Eye on Congress

Coil CEO Stefan Thomas talks to Chris Brummer about how he stored 7,002 Bitcoins in a digital wallet, only to forget the password. Plus, what lessons he thinks his case holds for the crypto industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We began this series last year to examine how the pandemic was influencing public policy decisions. This week we are reprising some of our episodes to mark the one-year anniversary of the moment when most Americans realized the magnitude of the threat and states began to shut down. We begin with housing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Latino vote played a big part in President Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in November, especially in battleground states like Arizona and Nevada. In others, Latino voters helped oust Democratic incumbents. So, is there a Latino voting bloc? CQ Roll Call's Shawn Zeller tried to answer that question with Carlos Odio the founder, EquisLabs, a firm that uses data to get at what motivates America’s diverse Latino community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Virgin Islands Del. Stacey Plaskett took center stage last month as a House manager in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, America took note. A star was born. In the latest episode of Equal Time, Mary C. Curtis talks with Plaskett about the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, her work on the House Ways and Means Committee, inequities in infrastructure and education, and even hip-hop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Look no further than Congress to hear gripes about gridlock and the lack of bipartisanship. But based on whom the voters are sending to Washington, it’s not a big shock: Barely a statistically significant number of members of Congress represent House districts or Senate seats that voted for someone in the other political party for president. CQ Roll Call Elections Analyst and Inside Elections Publisher Nathan Gonzales and Political Theater host Jason Dick discuss a trend that is pushing the partisanship and punishing problem solvers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that the House has passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, the Senate will take it up this week in what is likely to be a party-line vote. But the Senate may make changes to the bill, such as scrapping an increase to a $15 minimum wage and shifting $350 billion for states and localities. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down the latest on the bill and look ahead to the upcoming vote-a-rama in the Senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emory law professor Kristin Johnson joins former Commodity Futures Trading Commission general counsel Patrick McCarty and Columbia University’s Josh Mitts to talk about fairness, hedge funds and social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a meeting Friday that marks the final hurdle before the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be approved for use, the FDA's independent advisers are reviewing whether to recommend the third COVID-19 vaccine. CQ Roll Call's Emily Kopp has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first House Foreign Affairs Committee markup of the new Congress, a State Department authorization bill passed for the first time in almost two decades. CQ Roll Call's Rachel Oswald has the details on what has tanked the bill in the past and the likelihood of it getting a vote on the House and Senate floors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vivek Murthy and Rachel Levine, nominees for two of the Biden administration’s top health posts, told senators they would follow scientific recommendations and ensure health equity if given the opportunity to help lead the COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery. CQ Roll Call reporter Ariel Cohen reports on the top issues brought up by members of the Senate HELP Committee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent extreme climate event in Texas slammed many cities and towns throughout the state, but, as is the case in most natural disasters, communities of color were most affected. This has been a trend in the country, with many of these communities still feeling the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey – as well as man-made disasters such as the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. What is the cause of the disproportionate impact, and what policies can reverse this pattern?  Chrishelle Palay and Justin Onwenu join this episode of Equal Time. Palay runs the HOME coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for equitable recovery from natural disasters, while Onwenu is an environmental justice organizer for the Sierra Club and an appointee to the DNC’s Environment and Climate Crisis Council. With host Mary C. Curtis, each discusses the issue of environmental injustice not only in Texas, but across the country, and why long-standing inequities demand grassroots activism and change in local, state and federal policies. 

Tribal leaders delineated the major issues facing Native American communities nationwide this week, including health care access and climate change issues. CQ Roll Call reporter Michael Macagnone reports on the policy gains for tribal communities under the Biden administration and the biggest issues they still face. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a busy few years for Rep. Madeleine Dean, the Pennsylvania Democrat elected to the House in 2018. The lawyer and professor was part of a historic wave of women elected who put the chamber back in Democratic control. She wrote a book with her son about his opioid addiction. She served as an impeachment manager for the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. And she is now being mentioned as a possible Senate contender for the seat that retiring Republican Pat Toomey is vacating in 2022. Jim Saksa talked to Dean and her son Harry Cunnane about their new book, “Under Our Roof.” And then we discuss with Saksa and Bridget Bowman about where Dean fits into Pennsylvania politics on the latest Political Theater podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration’s 100-day deportation moratorium was blocked indefinitely in court on Tuesday night. CQ Roll Call immigration reporter Suzanne Monyak reports on the sharp blow to Biden’s effort to hit reset on the government’s immigration enforcement priorities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, on Tuesday appeared for his first of two Senate confirmation hearings before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. CQ Roll Call health care reporter Mary Ellen McIntire reports on his testimony as Republican senators needle his record. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Mexico Democrat Deb Haaland would be the first Native American to serve as secretary of the Interior Department if she is confirmed by the Senate. At a hearing on Tuesday, Haaland faced questions from GOP senators from oil, gas and coal states on her views on fossil fuel energy. Reporter Ben Hulac has more on the hurdles for her nomination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration’s new programs to get COVID-19 vaccines to pharmacies, long-term care centers and other sites are meant to ease state vaccine distribution — but in some cases they are having the opposite effect. States are calling for more coordination. CQ Roll Call health care reporter Ariel Cohen has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neera Tanden, the nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget, is facing an uphill battle to get confirmed after multiple senators, including West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin III, came out against her nomination. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down where the opposition comes from, what her chances of getting confirmed are and who would be a likely replacement if the White House can’t get enough votes to confirm her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyckr CEO Ian Henderson joins the show to share the company's latest report canvasing where anti-money laundering enforcement has taken off and why. Plus: Do local authorities tend to target international companies? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland's confirmation hearing was a preview of coming policy fights in Congress. Among those are gun control, police accountability and voting rights. Listen to Todd Ruger's report for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices