It's our first Midweek Special Minisode! In this week's minisode, Frank Maisano takes the lead to talk with Jeremy Gregory, Executive Director of MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub and Research Scientist from MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. At the threshold of hurricane season, MIT's CSHub is conducting cutting-edge research on ways to innovate more durable, sustainable construction that helps communities withstand natural disasters.

Josh sits down with Dee and Paul to discuss the events of May 9, 2017, the day President Trump fired the Director of the FBI, James Comey. The team recalls the chaos of that day, reflect on how the FBI and the Agents Association have done in the year since, and talk with a special guest calling from the road, FBIAA President Tom O'Connor.

At 12:01 am on Tuesday, May 1, the temporary tariff exemptions on nations that provide 76% of American steel and aluminum imports will expire. Our trade experts Josh and Paul are operating hour to hour as we wait for something from the White House to stay these exemptions - tune in to hear the latest.

It's been busy here in DC, but we're back to talk about the latest and biggest news coming from the Capital. On the docket for discussion today: this week's roll-out of #TariffsAreTaxes coalition to fight steel and aluminum tariffs, the "generic ballot" and what it tells us about Midterms, and a special 4/20 topic: federal decriminalization of marijuana.

Josh and Liam discuss the latest news on steel and aluminum tariffs and trade war threats as well as what these tariffs mean politically, specifically for the upcoming Midterms in November. We wrap up on the lighter topic of baseball season and breaking out binders of trading cards.

Happy Passover and Happy Easter weekend! Ezra Louvis, Research Specialist at PRG, joins The Lobby Shop for the first time to discuss the National Debate Tournament and the world of policy debate, a competitive activity that is a feature on the resumes of many Congress Members and top lobbyists. Josh also peppers in quick updates on the newly imposed steel and aluminum tariffs, which we'll cover in-depth in the coming weeks.

Josh and Liam take a look at last week's special election in Pennsylvania and the success of Democrat Conor Lamb to discuss the current political climate in America and how it will likely impact November's midterm elections.

The past week in politics has been busy, and Josh, Liam, and Paul are here to break it down for you. We talk about the Pennsylvania special election and Democrat Conor Lamb's apparent victory, staff shake-ups in the Administration and the likelihood of more, and the exclusion/exception rules for impending steel and aluminum tariffs.

Liam takes the driver's seat this week to interview our resident trade law guru, Josh Zive, on the proclamations released by the Administration yesterday for steel and aluminum tariffs. We explore exactly what these proclamations say, what they mean for international relations and the American economy, and how they will impact domestic businesses.

Josh, Liam, and Paul react to the tumultuous past 24 hours of on-again-off-again steel and aluminum tariff announcements from the Administration. We break down the context and history of the proposed tariffs and the President's tweeted claims that trade wars are "easy to win."

Paul Nathanson swings by The Lobby Shop to talk with Josh about trade policy news. First up is a discussion of proposed steel tariffs and their potential to hurt American industry, then an update on NAFTA and Canada's interest in removing ISDS provisions, something that could impact the Administration's interest in renegotiating the trade agreement, followed by a quick look at the recently instated solar tariffs and their impact so far, and wrapping with some blockbuster reviews.

From the passage of the 2018 budget deal to the President's FY19 budget proposal announcement, there has been a lot of talk in Washington about federal money and where it should go. Josh and Liam sit down with two lobbyists who have significant experience in this complicated area of government, Ed Krenik and John Lee, to discuss the political context for these events, how they differ, and what they mean for policy going forward.

Josh is joined by Liam Donovan, Scott Segal, and Anna Burhop to discuss last night's State of the Union Address, what President Trump's speech did (and did not) mention, and what that tells us about policy priorities in 2018.

Josh and Scott interview the newest member of the PRG team, Stoney Burke, who comes to us from the Hill where he served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Will Hurd (TX-23). We dive into Stoney's unique perspective on what 2018 holds for US policy and politics, the value of solution-driven lobbyists, and the upcoming State of the Union Address on January 30.

This week, Liam takes a turn as host for a brief conversation with PRG's trade expert and most familiar voice, Josh Zive. We cover the history, context, and recent developments surrounding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other impending trade policy.

Welcome to 2018! After a holiday hiatus, we're back in The Lobby Shop with Liam Donovan to discuss the wrap of the tax reform bill, upcoming goals for Congress, and what the new year holds for US policy and politics.

One of the latest additions to Bracewell's DC team is Angela Styles, prominent government contracts lawyer and heavy hitter in Washington. From the Departments of Defense, Energy, Interior, Homeland Security and Veteran Affairs to the General Services Administration (GSA), Angela has assisted companies with issues ranging from procurement integrity, civil false claims, complex internal investigations, intellectual property and more. Tune in for a chat about the world of government contracts, its complexities, and being a DC hockey parent.

It's been a hectic few months in Washington, and this week was no exception. With that in mind, here is a bonus episode featuring PRG's resident tax expert Liam Donovan on the latest in tax reform and what's up next for the Conference Committee, final vote, and beyond. Tune in for a look behind the scenes and lots of seasonal analogies.

This week, The Lobby Shop was honored with a visit from the President of the FBI Agents Association, Special Agent Tom O'Connor. We discuss developments within the Bureau and FBIAA since we last heard from Tom after Director Chris Wray's nomination, how FBIAA is able to support active, retired, and deceased Special Agents and their families, and what issues are foremost in the minds of FBI personnel lately.

PRG Co-heads Dee Martin and Scott Segal, recently named Top Lobbyists of 2017 by The Hill, stop by to talk about what its like to lobby in Washington, what it takes to be an effective lobbyists, and how they got into the world of lobbying.

Josh and Liam explore what's coming up for tax reform in light of this week's Senate tax plan and its differences and similarities compared to last week's House bill. We also discuss the news surrounding Roy Moore and how the allegations could impact tax reform's outlook, recap the results of the 2017 election and parse what they reveal about the political climate, and finally take a strange dive into the psyche's of Josh and Liam with an unusual thought exercise.

Josh snags a few minutes with PRG's resident tax expert Liam Donovan for a quick, cursory discussion of the House's freshly released tax bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Josh and Liam cover the highlights of the bill, predictions on votes and potential controversy, next steps in the House, and what's coming up in the Senate.

Josh and Liam revisit the Friday Five format for this week's episode, discussing tax reform and yesterday's budget adoption by the House, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and talk of US renegotiations and/or withdrawal, Congressional retirements and Senators Corker and Flake, the state of the GOP, and the outlook for Midterm elections.

Josh sits down with Paul Nathanson, George Felcyn, and Frank Maisano to discuss the U.S. International Trade Commission's controversial Section 201 solar imports case. From the history of Section 201 petitions to the motives of this case's plaintiffs to the sheer impact of the proposed tariffs, our team breaks down this complex subject. To learn more about the case and the Energy Trade Action Coalition's efforts to fight it, visit energytradeaction.org.

Josh and Liam discuss the latest developments at the EPA regarding the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan (CPP) with our Bracewell colleague Jeff Holmstead, former assistant administrator of the EPA for Air and Radiation and current head of Bracewell's Environmental Strategies Group. Jeff lends his expertise to help explain the background and politics of the CPP, this week's draft Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for replacing the CPP, and what that means at this stage. Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed on the show? We'd love to hear from you! Send your feedback, thoughts, and suggestions to thelobbyshop@policyres.com.