Ask a Pol politics

Ask a Pol by Matt Laslo
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Asking your lawmakers your political questions at your US Capitol. www.askapolpolitics.com

  1. 3d ago

    "Big Money" v. Progressives — "This is about ideas," AOC says

    About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.  Find us on social media: Substack X Spotify Apple Don’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!  Ask a Pol politics. Ask a Pol crypto.  Ask a Pol drugs.  Ask a Pol ai.  Ask a Pol uaps.  Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

    1 min
  2. “I loved it” — former MMA fighter, DHS Sec. Mullin raves after attending first soccer match

    5d ago

    “I loved it” — former MMA fighter, DHS Sec. Mullin raves after attending first soccer match

    Who? Secretary Markwayne Mullin — Department of Homeland Security Where? House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Key Mullin: “I’m not a soccer fan. I had never been to a soccer game before until LA and our opening day on the 12th of June. I loved it,” Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified at the Capitol this week. “It’s like becoming a NASCAR fan, watching it on TV isn’t as fun as being there in person, and being there in person was something to experience.” Caught our ear: “Now I find myself watching it all the time in evenings. I’m even going back through and speeding through games and it’s pretty exciting,” Mullin tells us. Below find a rough transcript of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testifying before the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, slightly edited for clarity. TRANSCRIPT: Secretary Markwayne Mullin (6-25-2026) SCENE: During a testy hearing before the House Homeland Security Appropriations — or spending — Subcommittee, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin offered an unexpectedly candid confession about the World Cup his department is helping protect. Secretary Markwayne Mullin: “I’m not a soccer fan. I had never been to a soccer game before until LA and our opening day on the 12th of June. I loved it. “It’s like becoming a NASCAR fan, watching it on TV isn’t as fun as being there in person, and being there in person was something to experience. “And so now I find myself watching it all the time in evenings. I’m even going back through and speeding through games, and it’s pretty exciting.” About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.  Ask a Pol’s on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy the team a beer! Find us on social media: Substack X Spotify Apple Don’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!  Ask a Pol politics. Ask a Pol crypto.  Ask a Pol drugs.  Ask a Pol ai.  Ask a Pol uaps.  Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

    25 sec

  3. Jun 21

    “Reparations now,” Squad member demands for America’s 250th birthday. "This is about reciprocity."

    Rep. Ayanna Pressley: reparations “not a plea for charity” — “this is about reciprocity” Ep. — Rep. Ayanna Pressley (6-2026) Who? Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) — Member, AOC’s progressive “Squad” LISTEN: Laslo & Pressley Ask a Pol asks: As the US marks its 250th anniversary, where do things stand on reparations for Black Americans? Key Pressley: “This is not a plea for charity or benevolence. This is about reciprocity,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics. But the US has done reparatory compensation before, right? “We have done reparatory compensation in this country for other groups. We’ve done it for survivors of Japanese internment camps. We’ve done it for coal miners living with black lung, or Americans that experienced harms from where the nuclear bomb was being built. But we’ve not done it for Black Americans and it’s long overdue. Reparations now,” Pressley said. Caught our ear: “The fact that 1 million Black veterans were denied access to the GI Bill, that they were discriminated against after they fought for this country — and that GI Bill was foundational for so many families of white veterans to build generational wealth, to pursue education,” Pressley tells us. About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.  Find us on social media: Substack X Spotify Apple Don’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!  Ask a Pol politics. Ask a Pol crypto.  Ask a Pol drugs.  Ask a Pol ai.  Ask a Pol uaps.  Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

    28 sec

  4. Jun 13

    I haven't filed a story from the Capitol since Jan 6 - forget rioters, I'm scared of TV Networks

    The nation’s TV Networks are blocking me from training a summer intern for the first time since 2012. And they still won’t credential my 7 veteran team members. I’ve now sent a personal letter to the Speaker, Minority Leader, Senate Leaders and each member of the Senate Rules Committee, begging them to intervene. My Bureau, The LCB, has provided clips, W-9s, proof of payments, etc. — yet nothing has been good enough to appease Senate Radio-TV Gallery Director Mike Mastrian and Executive Committee Chair Nate Reed of Scripps (a streaming service). Please, someone, help! - Laslo PS - below find a link to some of what’s cited in the video. Ask a Pol’s on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy the team a beer! ICYMI — something’s off at RTCA This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

    4 min
  5. “We had the votes for it" — Dems say they forced Speaker Johnson to pull Iran war authorization

    May 23

    “We had the votes for it" — Dems say they forced Speaker Johnson to pull Iran war authorization

    Who? Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) Ask a Pol asks: Why did Speaker Johnson pull the AUMF from the floor? Key Scholten: “We had the votes for it today, and I, you know, I’m not one to speculate, but I do believe that’s probably why he pulled it, because I think we could have gotten it done today, and that’s unfortunate,” Rep. Hillary Scholten exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics. “It’s a disservice to the American people.” Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol‘s interview with Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI), slightly edited for clarity. TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Hillary Scholten (5-21-2026) Rep. Hillary Scholten: “We had the votes for it today, and I, you know, I’m not one to speculate, but I do believe that’s probably why he pulled it, because I think we could have gotten it done today, and that’s unfortunate. It’s a disservice to the American people.” Consider chipping in to support our independent journalism — Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy us a beer! About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.  Find us on social media: Substack X Spotify Apple Don’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!  Ask a Pol politics. Ask a Pol crypto.  Ask a Pol drugs.  Ask a Pol ai.  Ask a Pol uaps.  Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

    11 sec

  6. May 9

    Sen. Mark Warner: Federal AI preemption ‘makes sense, but only if you’ve got strong guardrails’

    Who? Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) — Vice Chair, Senate Intelligence Committee Ask a Pol asks: Is Anthropic’s new Mythos AI model on your radar? Has full Intelligence Committee had any classified briefing on it? Key Warner: “Preemption makes sense, but only if you’ve got strong guardrails,” Sen. Mark Warner exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “But I mean, we don’t even have a federal law yet.” Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram! Consider chipping in to support our independent journalism —Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy us a beer! Caught our ear: “You don’t even have a federal law on — perhaps I don’t know — federal law on social media,” Warner tells us. TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mark Warner (4-29-2026) SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo corners Sen. Mark Warner about artificial intelligence as he awaits an underground Senate tram. Matt Laslo: “How much is [Anthropic’s new] Mythos AI model on your radar?” Mark Warner: “A lot.” ML: “Have you guys had a hearing on it in Intel?” Warner shakes head. ML: “What’s your biggest fear? Like, are we ready for it?” MW: “Thank goodness there was a, you know, a company that was open. I’m not sure every AI company would have been this responsible in terms of timing of release.” ML: “Yeah?” ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s latest AI feature MW: “For me, it raises a huge amount of questions about, you know, who can we rely on before this gets released into the wild? On a number of these issues.” ML: “And yet here on the other side of the aisle, they're still talking preemption of state laws with a federal bill?” MW: “Again, over a long-term basis, I've always said, you know, well, preemption makes sense, but only if you've got strong guardrails.” ML: “Yeah? But I mean, we don’t even have a federal law yet.” MW: “We don’t even have a federal law on privacy!” ML: “I know!” MW: “We don’t even have a federal law on social media!” Warner’s about to enter a tram car. ML: “My data privacy — Section 230 coverage — for WIRED, from like 2019 is quoted in like 30 law reviews: Harvard, Cornell, etc. — just because no one else was f*cking covering it! And they still aren’t.” About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.  Find us on social media: Substack X Spotify Apple Don’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!  Ask a Pol politics. Ask a Pol crypto.  Ask a Pol drugs.  Ask a Pol ai.  Ask a Pol uaps.  Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. PSA: Student? Unemployed? Underemployed? Ping us for a free VIP subscription. No questions asked. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

    1 min

  7. May 7

    AOC: Marijuana rescheduling reduces one harm — but “doesn’t quite make all of the wrongs right”

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells Ask a Pol Politics founder Matt Laslo that while she supports descheduling marijuana because it reduces harm, it still leaves untouched the deeper injustice of people whose lives were damaged by the war on drugs. Her argument is that legalization should not just enrich the same people who profited before while leaving criminalized communities behind. About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.  Find us on social media: Substack X Spotify Apple Don’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!  Ask a Pol politics. Ask a Pol crypto.  Ask a Pol drugs.  Ask a Pol ai.  Ask a Pol uaps.  Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

    1 min

  8. May 2

    In face of record low disapproval, Congressional Republicans blame the media

    Podcast Show Notes:Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~ Let us know what to ask next! In our latest episode — Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) fires back at the premise that Republicans need to retool ahead of the midterms, telling Ask a Pol Politics the only thing needing a retool is the “legacy media” that “intentionally reports falsehoods.” He then touts GOP tax bill wins: a $50B rural healthcare bond, 89% of seniors paying zero taxes on Social Security, and a $15M death tax exclusion to protect family farms. Who? Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) — U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Ask a Pol asks: Republicans are at record low approval ratings — should GOP leaders retool the agenda ahead of the midterms? Key Van Orden: “The only thing that needs to be retooled is the legacy media that consistently and intentionally reports falsehoods about the Republican Party or ignores our wins,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics. “That’s what needs to be retooled.” TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (4-22-2026) Matt Laslo: “...with record low approval ratings — do you think you guys [should retool]?” Rep. Derrick Van Orden: “Me?” Laslo: “No, just for Congress.” Van Orden: “Oh, I don’t know. But should you guys retool? Should Republican leaders — should we — what? Retool it all ahead of the midterms or—” Laslo: “What’s that mean? Retool your focus. Retool the agenda.” Van Orden: “The only thing that needs to be retooled is the legacy media that consistently and intentionally reports falsehoods about the Republican Party or ignores our wins. That’s what needs to be retooled.” Laslo: “They’re terrible. Really. Yeah.” Van Orden: “You get money back?” Laslo: “No.” Van Orden: “Guess what? On average, the American public individually and by family got back thousands and thousands of dollars they never got back. You know why? Because they wanted to get rid of the bill.” Laslo: “Yeah. There’s a $50 billion rural healthcare infrastructure bond.” Van Orden: “It’s the greatest expenditure on rural healthcare in the history of the country. 89% of all seniors are going to pay zero taxes on their social security.” Laslo: “Yeah.” Van Orden: “What about the farmers hurting? $15 million per person exclusion for federal taxes for the death tax to save family farms.” Laslo: “Yeah, that’s all there.” Van Orden: “Appreciate you. Stay dry.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

    1 min
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About

Asking your lawmakers your political questions at your US Capitol. www.askapolpolitics.com

Information

  • Creator
    Ask a Pol by Matt Laslo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Matt Laslo
  • Show Website
    Ask a Pol politics