Episodes

  • The Liquor Cabinet (with Jonathan Martin)

    The Liquor Cabinet (with Jonathan Martin)
    Apr 21 2026
    This week, Murphy and Heilemann were joined by frequent Hacks flyer and host of On the Road, Politico’s Jonathan Martin! The Hacks dive into U.S./Iran negotiations, Vance’s foreign policy woes, chaos and turnover in the Trump cabinet, and check in on the Virginia, California, and Kentucky races. And so much more! Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • It’s the Theology, Stupid (with Doug Sosnik)

    It’s the Theology, Stupid (with Doug Sosnik)
    Apr 14 2026
    This week, Murphy and Heilemann welcome policy Hackeroo and Clintonworld veteran Doug Sosnik. The Hacks dive into Trump’s Twitter feud with Chicago’s Pope, high-stakes negotiations to end the war with Iran, the JD Vance problem, shifting voting trends and Trump’s job approval—and check in on California’s governor’s race. Photo by Xinhua via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Gravity of the Situation (with Rahm Emanuel)

    Gravity of the Situation (with Rahm Emanuel)
    Apr 7 2026
    This week, Axe and Murphy are joined live and in person by Hack regular, former U.S. Ambassador, and former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. The Hacks break down the escalating war with Iran and Trump’s increasingly heated rhetoric, as strikes intensify and diplomacy teeters on the brink. They dig into JD Vance’s trip abroad—and what his chances are for 2028—before turning to the midterms and the wide-open Democratic race for the White House. All that and much more! Photo by Roger Simmons/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • TACO Tuesday (with Morris Katz)

    TACO Tuesday (with Morris Katz)
    Apr 1 2026
    This week, Axe and Heilemann dive into Trump’s Oval Office presser on the state of the war with Iran—and, of course, his ballroom. The Hacks also break down kitchen table issues, potential watershed moments, Republican influencers turning on Trump, redistricting, the midterms, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Mad King Politics (with David Plouffe)

    Mad King Politics (with David Plouffe)
    Mar 25 2026
    This week Axe and Murphy are joined by Campaign Manager Hackeroo David Plouffe — who ran Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, later served as a senior White House advisor.The Hacks dive into another week of war with Iran, unpack Trump’s motivations (and re-motivations), break down how negotiations on the Hill are going, dig into the politics of the SAVE Act, check in on Illinois primary results, and review some spicy Texas ads — and, as always, so much more. Photo by Heather Diehl via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • The Luck of the Midterms (with Amy Walter)

    The Luck of the Midterms (with Amy Walter)
    Mar 17 2026
    Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Hackeroos! This week, Axe and Heilemann are joined by one of the greatest Hacks in all the land, Amy Walter—publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. The Hacks dive into Joe Kent’s resignation, unpack the Iran war and its costs at home and abroad, check in on midterm kitchen table issues, take a look at today’s Illinois primary, and so much more! Photo by Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • On the Road (with Jonathan Martin)

    On the Road (with Jonathan Martin)
    Mar 10 2026
    This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by frequent flier in the Hackeroo Lounge, Jonathan Martin. JMart gives the Hacks a preview of his new Politico show, On the Road with Jonathan Martin, including his conversation with Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The Hacks also discuss the war with Iran — how it’s affecting Americans at home, the administration’s shifting rationales, and the U.S. Tomahawk strike that hit a school. Plus: Donald Trump firing Kristi Noem, the first cabinet dismissal of his administration, the Texas runoff, and the Hacks close with a tribute to Jesse Jackson. Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Midterm Crossfire (with Mark McKinnon and Billy Begala)

    Midterm Crossfire (with Mark McKinnon and Billy Begala)
    Mar 4 2026
    This tumultuous week in the news, the Hacks are joined by not one but two expert Hackeroos. First up, Mark McKinnon — former adviser to George W. Bush and co-creator and co-host of The Circus — jumps in with Axe and Murphy to break down the strikes in Iran: what led up to them, what’s happened since the initial attacks and retaliatory strikes across the region, and what the Trump administration is saying (and not saying) about its strategy amid shifting justifications and questions about long-term planning. Then they’re joined by Hacks kin Billy Begala, veteran Democratic strategist and co-founder of The Barbed Wire, to preview tonight’s Senate primary in Texas and what the outcome could signal for the midterms. Photo by Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins