535 News

The House & Senate Rulebooks, New Polling, and How Washington Got Here

535 — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0400

It’s Tuesday, October 13. On today’s 535 podcast, we look at how power works in Washington as the midterms close in. Tom Wickham, House parliamentarian from 2012 to 2020, takes us inside the House and Senate rulebooks: why rules are getting voted down, how discharge petitions are changing the House, and whether the Senate should borrow from the House.

Mark Keida, partner at Narrative Strategies, walks through our new 535-Narrative Strategies poll of voters nationwide: why cost of living is the top issue, how gas and groceries became the pain points, and who voters say is responsible for making life more affordable.

Dana Milbank, columnist at The Washington Sun, makes his case for how Washington got here, from Newt Gingrich to Donald Trump, and says he’s “very worried” about what Democrats will do with power if they win it.

If it’s important to the 535, it’s important to us.

Watch every interview, read the newsletter and get the podcast at 535.news.

What Voters Are Saying as Both Parties Plan for Power

535 — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0400

With the midterms weeks away, 535 goes inside the conversations shaping what comes next on Capitol Hill.

Fmr. Gov. & Rep. Jim Blanchard, a former Michigan governor, congressman and U.S. ambassador to Canada, talks with Colby Itkowitz about election integrity, political civility and the latest U.S.-Canada trade talks. Blanchard is a leading voice with the Democracy Defense Project, a bipartisan coalition of former state executives.

Sabrina Rodriguez of The Wall Street Journal went home to Miami to see how Hispanic voters who backed Trump are feeling ahead of the midterms. She tells Colby and Marianna Sotomayor what she heard.

Then Marianna sits down with two former House leadership aides: Mark Bednar, who led communications for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and Katie Grant Drew, who was communications director and senior advisor to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. They talk about what's happening behind the scenes in leadership.

If it's important to the 535, it's important to us. Watch the full interviews and sign up for the newsletter at 535.news.

How Leadership Is Prepping for November, Georgia's Big Races & Unmasking @ringwiss

535 — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0400

Susan Davis talks with John Leganski, former deputy chief of staff to Speaker Kevin McCarthy and author of Glory, Grief, and the Gavel. They cover what leadership staff are doing now to get ready for the majority or the minority, how leadership races really get won, and what slim margins mean for whoever holds the gavel next.

Marianna Sotomayor of PUCK is joined by Tia Mitchell, Washington bureau chief for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, to break down Georgia's top races. That includes Sen. Jon Ossoff vs. Rep. Mike Collins for Senate and Keisha Lance Bottoms vs. Rick Jackson for governor, plus what could happen in the state legislature after November.

For years, Hill reporters assumed the anonymous account @ringwiss belonged to a former House parliamentarian. He turned out to be Kacper Surdy, now a 22-year-old grad student at George Washington University. Paul Kane of the Washington Sun and 535 Contributing Host & Analyst Susan Davis talk with him about House rules, why members hand so much power to leadership, and why he's a House guy.

Colby Itkowitz, 535 Contributing Host & Analyst, talks with Dr. Max Courtney of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons about a proposed 20% cut to what Medicare pays hip and knee surgeons. He explains what he says it could mean for seniors, and the race to stop it before CMS finalizes the rule.

Watch the full show and every interview at 535.news.

Rep. Hoyer, America’s Parks + Who Draws the Congressional Lines

535 — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0400

One month from Election Day, 535 goes beyond the campaign trail and into the policy fights shaping Washington now — and what comes next.

Rep. Steny Hoyer joins Paul Kane and Mariana Sotomayor as he enters his final months in Congress, discussing Ukraine and Russia sanctions, government funding, the future of FBI headquarters and what he still wants to accomplish before leaving Capitol Hill. Tiernan Sittenfeld, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, joins Colby Itkowitz on staffing losses, billions in deferred maintenance, funding fights in Congress and new battles over development, mining and public lands. Then, Rory Riley-Topping and Josh Rutenberg, authors of Draw the Line in Ohio, join Leigh Ann Caldwell to explain how Ohio became a case study in the national redistricting fight — from voter-backed reforms and rejected maps to court battles over who ultimately gets to draw the Congressional lines. If it’s important to the 535, it’s important to us.

Congress Is Gone, But 535 Is Still Here: Coming Up This October

535 — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:59:36 -0400

The halls of Congress are empty. The members are home campaigning. But 535 is still here. Throughout October, we’re going deeper with the people who know Capitol Hill from the inside — policy experts, former leadership staffers, Hill veterans and campaign operatives who have helped win majorities, lost them, and lived through the fights that shaped Congress. We’re breaking down what got done, what’s still waiting for the lame duck, the road to the 120th Congress and the stories behind how Capitol Hill actually works. Plus, we’re taking you inside the Capitol itself — from its grandest spaces to some of its smallest and strangest corners. If it’s important to the 535, it’s important to us.