The Bill Press Pod

"They are all moral cowards." With Congress Scholar, Norm Ornstein.

Bill welcomes back American Enterprise Institute emeritus scholar Norm Ornstein to assess Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson, and President Trump. Ornstein calls this the worst Congress ever, citing little constructive legislation beyond a Reconciliation bill that delays major Medicaid cuts until after the midterms, lack of oversight, and a Senate that offers only “rubber-stamp” consent, including confirming Todd Blanche as Attorney General. He argues Johnson is effectively “speaker of Donald Trump” and criticizes Democratic leaders for failing to project a coherent daily message despite strong individual members. Ornstein and Press discuss Republican senators backing Blanche despite Trump’s attacks, which Ornstein attributes to moral cowardice and a party functioning like a cult. They also cover Trump’s mishandling of Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool repairs, no-bid contracting and bogus vandalism prosecutions, legal battles over Trump’s White House construction projects, and Rand Paul’s McCarthy-like pursuit of Anthony Fauci.Today Bill highlights the work of The Constitutional Accountability Center. More information at TheUSConstitution.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"His way or the highway." The Reporters' Roundtable. August 7, 2026.

Rand Paul’s Contempt for Anthony Fauci.The Reflecting Pool Fiasco Reflects Trumpism.Todd Blanche’s Nomination in Jeopardy.Outsider El-Sayed Wins in Michigan.Trump Out of Touch on the Economy.Data Centers Backlash. Rep. Miller Defiant. With Jason Dick, Editor-in-chief at CQ-Roll Call, Allan Smith, Politics Reporter for NBC News and Sabrina Siddiqui, National Political Reporter at The Wall Street Journal.Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. More information at UFCW.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Four Crucial Senate Races: Michigan’s Bitter Primary, Ohio’s Battleground, Texas Upset Watch, and Maine’s Collins Challenge.

Bill previews four of the most competitive Senate races shaping midterm control, noting Democrats must hold their 47 seats and flip four GOP seats to retake the Senate. In Michigan, reporter Rick Pluta, Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network, describes a vicious, expensive Democratic primary between Rep. Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, with party unity concerns and GOP nominee Mike Rogers looming. In Ohio, Andrew Tobias, Political Reporter at Signal Ohio, says both sides are treating Sherrod Brown vs. appointed Sen. John Husted as a tipping-point Senate race, while the governor’s contest pits Dr. Amy Acton against Vivek Ramaswamy amid heavy spending, plus a House scandal involving Rep. Max Miller. In Texas, Maria Recio of the Austin American Statesman, explains Ken Paxton’s divisive nomination and polls showing Democrat James Talarico competitive, alongside new congressional maps. In Maine, Alex Seitz-Wald, Deputy Editor of The Midcoast Villager, details Troy Jackson’s challenge to Sen. Susan Collins, contrasting local vs. national issues and tight polling.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"There are a lot of tensions simmering." The Reporters' Roundtable. July 31, 2026.

Lindsey Graham Passes. Senate Loses Trump Whisperer.The Race to Replace Graham. Trump vs GOP Senate.Rand Paul Persecutes Anthony Fauci. TMZ’s Harvey Levin Weighs In.Fauci’s Diary Outed. Public Health Suffers.RFK Jr’s Cooking Show. God and the Midterms. With Kirk Bado, Editor, National Journal Hotline, Evan McMorris-Santoro, covering national politics for NOTUS and co-author of the NOTUS’ daily newsletter and Jen Bendery, Senior Politics Reporter at HuffPost. Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by AFSCME. More information at AFSCME.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump's Heartless Attack on Education. With Teachers Union President, Randi Weingarten.

Bill speaks with American Federation of Teachers President, Randi Weingarten about the political fallout from Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” ahead of the November midterms, noting a Politico poll showing most Americans haven’t heard of it and many who have think it mainly helps the wealthy. Weingarten says July student-loan changes eliminated most prior income-driven repayment plans, raising payments by hundreds or thousands per year for many of the 44 million borrowers, with 3.6 million defaults since Trump returned to office. Now with higher interest, and more debt collection. She promotes the coalition-led One Big Bill Campaign (onebigbill.org) to collect borrowers’ stories—such as a Philly school counselor whose payment rose from $90 to $440—and take them to Congress, linking the cuts to tax breaks for the rich alongside reductions to Medicaid and SNAP. They also discuss Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, voucher expansion, and pressure on universities over DEI and antisemitism claims.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.