The Fly

Our latest episode is with Ankit Jain! Elected in 2024, Ankit Jain has served as the Shadow Senator for the District of Columbia and has stayed committed to advocating for statehood and expanding voting rights for DC. Before entering politics, Jain worked as a voting rights attorney and founded Young Democrats Ward 2 to encourage civil engagement in young people. Jain’s election as a shadow senator for D.C was historic as he was the first Asian-American and Indian-American elected to office in Washington, D.C. Listen more to hear everything there is to know about Congress from Ankit Jain!

Tune in to this week’s episode with a fellow podcaster, Jamelle Bouie! Co-host of his own podcast, Unclear and Present Danger, and columnist for the New York Times, Jamelle Bouie, provides perspective on history and politics. Before joining the Times, Bouie began his career at The American Prospect magazine and then became the chief political correspondent at Slate magazine. From receiving the Hillman Prize for Opinion & Analysis Journalism and being elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Bouie has shaped national conversations on democracy and race. Some of Bouie’s most recent articles for the Times include “They Don’t Want to Live in Lincoln’s America” and “This Administration Is Silencing Its Critics.” Listen to one of the most influential commentators in politics today as Bouie explores topics of the Constitution and the role of executive power in modern politics

Hi Flies, welcome back to Episode 5 of Season 18! On this episode, we have Congressman Adam Smith, a democrat from Washington state’s 9th district on the podcast. Representative Smith recently spoke at an event hosted by Georgetown’s Initiative for U.S-China dialogue, and discussed the U.S/China relationship and its importance. Representative Smith was born here in Washington, D.C and grew up in Washington State. In 1987, Congressman Smith graduated from Fordham University with a degree in political science and went back to Washington state to pursue his law degree at the University of Washington. After law school, Congressman Smith worked in both private and public law, notably practicing for Cromwell and Mendoza and Belur, before becoming a prosecutor and later a judge. At 25 years old, Mr. Smith was the youngest state senator ever elected, serving there until 1996 before being elected to Congress in 1997. Mr. Smith is currently the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee and is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, as well as the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Notably, and related to this episode of the podcast, Mr. Smith created the bipartisan congressional caucus for effective foreign assistance to advocate for reforms in foreign aid. In this episode, Mr. Smith discussed U.S-China relations regarding his leading of the first United States House delegation to China in six years, U.S-China diplomacy, the airstrikes conducted by the Trump administration in the Caribbean, and Mr. Smith’s role being one of the first Democrats to call for President Biden to drop out of his 2024 campaign. This episode, which you can find on Spotify, is one you won’t want to miss out on!

Welcome back to the Fly for our third episode of Season 18! Rob Flaherty is a Georgetown University Fall 2025 Fellow who is a leading political strategist. He previously served as Former Assistant to President Joe Biden, as well as his Director of Digital Strategy. When President Biden exited the presidential race in 2024, Flaherty took over as Deputy Campaign Manager for Harris for President in her historic 107 day battle for the White House. Flaherty is a 2013 graduate of Ithaca College, whose career in politics was sparked after watching West Wing and from there, joined local campaigns in New York. As a young professional, Flaherty also worked on Terry McAuliffe’s campaign for governor of Virginia. Later, Flaherty moved to the national stage where he became Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke’s Digital Director in 2020, Creative Director at Priorities USA, and Deputy Director of Digital Communications for Hillary for America. Flaherty runs a fellow’s discussion group currently titled "The Politics of Attention: Media, Campaigns, and Our Broken Information Environment.” Flaherty sat down with the Fly to discuss these topics and more, ranging from how he started in politics, his work in the White House and on the campaign trail, digital media strategy wins and losses, and how the traditional media and press has evolved, as well as its implications for the political landscape in the United States. This is a must-listen episode with many fun tid-bits and insights into the White House and digital media!

Welcome back, Flies! For the first episode of Season 18, we met with a special guest: FOX News original Trace Gallagher! Gallagher has been a member of FOX News since its creation in 1996. Gallagher is an anchor and Chief Breaking News Correspondent for “FOX News @ Night,” where approximately 1.5 million households watch his reporting each night. He is truly an international expert, having reported on everything from the Israel-Hamas war to the second inauguration of President Trump. Tune into this episode to hear Gallagher’s insider scoop on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Democratic heavyweight Gavin Newsom, and the key to success in broadcast journalism. Special thanks to Fly Team member Sarah for this great interview!

Hi Flies! Welcome back to a brand new episode! It’s finals season here at Georgetown, but that doesn’t mean we can’t give you a great new episode! This week, Abigail and Julian sat down with Heather Nauert, a Spring 2025 GU Politics Fellow. Nauert is a journalist and former spokesperson for the State Department. She began her career as a broadcast journalist, working for major outlets such as ABC News and Fox News, where she served as a correspondent and co-host of the morning show Fox & Friends. In 2017, she transitioned to public service, joining the U.S. Department of State as its Spokesperson under President Donald Trump. Join us for a fascinating conversation about Nauert’s transition from journalism to government, the impact of foreign correspondence, and changes in the Trump administration’s foreign policy in the second administration. Julian and Abby also discussed the impact of 9/11, her experience visiting North Korea, and so much more! This is a must-see episode, so make sure to take a listen!

Hello flies!! Welcome back to a brand new episode!! It’s cherry blossom season in D.C, and time for another great episode with an all-star guest!! This week, Kenneth and Julian sat down with Tony Fabrizio, a Spring 2025 GU Politics Fellow! Fabrizio was the Chief Pollster for Donald Trump for President in 2024, 2020, and 2016. He has helped elect Presidents and Prime Ministers on five continents. The flies discussed messaging for the 2024 campaign, the changing media landscape, and the most effective ads against the Harris campaign. This is a must- see episode so make sure to take a listen!! 🪰🪰🪰🌸🌸