⚡️ Punchbowl News Conference 2026 Takeaways

IN THIS EDITION

THE TOP

Conversations with Schumer, Schiff and Hawley

Punchbowl News hosted our second annual Conference on Tuesday, an all-day summit that featured insightful conversations with officials from the Trump administration, Congress, K Street and the business world. We streamed the event live on our website — check it out here.

Here is a roundup of key takeaways from the conversations, with video highlights available on YouTube:

SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER. The New York Democrat discussed how his party is navigating the midterms and the top issues in Congress.

Schumer was upbeat about Democrats’ chances of winning back the Senate in the November elections. “We will have enough money to win back the Senate,” Schumer said.

On Iran, Schumer said President Donald Trump is moving without any direction and “acting like a second grader.” Watch the full interview with Schumer.

SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CALIF.). The California Democrat discussed a range of issues, including redistricting, the midterms and the Iran conflict.

“We’re determined to use whatever tools we have in the minority to really compel the administration to come before the American people in a way they have not been willing,” Schiff said.

Schiff added that more money for the war is a “non-starter” for Democrats. He said Trump crossed the constitutional line with the war but added that it’s not viable to pursue impeachment. Watch the full interview with Schiff.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO.). Hawley said some aspects of the One Big Beautiful Bill, like no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and the expanded child tax credit, are a huge plus for midterm voters, but they need to see more.

“I think Republicans need to go out there and need to deliver on an agenda that will put real cash into the hands of working people right now,” Hawley said.

On the SAVE America Act, Hawley made the case for using the “talking filibuster” but added that he doesn’t sense his GOP colleagues feel the same way.

Hawley also continued his push for a ban on stock trading by members of Congress. Watch the full interview with Hawley.

Thank you to Johnson & Johnson for partnering with us to make the Conference 2026 possible. The day began with opening remarks from Joaquin Duato, chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), and their executive vice president, global corporate affairs, Vanessa Broadhurst, gave the closing toast during the reception.

Now available. Don’t miss the launch of our swag store, which made its debut at this year’s Conference. From apparel to mugs and even pickleball paddles, you can now don exclusive Punchbowl News merch. Check out our store.

– Shania Shelton, Elvina Nawaguna, Laura Weiss, Jalen Beckford and Alicia Abelson

VIP DINNER RECAP

On Monday night, we kicked off the Conference with a VIP Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria to celebrate our speakers and 2026 Power List honorees, in partnership with Electronic Payments Coalition.

At the dinner, Punchbowl News Founder & CEO Anna Palmer and Electronic Payments Coalition’s Managing Director Nick Simpson gave remarks.

LAWMAKER LOOK

The view from the Hill

We heard from several lawmakers at the second annual Conference, including Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Angus King (I-Maine), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).

Baldwin talks health care. The Wisconsin Democrat discussed the impact of the GOP’s health care cuts and the prospects of renewing the expired Obamacare subsidies. She said there’s been “little discussion” from Republicans to reinstate the expired enhanced ACA tax credits.

Baldwin said lawmakers are facing challenges to ensure health care professionals are included in loan eligibility and repayment programs. She added that there is bipartisan commitment to grow that workforce. Read more or watch the full interview.

King and Ricketts on bipartisanship. The two former governors shared the stage to discuss their experience working at the state level and now in the Senate. The pipeline from sitting governor to senator has been well-trodden, but both Ricketts and King understand why the script’s been flipped this year.

“The governorship job does not come open every day, so if you have the opportunity, you kind of have to take advantage of it,” Ricketts said Tuesday.

King said he almost didn’t run for Senate in 2024 but reversed course over concern that the ranks of the Senate’s dealmakers had been nearly depleted.

“It was literally the middle was shrinking,” King said of his decision. “I just felt like I’ve got to stay and try to keep some momentum toward trying to work together.”

Watch the full interview with King and Ricketts. Read our recap.

Beyer talks AI and health care. The Virginia Democrat said the vast majority of House members are not closely following artificial intelligence policy and the massive transformations the technology is ushering in.

“It’s not that they’re not serious people. It’s just they’re not coming from technical backgrounds,” Beyer said.

Health care and workforce. Early detection of cancer is one of the biggest improvements AI can make in health care. Beyer said there are “lots of indications” in China and the United States that AI can predict hard-to-detect cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, years earlier.

AI can also help with worker shortages. It’s possible that AI could lead to mass layoffs, Beyer said, but it’s not a certainty.

Watch the full video of Beyer and read our recap.

— Samantha Handler, Anthony Adragna, Alicia Abelson, Jalen Beckford and Ally Mutnick

VIEW FROM THE C-SUITE

Vault, Travel Talk and Defense

HILTON CEO CHRIS NASSETTA. The hospitality executive highlighted the “powerful things” working in favor of the industry.

Nassetta said the falling inflation and interest rates, as well as tax cuts and a deregulatory environment, are helping the sector.

U.S. travel. Nassetta said people want to visit the U.S., but there’s a lot of “noise” that has cost the country lots of inbound travel, including the Trump administration’s trade wars.

“We’ve lost a third over the last 20 years, and we lost like 6% over the last year because of, particularly, what’s going on with the fight with Canada,” Nassetta said.

Still, Nassetta was optimistic that sporting events like the World Cup would boost travel to the country and said “we have to make it easier” for people to travel to the U.S.

Watch the full video of Nassetta here.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CEO KATHY WARDEN. The company firm has been investing in its company at a higher rate than its historical average and the peer benchmarks in the industry, Warden said.

“And we did that because we saw that the threat environment was elevating and that the range of capabilities needed was growing,” Warden said.

Warden added that Northrop Grumman believes the best way to serve its customers is to invest in building the company’s capabilities.

“It has been and continues to be our top priority,” Warden said.

Watch the full video of Warden here.

CARLYLE CEO HARVEY SCHWARTZ. Schwartz cast a positive outlook on the economy and predicted oil prices would drop once the war in Iran cools down.

“I think that it’s all these cross-currents I talked about; elevated oil prices, you have shifting tariff policy, you have the AI and open threat, and the investment, the hyper scalers are spending roughly about a percentage of GDP, which is really impacting the economy in a positive way,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz also said the data collected from Carlyle’s wide portfolio of companies indicate that the U.S. and the global economy are in good shape, although it remains to be seen what the implications of the war in Iran are on the economy in the coming weeks.

Watch the full video of Schwartz here.

– Rachel Umansky-Castro, Robert O’Shaughnessy and Briana Reilly

INTERESTED IN SPONSORING AN EVENT WITH PUNCHBOWL NEWS?

We have a great lineup of events this spring and are always available to connect to discuss new event opportunities and ideas. If you or your team are interested, please reach out to us at [email protected].

You can always find a list of our upcoming events at punchbowl.news/events.

TRANSPORTATION

Sean Duffy plus Scott Kirby on transportation

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY. The DOT boss urged Congress to reconcile differences between the House and Senate’s legislative efforts in response to the fatal plane crash at Reagan National Airport last year.

“Both chambers have to come together and sit down and have a conversation and work out the kinks and pass a bill,” Duffy said of the House’s ALERT Act and the Senate’s ROTOR Act.

Duffy praised the FAA as the “gold standard” of safety but decried its outdated systems. He called for more money — “about $6 or $7 billion” — to update the agency’s software.

The improvements that the Hill has funded would help overcome flight delays and cancellations “a little bit, but not radically, because the efficiency in the airspace is going to come from a new software system,” Duffy said.

Watch the full conversation with Duffy here.

UNITED AIRLINES CEO SCOTT KIRBY. The flight executive said that the Trump administration’s aviation modernization efforts are “by far” the most important thing that “we can do to improve the travel experiences for the customers.”

Kirby also discussed efforts to expand Washington Dulles International Airport, which many Washingtonians complain about for its distance and outdated features.

“It’s going to be the best airport in the country,” Kirby said of Dulles, a major United hub.

Watch the full conversation with Kirby here.

– Ben Brody, Diego Areas Munhoz and Alicia Abelson

TALLY

Mark Cuban plus Zac Moffatt & Josh Vlasto

MARK CUBAN, CO-FOUNDER OF COST PLUS DRUGS. The billionaire businessman said he doesn’t plan to run for political office in 2028, adding instead he’d rather focus on disrupting the health care industry.

Cuban supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, but he expressed frustration with the Democratic Party’s messaging.

Cuban said Democrats are “awful salespeople,” while Republicans dominate social media and feed the algorithms.

“Trump has got this down to a science,” Cuban said. “He knows what’s going to trigger the algorithms. He plays through social pity, and he’s an expert at it.”

Pharmaceutical industry. Cuban discussed his efforts to make health care more affordable and called for breaking up “enormous” companies that drive up medical costs.

“This has been the easiest industry to disrupt that I’ve ever been involved with because it’s a very simple industry,” Cuban said. “How much does it cost? How do you pay for it? And if you can’t pay for it, what happens? That’s it.”

Cost Plus Drugs. Cuban said he’s trying to bring transparency and lower medication prices with his own company.

“Because our margins are only 15%, nine out of 10 times, we’re cheaper than anybody else, and we offer a good service,” Cuban said.

Watch the full video of the conversation with Cuban here.

LEADING THE FUTURE’S JOSH VLASTO AND ZAC MOFFATT. Both speakers said their artificial intelligence super PAC was planning for a “multi-cycle engagement” in elections to champion lawmakers who will support their cause.

“One in eight members of Congress are retiring this cycle,” Moffatt said. “There’s a whole new wave coming in. So there’s a massive opportunity for us to identify current champions and future champions and be a partner with them and to be their ally.”

On China. Vlasto said the United States needs to win the race against China on AI and needs a “clear and consistent” regulatory program at the federal level.

“We can’t let demagogue demagoguery and doomerism slow this down, because if we don’t create this foundation both for growth and to mitigate certain risks, not only is China going to win the race, but then they’re going to be calling the plays on how these issues are addressed,” Vlasto said.

Watch the full video of the discussion with Vlasto and Moffat here.

– Shania Shelton and Brendan Pedersen

SPORTS

Sports betting & the future of sports

FANATICS BETTING AND GAMING CEO MATT KING. King called for regulators to oversee the sports betting business.

“We believe that a regulated market is better than an illegal one, and not having sports betting isn’t an option because ultimately, the only successful strategy in putting an illegal market out of business is a reasonably regulated market,” King said.

King added that the sports leagues are “incredibly committed” to getting this right when it comes to sports betting.

“It’s not going away, and game integrity is paramount to literally everything that they do,” King said.

Watch the full conversation with King here.

THE FUTURE OF SPORTS. Venturehouse Group Ceo Mark Ein, Monumental Sports & Entertainment President of Media & New Enterprises Zach Leonsis and Washington Nationals President of Business Operations Jason Sinnarajah discussed the state of sports in the nation’s capital.

“For the football team, this is really a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a new stadium,” Ein said.

Sinnarajah said he’s focused on improving lines and quickening food service at Nationals Park.

“The main focus is really just improving the game experience and the fan experience for our fans,” Sinnarajah said.

Leonsis said people are looking for different kinds of experiences, and the sports industry needs more programmatic space to entertain fans.

“The buying behavior of people in the 90s and early 2000s is different from what it is today,” Leonsis said. “The live game experience window is expanding.”

Watch the full video here.

– Shania Shelton and Robert O’Shaughnessy

OTHER CONVERSATIONS

Michael Betz and Megan Noel, Matthew Cook and Bob Sternfels

MICHAEL BETZ AND MEGAN NOEL OF COVISTA. Betz, chief digital officer of Covista, and Noel, chief corporate affairs officer of Covista, discussed the health education company’s efforts in integrating AI into medical training and how to use it to solve the health care worker shortage.

Noel said the labor shortage is “a structural issue” that will require companies, educators, policymakers and health systems working together to address the worker shortage.

Betz said AI will play an important role in solving some of the problems in the health care industry.

“The overwhelming majority of health care executives are saying they see AI as a part of the solution,” Betz said. “It can increase the productivity, offload some of those menial tasks that nurses and doctors and others have to deal with today.”

Watch the full video of Betz and Noel here.

MATTHEW COOK, CEO OF THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION. Cook highlighted the challenges his sector faces, including funding squeezes and a shortage of health care workers.

Cook said the workforce shortage is a problem that “dates back decades,” with pediatrics in particular facing a unique challenge with physician training.

“And so you still have children’s hospitals self-funding, a significant proportion of training in this country, and that’s just not a sustainable model,” Cook added.

On funding, Cook said children’s hospitals are heavily dependent on Medicaid, which has a low reimbursement rate, creating “a really challenging situation” for the hospitals.

Watch the full video of the conversation with Cook here.

BOB STERNFELS, GLOBAL MANAGING PARTNER OF MCKINSEY & COMPANY. Sternfels discussed American global tech leadership and also highlighted how successful companies are incorporating artificial intelligence into their operations “in a balanced way.”

Sternfels said it’s important for the United States to maintain its global technology edge in innovation, capital markets and talent.

”There has to be the right framework, but we can’t let the right framework slow the rate of innovation down,” Sternfels added.

Watch the full conversation with Sternfels here.

– Rachel Umansky-Castro, Alicia Abelson and Ally Mutnick

FLY OUT DAY

Live Fly Out Day recording with Amy Walter

During the Conference lunch break, Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, joined Punchbowl News founders Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman and senior congressional reporter Ally Mutnick for a live recording of Fly Out Day.

Be sure to check out the Daily Punch podcast feed tomorrow to listen to the recording.

– Robert O’Shaughnessy