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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and podcaster Joe Rogan look on as President Donald Trump shakes hands with W. Bryan Hubbard, CEO of Americans for Ibogaine, during an executive order signing ceremony at the White House on April 18. The executive order aims to further medical research and clinical trials for certain psychedelic drugs. The use of psychedelics is a theme in the Thomas Pynchon novel “The Crying of Lot 49,” one of many parallels in the book to our current time, Political Theater discusses.

Podcasts

‘Shall I project a world?’ — ‘The Crying of Lot 49’ episode

Political Theater, Episode 405

By Jason Dick
Posted April 23, 2026 at 12:09pm

President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 24. Congress is getting more diverse, according to the latest Vital Statistics on Congress. It is also seeing a surge in members leaving the institution.

Podcasts

Vital signs: The numbers that define Congress

By Jason Dick
Posted April 17, 2026 at 10:43am
Spring is in the air, and Congress is in recess — despite a partial government shutdown of the Homeland Security Department.

Podcasts

How much does the Homeland Security shutdown matter to the public?

By Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman
Posted April 2, 2026 at 11:25am
The public standing of President Donald Trump, left, will continue to be linked to the electoral fate of the House GOP majority, lead by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., right, according to Roll Call Elections Analyst Nathan L. Gonzales.

Podcasts

March madness, gladness or sadness? Breaking down the month’s congressional primaries

By Jason Dick and Nathan L. Gonzales
Posted March 26, 2026 at 11:24am
(By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Everything is being disrupted

By Jason Dick and Brody Mullins
Posted March 12, 2026 at 10:48am
From left, Priscilla Chan, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla CEO Elon Musk attend the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump in the Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025.

The ‘Bleeding Edge’ bleeds into 2026

By Jason Dick
Posted March 5, 2026 at 1:27pm
Team U.S.A. hockey gold medalists Quinn Hughes, right, his brother Jack Hughes, left, and their teammates are recognized by President Donald Trump during Tuesday's State of the Union address in the House Chamber.

That’s entertainment! Or not. State of the Union 2026

By Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee
Posted February 25, 2026 at 5:59pm
Outgoing National Press Club President Mike Balsamo of the Associated Press toasts newly inaugurated NPC President Mark Schoeff Jr. of CQ Roll Call on Feb. 6.

Spotlight on the National Press Club, and its new president

By Jason Dick and Mark Schoeff Jr.
Posted February 13, 2026 at 9:57am
Marissa Lang, an enterprise reporter who was laid off by The Washington Post, hugs a supporter during the Save the Post rally outside the newspaper’s offices on Thursday after about 300 newsroom employees were fired the day before.

The Washington Press Club Foundation dinner debrief

By Jason Dick and Jessica Wehrman
Posted February 6, 2026 at 11:54am
Senators returned to Washington after a massive winter storm, with just a few days to avert a partial government shutdown. Time is not on their side, nor is a solution for addressing concerns about Homeland Security operations.

Forecast shows chance of snow, shutdown

By Jason Dick, Savannah Behrmann and Valerie Yurk
Posted January 29, 2026 at 12:22pm