The Circus

1New World Disorder

29 minJan 27, 2019

It's a new world order in Washington as a Democratic majority in the House puts a check on the Trump presidency. The second half of his term has begun with total gridlock, a government shutdown, and federal workers lining up for free hot meals. Is this the new normal? Meanwhile, freshmen representatives are putting a new face on Congress—and introducing a new reality, and the investigation of Trump takes a surprising turn in the wake of Michael Cohen postponing his congressional testimony.

2Circling Vultures

29 minFeb 3, 2019

The list of former allies who are turning on Donald Trump grows daily, the Mueller investigation continues to circle him and the Democrats have been unrelenting in their attacks. The President’s increasing vulnerability has led to a bumper crop of potential 2020 challengers, all of whom are hoping to be the one to unseat him.

3The State of Our Union Is…

29 minFeb 10, 2019

As President Trump toys with declaring a state of emergency in order to be able to begin construction of his border wall, his administration is in the spotlight. The House Intelligence Committee is ramping up investigations of Trump on multiple fronts, and is collaborating with Robert Mueller's team.

42020 Is Here

29 minFeb 17, 2019

The 2020 election is looming large in the capital. Campaign season is here early and more and more candidates are jumping in each week. THE CIRCUS follows declared and potential candidates Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke at the top of the week, and tracks ongoing news of the potential government shutdown, the border wall battle, and the Green New Deal back in D.C.

5States of Emergency

29 minFeb 24, 2019

What exactly constitutes a national emergency? For President Trump, it is clearly securing the U.S. southern border. But others have very different ideas, including gun violence, the opioid crisis and climate change, to name a few. This week THE CIRCUS compares and contrasts various perceived national emergencies and covers people on the front lines of each one.

6The Big Split

29 minMar 3, 2019

It's an action-packed week for President Trump on two fronts, creating a split-screen effect for the American people. On one hand, the President travels to Vietnam to meet with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and have a big moment on the world stage. On the other hand, the President's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, testifies before Congress about potential presidential dirt he may have. Emily Jane Fox, a reporter for Vanity Fair who has been following Cohen, joins the hosts this week to help cover the hearings.

7To the Left

29 minMar 10, 2019

A deep dive into the Democratic party. There is a reckoning going on about the party's future. On one hand, there is a movement to tack left towards more progressive policies, a strategy that proved effective in 2018 elections. On the other, many feel that the best way to convert Trump voters in 2020 is to move towards the center. That was Bill Clinton's winning strategy in 1992, after the Democrats had failed to win the presidency repeatedly with more progressive candidates. The question is, are we in a new world now, or not?

8What the F... Happens Next?

29 minMar 17, 2019

Donald Trump is currently engaged in a three-front war over the future of his presidency. The first battle is with Congress, where he is facing a rebuke from both sides of the aisle over his national emergency declaration. The second focusses on the 2020 election, as two potential game-changing Democratic challengers—Joe Biden and Beto O'Rourke—weigh Presidential bids. Trump's final battle on the legal front anticipates the release of the Mueller report, just as his known associates Paul Manafort and Roger Stone face lengthy prison time.

9The People on That Stage

29 minMar 22, 2019

The Circus returns with an update on where things stand in the 2020 presidential race. On the Democratic side, the three leading candidates — Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — are crisscrossing the country trying to get their message across, while the party as a whole is debating what it will take to beat Trump. Meanwhile, the President has an unprecedented number of Republican primary challengers to contend with, which could have an impact on his election strategy.

10Across the Rubicon

29 minMar 29, 2019

The Circus tackles the launch of an official impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. As news roils the capital and the entire nation, the hosts track down Democratic congressional leaders, members of the House Intelligence Committee, and prominent Republicans in a momentous week for both sides of the political aisle.

11Impeachmentland

29 minOct 6, 2019

The Circus fans out across the country to cover the rapidly-evolving impeachment story through the lens of 2020 presidential campaigns. Meanwhile, in the capital, the hosts track breaking news developments as the White House and others react to the impeachment inquiry and findings thus far. And as members of Congress return to their districts for the fall recess, The Circus attends their town hall meetings with constituents to capture voter reactions.

12Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

29 minOct 13, 2019

How are key players responding to these desperate times? The President seems to have crafted his defense of the impeachment inquiry, and he's pushing it forcefully. The whistleblowers risked their careers to come forward, can they be protected? And the lower-tier 2020 Democratic candidates must fight even harder to be heard over the tidal wave of impeachment news, while Joe Biden faces a critical test of his candidacy. Special guest Jennifer Palmieri, a veteran of the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Bill Clinton White House, joins the hosts.

13The Widening Gyre

29 minOct 20, 2019

With Congress back in session after a two-week recess, everyone in the capital seems to be in fighting mode. Democrats are pursuing the impeachment inquiry at an aggressive pace, and members of Congress from both parties weigh in about the closed-door hearings. The President and his Republican supporters loudly defend his actions in both Ukraine and Syria. And the Democratic 2020 contenders participated in a heated debate in which everyone tried hard to differentiate themselves and be heard above the fray.

14The Deep State

29 minOct 27, 2019

The Circus does a deep dive into the longtime federal government agencies and bureaucrats involved in Congress’ ongoing impeachment inquiry, otherwise dubbed by President Trump as the "deep state.”

15Field of Dreams

29 minNov 3, 2019

The Circus is in Iowa for the all-important Liberty and Justice Celebration, aka Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, where past Presidential winners like Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter have broken out from tight races. The hosts go behind the scenes of 2020 Democratic candidates’ campaigns to evaluate their infrastructure and strategy for the event. Will there be a breakout star this time around?

16Here Be Dragons

29 minNov 10, 2019

The impeachment inquiry is on the brink of a new, uncharted phase with the onset of public hearings. The Circus analyzes potential outcomes of the impeachment inquiry by taking the pulse of Congress members, Presidential campaigns, and Trump loyalists who are all set to be impacted by public testimony.