Fly on the Wall

Steven Law, President and CEO of American Crossroads, joins us on the pod this week to offer a unique perspective on money in politics. From his long career as a Senate aide to Mitch McConnell, to head of the Senate Leadership Fund, hear how PACs work, a debrief on the 2016 Senate election push, and the GOP's plans for the 2018 midterms!

In our Season Three premiere, we welcome someone who has been around the block (and country) when it comes to political reporting — Eugene Scott, writer for The Fix at the Washington Post. Eugene shared some thought provoking insight on the local element of political reporting, complete with stories from his time working the Alabama Senate special election this December. And yes, you probably recognize him from his frequent TV hits on CNN.

Former Obama White House speechwriter, David Litt, joins us to talk about what it was like being part of the process in creating some of the President's more humorous speeches — such as Luther, Obama's anger translator at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. His stories are not only hilarious but also show some of the coolest parts of working behind the scenes in the White House.

Former CIA and State Department spokesperson Marie Harf joins us this week to share some heart-racing stories of secret operations that are typically hidden behind the headlines. Listen to hear her recollection of the Bin Laden raid and insights on the rising threat of North Korea — both you won't want to miss!

Congress is in the midst of a big tax reform fight, and we've got tax policy expert Cathy Koch on the pod this week. She talks about her time working on the Hill on the Senate Finance Committee and for former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. If you have no clue what's the difference between a stimulus bill and a fiscal cliff, we've got the episode for you! If you think you're hearing different voices on the pod this week...you're right! This week's episode is co-hosted by our Research Director Alec Camhi and Communications Director Abbey Nichols, who both did an awesome job on their first guest host opportunity.

NBC and Telemundo anchor, Jose Diaz-Balart, joins us on this week's post-Thanksgiving pod. We talked with him about some of the biggest moments throughout his career (including an early interview with then-candidate Trump) as well as how he approaches his responsibilities as a journalist.

We welcomed Fall '17 GU Politics Fellow and veteran Republican communications strategist and crisis manager Ron Bonjean to the pod this week. We get inside the room of some of his craziest, most incredible stories about his time working for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert up on Capitol Hill. Ron was also responsible for managing crisis communications for Justice Neil Gorsuch during his confirmation process through the Senate.

James Carville, one of then-Governor Clinton's lead campaign strategists during the his successful 1992 presidential race, and John Podesta, who began his career in Clintonworld in the White House and eventually becoming Chief of Staff from 1998-2001, join us on the pod this week. Both have some amazing stories about what working with Georgetown's only alum to ever make it to the White House was like - we're excited to share their stories with you!

This week on Fly on the Wall, we have former Congressman from Pennsylvania, Jason Altmire, to talk about his new book "Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do about It" and his time as the most moderate Member of Congress. He has some great stories about being courted as an undecided Democratic superdelegate in 2008, plus his role in the fight to pass the Affordable Care Act.

We're excited to welcome Politico reporter and daily Playbook co-author, Daniel Lippman, on the pod this week! We talk to him about the ins and outs of producing Playbook each day including how they chose articles and headlines, how to tell a journalistic story through the morning newsletter, and, most importantly, how to get your birthday featured in Playbook.

We welcome longtime friend of GU Politics, Scott Mulhauser, to the pod this week. Scott is a former Deputy Chief of Staff to Vice President Biden, and former Chief of Staff at both the U.S. Embassy in China and Export-Import Bank. Scott's story is one of a diversity of roles and responsibilities, and the application of a unique set of skills and savvy to a wide variety of political problems of the day. We talk to him about some of these issues he's tackled and his motivations which got him started in political work.

Mexican Senator Armando Rios Piter joins us for a special international pod this week! Sen. Rios Piter talks to us about how Mexican politics and campaigning works, his approach to public service, and the Mexico-U.S. relationship. Plus, he'll walk us through the process of his next big political — running for President of Mexico in 2018!

This week, we talked to Liz Sidoti, current Director of U.S. Communications for BP. Liz talks to us about her unique experience in the political world, both as a journalist for the Associated Press, and now working communications for BP. She has some great stories about her time on the campaign trail in '04 and '08, and what it was like coordinating emergency response communications after BP's location in Houston was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey.

Former Trump White House Communications Director Mike Dubke joins us on the pod this week to talk about how he got the job (spoiler: it’s not how you might expect) and share some of the biggest moments in his tenure at the White House. We'll take you inside the room of that Rose Garden press conference after the House passed their health care bill, and get the real story behind one of the "Spicey-est" stories of the summer! PS: If you want to understand that joke, make sure you listen all the way to the end — you won't regret it!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL PODCAST DAY! The Fly on the Wall team wishes you a Happy International Podcast Day! We’ve put together a BONUS episode to give you a peek inside the room of creating Fly on the Wall. We'll walk you through a normal week of podcasting, key you in on some of our best interview tips and recap our favorite moments on the pod.