Hello listeners. It's Thursday, August 31st, 2017. I'm Charlie Matessian, your

host this week, and you are listening to Politico's Nurdcast. cast.

This week will cover the politics surrounding Hurricane Harvey and the utter devastation it is brought to Houston and the surrounding areas.

We'll also examine the optics surrounding President Donald Trump's response to the disaster and how past

presidents have handled major disasters.

Our first data point this week is 12.

That's the number of years since a major category 3 or higher

hurricane made landfall in the United States before Harvey.

Then we'll discuss what's on Congress's fall to-do list. Members will return from their

August recess to a crowded agenda. government funding deadline, debt ceiling fight,

tax reform hopes, and the weakening passion for Obamacare repeal.

Our second data point this week is 30. There are 30 days between today and

September 30th Congress is deadline for passing a government funding bill.

If legislation is not passed, the government will shut down on October 1st.

Before we dive in, a reminder to rate, review, and subscribe to Politico's Nurdcast on Apple

podcasts or your favorite podcast platform.

And we love hearing from listeners, so send us an email at nerdcast at politico.com.

Okay, let's get started.

Scott Bland is out on paternity leave, but this week we have fan favorite

Annie Carney in the studio today. Hello, Annie. Hello, Charlie.

We took a listener poll about who should fill in for Scott Bland and by an overwhelming majority.

Wow, I didn't know I had fans.

...