Episodes

  • S5 Ep23: NYC's Very Dumb Primary (with Harry Siegel)

    S5 Ep23: NYC's Very Dumb Primary (with Harry Siegel)
    Jun 21 2025
    The New York City mayoral primary is "dumb" and getting lots of "dumb attention," at least according to our (radically candid) guest. Democratic voters face a choice between disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and the inexperienced socialist state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. There's another candidate who was just arrested by ICE, which may shake up this race at the VERY end. The City's Harry Siegel joins Sarah for a wide-ranging conversation about New York City's politics today.

    By The City:

    • The City's Meet Your Mayor Quiz
    • FAQ NYC Podcast
    By Harry Siegel:

    • NYC’s lousy election rules create lousy choices
    • Mamdani’s moment for momentum: The surging socialist in the Democratic mayoral primary
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • S5 Ep22: 'This Country is Effed' (with Jonathan Cohn)

    S5 Ep22: 'This Country is Effed' (with Jonathan Cohn)
    Jun 14 2025
    Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is moving through Congress, and you may be surprised by some former Trump voters' reactions. Bulwark in-house policy wonk Jonathan Cohn joins Sarah to talk about the bill's negative consequences and why healthcare has been such a political albatross for the Republican Party. We also learn that plenty of voters are irritated by Congress only seeming to pass 'big' bills these days.
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    53 mins
  • S5 Ep21: New Jersey's (Very) Odd Year (with Amy Walter)

    S5 Ep21: New Jersey's (Very) Odd Year (with Amy Walter)
    Jun 7 2025
    The Democratic primary for New Jersey governor is crowded, and Democratic voters all over the map. But as always, they're united in wanting a candidate who can fight the Trump administration effectively. So which candidate can do it? Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report and the podcast The Odd Years makes her sixth appearance on the show to discuss how these off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia can change the political environment.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • S5 Ep20: Democrats on Biden's Decline

    S5 Ep20: Democrats on Biden's Decline
    May 31 2025
    Sarah had a busy travel schedule this week, so we're bringing you some raw audio. With the recent revelations about Joe Biden's mental state during his term, we asked a couple of groups of Democrats what they thought during (and after) his presidency, and how it might inform their thinking going forward. These voters liked Biden but supported his decision to withdraw from the 2024 race. The excerpts of these groups were edited for length and for participants' privacy.
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    39 mins
  • S5 Ep19: Congress: Trump's Super-Staffers (with Annie Karni)

    S5 Ep19: Congress: Trump's Super-Staffers (with Annie Karni)
    May 24 2025
    Donald Trump is looking to pass his Big, Not-So-Beautiful Bill through Congress. To do it, he needs to get it past congressional Republicans. So what do Republican voters think of congressional leaders, and whether this bill is as big and beautiful as it seems? New York Times congressional reporter Annie Karni joins Sarah.

    By Annie Karni:
    • Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man with Rats in His Walls Broke Congress
    Go to https://surfshark.com/thefocusgroup or use code thefocusgroup at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
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    49 mins
  • S5 Ep18: Liberal Order Elegy? (with Ian Ward)

    S5 Ep18: Liberal Order Elegy? (with Ian Ward)
    May 17 2025
    JD Vance is one heartbeat away from the presidency, and he's a big part of the Republican Party's future. It turns out, his ideas are also part of the reason the second Trump term has been a lot more pure MAGA than the first. POLITICO's Ian Ward returns to the show to recap Vance's first few months in office, his political future, and go deep on some of the New Right's major intellectual influences.

    By Ian Ward:
    • The Spiritual Case for Greenland
    • There’s No Need to Guess. JD Vance Is Ready to Ignore the Courts.
    • Curtis Yarvin’s Ideas Were Fringe. Now They’re Coursing Through Trump’s Washington.
    • The Seven Thinkers and Groups That Have Shaped JD Vance’s Unusual Worldview
    Go to https://surfshark.com/thefocusgroup or use code thefocusgroup at checkout to
    get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
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    1 hr
  • S5 Ep17: Trump Had ONE JOB (with Dave Weigel)

    S5 Ep17: Trump Had ONE JOB (with Dave Weigel)
    May 10 2025
    With Donald Trump's approval ratings falling, that means some of his voters aren't getting what they voted for. We talked to those voters, to find out what that does and doesn't mean about their relationship to this administration (spoiler: they DON'T wish they'd voted for Kamala Harris). Semafor's Dave Weigel joins the show to break down how those voters are feeling, and the battle lines for the upcoming legislative battles over Trump's agenda.

    show notes
    By Dave Weigel:
    Democrats’ new pitch: Down with the king
    Democrats are all but done with Trump impeachment talk
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    56 mins
  • S5 Ep16: Can You Say 'Oligarchy'? (with Faiz Shakir)

    S5 Ep16: Can You Say 'Oligarchy'? (with Faiz Shakir)
    May 3 2025
    Sarah didn't think she'd be looking to Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as examples of good Democratic communicators. But all of a sudden, they're some of the only people in the Democratic Party showing how to get the Trump opposition engaged. Faiz Shakir, Sanders' adviser and 2020 presidential campaign manager, joins the show to talk about Sanders' and Ocasio-Cortez's rallies around the country, why he thinks they'll advance the Democratic Party going forward, and what even moderates can learn from their approach.
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    1 hr