CNN Political Briefing

Kevin Kiley is a California Republican who has a few notes for his party’s leadership in the House of Representatives. He also may have been drawn out of his job with the new district lines California voters passed last month at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s urging. Rep. Kiley joins David Chalian to explain the vibe shift underway in the Republican conference as it prepares for the 2026 midterm elections and a future beyond President Trump.

Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

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Donald Trump reversed course on the Epstein files to get right with his party in what proved to be a rare crack in the strong bond the president has with his MAGA base. In addition to the Epstein matter, President Trump has come in for some criticism from supporters over his messaging and focus (or lack thereof) on prices and affordability and his penchant for putting foreign affairs front and center. Jonathan Martin of POLITICO is here to assess whether this is the beginning of Trump's lame duck period and who, or what, comes next.

Producer: Dan...

In the wake of big electoral victories, Democrats are at odds over how and why they just ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Visiting the studio today is a man who has certainly navigated moments of intra-party tension. Terry McAuliffe was the 72nd Governor of Virginia, he led the Democratic National Committee from 2001-2005, and he was Chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. He’s here with an assessment of the Democrats’ shutdown strategy and a prescription for winning the 2026 midterms. 

Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Producer: Dan Dzula

Executive Produce...

Once a little-known state assemblyman, Zohran Mamdani catapulted himself to victory in New York City’s mayoral race, earning a prominent place in the national conversation to go with it. Errol Louis is the Political Anchor of Spectrum News NY1, and he’s here to tell David Chalian how Zohran Mamdani rewrote the political playbook in Gotham.

Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

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As election season 2025 enters its final stretch, candidates in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia sprint to the finish line. CNN Correspondents Jeff Zeleny and Eva McKend have been all over the trail, and they’re here to spill out their notebooks and tell David Chalian what they’ve learned during the campaign. 

Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

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Running to be mayor of New York City is a tall order for any Republican given Democratic voters outnumber Republican voters by six to one.  Curtis Sliwa is once again the GOP's standard bearer in America's largest city after losing to Eric Adams four years ago, but this time he is competing against a rising progressive star in the Democratic Party in Zohran Mamdani and the former governor Andrew Cuomo who left office in disgrace four years ago.  And he's doing so while facing enormous pressure to drop out of the race. As the campaign reaches its home stretch, Sli...

With the government shutdown in its third week, we call in Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California who hails from the progressive wing of his party. Rep. Khanna tells David Chalian what’s negotiable for Democrats, what’s off the table, and how he thinks this standoff will eventually come to an end.

Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

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The prosecution of former FBI director James Comey is an extraordinary chapter in the history of American justice. Former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig has a new book, When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ's Pursuit of the President, From Nixon to Trump, and he tells David Chalian how to place Comey’s case in a historical context.

Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical director: Dan Dzula

Executive producer: Steve Lickteig

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With a government shutdown now reality, the blame game between Republicans and Democrats is at a fever pitch.  Congressman Mike Lawler is from a battleground district and one of three Republicans in the House who represent a district won by Kamala Harris last year.  He tells David Chalian why he thinks Democrats have just committed a critical error in their shutdown calculus.

Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

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With Washington bracing for a government shutdown, Democrats and Republicans are already trying to pin the blame on each other. As Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA) is laser-focused on re-capturing the House in 2026. She tells David Chalian how Democrats can put themselves on a path to winning the majority. 

Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

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The 2025 campaign season is heating up, and the race for New Jersey governor could be the sleeper contest of the year. Democratic candidate Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill will face Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former assemblyman, in their first debate on Sunday. While Sherrill currently leads in polling, Ciattarelli hopes to stage another come-from-behind surprise with President Trump's backing. New Jersey Globe editor-in-chief David Wildstein gives David Chalian an insider's perspective on the race.

Producer: Paola Ortiz

Senior Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

...

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has shocked American politics. Michigan Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow is now running for U.S. Senate, and she joins us to explore her path forward in a competitive swing state and address the urgent question of how America can break the its pattern of political violence.

Producer: Sofía Sánchez

Senior Producer: Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

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After federal forces rolled through Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., Ilinois officials are taking President Trump’s threats to Chicago very seriously, none more so than Governor J.B. Pritzker. Eric Bradner is National Political Reporter for CNN and he’s here to discuss the political calculations behind Governor Pritzker's recent moves countering the president.

Producer: Kyra Dahring

Senior Producers: Faiz Jamil, Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula

Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig

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President Trump has spent much of August exerting his power and sparking challenges to its limits. He has upended the traditional independence of the Federal Reserve, launched investigations and searches on his political opponents, and threatened to expand his command of policing America's cities beyond the nation's capital. How should Democrats respond to this shifting political landscape in America? CNN Chief Political Analyst David Axelrod takes us inside the party's internal debates to produce an answer to that critical question.

Producer: Kyra Dahring

Senior Producers: Faiz Jamil, Dan Bloom

Technical Director: Dan Dzula <...

David Daley, author of Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count, breaks down the gerrymandering arms race sparked by the redistricting push in Texas—how we got here, what comes next and whether there’s a way to cool this war down.

This episode was Produced by Emily Williams.

Senior Producer: Faiz Jamil
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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Former national intelligence officer and Russia expert Angela Stent breaks down what President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin want out of their summit—and why it's about more than Ukraine. Plus, she shares why she’s unsure whether Trump will be able to parse Putin’s true intentions after the meeting. 

This episode was Produced by Emily Williams.

Senior Producer: Faiz Jamil
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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Texas state Rep. James Talarico, along with dozens of his Democratic colleagues, captured the nation’s attention this week when they fled their state to try to block a Republican gerrymandering effort. He shares why they walked out, what he thinks it can accomplish and how his faith informs his approach to politics.

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Dan Balz is something of a legend in Washington media. He retired this week from full-time reporting after 47 years at the Washington Post. He shares his insights on the first six months of this second Trump administration and gives some of his best advice for political reporters in an increasingly competitive, rapid-fire industry.

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Jeffrey Epstein talk took over Capitol Hill this week. And while President Donald Trump seems eager to change the subject, some of his closest allies in Congress are calling for answers. Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes and Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox discuss how this drama played out among House GOP members and why a summer break may not be enough to cool this issue down.

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President Donald Trump is facing serious backlash from the MAGA world over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. CNN senior correspondent Donie O’Sullivan explains why Epstein looms so large in the MAGA-verse—and why this controversy isn’t likely to die down soon.

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Investigative reporter Josh Dawsey is co-author of a new deep dive into last year’s historic election, 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America. He shares some of the most striking moments in the book — from Trump’s trip to the Fulton County Jail to take his mugshot to the buzzing scene at Mar-a-Lago days before his inauguration.

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Rahm Emanuel isn't shy about criticizing his own party. He also isn’t shy about his potential political ambitions. He’s made it clear he’s considering a potential 2028 presidential run. He shares how he’ll make that decision, what he brings to the growing field of potential candidates and why he thinks Dems shouldn’t talk about democracy without also talking about affordability.

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Zohran Mamdani pulled off a major political upset over Andrew Cuomo in this week’s New York mayoral primary. CNN senior reporter and New York City native Edward-Isaac Dovere explains how Mamdani was able to secure the victory and what Democrats more broadly can learn from his surprise success.

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The killings and attempted killings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses are raising alarms about an apparent uptick in political violence in America. Robert Pape, the director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, has studied political violence for 30 years, and he argues the country is in the midst of what he calls an “era of violent populism.”

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Tensions over President Trump’s immigration enforcement reached a boiling point this week. CNN correspondent Priscilla Alvarez explains how Los Angeles became a political flashpoint and why the administration’s move to call in the National Guard and the Marines to respond to anti-ICE protests there was a long time in the making—and could be a playbook repeated in other cities.

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From China talks to “TACO,” CNN’s Chief Domestic Correspondent Phil Mattingly helps navigate the latest twists and turns of President Trump’s tariffs and explains why we may be in the “eye of the hurricane” of this trade war.

Have a question or a guest you'd like to hear from? Let us know. Email us at CNNPoliticalBriefing@Gmail.com or give us a call at (202) 430-5460.

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The ongoing feud between President Trump and Harvard University is heating up as the White House attempts to ban the university from enrolling international students. Harvard President Emeritus Larry Summers shares his insights on the clash and explains why the White House’s actions could hinder efforts to reform Harvard’s flaws.

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The House GOP delivered President Trump a major win this week by passing his so-called “big, beautiful bill.” CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox breaks down what happened behind the scenes in the hours before it was passed, how Speaker Mike Johnson swayed the holdouts and the biggest questions surrounding the bill as it makes its way to the Senate.

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President Trump completed a whirlwind tour of the Middle East this week, making deals—and multiple headlines—along the way. Axios reporter, Middle East expert and CNN political and global affairs analyst Barak Ravid breaks down the major moments from the week, from a historic handshake between Trump and the Syrian president to Qatar’s unusual gift of a luxury jet.

Have a question or a guest you'd like to hear from? Let us know. Email us at CNNPoliticalBriefing@Gmail.com or give us a call at (202) 430-5460.

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Getting President Trump's so-called “big, beautiful bill” past the finish line could be an ugly process for Congressional Republicans. CNN Anchor and Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju breaks down what’s going into this sweeping bill and explains why some GOP members can’t seem to agree on key parts of the legislation.

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Conspiracy theories are not new. They’re as old as time itself. But if you feel like they’re everywhere right now, you’re not alone. So, what do you do when somebody you love has fallen down a rabbit hole? CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan has been covering the world of misinformation for more than a decade, but now he's less interested in what people believe than why they believe it. So, he’s trying to find out.

Listen to Persuadable here.

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How can politicians reach Americans who have tuned out politics? That’s something Rob Flaherty, a former deputy campaign manager for Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential run, argues Republicans have been doing successfully while Democrats have failed. He explains why he thinks Dems became the “party of the system” and why that’s kept them from reaching voters who believe the system is broken.

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Next week marks 100 days since President Trump was sworn in for his second term. CNN’s Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins and Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny share their behind-the-scenes insights from the last few months and explain why attitudes at the White House have recently shifted.

Have a question or a guest you'd like to hear from? Let us know. Email us at CNNPoliticalBriefing@Gmail.com or give us a call at (202) 430-5460.

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Judicial showdowns over a pair of major deportation-related cases have ratcheted up tensions between Trump and the courts this week. University of Michigan law professor, author and podcast host Leah Litman weighs in on whether these and other clashes between Trump and the judiciary have pushed the country into a constitutional crisis.

Have a question or a guest you'd like to hear from? Let us know. Email us at CNNPoliticalBriefing@Gmail.com or give us a call at (202) 430-5460.

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President Trump’s 90-day pause on most new tariffs triggered a market rally, but economic uncertainty persists as existing tariffs are still in place and a trade war with China intensifies. Trade economist and historian Doug Irwin knows how tariffs have affected Americans and American companies in the past. So, what can that tell us about what could happen to the US economy next?

Have a question or a guest you'd like to hear from? Let us know. Email us at CNNPoliticalBriefing@Gmail.com or give us a call at (202) 430-5460.

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Democrats celebrated a victory in a Wisconsin state supreme court race while Republicans secured two wins in special elections in Florida this week. The races were a window into how voters are feeling a few months into Trump's second term. Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler explains why his state saw a surge in voter turnout, while Florida Republican Party Chair Ben Power shares his take on GOP margins shrinking since November.

Have a question or a guest you'd like to hear from? Let us know. Email us at CNNPoliticalBriefing@Gmail.com or give us...

The Trump administration is still under fire after plans for a military strike on Yemen were leaked via a group chat that mistakenly included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Olivia Troye was a former national security official during the first Trump administration. She shares her take on the potential dangers of what happened here.

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The Democratic Party's approval rating has dropped to a record low. So, why is the party so unpopular right now? And what can Democrats do to revive their reputation? Howard Dean is a former chair of the DNC, a onetime presidential candidate and the former governor of Vermont. He argues the Democrats’ brand right now is “what the Republicans say it is.” And he shares some ideas for reclaiming his party’s brand.

Have a question or a guest you'd like to hear from? Let us know. Email us at CNNPoliticalBriefing@Gmail.com or give us a...

Elon Musk is new to Washington, but what can we learn about his tactics at DOGE from how he’s run his companies? Kate Conger, co-author of the book “Character Limit,” an account of Musk’s takeover of Twitter, says Musk has been pulling from the same playbook since taking on his role in the Trump administration. Plus, she explains Musk’s affinity for recreating memes in real life.

Have a question or a guest you'd like to hear from? Let us know. Email us at CNNPoliticalBriefing@Gmail.com or give us a call at (202) 430...

It was tariff whiplash in North America this week when President Trump imposed new tariffs on Mexico and Canada, only to announce a one-month reprieve a couple days later. What’s the end goal for Trump’s tariff strategy? And how is the US economy doing so far under Trump 2.0? CNN global economic analyst Rana Foroohar shares what she thinks is the biggest takeaway from the tariff drama and explains why the US economy could be due for a slowdown.

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