Political Theater
by CQ Roll Call
Have you ever asked, “WTF?,” about politics? Or, “who are these people making decisions about my life?” Political Theater pulls back the curtain on the stunts, antics and motivations that drive Washington. Host Jason Dick and the Roll Call team spotlight the spectacle, the players and what’s going on behind the curtain in Washington’s long-running drama: Congress.
Episodes
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Taxidermy, attack ads, early voting and more: On the road in Iowa and Texas
Jason Dick talks with former Roll Call Editor in Chief Christina Bellantoni, now director of USC Annenberg's Media Center, about her students' recent political reporting trips to Iowa and Texas, where the battle for the House and Senate majorities could be decided.
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How Sha Na Na could help determine the House majority
Jason Dick talks with the latest Roll Call on the Road mission crew, Mary Ellen McIntire and Tom Williams, about what they learned on their reporting trip to Pennsylvania, including interacting with candidates from Scranton to Harrisburg, as well as Sha Na Na frontman and Social Security advocate...
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Alex Gibney and the odyssey of ‘Musk’
Jason Dick talks with Alex Gibney about his new film “Musk,” a documentary about Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. It’s an exploration of how one person accumulated so much power — in the White House, over AI, space exploration, transportation, robotics and more — and asks the question: What…
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Gathering threads: The stories defining the midterm elections
Jason Dick talks with Roll Call campaign writers Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire about their on-the-ground reporting as the midterm general election kicks into high gear; the latest batch of polling in key races; the crazy money being raised and spent; why we're still not done with...
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What a long, strange primary season it’s been
Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales dive into what they learned now that the 2026 congressional primary season is over, whether re-redistricting and midterm conventions will be the new norm, if we can trust polls and how, ultimately, it might still be the economy, stupid.
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Congress punts on big issues
Congress avoided a shutdown fight until December, but passed on several sticky problems it will need to address after Election Day. CQ Roll Editor in Chief Jason Dick and CQ Roll Call Budget Editor David Lerman outline the major fights looming in November in a very special Political Theater and…
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The Roll Call and 535 deep dive on the affordability agenda
Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Political Analyst Susan Davis discuss congressional efforts to address affordability with CQ Roll Call leadership Staff Writer Savannah Behrmann for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.
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The Roll Call and 535 Deep Dive on Surface Transportation Reauthorization
Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Political Analyst Susan Davis discuss surface transportation reauthorization legislation and other transportation-related issues with CQ Roll Call transportation Staff Writer Kelly Livingston for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.
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The Roll Call and 535 Deep Dive on Permitting Reform
Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Editor in Chief Brody Mullins discuss the bipartisan legislative efforts on permitting reform with CQ Roll Call Energy and Environment Staff Writer David Jordan for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.
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The Roll Call and 535 Deep Dive on Cryptocurrency
Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Editor in Chief Brody Mullins discuss major cryptocurrency legislation in the 119th Congress with CQ Roll Call Financial Services Staff Writer Mark Schoeff Jr. for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.
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The dog days are here already for Congress
Jason Dick and Molly Reynolds discuss how history will view the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., how congressional illnesses are starting to affect the institution, why things are getting stuck in both chambers, and what a weird time it is for the legislative branch.
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Sean Astin on being a leader during a time of upheaval
Jason Dick talks with film legend Sean Astin, the president of SAG-AFTRA, about his deep connections to Washington, D.C., public service, the issues he is advocating on Capitol Hill and meeting the moment at a pivotal time in human history.
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No more ‘Idiocracy’ references please; let's talk about the ads
Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee discuss the big UFC bout at the White House, the relationship between President Donald Trump and combat sports and entertainment and the expansion of Brandon's media empire, Recommend If You Like.
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Rory Kennedy and the art of the documentary sequel
Jason Dick talks with filmmaker Rory Kennedy about her new documentary, "Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing," a sequel to her 2022 "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing" and how, despite a very public airing of the company's quality control failings after numerous crashes, so little has changed and…
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DC/DOX Film Festival: A kaleidoscope of America and beyond
Jason Dick talks with Sky Sitney about this year's DC/DOX documentary film festival, which brings a slate of more than 100 nonfiction movies about Billie Jean King, Earth Wind and Fire, AI, a Washington Commanders superfan, Sea Monkeys and even Yugoslavian leader Josip Tito's parrot.
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You can't always get what you want, politics edition
Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about Super Junesday, with its reality-tv-infused results in California, missing persons intrigue in New Jersey and dusting of Rep. Dusty Johnson, among many, many results.
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The sometimes fleeting status of Roll Call's Most Vulnerable Incumbent list
It's been a weird election cycle, and one only has to look at Roll Call's Most Vulnerable Incumbents list to see the multiple storylines playing out. Jason Dick talks with Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari about who's on the list, who's leaving the list and why making a House list is so...
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Claustrophobic paranoid thriller? Count us in, ‘PH-1’
Jason Dick talks with Mark Kassen, the director, writer and star of the new movie "PH-1," a contemporary political drama whose mix of mystery, social media and taut pacing make it a pretty good encapsulation of our fraught time.
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A White House Correspondents Dinner like no other
Jason Dick talks with George Condon, long-time White House reporter, historian and a past president of the White House Correspondents Association, about Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner, putting the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump into the context of the century-old...
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‘Shall I project a world?’ — ‘The Crying of Lot 49’ episode
Real estate magnates, secret societies, alternative means of communicating, psycheledic drugs used as therapy? It's not our world; it’s the world of Thomas Pynchon’s ”The Crying of Lot 49.”Jason Dick, Sean Carswell and Alan Tuszynski discuss Silent Tristero’s Empire and whether we’re living in it.
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The numbers that define Congress
Jason Dick and Molly Reynolds discuss the Brookings Institution’s latest update to Vital Statistics on Congress, the recent resignations of two members of the House for alleged misconduct and whether the legislative branch is truly representative of the U.S. population.
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How much does the Homeland Security shutdown matter to the public?
Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman wonder what members of Congress are doing on their two-week recess, coming as it does while the Homeland Security Department isn't being funded by Congress, as well as what they did, and observed, on recent trips back home to Arizona and Ohio, respectively.
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March madness, gladness or sadness? Breaking down the month's congressional primaries
Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about what we learned from March's congressional primaries in Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, as well as special elections and what to expect as the primary season takes a little break before revving back up in May.
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Everything is being disrupted
Jason Dick and Brody Mullins talk about the ongoing disruption of politics, business and journalism, how history repeats itself, Brody's book and podcast, "The Wolves of K Street" and his new podcast, "The Deciders," which focuses on the lobbying and influence world.
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‘The Bleeding Edge’ bleeds into 2026
Jason Dick and Sean Carswell discuss Thomas Pynchon's 2013 novel "Bleeding Edge," and how its story about the dot-com bubble and 9/11 applies to the present day, with politics and society dominated by AI, technology and venture capitalism firms running wild and the national security apparatus...
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That's entertainment! Or not. State of the Union 2026
Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee discuss the artistic merits of the 2026 State of the Union, whether Hollywood or Washignton is the entertainment capital and the reasons for sitting through President Donald Trump’s one hour, 47-minute, 43-second event.
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Spotlight on the National Press Club, and its new president
Jason Dick and Mark Schoeff Jr. talk about Mark's new position as president of the National Press Club and the club's mission, press freedoms, how politicians and journalists interact and explain how legendary Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady fits into all this.
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Dishing about the Washington Press Club Foundation dinner
Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman digest their experience at the Washington Press Club Foundation dinner, which came at a time of trauma for the national press and frayed nerves in the nation's capital.
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Forecast shows chance of snow, shutdown
The ongoing conflict in Minneapolis has increased the chances of a partial government shutdown, and the stress of finding a solution is only building, with talk of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem circulating, the public souring on the administration's immigration actions and a...
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Contempt for the Clintons?
Jason Dick and Todd Ruger unpack the politics of a congressional committee's pursuit of Contempt of Congress charges against Bill and Hillary Clinton, how the process works, who's been prosecuted before for Contempt of Congress and why, and, of course, how it all relates to the Epstein files.
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‘All the pieces matter’ in politics, just not equally
Jason Dick and Mary Ellen McIntire look at the biggest political news of the new year and discuss how big a deal it is for the 2026 midterm election cycle, from Alaska's Senate race to Greenland -- and don't worry, they eventually discuss non-Polar climes.
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The good, the bad and the meh: What we're watching in 2026
In politics, there is a lot going on, it can be hard to focus. But some polling and economic indicators are good guideposts for what is shaping the electorate as the 2026 campaign gets under way. Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about their favorite numbers to peruse, as well as some of their...
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A most consequential year for Congress
The first session of the 119th Congress has been consequential: the legislative branch ceded much of its constitutional responsibilities to the executive branch, senators changed the process for confirming presidential nominees, and the House rank and file grew more emboldened to sidestep their...
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Buy the 'Shadow Ticket,' take the ride
Thomas Pynchon's latest novel, "Shadow Ticket," has a lot to say about politics, so Jason Dick checks in with Sean Carswell, the official Pynchon scholar of the Political Theater podcast.
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Can Congress save itself?
Despite its propensity for making itself look bad, some of the inner workings of Congress reveal lawmakers who are finding ways to work together. Can they cut through the noise and solve some real problems? Jason Dick and Justin Papp discuss the changing institution and the people who make it, or...
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The re-re-redistricting chronicles
Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about how multiple rounds of redistricting congressional boundaries and the lawsuits surrounding them are making a weird year and weird election cycle even weirder.
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There is no such things as an off-year in politics
Jason Dick talks with Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire about the new Roll Call Most Vulnerable Incumbent list, Tuesday night's election results and the latest rounds of redistricting.
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Taking the ‘Vineland’ express to ‘One Battle After Another’
Jason Dick and Sean Carswell discuss how Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland” led to Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie “One Battle After Another,” the conversation those two works have about American culture and politics, as well as the 1960s left, the Nixonian right, Reaganism, the drug war, Trumpism…
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Immigration, race and ‘One Battle After Another'
Jason Dick and Chris Johnson talk about how immigration and racial issues frame the action and plot in the Paul Thomas Anderson movie "One Battle After Another," the salience of those issues in American history and culture and why movies still matter.
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An Orwell movie for Orwellian times
Jason Dick talks with filmmaker Raoul Peck about his documentary "Orwell: 2+2=5," the importance of stepping back from the news cycle to keep things in context and how degrading language leads to degrading humanity.
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The great 'meh': Scenes from a shutdown
Jason Dick and Mary Ellen McIntire talk about how the government shutdown hasn't created much urgency on Capitol Hill, even though the effects could be significant, why each party thinks they have the upper hand and how it might play in upcoming races like the Virginia governor's race, where a…
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Let’s get existential
Jason Dick and Molly Reynolds talk about the most significant things Congress has done this year and what kind of ripple effects could follow, as well as how lawmakers disenfranchise themselves when it comes to putting in the work.
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They seem fine: Life After Congress
Poetry readings, brewing beer, helping out kids: Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman talk about Roll Call’s revived Life After Congress feature and what former members do with their time, then they round it out with a little wisdom from Henry Cabot Lodge.
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Discharge petition: congressional procedure or great band name?
Jason Dick and Nathan Gonzales talk about the promise and perils of re-redistricting, what it's like to be in Washington right now, why people quit, and why they want to come here, and string it all together with musings about Exogol and good hard-core band names.
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How Democrats hope to flip the script on energy as a campaign issue
Jessica Wehrman talks with David Jordan of CQ Roll Call about how energy affordability could become a sleeper issue in next year's midterm elections.
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Off to the redistricting races
Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari discuss how a potential new congressional map in Texas could set off a race among other states to redraw their own maps, and how that might affect the 2026 midterm elections.
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Six months in, a gut check on Trump 2.0
Talking Epstein, congressional chaos and the Senate races to watch with Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections.
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Rush job: Life in Congress
Jason Dick and Mary Ellen McIntire talk about what happens when Congress tries to do too much in too short a period of time, how Republicans and Democrats do agree on one big thing and what life is like in the basement of the Capitol.
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'We had time back then'
Jason Dick and Chris Cillizza talk about the time needed to produce quality sourcing, good work and journalism, how the news business continues to change, for better and worse, and Damon Chappie's sighs.
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The ‘rock and roll poetry’ of Joe Iconis’ Hunter S. Thompson musical
Jason Dick talks with Joe Iconis about what led him to write "The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical," how much the world changed during that time, playing Thompson's piano at Owl Farm and taking some comfort in how things get better and worse, better and worse.
About this show
Have you ever asked, “WTF?,” about politics? Or, “who are these people making decisions about my life?” Political Theater pulls back the curtain on the stunts, antics and motivations that drive Washington. Host Jason Dick and the Roll Call team spotlight the spectacle, the players and what’s going on behind the curtain in Washington’s long-running drama: Congress.
Hosted by
CQ Roll Call
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