Episode list

Republican Senators announce their plan to keep Trump in office and the Senate runoff in Georgia has finally arrived. Brian interviews former South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison, who's been on the campaign trail for Jon Ossoff and Rafael Warnock, about whether the GOP's opposition to relief checks is having an impact in the race in Georgia and some promising news about turnout.

Trump incites an insurrection at the US Capitol, Democrats push for his removal from office, and even Republicans have a strong case to make sure that he can never run again. Brian interviews Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman about a Republican effort in PA NOT to seat a Democratic official and his headline-making announcement about a Senate run in 2022.

Josh Hawley commits a major misstep in his attempt to save face after helping incite an insurrection and Twitter rightfully bans Trump for using the platform to cause violence. Brian interviews Marc Elias, the lawyer who beat Trump and his allies in the more than 60 post-election court cases, about whether Trump, Don Jr., or Rudy Giuliani could be charged with sedition, why the insurrectionists were only charged with disorderly conduct, and whether a self-pardon by Trump would hold up.

Mitch McConnell is already trying to block Democrats from taking power in the Senate, Ted Cruz commits an almost impossibly humiliating misstep, and Brian interviews former Obama speechwriter and host of Pod Save America, Jon Favreau, about their options to deal with McConnell's power grab, whether OAN and Newsmax should get credentials during the Biden era, and much more.

There have been new revelations about the "QAnon Congresswoman," Marjorie Taylor Greene, that have led to calls for her expulsion; outrage over cancel culture has swept across the right; and Brian interviews Al Franken about the calls for certain lawmakers and Senators to be removed from Congress, whether he'd support it, and the MAGA wing of the party trying to oust the establishment Republicans.

Freshman Republican lawmaker Lauren Boebert is accused of a bombshell campaign finance violation and Matt Gaetz pulls a desperate stunt at the first committee hearing of the new Congress. Brian interviews the host of The Mehdi Hasan Show about Lou Dobbs' surprise firing from Fox, whether Marjorie Taylor Greene should be expelled from Congress, and Trump's upcoming impeachment trial.

Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman announces his candidacy to run for US Senate in 2022. John discusses his platform, his message to Republicans ahead of Trump's impeachment trial, and - at 6'8" - his size.

Trump's second impeachment trial concludes and Mitch McConnell pulls a shameless stunt after the acquittal. Brian interviews Al Franken about Trump's defense lawyers - with Al even doing some character work.

Texas' power grid fails, Texans are now contending with surging electricity bills, and Ted Cruz flees the scene. Brian interviews the host of Fox LA's "The Issue Is" Elex Michaelson about whether this situation will have an impact on Ted Cruz's future and whether polarization means that politicians can basically do anything without political consequences.

Dangerous voter suppression bills are sprouting up across the country, and eliminating the filibuster is the way to fix it. Brian interviews Elizabeth Warren about those very issues of voter suppression and nuking the filibuster, along with eliminating $50,000 in student loan debt, and barring Trump from holding office again using the 14th Amendment.

Democrats pass the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package while failing to include a $15 minimum wage, while Republicans confront their own priority of complaining about Dr. Seuss. Brian interviews Congressman Ro Khanna about the $15 minimum wage and eliminating the filibuster.

The American Rescue Plan has been signed into law and Republicans pulled a ridiculous stunt in response to it. Brian interviews White House press secretary Jen Psaki about when money is going out the door, Republican efforts to take credit for the bill's passage, whether Biden not signing stimulus checks was a missed opportunity, and how the White House plans on getting other legislation passed over the 60-vote hurdle in the Senate.

Brian discusses how the filibuster works now and what reforming it would look like, along with some major updates on Senators who have suddenly switched their positions on it. He also interviews Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer about the state of reforming the filibuster, whether the whole Democratic caucus is getting on board, confirming liberal judges to the courts, and a certain easter egg in the American Rescue Plan that's going to impact a lot of people.

Republicans pass a dangerous new voter suppression law in Georgia. Brian interviews Senator Amy Klobuchar about the filibuster (including how her own position evolved on it and whether she can help convince the Democratic holdouts to follow her lead), passing the For the People Act, the spate of recent shootings, and even how her relationship is doing with her campaign rival, Pete Buttigieg.

Joe Biden introduces the American Jobs Plan. Brian interviews Joe Biden's top economic adviser, the Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, about this new package, how to stop Republicans from inevitably trying to take credit for it, calls from progressives who say it needs to be bigger, and whether we might actually see high speed rail become a reality.

Joe Manchin has once again changed his position on the filibuster. Brian interviews legal analyst and prosecutor Glenn Kirschner about Matt Gaetz's rapidly devolving scandal, including a glaring hole in his story and how a pardon might still factor in.

There is a new push to expand the Supreme Court, including some moves by both Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, along with a certain nightmare scenario if they don't expand the Court. Brian interviews US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo about the American Jobs Plan, how to push back against China, and how Republican opposition to this bill will hurt their constituents most.

The House has passed a bill granting statehood for Washington, D.C., and Brian debunks all of the arguments AGAINST it. Brian interviews Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton from Washington, D.C. about statehood passing the House, getting the Democratic holdouts on board, and her response to those Republicans who've publicly opposed it. And finally, Brian chats with Fox LA host Elex Michaelson about the California recall and Caitlyn Jenner's entrance into the race, and what Manchin and Sinema stand to gain by protecting the filibuster.

Republicans get caught in the act of lying about some bogus scandals. Brian interviews Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about the best way to sell the American Jobs Plan to Republicans, his response to Ted Cruz falling asleep during Biden's address to a joint session of Congress, and about how to reconcile his appearances on Fox with their ramped up efforts to spread disinformation. And Brian chats with longtime congressional and campaign adviser and founder of ODAction and @advocacy, Stuart Perelmuter, about the results of the census and about Biden's congressional address.

Mitch McConnell makes a fatal mistake with an ill-timed comment and the Republican Party's attempt to purge Liz Cheney from its leadership has major implications moving forward. Brian makes an announcement about one of his own projects that's several months in the making. Angelo Carusone, the president and CEO of Media Matters, joins for an interview about Fox News' lunge off the deep end and what steps we can actually take to stop them. And Run for Something co-founder Amanda Litman joins to discuss how her organization is rebuilding the Democratic Party from the ground up.

Liz Cheney has officially been ousted from Republican leadership and Kevin McCarthy gets caught trying to play both sides of the coin. Brian interviews DNC chair Jaime Harrison about what they're doing to push back against the spate of voter suppression bills across the country and his response to Ted Cruz calling HR1 "Jim Crow 2.0." And Brian chats with host of Zerlina. on Peacock's The Choice and the head of progressive programming for SiriusXM, Zerlina Maxwell, about rightwing media fostering vaccine hesitancy and whether Cheney's ouster will push any Republicans out of the party.

Republicans block the January 6 commission even after their own demands were met during negotiations. Brian interviews Congressman Tim Ryan about his viral speech debating the creation of this commission, as well as his US Senate run for the open seat in Ohio. And Brian chats with FOX LA host Elex Michaelson about the benefits of a $15 minimum wage.

Republicans have filibustered the January 6 commission in the Senate, and are setting the stage to refuse to certify Democratic wins in 2022 and 2024. Brian interviews Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs about the Cyber Ninja "audit" in Maricopa County and the Republican effort to strip her of her powers. And Brian chats with longtime congressional aide Stuart Perelmuter about Marjorie Taylor Greene and how worried Democrats should be about her rise.

Democrats finally fight back with a major win in Texas, and Joe Biden actually called out some Democratic holdouts on the filibuster. Brian interviews a member of the Texas state House, James Talarico, who himself was part of the walkout that killed Texas' voter suppression law. And Brian chats with Run for Something co-founder Amanda Litman about her reaction to the fact that a number of those Texas legislators were endorsed by her organization, and whether these voter suppression bills sprouting up are actually causing more Democrats to run for office.

Republicans signal defeat in a major concession regarding one of the worst voter suppression bills in the country. Brian interviews Beto O'Rourke about what's being done to fix the problems from 2020 when certain Texas counties swung to the right and whether a run for governor is in the works. And Brian chats with Leah Greenberg, the co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, about a major new effort that the group just launched.

There is finally some movement with Joe Manchin and the For the People Act. Brian interviews the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge about the infrastructure package and when the White House would consider passing it without Republican support. And Brian chats with the founder of Strike PAC, Rachel Bitecofer, about a new way for Democrats to go on offense against Republicans.

They look to next steps on the For The People Act now that Republicans have blocked debate on the bill, as well as the dual infrastructure proposals making their way through Congress. Brian interviews a member of the Pennsylvania state House, Brian Sims, about his viral moment when Republicans cut his mic, along with the possibility of an Arizona-style audit in PA. And Brian chats with the host of FOX LA, Elex Michaelson, about the infrastructure bills and what's next for Joe Manchin and the filibuster.

An ExxonMobil lobbyist is caught revealing some closely guarded secrets on a recorded Zoom call, the effects of climate change are ravaging the US and Canada, and Pelosi decides to move forward with a House Select Committee to investigate the events of January 6. Our first Republican guest - Congressman Adam Kinzinger - joins to discuss that very committee and the future of his party. And Brian chats with the hosts of Swing Left's podcast "How We Win," Steve Pierson and Mariah Craven, about the Supreme Court decision limiting the Voting Rights Act even further and what Swing Left is doing ahead of 2022 and beyond.

Fox News and Republicans undergo a coordinated effort to discourage their own supporters from getting the life-saving COVID vaccine. Brian interviews Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm about the likelihood of the American Jobs Plan passing, whether McConnell's bad faith behavior is pushing the White House away from seeking bipartisanship, and whether the bill does enough to combat climate change in the wake of record heat. And longtime Capitol Hill veteran Stuart Perelmuter joins to discuss Virginia's Republican gubernatorial candidate getting caught giving his real views on abortion.

Texas Democrats fled the state to block Republicans from passing a voter suppression bill and finally held a highly-anticipated meeting with Joe Manchin. Brian interviews one of the Texas Democrats himself, James Talarico, about his viral interview with a Fox News host, his response to Ted Cruz's criticism, and the likelihood of him and his colleagues getting arrested if they returned home. And Brian talks with epidemiologist and host of the podcast "America Dissected" Dr. Abdul el-Sayed about COVID and whether Republicans are ultimately just hurting themselves by opposing the vaccine.

Fox News and some high profile Republicans miraculously decide to soften their tones on the COVID vaccine. Brian interviews Congressman Eric Swalwell about the GOP's rejection of the January 6 Committee and his response to Kevin McCarthy who opposed this committee while having bragged about the Benghazi Select Committee because it hurt Hillary Clinton. And Executive Director of Florida Rising Andrea Mercado joins to discuss the best way to bring Florida's Latino population back into the Democratic Party and whether the GOP's fear mongering about socialism is actually effective there.

Trump gets rebuked twice after trying to put his finger on the scales. Brian interviews Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) about his thoughts on a number of Republicans testifying for the January 6 committee, including Trump, Kevin McCarthy, and Jim Jordan; how to pass voting rights legislation despite Manchin's opposition to the filibuster; and his introduction of the National Security Powers Act to finally put the power back in Congress' hands to declare war. And West Virginia's Richard Ojeda joins to talk about the best way to deal with his fellow West Virginian Joe Manchin, how Democrats can get elected in red districts and states, and his response - as an Army vet - to conservative pundits mocking law enforcement officials over January 6.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis takes a victory lap as Florida's COVID cases surge. Brian interviews Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman about the infamous Trump-Ukraine phone call that he listened in on, which led to Trump's impeachment; whether he sees a link between how Republicans treated him and how Republicans treated the Capitol Police after January 6; and his thoughts on Trump running for president in 2024. And New York Times op-ed contributing writer Kara Swisher joins to discuss disinformation on both Fox News and Facebook.

School boards begin to fight back against Republican governors and their lax approach to COVID. The Senate passes the infrastructure bill, in part thanks to Mitch McConnell's ulterior motives. Brian interviews Mary Trump about the possibility that Donald runs again in 2024 and whether they'll see support for him drop off now that he's been out of office for some time. And FOX LA host Elex Michaelson joins to discuss the California recall and what a Republican win could mean for the state.

The US pulls out of Afghanistan amid the country's fall to the Taliban, the media drops the ball in its desperation to cry failure, and Fox News plays both sides of the coin. Brian interviews congressman Joaquin Castro from Texas and his brother, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, for an in-person interview in Texas about the infrastructure package, Governor Abbott's COVID diagnosis, and their message to the Texas Democrats who fled the state for Washington, DC. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg also joins to discuss Governor Abbott's restrictions on his city and what the locals are doing to push back, and the results delivered to the people of San Antonio thanks to the Biden administration.

Pfizer's COVID vaccine gets full approval by the FDA and Republicans pull a shameless stunt in response to that, and a fight is brewing among Democrats for September as far as the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill are concerned. Brian interviews California Governor Gavin Newsom about the recall election and what's at stake if a Republican wins the race. And Pod Save America and Pod Save the World co-host Tommy Vietor joins to discuss Afghanistan and the media's coverage of it, and the significance of Tucker Carlson's recent visit with Hungary's Viktor Orban.

The Supreme Court allows Texas' 6-week abortion ban, SB8, to stand, functionally gutting Roe v. Wade. Brian interviews two state representatives from Texas; Gina Hinojosa, about the legal implications of this new law, and Ina Minjarez, about the political implications.

Biden mandates vaccines for roughly 100 million Americans, and there is a promising update on the For The People Act. Brian interviews the Republican Lt. Governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan. And the new president of the AFL-CIO, Liz Shuler, joins to talk about the top priorities of the biggest federation of unions in the country.

A small group of centrist Democrats nearly sinks one of the most popular provisions of the Build Back Better plan. Brian interviews the governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, who's up for re-election this year, about his approach to COVID and what NJ is doing on voting rights in the face of so many attacks on those rights across the country. And FOX LA host Elex Michaelson joins to debrief on the California recall and what it means for Trumpism moving forward.

A Texas doctor gets sued for violating the state's six-week abortion ban-which may actually be a good thing. Trump gets humiliated again by the results of Arizona's sham audit. Brian interviews Senator Amy Klobuchar, one of the authors of the Senate's new voting rights bill that was crafted with Joe Manchin - the Freedom to Vote Act - about what's in the bill and whether there's any indication that Manchin will support filibuster reform so that it could actually get passed. And Julie Oliver and Mike Siegel, co-founders of Ground Game Texas, join to discuss bringing new voters into the fold with a smart new strategy.

Chaos erupts as Democrats deal with the bipartisan infrastructure package and the reconciliation package. Brian interviews Nancy Northup, the President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing Dr. Braid - the physician who wrote an op-ed admitting he'd given a Texas woman an abortion in violation of the new abortion ban - now that he's being sued. And Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, joins to talk about the work he's doing to help elect Democrats in one of the closest swing states in the nation.

There is finally a resolution to the debt limit crisis. Brian interviews Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe about his upcoming election and a failed stunt that Virginia Republicans tried to pull to get him kicked off the ballot. And the co-founder of Run for Something, Amanda Litman, joins to discuss a major update on recruiting young candidates with the help of Snapchat.

Republicans desperately claim that vaccine mandates are leading to worker shortages. Brian interviews the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, about the state of reconciliation negotiations and what holdouts like Kyrsten Sinema actually want. And former Senator Harry Reid's deputy chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, joins to discuss the filibuster and the political upside and downside for defending it when it comes to Manchin and Sinema.

Democrats finally put a voting rights bill with full Democratic support on the floor for a vote and Biden makes a major statement on the filibuster. Brian interviews Congressman Adam Schiff about the January 6 Commission and whether they're likely to see Trump testify. And The Daily Beast editor-at-large, Molly Jong-Fast, joins to discuss the lopsided media coverage of Democratic and Republican administrations.

Brian interviews White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield about the bill, how the White House intends to pass the rest of its priorities that were left out, and about whether they're doing enough in the face of Republicans dismantling the foundations of our democracy. The mayor of Richmond, Virginia, Levar Stoney, joins to discuss the state of the race between McAuliffe and Youngkin, how the early vote is looking, and what's at stake if Youngkin were to win.

The infrastructure bill finally passes the House. Virginia's election results are in -- we discuss Democrats' losses and how they can fix it moving forward. Brian interviews actor Bradley Whitford about a new documentary he produced about Ady Barkan called "Not Going Quietly." And FOX LA host Elex Michaelson joins to discuss the chaos surrounding Democrats trying to get their agenda passed and the messaging issues that led to Tuesday's election losses.

The media fails to meet this moment with their questions and coverage. Brian interviews legal analyst Glenn Kirschner about the January 6 Committee and Democrats' loss in Virginia. And longtime congressional staffer Stuart Perelmuter joins to discuss Paul Gosar's Twitter threat against AOC and how Democrats should respond to these kinds of things moving forward.

There are some major moves forward for the Build Back Better Act, along with a desperate stunt pulled by Kevin McCarthy. Brian interviews Beto O'Rourke about his bid for governor of Texas, and his message for Greg Abbott over how he's dealt with the power grid and the issue of abortion. And FOX LA host Elex Michaelson joins to discuss how Democrats should sell the BBB Act and how to bring some Biden voters back into the fold.

There is a new COVID variant and the GOP is trying to exploit it for political gain. Brian interviews White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain about the Build Back Better Act, he rebuts some of the most blatant attacks coming from the right on inflation and gas prices, and he offers his response to Kevin McCarthy after his 8.5 hour speech trying to block one of the most popular pieces of legislation of our lifetimes. And the co-founder and executive director of Data for Progress, Sean McElwee, joins to dive into what the polling says as far as the BBB Act is concerned and whether it shows any upside for moderates like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema when it comes to blocking that legislation.

Conservatives on the Supreme Court prepare to gut Roe and Democrats issue messaging surrounding that case and midterms more broadly. Brian interviews Pennsylvania's Democratic candidate for the US Senate, John Fetterman, about Dr. Oz jumping into the race for Republicans and the need to eliminate the filibuster before it's too late. And Michigan Law School professor Leah Litman joins to answer all of legal questions surrounding the Mississippi case at the Supreme Court.