The Bill Press Pod

We may wish we were done with Donald Trump. But we are not. He’s running for president and could realistically win the GOP nomination. So today we look at the two best books on Trump. One on his administration and one focused on the man.  Confidence Man. The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America by the foremost interpreter of Donald Trump, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman. Haberman, a Pulitzer Prize winner, takes a different approach to the “Trump Book.” She goes all the way back to his days in New York to understand the man who became president. Who, she says, is not much different than the man who raged through New York in the ‘70’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s. If you want to understand Donald Trump, you have to understand Donald Trump in that uniquely New York milieu. Bill loved the book and you can buy a copy here. The second book by Peter Baker, The New York Times Chief White House Correspondent and Susan Glasser, a Staff Writer for The New Yorker is a masterpiece of journalism. Their book, The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 paints a presidency that was totally out of control, far worse than any we've ever experienced. You can buy the book here.And one more holiday week shout out to Jose Andres and the World Central Kitchen. They are doing God's work all over the world, in war zones and natural disasters. Both of which we are sadly experiencing right now. Truly an amazing organization which you can support by going to their website at WCK.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The most successful Speaker of the House since Sam Rayburn? The most successful Speaker of all time? Just some of the questions Bill asks USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief and Pelosi biographer, Susan Page. Here is a link to the picture Susan and Bill talked about. More links: Susan’s book: Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power. Molly Ball's Pelosi and John Lawrence's Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi's Speakership, 2005–2010. Our two earlier interviews with Susan Page and Molly Ball.And a holiday week shout out to Jose Andres and the World Central Kitchen. They are doing God's work all over the world, in war zones and natural disasters. Truly an amazing organization which you can support by going to their website at WCK.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Holiday Week special on the Pod today. No Reporters’ Roundtable but we reprise our talk to two great reporters on the long-term demise of the GOP as a functioning party. With David Corn, Washington Bureau Chief at Mother Jones and author of American Psychosis. A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy and Dana Milbank, Columnist at The Washington Post and author of The Destructionists. The Twenty-Five Year Crack-up of the Republican PartyAnd a holiday week shout out to Jose Andres and the World Central Kitchen. They are doing God's work all over the world, in war zones and natural disasters. Truly an amazing organization which you can support by going to their website at WCK.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you distribute $1.2 trillion to states, governors and mayors around the country. That's the job of former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. He's the Special Assistant to President Joe Biden charged with overseeing the spending of all that money from the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act. He is uniquely positioned to do so having been the mayor of New Orleans during reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina. Although close to $180 billion are already committed, he still has a trillion dollars to go.The Bill Press Pod is supported by the Laborers International Union of North America. They're among the workers actually building the new infrastructure. More information at LIUNA.orgSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Same Sex Signed. Sandy Hook Remembered. McCarthy Still Short. Pelosi Honored. SCOTUS Ethics. Trump Troubles. FTX Fail. With Jeff Dufour, Editor-in-Chief at National Journal, Niall Stanage, White House Columnist for The Hill and Political analysis for News Nation AM and Leah Askarinam, Senior editor at Grid News. Today’s Bill Press Pod is supported by The Ironworkers Union. Builders of America’s most iconic structures.  More information at Ironworkers.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joe Cirincione is a national security and foreign policy expert He previously served for over 12 years as the President of the Ploughshares Fund, a foundation focused on nuclear nonproliferation and conflict resolution. He was an outside advisor to the State Department during the Obama Administration. Today Bill once again featured the work of the World Central Kitchen run by Chef Jose Andres. They have served millions of meals in disaster areas and war zones, including over a million meals in and around Ukraine. And anywhere it’s needed. You can support their work by visiting the World Central Kitchen website at WCK.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sinema Bolts. J6 Criminal Referrals. Britney Griner Freed. Same Sex Marriage Passes. Warnock Wins. Trump Losing Fox? McCarthy Struggling. With Linda Feldmann, Washington bureau chief, White House/politics correspondent at Christian Science Monitor, Jason Dick, Editor in Chief CQ Roll Call, Political Theater podcast host and Scott Wong, Senior Congressional Reporter at NBC News. Today Bill highlights the great work of his wife Carol and her wonderful scarves. Carol is a talented weaver working with chenille and bamboo. If you are looking for a unique holiday gift, head on over to CarolPressScarves.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No one knows Congress like Norm Ornstein. He's been studying and writing about Congress for over 40 years. He is currently an emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a mostly conservative think tank. He wrote (along with Thomas E. Mann) It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism. When it came out in paperback, they changed the title to It's Even Worse Than It Looks Was. Now he says, jokingly, if they did another edition, he might call it Run for Your Lives. Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The Laborers' International Union of North America. It's members working hard to rebuild America's crucial infrastructure using funds from the bi-partisan Infrastructure Act. More information at LIUNA.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Walker vs. Warnock. McCarthy Struggling. New Democratic Leadership. Rail Strike Averted. Same-Sex Win. Trump Weakened. Kanye Loves Nazis. New Primary Schedule? With Igor Bobic, Senior Politics Reporter at HuffPost, Maya King, Politics Reporter based in Atlanta at The New York Times and Eliza Collins, Politics Reporter on the Hill for The Wall Street Journal.Today Bill highlights the great work of his wife Carol and her wonderful scarves. Carol is a talented weaver working with chenille and bamboo. If you are looking for a unique holiday gift, head on over to CarolPressScarves.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis is the title of a new book by legendary historian, Adam Hochschild. It covers 1917 to 1921. Years which saw America enter World War I, suppress dissent of any kind, ignore white riots killing black people, encourage rampant anti-Semitism, and the crippling assault on a political party that had garnered 6% of the vote in the previous national election. All overseen by President Woodrow Wilson. He was certainly a progressive in some of his policies, but when the crisis of the war came, he became a would-be autocrat. The history of this period, has resonance to what we've been through during the Trump administration. And the danger that Trump or someone like him could use a crisis to once again strip Americans of their fundamental rights.Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. More information about all the great programs they're involved in is at UFCW.orgSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.