The Fly

For our final interview of Season 8, the Flies Zoomed in with Fall 2020 GU Politics Fellow, Lis Smith. Lis Smith is a veteran on the campaign trail, having worked on over 20 campaigns, including Bill de Blasio’s 2013 mayoral campaign, President Barack Obama’s second presidential campaign, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2018 re-election campaign, and, most recently, Pete Buttigieg’s presidential primary campaign.

This week, the Flies interviewed Jessica Taylor, Senate and Governors Editor for the Cook Political Report. Previously, she was a political reporter for National Public Radio, where she covered elections and breaking news, ranging from the White House to Congress. Her coverage of campaigns and elections has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and numerous other publications.

The Flies are excited to welcome Sarah Rogers to the podcast this week! This episode was recorded on Thursday, November 5, while election results are still being tabulated. Sarah Rogers currently works as Vice President of Navigators Global LLC, a Republican government relations and strategic communications firm in Washington, DC. Previously, Sarah has also worked as Director of Federal Affairs for Walmart. On the Hill, Sarah served in several offices, including Representatives Michael Conway from Texas and Randy Forbes from Virginia.

Our guest this week is Mary Katharine Ham, a former local news journalist turned Presidential debate moderator. MK has done almost everything in the world of journalism. She is currently a CNN correspondent and a Fall 2020 Fellow with our very own Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service.

This week, two of our newest Flies sat down with Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz. Commissioner Franz has over two decades of experience in environmental law and public policy. In 2016 she was elected to run the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. As Commissioner of the state’s largest wildfire fight force, she has been a key player in responding to the severe wildfires faced by the West Coast.

We're welcoming Fall 2020 Fellow Errin Haines to the podcast this week! Since starting at the Atlanta Daily World, Haines has written for major publications such as the LA Times, the Washington Post, and the Associated Press. Currently, she is Editor-at-Large for The 19th, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender, politics, and policy and is also an MSNBC Contributor.

This week, we interviewed Fall GU Politics Fellow Kevin Hassett. He is a former Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors under the Trump Administration and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the President. Prior to the White House, Hassett served as an economic advisor on the McCain, Bush, and Romney presidential campaigns, as well as a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

The Flies are bringing you an interview with Mia Love, a former 2-term U.S. Representative of the 4th Congressional District of Utah, where she was the first black Republican woman elected to Congress. Prior to her time in Congress, Rep. Love served on the city council and was elected mayor in her hometown of Saratoga Springs, Utah. She is currently a CNN correspondent and a Fall 2020 Fellow with our very own Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service.

Welcome back to a new season of Fly on the Wall! We're kicking off Season 8 by bringing you an interview with Faiz Shakir, campaign manager for Senator Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. Prior to the campaign trail, Shakir was a national political director at the ACLU, and previously a senior advisor to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Make sure to check out Faiz's Fall 2020 Discussion Group, "Learn the Bern: Managing a Presidential Campaign," Mondays from 4-5:30 PM EDT over Zoom! We would be remiss not to honor Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who passed away on Friday evening. The Fly on the Wall team, along with the rest of the nation, mourns her passing.

This week, we interviewed Sam Cornale, the Deputy CEO of the DNC. Cornale has extensive experience working on the Obama campaigns for President and within the Obama Administration. After leaving the Obama administration, he served as the campaign manager for Tom Perez’s successful run for DNC chair.

This week, the Flies are excited to bring you an interview with Alvin Brown, former mayor of Jacksonville, FL, the largest city by land area and 12th largest city by population in the continental United States. Mayor Brown has extensive experience connecting the private and public sectors and was a GU Politics Fellow in Spring 2016.

Campaign experts Patti Solis Doyle and Karen Finney are joining the Flies this week for an exciting discussion on what the Biden campaign is looking for in a VP, the role of the VP candidate on the campaign trail, and their thoughts on what Joe Biden’s decision may be. Patti Solis Doyle served as chief of staff to Joe Biden during the 2008 vice-presidential campaign, and throughout her career has served on numerous campaigns including Hillary Clinton’s primary campaign in 2008. Karen Finney, a former director of communications at the DNC, was a senior advisor and senior spokeswoman to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and Tim Kaine’s vice-presidential campaign.

In the next installment of our Summer 2020 Season, the Flies interview Drew Rodriguez, a Regional Organizing Director for Joe Biden for President. Since graduating from Georgetown, Rodriguez has worked on the campaign trail across the country, including in NV, SC, and FL.

This week, the Flies are bringing you an interview with Amber Athey, the Washington Editor for Spectator USA, and host of the “Unfit to Print” podcast by the Daily Caller, where she was formerly White House Correspondent. Amber is a Hoya and Tony Blankley Fellow at the Steamboat Institute.

Welcome back to FOTW! To kick off our first-ever summer season, we’re excited today to bring you a conversation with Michelle Jaconi, an executive producer at the Washington Post, former Hoya, and member of GU Politics’ advisory board. At the Post, she runs the creative video team, where she has spearheaded the Post’s success on Tik Tok and other programming. Previously, Jaconi worked at CNN and with NBC’s Meet the Press, where she earned multiple awards including the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Media a Peabody for CNN’s coverage of the Arab Spring, and back to back Emmy Awards for presidential election nights, at two different networks.

Fly on the Wall is excited to bring you a special BONUS EPISODE interviewing Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX-23). Congressman Hurd discusses his years in public service including time as a CIA Intelligence Officer and as an elected official representing the southwestern border region of Texas since 2015.

For our Season 7 finale, we're bringing you an interview with Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY)! Congressman Crowley represented New York's 14th congressional district for nearly 20 years, throughout which he was on the frontline of Democratic leadership and numerous legislative efforts. He was a Spring 2020 GU Politics Fellow and served in the New York State Assembly before being elected to Congress.

The Flies are back this week bringing you an interview with Robert Traynham, the Head of Public Affairs for Facebook in Washington, DC. Robert is a GU Politics Spring 2020 Fellow with extensive experience in communications as a staffer on the Hill, as a TV host for MSNBC, and in the private sector.

This week, the Flies are excited to bring you an interview with Jess Morales Rocketto, the Executive Director of Care in Action and Political Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Jess's career has spanned from community organizing, activism, to work on the presidential campaigns for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Tune in for FOTW's first virtual interview with Mike Ricci, Communications Director for Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. Ricci shares his experience communicating the response to the current COVID-19 crisis and previously served on the staff to former House Speakers Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and John Boehner (R-Ohio).

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Today's episode features Eric Trump (MSB '06), campaign surrogate for the Trump 2020 reelection campaign and Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization. The episode was recorded on February 25, 2020. The Flies have transitioned to virtual production and are dedicated to bringing you new and exciting content in the future. We each of our listeners is safe and healthy in these rapidly changing times.

This week, we welcome back Abbey and Alec to the Pod to interview Dan Pfeiffer, a Senior Advisor to the Obama Administration, author of the new book "Un-Trumping America," and Hoya (COL '98).

In this week's episode, the Flies are joined by GU Politics Spring 2020 Fellow Kate Nocera to interview Mark Sanford, a former governor of South Carolina and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

For this week's episode, the Flies are excited to interview Kate Nocera, a GU Politics Spring 2020 Fellow and DC Bureau Chief for BuzzFeed News.

Fly on the Wall is excited to bring you an interview with former Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA11), whose long career in public service spans local politics, the House of Representatives, and experience in the private sector.

This week, the Flies interview John Rogers, former Executive Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and Spring 2020 GU Politics Fellow.

Welcome back to a new season of Fly on the Wall! The Flies are excited to kick off Season 7 with Lily Adams, a Spring 2020 GU Politics Fellow, experienced political operative, and former Communications Director for the Kamala Harris for the People presidential campaign.

Dr. Kerry Healey served as the 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 under Governor Mitt Romney. Dr. Healey will be the first President of the Center for Advancing the American Dream and currently serves on the GU Politics Advisory Board.

This week, the Pod interviews Olivia Alair Dalton, a Fall 2019 GU Politics Fellow. Olivia is the Founder of Dalton Strategies and Senior Advisor to the Human Rights Campaign and previously worked as the spokeswoman to First Lady Michelle Obama, President Obama's campaigns, and then-US Senator Joe Biden.

This week, FOTW interviews Samuel Visner, an adjunct professor of cybersecurity at Georgetown University. Visner currently serves as the director of the National Cybersecurity Federally Funded Research and Development Center(NCF) within MITRE. He previously served as chief of signals intelligence programs at the National Security Agency and has held numerous roles in cybersecurity across the federal government.

This week, Fly on the Wall interviews David Kensinger, a longtime political operative and consultant who has worked in the campaigns and official staffs of Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts.

This week, Kevin Blackistone joins Fly on the Wall to discuss free speech and politics in sports.

This week, The Flies are joined by former Governor Jeff Colyer, the 47th governor of Kansas. Gov. Colyer's career has spanned medicine, business, and politics, and he is a Fall 2019 GU Politics Fellow.

The Flies are on the road this week to interview Merone Hailemeskel, Director of Communications and Digital Strategy for Reach Higher and Better Make Room, who previously worked for First Lady Michelle Obama.

This week, the Fly on the Wall team interviews GU Politics Fellow Stephanie Valencia, a former White House staffer for the Obama administration and accomplished organizer in the Latinx community.

This week on Fly on the Wall, we're lucky to have Alexandra Phillips, a Member of European Parliament representing the Brexit Party for South East England.

On this episode, the Flies interview Karen Travers, a White House Correspondent covering all aspects of the Trump administration for ABC News. Travers is a Georgetown graduate and a GU Politics Fellow for Fall 2019.

Fly on the Wall is back for Season 6! Today we are interviewing Jonathan Burks, a GU Politics Fall 2019 Fellow and former chief of staff to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

It's our last pod of Season 5! We're excited to welcome Jonathan Capehart, an opinion writer for the Washington Post, where he focuses on the intersection of social and cultural issues and politics, and a contributor on MSNBC. Jonathan was also one of our GU Politic's Fellows this past semester. His episode is a great season finale so be sure to tune in! We'll be back in the fall - have a great summer!

This week we're excited to welcome Emily Cain onto the pod! She was elected to the Maine State House at age 24 and served there for almost a decade, including some years at the Minority Leader, and then moved to the Maine State Senate. Her years of elected office then lead her to EMILY's List, where she now serves as its Executive Director. She's a fascinating woman with a lot to share about politics so be sure to tune in!

This week we're thrilled to welcome Tom Manatos to the pod! He got his start in politics doing advance work for the Gore campaign in 2000, then worked as the House Democrats liaison for over a decade, and transitioned into the private sector to work at the Internet Association and now Spotify. He also co-runs the Tom Manatos Jobs website for anyone looking to get employed in DC. Check out this fascinating episode!

This week on the pod, we're happy to welcome Tom Steyer! He's a former hedge fund manager who then turned to political action by founding NextGen America, a nonprofit group that combats climate change, promotes social justice and enlarges participation in democracy. He's also been at the forefront of a movement to impeach President Trump, called Need2Impeach. Be sure to tune in to a great episode!

On the pod this week is Ann Richard! She's worked with many government agencies and nonprofits, including the Office of Management and Budget, State Department, Peace Corps, and International Rescue Committee. Most recently, Ann was the Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration from 2012-2017 in the Obama Administration. It's a fascinating conversation you don't want to miss! (Plus we have a guest co-host, Margaret Hodson!)

This week we're so excited to welcome Kevin McLaughlin to the pod! He is the Executive Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) for the 2020 cycle. Kevin had previously worked at the NRSC during the 2014 and 2016 election cycles, helping Republicans grow and hold their Senate Majority. This is a fantastic episode so be sure to tune in!

This week we're happy to have Ashley Allison on the pod! She's an alum of the Obama White House and his 2012 re-election campaign. She worked as a field organizer in the swing state of Ohio in 2012, and at the White House she was the Deputy Director and Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Public Engagement. There she managed a team that worked with the LGBTQ, Muslim, faith, African-American, disability, and entertainment communities, as well as focusing on criminal justice and policing reform. Tune in for a wonderful episode!

This week we're excited to welcome GU Politics' Fellow, Paulette Aniskoff! She started off in Obama World as his Get out the Vote Director in Iowa in 2008 and then went to work for him in the White House as Priority Placement Director, did a stint at FEMA, and then went back to the White House as Director of the Office of Public Engagement. We chat with her about her time with Obama and what she's doing now at Citizen 44. Check out this pod and if you want to hear more from Paulette, go to her discussion group!

We're back from spring break and so excited to welcome Mo Elleithee to the pod this week! He is the Executive Director of GU Politics and was the Communications Director at the Democratic National Committee. We chatted with him about his time in Virginia politics, Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign, and his time at the DNC. Tune in! P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This week on the pod we are excited to have Dan Sena! As the Executive Director of the DCCC for the 2018 election cycle, Dan was the architect for the Dems taking back the House. We also delve into his start in politics working in New Mexico where he managed Sen. Tom Udall's reelection campaign. Check out this fascinating episode!

Today on the pod, we have GU Politics Fellow Antonia Ferrier! We talk about her time on the Hill, from House leadership to the Senate - most notably in Sen. McConnell's office - as well as her thoughts on the current status of the GOP. She has built a decade plus reputation as “one of the top Republican message gurus” so you don't want to miss this episode!

Our next guest is Jennie Fay, staff member at GU Politics and former Director of Personnel in the Obama White House. Alec and Hayley talk to her about her background in politics and what it was like to manage people in the Obama White House.