Playbook Deep Dive

You already know what time it is: Primary discussion time! *Insert airhorn sound effect* Daniel Strauss and Steve Shepard are back to talk about the primaries that happened this week. Then, Paul Ryan is a lame duck, and he's gotten himself into a pickle. What happens when your own party doesn't wanna work with you? Rachael Bade breaks it down for us.

If you ain't talking primaries, we don't wanna talk (we'll call you back). Talking primaries again, we know you love it! Hear what democrats are facing, and how women are faring in primary elections this year. Then, get a look inside the Mueller investigation with POLITICO reporter Josh Gerstein.

We talk about what unfolded in Tuesday night's primary elections, and then breakdown the next round of primaries we're gearing up for. Then, it's on to Iran and North Korea and all the ways they're intertwined — yet completely different. Plus, in a win for Charlie, he's asked to talk about his favorite place in the world: The Keystone State.

History forgot Lisa Howard, but we still see the implications of her work today. The story of how one pioneering female journalist used grit, determination and some intimate diplomacy to establish a secret backchannel between the U.S. government and Fidel Castro, altering the course of the Cold War. Read the full Politico Magazine story at politico.com/magazine.

President Trump's new lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, shared some revealing news about the president during an interview with Sean Hannity regarding the alleged arrangement his former lawyer made with the adult film star Stormy Daniels. Following suit, we reveal a secret about Charlie. We also break down the upcoming primary elections, including the four happening next Tuesday.

It seems like we are destined to have at least one confirmation battle pending before the senate until the end of time. This week, we can thank Dr. Ronny Jackson, who has withdrawn his nomination to lead the VA. White House reporter Eliana Johnson breaks down all the drama surrounding his nomination. Then, reporter Daniel Strauss breaks down what is shaping up to be an interesting midterm election in Missouri.

It's been a very foreign-policy focused week for the White House. We bring you a breakdown of the big events that made headlines. Then we’ll talk about how the diplomatic world and corporate America have adapted to the way the president changes his mind. Plus, Scott Bland's favorite topic: CAMPAIGNS! We talk about Sun City, Arizona, the next stop in a special-election-season that keeps on giving.

Paul Ryan announced that he'd be retiring after three years as Speaker of the House. Where does that leave republicans, and what about all that fundraising money Ryan rakes in? We get into both. Then, Nancy Cook catches us up on another whirlwind week at the White House. It was, in a word: bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

Scott Bland is back! This week, our host has returned, and somehow, no one left the White House. We're talking about the controversies surrounding EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, then shifting gears to take on the big economic stories from this week: Tariffs from China and why President Trump really doesn't like Amazon. Plus, in a tale of three Scotts, a Nerdcast mega-fan lends a hand.

In this episode, going in-depth on a POLITICO investigation that found disparities in how the federal government handled the responses to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria. Plus, it was a quiet week at the White House (only one firing), so what else is going on? Stick around to the end for a special surprise to celebrate 100 episodes of the Nerdcast.