Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI)

LISTEN: Laslo & Scholten

Ask a Pol asks:

Why did House Speaker Mike Johnson pull the AUMF — or Authorization for Military Force — measure on the war against Iran from the floor Thursday?

Key Scholten:

“We had the votes for it today,” Rep. Hillary Scholten said on the Capitol steps Thursday just before Congress left town for its weeklong Memorial Day recess. “I’m not one to speculate, but I do believe that’s probably why he pulled it.”

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Caught our ear:

“I think we could have gotten it done today, and that’s unfortunate,” Scholten said. “It’s a disservice to the American people.”

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TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Hillary Scholten (5-21-2026)

SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo and a gaggle of reporters bounce questions off Rep. Hillary Scholten who left the US Capitol during the last House vote series ahead of Congress’s Memorial Day recess to vent.

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.”

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Who?

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) — Vice Chair, Senate Intelligence Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Warner

Ask a Pol asks:

How much is Anthropic’s new Mythos AI model on your radar? Has full Intelligence Committee had any classified briefing on it?

Key Warner:

“A lot,” Sen. Mark Warner exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.

Have you guys had a briefing on it in the Senate Intel Committee?

Warner shakes head.

What’s your biggest fear? Like, are we ready for it?

“Thank goodness there was a company that was open,” Warner says. “I’m not sure every AI company would have been this responsible in terms of timing of release.”

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Caught our ear:

“We don’t even have a federal law on privacy,” Warner tells us. “We don’t even have a federal law on social media.”

“I know!” Ask a Pol founder — and longtime WIRED magazine technology correspondent — Matt Laslo replies. “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.”

• 25 law reviews quote Laslo, not 30. Apologies.

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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.”

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Who?

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) — Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Raskin

Ask a Pol asks:

The emoluments clause — is Trump violating it?

Key Raskin:

“The Emoluments Clause, Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8 of the Constitution says that nobody in federal government, including the President, can receive a payment of any kind, an emolument, a present, an office or a title without the express consent of Congress,” Rep. Jamie Raskin said.

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Caught our ear:

“In the first administration, it was basically millions of dollars he was taking unconstitutionally. Now we’re Raskin told us.

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Jamie Raskin (April 2026)

SCENE: After voting on the House floor, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, holds court on the steps of the US Capitol with the congressional press corps.

Rep. Jamie Raskin: “The Emoluments Clause, Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8 of the Constitution says that nobody in federal government, including the President, can receive a payment of any kind, an emolument, a present, an office or a title without the express consent of Congress.

“And he’s never come to Congress for all of the millions and millions of dollars that he’s collecting through the golf clubs, through the hotels and through these business ventures all over the world.

“And in the first administration, it was basically millions of dollars he was taking unconstitutionally. Now we’re getting up into the hundreds of millions of dollars.”

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Who?

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)

LISTEN: Laslo & AOC

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of the Trump administration relaxing prohibitions around only “medicinal marijuana” — making it Schedule III — but doing nothing for incarcerees or “recreational” cannabis?

Key AOC:

“This has always been an issue kind of at the heart of our decriminalization, that many of the people who profited from the “war on drugs” will then double down on that profit from legalization,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells Ask a Pol Politics’ founder Matt Laslo.

“And then the folks who were criminalized and had their lives destroyed by the “war on drugs” never get to see justice or have that made right. So, I think that is a fundamental difference that we have here in the approach to that.”

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Caught our ear:

“Of course, I will always welcome a descheduling of marijuana from Schedule I,” Ocasio-Cortez tells Laslo. “I will be supportive of that, because it reduces that harm but it doesn’t quite make all of the wrongs right.”

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (4-29-2026)

SCENE: On the steps of the US Capitol, Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo asks Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about President Donald Trump’s move to reschedule “medicinal marijuana.”

Matt Laslo: “What do you make of the [Trump] administration relaxing medicinal marijuana, making it Schedule III or whatever, but doing nothing for incarcerees or recreational?”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “Well, you know, I think this is — this has always been an issue kind of at the heart of our decriminalization, is that many of the people who profited from the “war on drugs” will then profit also — double down on that profit from legalization.

ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo sold this interview to Marijuana Moment via his regionally-focused national wire service, The LCB

“And then the folks who were criminalized and had their lives destroyed by the “war on drugs” never get to see justice or have that made right. So, I think that is a fundamental difference that we have here in the approach to that.

“Of course, I will always welcome a descheduling of marijuana from Schedule I. I will be supportive of that, because it it it reduces that harm but it doesn’t quite make all of the wrongs right.”

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Who?

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) — Ranking Member, House Oversight Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Garcia

Ask a Pol asks:

You were moving contempt charges against former Attorney General Pam Bondi, but now she says she’s going to testify before the Oversight Committee on May 29th and the DOJ is still run by her top deputy, is your contempt effort over?

Key Garcia:

“We filed civil contempt charges because obviously her own DOJ is not going to probably go after her,” Rep. Robert Garcia said on the Capitol steps earlier today.

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Timing?

“45 minutes after we announced the civil charges, [House Oversight Committee Chair James] Comer announces a date, and so I think that the timing is interesting,” Garcia said. “We had heard nothing from the DOJ, nothing from Pam Bondi’s counsel, it’s been two weeks since she missed her first actual deposition so we’re glad there’s finally a date. That’s all we wanted.”

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Caught our ear:

Do you think Bondi will show up?

“She didn’t show up for her first one, so we’ll wait and see,” Garcia said. “She needs to show up.”

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Robert Garcia (4-29-2026)

SCENE: Ahead of a vote, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia makes time for the TV cameras lined up at the base of the Capitol steps.

Do you think there’s any chance that former Attorney General Pam Bondi actually gets held in contempt? I mean, you’re trying to move those charges at this point, but the DOJ is still run by her top deputy.

Rep. Robert Garcia: “Well, I mean, look — first, I think that we filed civil contempt charges, because obviously her own DOJ is not going to probably go after her. But we believe through the courts there would be some success.

Garcia: “And look, they’ve actually set the date — 45 minutes after we announced the civil charges, [House Oversight Committee Chair James] Comer announces a date, and so I think that the timing is interesting.

“We had heard nothing from the DOJ, nothing from Pam Bondi’s counsel, it’s been two weeks since she missed her first actual deposition and so we’re glad there’s finally a date. That’s all we wanted. And so if she appears, we’re obviously not moving forward with contempt.”

Do you think she’ll show up?

Garcia: “She didn’t show up for her first one, so we’ll wait and see. She needs to show up.”

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Who?

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI)

LISTEN: Laslo & Van Orden

Ask a Pol asks:

According to a new Gallup survey, the 119th Congress is now tied for the lowest disapproval rating in history — should Republican Party leaders retool the GOP 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. That’s what needs to be retooled,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “They’re terrible. Really.”

WATCH: Ask a Pol’s on YouTube, TikTok & Instagram!

Caught our ear:

“On average, the American public — individually and by family — got back thousands and thousands of dollars they never got back,” Van Orden tells us, defending the Republican tax bill. “You know why? Because of the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

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ICYMI — Matt Laslo’s feature for wire service client

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TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (4-22-2026)

SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo walks with Rep. Derrick Van Orden down the steps of the US Capitol before the Congressman rides off on his Harley.

Matt Laslo: “With record low approval ratings — do you think you guys…?”

Derrick Van Orden: “Me?”

Laslo: “No. Just for Congress.”

Van Orden: “Oh, I don’t know.”

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Laslo: “But should you guys retool — should Republican leaders?”

Van Orden: “Should we what?”

Laslo: “Retool it all ahead of the midterms or…?”

Van Orden: “What’s that mean?”

Laslo: “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. They’re terrible. Really.”

Laslo: “That umm…”

Van Orden: “You file your taxes?”

Laslo laughs.

Laslo: “Yeah.”

Van Orden: “Did 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 of the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Laslo: “Yeah?”

Van Orden: “There’s a $50 billion rural healthcare infrastructure fund. It’s the greatest expenditure on rural healthcare in the history of the country.”

Laslo: “Yeah?”

Van Orden: “89% of all seniors are going to pay zero taxes on their Social Security.”

Laslo: “But what about the farmers hurting? Yeah…”

Van Orden: “There’s a $15 million per person exclusion for federal taxes for the death tax to save family farms.”

Laslo: “Yeah?”

Van Orden: “That’s all there.”

Laslo: “Preciate ya.”

Van Orden hops on his motorcycle during a light drizzle.

Laslo: “Stay dry.”

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Who?

Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) — US Army veteran; West Point graduate

LISTEN: Laslo & Ryan

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest firing of Secretary of the Navy John Phelan?

Key Ryan:

“It’s more Hegseth score-settling,” Rep. Pat Ryan exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “The Hegseth revenge tour — in the middle of a war; in the middle of a naval blockade.”

Like, Hegseth’s kinda a lil b****, like the way he berates the press and stuff.*

“Hegseth, who pretends to be tough, has the thinnest skin and is weak sauce,” Ryan says.

*Prof. Laslo’s fine getting berated by public officials, but he’s protective of the next generation of journalists, especially when lectured and lied to by made-for-TV-men…

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ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo 1st used this interview for his LCB wire service client, Raw Story

Caught our ear:

“I’m not just saying this, like every military officer and senior leader knows he’s a joke,” Ryan tells us. “He’s a performance artist. So they all do not take him seriously.

“A lot of it is his insecurity, but basically he felt like [the Navy Secretary] had too direct a line to the president, so he fired him.”

What should we ask Congress next?

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Pat Ryan (4-23-2026)

SCENE: After voting on the floor of the House of Representatives, US Army veteran and West Point grad, Rep. Pat Ryan, is walking back to his office across the street when Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo catches catches up to him for a candid conversation about recent upheaval at the Pentagon.

Matt Laslo: “Hey, Mr. Ryan. How are you?”

Rep. Pat Ryan: “Hey, what’s up?”

Laslo: “What do you make of this firing of the Secretary of the Navy?”

Ryan: “It’s more Hegseth score-settling.”

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Laslo: “Yeah.”

Ryan: “The Hegseth revenge tour — in the middle of a war; in the middle of a naval blockade.”

Laslo: “Like, he’s kinda a lil b****, like the way he berates the press and stuff.”*

*Prof. Laslo’s fine getting berated by public officials, but he’s protective of the next generation of journalists, especially when lectured and lied to by made-for-TV-men…

Ryan: “Hegseth, who pretends to be tough, has the thinnest skin and is weak sauce. He knows — and this is true…”

Laslo: “Yeah?”

Ryan: “I’m not just saying this, like every military officer and senior leader knows he’s a joke.”

Laslo: “Yeah?”

Ryan: “And he’s a performance artist.”

Laslo: “Yeah.”

Ryan: “So they all do not take him seriously.”

Laslo: “Especially after he dragged them all here out of the theater of war for nothing.”

Ryan: “And I think a lot of it is his insecurity, but basically he felt like [the Navy Secretary] had too direct a line to the president, so he fired him.”

Laslo: “Yeah?”

Ryan: “But now he fired the senior Army officer in the middle of the war, General George, the Navy Secretary in the middle of not only war, but naval blockade.”

Laslo: “Yeah.”

Ryan: “Meanwhile, they’re asking for basically half a trillion dollars to increase the Defense budget and they still haven’t passed an audit.”

Laslo: “Right?

Ryan: “So what are we doing?”

Laslo: “I was thinking about that the other day, like we don’t even know how much money they…”

Ryan: “And the people who are paying the price ultimately are our troops in theater.”

Laslo: “Yeah.”

Ryan: “And actually, like, literally every American at the gas pump. So, even for this administration, it’s stunning.”

Laslo: “Yeah? I wonder if Trump even was alerted.”

Ryan: “Well, he was. So Hegseth calls Phelan, tells him to resign or be fired.”

Laslo: “Yeah?”

Ryan: “Phelan doesn’t believe Hegseth, so goes — literally physically himself — goes to the White House.”

Laslo: “Really?”

Ryan: “…to say basically like, ‘mommy and Daddy is this true?’ And Trump’s like, ‘yeah, no it’s true.’“

Laslo: “Jeez. Right?”

Ryan: “It’s crazy.”

Laslo: “Oh my God. Have a good one.”

Ryan: “See ya.”

Ryan heads to his office while Laslo heads back to the Capitol.

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Who?

Joe Rogan — Oval Office, White House

ICYMI — Find the full Executive Order here

Key Rogan:

“We have a gigantic opiate problem in this country, obviously. In 2024, more than 80,000 people died of overdoses. It’s a horrible number. And there’s more than 5 million people that are addicted to opiates right now in this country,” Rogan said at the White House. “With one dose of ibogaine, more than 80% of people are free of that addiction. With two doses, it’s more than 90%.”

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WATCH: Rogan in the Oval Office

Caught our ear:

“These drugs are illegal not because they’re harmful — they’re illegal because of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act that was passed by the Richard Nixon administration,” Rogan tells us. “They did it to target the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement. It’s not because these drugs harm people.”

What should we ask federal policymakers next?

TRANSCRIPT: Joe Rogan at the White House (4-18-2026)

SCENE: On Saturday, Joe Rogan joined President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. in the Oval Office to unveil the new, Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness Executive Order, which encourages research into federally-illegal psychedelics.

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Joe Rogan: “I’ll tell everybody how this happened. I sent President Trump some information. We have a gigantic opiate problem in this country, obviously. In 2024, more than 80,000 people died of overdoses. It’s a horrible number. And there’s more than 5 million people that are addicted to opiates right now in this country.

Rogan cont’d: “With one dose of ibogaine, more than 80% of people are free of that addiction. With two doses, it’s more than 90%. I sent him that information. The text message that came back: ‘Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.’ Literally that quick.

Rogan cont’d: “These drugs are illegal not because they’re harmful — they’re illegal because of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act that was passed by the Richard Nixon administration. They did it to target the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement. It’s not because these drugs harm people.”

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)

LISTEN: Laslo & AOC

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of this push to finally close Rikers?

Key AOC:

“We’ve been pushing to close Rikers for quite some time now,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics founder Matt Laslo.

“We’ve been leading also not just about closing Rikers, but what we turn it into. The community has long been drafting a renewable Rikers plan to make sure that we not just address the toxic injustice — criminal injustice and the environmental injustice on the island — but also turn it into a fountain of real change.”

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Caught our ear:

“We got a lot of things to work on as a city,” Ocasio-Cortez tells us. “But I know [NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s] on the right side.”

What should we ask Congress next?

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (4-16-2026)

SCENE: As the last few minutes of a vote tick down on the floor of the US House of Representatives, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo spots Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and two aides walking up to the US Capitol.

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Laslo snags this exclusive before the rest of the congressional press corps notices AOC and pounces on Laslo’s exclusive.

Matt Laslo: “What do you make of this push to finally close Rikers?”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “I mean, we’ve been pushing to close Rikers for quite some time now.”

Laslo: “Yeah.”

AOC: “And, you know, we’ve been leading also not just about closing Rikers, but what we turn it into.”

Laslo: “Yeah.”

AOC: “The community has long been drafting a renewable Rikers plan to make sure that we not just address the toxic injustice — criminal injustice and the environmental injustice on the island — but also turn it into a fountain of real change.”

Laslo: “Does the mayor get that?”

AOC: “Pardon?”

Laslo: “Is this high up on his agenda list?”

AOC: “Oh yeah. We got a lot of things to work on as a city.”

Laslo: “Fair.”

Laslo laughs.

AOC: “But I know he’s on the right…”

Fox News producer: “Miss Ocasio, what do you…?”

AOC: “…side.”

Laslo: “Thank you.”

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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL)

LISTEN: Laslo & Luna

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of the first lady’s call to have public hearings with the Epstein survivors — and how do you broach that with GOP leaders?

Key Luna:

“I actually had been encouraging that,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna tells Ask a Pol Politics.

But there are obstacles?

“The Department of Justice gave plea deals to people that they knew were trafficking people, and so there is no justice for the victims,” Luna says. “Ghislaine Maxwell should not be the only one sitting in prison.”

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Caught our ear:

“We have to do what we’ve promised to do. Sometimes that means calling out your own party,” Luna tells us. “I knew that when I brought the expulsion of [now-former Rep. Eric] Swalwell that it would set up a chain reaction event, and I frankly don’t care.”

What should we ask Congress next?

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (4-16-2026)

SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo waits in the wings as the TV networks pepper Rep. Anna Paulina Luna with questions about all these competing sexual assault allegations hovering over Washington.

Once there’s a break, Laslo breaks in to Ask the Congresswoman’s thoughts on First Lady Melania Trump’s call for the House Oversight Committee to hold public hearings with the Epstein survivors…

Matt Laslo: “What do you make of the First Lady [Melanie Trump']’s call to have public hearings with the survivors? Have you broached that with GOP leaders?”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna: “Yeah, I actually had been encouraging that. I mean, the fact is right now though is I think again a lot of people are scared about coming forward and naming people and there’s this also aspect of — you had settlements potentially being reached. So again, if you know there’s a settlement, people are then sometimes asked to sign NDAs and so they don’t talk.”

Luna: “But I do want to be really clear about something — the Department of Justice gave plea deals to people that they knew were trafficking people, and so there is no justice for the victims that were basically, you know, seeing these people get off. And Ghislaine Maxwell should not be the only one sitting in prison.”

Luna: “But going back to this whole climate — we have to do what we’ve promised to do, sometimes that means calling out your own party. I appreciate the members on both sides that have been doing that. And I knew that when I brought the expulsion of [now-former Rep. Eric] Swalwell that it would set up a chain reaction event and I, frankly, don’t care.”

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Who?

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) — Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Raskin

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of your Republican colleagues standing by Trump’s mental acuity and saying you should have proposed a mental health presidential commission for Joe Biden?

Key Raskin:

“I’d say they are in a distinct minority in the country. Look, I am for the body called for by the 25th Amendment as a standing permanent body for every president — Democrat, Republican, independent,” Rep. Jamie Raskin exclusively tells Ask a Pol.

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Caught our ear:

“Republicans refuse to deal with this as a serious constitutional question, and that’s sad,” Raskin tells us.

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Jamie Raskin (4-15-2026)

SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo catches Rep. Jamie Raskin as he’s walking up the steps of the Capitol to vote on the floor of the US House of Representatives.

Matt Laslo: “What do you make of your Republican colleagues standing by Trump’s mental acuity and saying you should have done this commission for Biden?”

Jamie Raskin: “I’d say they are in a distinct minority in the country in standing…

“Look, I am for the body called for by the 25th Amendment as a standing permanent body for every president — Democrat, Republican, Independent — the Republicans refuse to deal with this as a serious constitutional question. And that’s sad.”

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Who?

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) — Member, AOC’s “Squad”

LISTEN: Laslo & Pressley

Ask a Pol asks:

Isn’t it curious how congressional Republicans are falling in line behind President Donald Trump even as he’s taking 10% of Intel, taking 15% of profits from American chip makers and rolling out TrumpRX, which many on the right hypocritically fear is dangerously close to “socialized” medicine?

Key Pressley:

“No, it’s not curious why they are,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “They are because he’s unleashed a politic of retribution and grievance, and they’re more concerned with keeping their jobs. They’re not focused on future generations or being on the right side of history; they’re just trying to keep a seat.”

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Caught our ear:

“They don’t want to be on the sideline and retire,” Pressley tells us. “History repeats itself.”

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Ayanna Pressley (3-26-2026)

SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches up with Squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley as she’s about to enter the US Capitol to cast her vote on the floor of the US House of Representatives.

Their brief conversation started off-mic.

Matt Laslo: Isn’t it curious how congressional Republicans are falling in line behind Trump even as he’s taking 10% of Intel, taking 15% of profits from American chip makers and rolling out TrumpRX, which many on the right hypocritically fear is dangerously close to “socialized” medicine?

Rep. Ayanna Pressley: No, it’s not curious why they are.

Laslo’s head perks up.

ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s wire service, The LCB, sold a feature that used this exclusive & 11 others

Pressley: They are because he’s unleashed a politic of retribution and grievance, and they’re more concerned with keeping their jobs.

Laslo: Yeah?

Pressley: They’re not concerned future generations or being on the right side of history, they’re just trying to keep a seat.

Laslo: Yeah?

Pressley: They don’t want to be on the sideline and retire, you know?

Laslo: So it’s just pathetic?

Pressley: History repeats itself.

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Who?

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) — Obstetrician & gynecologist by trade*

*one of four doctors in the US Senate

LISTEN: Laslo Marshall

Ask a Pol asks:

Is TrumpRX working?

Key Marshall:

“Indeed it is working, and it’s not perfect. It doesn’t cover every drug, but people are seeing some significant savings, maybe 50%, 70%, 80% in some instances,” Sen. Roger Marshall exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.

Any fear a future Democratic President could expand it into socialized medicine?

“Yeah,” Marshall says. “There’s a downside to everything that the government does to get involved.”

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ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s wire service, The LCB, sold a feature that used this exclusive & 11 others

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Caught our ear:

“The real problem is the pharmacy benefit managers. Three of them are controlling 80% of the industry. They’re taking at least 58 cents on every dollar,” Marshall tells us. “That’s the real riddle that we need to solve up here.”

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TRANSCRIPT Sen. Roger Marshall (3-26-2026)

SCENE: During a vote in the US Senate, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo sees Sen. Roger Marshall hurrying through the basement of the Capitol, so he quickens his pace and proceeds to hop the Senator’s elevator up to the Senate floor.

Matt Laslo: Have you been able to look at TrumpRX?

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Laslo: Or do you get any feedback from constituents? Do you think it’s working?

Sen. Roger Marshall: I do. I’ve actually visited multiple community pharmacists across the state of Kansas.

Laslo: Nice.

Marshall: And indeed it is working, and — it’s not perfect…

Laslo: Yeah?

Marshall: It doesn’t cover every drug, but people are seeing some significant savings, maybe, 50%, 70%, 80% in some instances.

Laslo: Do you think…?

They approach a Senators Only elevator.

Senate attendant: I’ll get out. I’m in your way here.

Laslo: Are you worried…?

Laslo sees a closer elevator.

Laslo to the Senator: Want this one?

The Senator keeps walking to the further elevator.

Laslo: Are you worried at all that if a Dem takes over the White House that they could expand that and this becomes socialized medicine or…?

Marshall: Yeah. I think there’s a downside to everything that the government does to get involved. But certainly, the cost of prescription drugs is a huge concern for folks back home. The real problem is the pharmacy benefit managers. Three of them are controlling 80% of the industry. They’re taking at least 58 cents on every dollar. That’s the real riddle that we need to solve up here.

Laslo: Yep. Thank you, sir.

The Senator walks towards the Senate floor to vote.

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Who?

Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) — Vice Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Balint

Ask a Pol asks:

Are Republicans hypocrites for hammering Democrats on socialism while the Trump administration takes equity stakes in private companies like Intel?

Key Balint:

“He’s using the words, you know, “socialism,” “communism,” “leftist” as rhetoric against us — and yet there are so many things happening in this administration that to any, like, sober outside observer would be like, that actually smacks of socialism,” Rep. Becca Balint exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “It’s an interesting paradox.”

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Caught our ear:

“Especially when I sit in Budget or Judiciary [Committees], and the biggest way that they go after us all the time is on socialism,” Balint tells us. “And then you’re just like, but when your great leader does it…”

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ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s wire service, The LCB, sold a feature that used this exclusive & 11 others

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Becca Balint (3-26-2026)

SCENE: As Rep. Becca Balint’s heading to the floor of the House of Representatives to cast one of her last votes before Congress’s two-week Easter recess, she stops to chat with Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo just outside the US Capitol.

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Rep. Becca Balint: He’s using the words, you know, “socialism,” “communism,” “leftist” as rhetoric against us, and yet there are so many things happening in this administration that to any, like, sober, outside observer would be like, that actually smacks of socialism. And it’s an interesting paradox.

Matt Laslo: Yeah?

Balint: Especially when I sit in Budget or Judiciary [committees] and the biggest, like, way that they go after us all the time is on socialism.

ML: Right?

Balint: You know?

ML: Yeah.

Balint: And then you’re just like, but when your great leader does it…

ML: Yeah?

Balint: Right?

ML: They just roll over.

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Who?

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) — Chair, House Freedom Caucus

LISTEN: Laslo & Harris

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of President Donald Trump taking a 10% stake in Intel and grabbing 15% of profits from chip manufacturers? Not to mention TrumpRX and all these pots of money he controls, like Venezuela oil profits. At some point is this just socialism on the Right?

Key Harris:

“I haven’t put much thought into it, to be honest with you,” Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “We’ve got other issues.”

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Caught our ear:

“Generally, I’m not supportive, but I don’t know enough about the specifics to make a comment,” Harris tells us.

ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s wire service, The LCB, sold a feature that used this exclusive & 11 others

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TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Andy Harris (3-27-2026)

SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches up with House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris as he’s making his way from the US Capitol to the House Office Buildings across the street.

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Matt Laslo: Any worries about the Trump administration taking a 10% stake in Intel and getting 15% of profits from a couple of these chip manufacturers?

Rep. Andy Harris: You know, I haven’t put much thought into it, to be honest with you. We’ve got, you know, we’ve got other issues.

ML: Yeah?

Harris: And I’m no expert in that, so I’ll leave that to other people.

ML: Isn’t it a little bit like socialism from the right, though?

Harris: Again, you know, I don’t — I don’t know the specifics of the deal. Generally, I’m not supportive, but I don’t know enough about the specifics to make a comment.

ML: Yeah?

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Who?

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) — Chair, House Judiciary Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Jordan

Background:

Ask a Pol caught up with the Chairman outside of a heated hearing where Attorney General Pam Bondi attacked members of both parties who demanded answers to how the Justice Department bungled the long-awaited release of the Epstein files, including the administration’s release of victims’ names, even as DOJ officials redacted the names of alleged abusers.

Ask a Pol asks:

How’d it go in there, Mr. Chair?

Key Jordan:

“Just look at the District of Columbia — every category of crime is down because of the good work of the Attorney General and the Trump administration. And that’s the big contrast between this administration and the previous one,” Rep. Jim Jordan told Ask a Pol Politics. “The previous one was focused on going after moms and dads and pro-life Catholics and President Trump and lawfare and on and on. This one’s focused on making sure there’s less robberies, less murder, less carjackings, particularly here in the nation’s capital.”

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* flashback *

Historically childish, needlessly combative hearing

Caught our ear:

“Attorney General Bondi’s doing the best she can to comply with the law and adhere to what the court said had to happen,” Jordan told us in February.

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TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Jim Jordan (2-11-2026)

SCENE: After Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Judiciary Committee in February, Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo caught up with the panel’s fast-paced Chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan, as he scurried from the Rayburn House Office Building to the US Capitol via an underground tunnel.

Matt Laslo: “How’d it go, Mr. Chair?”

Rep. Jim Jordan: “Pardon?”

ML: “How’d it go in there?”

Jordan: “I think, the clear message is, just look at the District of Columbia every category of crime is down because of the good work of the Attorney General and the Trump administration. And that’s the big contrast between this administration and the previous one. The previous one, they were focused on going after moms and dads and pro-life Catholics and President Trump and lawfare and on and on.”

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Jordan cont’d: “This one’s focused on making sure there’s less robberies, less murder, less carjackings, particularly here in the nation’s capital, so I think that was a clear message. Democrats want to talk about everything but that, but I think the American people care about that first and foremost.”

ML: “What about the survivors saying that they still need a lot more from the government?”

Jordan: “Attorney General Bondi’s doing the best she can to comply with the law and adhere to what the court said had to happen.”

Reporter II: “Do you agree with the Attorney General that [Republican Congressman] Thomas Massie is a hypocrite?”

Jordan and his aides shuffle onto a Members Only elevator.

ML: “Thank you, sir.”

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Who?

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) — US Senate Armed Services Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Kaine

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of President Donald Trump calling out America’s NATO allies — including threatening to withhold military support in future conflicts — after European countries refused to send naval support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

Key Kaine:

“[President Trump’s] been non-stop screwing around with NATO allies during his whole time in office. Imposing tariffs on them, threatening to invade a NATO ally* and, you know, it is Human Relations 101 that after you’ve kicked people around, when you suddenly ask them to help you out, they’re not going to be that interested,” Sen. Tim Kaine exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “So he should stop kicking them around, and then he might get more cooperation.”

*ie, Greenland

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Caught our ear:

“If the President was full-throated in his support of Ukraine, that might be a more powerful argument,” Kaine tells us. “Instead, the Europeans are looking and going, ‘But wait a minute…’”

Let us know what to ask your Representatives!

TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Tim Kaine

SCENE: As Sen. Tim Kaine was making his way to the Senate floor to vote via the US Capitol’s basement, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo started walking with him before hopping a Senators Only elevator with the senior member of the powerful and largely bipartisan Senate Armed Services Committee.

Matt Laslo: What do you make of President Donald Trump threatening to ditch America’s NATO allies in future conflicts because they have refused to help provide the naval support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

Sen. Tim Kaine: “He’s been non-stop screwing around with NATO allies during his whole time in office.”

ML: “Yeah?”

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Kaine: “Imposing tariffs on them, threatening to invade a NATO ally* and, you know, it is Human Relations 101 that after you’ve kicked people around, when you suddenly ask them to help you out, they’re not going to be that interested.”

*ie, Greenland

ML: “Yeah?”

Kaine: “So he should stop kicking them around, and then he might get more cooperation.”

ML: “And the comparison between Ukraine and Iran — just the conflicts themselves?”

Kaine: “Well then, if the President was full-throated in his support of Ukraine, that might be a more powerful argument.”

ML: “Yeah?”

Kaine: “Instead, the Europeans are looking and going, ‘But wait a minute, you know, this was going on…’”

ML: “Yup.”

Kaine: “Biden was really supportive of Ukraine. What have you done but been equivocal about it from the very beginning?”

ML: “Yeah?”

Kaine: “So it’s not an argument where the President is standing on really solid ground to make an argument.”

ML: “Yeah.”

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Who?

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) — Ranking Member, Appropriations Defense Subcommittee

LISTEN: Laslo & Coons

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of NATO allies being reluctant to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump and Israel attacked Iran?

Key Coons:

“That the President keeps disrespecting our NATO allies this way leads to the unsurprising result that when he didn’t consult with them before launching a war of choice with Iran, they don’t feel bought into opening the Strait of Hormuz,” Sen. Chris Coons exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.

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Caught our ear:

“The only time NATO has actually invoked Article 5 and deployed to war was in defense of us to Afghanistan,” Coons tells us.

TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Chris Coons

SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo sidles up to Sen. Chris Coons as he’s walking to the US Capitol via an underground tunnel along with a couple staffers ahead of a Senate vote.

ICYMI — Coons, McConnell Statement on NATO (4-1-2026)

Once the Senator stops addressing his team, Laslo slides in…

Matt Laslo: What do you make of President Donald Trump threatening to ditch America’s NATO allies in future conflicts because they have refused to help provide the naval support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

Sen. Chris Coons: “The only time NATO has actually invoked Article 5 and deployed to war was in defense of us to Afghanistan.”

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ML: “Huh.”

Coons: “A third of the combat deaths in Afghanistan were NATO troops. I led a bipartisan delegation to Denmark, and Sen. [Thom] Tillis and I laid a memorial wreath at the site that remembers the 52 Danes who died in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

ML: “Yeah?”

Coons: “That the President keeps disrespecting our NATO allies this way leads to the unsurprising result that when he didn’t consult with them before launching a war of choice with Iran, they don’t feel bought into opening the Strait of Hormuz.”

ML: “Thank you, sir.”

With Coons moving away from his mic, Laslo repeats the last thing the Senator said.

ML: “Strait of Hormuz.”

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Who?

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) — Vice Chair, Senate Intelligence Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Warner

Ask a Pol asks:

In President Donald Trump’s cabinet meeting this week, it seemed the administration was totally blindsided by Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz — were they?

Key Warner:

“No. If they had read any intelligence, it’s obvious they would close the Strait,” Senate Intel Vice Chair Mark Warner tells Ask a Pol Politics. “Somebody didn’t read the intelligence or some of the intelligence community’s leadership is totally inept.”

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Caught our ear:

“If you’re spending $2.4 million per missile to take down a $50,000 drone, if you’re going to do a war of choice, why in the hell wouldn’t you have had the Trump White House accept the Ukrainian drone capability that they can knock down Ukrainian or Iranian drones for under five grand a pop,” Warner tells us.

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TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mark Warner

SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner in the basement of the US Capitol as he’s on his way to a vote on the Senate floor.

Matt Laslo: “Were they totally blindsided by the Strait of Hormuz?”

Sen. Mark Warner: “No.”

ML: “So, how does this…”

MW: “No. If they had read any intelligence that Iran, this is one of the reasons the Iranian regime has been awful for 47 years. Why do you think somebody else hasn’t done this before, including Trump 1.0? Because it’s obvious they would close the Strait, obvious they would hit all the Gulf nations adjacent.”

ML: “Yeah?”

MW: “And if you were planning this, this is the part that I’m terrified about right now is that we are exhausting our number of interceptors. And when you keep, it doesn’t take a lot of rocket science to realize if you’re spending $2.4 million per missile to take down a $50,000 drone, if you’re going to do a war of choice, why in the hell wouldn’t you have had the Trump White House accept the Ukrainian drone capability that they can knock down Ukrainian or Iranian drones for under five grand a pop.”

ML: “Trump said he was surprised that US allies in the region were hit. What do you make of that?”

MW: “Somebody didn’t read the intelligence or some of the intelligence community’s leadership is totally inept.”

ML: “Yeah?”

MW: “You know, the absurdity of what was said by some of the witnesses — maybe it was [DNI Tulsi] Gabbard last week — that the President of the United States, one of them said, ‘the President of the United States is the only person that can determine what’s an imminent threat.’”

ML: “Yeah?”

MW: “That is totally bonkers. The role of the intelligence community is to speak truth to power and provide them with their most honest assessment of how close the bad guys are to being a real threat. It’s not the President of the United States’ responsibility to do that.”

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries

What?

War of words over funding the Department of Homeland Security

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