Press Advance with Johanna Maska Situation Room Studios

On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska breaks down the fallout from Donald Trump's guilty verdict with a political panel featuring Desiree Barnes, who worked in President Obama’s Press Office, Danielle Cendejas, a Partner for the Strategy Group and former Obama campaign organizer, and Brittany Martinez, a former aide to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. They discuss what it means for America to potentially have a convicted felon reelected to the White House. They also discuss other political news this week — members of Congress treating Dr. Anthony Fauci like a criminal at a hearing on the pandemic, and President Biden’s crackdown on migrants on the southern border with a new executive order. Plus, what did White House staffers think about the controversy over President Obama's tan suit compared to current presidential scandals.
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Press Advance is produced by Situation Room Studios: www.sitroomstudios.com
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On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with a political panel featuring Samantha Dravis, who worked in the Bush and Trump administrations, Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark podcast and former Communications Director for Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign, and Joan Kato who worked with President Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders. They discuss frustration with the two-party system and how Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy could impact the election, politics in our judicial system, the behavior of political leaders, and which ones are doing a good job staying high when the other side goes so low. Plus, the panel debates the high cost of living and whether the average voter is not "feeling" the economy despite record-low unemployment and positive economic data.
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On this week’s episode host Johanna Maska talks leads a political panel with Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins and Republican strategist Mehek Cooke and they talk — sports. Specifically they get into Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butler’s widely criticized comments regarding women’s careers, LGBTQ+ rights and President Joe Biden’s faith. After they kick that off, Maska, Hopkins, and Cooke talk about the House Oversight Committee that erupted into personal attacks and the upcoming Presidential Debates between Biden and former President Donald Trump. They wrap it up by talking about the romantic comings and goings in the House of Representatives - including a high profile divorce.

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On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with a political panel featuring Morgan Ortagus, who served as the State Department Spokesperson under President Donald Trump, and Lindsay Scola, a veteran of the Obama White House who also worked at the US Mission to the UN with Ambassador Susan Rice. The panel discusses the state of speech on college campuses and the divisions over the Biden administration's nuanced stance on Israel, whether expletive language by our elected leaders has been normalized, and the dangers to women's health from state abortion bans. The panel also reacts to New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez's outrageous defense for having gold bars at home.
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After Pro-Palestinian campus protests have shut down commencements and sent students home, Johanna Maska takes a step back in Press Advance to speak to an expert who spent his life trying to negotiate peace in the Middle East. In this wide-ranging discussion, Ambassador Dennis Ross discusses the history of tensions, US policy towards the Middle East, and how student protesters could use their energy for peace in the region. Ross also discusses the changes to women's rights in Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and describes what he's seen in the over 400 miles of tunnels Hamas built underground in Gaza. Ultimately, Ross says even though right now it feels like we're back to 1948— the existential nature of the conflict—he has reason to believe it is still possible to restore a two-state solution with reforms and institutions for a Palestinian state. 
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On this week's episode, host Johanna Maska speaks with Kristen Hawn, who served as the chief political advisor to the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of more than 50 moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives. They discuss the defense of indefensible actions by politicians in a post-Trump era, the continued criticism of Kristi Noem and whether she lied about meeting North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, and the indictment of Democratic Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar on bribery charges. Johanna also previews a bonus episode that will drop later this week with Middle East peace negotiator and former United States Ambassador to Israel, Dennis Ross, for a conversation about the history of tensions in the region. 
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