National Journal Radio

Hotline Editor Kirk Bado joins states and governors correspondent Abby Turner, national correspondent Erika Filter, and Senate races correspondent Nicholas Anastácio to discuss their picks in a 2028 presidential draft and the political figures they believe are best positioned for the next White House race. To subscribe to Hotline for more expert analysis: https://hub.nationaljournal.com/hotline-subscribe

In this bonus episode, Hotline editor Kirk A. Bado and Cook Political Report with Amy Walter founder Charlie Cook discuss the latest developments in redistricting for Virginia, the Senate battleground, and President Trump's sway over the Republican party. Subscribe to Hotline here: https://hub.nationaljournal.com/hotline-subscribe

In this bonus episode, Hotline Editor Kirk A. Bado and Cook Political Report with Amy Walter founder Charlie Cook discuss the battles on the Senate map, the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, and the changing political dynamics this midterm cycle. Read Gary Jacobson's article here: https://www.psqonline.org/article.cfm?IDArticle=20715 Watch the Midterm Election Preview on C-SPAN here: https://www.c-span.org/program/campaign-2026/midterm-election-preview/667195

Editor-in-Chief Jeff Dufour and Cook Political Report with Amy Walter founder Charlie Cook discuss the latest news on redistricting, the impending government shutdown, and how thermostatic politics could affect the dynamics of the midterm elections.

In this bonus episode, National Journal Editor in Chief Jeff Dufour talks to Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service in the third installment of the Trump 2.0 From Platform to Policy webinar series. They unpack the Trump administration's proposed and enacted changes to the federal workforce and how that could affect policy in return. You can follow along with the presentation they discuss in the episode here. You can also look at this one-pager recap of the webinar here.

Hotline editor Kirk A. Bado sits down with the authors of the Almanac of American Politics, Louis Jacobson and Richard E. Cohen, as the Almanac's 2026 edition is released. Listen as they discuss the process for writing this edition, keeping up with the rapid political environment before the publishing deadline, and why the Almanac still matters after 53 years. Buy the 2026 edition here: https://www.thealmanacofamericanpolitics.com/index.aspx

Being an appropriator isn't what it used to be. Senior congressional reporter Casey Wooten breaks down the Trump administration's efforts bucking against Congress' ability to spend money. He brings on Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, to discuss what these battles between the executive and legislative branches mean for the political landscape.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma joins National Journal Radio for the first time, where he sits down with Senate correspondent Savannah Behrmann. He discusses his liaison role during the process of passing the Big Beautiful Bill, his response to criticism over the bill, and his position on the Epstein files.