The Fly

In this exciting episode of FOTW, the flies met with Lindsay Hayes, founder of Free the Facts, and the writer and speechwriter for the US Senate, as well as two presidential campaigns. During the conversation, Hayes shares her expertise in the world of American politics in addition to her path to becoming CEO of Free the Facts, a non-partisan, policy-focused NGO. You won’t want to miss this, liste...

In this episode of FOTW, the flies met with Ellen Keast, the Campaign Manager for Charles Herbester in the Nebraska Gubernatorial Race. In this conversation Ellen shares her perspective on key issues for young conservatives, Trump's influence on state politics, and much more! This is definitely an episode you don't want to miss so listen now!

This week on the Pod, the Flies spoke with Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican pollster and Founder at Echelon Insights. We talk about all things polling, including what it means to be a Republican pollster, generational divides, and hot button issues. You don’t want to miss it!

On this week's episode, the flies were joined with Elliot Williams, GU Politics Fellow and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for legislative affairs at the Department of Justice during the Obama administration. In this lively conversation, Williams shares the highlights of his career in legislation and media and gives special insight on the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, restoration...

In this episode of Fly on The Wall, the Flies sit down with Ofirah Yheskel, who is the Deputy Communications Chair at the DNC. Ofirah shares her background working in communications and campaigns across the country, explaining how she crafts messages and targets certain voters. Happy listening!

In this episode, the Flies sat down with GU Politics Fellow Wesley Lowery, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist and CBS News Correspondent. As one of the country’s foremost journalists on issues of race, law enforcement, and social justice, Lowery shares his own experience as a political reporter in this day and age, diving into specific highlights and pinpoints of his career. This is an episode that...

In this special episode of Fly on the Wall, we cover the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The flies first interviewed protestors outside of the White House two days after the invasion. We then called into Moscow and sat down with Georgetown Professor and Russian expert Jill Dougherty to hear her analysis of the ongoing crisis. Listen now and hear the War in Ukraine from two sides of the world.

In this episode, the Flies talk with GU Politics Fellow Alyssa Farah Griffin, former Communications Director for the Trump Administration. She shares expertise and experience working in the communication field, discusses her views on American Conservatism and the Republican Party.

For the first episode of Season 11, flies sat down with Dafna Linzer, a GU Politics Fellow who was a Managing Editor at NBC News. We talked about her experience working in a combat zones, highlights of her career, her advice to aspiring journalists, and more. Don’t miss the debut episode of Season 11!

For the Season 10 finale, the flies were joined by GU Politics Fellow Rebecca Pearcey to discuss her career, her extensive experience in the campaign world, her advice to young people interested in entering politics, and more! Don’t miss this great conversation with Rebecca.

In this episode, the flies sat down with John Anzalone, Chief Pollster of the 2020 Biden Campaign, Tony Fabrizio, Chief Pollster of the 2016 and 2020 Trump Campaigns, and Jocelyn Kiley, Associate Director of the Pew Research Center, to pull back the curtain on all things polling in this day and age. This conversation is one that you don't want to miss, with perspectives from both partisan and nonp...

Enjoy this Thanksgiving BONUS episode with the Fly! We are joined by DSCC Communications Director David Bergstein. We talk 2022 election prospects, candidates to watch, and the Democratic Party's message heading into the midterms. Bergstein also touches on how the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will impact senate races across the country.

This week on the Pod, the Flies spoke with Amna Nawaz, chief correspondent for PBS NewsHour and GU Politics fellow. After serving as an ABC News anchor and NBC News foreign correspondent, Amna joined PBS, where she currently reports on a wide range of topics, including politics, foreign affairs, education, climate change, culture and sports. In this interview, she delves into her journalism journe...

GU Politics hosted an amazing watch party for the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial elections. The Fly spoke with students from across the political spectrum, delving into their thoughts on the competition between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe. Hear the buzz from election night in this special episode of Fly On the Wall!

The Flies were joined by Brian Stelter — CNN’s chief media correspondent, the anchor of “Reliable Sources,” and a fall GU Politics fellow — in this week’s episode. A familiar face on cable news, he sheds light on the “post-truth” era, how TV news has evolved over time, and the challenges that journalists face when reporting on science and changing public health policies.

This week on the Pod, GU Politics fellow Charlotte Clymer (S’16) shared her extensive experience as a transgender activist and military veteran. In addition to serving as the Press Secretary for Rapid Response at the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest civil rights organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality, Charlotte was a communications and strategy director for Catholics for Choice. Tune...

Rory Cooper sat down with the Flies in this episode to discuss his experience working for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and his role shaping the Department of Homeland Security. Cooper and the Flies also touch on the changing character of the Republican Party, the War in Afghanistan, and the future of national security. Don’t miss this insightful conversation with Fall 2021 GU Politics...

The Flies kicked off Season 10 this week with a recap of some of our favorite episodes from last year. Revisiting interviews with Jenny Durkan (Mayor of Seattle), Julie Pace (Associated Press Executive Editor), Sarah Rogers (former Chief of Staff to Rep. Patrick Meehan), Faiz Shakir (Campaign Manager, Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign), Hilary Franz (WA State Commissioner of Public Lands), and former...

In this special episode of Fly On the Wall, we bring you analysis of the recent effort to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom. Mike Madrid, expert in Latino voting trends, former political director for the California Republican Party, and co-founder of the Lincoln Project shared his take on conservative politics in liberal states, the fate of American Experiment, and how both parties are chang...

For our Season 9 finale, we interviewed Tom Perez, a Spring 2021 GU Politics Fellow and former Chair of the Democratic National Committee. He served President Obama for eight years, first as DOJ Civil Rights Head and then as U.S. Secretary of Labor. In this episode, Tom not only took the Flies behind the scenes of his civil rights career, but also shared his take on Democratic party unity followin...

In this episode, the Flies sat down with Guy Benson, host of “the Guy Benson Show,” spring GU Politics Fellow, Fox News contributor, and political editor at TownHall.com. Guy shares his journey from a high school student calling baseball games on local access channels to being a political commentator for Fox News. We also explore politics in post 9/11 America, party realignment, cancel culture, an...

This week on the Pod, we spoke with Spring 2021 GU Politics Fellow and former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, who represented Alabama from 2018 to 2021. Prior to being one of the Senate’s most bipartisan members, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and prosecuted the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Tune in to hear about the most impactful moments of his legal c...

Put your rain jackets on because this week the Pod visited the Pacific Northwest! The Fly sat down with Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan in this episode, chief of executive of the first major American city to be hit by COVID-19. Mayor Durkan shared her experience coordinating with cities across the globe to respond to the pandemic, building a mass-vaccination campaign, and communicating policy to the ci...

Our episode this week features North Carolina State Representative Ricky Hurtado, who became the first Latino Democrat elected to the NC General Assembly in 2020. In addition to representing District 63 (Alamance County), Ricky serves on the Board of Alamance Partnership for Children and co-founded LatinxEd, a nonprofit that aims to expand opportunities for first-generation college students and im...

How has the Trump presidency, COVID-19, and social media changed the journalism industry? What salient issues and policies will dominate the news cycle moving forward? Find out in our latest episode with Julie Pace, Washington Bureau Chief for the Associated Press and a Spring GU Politics Fellow. In addition to the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, she has covered four presidential ca...