Eye on Congress

Many in the nation were shocked when horrifying photographs appeared of immigration officers on horseback rounding up Haitian asylum seekers at the border last month. To unpack this difficult subject, Mary C. Curtis turned to Patrice Lawrence of UndocuBlack to talk about whether policies differ for white, brown and Black migrants and the overall human toll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gubernatorial elections this week in Virginia and New Jersey showed a huge swing toward Republicans in two states previously thought of as solidly Democratic. The way politicians react to the elections will be hugely significant, and affect everything from the congressional agenda to 2022 recruiting and messaging. CQ Roll Call Elections Analyst Nathan Gonzales joins the Political Theater podcast for his takeaways on 2021's off-off year elections. 11:15 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicole Elam, CEO of the National Bankers Association, and Larry Parks discuss what digital transformation looks like for minority-owned and rural banks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden presented House Democrats with a $1.75 trillion reconciliation framework text this week. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down what was cut from the framework, the rift between progressive and moderate Democrats and what’s next for the reconciliation bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an evenly divided Senate, every senator has the ability to be a kingmaker. But West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin has taken it to the next level. At a time when Democrats in the majority are assembling their Build Back Better legislation, Manchin has had a huge influence on one of the most consequential pieces of it: How to address climate change. And it has placed him at odds with his party. On this episode, CQ Roll Call staff writer Ben Hulac details Manchin's effect on the party's policy package, while we revisit a conversation with Andrea Billups of West Virginia Public Broadcasting for more context on the Mountain State's politics and culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mu Changchun, director-general of China's central bank digital currency project, talks about the country's "wait and see" innovation path and the design of the digital yuan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to reconciliation, reducing the original price tag by $1.5 trillion has left a lot on the floor. President Joe Biden signaled Democrats are close now, or at least closer, to a final package. A Medicare expansion to cover dental, hearing and vision; tax rate increases on corporations and wealthy individuals; and two years of tuition-free community college appear to be left by the wayside. CQ Roll Call's Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman lay out the specifics and discuss the politics of the bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legislative branch consistently misses statutory deadlines, lurching from crisis to crisis, all while sniping at one another in a way that would get most people fired from regular jobs. What are the long-term consequences of operating in perpetual crisis? Is there a way Congress could become boring and efficient? With us to discuss the branch most representative of the American public is Norm Ornstein, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a former Roll Call columnist and a person who knows more about the institution of Congress than most anyone on the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Congress deliberates this week on what should be included in the reconciliation bill, child care and specifically universal pre-K is being debated. Educators, parents and doctors have long advocated for pre-K. Another group has added its voice to the chorus: law enforcement. Mary C. Curtis sits down with Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, the president of the National Sheriffs’ Association, to discuss how early education helps develop life skills. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenny Xia Spradling, the co-founder of Free Will, recounts her journey, why she walked away from her first startup, and how her new big venture has enabled over $1 billion of donations to nonprofits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats have two weeks to meet a self-imposed deadline to pass a reconciliation bill, but a rift between moderate and progressive Democrats over the size of the package remains. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down the latest around the reconciliation bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The team behind the Hulu mini-series “Dopesick,” discusses with Political Theater how they approached a story of monumental tragedy and loss, putting a human touch on the sprawling opioid epidemic that the United States is still in the throes of dealing with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate approved a short-term debt limit patch Thursday night, raising borrowing authority by $480 billion, but the compromise agreement between Senate leaders doesn’t provide much time to reach a longer-term agreement. CQ Roll Call's Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman take a look at the impending showdown over the debt limit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been more than a year since the killing of George Floyd sparked cries for police reform and even defunding. But it has all but stalled on the national level with congressional talks falling apart last month. The timing coincides with the FBI reporting a historic rise in murder rates. Mary C. Curtis speaks with author and professor David Kennedy, director of the National Network for Safe Communities, to understand why and what the next steps should be. Also, 'Equal Time' checks in on COVID-19 vaccine equity with Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who leads President Biden's health equity task force. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden took his pitch for enhanced infrastructure and social safety net spending to Howell, Mich., this week. CQ Roll Call Senior Writer Paul Krawzak also went there and spoke to people in that small town about how they felt about the president, his positions and politics more broadly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dante Disparte, Tonya Evans and Carmelle Cadet, three of the most visible minorities in crypto, talk about digital assets and financial inclusion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House could vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill Friday, but progressive Democrats plan to vote against the measure unless the Senate passes a reconciliation package. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the latest around President Joe Biden's domestic agenda.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court begins its new term on Oct. 4, and the stakes are sky high for the justices, who will hear cases that could usher in sweeping changes on abortion and gun rights, all amid a time of intense political pressure and scrutiny for the high court. CQ Roll Call senior writer and legal affairs correspondent Todd Ruger joins the Political Theater podcast to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Spoke, the CEO of Moves Financial, talks about what it takes to innovate for the gig worker and change labor's relationship to capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House passed a bill that would fund the government through Dec. 3, but it still needs to pass the evenly divided Senate. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down the bill's path in the Senate, if Democrats will end up addressing the debt limit through the reconciliation process and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices