Eye on Congress

Democrats plan to make so-called "good government" laws to tighten campaign finance and lobbying rules a priority in the new Congress. Democrat Jon Tester, who is featured in a documentary about outside campaign money in his state of Montana, tells host Shawn Zeller and lobbying reporter Kate Ackley why he is leading his party's efforts in the Senate, even if he faces a skeptical GOP majority.      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We take a deep dive into the criminal sentencing and prison programming overhaul Congress is expected to pass this year, which is shaping up to be a major bipartisan achievement. Credit goes to Republicans, like Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, sponsor of the bill, who says it's a matter of money and morals to try to help the incarcerated. And to activists, like Kevin Ring, a former federal prisoner, who explains why he is lobbying for a reduction in mandatory minimum sentences. CQ reporter Todd Ruger credits Jared Kushner with persuading his father-in-law, President Donald Trump, to put aside his reservations and agree to sign it.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In seeking to solidify her bid for House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi promised members of the Problem Solvers Caucus she'd guarantee floor time for bills with broad, bipartisan support. Problem Solvers Co-Chairman Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, says it will change the balance of power between House leadership and the rank and file.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nancy Pelosi has won the House Democratic Caucus' nomination to return as speaker in January, proving herself a formidable opponent to those in the party who'd depose her. Molly Reynolds, a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, unpacks the incentives Pelosi is deploying to get to a majority, and secure the speakership, when the full House votes in January. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, wants to return to the job now that Democrats control the chamber again. Dissenters in her caucus say they can block her ascent. Pelosi biographer Marc Sandalow says the renegades are in for a battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Democrats who won a House majority on Election Day are a diverse group with compelling life stories. Two CQ reporters, Mary Ellen McIntire and Greg Tourial, profile three of the most interesting members of the class of 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shannon Bream, host of Fox News @ Night, answers the tough questions about Fox's ideological approach to journalism amid growing public concern about heated political rhetoric. Her show is part of Fox News' prime-time lineup that in October reached more than 2.8 million cable viewers a day. In a 20-minute interview, Bream discusses a wide range of issues related to the politicization of the media on the left and right.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ senior writer Kate Ackley says Democrats agree on a few policy bills, from a lobbying and campaign finance overhaul to an increase in the minimum wage, but will likely have internal disagreements about whether to pursue more far-reaching goals, like Medicare for all, or restrictions on gun ownership.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senators are considering several options to punish Saudi Arabia over the suspected murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, says CQ foreign policy reporter Rachel Oswald. She adds that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have grown frustrated with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. He was once seen as a reformer but his crackdown on dissent has tarred his image. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shawn Zeller recaps the results of CQ's Capitol Insiders Survey, a poll of congressional staffers about the midterms and other topics, with expert analysis from two former aides to top congressional leaders, Lisa Camooso Miller, who was a spokeswoman for Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, and Brendan Daly, a onetime spokesman for Nancy Pelosi when she was Speaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ Health reporter Sandhya Raman explains what's in the sweeping opioids bill that Congress cleared on Oct. 3 – just in time for lawmakers to campaign on the issue before the November midterm elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legal analyst Stuart Taylor Jr., a well known critic of the fairness of rape investigations, to men, says Christine Blasey Ford was credible enough, and Brett Kavanaugh evasive enough, to give senators reason to vote against Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Washington is obsessed with the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, voters — Republicans and Democrats— are more concerned about the economy, says Democratic pollster Brad Bannon, who adds that the positive top-line numbers cloak Americans' continuing economic fears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an administration proud of its deregulatory approach, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has defied the trend. He's proposed to mandate lower nicotine levels in cigarettes and suggested a willingness to crack down on electronic cigarette products popular with kids. Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and CQ health reporter Andrew Siddons assess the proposals and the likelihood Gottlieb will follow through.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats "definitely have a chance to win the Senate,'' election analyst Nathan Gonzales tells CQ on Congress. He maps out where Democrats can pick up Senate seats in the midterm elections as well as which races they are most likely to lose.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter, Facebook and possibly Google executives are preparing to testify before Senate and House committees next week over concerns that foreign governments could use their platforms to interfere in the upcoming midterm elections. CQ cybersecurity reporter Gopal Ratnam gives us a primer on what to expect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats are pushing for a delay in upcoming confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, arguing that Kavanaugh could ultimately sit in judgment of the president if Trump's legal problems reach the court. CQ legal affairs writer Todd Ruger says Republicans are likely to ignore their calls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Congressional Budget Office recently revised its earlier, already dire warning that the national debt will be 150% larger than the entire U.S. economy within 30 years — proposed GOP budget and tax legislation could make a bad situation much worse. CQ News editors Patrick B. Pexton and Pete Cohn discuss the political landscape of debt and deficits heading into what could be a fateful midterm election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ editor Patrick B. Pexton talks with writer Andrew Clevinger about all the steps needed to create the Space Force. The biggest challenge? A two-year NDAA, waiting on the president's desk to sign when he returns from his golf vacation, has no extra funds for such an ambitious enterprise that critics say isn't even necessary to protect the United States from space-based threats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There have been 11 special elections for the U.S. Congress in the last two years, and they all have one thing in common: Democrats have performed better than the partisan breakdown would suggest. Political Theater host Jason Dick breaks it all down with senior political writer Simone Pathé and elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices