PODCAST · news
Politics & Power
by News4Jax and Graham Media Group
The election season is over and News4JAX The Morning Show anchor, Bruce Hamilton, hosts this podcast to give you the pulse of things going on here and across the country in Politics & Power.
Episodes
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Florida’s mid-decade redistricting fight could reshape US House balance in 2026
Florida’s political map is back on the chopping block. Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes mid‑decade redistricting that could hand Republicans up to five new House seats and sideline Democrats for years. What’s at stake for 2026 — and for American democracy?
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Florida’s high-stakes property tax gamble
Florida is facing a potentially historic battle over how homes and local governments are funded. Host Bruce Hamilton speaks with News4Jax political analyst Rick Mullaney about what's at stake.
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States fight back as Trump moves to seize control of election systems
President Donald Trump wants to “nationalize” American elections — and state officials from both parties are sounding the alarm. From FBI raids to voter-roll demands and talk of ICE at the polls, on Politics & Power, we break down how the battle over who runs U.S. elections could reshape…
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Legal scholars divided on Trump’s use of executive power. Overreach or tradition?
President Donald Trump’s use of executive power has sparked a fierce debate among legal scholars, and we'll tackle the topic on this week's episode of Politics & Power with Jacksonville University political analyst Matt Corrigan.
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What’s the real agenda behind Trump’s annexation agenda?
Nancy Soderberg, a former United Nations ambassador and the director of the Public Service Leadership Program at UNF, joins Bruce Hamilton on Politics & Power this week to see if President Donald Trump is trying to gain the upper hand with China or even truly has an expansionist agenda.
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Supreme Court faces big Trump cases in 2026, testing judicial independence
Chief Justice John Roberts quietly defended the courts’ independence by focusing on history, not politics at the end of 2025. But the real test is coming in 2026, when the Supreme Court will decide if President Donald Trump can change major laws on citizenship, trade, and the Federal Reserve…
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Presidency of max force reshapes America, the world one year into Trump’s 2nd term
President Donald Trump’s first year back in the White House has seen record-low illegal crossings, a U.S.-backed ouster of Venezuela’s president, and sweeping moves to expand presidential power. Is American democracy being pushed to the breaking point?
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Is President Trump’s Venezuela gambit a return to America’s imperial past?
President Donald Trump’s invasion of Venezuela and overthrow of the Venezuelan government is raising the question: Will it embolden him to execute other such radical acts? Jonathan Katz, author of the book “Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines and the Making and Breaking of...
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Pope Leo XIV’s playbook maintains same faith, but makes sharper moves
Christopher White, a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University and former Vatican correspondent, joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton for this week’s episode of “Politics & Power” to talk about Pope Leo XIV — an American pope who keeps Church teachings but changes the playbook.
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2026 battles over taxes, budgets, home rule loom between Jacksonville, Tallahassee
It’s Jacksonville vs. Tallahassee, and it all plays out when the Florida Legislature convenes in January. Jacksonville’s central 2026 challenge is defending fiscal autonomy and local governance against a state administration pushing top-down fiscal reforms and broader preemption.
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Politicians push to limit immigration — a jobs promise or a self‑inflicted wound?
Political pressure to limit H‑1B visas reflects real voter concerns about jobs, but if enacted broadly, the restrictions could trigger significant economic disruption and legal challenges while testing foundational American commitments to openness and opportunity. Immigration attorney Renata...
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Enough blame to go around for everybody in federal government shutdown
News4JAX political analyst Rick Mullaney joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton to look at ways to end the shutdown stalemate -- and who will take the most blame from voters -- on this week’s episode of Politics & Power.
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How White House ‘compact’ with universities could impact higher education
Princeton University professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton on this week’s Politics & Power to discuss the impact on the university system and student population of the Trump administration's “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education."
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Pivotal Supreme Court term will shape Trump’s power, America’s political landscape
Constitutional law expert Rod Sullivan joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton to break down some major issues before the Supreme Court and how they could have momentous significance.
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Does the Roberts Supreme Court align with the Trump agenda?
Michael Klarman, an American legal historian and constitutional law scholar at Harvard Law School, joined News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton for this week’s “Politics and Power.” They explore the question of whether the Supreme Court is becoming the Trump Court.
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Kamala Harris’ blunt memoir exposes bruised relationships, raises big questions
Political analyst Daniel Cronrath joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton on this week's episode of Politics & Power to analyze the fallout from Kamala Harris' book, "107 Days," and what’s next for the former vice president.
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Are Trump's DOGE efforts really improving efficiency or is it all an illusion?
Attorney Max Stier, who is president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton as they ask whether DOGE’s actions are indeed ill-conceived and chaotic, if there is “efficiency” in DOGE, and what will the cost of DOGE cuts be for the American economy and...
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How Florida joining the national redistricting war could shape the future of Congress, Trump’s agenda
The battle for control of Congress in the midterms might be over before voting starts. It all has to do with the political war that is ongoing concerning redistricting. Florida is closely watching the battle in Texas, and many assume it will follow the Lone Star State’s lead. Florida House…
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Trump makes ‘Orwellian’ moves; DeSantis faces friction among Trump’s inner circle
President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through Washington by firing the Labor Department statistician after weaker-than-normal job numbers, claiming she had rigged the data. Analysts are calling the move ‘Orwellian’ and authoritarian.
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If Florida’s first lady decides to run, can she hold on to slim lead for governor over Trump’s pick?
How do you feel about the issues facing Florida, Florida’s legislative leaders, and the candidates shaping the field in the upcoming gubernatorial race to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis? The UNF Public Opinion Research Lab has the pulse of voters and recently released its latest public opinion poll,...
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President Trump wants Epstein case to vanish, but Epstein’s ghost likely won’t disappear anytime soon
Jeffrey Epstein’s ghost seems to haunt the Trump presidency. For President Donald Trump, the Epstein case lingers. It’s a case steeped in alleged conspiracy and political intrigue. There are reports of the powerful protecting the powerful. Everything seems steeped in secrecy. That includes the...
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How far can President Trump stretch legal boundaries? The real test is yet to come
It is hardly arguable that President Donald Trump is very willing to test legal boundaries. The conservative majority on the Supreme Court seems to be giving him ample leeway. Political analyst and head of the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute Rick Mullaney and JU law professor…
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From threats to attacks, growing trend of politically motivated violence highlights dangerous climate
Is the political temperature in America running into the danger zone? Frankly, research and hard data on political violence aren’t readily available, but a growing trend of threats against public officials can’t be ignored. In 2024 alone, U.S. Capitol Police, who are like the Secret Service for...
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Democrats face harsh reality as voters change party affiliation, Dems need to change their strategy
The two-party system still dominates at the ballot box. And, as the 2024 election bore out, voters still chose a candidate from one of the major parties. But the new reality is that voter registration rolls show that independent and third-party registration are on the rise. In the past 25 years,...
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More questions than answers about a real ceasefire between Israel, Iran
President Donald Trump’s enthusiastic announcement about a ceasefire between Israel and Iran marked the latest wild swing from the president concerning Iran. Political analyst Daniel Cronrath joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton to discuss the latest developments.
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Analyzing the cost of Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ & how it aligns with Project 2025
Let’s talk about that Big Beautiful Bill the House passed, which is now in the Senate’s hands. Political analysts say if you look at the bill closely, yes, it delivers on President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda and cuts taxes. But they question at what cost. The answer is that the cost will be…
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Did Biden deceive the Democratic Party, or were the party’s eyes closed to reality?
Some Democrats say it was a mistake to allow then-President Joe Biden to remain in the 2024 race for as long as they did. A new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, contains some…
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How Pope Leo XIV’s global & domestic influence will be measured, scrutinized as he pledges to unify
Since the United States was founded in 1776, 17 popes have presided over the Catholic Church. Until May 8, 2025, none of the men who held the post in the Vatican had been from the United States. History was made that day when Robert Prevost emerged on the balcony and proclaimed to the thousands…
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DeSantis’ political future in jeopardy? And a rollback on civil rights protections
The political future for Ron and Casey DeSantis seems very precarious. Political analysts say it may even be in jeopardy. In fact, those analysts will tell you their more immediate present may also be in jeopardy. They hoped to establish a dynasty. Then, a scandal tied to Hope Florida surfaced....
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Promises made, promises kept & promises languishing in Trump’s 1st 100 days of 2nd term
April 29 marked 100 days in office for President Donald Trump. His second term in office has moved at a dizzying pace, with Trump enacting executive orders and policies with a fury. Intent on remaking the Executive Branch, he empowered Elon Musk to push aside civil servants and strike fear in the...
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How the Supreme Court is grappling with limiting presidential powers
The U.S. Supreme Court is jumping headfirst into turbulent waters with issues that have become politically divisive. The 18th-century wartime authority to speed deportations known as the Alien Enemies Act is back in the high court’s hands. Less than two weeks after the Supreme Court allowed...
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Can Dems rebrand with new leaders, fresh ideas to regain lost Trump districts?
Since last November’s election, the Democratic Party has been wrestling with several questions: How to bring about a leadership change? How to develop an effective message that resonates with the public? How to get districts that President Donald Trump won to rebrand with the mid-term elections…
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Facts & law or politics? How the DOJ purge could change the legal landscape
Members of the legal community say that President Donald Trump’s “multi-pronged assault” on the Department of Justice, the nation’s major law firms, and the judiciary undermines central tenets of the U.S. justice system. And they don’t stop there. They say the damage will be generational and…
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Mass deportations escalate along with the debate about growing civil rights violations
The Trump administration continues its promise of a mass deportation of immigrants it says are in the country illegally. The problem is that the administration is not going after just the criminal element it said it would target. Look at the headlines on an almost daily basis. There are…
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With Dems in disarray & Trump underwater, Americans are left feeling very uncertain
The Democrats' downward spiral seems to continue as the party is in disarray. Their message... oh wait, they have none. Some are wondering out loud: “Are the Dems broken beyond repair?” Well, look at history and you’ll find out that politics is cyclical. Time to convene the class? OK, here we go....
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Supreme Court wrestles with reverse discrimination, gun makers & nuclear waste
Some of the key cases before the nation’s highest court come into focus this week on Politics & Power. Reverse discrimination One of the cases being tackled has to do with reverse discrimination. At question is whether the U.S. Supreme Court will remove the additional “background circumstances”...
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What’s the end game for President Trump’s dealmaking on Ukraine?
The war between Ukraine and Russia is at a critical crossroads. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are pushing to end the war. But the reality is that within that push lies a dangerous fault line that opens further as Trump rushes to end the war. Issues concerning...
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Casey at bat for 2026? And what’s next for Gov. Ron DeSantis?
Word is Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis is seriously considering a gubernatorial run in 2026. (Although she has not announced anything official yet). Reports first surfaced in an NBC News exclusive report a couple of weeks ago when word got out that Republican donors in Palm Beach County openly...
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Does Elon Musk have the power to alter history with his growing political sway?
He is the world’s richest man. He is also the president’s largest campaign benefactor. His companies have grown on government contracts. And he is calling a lot of the shots in Washington. He is Elon Musk an unelected businessman who has spent the last couple of weeks with his allies tearing...
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Supreme Court’s docket includes pivotal cases on technology, police force, citizenship and free speech
The clock is tick-tocking on the Supreme Court’s latest calendar. Several things before the nation’s highest court have national significance. First, let’s revisit what’s happening with the social media site TikTok. On Jan. 20, the Supreme Court upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign...
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What’s the real reason behind Trump’s annexation agenda?
Now that he is President Donald Trump again, there is still talk about immigration, cabinet confirmations and the economy. But there are a myriad of questions about another focus of the president: What’s been dubbed his “Annexation Agenda.” Trump, in the past, criticized U.S. military involvement...
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President-elect Trump’s politically charged Day One agenda
Inauguration Day is Jan. 20. President-elect Donald Trump and his team made a series of promises that would happen if he were to win the election. No one will argue that 2025 got off to a turbulent start. It leaves the president-elect having to confront a difficult opening to the 2nd Trump...
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If 2024 was a year of political disruption, will 2025 be a year of political reformation?
The future has a history. And while we can’t see into the future, looking into our past can prove powerful. That said, there are two quotes that come to mind. Let’s start with George Bernard Shaw (quoting German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel): “We learn from history that we learn...
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New page being written in Middle East and world history has been likened to ‘fall of Berlin Wall’
The world is watching to see if the Middle East is on the brink of monumental change precipitated by the ouster of Syria’s Bashar Assad. Rebels forced Assad to flee and seek asylum in Moscow, marking a major turning point in the nation’s 14-year civil war and more than 50 years of his family’s...
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Are politicians compromising America’s justice system and at what cost?
The leaders of both major political parties have argued this nation’s justice system is politically biased. President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, after promising he wouldn’t because he felt the Justice Department, his own Justice Department, treated his son unfairly. He said, “raw…
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Trump’s mass deportation plan causes anxiety, delves into uncharted territory
President-elect Donald Trump promised to make immigration a priority on his first day in office. And he has confirmed since winning the election that he plans to declare a national emergency and mount a mass deportation campaign. The promise will come, not through new legislation, not through...
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Biden works to secure legacy with Trump lurking in the wings
President Joe Biden’s goal is to secure his legacy as he spends his last weeks in the White House. While the people in his administration work to prioritize the agenda and emphasize the things that might secure that legacy, they are mindful that Biden’s successor (who was also his predecessor) is...
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Trump’s polarizing Cabinet picks keep generating earthquakes and aftershocks
One political analyst described the flurry of President-elect Donald Trump’s blizzard of Cabinet picks as “MAGA shock & awe.” They could only be described as unorthodox. And it leaves one wondering if this country is about to take a dangerous ride. The earthquake started with appointing the…
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Will Jacksonville political operative Susie Wiles temper Trump from the West Wing?
President-elect Donald Trump is laying out an agenda for his second term in the White House. And with the first female Chief of Staff in history by his side, a lot of people wonder if Susie Wiles, a political operative from Jacksonville, will have a profound impact on the tenor of a second Trump...
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Young voters may hold the key to the Oval Office
Young voters may hold the key to this year’s election and could very well play a decisive role in who is next to occupy the Oval Office. That’s why both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are actively working to court young voters, especially in key battleground states...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Politics & Power have?
Politics & Power currently has 66 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Politics & Power about?
The election season is over and News4JAX The Morning Show anchor, Bruce Hamilton, hosts this podcast to give you the pulse of things going on here and across the country in Politics & Power.
How often does Politics & Power release new episodes?
Politics & Power has 66 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Politics & Power on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Politics & Power?
Politics & Power is created and hosted by News4Jax and Graham Media Group.
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