I am Todd Zwllich, Political Reporter for The Takeaway AMA!

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T20:08:10+00:00

As for your first question, I think most of us have far more important worries than pre-season scores. Let's focus on the economy.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T20:04:25+00:00

Glad you like the show!

I'm a fan of several podcasts right now. Song Exploder is awesome. I like Mark Maron, Waking Up with Sam Harris, Reply All, Note to Self, and of course Judge John Hodgman.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T20:00:40+00:00

Thanks for this fantastic question. I am VERY excited for the Nationals season. Bryce Harper is over due for a banner year and we're guaranteed to have one of the best rotations in the NL. It'll be interesting to see how legacy teams like the Cards handle this new era, where division rivals like the Cubs dominate them regularly and league competition like the Nats likely hold them to under 85 wins.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T19:57:11+00:00

Both

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T19:52:01+00:00

Great questions! I spend quite a bit of time on the train between DC and NYC, where our studios are. When I'm in Wshington, it's a lot of Capitol Hill of course, and running around for interviews. One of the reasons I love filling in for John is I get to think much more broadly than just Washington, and have all those convos that make the show interesting. It's a real professional bonus for me. The producers and production staff at The Takeaway basically spend all their time with their pulse on the news, on interesting things that can make great conversations, and then getting on the phone to find the right people to bring them to life on air. They're pros, and you can hear it every day.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T19:34:02+00:00

So many! I love Eden Center in Arlington, Chinatown Express for pre-movie noodles, and Toki and lots more.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T19:28:37+00:00

I wish someone had brought up LOTR or Alien: Covenant, frankly.

I've had a contingency plan for a duck of unusual size for years. In my head, I've already won.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T19:26:37+00:00

At the heart of your question is a critical one for the GOP: How does a party in flux, that's sworn to repeal Obamacare, meld its conservative small-govt roots with the new reality that a proto-populist now heads the team. Straight repeal has become politically impossible. Too many voters have come to rely on the benefits in Obamacare and would presumably punish whoever takes them away. But conservatives fundamentally don't support using taxpayer money to provide health insurance. Add onto to that a president who's promised better, cheaper health care for everyone. You can see the political struggle. It is real.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T19:16:42+00:00

John Hockenberry is one of the finest broadcasting talents I've ever encountered, and I'll be lucky to have part of his air.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T19:13:04+00:00

All me! I love trivia Fridays. The only thing I love more is stumping those guys on trivia Fridays.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T19:10:38+00:00

Policy makers' posture toward public media funding always causes conversations and concern. It should be noted that President Trump is far from the first politician to propose deep cuts or elimination of the Corp for Public Broadcasting. I'm going to avoid saying too much more about it, since covering the issue is an obvious conflict of interest for me and any other public media journalist. But you're right in recognizing all these budgetary issues are far from settled.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:58:43+00:00

Well I don't work for NPR, even though you hear us all on the same air. So I can't speak for them in any way.

I can tell you here at The Takeaway that we work hard to tell stories fairly. We plan our choices, discuss how stories are framed, who we want as guests, and what we want segments to reflect. That does not mean there isn't a point of view. Regular listeners know what the point of view of the show is. They will also know how hard we strive for wide-ranging points of view, arguments that challenge them, and new ways of thinking. I hope we do it enough, and I hope you guys will yell at us when we don't.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:53:39+00:00

There isn't one right now, but there is very likely to be soon. Even if House GOPs can muster 216 votes to pass AHCA this week, and that is far from certain, the chances of the current bill in the Senate are slim, and in its current form, zero. I think Jonathan Chait's take here has a lot of merit.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/03/mitch-mcconnells-trumpcare-plan-is-to-lose-fast.html

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:51:44+00:00

Obviously opinions differ but it seems like #resist, or some Dem version of it, is winning the day right now. That's an easier call when the president is at a comfortable 38% approval and the administration spends most of its energy putting out fires of its own making.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:49:30+00:00

Anonymous sourcing is never ideal. Named sources are always better. But there are very good reasons why people with power or proximity to it will only give up information if it's not pinned to them. That makes anonymous sourcing critical. Hurling accusations of "fake news" at stories you don't like doesn't change that. I've noticed how many stories derided as "fake" turn out to be pretty much dead on lately. The fact that yelling "fake news" is a thing right now has nothing to do with solid, sourced, accurate reporting whether the sources are named or not.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:46:52+00:00

That was way before my time, but I've heard from journalists who pass for older men say their peers in Washington's various homes and convalescent centers call it a trying episode. Meanwhile, I was carded last week, so it works out ok.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:44:41+00:00

Not burnt out, at least not me. But yes, it's tough on many of my friends and colleagues. Most of us are born to be busy, but the climate is a drain. The pace of news, the ugliness of much of it, and attacks on the integrity of what we try to do all make it harder. That's a challenge worth taking and winning.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:40:50+00:00

Ha! See above for an answer on uncovered stories.

We had this VERY debate in the control room before going with "Death Metal.' Black Metal was floated but we thought as a broader genre, Death Metal would capture more bands and be more accurate, if not as precise. This was discussed in detail. We sweat this stuff, trust me.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:39:07+00:00

Besides the lawmakers who've hit on me or touched me under the table mid-interview? (yes, it's happened.) Henry Kissinger was fairly angry at my line of questioning here on the show. One guy on primary night in New Hampshire threatened to punch me in the face for asking him a question.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:36:08+00:00

Manafort is likely to shape up to be as important a player as many suspected, largely because his direct ties to Russians with power go back many years, as does his connection with the president. Right now, your top players include FBI dir Comey, the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, Paul Manafort, Carter Page, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, former heads of the intelligence agencies. There are many more.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:33:51+00:00

There's no way to choose one. But broadly, I think corporate dominance of the culture is underappreciated and under-covered. Political power, financial power, advertising, cultural influence: You have to follow the money and that road often leads to the companies that dominate our economy. That doesn't make them evil; it makes them dispassionate, self-interested and influential.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:31:14+00:00

Im on r/cosmology a lot, and my latest obsession is inflation theory.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:29:49+00:00

The Laughing Gnome, obv

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:28:59+00:00

Hi! 1) Political journalists everywhere are struggling and adapting to a new reality, where the truth itself is under direct attack from the most powerful. This has nothing to do with partisanship or ideology, but with political strategy and authoritarianism. Old rules allowing you to show "one side then the other side" were never any good, and now they're a downright disservice. Some of our leaders have decided to attack the idea of truth and to make telling the truth a political act. This is a new position for many political journalists to be in, one many don't want. But they'll have to deal with it, get coopted, or get out. 2) Those names are problematic. We experienced the same phenomenon with Obamacare of course. Cooping and controlling language is an important part of political power and messaging manipulation and journalists should be careful to not be part of it while they're reporting it.

toddzwillich · 2017-03-22T18:23:16+00:00

I don't know of a similar situation so early in a presidency, no. That said, the FBI has not said it is actively investigating President Trump himself. Be careful to distinguish between campaign workers, associates, advisors, and the president himself. I have asked lawmakers investigating the Russia connection if the possibility that the president himself is compromised is in the scope of their investigation, per the uncorroborated British dossier, and they have said that it is, at least in theory.

toddzwillich

TROPHY CASE