Powerhouse Politics
Headliner interviews and in-depth looks at the people and events shaping U.S. politics. Hosted by ABC News' Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Political Director Rick Klein.
Episodes
April 28, 2021 • 31 mins
Don't call it a "State of the Union." President Joe Biden tonight will address a joint session of Congress, 99 days after being sworn into office. Powerhouse Politics speaks with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki about what the look, sound and substance of the speech will be.
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April 21, 2021 • 33 mins
For the guilty findings in connection with the killing of George Floyd to mark a true turning point will take much more than verdicts in Minneapolis. It falls now to a president elected on the promise of unity to both heal and advance policy in tense and still-uncertain times. ABC's Rachel Scott joins from Minneapolis to talk about the road ahead. Plus, Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today, talks about her newly releas...
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April 14, 2021 • 33 mins
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks because "it is time to end America’s longest war." Meanwhile, April 28th has been announced as the date of President Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress.
Guest: Journalist, Neil King
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April 7, 2021 • 38 mins
Amid the fallout over Georgia's new sweeping elections law, Texas Democrats and voting rights activists are strategizing how to get some of the state's biggest employers to apply political pressure on lawmakers weighing restrictive voting bills in the Lone Star State. Plus, Governor Asa Hutchinson joins to talk about the Arkansas state legislature's vote on Tuesday to override his veto on a bill that would ban gender-affirming trea...
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March 31, 2021 • 35 mins
The $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill got more attention and its goals may matter more in addressing the challenges of the moment. But President Joe Biden's two-phase jobs and infrastructure package will carry a larger price tag along with potentially greater implications.
Guest: Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill), author of the new book, "Every Day Is A Gift"
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March 24, 2021 • 37 mins
Despite President Joe Biden's calls for quick action after another mass shooting and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer's vow to force votes on the Senate floor, the calcified politics of gun rights leave congressional action almost impossible to envision. Plus, CNN Tonight anchor, Don Lemon joins to talk about his new book and his experiences in covering politics over the last 5 years.
Guest: Don Lemon, CNN anchor and author o...
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March 17, 2021 • 48 mins
Senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce joins to discuss President Joe Biden's exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. Plus, Jonathan Karl shares some new reporting included in the just-released paperback edition of his book, “Front Row at the Trump Show.”
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March 10, 2021 • 35 mins
President Joe Biden is about to have something very big to sell, with the House on track to pass his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill today (Wednesday).
Guest: Former Chicago Mayor and current ABC News contributor, Rahm Emanuel
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March 3, 2021 • 31 mins
Guests: Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes, authors of "Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency"
There’s a new podcast we wanted to tell you about from our colleagues at ABC News. It’s called “In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson” and it’s full of new revelations about Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency and reveals the former first lady as LBJ’s closest advisor and most indispensable political partner. Drawn from over 123 hours of Lady B...
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February 24, 2021 • 31 mins
Tuesday's Senate hearing on the January 6 siege on the Capitol raised a series of questions that directly involve the previous administration. Meanwhile, Judge Merrick Garland plans to make Jan. 6 investigations his first priority after he becomes attorney general. And even with additional hearings Wednesday, Thursday and beyond, the concept of a bipartisan commission to investigate the events leading up to and during the siege is ...
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February 17, 2021 • 33 mins
It's a plan the White House is lauding as "bold and ambitious." It's also grown less so through the early weeks of the Biden presidency -- and could reveal political vulnerabilities for the new administration as it pushes for a major COVID-19 relief bill.
Guest: Congressman Jaime Raskin (D-MD), he also served as Lead House Impeachment Manager
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February 10, 2021 • 28 mins
Even an emotional prosecution and a mess of a defense may not change the Senate math. But while so many of the facts around the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump are settled, a key question is emerging that could matter beyond final votes on conviction. For all that is established about what rioters did, why they did it and even what Trump said to seemingly encourage them, what the then-president did in the ...
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February 3, 2021 • 39 mins
The impending impeachment trial guarantees refreshed memories of the horrors that took place at the Capitol less than a month ago. Any thought the trial would turn on narrow constitutional questions is effectively out, given Trump's strategy of defiance. Plus, Powerhouse Politics goes inside the White House to find out how these first weeks of the Biden Administration are progressing.
Guest: Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Principa...
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January 27, 2021 • 44 mins
The clock on bipartisanship is already ticking down. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is saying a vote on a budget resolution could come as early as next week -- before the Senate impeachment trial, and conceivably before any standalone COVID-19 relief bills make their way out of the legislative branch.
Guest: Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus
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January 20, 2021 • 35 mins
Joe Biden today takes the oath of office on the same steps where just two weeks ago we saw violence and unrest. ABC News Political Director Rick Klein co-hosts this episode with ABC's newly promoted congressional correspondent, Rachel Scott.
Guest: Steve Roberts, author, historian and ABC News political analyst
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January 14, 2021 • 27 mins
Ten is either a huge number or a stunningly small one, depending on one's views of the state of partisanship and President Donald Trump's culpability for his words and actions.
Guest: Frank Luntz, pollster and political consultant
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January 13, 2021 • 30 mins
President Donald Trump is about to become the first president to be impeached twice. The second one, while unlikely to drive him from office early, will almost certainly be the one that matters the most. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) joins from the House during the impeachment vote to discuss the events of the last week and what it means going forward.
Guest: Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)
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January 8, 2021 • 20 mins
In this special edition of Powerhouse Politics, Jon and Rick break down the events that unfolded in United States Capitol this week, discuss some new reporting from behind the scenes in the White House and look ahead to the final twelve days of the Trump presidency.
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January 6, 2021 • 34 mins
It’s clear how part of the story will end. President-elect Joe Biden will prevail over President Donald Trump again and perhaps for the final time. But the final public act of the post-election spectacle -- set to play out in the House and Senate over an undetermined number of hours, starting Wednesday afternoon, even as counting in Georgia continues – will mark just a starting point for the broader debate over the future of the R...
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December 30, 2020 • 42 mins
In the final episode of 2020, ABC News Chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl and ABC News Political Director Rick Klein take a look at the extraordinary final days and weeks of Donald Trump's presidency and at what a post-Trump era might bring. They also reflect on a challenging and remarkable year that the American People will not soon forget. Happy New Year and thank you for listening!
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