I went hog hunting with a congressman because he was ranked by national journal wherever

to the time as the most conservative member of the house.

Ben Terrace is a feature writer at the Washington Post, where he's carved out a unique role

reporting on what he calls the Weirdo B.

And it was one of these stories where like at 7.30 in the morning I shoot a hog, you

know, Jewish guy from Massachusetts, never been hunting, I shoot a hog, but the gun

recoils and the scope hits me in the forehead and I'm bleeding, I go up to the emergency room,

I'm getting, you know, my head's super glued shut.

While Ben's colleagues focus on what's happening on the main stage, he keeps an eye on the

freak show that's happening just at a site.

And I'm like, this is great, this is why I want to be a political journalist.

This week, Ben published his first much anticipated book, The Big Break, The Gamblers, Party

Animals and True Believers trying to win in Washington while America loses its mind.

The Big Break has a novel argument that if you want to understand how American politics

works in the post-Donald Trump era, then you really, really have to understand Ben's

field of expertise, Weirdos.

I'm Ryan Liza, this is Playbook Keep Dive.

The Big Break chronicles the rise and fall of a cast of influential Washington

Weirdos, Republicans and Democrats, navigating the altered landscape of Trump's disruptive presidency,

including an heiress to the hunt oil fortune who put her family money to work,

electing left-wing progressives, and named her dog after Malcolm X.

A George W. Bush Republican who, like many in the GOP, joined the Trump movement

...