Eye on Congress:The Big Story

The U.S.-backed military campaign in Iraq to drive the Islamic State from the city of Mosul is expected to succeed, but it could open the door to a host of problems the next U.S. administration will have to tackle, says Paul Salem of the Middle East Institute. In a conversation with CQ Roll Call’s National Security reporter Ryan Lucas and Managing Editor Adriel Bettelheim, Salem explains the complications hindering stability in Iraq, including the conflict in Syria, where U.S. diplomatic efforts face challenges from an assortment of players, including Russia and Iran.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are polling to see if their House and Senate candidates have been tainted by Donald Trump’s crude comments about women captured on video, says CQ Roll Call’s Elections editor Nathan Gonzales. Political Reporter Simone Pathe is watching the most vulnerable House Republicans and Missouri’s Sen. Roy Blunt, whose surprisingly competitive race is trending in the wrong direction for the GOP.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ Roll Call Columnist Walter Shapiro, CQ Policy Editor Catalina Camia and CQ Roll Call’s News Director Steve Komarow weigh in on the vice presidential debate and what Tim Kaine and Mike Pence must do to elevate Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deal to fund the government until Dec. 9 all came down to House Republicans giving in to Democratic demands to help Flint, Michigan, address its contaminated water crisis.  CQ Roll Call’s Managing Editor Adriel Bettelheim and Budget and Economy editor Jane Norman break down the late night deals and what happens after the government once again runs out of money on Dec. 9.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the clock ticking, CQ Roll Call explains the obstacles lawmakers must overcome to reach a temporary solution to fund the government beyond Sept. 30, when the fiscal year ends. Proposals such as one introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz could derail negotiations, says CQ Roll Call’s Budget and Economics editor Jane Norman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created after the 2008 financial crisis just fined Wells Fargo millions of dollars for creating unauthorized accounts for 1.5 million customers, but Republicans in Congress want to strip it of its powers. Listen to CQ Roll Call’s Financial Services reporter Doug Sword and Managing Editor Adriel Bettelheim explain why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A scoop by CQ Roll Call’s defense reporter John M. Donnelly reveals how the U.S. military bureaucracy treats the fallen differently, shortchanging some surviving families of benefits. At issue, says Donnelly, is how members of the National Guard and Reserves, who are increasingly called to fight the nation's wars, are categorized in payroll. The family of one reservist killed in a military plane crash could receive hundreds of dollars less per month than a second reservist killed in the same crash--merely because of the arcane payroll distinction. Congress could fix the problem with $2 million, a tiny amount in an annual defense budget of more than $600 billion.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though Congress and the Obama administration are still fighting over how to respond to the Zika virus outbreak, the gridlock hasn’t kept government scientists from trying to develop an effective vaccine. But with available funds expected to dry up around December, there’s bound to be a reckoning, just as lawmakers are deciding broader questions about government spending and plans to keep federal agencies running. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress is grappling with a plethora of technology-related legislation that appears to be headed nowhere fast, in part because of concerns over security and privacy. As CQ Roll Call's Adriel Bettelheim explains, the Internet of Things Caucus hopes to provide a bridge for understanding the issues at stake when it comes to technology policy – and find areas where lawmakers can work together, says CQ Roll Call’s technology reporter Alisha Green. #DarrellIssa #SuzanDelBene Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many have asked what it would take to remove Donald Trump from the GOP ticket and nominate a new presidential candidate. CQ Roll Call’s senior Senate reporter Niels Lesniewski and managing editor Adriel Bettelheim lay out how it could be done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement has become a thorny issue for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her Democratic Party, says CQ Roll Call’s trade reporter Ellyn Ferguson, who explains in detail what’s at stake. Donald Trump’s and Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign rhetoric has emboldened anti-TPP activists, who have turned a usually wonky debate to a national conversation that transcends party politics.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Texas Sen Ted. Cruz has cast a shadow over the last day of the Republican National Convention after he was booed off stage Wednesday night for refusing to endorse Donald Trump for president. This memorable moment also overshadowed the acceptance speech of Trump’s vice presidential nominee Mike Pence. CQ Roll Call’s Elections Editor Nathan Gonzales says Trump’s onetime campaign foe “overplayed his hand, he looks like a sore loser.’’ It’s a sentiment echoed by others as Trump is set to accept the GOP’s nomination for president. Gonzales is also Editor & Publisher of The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report. @nathanlgonzales, @cqnow, @rollcall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress is going on a seven-week summer break without resolving critical issues from funding the government beyond Sept. 30 to paying for a response to the Zika virus. “There is no agreement yet on a fiscal 2017 plan,’’ says CQ Roll Call’s Budget & Economy Editor Jane Norman.  Along with Managing Editor Adriel Bettelheim, Norman talks about the issues that have created the gridlock and the Band-Aid plans that may be used in September to avert a government shutdown in a highly charged election year.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress is going on a seven-week summer break without resolving critical issues from funding the government beyond Sept. 30 to paying for a response to the Zika virus. “There is no agreement yet on a fiscal 2017 plan,’’ says CQ Roll Call’s Budget & Economy Editor Jane Norman.  Along with Managing Editor Adriel Bettelheim, Norman talks about the issues that have created the gridlock and the Band-Aid plans that may be used in September to avert a government shutdown in a highly charged election year.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gun legislation is posing a real challenge for House Speaker Paul Ryan. Last month it was a Democratic sit-in demanding votes on gun control measures that disrupted regular order in the House. Now, as CQ Roll Call editors Adriel Bettelheim and Catalina Camia explain, it is Republican objections to gun-related legislation backed by their leadership that is tying the Speaker’s hands. Listen to find out why. @cqnow, @rollcall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Working on Capitol Hill may sound glamorous, but for many congressional staffers their salaries don’t match the importance of their jobs. A Roll Call analysis shows stagnant salaries - starting at around $35,000 a year - lag far behind living costs in the nation's capital - a phenomenon that could lead to brain drain on the Hill. CQ Roll Call’s Chief Content Officer David Ellis discusses the issue with Phyllis Jordan, congressional editor of Roll Call, and reporters Rema Rahman and Sean McMinn. via @cqnow @rollcall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite dire warnings that the mosquito-borne Zika virus is poised to become a public health threat, the Senate was unable to overcome partisan bickering to allocate money toward prevention efforts.  Lawmakers, however, voted to help Puerto Rico avoid defaulting on its $72 billion debt. CQ Roll Call’s Adriel Bettelheim and Jane Norman explain what happened and why. @CQNow, @RollCall  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to The Economist Washington Bureau Chief David Rennie describe the potential economic consequences to the U.S. economy of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union and the parallels between Brexit voters and supporters of Donald Trump.  "The last thing the American government needs right now is global turmoil in any significant economy, '' Rennie says. Britain's investments in the United States amount to half a trillion dollars, Rennie says in his discussion with Chief Content Officer David Ellis and CQ Roll Call's Managing Editor Adriel Bettelheim.  @cqnow, @rollcall, @DSORennie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawmakers in the House and Senate remain divided over gun control in the aftermath of the June 12 Orlando attack. But, as CQ Roll Call's Adriel Bettelheim and Niels Lesniewski explain, that isn't hurting either side's political campaigns.   @cqnow, @rollcall  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ Roll Call's Managing Editor Adriel Bettelheim and CQ Magazine Deputy Editor Jason Dick break down how so-called ''poison pill'' amendments get the majority party in Congress to sink its own legislation. Yes, your read right. Though it's a time-honored tactic, such make-or-break amendments are flying with greater frequency in an election year with few viable pieces of legislation in either the House or Senate. And they are disrupting Republicans’ hopes of restoring regular order and transparency to the budgeting process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices