Press Advance with Johanna Maska
Ahead of the 2024 election, Johanna Maska takes a fresh look at how we make political progress. As Director of Press Advance for President Obama’s White House and one of his early campaign staffers, Maska knows what it takes to move the needle on the national stage and in the presidential primaries. She takes us past the talking points to look at what it will take to make progress in today’s polarized political environment.
Episodes
June 19, 2024 • 31 mins
On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with a political panel featuring Democrat Ameshia Cross, who worked in the Obama White House, and Republican Tomi Lahren, the host of "Tomi Lahren is Fearless." They discuss this week's political news, including Donald Trump's visit to a Black church in Michigan—in front of a mostly white audience and his proposal for tax-free tips for service workers. Democrats are talking more abo...
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June 12, 2024 • 46 mins
On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska breaks down cable news’ coverage and political disconnect between the Hunter Biden and Donald Trump guilty verdicts with a political panel featuring Republican strategist Denise Gitsham, who worked in the Bush administration and Democratic strategist Michael Hardaway, who most recently worked with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. They also discuss other political news this week — the...
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June 5, 2024 • 49 mins
On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska breaks down the fallout from Donald Trump's guilty verdict with a political panel featuring Desiree Barnes, who worked in President Obama’s Press Office, Danielle Cendejas, a Partner for the Strategy Group and former Obama campaign organizer, and Brittany Martinez, a former aide to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. They discuss what it means for America to potentially have a convicted felon re...
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May 29, 2024 • 49 mins
On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with a political panel featuring Samantha Dravis, who worked in the Bush and Trump administrations, Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark podcast and former Communications Director for Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign, and Joan Kato who worked with President Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders. They discuss frustration with the two-party system and how Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy ...
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May 22, 2024 • 44 mins
On this week’s episode host Johanna Maska talks leads a political panel with Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins and Republican strategist Mehek Cooke and they talk — sports. Specifically they get into Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butler’s widely criticized comments regarding women’s careers, LGBTQ+ rights and President Joe Biden’s faith. After they kick that off, Maska, Hopkins, and Cooke talk about the House Oversig...
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May 15, 2024 • 27 mins
On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with a political panel featuring Morgan Ortagus, who served as the State Department Spokesperson under President Donald Trump, and Lindsay Scola, a veteran of the Obama White House who also worked at the US Mission to the UN with Ambassador Susan Rice. The panel discusses the state of speech on college campuses and the divisions over the Biden administration's nuanced stance on Isra...
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After Pro-Palestinian campus protests have shut down commencements and sent students home, Johanna Maska takes a step back in Press Advance to speak to an expert who spent his life trying to negotiate peace in the Middle East. In this wide-ranging discussion, Ambassador Dennis Ross discusses the history of tensions, US policy towards the Middle East, and how student protesters could use their energy for peace in the region. Ross al...
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May 8, 2024 • 27 mins
On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with Kristen Hawn, who served as the chief political advisor to the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of more than 50 moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives. They discuss the defense of indefensible actions by politicians in a post-Trump era, the continued criticism of Kristi Noem and whether she lied about meeting North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, and the indictment of Democra...
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On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with a political panel featuring Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins and veteran Republican campaign operative Matt Gorman. They discuss the state of the free and fair press, and President Biden's fight with The New York Times. The panel also shares thoughts on underreported races, including Congressman Colin Allred's bid to unseat Senator Ted Cruz in Texas and North Carolin...
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April 24, 2024 • 49 mins
On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with a political panel featuring Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins and Boyd Matheson, former Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah (R). They discuss pushback from Democrats and Republicans over threats to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, politics in the office and whether it should be off limits, and heightened tensions on college campuses after pro-Palestinian ...
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April 17, 2024 • 38 mins
On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with a political panel featuring Adam Hodge, former Spokesperson for the National Security Council in the Biden administration, and Amy Tarkanian, former Chairwoman of the Nevada State Republican Party. They discuss the White House response to Iran's drone and missile strikes against Israel and pushback from the progressive wing of the Democratic party on U.S support for Israel, for...
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April 11, 2024 • 81 mins
This week's episode features "A Fair and Free Press? A Debate on the Role of Media in 2024 Politics," which was held Tuesday April 9 with Press Advance host Johanna Maska and Sean Spicer, a former White House Press Secretary in the Trump administration. The discussion was moderated by six-time Emmy award-winning journalist and former NBC 6 Miami news anchor Willard Shepard. Maska and Spicer discussed the media landscape from their ...
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April 9, 2024 • 1 min
This week's Press Advance episode is dropping a little later this week. It will feature host Johanna Maska and Sean Spicer, former White House Press Secretary in the Trump administration, debating the role of network news and social media in this election cycle and how they drive political polarization. You won't want to miss it. Check back here on Thursday to hear the full discussion.
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April 2, 2024 • 45 mins
On this week's Press Advance, Johanna Maska welcomes Obama administration colleague and friend Deesha Dyer, who served as the White House Social Secretary, to discuss her new book, "Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble." Deesha discusses her unexpected journey—from being a skeptical political observer to serving in a senior role in the Obama administration. She talks about rebelling against forced structur...
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March 26, 2024 • 36 mins
Press Advance producer Christine Baratta joins Johanna Maska to discuss the rollout of former RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel as an NBC contributor amid an outcry from network staffers questioning her credibility and past support for Donald Trump. Plus, we talk with Gina McCarthy, who served as the first White House National Climate Advisor and was instrumental in shaping the administration's landmark climate law—The Inflation Reduct...
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March 19, 2024 • 37 mins
Earl Anthony Wayne, who served as United States Ambassador to Mexico during the Obama administration, joins Johanna Maska on this week's episode of Press Advance to discuss immigration policy reform and what's behind the mass migration on the southern border. Ambassador Wayne says that both Presidents Trump and Biden have used executive action to stem the flow of migrants, but it's up to Congress to pass new laws despite the rising...
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March 12, 2024 • 46 mins
Congress had a big week as President Biden delivered his State of the Union Address in front of the chamber, but most of the talk surrounded Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt's rebuttal. We break down Britt's response with former Hill staffer Naysa Woomer, plus a panel discussion with Punchbowl congressional reporters Andrew Desiderio and Max Cohen on predictions for the Senate and House races coming up in November.
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March 5, 2024 • 36 mins
It's Super Tuesday, and voters head to the polls in multiple states, including Colorado, North Carolina, California, Texas, Virginia, Minnesota, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and American Samoa. On this week's episode, Johanna Maska talks to Hill veteran staffers Naysa Woomer and Nandini Narayan on which races are key to watch, predictions for who will succeed Mitch McConnell a...
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February 27, 2024 • 36 mins
Republicans gathered this weekend for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where President Trump told supporters there would be "a judgment day" if he returned to power. On this episode of Press Advance, Johanna Maska talks with Dmitri Mehlhorn, the founder of Investing in US, an investment fund he founded with Democratic donor and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Mehlhorn discusses the stakes if Trump comes...
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February 20, 2024 • 35 mins
The Republican-led House of Representatives voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis on the southern border just weeks after Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a bipartisan Senate border security package. Janet Napolitano, who served as the nation's third Homeland Security Secretary, had joined her Republican predecessor Michael Chertoff to warn the historic charges against Secretar...
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