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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.
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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 Bloom
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig
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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 Producer: Steve Lickteig
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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, Sliwa tells David Chalian what he’s learned from a lifetime in New York and his two runs for mayor.
Producers: Dan Bloom & Sofía Sanchez
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig
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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
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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
Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig
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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
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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 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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Why don't you ask about Nikki's animosity against Kamala Harris?
Great first weekly episode. The interview was substantial and constructive. I would like to hear from Nikki Haley. Also, I want to hear from Democrats too.
I am a regular listener of your podcast. it's generally to the point. However, if you are going to start giving the last word to trump, maybe I should abstain from listening further.
Great program, well-done, thank you !
did not feel reassuring or comforting seeing the back end of things
editor had the day off?