Hacks On Tap

The Hacks are back, and this week Axe and Murphy are joined by CNN’s senior legal analyst, former federal prosecutor, and resident translator of legalese into English, Elie Honig. The Hacks dive into the fallout from Graham Platner’s exit from the Maine Senate race, check in on a handful of key contests, and unpack the role—and controversy—surrounding AIPAC money in Democratic primaries. Then they...

This week Axe and Murphy were joined by Hacks frequent flier and POLITICO’s own JMart. The Hacks break down negotiations between the White House and the Hill, take stock of the midterm landscape, and reflect on the great pageant of American democracy as the nation marks its 250th birthday. Photo by Al Drago via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Axe and Murphy were joined by veteran Democratic strategist, political advisor, and proud Knicks fan Lis Smith. The Hacks break down the races in today’s New York primary, along with several other key races across the country. They also discuss AI companies influencing campaign races, the latest twists with JD’s Iran deal, the White House reflecting pool ecosystem, and so much more! Phot...

This week Axe and Heilemann were joined by political heavyweight and MS NOW’s Jen Psaki. The Hacks step into the octagon to break down Trump's 80th birthday UFC spectacle at the White House and the controversy that followed, the administration's shadowboxing over Iran, and whether the economy is headed for a knockout victory or headed to the mat. Okay, that's enough puns. They also discuss possibl...

This week Axe and Murphy were joined by Air National Guard veteran, former Illinois Congressman, and January 6th Committee member Adam Kinzinger. The Hacks dive into Trump’s claims of election meddling in the Los Angeles mayoral race, his growing paranoia and sleepiness, the state of the Maine race, the ongoing war with Iran, the Chicago Bears leaving their beloved Chicago voter fans, and so much...

This week Axe and Murphy were joined by the great Ron Brownstein—veteran journalist, Bloomberg Opinion columnist, and CNN senior political analyst. The Hacks dive into Trump's preparations for America250, the affordability crisis and the impact of tariffs in key swing states, today's California primary, and the latest developments in races in Maine and Texas—and so much more. Photo by Kyle Grillot...

This week Axe and Heilemann were joined by were joined by focus group guru and Bulwark legend, Sarah Longwell. The Hacks dive into the Texas primary results, California’s governors and LA’s mayoral race, the release of the DNC 2024 autopsy report, and so much more!  Photo by Brandon Bell via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Murphy and Heilemann are joined by Hacks regular and budding food influencer Jonathan Martin to dig into Trump’s latest polling, the un-bullsh!table issues actually shaping the race, and preview key upcoming primaries. Photo by Majid Saeedi via Getty Images "Sad Trio" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/li...

This week Axe and Murphy were joined by ace political wizard and veteran Democratic campaign manager Addisu Demissie. The Hacks dive into Trump’s new inflation numbers, Rubio and Vance vying for the chance to run in 2028, the escalating redistricting arms race, and AOC’s future. And of course, with Addisu in the room, we check in on his home state of California and the key races shaping the politi...

This week Axe and Murphy are joined by the man who has seen it all—and has seen enough—Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. The Hacks dive into Donald Trump’s frustrations with voters, the latest polls and money advantages shaping the map, and—of course with Wasserman in the mix—a deep dive into key races, redistricting battles, and what it all means for the midterms. Photo by Tom Williams...

This week, Axe and Murphy were joined by one of the all-time greats, John King of CNN. The Hacks dive into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting and the broader conversation around political rhetoric and violence, Trump’s ballroom ambitions, exhausted voters, redistricting battles, the California governor’s primary—and much more as we head into the midterms just six months out. Photo by...

This week, Murphy and Heilemann were joined by frequent Hacks flyer and host of On the Road, Politico’s Jonathan Martin! The Hacks dive into U.S./Iran negotiations, Vance’s foreign policy woes, chaos and turnover in the Trump cabinet, and check in on the Virginia, California, and Kentucky races. And so much more! Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices...

This week, Murphy and Heilemann welcome policy Hackeroo and Clintonworld veteran Doug Sosnik. The Hacks dive into Trump’s Twitter feud with Chicago’s Pope, high-stakes negotiations to end the war with Iran, the JD Vance problem, shifting voting trends and Trump’s job approval—and check in on California’s governor’s race. Photo by Xinhua via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

This week, Axe and Murphy are joined live and in person by Hack regular, former U.S. Ambassador, and former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. The Hacks break down the escalating war with Iran and Trump’s increasingly heated rhetoric, as strikes intensify and diplomacy teeters on the brink. They dig into JD Vance’s trip abroad—and what his chances are for 2028—before turning to the midterms and the wide-...

This week, Axe and Heilemann dive into Trump’s Oval Office presser on the state of the war with Iran—and, of course, his ballroom. The Hacks also break down kitchen table issues, potential watershed moments, Republican influencers turning on Trump, redistricting, the midterms, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Axe and Murphy are joined by Campaign Manager Hackeroo David Plouffe — who ran Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, later served as a senior White House advisor. The Hacks dive into another week of war with Iran, unpack Trump’s motivations (and re-motivations), break down how negotiations on the Hill are going, dig into the politics of the SAVE Act, check in on Illinois primary results, and rev...

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Hackeroos! This week, Axe and Heilemann are joined by one of the greatest Hacks in all the land, Amy Walter—publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. The Hacks dive into Joe Kent’s resignation, unpack the Iran war and its costs at home and abroad, check in on midterm kitchen table issues, take a look at today’s Illinois primary, and so muc...

This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by frequent flier in the Hackeroo Lounge, Jonathan Martin. JMart gives the Hacks a preview of his new Politico show, On the Road with Jonathan Martin, including his conversation with Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The Hacks also discuss the war with Iran — how it’s affecting Americans at home, the administration’s shifting rationales, and the U.S. Tomahawk strike that...

This tumultuous week in the news, the Hacks are joined by not one but two expert Hackeroos. First up, Mark McKinnon — former adviser to George W. Bush and co-creator and co-host of The Circus — jumps in with Axe and Murphy to break down the strikes in Iran: what led up to them, what’s happened since the initial attacks and retaliatory strikes across the region, and what the Trump administration is...

This week Axe and Murphy burned the midnight oil to break down Trump’s State of the Union with Hackeroo extraordinaire Jonathan Martin. No spoilers here — the Hacks have kept you waiting long enough. Hit play and find out what went down. Photo by Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Murphy and Heilemann were joined by the one and only Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. The Hacks dive into Trump’s polling, the standoff over ICE funding, and the attention economy — then put Wasserman on the map (literally) for a midterm check-in across Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, and so much more. Photo by Joel Angel Juarez/Bloomberg via Getty Images Learn more abou...

This week, Axe and Heilemann were joined by Lis Smith, veteran Democratic strategist and political advisor. The Hacks dive into the Super Bowl and Bad Bunny’s halftime show, the battle for views, the Trump economy, inflation and mortgage rates, proposed voter ID laws, the latest Epstein files dump, ICE reform, Trump retweets, and—because it’s been that kind of week—so much more. Photo by Kevin Sab...

Happy Tuesday, Hackeroos! This week Axe and Murphy are joined by repeat guest and all-around savant Jonathan Martin of Politico. The Hacks dive into the latest news, including the FBI raid of a Georgia election center, Trump’s cryptocurrency exposé in The Wall Street Journal, Trump’s mixed messaging on the economy and inflation, what an increasingly abnormal election looks like, and a check-in on...

This week Axe and Heilemann are joined by former Chief Beast, current journalist, and author John Avlon. The Hacks dig into the aftermath of a tumultuous weekend in Minnesota — and across the Trump administration — following the killing of Alex Pretti. They unpack ICE and citizen accountability, the administration’s evolving claims versus video evidence that challenges them, and the tangled web th...

This week all three Hackeroos (or Quackeroos) convened to take on a full fire hose of breaking news. The Hacks dive into Trump’s Nobel Piece Prize acquisition, his Davos trip, ICE’s provocative tactics, pardon-palooza, NATO on the brink, Greenland becoming Orangeland, and so much more! Photo by Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices