Claim OwnershipThe Conversation with Dasha Burns
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The Conversation with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns is a fresh take on the traditional Sunday show format, going beyond conventional wisdom and short sound bites to broaden the political conversation. Each week, Dasha will sit down with one of the most compelling – and sometimes unexpected – power players in Washington and beyond for a real discussion about how they are shaping the current moment.
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Leon Panetta, former Defense Secretary and CIA director under President Obama, joins Dasha Burns to assess the U.S. conflict with Iran, warning that unclear objectives, a closed Strait of Hormuz and uncertain nuclear negotiations could leave the U.S. stuck in a prolonged war.
Plus, Panetta defends President Biden’s handling of the Israel/Gaza conflict but says Biden “should have been much tougher” in providing weapons for Ukraine.
Leave us a voicemail or shoot us a text with your questions for our first anniversary special: 202-643-1536.
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Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) sits down with POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin at Chicago’s iconic Manny’s Deli for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of the Democratic Party -- and his own.
Plus: a look at Chicago’s political culture, Pritzker’s rise from donor to power broker, and why Manny’s remains a must-stop on the campaign trail.
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David Sacks has played a key role in shaping AI policy for the Trump administration. He was formerly the White House AI and crypto czar. Now, he’s the co-chair of the President’s Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Sacks approaches the issue with a “let them cook” philosophy. Meaning, he thinks the way for the United States to win the global AI race is to move fast with minimally disruptive regulation. But with that comes a lot of questions about AI disruption to the workforce, who should be held responsible for harm caused by AI platforms, and the fear and division within America over the future of the technology.
Sacks joins Dasha Burns in a wide-ranging interview to discuss it all.
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Go behind the scenes of White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend with Tammy Haddad, a veteran TV executive and one of DC’s ultimate social connectors.
POLITICO's Dasha Burns and Tammy unpack why this dinner — which brings together the president, journalists and celebrities all in one room — is so important in Washington, and what really happens when the cameras are down.
Tammy also shares insider stories from years past involving Barbra Streisand, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kim Kardashian, Pamela Anderson, and more.
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California’s governor's race just got a major shakeup.
Democrat Eric Swalwell dropped out amid sexual assault and misconduct allegations, and now the field is wide open ahead of the June 2 primary. So where does that leave Republican candidate and former Fox News host Steve Hilton – backed by Trump and rising in the polls? Does the GOP have a shot at turning California red?
Dasha Burns sat down with Hilton to talk about the state of the race, the impact of Trump's endorsement, and where he thinks Democratic leadership is coming up short.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) joins POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin at the Masters to talk Trump, 2028 and the upcoming Georgia Senate race. Plus: Kemp on EVs, economic policy and why he’s staying focused on 2026 — not the White House.
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Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) – the MAGA acolyte-turned-antagonist who resigned from Congress after a public and messy fight with Donald Trump – joins “The Conversation” to talk about the war in Iran, why she thinks the GOP will be “slaughtered” in the midterms and her desire to build a new political coalition in America.
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Artemis II has launched around the moon. Now, NASA has its sights set on Mars. NASA administrator and billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman sat down with POLITICO's Dasha Burns at Kennedy Space Center to talk about NASA’s ambitious plans to build a moon base, sending humans to Mars, his relationship with Elon Musk and why we could all have 3D-printed spare livers in our fridge someday.
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Andy Beshear is the most popular Democratic governor in the country – in a state Donald Trump won by more than 30 points in 2024.
He explains why he believes a President JD Vance could be “more damaging than Trump”, lays out his playbook for winning back voters in Trump country, and calls out the litmus test he thinks Democrats should abandon.
Can a Democrat who wins in deep-red Kentucky translate that success nationally? Beshear argues why someone like him may have an advantage at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2028.
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Today, we're bringing you an episode from our new show, On the Road. California Gov. Gavin Newsom sat down with POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin for a wide-ranging conversation about the personal experiences that shaped his political career.
A leading potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, Newsom has been raising his national profile by taking on President Donald Trump and traveling to key early primary states while promoting his new memoir.
In the interview with Martin, Newsom reflects on his upbringing, outlines what he sees at stake for Democrats in 2026 and explains his increasingly aggressive strategy toward Trump.
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When Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) won his Senate seat in 2024, he outperformed Kamala Harris in one of the closest battleground states in the country.
Now that he’s in Washington, Gallego’s background is particularly relevant at this moment in politics. With the Iran War intensifying, Gallego offers his perspective as an Iraq War veteran on Trump’s military operation. And as a Latino Democratic senator of a border state, Gallego has a distinctive outlook on immigration, with criticism for his own party as well as the GOP.
Sen. Gallego sat down with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns on “The Conversation” to talk about voter ID, the 2028 election, and if he thinks Democrats can become the “fun” party again.
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1Today, we're bringing you an episode from POLITICO's latest show, On The Road with Jonathan Martin.
In episode one, JMart sits down with Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders for a lively conversation about politics, leadership and life growing up in a political family. From her time as White House Press Secretary to leading Arkansas today, Sanders shares insights on the Republican Party, U.S.-Israel security and the memories that shaped her journey—all while enjoying some of the state’s best barbecue.
You can find more episodes of On The Road on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.com/Politico.
The Conversation with Dasha Burns will be back soon
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Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) is a young rising star in the Republican Party. She sits down with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns to talk about how the war against Iran could affect Americans at home and the urgency of the midterm elections for the Republican Party. Britt also gets candid about her unique relationship with the White House and what it was like having Scarlett Johansson play her on SNL.
And later on the show, Dasha breaks down the exciting Texas primary elections with a panel of journalists. Elaine Godrey of “The Atlantic,” Gabby Birenbaum of “The Texas Tribune” and POLITICO’s Adam Wren share their takeaways.
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) joins POLITICO's Dasha Burns on "The Conversation" and responds to President Trump's State of the Union address. Slotkin lays out her vision for the future of the Democratic Party, which could be a Project 2029 for the party. The two also discuss the upcoming midterms and much more.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns to discuss the United States’ role in ending the war, where Europe fits into the equation, and his frank thoughts on Russians living abroad.
Then, CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward calls in from Ukraine to discuss the current climate in the country and how the Ukrainian people are doing.
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) sat down with POLITICO's Dasha Burns on "The Conversation" for a wide-ranging discussion covering his stance on immigration and ICE, voter ID, Israel and where he sees himself within the Democratic Party.
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Venezuelan politician and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says that Venezuela could have a new democratic election in less than a year. The Nobel Peace Prize winner joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for “The Conversation” in a compelling interview that occurred exactly one month after the US captured Venezuelan’s authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro. Machado opens up about her hopes for the nation’s future– and what her own path forward may be.
Plus, progressive political YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen sits down with Dasha to unpack the increasingly blurry line between journalism and content creation. He also shares what the future of progressive politics will look like in 2026.
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Senator Thom Tillis calls for the resignation of Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller in a forthright interview with Dasha Burns for “The Conversation.” The North Carolina Republican made his comments after the shootings of two citizens by ICE agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. In a wide-ranging discussion, Tillis talked about tariffs, his hopes for President Trump and his worries for the future of the Republican Party.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke with POLITICO's Dasha Burns at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in our first episode of 2026. The two spoke just after President Trump's speech that riled U.S. allies. Burns and Bessent spoke on tariffs, Greenland, America's changing role in the global economy and much more.
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Happy holidays! "The Conversation" will return with a new season in January 2026. In the meantime, listen to some of the most memorable moments from the show in 2025 — including our interviews with President Donald Trump, Texas state representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D), Trump 2024 and RNC Political Director James Blair, President of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Richard Grenell and Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.).
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And we ended with excuses like "worker shortage". What a pathetic rubber stamp.
Holy shit this guy is living in an illusion. Lots of people who hated Joe voted for him, and he has precistably done NOTHING for working people. Don't expect labor at all
Lol. This isn't idealism. It's delusion. History males it clear we are teetering the edge of a full authoritarian state.
Not missing another "moderate." Moderation results in working class stagnation.
Never has #privilege had more annoying voices. Can't imagine why we have had four surges now.
Still awaiting the response regarding the letter that Bill Barr. The pivot was nice, but I would still love to know the answer to the question
I made it 10 min into this. Maybe this reads differently to non Americans such as myself, but I'm with the hypothesis that Biden doesn't want to look like an American imperialist, capitalizing on policies that are harsher than those imposed on the soviet union and which have had devastating effects of the people of Cuba. To argue fore MORE imperialism as a political tactic seems...bad.
Polls don't mean shit. Move on
LAMBDA LAMBDA LAMBDA NERDS
no
Finally unsubscribed. you guys have a clear corporate bias.
Absolutely full of shit this episode. Claiming that Sanders supporters second choice is Biden is absurd. How much is the DNC paying you to be this blatently full of it?
audio kept skipping during the podcast, it was cutting out and sounded warped.
basically a show of why Biden is their candidate
newbie likes...
Awesome show! Tells the absolute truth about trump and his many many misdeeds and criminal behavior! If you wish the unfiltered facts about how trump is attempting to remove democracy from the united states listen to this show!
Best Podcast on Washington politcs.