The Conversation with Dasha Burns

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is known for being a firebrand when it comes to his conservative, small-government principles. He’s also known for being a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, despite taking issue with some of the president’s policies. But Paul takes issue with being what he says is the only Republican willing to stand up to Trump and his latest moves which, according to Senator Paul, fly in the face of GOP principles and campaign promises. Most recently, he was concerned over his Republican colleagues’ hesitation to confront Trump about his now-former nominee to lead Office of the Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia. Ingrassia withdrew from the Senate confirmation process earlier this week after POLITICO’s reporting on texts that showed him making racist and antisemitic remarks. “I hear a lot of flack from Republicans and they want me to do it. They say, ‘Oh, well, you're not afraid of the president. You go tell him his nominee can't make it,’ says Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee. “I'm just tired of always being the whipping boy.” In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Paul joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns — just hours after he was snubbed from a presidential luncheon — to talk about this GOP fear of confronting Trump, support for House colleague Rep. Thomas Massie, the administration's latest foreign policy moves, the Epstein files and a “farmageddon” that may be on the horizon. “If I'm given the choice of President Trump versus Harris or versus Biden, without question, I choose President Trump over and over again,” says Paul. But that doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and just say, ‘Oh, I'm leaving all my beliefs on the doorstep. I'm no longer going to be for free trade. I'm no longer going to be for balanced budgets. I'm no longer going to be opposed to killing people without trials, without naming them, without evidence.’ No, I have to remain who I am.” Later in the show, Dasha speaks to epidemiologist and public health professor Katelyn Jetelina, the founder of the Substack “Your Local Epidemiologist." They discuss what it’s like being a health communicator in the time of MAHA and why she thinks public health is nearing ‘system collapse.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nationwide, state and local officials are pushing back against President Trump’s plans to send the National Guard into various Democratic-run cities for crime and immigration enforcement support. One of the top Democrats leading the resistance is Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.  Trump has recently said that he believes Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should be arrested for what he believes is mismanagement of the Windy City. “Should we have a president who is threatening to jail his political opponents with no evidence of any wrongdoing, just that we oppose what he's trying to do to our country, which is to militarize our cities and turn us into an authoritarian regime?” Pritzker says. “I don't think that any American thinks that we ought to be jailing people just for their views.” In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Pritzker joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns to denounce the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, combat the administration’s narratives surrounding cities like Chicago, and discuss the future of the Democratic Party. Plus, Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich comes on to talk about the difference between covering the Trump and Biden administrations, her role on the White House Correspondents Association board and the Pentagon’s attempts to impose new restrictions on reporters there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Rayfield is Oregon’s attorney general — and the latest state-level politician to be thrust into the national spotlight by a legal clash with the Trump administration. In this instance, it’s over the federal government ordering troops into Portland, where protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been deemed rebellion by the president.  I would invite anybody to come to Oregon and I think it's pretty clear that there isn't an invasion going on in Oregon,” Rayfield says. “Sometimes I'll joke the only rebellion going on right now is when I tried to feed my son a vegetable.” The AG explained that his opposition to Trump’s proposed deployment is because, in his view, the president’s stated reasons for doing so aren’t based on the facts — or in the best interest of the people of Oregon.“If you want to deploy the military, if you want to federalize the National Guard, I'm okay with that if you have the right facts for it.,” Rayfield says. “We should give any president some deference, but when you have zero facts to base it on, that's when you've got to draw the line.” In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Rayfield talks with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns about how he’s trying to defend states rights by fending off the Trump administration’s attempted National Guard incursion in Portland, the reality of what’s happening in the city, freedom of speech and how progressive policies have drawn outside attention to the state in recent years. Plus, blogger and activist Vani Hari — better known as “The Food Babe” — joins the show to talk about her influence on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and how she hopes to help the MAHA agenda become reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin Hassett is the director of the National Economic Council and arguably the economist closest to President Donald Trump. Right now, he’s also one of the top advisers tasked with explaining the economic fallout of the government shutdown and forging a path forward. Hassett joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for this week’s episode of The Conversation, where he talks about the shutdown standoff on Capitol Hill, when Americans should start feeling the benefits of Trump’s big tax bill and how the trade wars may affect the midterms.  “The really striking thing is that the place where the tariff policy effects should be the worst is the time right now where we have almost 4 percent growth and low inflation,” Hassett says. “We're very, very optimistic about how this policy is working and what it's gonna look like.” And, Hassett digs into the buzz surrounding whether or not he will be Trump’s pick to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.  Plus, Shark Tank judge and investor Kevin O’Leary comes on the show to explain why he’s bullish on the TikTok deal news, bearish on the federal government’s investment in Intel and how he’s grading Trump 2.0’s economic performance so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Talarico is a Texas state representative who’s recently announced his candidacy for US Senate. He’s a Democrat, but not afraid to criticize some aspects of his party.  “National Democrats have talked about defending democracy or protecting institutions,” he said. “But, this democracy of ours doesn't work for a lot of people in this country. It doesn't work for a lot of people in Texas…. This is a deeply broken political system. And I'm not interested in defending it.”  Talarico joined POLITICO’s Dasha Burns this week for an episode of The Conversation, in a wide-ranging conversation about his candidacy, his faith and what Democrats can learn from Beyoncé.  Talarico caught national attention when he flipped a state House district outside Austin in 2018, and has grown in prominence on social media, where he boasts millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram. The former school teacher who’s studying to be a pastor is joining a crowded race to try to turn a Senate seat blue in Texas. His faith has been one of the central aspects of his campaign. “My faith is why I went into public service. My granddad was a Baptist preacher in South Texas [and he] told me that Jesus gave us these two commandments to love God and love neighbor, which means that your faith is inherently public, right?,” he said. “That means that your faith should impact how you treat people out in the world. And really politics is just another word for how we treat our neighbors at the most fundamental level.” When it comes to immigration, a Texas issue in the national spotlight, Talarico offered a metaphor to explain his approach. “People have a desire for a sane immigration system, a secure border that can ensure public safety and can ensure that the people coming here are coming to contribute to our communities and not threaten our communities,” he said. “We should treat our southern border like our front porch. We should have a giant welcome mat out front, and we should have the lock on the door.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sriram Krishnan is a venture capitalist who once served as general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Now, he serves as White House Senior Policy Advisor for AI, where he has helped to develop President Trump’s American AI Action Plan.  In a live interview with The Conversation host Dasha Burns at POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit, Krishnan discussed what it takes for the United States to win the AI race, how the White House wants to keep “wokeness” out of government-funded AI, and how artificial intelligence will be harnessed, regulated, and contested in the years ahead.  “We want to make sure that our ecosystem has market share, and if [China’s] Huawei gets market share that means revenue, that means usage, it makes their chips better, it makes them set up to start exporting to other countries,” Krishnan said. Krishnan explains that the era of artificial intelligence is still very new, and while it closely resembles the early days of the internet, the Trump White House is working to make sure everyday Americans can make good use of the technology. “What I think about is how do we get more of what people here are seeing, which is AI making your lives better, making your work better and figuring out how to get us to economic prosperity.”  Plus, Playbook managing editor and in-house UK expert Jack Blanchard breaks down the significance of Trump’s unprecedented second state visit to Great Britain and the president’s close relationship with prime minister Keir Starmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10. Kirk founded Turning Point USA, which became one of the most influential conservative grassroots organizations in the country. He was a larger-than-life figure in Republican politics who was controversial, provocative, and intrinsically tied to the movement of youth toward voting for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. In the first episode of the newest season of The Conversation, host Dasha Burns, POLITICO’s White House Bureau Chief, speaks with Global Editor-in-Chief John F. Harris about Kirk's death, what it says about the state of free speech in America, and the country's history of political violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Conversation with Dasha Burns is back! In Season 1, Burns sat down with some of the most powerful players in Washington to get their perspectives on what’s really going on inside The White House. Join The Conversation again as Burns continues to explore how President Trump and his team are fundamentally reshaping the country, and how Democrats are tackling this new era of American politics. Full episodes will now air every Friday, starting Sept. 12. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshman Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) is the first out transgender member of Congress. Within days of her election this past November, she faced attacks from Republican colleagues who tried to draw her into a public conflict. Nevertheless, McBride has continued to find ways to forge ties across the aisle.  In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Rep. McBride tells POLITICO’s Dasha Burns why she has prioritized bipartisanship: “Every person in this country goes to work in a workplace where there are people who think differently, live differently, look differently than they do. They figure out how to make it work. They treat one another with respect. This is the one place where we seem to not be able to muster the same maturity and mutual respect that Americans across this country muster every single day when they go into the workplace.” McBride says she hopes to bring “a sense of kindness and grace” to Congress despite the “reality TV show nature” of today’s politics. The two also discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, how the Democratic Party can rebuild its coalition without “reinforcing right-wing framing” over culture war issues and why her pursuit of bipartisan legislation is in part a direct response to President Trump. “If we can't figure out how to solve problems across our political divide,” she tells Burns, “then I believe Trumpism only grows and worsens in this country.” Plus, White House reporter Myah Ward on Trump’s trip to Scotland and what it revealed about the working relationship between the president and European leaders.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary is getting lobbied by the MAHA movement to restrict food dyes and ultra-processed foods, as well as by the food, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries to reduce government oversight.  “We want to go bold and there are a lot of things to do,” Makary tells POLITICO’s Dasha Burns. “But we also want to find common ground and work incrementally.” At the same time, he says, “The amount of pressure I feel from industry or other branches of government is zero.” Makary also discusses how the agency is addressing women’s health and access to mifepristone, what he calls a “child vaping epidemic,” and explains the rationale behind FDA staffing cuts as well as some controversial hires.  Plus, White House reporter Jake Traylor joins Burns to discuss the mood inside the White House amid the fallout over the Jeffrey Epstein story, why President Trump is “itching” to get back on the campaign trail ahead of the 2026 midterms and whether GOP candidates in swing districts will welcome him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt is a lawyer, former state attorney general and a skilled navigator of the old — and new — wings of the Republican Party. He also has another title: White House whisperer.  Schmitt joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns to talk about his closeness with the Trump administration, driving the Senate’s $9.4 billion rescissions bill, his involvement with passing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” his belief in Medicaid reform, the controversy over the release of the Epstein files and what he describes as his “America First” — but not isolationist — foreign policy approach.  “I think a slur that's often uttered is that it's an isolationist point of view,” Schmitt told Burns. “That's not true at all.” (Note: This interview was conducted before the Senate and House passage of the rescissions bill.) Plus, POLITICO reporter Ben Jacobs digs into his reporting on social media influencers running for office and how the phenomenon is reshaping electoral politics.  Listen and subscribe to The Conversation with Dasha Burns on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, is a longtime immigration law enforcement official now tasked with helping implement the administration’s massive deportation campaign. In a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns, Homan explains what will be done with the $170 billion recently passed by Congress to help the effort, defends the tactics of ICE agents, and has a message for those who say undocumented farmworkers should be spared. “People who say ‘don't arrest workers,’ they don't understand the whole ugly underbelly of illegal immigration the way I do,” he tells Burns.  Plus, on the one year anniversary of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, PA, journalist Salena Zito shares her first-hand account as described in her new book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marco Rubio joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for an exclusive interview to discuss his dual roles as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor as he navigates the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Burns is later joined by Alex Bruesewitz to discuss his rise from very online Trump supporter to close adviser to the president, and why vigorous online debate has helped, not hurt, the MAGA coalition. Plus, POLITICO diplomatic correspondent Felicia Schwartz at The Hague during the NATO Summit discusses the diplomatic efforts underway amid ceasefire talks between Israel and Iran.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Rep. Ro Khanna is one of the Democratic Party’s key progressive voices, but he has no problem picking fights with his fellow Democrats or aligning himself with conservatives when he sees common ground. “I'm kind of blunt-spoken. I say what's on my mind,” he tells POLITICO’s Dasha Burns. In this week’s episode, Khanna lays out his concerns about the U.S. getting involved in the Israel-Iran conflict, why he thinks Democrats lost voters to Trump and how he thinks the party can win them back. “I actually think that at the end of Trumpism, this country is going to be exhausted by the bombast,” he tells Burns. “I think we need to offer a substantive vision for the country and to elevate the American debate.” (Note: This interview was conducted prior to Trump’s announcement on Saturday evening that the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. Here is Rep. Khanna’s response to this announcement.)   Plus, senior politics editor Sally Goldenberg joins Burns to discuss the crowded, chaotic New York City primary mayoral race and its national implications for the Democratic Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Within the Trump administration, Richard Grenell is a jack of all trades. When he’s not acting in a diplomatic capacity as special presidential envoy, he’s also running one of DC’s most esteemed arts institutions, the Kennedy Center. “Everyone should be welcome. No one should be booed. No one should be banned,” Grenell tells Politico’s Dasha Burns in a wide-ranging interview in the Kennedy Center’s Grand Foyer. Grenell explains why he thinks “the intolerance is coming from the left,” and why “the gay community has to police itself” at Pride parades. Grenell also sheds light on the Trump administration’s talks with Russia, immigration enforcement, his potential run for California Governor, and his friendship with First Lady Melania Trump.  Grenell also responds to reports that ticket sales and subscriptions have dropped at the Kennedy Center. Grenell calls those reports “wrong.” Read the statements from the Kennedy Center’s CFO here and its SVP of Marketing here.  Plus, senior political reporter Melanie Mason joins Burns to talk about the immigration protests in Los Angeles and how California Governor Gavin Newsom is leading the fight against President Trump’s military intervention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rahm Emanuel has had just about every job in politics under the sun: congressman, White House chief of staff, U.S. ambassador, Chicago mayor, and more. “I’m pretty pragmatic about politics and almost cold to a point in my analysis,” he tells White House bureau chief Dasha Burns. Emanuel, who is widely believed to be considering a run for President in 2028, tells Burns that Democrats should “stop talking about bathrooms and locker rooms and start talking about the classroom.” As the first Jewish mayor of Chicago, he also talks about the recent anti-Semitic attacks and whether America is ready for a Jewish president. Plus, Burns is joined by Politico Magazine editor Elizabeth Ralph to talk about the magazine’s recent Q&A with Miles Taylor in the wake of Trump’s executive order targeting him, and the rise of jawline surgery among DC’s male population. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Mehmet Oz, former TV host and Pennsylvania Senate candidate, is one of America’s most famous physicians. Now he’s running the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which means he’s in charge of programs that provide health care for about half of all Americans. He sits down with White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns to discuss potential Medicaid cuts, his big plans to lower drug pricing, why he’s fielding early morning phone calls from President Trump, and his advice to patients to “be curious” about their health.  Plus, Burns is joined by senior political columnist and politics bureau chief Jonathan Martin to discuss his juicy column about the Ohio governor’s race featuring Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. And senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney joins to discuss the showdown between Trump and the courts over his “Liberation Day” tariffs.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Conversation with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns is a fresh take on the traditional Sunday show format, going beyond conventional wisdom and short sound bites to broaden the political conversation. Each week, Dasha will sit down with one of the most compelling – and sometimes unexpected – power players in Washington and beyond for a real discussion about how they are shaping the current moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fox News anchor Bret Baier joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns to discuss his unique position in President Donald Trump's Washington. The wide-ranging conversation covers Baier's golf outings with Trump, his interviews with global leaders like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron, the media's problem of declining trust, his upcoming coverage of Trump's high-stakes trip to the Middle East, and more. Dasha Burns⁠ is the White House Bureau Chief for POLITICO. Bret Baier is FOX News Channel’s anchor and executive editor of Special Report with Bret Baier and chief political anchor of the network. ⁠Kara Tabor⁠ is a producer for POLITICO audio.  ⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Julia Nutter is an executive producer at POLITICO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris adviser Ashley Etienne joins Rachael Bade to assess House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ first 100 days leading his caucus. They also discuss what Democratic kingmakers need to do to win back voters—from building a better ground game, to ditching attention-grabbing stunts, to coordinating their messaging so they can finally land some punches on Trump. Rachael Bade⁠ is Capitol Bureau Chief and Senior Washington Correspondent for POLITICO. Ashley Etienne is a former adviser to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris. ⁠Kara Tabor⁠ is a producer for POLITICO audio.  ⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is a senior producer for POLITICO audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices