The Conversation with Dasha Burns

It's a political cliche to say that the stakes couldn't be higher — but we're looking at Georgia and the stakes couldn't be higher! Republicans and Democrats are feeling the pressure as they vie for the Senate majority, which has major implications for Joe Biden's presidency. Senate reporter James Arkin talks to Scott about his latest trip down to Georgia. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a...

"Nerdcast" presents Episode 5 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast "Global Translations": The technologies that protect us, move us and power our daily lives require mining minerals and metalsin distant places. But access to these essential materials is increasingly under threat. Hosts Luiza Savage and Ryan Heath talk with experts who are sounding the alarm.  Luiza Savage is the host of "Global...

Dan Bongino is pushing a stolen election conspiracy theory, and he's gaining followers. Some far-right commentators like Dan are flocking to apps like Parler and Rumble, where they don't have to be fact checked by Facebook and Twitter. POLITICO reporter Maggie Severns tells Scott Bland about the conservative pundits and fringe outlets whose conspiracies will dominate far-right messaging for the ne...

The 2020 presidential transition is one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history: Covid-19 is raging, Joe Biden still isn't receiving classified information as prez-elect, and Donald Trump hasn't conceded the election. POLITICO Transition Playbook author Alex Thompson demystifies the process with host Scott Bland and talks about some of the frontrunners in Joe Biden's cabin...

Election Day came and went, and on this, Day 5 of Election Week, we have a result: Joe Biden is the president-elect. POLITICO's Sudeep Reddy and Scott Bland lay out what we know, what we (still) don’t, the state of political journalism and polling after the vote and what in the world that presidential transition is going to be like. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLI...

It's definitely not the Election Night we dreamed of. But it definitely happened. Host Scott Bland teams up with Dispatch's Jeremy Siegel to analyze the results — or lack of results. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is the host of "Dispatch" for POLITICO.Jenny Ament is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer...

Nov. 3 is barreling toward us, but don't expect that to be the day we'll know who won the presidency. POLITICO's Zach Montellaro and Nerdcast host Scott Bland decode how to watch Election Day — and the days that follow — like a pro. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor for POLITICO.Zach Montellaro is a politics reporter for POLITICO.Adrienne Hurst is an associate producer for...

By almost every measure, the likely outcome is that Joe Biden will win the White House. Yet less than two weeks before Election Day, the unfolding reality of 2020 is that it’s harder than ever to be sure. POLITICO's Charlie Mahtesian and Scott Bland lay out why they're not ruling out another surprise Trump victory on Nov. 3. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor for POLITICO.Ch...

While Florida Republicans used to dominate the absentee ballot game, this year there's been a stunning development: For the first time ever at this stage of a general election, Florida Democrats are outvoting Republicans. But lest they get too excited, campaign veterans warn that a wave of Republican votes is coming on Election Day. POLITICO's Marc Caputo takes Nerdcast host Scott Bland inside the...

President Donald Trump regularly promotes the soaring stock market as a barometer of the economy's health. But the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans own 50 percent of the value of stocks held by individual households — and investors aren’t sharing the wealth. POLITICO's Victoria Guida explains how this gap is fueling an increasingly lopsided economic recovery. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast a...

Evangelicals make up a bigger share of the Republican electorate. But on the courts? It's conservative Catholics who reign supreme. If confirmed, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, would be the sixth Catholic justice currently sitting on the high court — five of whom were nominated by Republicans. University of Denver politica...

Donald Trump will face Joe Biden for the first of three presidential debates on Tuesday. POLITICO's Gabby Orr and Scott Bland dive into how the president is prepping — or not — for the big day ... and why some of his supporters worry Trump has set a trap for himself by attacking Biden’s mental acumen. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Gabby Orr is a White House...

After weeks of uncertainty following President Donald Trump's executive order on TikTok, the Chinese-owned video app that has stolen the hearts — if not the data — of millions of teens has found an American partner: Oracle. But will it make Americans' data any safer? POLITICO Magazine contributing editor Zachary Karabell and Scott Bland explore Trump's TikTok fight — and whether it's really a form...

For the first time, young adults born on or around September 11, 2001, will vote in a presidential election this November. America has been at war virtually every day they've been alive — and now they're coming of age politically during a world-changing pandemic. They speak up in this episode, as POLITICO Magazine contributor Garrett M. Graff and Scott Bland discuss how Gen Z voters could shake up...

When Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate, it was a historic moment — and one that made some people thousands of dollars. Traders on the website PredictIt, a stock market for politics, wager thousands of dollars on an array of political moments. Today on Nerdcast, Zach Montellaro tells Scott Bland about his conversations with political traders — one who trades semi-professionally a...

Are we a country that's failed disastrously to respond to a global pandemic, or a country that's overrun by protests and violence on the streets? Democrats and Republicans painted wildly different pictures of America at their party conventions this month. For the double conventions, we're featuring a double host special: Nerdcast's Scott Bland joins Dispatch's Jeremy Siegel to discuss the biggest...

A question from a high schooler left POLITICO chief political correspondent Tim Alberta stumped: What does it mean to be a Republican? Alberta talks with Scott Bland about whether the Republican National Convention answered that question this week — and how Donald Trump has shaped the party's future. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Tim Alberta is the chief pol...

The postal service is older than America itself. It delivers bills, Amazon packages and even ballots straight to your house. So what happens when, in the middle of a pandemic that has skyrocketed the demand for vote-by-mail, the USPS suddenly seems like it’s falling apart? POLITICO Magazine digital editor Zack Stanton joins Scott Bland to talk about the mail-system meltdown and what USPS expert Ph...

In-person events have long been the bedrock of political fundraising. So what happens when a global pandemic takes away in-person fundraisers? … They go to Zoom. Sure, there's awkwardness and technical difficulties, but they are helping both campaigns raise record amounts of money. And even in a post-coronavirus world, this looks like the new normal. Democratic strategist Tim Lim and GOP donor Dan...

Donald Trump's campaign says it knocks on a million doors a week. Joe Biden's campaign says it knocks on zero. Host Scott Bland talks to Miles Baker — former door knocker, organizer and current political strategist — about the silver linings of the pandemic. Halting in-person canvassing has actually been a useful way to retool campaign strategies. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics...

The congressional map as it stands now — three months out from the election — paints a cautiously optimistic picture for Democrats, who could see their majority grow.  POLITICO reporter Ally Mutnick talks with Scott Bland about how Donald Trump's current numbers are affecting the way that Republicans in suburban districts are campaigning. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor a...

November's election is about to be a perfect storm — that we can all see coming. Garrett M. Graff digs into his POLITICO magazine cover story with Scott Bland about the voting issues that have tripped up primaries in 2020 so far, and why November won't look like any election we've seen before. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Garrett M. Graff is a contributor t...

President Donald Trump's vendetta against the NFL isn't just political. It's personal. POLITICO Magazine's Michael Kruse talks with Scott Bland about the decadeslong feud — and whether recent shifts in public sentiment on racial justice issues could make Trump's reelection campaign the final battlefield. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Michael Kruse is a senio...

Trump's former attorney general wants his Senate seat back. But polling shows Tommy Tuberville — a former football coach and political newbie — ahead of Jeff Sessions in the Republican primary runoff. Birmingham, Ala.-based journalist Eric Velasco talks with Scott Bland ahead of the July 14 matchup. Plus, James Arkin brings us up to speed on the broader Senate map. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdc...

The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to strike down a Louisiana abortion law could motivate conservative voters at the ballot box — and progressives, too. Health care reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein explains. Scott Bland is the host of Nerdcast and a politics editor at POLITICO.Alice Miranda Ollstein is a health care reporter for POLITICO.Adrienne Hurst is an associate producer for POLITICO audio. Jen...