CNN Political Briefing

CNN Political Briefing

Join CNN Political Director David Chalian as he guides you through our ever-changing political landscape. Every week, David and a guest take you inside the latest developments with insight and analysis from the key players in politics.

Episodes

September 5, 2025 19 mins
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 Techn...
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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 Da...
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August 22, 2025 20 mins
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 JamilTechnical Director: Dan Dzula   Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...
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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 JamilTechnical Director: Dan Dzula   Executi...
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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July 25, 2025 21 mins
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. Learn more about your ad choices....
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July 18, 2025 20 mins
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices....
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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. ...
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit po...
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