The Bill Press Pod

Bill frames current Democratic primaries as “establishment versus outsider,” citing races in New York City, Maine, and Michigan, and introduces Bernie Sanders’ former strategist Tad Devine and his book, "How the Democrats Screwed Bernie." Devine recounts the first Sanders presidential planning meeting at Press’s home, explains why Sanders ran to elevate issues like wages, healthcare for all, climate change, ...

The Iran War Continues. Bad for the GOP.

New Airforce One Fail. Platner Out.

Convention for Maine. Good for Susan Collins?

How D’s and R’s Handle Sex Scandals.

Where is Mitch? GOP Needs His Vote.

4 Governors Races Shift Toward Democrats.

Political Generation Gap. Trump and Communism.

With Linda Feldmann, Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, Jeff Dufour, Editor-in-chie...

Bill talks with Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick about the Supreme Court’s 2025–26 term, arguing it is decisively the Roberts Court and increasingly deferential to President Trump, especially through heavy reliance on the shadow docket, where Trump has won many emergency orders without signed opinions or reasoning. They discuss major rulings: a narrow outcome on birthright citizenship that Lithwick warns could be revisited...

Bill felt we all needed a break from Politics and so this Fourth of July edition of the Bill Press Pod features NPR’s Scott Simon, discussing Simon’s book, Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known, and his family’s view that animals are members of the same family as humans. Simon shares stories about early pets like Penny the German shepherd and Hoppy the grasshopper, including how caring for Hoppy revea...

Bill talks with political strategist and messaging consultant Anat Shenker-Osorio about what Democrats should say—and who should say it—heading into the midterms to check Trump 2.0. Shenker-Osorio argues Democrats must combine an affordability agenda with a clear villain frame, calling Trump’s team “bullies for the billionaires,” and pair warnings about authoritarianism with credible promises to a...

Housing Bill/SAVE Act Chaos.

POTUS/Senate Shouting Match.

House/Senate Just Go Home.

Midterms GOP Panic.

NYC Democratic Socialists Win.  

Mamdani Flexes Power.

Jeffries and Schumer Wounded.

But Some Centrists Win.

Reflecting Pool Debacle.

SCOTUS Backs Trump.

With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ Roll Call, Kirk Bado, Managing Editor of National Journal’s Hotline, Arthur Delaney, Senior Reporter at Huff Post and Savannah ...

Bill talks with national security analyst Joe Cirincione about Trump’s shifting claims on Iran and argues the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) functions as a ceasefire and “surrender document” after a war the U.S. and Israel could not win. Cirincione says the MOU mainly restores shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while leaving core U.S. objectives—curbing Iran’s uranium enrichment and missile force...

Shaky Iran Agreement. Vance Attacks Israel.

Worse Deal Than Obama’s. The Politics of War.

Where is Rubio? Jon Ossoff Rising.

Obama’s Shade Trump. Reflecting Pool Fail.

With Olivier Knox, Senior national political correspondent, US News & World Report, Maya King, Politics Reporter at The New York Times andand Erika Filter, National Campaign Correspondent for The National Journal Hotline. 

Today's Bill Press Pod is...

Bill talks with legal scholar and former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade about her book, "The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government," arguing that core democratic principles—rule of law and equality before the law—are eroding under Donald Trump. McQuade describes Trump’s tactics as extortionate and mob-like, pressuring institutions such as law firms, media, universities, and allies, and w...

Iran War Over? Its Political Impact.

“I Love the Inflation.” Pain at the Pump.

UFC at the White House. GOP and Masculinity.

Platner vs. Collins in Maine. Sleeping Trump. 

With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ-Roll Call, Amanda Becker, National Reporter for 19th News and Philip Bump, senior editor and columnist at Hearst Connecticut. 

Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The Laborers" International Unio...

Guest host Joe Cirincione interviews nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein about his book The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age, revisiting the run-up to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the postwar fight between nuclear hawks and doves over who should control nuclear weapons. Wellerstein argues there was no single “decision” to use the bomb—plans were already underway ...

GOP Begins to Try to Oppose Trump:

Ballroom. Weaponization Fund. War Powers. Pulte.

Resonating With Voters? California Governors’ Race.

Could Iowa Turn Blue? Maine Platner Troubles.

Democrats Narrow Path to Senate Majority.

The Politics of AI and Data Centers in the Midterms.

60 Minutes Under Attack.  

With Shirish Date, Senior White House Correspondent for Huff Post, Allan Smith, Politics Reporter for NBC News and Jessica Tay...

Guest host Joe Cirincione interviews David Rothkopf. Rothkopf is the host of the Deep State Radio podcast. He is also Chief Global Affairs Columnist at the Daily Beast and was formerly the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine. He has taught at Columbia, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins universities. He was the Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration and is the author of ten books including, most recently, ...

Paxton Crushes Cornyn in Texas. Can Talarico Turn Texas Blue?

Can Democrats Stay Focused? Will Cornyn Cross Trump Now?

Does Trump Care About the Midterms? House Vote on Iran Next Week.

Who’s Ahead in CA Governor Race? Trump’s DOJ Pursues His Critics.  

With Ginger Gibson, former Senior Washington Editor for NBC News and Cameron Joseph, Politics Editor at Politico, Ledge King, Managing Editor of The National Journa...

Bill interviews former Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander about his memoir, The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump, and the Senate’s decline from bipartisan, amendment-driven lawmaking to today’s gridlock. Alexander criticizes Republican senators for failing to check abuses of presidential authority, argues Trump’s purges of GOP incumbents risk costing him a Senate majority, and calls a DOJ compen...

Bill Press interviews USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page about her book, "The Queen and Her Presidents," exploring how Queen Elizabeth II helped sustain the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship” through soft power over her 70-year reign. Page recounts the Queen’s meetings with 13 sitting U.S. presidents (plus Herbert Hoover and pre-presidency LBJ), including Truman steadying a nervous young Princess Elizabeth...

Bill Press interviews psychologist Dr. John Gartner about a new ABC/Washington Post poll finding 59% of Americans believe Donald Trump is mentally unfit for the presidency and a physicians’ letter urging Trump’s lawful removal due to an unsanctioned war and his sole authority over nuclear weapons. Gartner argues Trump is a “malignant narcissist” with worsening frontotemporal dementia, claiming his disinhibit...