Episodes

  • “If we miss this opportunity, God help us.” Joe Manchin and Lisa
    Murkowski. Two moderate senators smack in the middle — and on either
    side — of a split 50-50 Senate. On our first episode of Playbook Deep
    Dive, the two friends open up in a rare interview with POLITICO’s
    Burgess Everett. They get personal: about reconciliation, frustration
    over the Senate’s hurdles — even why Murkowski hogs the best fishing
    holes. And Manchin reveals a major endorsement, heard first on this
    show.
    Subscribe to our new weekly politics show, Playbook Deep Dive, wherever
    you listen to podcasts.
    Rachael Bade is a co-author of POLITICO Playbook.
    Burgess Everett is co-congressional bureau chief at POLITICO.
    Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio.
    Jenny Ament is senior producer for POLITICO audio.
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

    Special thanks to Elana Schor, Anthony Adragna and Ben Lefebvre
    SHOW NOTES

    - Democrat Manchin backs Republican Murkowski's reelection, by Burgess
    Everett

  • Presenting a sponsored episode of “Global Translations”: 
    Over the past year, businesses, employees and families across the globe
    were forced to rethink what it means to “go to work.” Now, with the
    COVID-19 vaccine rollout underway, many corporate leaders are focused on
    ensuring the return to work is equitable for all employees.

  • Missing episodes?

    Click here to refresh the feed.

  • In 2006, a young man holding no political office brought down a 180+
    years program and reshaped Congress forever. Scott Bland talks to
    POLITICO magazine reporter Zack Stanton, a former House page who leaked
    transcripts of sexual messages that former Congressman Mark Foley sent
    to teen pages... which resulted in his resignation and torpedoed the
    Republican hold on power for years.

    Scott Bland is a politics editor at POLITICO.
    Zack Stanton is an editor at POLITICO magazine. 
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio.
    Jenny Ament is senior producer for POLITICO audio.
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

    Read the full POLITICO Magazine article here: 
    https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/11/the-page-who-took-down-the-gop-mark-foley-dennis-hastert-213378

  • On a special episode of POLITICO's Nerdcast:

    "It became clear that Scott Pruitt had sought to purchase a used
    mattress from the Trump hotel. And I thought, 'This is not what I
    expected this job would look like.'" At the close of Donald Trump's
    presidency, POLITICO's reporters and editors share their strongest
    memories of the last four years. Shocking moments they witnessed,
    conversations they overheard and what will stay with them forever. Plus,
    new Playbook co-author Tara Palmeri talks to Scott Bland about what she
    really wants to see in Biden's first days in office.

    Scott Bland is a politics editor at POLITICO.
    Tara Palmeri is a POLITICO Playbook co-author. 
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio.
    Jenny Ament is senior producer for POLITICO audio.
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

  • "Off Message" presents Episode 9 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast
    "Global Translations": 

    The pandemic sent shockwaves through a global labor market already
    upended by digitization and the green energy transition. It left tens of
    millions jobless and amplified skills gaps. Even as we spent trillions
    keeping the economy on life support, investment in the skills of the
    future has been scarce. So how do we get the right skills to the right
    people, to get the economy motoring again? Hosts Ryan Heath and Luiza
    Savage speak with experts about these major labor disruptions.
    Ryan Heath is the host of "Global Translations". 
    Luiza Savage is a host of "Global Translations".
    Saadia Zahidi is a managing director at the World Economic Forum.
    Marianne Wanamaker is a economics professor at the University of
    Tennessee and former chief domestic economist on the White House Council
    of Economic Advisors.
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

    Check out Ryan Heath's article on how workers are struggling for skills
    support here: 
    https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/workers-are-struggling-for-skills-support-during-pandemic-455063
    And check out the other POLITICO newsletters: 
    Global Translations:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations
    Weekly Shift (labor): https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-shift
    Transition Playbook:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook
     

  • "Off Message" presents Episode 8 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast
    "Global Translations": 
    [Sponsored Content] As the world looks to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
    emissions to net zero by 2050, the financial sector is playing a
    critical role in facilitating this low-carbon transition through the
    deployment of innovative financing solutions and by rethinking how
    climate risk is analyzed and managed.

  • "Off Message" presents Episode 7 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast
    "Global Translations": 
    What will it take to secure access to the critical minerals we need for
    the future — and can we solve one environmental challenge without
    creating a new one? Hosts Luiza Savage and Ryan Heath talk to political
    leaders around the world about what they are doing to shore up access to
    critical minerals. 
    Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations".
    Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations". 
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.
    Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is Chairman of the Senate Committee on
    Energy and Natural Resources
    Ambassador Kirsten Hillman is Canada’s Ambassador to the United States
    EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is Vice-President of the European
    Commission for Interinstitutional Relations
    Read Luiza Savage's article on how US, Canada & Europe's policymakers
    are scrambling to secure critical minerals to develop clean energy:
    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/09/renewables-mining-clean-energy-443844
    And check out the other POLITICO newsletters: 
    Global Translations:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations
    Morning Energy: https://www.politico.com/morningenergy/
    The Long Game: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/the-long-game
    China Watcher: politico.com/china
    Morning Tech: https://www.politico.com/morningtech/

  • "Off Message" presents Episode 6 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast
    "Global Translations": 
    To understand how essential critical minerals are to our world, we turn
    to a case study: cobalt. This mineral is proving key to the future of
    green energy, defense and high tech manufacturing — not to mention
    electric vehicles. But cobalt has its challenges. Hosts Luiza Savage and
    Ryan Heath look at China’s dominant role in global cobalt mining and the
    serious problems that can arise if other countries can't get enough
    supplies.
    Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations".
    Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations". 
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.
    Nedal T. Nassar is Chief of Materials Flow Analysis Section at the U.S.
    Geological Survey.
    Bryce Crocker is the CEO of Jervois Mining
    Aimee Boulanger is the executive director of Initiative for Responsible
    Mining Assurance (IRMA)
    Read Luiza Savage's article on how America got outmaneuvered in a
    critical mining race:
    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/02/china-cobalt-mining-441967
    And check out the other POLITICO newsletters: 
    Global Translations:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations
    Morning Energy: https://www.politico.com/morningenergy/
    The Long Game: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/the-long-game
    China Watcher: politico.com/china
    Morning Tech: https://www.politico.com/morningtech/
     

  • "Off Message" presents Episode 5 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast
    "Global Translations": 
    The technologies that protect us, move us and power our daily lives
    require mining minerals and metalsin distant places. But access to these
    essential materials is increasingly under threat. Hosts Luiza Savage and
    Ryan Heath talk with experts who are sounding the alarm. 

    Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations".
    Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations". 
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.
    Sharon Burke is a senior advisor for the International Security Program
    and Resource Security Program at New America. 
    Nedal T. Nassar is Chief of Materials Flow Analysis Section at the U.S.
    Geological Survey.
    Tom Duesterberg is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He is an expert
    on trade and foreign policy. 
    Luiza Savage's article on how America's dependence on critical minerals
    from China:
    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/18/china-could-strangle-biden-agenda-437171
    And check out the other POLITICO newsletters: 
    Global
    Translations: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations
    Morning Energy: https://www.politico.com/morningenergy/
    The Long Game: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/the-long-game
    China Watcher: politico.com/china
    Morning Tech: https://www.politico.com/morningtech/

  • "Off Message" presents Episode 3 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast
    "Global Translations": 

    The pandemic and the rise of China are prompting Republicans and
    Democrats to turn to government power to grow industries important to
    America’s security and place in the world. “Industrial policy” is an
    idea long reviled among Washington policymakers. Hosts Luiza Savage and
    Ryan Heath talk to the people trying to make industrial policy cool
    again.

    Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations".
    Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations". 
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio. 
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.
    Jennifer Harris  is a sentior fellow at the Hewlett Foundation, formerly
    at the US State Department during the Obama administration.
    Mariana Mazzucato is an internationally recognized economist and
    professor at University College London (UCL), and Founder/Director of
    UCL's Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
    Check out and subscribe to POLITICO's Global Translations, and China
    Watcher newsletters. Read Luiza Savage's article on the new industrial
    policy emerging in the US to counter China's ascent.
    Global Translations newsletter:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations
    China Watcher newsletter:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-china-watcher

    POLITICO article:
    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/04/china-us-economy-industrial-policy-global-translation-433954

  • "Off Message" presents the second episode of the new season of
    POLITICO's podcast "Global Translations": 
    Once there is a working Covid vaccine, manufacturers across the globe
    will need to scale up production to produce billions of doses — meaning
    billions of pharmaceutical-grade glass vials, rubber stoppers, packaging
    and storage and refrigeration. In a special airing of POLITICO's Global
    Translations podcast, hosts Luiza Savage and Ryan Heath look at the
    challenges of making enough vaccines for the world.
    Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations"
    Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations"
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio
    Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio
    Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio
    Sarah Owermohle is a POLITICO health reporter covering vaccines. 
    Dr. Anthony Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy
    and Infectious Diseases.
    Jim Robinson is a former MERCK executive (manufacturing lead for ebola
    project); currently with CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness
    Innovations).
    Dan Diamond is a POLITICO health care reporter and the host of the
    "Pulse Check" podcast and newsletter. 
    Check out and subscribe to POLITICO's Global Translations, POLITICO
    Pulse, and Global Pulse newsletters. Read Luiza Savage's article on why
    nationalism is the next big challenge for Covid-19 vaccines. 
    Global Translations newsletter:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations
    POLITICO Pulse newsletter: https://www.politico.com/politicopulse/
    Global Pulse newsletter:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-pulse
    POLITICO article: "The next vaccine challenge: Nationalism":
    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/28/covid-vaccine-challenge-nationalism-433023

  • "POLITICO's Off Message" brings you a special episode of POLITICO's new
    podcast series "Global Translations." 
    From closed factories to closed borders, the Covid-19 pandemic exposed
    the fragility of our systems, creating a period of scarcity where demand
    skyrocketed — from freezers to PPE — and we couldn't supply items fast
    enough. In this episode of "Global Translations", POLITICO hosts Luiza
    Savage and Ryan Heath take a deep dive with experts into global supply
    chains and what "decoupling" and "reshoring" are all about when it comes
    to America’s reliance on China and the rest of the world.
    Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations". 
    Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations".
    Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio.
    Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio.
    Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.
    Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

    Adegoke Oke is a professor of supply chain management at Arizona State
    University.
    Tom Duesterberg is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He is an expert
    on trade and foreign policy. 
    David Wertime is POLITICO's editorial director for China and author of
    the China Watcher newsletter.

    Check out and subscribe to POLITICO's Global Translations and China
    Watcher newsletters, and Luiza Savage's in-depth piece on how the
    pandemic is forging a new consensus on globalization.

    Global Translations:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations China Watcher:
    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-china-watcher Supply chain
    tug-of-war article:
    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/21/pandemic-forging-new-consensus-globalization-430605

  • Rahm Emanuel — former Chicago mayor and former chief of staff to
    President Barack Obama — talks to POLITICO founding editor John Harris
    about his new book, "The Nation City: Why Mayors Are Now Running the
    World," his "toy phone" in Bill Clinton's White House and his thoughts
    on the 2020 field.

  • We're bringing you an episode of POLITICO's Global Translations, a show
    about big global problems that will take a certain amount of creativity
    to solve. 

    Driven by a public clamoring for action and pressure from corporate
    CEOs, lawmakers are noting an evolution in attitudes toward climate
    action among some of their Republican colleagues – a subtle but
    significant shift in tone that could pave the way for modest legislation
    this year. Guests include:Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)Rep. Francis Rooney
    (R-FL)Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE)Catherine McKenna, Canada’s first foreign
    minister for climate and the environmentDan Byers, U.S. Chamber of
    CommerceIf you like the episode, check out the show wherever you
    listen. 

  • To get the inside view from the only people in the world who know what
    it’s like to run in a primary field so large -- and do so in the shadow
    of Donald Trump -- we invited the strategists for four of the top GOP
    primary campaigns of 2016 into a Washington cigar bar, a literal
    smoke-filled room, to talk shop. Which Democratic candidate has the most
    raw political talent? What weaknesses of Donald Trump's would they
    exploit in 2020? And why is everybody still so ticked off about the
    Virginia primary?

    Guests Danny Diaz (from the Bush campaign), Beth Hansen (Kasich), Jeff
    Roe (Cruz), and Terry Sullivan (Rubio).

  • Kirsten Gillibrand is a U.S. Senator with a soaring national profile,
    but her presidential campaign has yet to take flight. She’s even at risk
    of failing to have enough donors to make the debate stage under DNC
    rules, leading her to ask people for just a dollar, to boost her
    numbers. But that’s not what bothers her most about running for
    president. 

  • In a crowded field of Democratic presidential contenders, former
    Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper makes an impression on voters as a
    genuine candidate, even if he's a bit quirky. He colors outside the
    lines of the political conventions -- a geologist by training, a brewer
    and restauranteur by profession, and a politician only later in life. 

    In this episode, he talks about his temper as a child, his pragmatic
    approach to politics, and how he's managed to succeed in a people-driven
    business despite a condition commonly known as face blindness, a
    condition that keeps him from recognizing familiar faces. 

  • For our post-midterms edition of Off Message, we talked to Corry Bliss
    and Charlie Kelly, the two men who led the largest House campaign
    organizations in 2018. This election, Bliss led the Republican-aligned
    Congressional Leadership Fund, and Kelly led its Democratic counterpart,
    the House Majority PAC. They talk about what went on behind the scenes,
    their biggest regrets of 2018, and where things go from here.

     

  • The strategist behind Obama's presidential campaigns gives his midterms
    predictions, shares his lightning-round thoughts on 2020 candidates and
    tells Tim whether he thinks any politician can recapture the Obama
    magic.

    David Axelrod doesn’t like the path the country—or the Democratic
    Party—is on. 

    The chief strategist who steered Barack Obama’s winning White House
    campaigns worries that President Trump has laid a trap—and that his
    party is walking right into it. “Escalation breeds escalation,” Axelrod
    said in an interview for POLITICO’s Off Message podcast. “And within the
    Democratic Party, I think there is a big debate about how to deal with
    Trump because he has no boundaries. He’s willing to do anything and say
    anything to promote his interests. It’s a values-free politics; it’s an
    amoral politics. And so, there is this body of thought that you have to
    fight fire with fire and so on. But I worry that we’ll all be consumed
    in the conflagration.” 

    Stressing that “civility actually is a really important element of
    politics,” Axelrod criticized Hillary Clinton and former Attorney
    General Eric Holder for recent comments they’ve made, and described the
    backlash he has faced for urging Democrats to avoid confrontation. The
    best way to defeat Trump, Axelrod argued, is by nominating someone who
    can appeal to an exhausted electorate. 

    “I don’t think people will be looking for a Democratic version of
    Trump,” he said. “I don’t think they’ll be looking for people who can go
    jibe for jibe and low blow for low blow. I think people are going to be
    looking for someone who can pull this country out of this hothouse that
    we’re in.” 

    At his offices in Chicago, where he directs the University of Chicago’s
    Institute of Politics, we discussed Axelrod’s predictions for the
    midterm elections, the risk of overreach with a new House majority, and
    the strengths and vulnerabilities of the top-tier 2020 Democratic
    hopefuls. 

  • When Chip Roy was a top staffer for Ted Cruz, he was an architect of the
    Texas senator’s strategy to shut down the government over Obamacare.

    Now, in all likelihood, he’s heading for Congress with a House seat of
    his own, and top Republicans worry he’s going to make Cruz look like a
    squishy moderate.

    Roy is ready to play hardball with GOP leaders in Congress. He has
    pledged to support House Freedom Caucus founding chairman Jim Jordan for
    speaker, and is expected to quickly establish himself as one of the
    House GOP’s most outspoken and combative members.

    As with so many conservatives, however, Roy is treading lightly when it
    comes to Donald Trump. Once a fierce critic—described by friends as a
    committed “Never Trump” advocate in 2016, when he was working in support
    of Cruz’s presidential campaign—the congressional hopeful now talks
    fondly of the president, praising his assault on “the swamp” and sharing
    his concern about a “deep state” acting as a shadow government.

    And while most Republicans campaigning for Congress this November are
    touting the accomplishments of President Trump and his GOP majorities:
    tax reform, regulatory relief and a soaring number of federal judicial
    appointments. In the deep-red 21st congressional district of Texas, Chip
    Roy is running on a different message: Republicans haven’t done nearly
    enough.

    “If there is a thousand miles to go, we’ve gone maybe 50 miles,” Roy
    tells POLITICO’S “Off Message” podcast. “So now, we’ve got to focus on
    the things that the people really want to see done. We’ve got to have
    healthcare freedom, we’ve got to balance the budget and we’ve got to
    secure the border.”

    POLITICO's "Off Message" podcast is hosted by Tim Alberta, produced by
    Zack Stanton and executive produced by Dave Shaw. Intro/outro music by
    Podington Bear.