📝 Readback: Talking defense in Sedona

IN THIS EDITION

Talking defense in beautiful Sedona

Chatting soccer, N.C. politics and hockey with Gov. Josh Stein

When you have a 5K at 9 a.m. but need to produce a show at 10 a.m.

Recess is for the boys (the boys are cats)

THE TOP

Talking defense in beautiful Sedona

Welcome to the Readback, our weekend digest featuring behind-the-scenes insight into our biggest stories and Capitol Hill insight you won’t find anywhere else. We’ve also included a few of our favorite outside reads from the week.

SEDONA, ARIZ. — Every year, some of the smartest national security minds gather for an intimate conference hosted by the McCain Institute in Sedona, Ariz. This year, I got to represent Punchbowl News there.

It was a unique opportunity to mingle among senators, House lawmakers, corporate leaders, foreign dignitaries and more for in-depth conversations about current global challenges.

The setting for The Sedona Forum could not have been more different from Washington, D.C. Set among the towering red rocks, the forum offered the chance to chat over breakfast with lawmakers without their usual cadre of aides or to catch veterans of the late Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign swap war stories at the end of the night. You’d spot a senator out for a morning run or the head of a major company leaving the gym.

Talking Venezuela. My panel, which featured Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López and Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas), was the first of the conference. Our discussion focused on the future of Venezuelan governance, energy development and more. López passionately made the case for what’s needed next for his country to transition to democracy.

López was exiled from Venezuela during the leadership of former President Nicolás Maduro, whom the Trump administration has since captured. López passionately talked up the “great opportunity” in his country but acknowledged the need for longer-term “stability” to bring investments in areas like energy production.

Unlike some who are calling for elections to be scheduled as quickly as possible, López said Maduro’s “repressive structure also needs to be dismantled” through steps such as revamping the judicial system, freeing political prisoners and enabling free expression.

We also talked about the situation in Cuba, as President Donald Trump continues to saber-rattle about forcing regime change there. López offered some support for similar moves in Cuba and Nicaragua following the toppling of Maduro.

“If Venezuela goes well, I think it could be very positive for those two countries,” López said.

Goldman wouldn’t comment on whether a strike in Cuba was a good idea. “Every situation is different,” he said. “That’s not up to me, that’s up to [the Trump administration].”

Plenty of other lawmakers made the trip. I spied Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), as well as Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.).

On the second day, we had the unique experience of enjoying a BBQ at the famed McCain ranch, hosted by Amb. Cindy McCain. After you exit an unassuming road surrounded by the Arizona desert and go several miles on dirt roads, what awaits you is a lush, verdant compound.

There was plenty of low-key socializing, delicious BBQ and a live cover band. It was also the birthdays of Welch and one of McCain’s sons, Jack McCain, so the entire hundreds-strong group sang to them.

It was a memorable and unique weekend of fascinating conversations, interesting people and scenery that absolutely could not be topped.

What I’m watching: My wife and I have been catching up on a perennial comfort watch: “Top Chef.” This season brings the cheftestants to Charlotte and Greenville. They’ve done everything from cooking in a NASCAR stadium to tackling a hot pepper challenge.

– Anthony Adragna

You can find The Readback in your inbox every Saturday at 8 a.m. And don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] with feedback. Enjoy The Readback.

Chatting soccer, N.C. politics and hockey with Gov. Josh Stein

This week’s edition of Fly Out Day featured North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, who became the first-ever governor to appear on the program. For a company as focused on Congress as we are, this was a pretty big deal!

Stein weighed in on several issues relevant to our D.C. audience, chief among them being the state’s competitive Senate race between former Gov. Roy Cooper and ex-RNC Chair Michael Whatley.

Stein said Cooper, whom he replaced as governor, is the favorite to win in November. Stein criticized Whatley as a quintessential D.C. insider.

Stein also said he agreed with the Trump administration’s policy that data centers shouldn’t burden residents with higher utility bills. It was a sign of how the North Carolina Democrat is seeking to build bridges with the GOP in a state that voted for President Donald Trump three times.

The Pink Room. As Readback fans know, I’m a huge soccer player and fan. So imagine my excitement when I found that Stein was a standout high school soccer player for Chapel Hill High School. Stein is fond of telling the story of his game-winning shootout goal in the 1983 state semifinals.

Stein noted in our chat that back then, soccer shootouts weren’t penalty kicks from 12 yards out, like they are now. Instead, players ran forward and dribbled the ball, similar to a hockey shootout.

It’s always fun to nerd out over soccer with a politician. The World Cup is about a month away, I will add, so stay tuned for more FIFA coverage.

Stein also dropped some great recommendations for places to visit in western North Carolina. And we shared some friendly banter about the Carolina Hurricanes and their recent success over my Washington Capitals.

The panel. I also joined Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and Jennifer Shutt for the reporter panel after Stein left the townhouse. We had a spirited exchange about the impact of health care cuts on North Carolina’s rural communities.

And I tried my best to convince my colleagues that my pronunciation of Gov. Cooper’s surname was accurate. Check out this useful WRAL segment for some much-needed context.

Here are some other highlights from the interview:

– Stein said D.C. politics is “broken.”

– Stein complained about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on North Carolina.

– Stein weighed in on Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s Totenkopf tattoo.

What I’m listening to: “drop dead” by Olivia Rodrigo. I can’t wait for her new album, and I’m hoping to see her on tour this fall!

– Max Cohen

When you have a 5K at 9 a.m. but need to produce a show at 10 a.m.

I’m not much of a runner, but lately I’ve been craving a challenge.

At some point at the beginning of this year, I made what I thought would be a perfectly reasonable decision by signing up for the ACLI Capital Challenge — a 5K race with participants from Congress, the administration, federal judges, media and more.

My immediate thought was, “I’ll be running alongside some of the biggest names in D.C. What could possibly go wrong?”

Then, our Fly Out Day episode taping was scheduled for the same day, a Wednesday. We typically record on Thursdays when Congress is in session.

The hard part wasn’t the race. It was figuring out how to cross the finish line and still be ready for Fly Out Day immediately after.

Not only would I be running the race, but I’d also be racing to get production-ready immediately after. Most runners focus on hydration and technique. I was mostly focused on whether the camera and mic were charged.

I wasn’t the only one who had a quick turnaround. Punchbowl News Congressional Reporter and Pink Room host Max Cohen had to do the same and, admittedly, handled the running part a bit better than I did — finishing in 20:44. Meanwhile, this self-described “slowpoke” crossed the line in 34:22.

Once we crossed the finish line and got the obligatory photo proof, I immediately switched to production mode and quickly scarfed down a croissant. Armed with dry shampoo and a makeup bag, it was time to get to work.

Everything luckily went smoothly, although my legs were definitely not thrilled about climbing up and down the townhouse stairs afterward.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted, sore and running mostly on caffeine. But would I do it again? Absolutely, yes. Sometimes you need a girl who can do both.

What I’m listening to. During my run, I listened to my rock playlist. Some of my favorite songs that came on were “Dangerous” by Sleep Token, “Negative Creep” by Nirvana, “A Match Into Water” by Pierce the Veil and “Enter Sandman” by Metallica.

– Rachel Scully

Recess is for the boys (the boys are cats)

Recess on Capitol Hill is the rare time when reporters and staff get to feel like human beings. We have time to run errands! We can see our friends who don’t work in Congress!

But no one loves recess more than my cats.

My sons — Eugene and Hubert — are cuddlers. If any part of my body is horizontal, they’ll try to sit on me. For cats, they are awfully dogged about cuddle time. Eugene only has three legs, so it takes an extra act of balance for him.

Recess is basically the only time of the year when I get to try to get my money’s worth out of my couch. That’s where I work from my laptop and inevitably negotiate with my cats on where exactly they can sit on me, where I find myself saying things out loud like, “Please don’t sit on the keyboard while I’m writing,” and “Oh God, you’ve deleted the entire Midday edition.”

It only takes a couple of days for my cats to settle into this new life. During full-on Congress weeks, when I’m often out of the house for 10 or more hours a day, both cats more or less ambush me the moment I step back into my apartment.

Eugene in particular often demands a ritual we’ve come to call “uppies.” Whenever I get home after a long day, Eugene will find the nearest waist-high surface and meow at me until I approach.

Once I’m in position, he stands on his back legs, puts his one front paw on my shoulder and waits for me to scoop him up from behind. I am then obligated to carry him like a baby around my apartment for no less than two minutes. Cats are weird.

But recess is a totally different vibe. Once I’ve been around the house long enough, the cats start to ignore me. They stop racing to the door every time I get back home. The meows become less urgent. I’ve never felt more like a dad to surly teenagers than on day four or five of recess. And that’s just fine by me.

We still had some news to chew through, anyway. Capitol Hill’s housing politics have reignited, and I spent some time digging through what’s actually going on between the House Financial Services Committee, the White House and Republican leadership.

What I’m reading: “Green Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson. This is the sequel to the better-known “Red Mars,” which follows a group of scientists who voyage to the Red Planet to attempt to terraform it. The original book is one of my favorite pieces of science fiction, and so far, the second book does not disappoint.

– Brendan Pedersen