Eye on Congress

Dennis Kelleher, the CEO of Better Markets and point man for investor advocacy in D.C., provides an insider account of the GameStop hearings — and what comes next at the SEC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawmakers are bracing for a hectic few months, with President Biden’s budget request expected by Memorial Day, House committee markups in June, and a potential reconciliation bill for Biden’s infrastructure, education and child care plans. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Peter Cohn discuss everything coming down the pike over the next few months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heading into the 2022 midterm elections, history and redistricting favor House Republicans. But even with built-in advantages, there are some wild cards to consider, particularly former President Donald Trump’s effect and some internal party drama that threatens to spill into public view. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do paying taxes and racial equity have to do with one another? As it turns out, quite a lot since American tax policy is written in a way that keeps Black Americans impoverished, according to Professor Dorothy Brown, author of  “The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans — And How We Can Fix It." Brown, who has been trying to make this point for decades is finally being heard. This week, we delve into the world of taxes and racism and listen to the compelling research, data and narrative that Dorothy Brown has put together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New analysis from Penn Wharton finds that President Biden’s family aid package — which would expand child care, education and more — would cost more than advertised if passed, and the proposed tax increases won’t raise as much as expected. Doug Sword reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sopnendu Mohanty, Singapore’s fintech chief, breaks down Partior, the “watershed” blockchain-based platform for cross-border payments announced by JPMorgan Chase, Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and DBS Group Holdings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden outlined his plan for spending big on key areas in his prime-time address to Congress, calling for over $4 trillion in new spending with tax hikes on corporations and upper-income households. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the hurdles Democrats will face trying to pass the proposal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It is deeply broken." That is the overall assessment of the process and policy to let refugees into the country from the former head of the agency in charge of immigration. Both sides of the aisle likely agree with Doris Meissner, a senior fellow with the Migration Policy Institute. CQ Roll Call's Shawn Zeller takes a deep dive into the current policies on refugees and what needs to come next.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark McKinnon, long-time political adviser and current co-host of the Showtime political documentary series The Circus joins Political Theater to discuss President Joe Biden’s approach to the art of the possible, the president's move from transitional to transformational figure, the “Manch Cam” focus on West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin III and how politics has “snorted a bag of methamphetamines.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jaime Harrison gained national attention last year when he broke fundraising records running against South Carolina incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham. While Harrison didn't win the election, his candidacy gave notice that the Old South is now the New South. Curtis sits down with the DNC Chair and talks race, his grandfather's life lesson, and what 2022 -- yes 2022 -- may hold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ed Nalbantian and Mark Rasmussen join the podcast to compare crypto custody in the EU and US—and whether custodians have to return forked cryptoassets to account holders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate Republicans unveiled a five-year, $568 billion infrastructure proposal on Thursday that they hope can be a starting point for negotiations with Democrats. Senate Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders says the proposal “goes nowhere near what has to be done to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.” CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the disconnect between the parties and the likelihood of this being a bipartisan effort or a package that Democrats have to pass through reconciliation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been 30 years since the world saw Rodney King on video being beaten by Los Angeles police officers. Since then, the list of Black people killed at the hands of police has grown -- Eric Garner, Daunte Wright and Ma’Khia Bryant, the 16-year old Black girl shot hours before Chauvin was pronounced guilty of murdering George Floyd. Mary C. Curtis speaks to activist and podcast host DeRay McKesson on how to challenge the power of the police and how policies can be changed for the better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's no secret that in the corridors of power there is a struggle for the soul of the Democratic Party. While Joe Biden won the presidency, there certainly wasn't a blue wave. Moreover, House Democrats lost seats, and while they hold a slim-majority in the Senate, infighting in the party has presented challenges in President Biden's agenda. CQ Roll Call's Shawn Zeller speaks to Donna Shalala and Ben McAdams, Democrats who lost their seats, to talk about why and what's next for the party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Executive recruiter David Richardson joins the show to talk about where the fintech jobs are, and what sectors have been most impacted by the industry's explosive growth.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Institutes of Health announced it would loosen restrictions on using fetal tissue in biomedical research and revert to the process in place before 2019. Here’s CQ Roll Call health care reporter Sandhya Raman on Friday’s announcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats are struggling to decide whether to pursue a bipartisan infrastructure bill or go it alone through another budget reconciliation process. Some are advocating a two-step strategy that combines both approaches, but skeptics abound as Republicans prepare their own slimmed-down version. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down the current state of play over one of President Biden’s top initiatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political money game is changing. Small donor fundraising is at an all-time high, while corporations are holding off on donating in the wake of the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. What do these changes mean for political contributions, and how will they change campaigning going forward? Sheila Krumholz joins us this week to discuss the long view. She's the director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money and advocates for curtailing its influence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration released a proposed rule on Wednesday that would reinstate eligibility for federal family planning funds to organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals — a move that would directly affect groups like Planned Parenthood. Here’s CQ Roll Call health care reporter Sandhya Raman on the reactions to this rule and the likelihood that it faces a challenge in court. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A handful of states are looking to draw their legislative maps amid the wait for census data, raising concerns about transparency in the process. Michael Macagnone reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices