
Jennifer Duffy, a political analyst covering US Senate and Governor's races for the Cook Political Report, explains why for some Democrats the Senate seems to have lost its allure.
Frances Lee, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, tells us how we got a Senate in the first place.
Osita Nwanevu, a staff writer at the New Yorker covering politics and policy in Washington, D.C., and Logan Dobson, a Republican strategist and the former director of Data and Analytics for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, debate equal state representation in the U.S Senate.
Alan Frumin, the Senate Parliamentarian from 1987 to 1995 and again from 2001 to 2012, answers questions from our listeners about Senate rules and procedures.
Sat, 11 May 2019 - 213 - The Trump Administration Hopes "It's the Economy, Stupid" Holds True in 2020
"It’s the economy, stupid."
James Carville is the Democratic strategist who famously coined that, while working on Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992. He meant people vote with their pocketbooks. In other words, when the economy is strong, the incumbent wins. That should be good news for the Trump administration because by many measures the economy is doing great. It grew at an unexpectedly high pace of 3 percent in the first-quarter of this year. The stock market is surging. Wages are up. Unemployment is down. Yet despite all this, the President's approval rating is still stuck in the low to mid-40s, putting the old cliche "it's the economy, stupid," to the test.
Kevin Hassett, the Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, tells us that he expects the economic growth we have been seeing to continue this year at an even faster rate, and that's good news for Donald Trump's chances of re-election.
Heather Long, Washington Post's economics correspondent, says the economy may be growing quickly, but there is one big problem: rising inequality. Plus, she brings us up to speed on Donald Trump's picks for the Federal Reserve.
Denise Murray, a farmer in Wisconsin, talks to us about selling her dairy cows because their upkeep had gotten too expensive.Mike Gallagher, a Republican congressman representing the 8th district of Wisconsin, explains how the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum have impacted constituents like Murray, and ponders whether voters in the swing state will support the president again in 2020.
Scott Clement, the polling director at the Washington Post, walks us through a new Washington-ABC poll that shows that most people feel that our economic system benefits those in power.
And lastly, Lynn Vavreck, the co-author of Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America, says actually, there may be some issues that are even more important to voters than the economy.
Read Amy Walter's take here.
Fri, 03 May 2019 - 212 - "The X Factor": Will Joe Biden Reshape the Race?
Joe Biden officially announced that he is running for the nation's top job on Thursday. As candidate number 20, he is entering a historically crowded race. Does he have what it takes to stand out from the pack?
We check in with two campaign reporters, Juana Summers from The Associated Press, and Annie Linskey from The Washington Post, who tell us about what voters seem to be looking for when trying to choose between the candidates.
For our Biden digest, we turn to Mike Memoli, of NBC News, who has been following Biden's career on the national stage for over a decade. He explains what he thinks we can expect from Biden’s third attempt to reach the highest office. Borys Krawczeniuk, of the Scranton Times-Tribune, gives us the view from Biden's hometown. And Aimee Allison, the founder of the political group She the People, says he has some serious obstacles to overcome if he wants to do well with black women voters.
Plus, Bloomberg's Joshua Green has been out on the campaign trail trying to gauge where voters stand on the issue of impeachment. His verdict? They are pretty ambivalent.
Amy's Final Take:
After the 2016 election, the media was criticized for spending too much time in D.C. absorbed in our Twitter bubbles. Voters were telling us the story of the election, but we weren’t listening to it.
Three years later, the Washington, D.C. and Twitter echo chambers are obsessed with talk of "impeachment" and "Russia" yet that’s not what voters or presidential candidates are talking about out in the states.
My sense, from listening to voters and to the reporters who are on the ground covering them, is that Democratic voters are more pragmatic than prescriptive. The grassroots demand for Congress to start impeachment just doesn't seem to be there. Now, should Trump win re-election, I'd expect that pragmatism to give way to all out panic and push-back.
That may change, but for now, we should take the lessons of 2016 to heart and stop trying to make the narrative fit neatly into a box we have already pre-built. The race for 2020 has a LONG way to go. The best way to understand where it’s headed is to watch it unfold at its own pace, not the one being set by cable TV.
Fri, 26 Apr 2019 - 211 - The Mueller Report is Not the End, It's Just the Beginning
It’s been a long (almost) two years but the Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, possible coordination between the Trump Campaign and Russia, and obstruction of justice has reached its final culmination. The redacted report was released on Thursday. The end.
Or is it just the beginning?
Well, like a lot of things...it’s both.
Katie Benner, a Justice Department reporter at The New York Times, discusses the new and revealing pieces of the redacted Mueller report and if Robert Mueller did anything that sets precedent for the next special counsel. Nicholas Fandos, who covers Congress for the New York Times, brings us up to speed on the investigations that are being conducted by several congressional committees.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is the Democratic representative from Illinois’s 8th congressional district. He also serves on two key congressional committees with their own investigations into President Donald Trump: The Committee on Oversight and Reform and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. We talk to him about how those investigations will or won’t change now that we have the redacted Mueller report.
For a conservative take on the redacted Mueller report, we speak to Noah Rothman, a political commentator, and editor at Commentary.
Finally, what impact could the release of the redacted Mueller report have on Donald Trump and his presidency? We talk to Carrie Dann, a politics editor at NBC, who has been analyzing what impact the Mueller investigation has had on public opinion.
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 - 210 - Candidate Talk: Cory Booker
On February 1st, the start of Black History month, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker announced he was running for president. Since then, he’s been on the campaign trail and announced that he raised $5 million. This weekend, he makes his official hometown kick off of his Justice for all Tour in Newark and then heads immediately to Iowa.
Amy Walter got the chance to sit down with Senator Booker to discuss his campaign, the legislation he’s introduced in the Senate to form a commission to study the issue of reparations, and vision for the future.
Reparations has come up a lot recently as the Democratic candidates have been asked to weigh in on the issue. Earlier this week, Senator Cory Booker announced that he would introduce legislation, “to form a commission for the study of reparation proposals for African-Americans.” But the idea of reparations has a long history, Amy explores that with The Takeaway’s Tanzina Vega.
Plus, Amy talks to Rob O’Dell, from the Arizona Republic, about his two-year investigation with USA TODAY and the Center for Public Integrity. Over the past eight years, state lawmakers have introduced at least 10,000 bills that were written, almost entirely, by corporations, industry groups, or think tanks. O'Dell helped create the algorithm that led to this discovery, and he says these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg.
To end the hour, Amy talks to Allison Anderman, the Managing Attorney at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, about how lobbying works, in practice.
In response to Allison Anderman’s comments about what she calls “the corporate gun lobby,” we reached out to The Second Amendment Foundation, and to the NRA.
The Second Amendment Foundation statement: ''The gun prohibition lobby falsely claims that gun manufacturers are in the driver's seat when it comes to lobbying for gun rights. The fight for Constitutional Carry, the right to exercise a constitutional right without a permit, is lead by grassroots activist gun owners on a state level. Twelve states have now passed Constitutional Carry and the gun ban lobby is losing this battle. As a result, they have come unglued and make many false and outrageous claims that are simply not true." - Alan Gottlieb, Founder Second Amendment Foundation The statement from the NRA: "It's understandable that gun control groups like the Giffords Law Center try to mislead the American public by calling NRA the corporate gun lobby, but that’s false. The NRA represents more than 5 million dues-paying members and the tens of millions of law-abiding gun owners who want nothing more than the right to protect themselves, their families, and their homes. Gun control advocates like Anderman would rather strip people of their constitutionally protected rights and put you at the mercy of criminals who don’t give a second thought to breaking in your homes and shooting you dead. We’re proud of our success in championing legislation like constitutional carry because it recognizes the rights of law-abiding people to defend themselves in the manner they see fit. Again, it’s another example of the gun control lobby trying to mislead the American public by saying constitutional carry allows anybody to carry a gun. That is a lie. It allows anyone who is legally allowed to posses a firearm to carry a firearm. They suggest it allows criminals to carry without a permit when that’s just not the case. That’s because gun control groups like these are largely composed of high-priced lobbyists and lawyers that are financed by a small handful of the country's elitist billionaires. They have no constituency, no grassroots appeal, and continue losing ground in state after state. The NRA is financed by membership dues and donations. Our constituents are every law-abiding gun owner in the country, our grassroots outreach is second to none, and we will continue defending the 2nd Amendment as long as there’s a Constitution of the United States." - Lars Dalseide, NRA spokesmanFri, 12 Apr 2019 - 209 - Those Who Draw the Lines...Have the Power
On this week's Politics with Amy Walter: The fight over redistricting and who gets to wield the pen.
“Slay the Dragon,” chronicles the challenges to congressional maps in several states that have been accused of partisan gerrymandering including Michigan and Wisconsin. In Michigan, voters approved a ballot measure in 2018 to take map-drawing power out of the hands of the legislature and put it into the hands of an independent commission. The film also follows the legal team involved in Gill v. Whitford as that case from Wisconsin makes its way to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Barak Goodman is the co-director of Slay the Dragon. The film will premiere later this month at The Tribeca Film Festival.
Scott Walker was the governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. During his tenure, Republican lawmakers created new congressional districts which he then signed into law. Walker is now the Finance Chairman of The National Republican Redistricting Trust, but he's also been accused by critics of partisan gerrymandering. Amy Walter speaks to Walker about why he decided to continue to focus on an issue that has embroiled him in so much controversy.
Eric Holder, the Attorney General under President Obama, recently wrote an editorial for The Washington Post in which he announced that he will not be running for president, and instead will focus his energies on the “fight to end gerrymandering.”
We talk to Holder about why he thinks this is a such an important issue for Democrats to combat right now.
On March 26th, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in this term’s gerrymandering case. Amy Howe, the co-founder of SCOTUSblog, brings us up to speed on what happened and what to watch for.
Fri, 05 Apr 2019 - 208 - Candidate Talk: Julián Castro
Julián Castro, the former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the former mayor of San Antonio, is now running for president. And even though currently he is polling at about 0 to 2 percent in most national polls, he expects that to change as soon voters get to know him.
"I can’t think of a single time in my life where I haven’t been an underdog. What I am used to doing is working hard. You know, I am going to walk the walk, in the campaign, in my vision for the future, in working hard and knocking on doors, and getting to those town halls. And I think people will see by the end of it that I can defeat Donald Trump and win this nomination."
Castro, whose grandmother immigrated to the United States from Mexico and then worked here as a maid and a cook, talks to Amy Walter about how he is used to upending people’s expectations.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. Don't have time to listen right now? Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts to take this segment with you on the go.
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Fri, 29 Mar 2019 - 207 - How to Win Wisconsin
In 2016, Donald Trump cracked the so-called blue wall in the industrial Midwest winning Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. This week on Politics with Amy Walter, what will it take for Democrats to win back Wisconsin? Plus a conversation with presidential candidate Julian Castro.
To begin the hour, Craig Gilbert, Washington Bureau Chief at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, explores what tipped the state to President Trump’s favor in 2016 and what it will take for Democrats to win it back in 2020.
Republican Congressman Sean Duffy represents Wisconsin’s 7th district in a rural part of the state. Congressman Duffy talks to Amy Walter about why President Trump performed so well in rural areas in 2016 and weighs in on whether or not Trump’s trade policy and tariffs will hurt him there in 2020.
Congresswoman Gwen Moore joins Amy Walter to reflect on 2016 and the course correction Democrats have made in the state. And Senator Tammy Baldwin, who won re-election in 2018, has been offering advice to some of the 2020 candidates who have asked her the secret to running as a liberal Democrat in the state.
To end the hour, we talk to Julian Castro. Castro served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration. He was also the mayor of San Antonio. He announced he was running for president on January 12, 2019.
Fri, 29 Mar 2019
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