Hacks On Tap

This week, Axe and Heilemann are joined by former Congressman Adam Kinzinger — Air Force veteran, author, and one of the most candid voices in Washington. The guys try to help Axe make sense of the Sydney Sweeney controversy, unpack the latest drama at the Department of Defense, and dive into inflation, job numbers, the Texas redistricting adventure, Trump’s foreign frenemies, and so much more!

This week, our two chief windbags, Axe and Murphy, are joined by seasoned Democratic strategist Lis Smith—and author of Any Given Tuesday. The Hacks unpack Trump’s Epstein problem and the surrounding pardon chatter, his scenic detour to Scotland, and the frosty turn in his bromances. They wade into early polling, premature redistricting shenanigans, and take out the crystal ball to scan the House and Senate maps for potential pickup opportunities.

This week, Murphy and Heilemann are joined by ink-stained Hackeroo Robert Costa—national correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning and chief Washington analyst for CBS News, as well as co-author of Peril. The Hacks break down Hunter Biden’s recent interview—and yes, a certain Hackeroo got name-checked, much to his surprise (and ours). They dig into the weight of Joe Biden’s legacy as the Democratic primary field begins to stir, the voters feeling left behind, and the Trump economy barreling toward a potential recession. Plus: a six-month check-in on Trump’s second term—who’s in, who’s out, and who’s still clinging to relevance in MAGAland.

This week, Murphy and Heilemann are joined by the great Frank Lavin—former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, Reagan’s political director, and a Swiss Army knife of global politics. The Hacks dive into a tidal wave of news: renewed demands for the release of the Epstein list, Trump falling out of vogue with the GOP, Putin calling Trump’s bluff, the political undertones of the World Cup, the New York mayor’s race, and so much more. Plus, don’t miss Frank’s new book, Inside the Reagan White House—a firsthand look at policymaking, politics, and the people behind the scenes of the Reagan Revolution.

This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by Wall Street Journal political reporter Josh Dawsey, co-author of 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, just released today. They dig into Dawsey’s reporting, the fallout from Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”, the devastating flash floods in Texas, Biden’s cell phone, spaceships, crayons, and what all of it says about where we’re headed.