The Arena with Kasie Hunt

Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a speech to service members in which he slammed the military culture under past leaders and announced a 20% cut to senior officer ranks. Ken Paxton is expected at a Trump event tomorrow after the New York Times obtained audio of him bashing Trump's midterm convention. Israel says the stabbing on a Flydubai flight this morning was an “attempted terrorist attack” against Israelis and the UAE. Independent Montana Senate candidate Seth Bodnar joins to discuss where his race stands. Plus, Trump's "damn good" AI chatbot debunks many of his false claims about election fraud and inflation.

President Trump hosted top tech executives at the White House, where they signed a statement of principles on AI "self-policing.” Rep. Debbie Dingell talks about why she thinks Democratic candidates seem to have momentum in traditional GOP strongholds. Former special counsel Jack Smith testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Republicans grilled him on the two indictments he brought against Donald Trump in 2023. Plus, a source says Trump was directly involved in producing controversial taxpayer-funded ads promoting the president.

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The White House releases another taxpayer-funded ad weeks before the midterm elections. Rep. Ro Khanna discusses. CNN, Politico, and MS Now are expected to request an extension of a judge's block on the Trump White House's media ban. Speaker Johnson says a "Chinese psyop" is behind AI data center concerns, as the Anthropic CEO is expected to attend the White House meeting tomorrow following his private dinner with Trump. 

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping heads home from his summit with President Trump. Sen. Chris Van Hollen discusses. In a win for Trump, the Supreme Court decides states can use a controversial citizenship data collection tool for reviewing voter rolls. Plus, Bill Gates issues a dire warning about the potential risk of AI. 

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CNN was allowed back into the White House following a judge's order. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, weighs in on the administration's media ban. President Trump welcomes Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the White House for a state dinner. With Xi and Trump set to discuss AI at their summit, technology journalist Jacob Ward explains where the AI race stands.

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CNN, MS NOW, and Politico appear in court as they seek to lift the White House's media ban. They react after the judge opted not to rule from the bench and promised to respond as soon as possible. The panel discusses the politics surrounding the ban, the stakes involved, and why the press must be free from government influence.

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President Trump spoke before the United Nations General Assembly about the Iran war. New CNN polling shows just 36% approve of the president's handling of the war. The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, discusses the latest foreign policy news, including Trump's upcoming meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump defends the White House press ban and claims coverage of the Iran war is "very dangerous for our country." Plus, Kamala Harris joins Michigan Sen. candidate Abdul El-Sayed on the campaign trail. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez comments on her political future.

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CNN, MS NOW, and Politico sued President Trump over White House access. David Hume Kennerly, who photographed American presidents for six decades, shares what it's like to document the presidency up close. Trump now says his proposed DC arch will also deploy drones, position snipers, and store ammunition. Calls grow for ICE to release bodycam video after an agent shoots and wounds a Venezuelan immigrant in Texas.

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President Trump says he’s "banning" CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. Trump answers questions from the White House about the decision. Presidential historian Tim Naftali reflects on how past presidents have interacted with the press. Rep. Jake Auchincloss reacts to the news and calls for all other outlets to "boycott in solidarity."

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GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar openly breaks with President Trump, warning that Hispanic voters "feel betrayed" ahead of the midterm elections. President Trump is spotted with a "Kennedy Center demolished" poster, prompting further speculation about the institution's future.  Rev. Adam Hamilton discusses why he thinks he can be Kansas' first Democratic Senator since 1932. Macklemore pledges his Ed Sheeran tour salary to Palestinian aid amid concert controversy. 

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The Federal Reserve raised interest rates, despite pressure from President Trump. House Speaker Johnson sends lawmakers home until after the November elections, preventing the House from acting on AI regulation and other matters. Rep. Pramila Jayapal reacts. President Trump heads down to North Carolina to campaign for the GOP Senate candidate. VP Vance urges voters to "give us another chance" ahead of the midterms. Plus, the Kennedy Center closes after a board vote, despite a judge's order.

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Press briefing with Attorney General Todd Blanche at the White House, one day after the Supreme Court rejected the president's mail-in voting order. During a Senate hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel suggests that agents may be sent to the polls. Sen. Peter Welch, who pressed Patel on this matter, joins to discuss. President Trump calls into a Kennedy Center board meeting and yells at members over a vote on whether to add his name to the building. The Iran war has cost more than $38 billion through August 1st, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

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New industry warnings about AI cause Washington to scramble. Sen. Chris Coons weighs in. The Pentagon is denying a CNN report that Secretary Hegseth and political appointees pushed for the airmen shot down over Iran to participate in a '60 Minutes' report. Amy McGrath discusses. Plus, the Kennedy Center warns of bankruptcy unless Trump’s name returns. 

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Remembering the 9/11 terror attacks 25 years later. Retired Admiral James Stavridis, who was in the Pentagon when the plane hit, offers his reflections. Rep. Debbie Dingell calls for the country to come together the way it did in the wake of the tragedy. As he wrapped the GOP midterm convention, President Trump made GOP midterm convention attendees pledge that they will vote and "try to cheat like hell."

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Kasie Hunt talks to the panel on the second day of the GOP midterm convention, where the president promised $5k to all American adults if the Republicans win the November elections. Rep. Mike Lawler, a battleground district Republican, joins live from Dallas ahead of his convention speech. Jacob Ward talks to Kasie about new warnings about AI after Anthropic says it blocked possible efforts to build bioweapons. Plus, Kamala Harris is set to campaign with Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia next month.

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Kasie Hunt talks to the panel as the first-ever GOP midterm convention starts in Dallas. Gov. JB Pritzker, who is in Dallas to counterprogram the event, talks about the midterms and the state of the Democratic Party. Financial disclosures show that Trump gave $45k in cash to three aides, including Natalie Harp. Plus, new CNN polling sheds light on the highly competitive Michigan and Maine Senate races.

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The GOP descends on Dallas, Texas for its first-ever midterm convention, just weeks ahead of the November elections. The NTSB identifies the two pilots involved in the fatal Miami runway crash. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Texas, discusses her campaign. The head of the Smithsonian Museum retires amid the Trump administration's efforts to reshape the institution. The U.S. launches new strikes targeting Iranian tankers.

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An Amazon Air cargo plane overran a runway Sunday at Miami International Airport. At least five people died and five were injured, though the condition of the two pilots rescued from the cockpit still aren’t clear.

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Kasie Hunt talks to legal experts and an OBGYN after the judge declared a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy murder case. The Trump administration plans to break ground on the president’s “triumphal arch” in the next two weeks, spurring opponents to seek an emergency court action to block it. The cost of diesel hits an all-time high today, and the U.S. gets a better-than-expected jobs report. Rep. Debbie Dingell discusses the day's economic headlines and the Senate race in her home state of Michigan. Plus, the midterm cycle's first mail-in ballots are sent out today in North Caroli...

Kasie Hunt talks to legal experts as the jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is sent home for the day after a tense exchange over the defense's request to remove a juror.  Asked during the White House briefing when the Iran war might end, JD Vance says he "wouldn't call it a war." Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, who sits on the House Oversight Committee, discusses the committee's work with a USPS whistleblower and the latest in its Epstein probe. The Executive Editor of Ms. Magazine, Kathy Spillar, reflects on the passing of the publication's founder, Gloria Steinem.

The president prepares to host battleground Republicans for a dinner at the White House Rose Garden tonight after his political network launches its first midterm ads. The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial remains deadlocked after five days of deliberations. MapQuest surges to number one on the app store after it refused to change Lake Ontario to "Lake America." Plus, Scott Jennings comments on whether Americans might see Sen. Mitch McConnell back on Capitol Hill soon, 80 days after his June hospitalization.

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The resignation of Army Secretary amid supposed tensions with Secretary Pete Hegseth. Rep. Don Bacon, a retired Air Force Brigadier General, weighs in. 80-year-old Sen. Ed Markey faces a generational test in today's Massachusetts Democratic primary. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, reveals that his committee met with a USPS whistleblower who is alleging that the agency's mail-in ballot verification system could "derail" the midterm elections. Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial finish another day of deliberations after telling the judge that they're deadlocked.

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JD Vance's campaign appearance in Michigan and the newest comments from Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Former Democratic candidate for Michigan Senate, Mallory McMorrow, joins to discuss. The Supreme Court allows Trump to continue his ballroom construction for now. Rahm Emanuel weighs in on Trump's new comments about AI data centers. Will Ripley reports live from Nepal on rescue efforts after last week's catastrophic floods.

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A look at the president's agenda as the Iran war passes the six-month mark. Rep. Brendan Boyle discusses the future of the Democratic Party, just some nine weeks out from the midterm elections. A new report says that the Trump administration wants to give a portion of Yosemite National Park to a private developer in a "land exchange." Around 90 Americans remain missing after the devastating Nepal flood, according to the State Department. Jury deliberations resume Monday in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial.

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An emergency hearing over a new attempt to add President Trump's name to the Kennedy Center. The lawmaker who brought the lawsuit to block the renaming, Rep. Joyce Beatty, joins just moments after the hearing. Trump heads to Texas "to help" Ken Paxton in his Senate race. Trump signs an order changing the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America," his latest move in his tariff fight with Canada. The jury finishes its first day of deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial.

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President Trump angered some in the GOP by reviving his trade war with Canada just two months before the midterm elections. The world remembers Dolly Parton. More than a dozen Democratic-led states file a new lawsuit against the president's mail-in ballot restrictions. Rep. James Clyburn discusses. Plus, technology journalist Jacob Ward explains Meta's historic settlement in a landmark child safety trial.

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Looking back on Dolly Parton's legacy. Lorrie Morgan, who sang a duet with Parton, reflects on their friendship. Country music artist Cheryl Wright talks about owning one of Parton's old guitars and rewatches the video of support that Parton put out after Wright came out. 

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Abby Phillip talks to the panel about the White House's plan for new sanctions against Iran and its escalating tariff war with Canada. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, discusses. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently met Trump's son-in-law and close advisor, Jared Kushner, to discuss areas where the administration can work with Democrats. Pete Buttigieg makes a new appeal to Black voters in South Carolina. Plus, President Trump converts downtown DC into a racetrack.

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The Supreme Court says that President Trump can continue construction on his WH ballroom while it weighs an emergency appeal. Trump and Vance both hit the campaign trail as they try to rally the GOP ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. New letters shed light on the close relationship between Trump and his aide, Natalie Harp. Caroline Sunshine, who worked on the Trump campaign, weighs in. The U.S. Navy considers renaming an aircraft carrier after Trump instead of a Black WWII hero.

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A much-anticipated taped sit-down with President Trump and his former fixer-turned-foe, Michael Cohen. Maggie Haberman joins to discuss.  The U.S. national debt passes $40,000,000,000,000 for the first time. Florida's Democratic nominee for Senate, State Rep. Angie Nixon, joins to talk about her upset victory on Tuesday and the future of the campaign. 

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State Rep. Angie Nixon's upset victory over the establishment-backed candidate in Florida's Democratic Senate primary. Jason Carter, a former Georgia state senator and the grandson of President Jimmy Carter, weighs in on the DSA's influence within the Democratic Party and Sen. Jon Ossoff's political future. New questions arise about Sen. Darline Graham's candidacy after a significant debate flop. Plus, President Trump spends 32 minutes this morning showing off his new WH helipad, driveway, and lawn. 

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Senators Mark Kelly and Jon Ossoff team up on the campaign trail amid 2028 speculation and Ossoff's recent feud with the president. Voters head to the polls in key primaries from Florida to Alaska. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, discusses the possible release of files from Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell. Disney sues the FCC over what it says is a "retaliatory campaign" against ABC. FCC Chair Brendan Carr calls the suit "meritless."

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Dem. Senator and potential 2028 contender Jon Ossoff trades personal barbs with President Trump ahead of the midterms. Rahm Emanuel weighs in on how Ossoff fits into the field of potential 2028 contenders. Ret. Admiral James Stavridis discusses Trump's new overture to North Korea's Kim Jong Un and what could be next for the Iran war. The president calls those who oppose his WH ballroom "very disloyal to our country." Attorney General Todd Blanche refuses to pledge DOJ independence from the White House.

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When a Russian-born American citizen named Ilya Beloozerov is gunned down by the FBI in 2024, the authorities refuse to say why they’d killed him. CNN’s Isabelle Chapman embarks on a sprawling investigation that takes her from the Mississippi parking lot where he died to Washington, D.C. to unravel the mystery: Why did Ilya abruptly leave his family and his job and head for the border with laptops and cash? Why is there still no official explanation of his death? And maybe most importantly: Was Ilya a spy? 

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Pamela Brown talks to the Ret. Admiral James Stavridis about the president's latest comments about the Strait of Hormuz and the status of the USS Lincoln. Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to stalking charges in federal court and admits to shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. President Trump asks the Supreme Court to intervene in his bid to build a White House ballroom.

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New reporting on the deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and the sailor who went overboard earlier this month. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, talks about what he has heard as Democrats demand answers from Secretary Hegseth. DNC leaders are gathering in Texas for their summer meeting amid internal debates about the party's future.

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Establishment-backed David Crowley scores a surprise win against a democratic socialist in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary. Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan on winning her state’s senate primary. Plus, Attorney General Todd Blanche suggests that even without the Justice Department’s so-called “anti-weaponization” fund, there still could be ways for the Trump administration to give taxpayer money to people who claim they were unfairly targeted by the federal government.

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We are hours away from the first polls closing in key primary races across the country as votes are cast in South Carolina, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Vermont and Alabama.

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Moments ago Todd Blanche was sworn in as the nation’s new attorney general. Plus, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed calls for unity days after a contentious primary night that exposed divisions within the Democratic Party. 

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The new jobs numbers and what an online debate over burritos says about the GOP's midterm messaging. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy clears the way for Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination. The co-hosts of "Hacks On Tap," David Axelrod and Mike Murphy, discuss what's next for Democrats in Michigan and beyond as they attempt to reunify their base.

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