Hacks On Tap

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

It’s only the second week of the year, and the news cycle is already moving fast. Luckily, Axe and Heilemann are joined by legendary political strategist — and The Circus alum — Mark McKinnon to help make sense of it all. The Hacks discuss ICE’s escalation in Minnesota, including the tragic killing of Renee Good, the influx of ICE officers to the state, and the ramping up of rhetoric around immigr...

Happy New Year, Hackeroos — did we miss anything over the break? Luckily, Axe and Murphy reconvened bright and early with veteran journalist, columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, and senior political analyst for CNN, Ron Brownstein. The Hacks dig into Trump’s Venezuela takeover rhetoric and the politics of oil, Tim Walz bowing out of Minnesota’s gubernatorial race, rising health care costs and what th...

Happy New Year, Hackeroos! While the guys are taking a well-earned break with family, we’re bringing you a great conversation from our friend Kara Swisher’s podcast, On with Kara Swisher. Kara is joined by Beth Macy, a veteran newspaper reporter and author who has spent decades covering rural America, and Jacob Silverman, an investigative journalist focused on tech power and corruption. Together,...

The Hacks convene to sum up a year of very normal politics. The guys dive into Indiana Republicans’ rebuke of Trump’s redistricting plan, the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, rising health-care premiums headed into 2026, the state of the Trump economy, and what it all means for 2026 and beyond. From our Hacks on Tap family to yours, thank you for another year, and we wish you...

This week Murphy and Heilemann were joined by a true political legend — a man who’s been Hacking up and down the ballot for more than sixty years — the inimitable Bob Shrum! The Hacks dig into Trump’s ambitions for his big rally tonight, the early rumblings of Trump fatigue, the state of the economy, growing calls to release the boat-strike videos, MTG’s 60 Minutes moment, and so much more! Photo...

The Hacks are back! All three Hackeroos convened this week to discuss the Tennessee Special election, retiring members of congress and upcoming filing deadlines, Hegseth's latest, the tragic national guard shooting, the ongoing Russia/Ukraine negotiations, their shared love of corgis, and so much more. Photo by Win McNamee via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

In our final episode of the month, Axe and Heilemann were joined by frequent Hack, former congressman, and author Steve Israel. The Hacks dig into the vote to release the Epstein files, MTG’s latest pivot and what’s driving it, primary filing deadlines, winning issues, the midterms landscape, redistricting, and so much more. Plus, we get a sneak peek at Steve’s new book, The Einstein Conspiracy —...

This week, Axe and Murphy were joined by their new Vox Media colleague and veteran political reporter Astead Herndon. The Hacks dive into the potential end of the government shutdown, the future of Democratic leadership, coalition-building, Border Patrol’s trip to The Bean, Gavin-mania, and so much more! Special thanks to our veteran Hacks on Tap listeners — we’re grateful for your service. Cheers...