

The Conversation with Dasha Burns
POLITICO
The Conversation with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns is a fresh take on the traditional Sunday show format, going beyond conventional wisdom and short sound bites to broaden the political conversation. Each week, Dasha will sit down with one of the most compelling – and sometimes unexpected – power players in Washington and beyond for a real discussion about how they are shaping the current moment.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 30, 2020 • 35min
How to watch election night like a pro
Nov. 3 is barreling toward us, but don't expect that to be the day we'll know who won the presidency. POLITICO's Zach Montellaro and Nerdcast host Scott Bland decode how to watch Election Day — and the days that follow — like a pro.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor for POLITICO.Zach Montellaro is a politics reporter for POLITICO.Adrienne Hurst is an associate producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
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Oct 23, 2020 • 29min
How Trump could repeat 2016
By almost every measure, the likely outcome is that Joe Biden will win the White House. Yet less than two weeks before Election Day, the unfolding reality of 2020 is that it’s harder than ever to be sure. POLITICO's Charlie Mahtesian and Scott Bland lay out why they're not ruling out another surprise Trump victory on Nov. 3.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor for POLITICO.Charlie Mahtesian is a senior politics editor for POLITICO.Adrienne Hurst is an associate producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
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Oct 16, 2020 • 35min
Inside the weirdest, wildest, tightest state in politics
While Florida Republicans used to dominate the absentee ballot game, this year there's been a stunning development: For the first time ever at this stage of a general election, Florida Democrats are outvoting Republicans. But lest they get too excited, campaign veterans warn that a wave of Republican votes is coming on Election Day. POLITICO's Marc Caputo takes Nerdcast host Scott Bland inside the must-win swing state in the final weeks of an unprecedented election year.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Marc Caputo is a senior reporter covering Joe Biden and Florida for POLITICO.Adrienne Hurst is an associate producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
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Oct 9, 2020 • 25min
Trump stock market soars — and wealthy reap gains
President Donald Trump regularly promotes the soaring stock market as a barometer of the economy's health. But the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans own 50 percent of the value of stocks held by individual households — and investors aren’t sharing the wealth. POLITICO's Victoria Guida explains how this gap is fueling an increasingly lopsided economic recovery.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Victoria Guida is a financial services reporter for POLITICO.Adrienne Hurst is an associate producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
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Oct 2, 2020 • 26min
6 Catholics, 1 Court: SCOTUS and the rise of the Federalist Society
Evangelicals make up a bigger share of the Republican electorate. But on the courts? It's conservative Catholics who reign supreme. If confirmed, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, would be the sixth Catholic justice currently sitting on the high court — five of whom were nominated by Republicans. University of Denver political science professor Joshua Wilson and POLITICO's Scott Bland dig into the conservative Catholic legal movement and one group at the center of it all: the Federalist Society.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Joshua Wilson is a professor of political science at the University of Denver and co-author of "Separate but Faithful: The Christian Right's Radical Struggle to Transform Law and Legal Culture."Adrienne Hurst is an associate producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
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Sep 25, 2020 • 20min
Trump team braces for a presidential self-own
Donald Trump will face Joe Biden for the first of three presidential debates on Tuesday. POLITICO's Gabby Orr and Scott Bland dive into how the president is prepping — or not — for the big day ... and why some of his supporters worry Trump has set a trap for himself by attacking Biden’s mental acumen.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Gabby Orr is a White House reporter for POLITICO.Adrienne Hurst is an associate producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
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Sep 18, 2020 • 20min
Was the TikTok face-off 'security theater'?
After weeks of uncertainty following President Donald Trump's executive order on TikTok, the Chinese-owned video app that has stolen the hearts — if not the data — of millions of teens has found an American partner: Oracle. But will it make Americans' data any safer? POLITICO Magazine contributing editor Zachary Karabell and Scott Bland explore Trump's TikTok fight — and whether it's really a form of "national security theater."
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Sep 11, 2020 • 21min
The 9/11 babies are all grown up — and ready to vote
For the first time, young adults born on or around September 11, 2001, will vote in a presidential election this November. America has been at war virtually every day they've been alive — and now they're coming of age politically during a world-changing pandemic. They speak up in this episode, as POLITICO Magazine contributor Garrett M. Graff and Scott Bland discuss how Gen Z voters could shake up American politics.
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Sep 4, 2020 • 33min
Inside the Wild West of PredictIt
When Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate, it was a historic moment — and one that made some people thousands of dollars. Traders on the website PredictIt, a stock market for politics, wager thousands of dollars on an array of political moments. Today on Nerdcast, Zach Montellaro tells Scott Bland about his conversations with political traders — one who trades semi-professionally and two who are looking to avenge their losses from the 2016 election.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Zach Montellaro is campaign reporter & Morning Score author for POLITICO.Jason Pipkin runs the blog Predicting PoliticsStarlee Kine is a co-host of Election Profit MakersJon Kimball is a co-host of Election Profit MakersAnnie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is senior producer for POLITICO audio.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
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Aug 31, 2020 • 12min
Bonus episode: A tale of two conventions
Are we a country that's failed disastrously to respond to a global pandemic, or a country that's overrun by protests and violence on the streets? Democrats and Republicans painted wildly different pictures of America at their party conventions this month. For the double conventions, we're featuring a double host special: Nerdcast's Scott Bland joins Dispatch's Jeremy Siegel to discuss the biggest takeaways from the past two weeks.Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is the host of POLITICO's Dispatch podcast.Jenny Ament is senior producer for POLITICO audio.Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
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