The Lobby Shop

Josh, Caitlin, Paul, and Liam discuss the latest on the high stakes negotiations on raising the debt ceiling.  We then replay our earlier conversation with Rep. McCarthy's new Chief of Staff, Machalagh Carr.

The Lobby Shop team is joined by special guest Machalagh Carr, General Counsel to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Bracewell guest host Joseph Brazauskas joins as we discuss with Machalagh the Speaker's views of, and priorities for, congressional oversight and changes on how investigations are conducted under the new House leadership, the role and purpose of new House committees and other topics (including Joe's collection of Wendell Wilkie pins!).

The Lobby Shop team is joined by friend the pod Haley Byrd Wilt from The Dispatch who helps break down what to expect from the newly organized 118th Congress. The gang discusses Haley’s reporting on the powerful Rules Committee, the new Select Committee on China Competition, and Liam and Haley’s conversation with the New York Times’ Ross Douthat on the simmering debt limit fight.

We welcome back to the podcast Myron Wasylyk, a Ukraine-based energy advisor and communication expert who we last interviewed just before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  On the first day of the war, Myron, a Ukrainian-American who has lived in Kyiv for three decades, evacuated his family to Western Ukraine.  Myron and his family recently moved back to Kyiv.  We spoke to him about what it’s like living in a city under attack by drones and missiles, the resilience of the Ukrainian people, Ukraine perception of the Beltway debates on continued US military aid, the energy supply situation in Ukraine and the prospects for an end of the war in the coming year.

Josh and Liam break down the ongoing stalemate over the election of the next Speaker of the House, and the delayed start to the 118th Congress.

Now that the mid-terms are officially over with the Georgia run-off, The Lobby Shop team gathers to get inside Liam Donovan’s brain.  We discuss with the Professor of Punditry why there was no red wave, the implications of a GOP-controlled House and the Dems controlling the Senate, the impact of a certain former President, and how the results impact the current lame duck session of Congress and the Biden agenda.

A special Election Day edition of The Lobby Shop!  Host Liam Donovan brings you one final PRG Pulse Check for the midterms, as he breaks down the state of play as Americans head to the polls. Liam explores the GOP leaning House, the Senate teetering on a knife's edge, and the bellwethers to watch in what is sure to be a drawn out aftermath. Finally, make sure to tune into PRG's post-election webinar tomorrow at 1130am ET to see what it all means for the policy landscape.

In the latest edition of PRG’s Pulse coverage of the midterm battlegrounds, former Toomey for Senate campaign manager Peter Towey of GOP consulting firm Targeted Victory joins The Lobby Shop team for a Pulse Check on a state both parties have homed in on as the tipping point of the Senate majority. Towey breaks down the state of the race, explains the late resurgence of Dr. Oz, and tracks Pennsylvania's shift from Blue Wall stalwart to pure bellwether. The gang talks debate expectations, ticket splitting, and pinning down undecided voters with a seasoned pro who has run and won federal races throughout PA for more than a decade.

This week’s episode is part of PRG’s Pulse election coverage. Friend of the pod and veteran political journalist Jon Ralston of The Nevada Independent joins The Lobby Shop team for a Pulse Check on what is arguably the most pivotal Senate race in the country. The gang discuss the candidates, political dynamics, demographics, electoral history and more to shed light on why Jon's #wematter hashtag is more apt than ever.

PRG Pulse, PRG’s award-winning election analysis series, is back for the 2022 Midterms! The Lobby Shop team chats about the Midterms – what to watch and what’s at stake – in this episode. Listen for Liam Donovan’s assessment of why this year’s election may buck historic trends. Look for regular *Pulse Checks* in coming weeks.