CQ Roll Call Policy and Politics

This is CQ Roll Call Policy and Politics, formerly CQ on Congress, which has all of the audio content from the CQ Roll Call newsroom.

News
Government
1026
Why Congress Has a Russia Problem
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have denounced President Donald Trump's accommodation of Russia's Vladimir Putin, but as CQ foreign policy reporter Rachel Oswald explains, Congress is still wrangling with how to stop Russia from tampering in...
17 min
1027
Two Senators on How They Got a Bipartisan Farm ...
 "I'm all for principles, but I'm not an ideologue," says Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas in explaining why he wrote a farm bill that doesn't add new work requirements to the food stamps program. He and the Agriculture...
25 min
1028
Over the Moon for the Mission to Mars
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is in charge of realizing President Trump's plan to put an astronaut on Mars by 2033. He says it's doable, albeit visionary. He talks to CQ's Shawn Zeller about why the mission is important, how it can...
20 min
1029
On Civility, the Resistance Splits
Two political strategists, Democrat Ryan Clancy and Republican Rory Cooper, question whether progressives' anger will help Democrats at the polls, while also predicting it bodes ill for lawmaking in Congress.
18 min
1030
An Immigration Hardliner's Reasoning
Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, says tough border policies are crucial to helping low-skilled workers in America. And CQ immigration reporter Dean DeChiaro breaks down the immigration enforcement bill that...
20 min
1031
Some Red States Coming Around to Obamacare
Voters in some GOP-leaning states will get a chance to adopt the 2010 health care law's Medicaid expansion by ballot initiative this November while others may elect governors who support it, says CQ health care reporter Misty Williams. It's an...
14 min
1032
Cake Case Leaves Gay Rights Questions Unanswered
CQ Supreme Court Reporter Todd Ruger and University of Colorado Law Professor Craig Konnoth say that the Supreme Court victory of a Colorado baker, who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple, could be short-lived, given the court's narrow decision in...
15 min
1033
Putting Trump's Immigration Crackdown in Context
President Donald Trump's move to criminally prosecute migrants crossing the border illegally, and to separate them from their children, aims to end the longstanding practice of releasing immigrants into the country, pending deportation, says CQ...
22 min
1034
Why the Made-for-TV Summit With North Korea Flo...
President Donald Trump's decision to cancel his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marks a failure of communications and messaging by both sides says Jenny Town, managing editor of the think tank 38 North, a website that...
15 min
1035
Trump Misses NAFTA Deadline
President Donald Trump's trade agenda is in disarray after his negotiators failed to reach a deal to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico by May 17, when congressional Republicans said they would need it in order to...
16 min
1036
Conservatives Fight Trump on Trade When Congres...
As tensions mount over several Trump administration trade initiatives, CQ's Shawn Zeller talks with Bryan Riley of the National Taxpayers Union, which is part of a coalition of conservative groups that oppose President Donald Trump's policies.
21 min
1037
Opioid Legislation on Deck
Legislation aimed at helping communities deal with the opioid addiction crisis is moving through the Senate and House, despite Democrats' disgruntlement about the process. CQ health reporter Sandhya Raman provides details on the proposed legislation...
12 min
1038
Trump's Iran Deadline Is Nearly Here
President Trump has set a May 12 deadline for deciding whether to pull out of the 2015 deal with Iran to rollback its nuclear program. He has harshly criticized it, but is under pressure from foreign allies and even some in his administration to keep...
13 min
1039
New Climate Change Threats Alarm Scientists
A CQ Magazine special report this week examines alarming new consequences of climate change, such as beetles killing trees, coral reef die-offs and food losing nutritional value. Brenda Ekwurzel of the Union of Concerned Scientists and CQ...
17 min
1040
Pentagon Reluctant to Enter Syrian War
Defense Secretary James Mattis fears wider U.S. involvement in Syria could "spiral out of control," even as President Donald Trump is threatening a strike. And with the Iran nuclear deal still up in the air, U.S. diplomacy is crippled by the vacancy...
16 min
1041
How Congress Could Force Facebook to Strengthen...
Three congressional committees are set to grill Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on its neglect of its customers' data privacy. CQ cybersecurity reporter Gopal Ratnam previews the questioning, while Allie Bohm of the consumer advocacy group Public...
22 min
1042
Trump Now Managing His Own Show
With a shakeup in administration staffing, President Donald Trump has purged aides who tried to manage him, replacing them with aides whose hardline instincts he may have to manage, says Roll Call's White House reporter John T. Bennett.
18 min
1043
Banking Deregulation in the Air
CQ banking reporter Doug Sword explains the state of play as Republicans (and some Democrats) try to relax banking regulations enacted during the Obama administration to safeguard against a repeat of the 2008 financial meltdown.  
13 min
1044
The Risks to Trump's Unconventional Approach to...
CQ trade reporter Ellyn Ferguson and defense reporter John M. Donnelly spell out the risks posed by President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and his agreement to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
19 min
1045
Russia Meddles, Trump Fiddles, Midterms in Peril
Adm. Michael Rogers, the head of U.S. Cyber Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that the Defense Department believes Russia will target state election systems, which tally the votes, during the 2018 election. But CQ...
16 min
1046
A Twist in the Gun Control Debate
Avery Gardiner, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, wants Congress to toughen background checks, but not if it also means shielding more gun sellers from liability lawsuits.  
18 min
1047
Pentagon Aims at Russia, China With Big Budget ...
Congress' budget deal gives the Pentagon the money it says it needs to deter the world's other great powers. CQ defense reporter Andrew Clevenger and Mandy Smithberger of the Project on Government Oversight discuss lawmakers' reasoning in approving...
14 min
1048
The GOP's Fiscally Toxic Combo
Bob Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan group that encourages fiscal responsibility in Washington, explains how Congress' adoption of the deficit-busting budget deal could affect the overall economy and why cutting...
7 min
1049
Roadblocks to Rebuilding America's Roads and Br...
President Trump says he wants a $1.5 trillion to rebuild America's roads, bridges and other infrastructure, but differences over how to pay for it could prevent his ambitious plan from getting off the ground. CQ transportation reporter Jacob Fischler...
14 min
1050
Trump's Tangled War on Trade
CQ trade reporter Ellyn Ferguson looks at whether President Donald Trump will impose more tariffs and withdraw from more international trade agreements in 2018, or pursue a more moderate path.
15 min