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by The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
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- 6 days ago44 min
"Redistricting giveth and redistricting taketh away." A conversation with elections expert Sean Trende.
When the Supreme Court released their decision to limit the scope and scale of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in late April, Amy knew she wanted to dig into the political and legal repercussions with someone who is well-versed in both of those areas. She immediately turned to Sean Trende, a senior analyst at RealClearPolitics and a lawyer who has deep expertise in redistricting law. In fact, back in 2022, Sean was one of two special masters assigned to draw Virginia’s congressional maps. He's also an astute analyst of political trends and elections. It doesn’t hurt that Sean lives in Ohio - a key epicenter for the battle for the Senate this year.As fate would have it, we recorded this just a couple days before the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the Virginia map voters had approved earlier this spring. While we weren’t able to address it directly, we did discuss the possibility of this very scenario and its broader impact on the U.S. House map for 2026. Amy's goal for the interview was to look past the immediate impacts in 2026 and ask what impact of the tit-for-tat redistricting wars could be on our politics in the near and far term. We recorded this conversation on Wednesday, May 6. Check out our Redistricting Tracker: www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/house/redistricting/2025-2026-redistricting-tracker-how-many-seats-could-flip-0Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, In Brief: https://www.cookpolitical.com/in-brief-sign-upInterested in subscribing to CPR? Go to: www.cookpolitical.com/subscribeListeners can use the discount code"ODD10" to save 10% on any subscription. This offer is available only to new subscribers.**Listen to our weekly podcast Editors Roundtable**Find it on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/editors-roundtable/id1765349026Find it on Substack: https://thecookpoliticalreport.substack.com/s/editors-roundtable
- Apr 10, 202642 min
Does Congress Even Matter Anymore?
Americans have a pretty dismal view of Congress. Lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate are seen as ineffective and a much diminished power under President Trump. Last year, for example, Congress passed a record low number of laws while President Trump issued the most executive orders in modern history. Paul Kane, a veteran Capitol Hill reporter and one of its smartest chroniclers recently wrote a column for the Washington Post in which he argued that “Congress needs a major course correction or else it will slide into a permanent state of weakness that further empowers the presidency.”To find out whether Congress is indeed headed for irrelevance, Amy checked in with Molly Reynolds, vice president and director of governance studies at Brookings. Her work focuses on Congress and how congressional rules and procedure affect policymaking. Molly has a more nuanced opinion about the state of the modern Congress and helps put its dysfunction into context. Amy and Molly also talk about what a potential flip in congressional control in 2027 would mean for President Trump and for legislating overall. We recorded this conversation on Tuesday, April 7. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, In Brief: https://www.cookpolitical.com/in-brief-sign-upInterested in subscribing to CPR? Go to: www.cookpolitical.com/subscribeListeners can use the discount code"ODD10" to save 10% on any subscription. This offer is available only to new subscribers.**Listen to our weekly podcast Editors Roundtable**Find us Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/editors-roundtable/id1765349026Find us on Substack: https://thecookpoliticalreport.substack.com/s/editors-roundtable
- Mar 13, 202641 min
The Real Impact of AI and Making Sense of the Disconnect in Our Economy. A Conversation With the Wall Street Journal’s Greg Ip.
Amy has long been an admirer of this week’s guest, The Wall Street Journal's chief economics commentator Greg Ip. She finds his insights into how our economy functions to be thoughtful as well as approachable. It’s also why she thought he'd be the perfect person to talk with about the central disconnect we've seen in perceptions of our economy over the last few years - namely that the markets and Wall Street suggest everything is going great. Meanwhile American consumers are saying the economy is not great, at all. They also talk about AI, why Greg thinks it's not likely to have a huge impact on our jobs, but why it's potentially contributing to Americans' generally pessimistic views of their economic futures. Of course, the war with Iran is adding its own economic uncertainty to the mix. So they start the conversation there. We recorded this on Wednesday, March 11th. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, In Brief: https://www.cookpolitical.com/in-brief-sign-upInterested in subscribing to CPR? Go to: www.cookpolitical.com/subscribeListeners can use the discount code"ODD10" to save 10% on any subscription. This offer is available only to new subscribers.**Listen to our weekly podcast Editors Roundtable**Find us Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/editors-roundtable/id1765349026Find us on Substack: https://thecookpoliticalreport.substack.com/s/editors-roundtable
- Feb 11, 202648 min
Why the GOP's voter ID push could backfire. Plus, ICE fallout after Minneapolis.
The Odd Years is back with our first episode of this midterm year! Political news and events seem to be breaking faster than the human brain can process, so we wanted to take a step back and talk to people with experience, insight, and perspective who can help us make sense of it all. That is why we kicked off the inaugural 2026 episode with two political reporters who embody those traits: The Wall Street Journal's Annie Linskey and Puck's Peter Hamby. They are known for their smarts and scoops, but also their level headedness and ability to separate the buzzy from the newsworthy.In this episode, Annie discusses Trump's rare backtrack on immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Peter's been doing a lot of great reporting and survey research on young voters and gives us a timely update on their views of Trump and how they see the potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates. Plus, we talk about what we should make of Trump's talk of “nationalizing elections” and whether the Republicans proposed voter ID law could actually make it harder for their own supporters to cast a ballot. We recorded this conversation on Tuesday, February 10. You can watch part of the conversation our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thecookpoliticalreportSign up for our free weekly newsletter, In Brief: https://www.cookpolitical.com/in-brief-sign-upCheck out our weekly podcast Editors Roundtable. On Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/editors-roundtable/id1765349026On Substack: https://thecookpoliticalreport.substack.com/Interested in subscribing to CPR? Go to: www.cookpolitical.com/subscribeListeners can use the discount code"ODD10" to save 10% on any subscription. This offer is available only to new subscribers.
- Dec 9, 202551 min
SCOTUS' Starring Role in Trump 2.0
It's a consequential week in the Supreme Court as justices hear a case that could reorient the bounds of executive authority and overturn a ninety year precedent that insulates independent government agencies from political interference from the president.President Trump has tested those bounds of his executive power on everything from tariffs and trade to immigration to government spending. It's now up to the Supreme Court to determine just how far that authority can stretch, and that's why Amy wanted to talk to our guest today, Josh Gerstein, a reporter at Politico, who covers the intersection of law and politics -- which these days feels like just about everything under the sun.Amy and Josh talked about the dynamics in this Supreme Court, how they may rule on these upcoming cases, including ones like the Voting Rights Act. We recorded this conversation on Thursday, December 4th, right before the court announced they were taking up the birthright citizenship case and before they issued their stay on Texas' redistricting map. You can watch part of the conversation our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thecookpoliticalreportSign up for our free weekly newsletter, In Brief: https://www.cookpolitical.com/in-brief-sign-upInterested in subscribing to CPR? Go to: www.cookpolitical.com/subscribeListeners can use the discount code"ODD10" to save 10% on any subscription. This offer is available only to new subscribers.
- Nov 25, 202549 min
How can political journalism meet the moment? Astead Herndon has ideas.
In Amy’s opinion, Astead Herndon is one of the sharpest and most thoughtful political journalists out there. His New York Times podcast, The Run-Up, did an amazing job pulling back the cover on how national politics is done and showing the gulf that exists between the parties, the insiders and actual voters.It’s this kind of journalism that has set Astead apart from the pack. He picks apart conventional wisdom and elevates the complexities and gray areas that are critical in understanding this political moment.He's also been skeptical of the idea that traditional forms of political journalism can keep up with the significant changes we've seen in the way Americans receive and process the fire hose of digital media coming at them every single day.It's one reason why he made the decision to leave the New York Times for a role at Vox. There, he’ll take on the position of host and editorial director and create a new weekly video podcast about, of course, politics starting next year. This was a really interesting conversation that covered everything from the media to the midterms to the World Cup. We recorded it on Wednesday, November 19th.
- Nov 11, 202538 min
California, Here We Come: Prop 50, Pelosi and Newsom's Future
Californians often like to think of themselves as the center of the universe. But when it comes to politics, this deep blue state is rarely in the spotlight - until now. The passage of Prop 50 in last Tuesday's election was the most consequential development to date in the redistricting wars. The new Democratic drawn map will cost Republicans three to five seats in 2026 and also shores up five vulnerable Democratic incumbents.The win is also a feather in the cap of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom who hopes to ride the momentum from the Prop 50 landslide win all the way to the White House. And if that news wasn't enough last week, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, the San Francisco icon who led House Democrats through multiple wars, economic crises, and impeachments, announced she would retire after nearly four decades in Congress. Her decision unleashes pent up political floodgates and kicks off a fierce primary fight for the chance to fill her district. To talk through all of this, we've invited Cook Political Report U.S. House Editor Erin Covey, who's covering the redistricting wars as closely as anyone in the country. And also joining us is Mark Barabak, an LA Times columnist and expert in all things political in California. We recorded this conversation on Thursday, November 6th. Follow all our Redistricting coverage: https://www.cookpolitical.com/redistrictingCheck out our interactive Redistricting Map (in front of the paywall!): https://www.cookpolitical.com/redistricting/2025-26-mid-decade-mapYou can watch part of the conversation our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thecookpoliticalreportSign up for our free weekly newsletter, In Brief: https://www.cookpolitical.com/in-brief-sign-upInterested in subscribing to CPR? Go to: www.cookpolitical.com/subscribeListeners can use the discount code"ODD10" to save 10% on any subscription. This offer is available only to new subscribers.
- Oct 28, 202542 min
Here's what two top reporters will be watching in NJ and VA on Election Day
One week from today, voters in New Jersey and Virginia will go to the polls. These are state and not federal elections. But they can serve as bellwethers for the upcoming midterm election next year.Topics that resonate in a purple state like Virginia this year, for example, are likely to be issues that are significant in swing states and districts in 2026. Next Tuesday, we’ll also look closely at voter turnout for some early clues as to which party is more excited to show up and vote next year.Even as our politics has become more and more nationalized, these contests in Virginia and New Jersey are also impacted by unique state and local issues and trends. And that's why we wanted to discuss these contests with two people who really understand the issues, the electorate, and parts of the state will be most important to watch on November 4th. Amy is joined by Joey Fox of the New Jersey Globe and Chaz Nuttycombe, founder and executive director of State Navigate, who's following the Virginia contests. We recorded this conversation on Wednesday, October 22nd.You can watch part of the conversation our YouTube channel.Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, In Brief.Interested in subscribing to CPR? Lear more here.Listeners can use the discount code"ODD10" to save 10% on any subscription. This offer is available only to new subscribers.
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About The Odd Years
Join Amy Walter, the celebrated editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, every other Tuesday, for conversations on the surprising — and often odd — times we live in. Amy brings her smart and sought-after insights on politics to a podcast that covers a range of subjects.What makes this moment interesting, unpredictable, and surprising? Amy will talk to people who live and breathe politics (like ourselves) and plenty who do not. We think you can learn stuff — and have fun at the same time. So be sure to follow and listen in.To learn more about The Cook Political Report, go to www.cookpolitical.com/subscribe.
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