This week on the Nerdcast with guest-host Blake Hounshell: Over his decades in office, ‘Middle-Class Joe’s’ family fortunes have closely tracked his political career. We have POLITICO's Ben Schreckinger on to discuss his investigation on former Vice President Joe Biden's family finances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 09, 2019•28 min•Ep. 187
This week on the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland: POLITICO national political reporter Elena Schneider and senior politics editor Charlie Mahtesian break down who came out on top in this week's democratic debates. Also: A divided Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates for the first time in more than a decade. What’s that mean and why does it matter? POLITICO financial services reporter Victoria Guida explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 02, 2019•19 min•Ep. 186
Cory Booker, in search of his first bona fide “moment” as he tries to work his way up in the presidential race, came ready to lunge into his critique of Joe Biden’s new criminal justice proposal as too little, too late to fix the problem of mass incarceration, after Biden’s authorship of punitive crime legislation in the ‘90s. POLITICO national political reporter Chris Cadelago joins host Scott Bland to analyze an important moment from round two of the second Democratic debate on Tuesday night. ...
Aug 01, 2019•9 min•Ep. 185
"You're wrong" for criticizing “Medicare for All,” Sen. Bernie Sanders told former Rep. John Delaney in the first answer of the night — setting up an evening of conflict between the left and the center. POLITICO health care reporter Dan Diamond joins host Scott Bland to analyze an important moment from round one of the second Democratic debate on Tuesday night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 31, 2019•9 min•Ep. 184
On this special episode of the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland, POLITICO White House reporter Chris Cadelago on the things he'll be watching for during this week's debates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 29, 2019•13 min•Ep. 183
This week's Congressional appearance by Robert S. Mueller III landed with a thud, so what's next for Democrats itching to impeach the president? Sarah Ferris from POLITICO's Congressional team joins the show to explain why Nancy Pelosi's team is maintaining a united front in public, even if they're arguing behind closed doors. Plus, POLITICO's Chief Economic Correspondent Ben White breaks down how the president's advisers are trying to safeguard the long-running economic boom, even if it means w...
Jul 26, 2019•23 min•Ep. 182
This week on the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland, POLITICO White House reporter Gabby Orr and Congressional reporter Heather Caygle explain the fallout of President Trump's racist tweets. Also: POLITICO national political reporter David Siders on why a big shrink to the democratic primary field might be coming soon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 19, 2019•25 min•Ep. 181
Today on a special edition of Nerdcast with Scott Bland: Tim Alberta, chief political correspondent for POLITICO Magazine, talks about his forthcoming book AMERICAN CARNAGE: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 15, 2019•11 min•Ep. 180
This week on the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland: We examine some of the front-runners who have begun to emerge for Democrats, particularly on the left of the party. POLITICO's National political reporters Holly Otterbein and Alex Thompson check on the 2020 race. Also: What would you ask Robert Mueller, if you got the chance? POLITICO's national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand and POLITICO's legal affairs analyst Josh Gerstein discuss what might happen on Capitol HIll for Robert Mueller. ...
Jul 12, 2019•26 min•Ep. 179
This week on the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland: The Supreme Court had a busy week, ruling on two cases that have big political implications. First, immigration reporter Ted Hesson joins to explain how a road block has been put in the path of implementing a citizenship question on the 2020 census. Then, Scott and Charlie talk about the ruling on partisan gerrymandering. In the second segment, national political reporter Natasha Korecki explains where the democratic presidential candidates stand ...
Jul 03, 2019•31 min•Ep. 178
The California senator came prepared to prosecute a case against the front-runner. We analyze an important moment from Thursday night's Democratic debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 28, 2019•8 min•Ep. 177
Sen. Warren seemed to make her fullest embrace of Bernie Sanders’s healthcare plan, but did she leave herself room to change her mind. We analyze an important moment from Wednesday’s night Democratic debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 27, 2019•9 min•Ep. 176
This week on the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland: It’s debate night in America! Well, it will be next week, and we’re giving you a preview! Two Politico reporters who are debate experts at this point join the show. Then, centrists who used to fear Warren was the end of the party are starting to levitate towards her. We've got two reporters who just attended an event aimed at centrists coming on to break down how Warren has become a palatable candidate for a group that once eviscerated her in an o...
Jun 21, 2019•28 min•Ep. 175
This week on the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland: The president isn't so sure that he would call the FBI if he was approached with information about his competitors from foreign actors. Or maybe he would. A White House reporter explains the president's bizarre statement. Then, a 2020 reporter breaks down why Senator Sanders is doubling down on socialism. Plus, Mitch McConnell may have benefited from his wife Elaine Chao's position as the secretary of transportation. And he's proud of it! The repo...
Jun 14, 2019•33 min•Ep. 174
This week on the Nerdcast with guest-host Charlie Mahtesian: the minds of POLITICO's White House and trade team to help you understand what’s happening with a looming trade war with Mexico. Also: The president scored surprising wins in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan in 2016. He’s shooting for New Hampshire, New Mexico and Nevada in 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 07, 2019•28 min•Ep. 173
This week on the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland: A deep dive into Elizabeth Warren’s campaign strategy with a politico reporter who was on the trail with her and the new qualifying rules for the second set of democratic debates are out. And the candidates hate them! We've got some of POLITICO's campaigns reporters coming in to explain what's going on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 31, 2019•32 min•Ep. 172
This week on the Nerdcast with host Scott Bland: a surprising figure has come forward in the impeach trump movement…and no one seems happy about it! Correspondant Tim Alberta joins Scott to talk about it. Plus Scott sits down with some of POLITICO’s national political reporters to talk about 2020 campaign strategies. They’re all over the place. They explain the thinking behind the candidates' decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 24, 2019•25 min•Ep. 171
It's time for a new episode of the Nerdcast, with host Scott Bland. This week on the show: Joe Biden has been touting a new plan on the trail this week that pundits have absolutely trashed. But voters might actually love it… we’ll talk about the what the plan is and the why people are loving it (and hating it) with POLITICO reporter Marc Caputo. Plus, Scott sits down with some of POLITICO’s health care reporters to talk about the major anti-abortion bills that are passing in state legislatures a...
May 17, 2019•26 min•Ep. 170
On the show this week, a packed democratic presidential field makes getting a spot on the debate stage a challenge for candidates, so some of them have completely changed their campaign strategies in hopes of securing a spot. POLITICO national political reporter Elena Schneider joins the show to talk about the requirements for getting onto the stage, and how democratic candidates have reacted. Then, national political reporter Chris Cadelago joins the show to talk about Kamala Harris, who had a ...
May 10, 2019•33 min•Ep. 169
On the show this week, a roundup from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with White House reporters Nancy Cook and Andrew Restuccia. Plus, a look into the relationship between evangelical voters and Trump's inner circle. Then, congressional campaigns reporter James Arkin joins the Nerdcast to talk about a problem for democrats: finding people willing to run for senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 03, 2019•27 min•Ep. 168
First, Scott and POLITICO reporter Marc Caputo talk all things Joe Biden. The former vice president finally announced that he's running for president, becoming the 20th democrat to enter the race. Does Biden stand a chance? Maybe. He could even be a front-runner. Then, Anita Kumar and Sarah Ferris join Scott to talk about a fight between the White House and 12 House committees. Basically, the White House is refusing to give up documents requested by these House committees. It seems like a big de...
Apr 26, 2019•29 min•Ep. 167
It's an all Mueller edition of the Nerdcast show, with host Scott Bland and reporters Kyle Cheney and Melanie Zanona. The crew unpacks some of the fundamental questions from Thursday’s release of the redacted Mueller report and figures out what’s next -- how will Congress act on this report? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 19, 2019•15 min•Ep. 166
Immigration hard-liners are ascendant at the White House. What does it mean for people trying to enter the U.S., and for the president politically? Plus, POLITICO Playbook authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman join the Nerdcast to talk about their new book about congress in the Trump era, "The Hill To Die On." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 12, 2019•32 min•Ep. 165
What might have been seen as normal behavior in the past is not welcome in the present. How will Biden handle the change? Plus, how much money do you really need to raise to become president? We discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 05, 2019•22 min•Ep. 164
How have things changed at the White House since the report came out? We go behind the scenes at the White House and on the Hill post-Mueller report. Plus, only three days remain until the end of the weekend, the end of the month, and the end of the first quarter. It matters because that’s when candidates for president have to report to the federal government just how much money they’ve raised so far this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 29, 2019•22 min•Ep. 163
Beto O'Rourke raised $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of his presidential candidacy. That's a huge number. It indicates how the Democrats running for president have already built big national followings before campaign season has really even fully started. We break it down. Plus, 17 House Committees are currently attempting to investigate the Trump White House. Are they going to get anywhere? We talk about why the White House is largely ignoring the requests from those committees. Learn more a...
Mar 22, 2019•23 min•Ep. 162
No one has successfully gone from U.S. representative to president since James Garfield. Beto O'Rourke thinks he can. Plus, the mishandling of a sexual harassment case that is haunting Kirsten Gillibrand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 15, 2019•27 min•Ep. 161
White House reporter Nancy Cook and congressional reporter Burgess Everett join the Nerdcast to discuss the tension between President Trump.... and some republicans. Plus, campaign reporter Holly Otterbein joins to explain what's different for presidential hopeful Senator Sanders this time around, and why some former Clinton campaign staffers just can't stand the guy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 08, 2019•27 min•Ep. 160
President Trump's former fixer spent hours fixating the American public. Did his testimony reveal anything new? Plus, Iowa proves to be twice as nice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 01, 2019•28 min•Ep. 159
Guess who's back (back back)!? back again (again again)!? Bernie's back (back back) AND..... he's already gotten a ton of donations and is pretty popular so you probably don't need to tell a friend because they probably already know.... We're breaking down Bernie 2020 and a similar candidate from a state very close to Vermont... who will get the progressive vote? Plus, Trump 2020 is looking pretty corporate! A POLITICO national political reporter joins to talk about Rosslyn's hottest campaign he...
Feb 22, 2019•23 min•Ep. 158