Carlos Lozada is a columnist for The New York Times, and before that,
the longtime nonfiction book critic for The Washington Post. 

In 2019, Lozada won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism for a series of
pieces that judges described as “trenchant and searching reviews and
essays that joined warm emotion and careful analysis in examining a
broad range of books addressing government and the American experience.”

Well, he's now collected nearly a decade of such reviews in what he
calls “The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians,” which
was released this week. 

“If the art of politics can be to subtract meaning from language to
produce more and more words that say less and less,” he writes, “then it
is my purpose as a journalist to try to find that meaning and put it
back.”

He reads a lot of books by politicians. As he likes to say, he reads all
those books so that you don't have to. 

But he's found a way to use those books to say something interesting
about those same politicians. 

So what does Carlos's close reading of the likes of Barack Obama, Donald
Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis and many others reveal about
our politics in 2024?

It turns out quite a lot. On this week’s episode of Deep Dive, host and
Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza sits down with Carlos in POLITICO's
offices to find out more.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Carlos Lozada is an opinion columnist and co-host of the weekly “Matter
of Opinion” podcast for The New York Times. 
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

How Washington’s top book critic reads between 2024’s political lines

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) has a way of being in the middle of things,
whether it’s standing up to Trump after Jan. 6 when many in her party
kept quiet, helping overthrow House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, or warning
Republicans about how they were wrong when it comes to the politics of
abortion. 

But some of that drama is catching up with Mace back home in South
Carolina, which on Saturday will be the center of the political world as
voters head to the polls in the state’s presidential primary. Mace is
now back in Trump’s corner and facing a primary which features not one
but two candidates at least partly motivated by revenge: a candidate
backed by McCarthy and Mace’s own former chief of staff.

On this episode of Deep Dive, host and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza
talks to Rep. Mace about her on-again, off-again history with Trump; the
revenge plots playing out in her primary; her prediction about Trump’s
margin of victory on Saturday; and the backstory to that time she wore a
giant scarlet “A” on the House floor.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Nancy Mace is the representative for South Carolina's 1st district. 
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Nancy Mace’s main character energy

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member on the House Intelligence
Committee, joins host and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza to discuss
everything you might want to know about Russian space weapons, Section
702 reforms, and the behind-the-scenes action at the Intelligence
Committee during a week of extraordinary volatility. 

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Jim Himes is the representative for Connecticut's 4th district. 
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Jim Himes on satellites, space nukes and Section 702

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) was the Democratic lead on the much
anticipated bipartisan border legislation that was supposed to sail
through the Senate and unlock funding for the war in Ukraine. But
everything went sideways this week when Republicans, at Donald Trump’s
insistence, abruptly turned against the bill. On this episode of Deep
Dive, Sen. Murphy tells host and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza what
really happened behind the scenes in the negotiations that assembled the
bill and how things unraveled so fast.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Sen. Chris Murphy is the junior senator from Connecticut.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Chris Murphy's untold border bill backstory

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) discusses the unique role she
plays as one of President Joe Biden’s campaign co-chairs who is also
opposed to some of the key policies he is pursuing on immigration and in
the Middle East.  

On this episode, she tells Deep Dive host and Playbook co-author Ryan
Lizza:

-   Her views on Biden’s border policies and the senate bill 
-   Her own ideas of what a winning immigration policy looks like 
-   Her concerns about Biden’s policies in the Middle East — and what
    she fears is the potential political fallout for his re-election
-   What might be on the agenda at the next secret meeting of Biden’s
    campaign co-chairs
-   Whether she’d rather Biden run against Nikki Haley or Donald Trump

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Veronica Escobar is the representative for Texas's 16th district. 
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

How the border is splitting Biden’s closest allies

Mark Penn is best known for two things: his devotion to centrist
politics and his former role as the top pollster and strategist for Bill
and Hillary Clinton. Lately, he’s added a third: a barrage of polls that
show a large majority of Americans are crying out for an alternative to
Trump and Biden. 

On this episode of Deep Dive, he talks with host and Playbook co-author
Ryan Lizza about his relationship (or lack thereof) with No Labels – a
group promoting a third-party candidacy – the recent GOP primary
results, his controversial polls, and why he thinks that Nikki Haley may
still have a big role to play in this year’s election.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Mark Penn is the CEO of Stagwell and former Clinton strategist.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Meet the pollster who is getting under the Democrats’ skin

Joe McQuaid, the longtime publisher of The New Hampshire Union Leader –
the 161-year old conservative paper that has operated like a Republican
party boss for many decades – joins Deep Dive to tell host and Playbook
co-author Ryan Lizza everything you need to know about Tuesday’s New
Hampshire primary, including whether or not Nikki Haley can win, if
she’ll get the Union Leader’s endorsement, and whether New Hampshire’s
primacy in American politics has come to an end.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Joe McQuaid is the former publisher of The New Hampshire Union Leader.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Is this the end of the New Hampshire primary as we know it?

David Axelrod, the former top Obama strategist, has been offering some
tough medicine to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. In November, he
suggested Biden think long and hard about running for reelection. He has
been withering about Biden’s skills as a candidate and communicator. He
is deeply concerned about the president’s age. And unlike other
Democrats in the anti-bedwetting set, Axe has been clear that the party
should be freaked out by the polls.  

On this episode of Deep Dive, he joins host and Playbook co-author Ryan
Lizza to discuss his critiques of the Biden operation, the parallels
with 2012 when he led strategy for the Obama reelection, and what it’s
like to be a critic of your own party when most partisans these days are
expected to mouth the party line.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
David Axelrod is a Democratic political strategist and a CNN senior
political commentator.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Joe Biden called David Axelrod a ‘prick.’ It won’t shut him up.

As the Iowa caucuses near, Playbook’s Ryan Lizza and POLITICO Politics
Bureau Chief Jonathan Martin go deep on what we know – and what we’ll
soon find out – about Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and Ron
DeSantis’ campaigns.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Jonathan Martin is politics bureau chief for POLITICO.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

How Trump and Biden could blow it in 2024

Arthur Brooks ran the American Enterprise Institute for more than a
decade. Now, he’s a fulltime happiness scientist. Here’s his guide to
making it in Washington without sacrificing your humanity.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Arthur Brooks is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice
of Nonprofit and Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and the
author of "Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting
Happier".
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

The most unlikely ingredient to a successful career in Washington

A week of new developments in impeachment, Donald Trump’s D.C. case, and
Hunter Biden’s congressional inquiry showcased how the collision of law
and politics will determine much of Republicans’ and Democrats’
political fortunes in 2024. POLITICO legal editor James Romoser and
national correspondent Betsy Woodruff Swan join to discuss the
implications.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
James Romoser is the legal editor for POLITICO.
Betsy Woodruff Swan is a national correspondent for POLITICO.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

How Hunter Biden, Jack Smith, and Trump’s legal troubles are setting the stage for 2024

The GOP’s lead negotiator on the embattled Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and
border security supplemental believes that a compromise will happen. But
do his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and his fellow Republicans in
the House agree?

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
James Lankford is the senior U.S. senator from Oklahoma.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Why James Lankford expects a border breakthrough

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise illuminates what happened behind
closed doors after Kevin McCarthy’s ousting as well as what to expect
next on impeachment; why he will vote against expelling George Santos;
and how Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to use immigration to tame
hardliners when it comes to the spending showdown with Joe Biden.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Steve Scalise is the House Majority Leader. 
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Steve Scalise reveals what’s really happened since McCarthy’s fall

John Judis and Ruy Teixeira, co-authors of “The Emerging Democratic
Majority,” are back with a new book that argues that the Democrats are
imperiled by a “shadow party” that is forcing them into “radical”
positions on cultural issues and diverting them away from their core
economic issues. 

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
John Judis  is editor at large at Talking Points Memo and co-author of
"Where Have All the Democrats Gone?"
Ruy Teixeira is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and
co-author of "Where Have All the Democrats Gone?"
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Why the era of the ‘Emerging Democratic Majority’ is collapsing

Australian TV hosts Chas Licciardello and John Barron explain how
American politics has influenced culture and government in their
homeland; and which single feature of Australian politics could fix many
of America’s biggest problems.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Chas Licciardello is a comedian and co-host of Planet America.
John Barron is a journalist, broadcaster and co-host of Planet America.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Why US politics has become must-see TV abroad

On this week’s episode of Deep Dive, Pulitzer Prize winner David
Leonhardt joins host and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza to talk about his
new book and what it says about how Democrats can save their
relationship with working class voters.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
David Leonhardt is a senior writer for the New York Times and the author
of "Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream."
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Why Democrats keep stubbing their toes on the working class vote

Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June 2022, the GOP has
repeatedly paid a price electorally for its stance on abortion.

The chaos has been dispiriting to the anti-abortion activists who helped
engineer the Dobbs decision in the first place. And now they think they
have a new political strategy to get Republicans out of their defensive
crouch and to start winning again on this issue. 

The woman leading this effort is Marjorie Dannenfelser, the head of
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, one of the most important
institutions in the GOP firmament. She’s known as the woman who killed
Roe.

Dannenfelser and her colleagues are plotting, financing, and staffing
the Republican Party’s counter attack on abortion. Playbook co-author
and Deep Dive host Ryan Lizza sat down with her at SBA’s Virginia
headquarters this week, partly because she had some news she wanted to
share about how and where anti-abortion activists are making their first
big move.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Marjorie Dannenfelser is the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life
America.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

The GOP’s new strategy to win on abortion

Host and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza joins Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.)
to learn how he and other GOP moderates, institutionalists, and
Biden-district Republicans have organized against Jim Jordan’s campaign
to be speaker of the House… and what the endgame is for Republicans to
escape this mess.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Mike Lawler is the representative for New York's 17th district.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

How GOP moderates have Jim Jordan pinned

Jon Finer, President Joe Biden’s principal deputy national security
adviser, opens up to Playbook co-author and Deep Dive host Ryan Lizza
about how the administration is approaching some of the thorniest
problems related to the war in Israel, including: striking the right
balance between supporting Israel and expressing concerns about an
extreme response; Biden’s warnings to Iran; and whether America should
now consider itself at war with Hamas.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Jon Finer is the White House deputy national security adviser.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

Biden deputy national security adviser lifts the fog of war in Israel

Marty Baron ran The Washington Post’s newsroom for nine years.

In that time, Marty clashed with then-president Donald Trump.

He pacified rebellions from his younger and increasingly more
ideological staff.

And he partnered with Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos to take on
arguably the biggest disrupter of all: technology. 

He’s written about all of this — and a lot more — in his new book,
"Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post."

Today, Marty is joining Playbook co-author and Deep Dive host Ryan Lizza
to spill the tea on what actually happened between Bezos and Trump; what
the media should be doing to earn your trust; and whether billionaires
like Jeff Bezos are secretly pulling the strings behind closed doors.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Marty Baron is the retired executive editor of The Washington Post. 
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.

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