Matthew Caulfield was a college senior when he was given a seemingly simple assignment that took him more than five years and 3,000 emails to start to answer: How much did a voting machine cost? And how big, precisely, was the U.S. elections industry? Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels and reporter Ben Wofford dive into the mysterious world of voting technology companies and the voting rights debate happening right now in Congress. Eugene Daniels is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.Ben Wofford i...
Jun 25, 2021•30 min•Ep 316•Transcript available on Metacast It’s one of the top jobs in politics, period: mayor of the Big Apple. In a heavily left-leaning town, Tuesday’s crowded Democratic primary will essentially decide who will become the 110th mayor of New York City — an election that will determine who has the ear of powerful figures on Capitol Hill. POLITICO New York’s Sally Goldenberg and Playbook co-author Tara Palmeri unpack the race while producer Olivia Reingold pounds the pavement to find out what New Yorkers really think. Tara Palmeri is a ...
Jun 18, 2021•35 min•Ep 315•Transcript available on Metacast Imagine learning that someone you've known for 18 years is alleged to have been responsible for some of the worst violence on Jan. 6. How do you square that? Playbook co-author Rachael Bade and journalist Melanie Warner dive into the story of Jeffrey Sabol, one man whose alleged activity on Jan. 6 left many in his life confused and grappling for answers — about how a highly educated, middle-aged man with so much to lose could participate in what FBI Director Christopher Wray called “domestic ter...
Jun 11, 2021•30 min•Ep 314•Transcript available on Metacast A century ago, a violent white mob razed the heart of Tulsa's thriving Black community. Now, Oklahoma — and Republicans on Capitol Hill — are swept up in a national culture war over how schools teach kids about racism and sexism. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has inserted himself into that battle. POLITICO's education editor Delece Smith-Barrow and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza delve into the tug-of-war, its implications for 2022, and how McConnell is turning what was once the subject o...
Jun 04, 2021•33 min•Ep 313•Transcript available on Metacast Talking about UFOs was once kryptonite for your political career. Now, senators are openly talking about UFOs, and the Pentagon is set to deliver a long-awaited report in June detailing what it knows — and what it doesn’t. So why the sudden change? POLITICO’s Bryan Bender and Playbook co-author Rachael Bade dissect why lawmakers including former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are concerned about national security and forcing UFOs into the political spotl...
May 28, 2021•21 min•Ep 312•Transcript available on Metacast This week's vote on a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection exposed some serious rifts on the Hill — rifts that could get even wider as the bill heads to the Senate. POLITICO's Marianne LeVine and Playbook co-author Rachael Bade dig into the dynamics playing out among congressional leadership, from Mitch McConnell's 2022 calculations to Kevin McCarthy's quest to become speaker. Rachael Bade is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.Marianne LeVine is a congressional reporter fo...
May 21, 2021•31 min•Ep 311•Transcript available on Metacast If you’ve paid any attention to the news lately, you’ve probably heard this line: There’s a “civil war” raging within the GOP. Republican leadership is duking it out in the open after losing the White House, the House and the Senate; just this week, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ousted his No. 3, Rep. Liz Cheney. On this Playbook Deep Dive, political analyst Jeff Greenfield digs into a contrarian argument with Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza: There is no civil war. This is a purge of anyone...
May 14, 2021•31 min•Ep 310•Transcript available on Metacast White House reporters have access to the highest seat in the country — and they’re a small group. An even smaller group? Reporters of color. On today’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive, Eugene Daniels gets honest with fellow Black White House correspondents April Ryan (TheGrio) and Ayesha Rascoe (NPR) about everything from microaggressions to death threats. “Covering the White House from Bill Clinton to now, race touches everything,” says Ryan. “Everything.” Plus, a look at the first Black female W...
May 07, 2021•34 min•Ep 309•Transcript available on Metacast Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has made a name — and recently, fundraised over $3 million — on becoming a political celebrity by oiling gears in the "outrage machine," promoting extremist beliefs and false conspiracy theories and bypassing establishment media and establishment Washington. In Congress, she may not have committee assignments, but she's got an increasingly valuable email list and a growing war chest. What her rise reveals about the power (or lack thereof) of the party’s traditional ga...
Apr 30, 2021•30 min•Ep 308•Transcript available on Metacast “If we miss this opportunity, God help us.” Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski. Two moderate senators smack in the middle — and on either side — of a split 50-50 Senate. On our first episode of Playbook Deep Dive, the two friends open up in a rare interview with POLITICO’s Burgess Everett. They get personal: about reconciliation, frustration over the Senate’s hurdles — even why Murkowski hogs the best fishing holes. And Manchin reveals a major endorsement, heard first on this show.Rachael Bade is a ...
Apr 23, 2021•28 min•Ep 307•Transcript available on Metacast California is the country’s leader when it comes to climate policies. But not even Democrats could impose a ban on fracking despite holding all levels of power in California. On POLITICO Energy, Colby Bermel explains why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 16, 2021•9 min•Ep 306•Transcript available on Metacast On this bonus episode of POLITICO Dispatch: Who is “Kacey Montagu”? Christopher Cadelago tells the wild and weird story of how a fictitious correspondent rose from the depths of internet role playing to the White House briefing room. Subscribe to POLITICO Dispatch here: https://www.politico.com/podcasts/dispatch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 14, 2021•13 min•Ep 305•Transcript available on Metacast Playbook Deep Dive is a new weekly podcast from Politico — for the stories that seem stranger-than-fiction, but are all too real. Underneath all the theater, backstabbing and strategy in DC are colorful characters and real life consequences. You know those stories that stop you in your tracks? That's what we're going to tell each week. Featuring Playbook authors, reporters from all across the Politico newsroom, and characters from all over DC. Launching April 23. Learn more about your ad choices...
Apr 09, 2021•4 min•Ep 304•Transcript available on Metacast Five cities, four countries and 15 days locked down in Australia: Global Translations author Ryan Heath talks to Playbook's Tara Palmeri about his 68-hour travel journey to get Down Under. He peers inside the hellish future of global travel and explains why it might be more expensive for travelers. Plus, a surprise ending to this special Nerdcast episode. Tara Palmeri is a POLITICO Playbook co-author. Scott Bland is a politics editor at POLITICO.Ryan Heath is a senior editor at Politico and auth...
Apr 02, 2021•19 min•Ep 303•Transcript available on Metacast Black civil rights leaders, voting rights advocates and elected officials are putting more and more pressure on Senate Democrats to nix the filibuster. The argument? Keep the filibuster OR pass voting rights legislation... 'cause you can’t do both! Playbook author Eugene Daniels and reporter Zach Montellaro dig into the politics behind the filibuster and voting rights legislation. Eugene Daniels is a co-author of POLITICO Playbook.Zach Montellaro is a campaign reporter and author of the Morning ...
Mar 26, 2021•29 min•Ep 302•Transcript available on Metacast POLITICO Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza interviews Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) to talk the next bill on the Democrats' agenda, whether or not Democrats will have to go around Republicans to get anything done and what his philosophy degree can tell us about this moment. Come for the policy, stay for the Kant*.*Actually it was the German poet Novalis (formally Georg Friedrich Philipp von Hardenberg) who said "Philosophy can bake no bread; but she can procure for us God, Freedom, Immortality." There...
Mar 19, 2021•25 min•Ep 301•Transcript available on Metacast Bipartisanship didn’t happen with Covid relief. But President Joe Biden says he really, really wants to go bipartisan on infrastructure — plus, he'll need the Republican votes. POLITICO Playbook co-author Rachael Bade calls up transportation reporter Sam Mintz to talk Biden's infrastructure hopes, the major players in Congress, and why at this early stage, there’s every indication that GOP cooperation is less likely on a massive public works bill than it was on the pandemic legislation. Rachael ...
Mar 12, 2021•23 min•Ep 300•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode, the PR campaign the government is waging on vaccine hesitancy and equitable access for vaccine. Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels talks to Dr. Ebony Hilton and POLITICO healthcare reporter Adam Cancryn about whose job is it to combat hesitancy, and how the Biden administration is stacking up. Eugene Daniels is a co-author of POLITICO Playbook.Dr. Ebony Hilton is associate professor of anesthesiology at UVA and a critical care physician.Adam Cancryn is a healthcare reporter at...
Mar 05, 2021•37 min•Ep 299•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode, everything you want to know about the mysterious but powerful Senate Parliamentarian. Elizabeth MacDonough ruled Thursday that Senate Democrats would be deemed out of order if they include a $15 minimum wage in their coronavirus relief package. Congress editor Elana Schor and congressional budget reporter Caitlin Emma talk to host Scott Bland about the Senate's referee and this blow to the progressive agenda. Scott Bland is a politics editor at POLITICO.Elana Schor is a congr...
Feb 26, 2021•22 min•Ep 298•Transcript available on Metacast We're roughly one year out from Iowa's catastrophic caucuses, and people are already thinking about the next primary calendar. Amid growing concerns that Iowa voters don't reflect the country, and pushes by Nevada and South Carolina to move up in line, are we watching Iowa — and its influential, historic, weird caucuses — get sidelined? White House correspondent Natasha Korecki, senior politics editor Charlie Mahtesian and Scott Bland talk about the future of presidential politics and whether Io...
Feb 19, 2021•27 min•Ep 297•Transcript available on Metacast With Donald Trump's impeachment acquittal almost assured, at the moment, the Republicans occupying the anti-Donald Trump lane in the post-Trump GOP are in danger of being run over. But if the GOP’s fervor for the former president fades to any degree, Senator Ben Sasse may be better positioned than anyone to capitalize. National political correspondent David Siders and Scott Bland talk about Sasse's recent video which inflamed his party's GOP and the future of the Republican party. Scott Bland is...
Feb 12, 2021•22 min•Ep 296•Transcript available on Metacast Gone are the late night tweets of yore. In their place? Meticulously managed calendars. White House correspondent Anita Kumar takes Scott Bland inside the West Wing to see who is managing President Biden's time and what that tells us about the administration — and how it plans to achieve its goals. Scott Bland is a politics editor at POLITICO.Anita Kumar is a White House correspondent and associate editor at POLITICO. Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is senior producer for...
Feb 05, 2021•19 min•Ep 295•Transcript available on Metacast In 2006, a young man holding no political office brought down a 180+ years program and reshaped Congress forever. Scott Bland talks to POLITICO magazine reporter Zack Stanton, a former House page who leaked transcripts of sexual messages that former Congressman Mark Foley sent to teen pages... which resulted in his resignation and torpedoed the Republican hold on power for years. Scott Bland is a politics editor at POLITICO.Zack Stanton is an editor at POLITICO magazine. Annie Rees is a producer...
Jan 29, 2021•30 min•Ep 294•Transcript available on Metacast "It became clear that Scott Pruitt had sought to purchase a used mattress from the Trump hotel. And I thought, 'This is not what I expected this job would look like.'" At the close of Donald Trump's presidency, POLITICO's reporters and editors share their strongest memories of the last four years. Shocking moments they witnessed, conversations they overheard and what will stay with them forever. Plus, new Playbook co-author Tara Palmeri talks to Scott Bland about what she really wants to see in ...
Jan 22, 2021•26 min•Ep 293•Transcript available on Metacast He's spent a lifetime turning near-disasters into brand-building triumphs. POLITICO magazine writer Michael Kruse talks to Scott Bland about how President Trump could do it again—unless the Senate breaks the pattern. Plus, a dispatch from POLITICO Congress reporter Sarah Ferris. Scott Bland is a politics editor at POLITICO.Michael Kruse is a senior staff writer at POLITICO magazine.Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is senior producer for POLITICO audio.Irene Noguchi is the ...
Jan 15, 2021•26 min•Ep 292•Transcript available on Metacast The government ground to a halt on Wednesday when rioters breached and laid siege to the Capitol. Hours later, Congress reconvened to complete the electoral count and confirm Joe Biden's victory. Meanwhile, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won their Georgia Senate races, giving Democrats a narrow Senate majority. POLITICO founding editor John Harris talks with Scott Bland about this chaotic week in politics. Scott Bland is a politics editor at POLITICO.John Harris is founding editor of P...
Jan 08, 2021•22 min•Ep 291•Transcript available on Metacast "Nerdcast" presents Episode 7 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast "Global Translations": What will it take to secure access to the critical minerals we need for the future — and can we solve one environmental challenge without creating a new one? Hosts Luiza Savage and Ryan Heath talk to political leaders around the world about what they are doing to shore up access to critical minerals. Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations".Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations". Annie Re...
Jan 01, 2021•34 min•Ep 290•Transcript available on Metacast "Nerdcast" presents Episode 6 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast "Global Translations": To understand how essential critical minerals are to our world, we turn to a case study: cobalt. This mineral is proving key to the future of green energy, defense and high tech manufacturing — not to mention electric vehicles. But cobalt has its challenges. Hosts Luiza Savage and Ryan Heath look at China’s dominant role in global cobalt mining and the serious problems that can arise if other countries c...
Dec 25, 2020•28 min•Ep 289•Transcript available on Metacast Ahead of January's runoff election in Georgia, the Black church has been, once again, thrust into the spotlight as an organizing force for voters and as a point of contention for conservatives. POLITICO reporter Maya King talks with Dr. Freddy Haynes, senior pastor at Dallas' massive Friendship West church, about the historic role that the Black church has played in American politics, from Harriet Tubman to Martin Luther King, Jr. to Senate runoff candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock, and what he's ho...
Dec 18, 2020•24 min•Ep 288•Transcript available on Metacast It's an unspoken rule not to talk politics at the dinner table — unless you have a podcast recording, then it's fine! POLITICO's Sabrina Rodriguez gets real with her Cuban family — abuela Diana, aunt Gloria and mom Martha — about their 2020 votes, and how Cuban Americans in Miami-Dade County helped Donald Trump win Florida. Then she talks to Scott Bland about whether the ultimate purple state is drifting red.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Sabrina Rodriguez ...
Dec 11, 2020•26 min•Ep 287•Transcript available on Metacast 
