Podcast
CNN Political Briefing
Hosted by CNN Podcasts · EN
Join CNN Political Director David Chalian as he guided you through an ever-changing political landscape. David and a guest took you inside the latest developments with insight and analysis from the key players in politics.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
This GOP Congressman Says Speaker Johnson Has “Failed to Lead”
Dec 500:17:18Tap to summarizeKevin 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Is President Trump Losing Control of MAGA?
Nov 2100:25:38Tap to summarizeDonald 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Terry McAuliffe: Donald Trump is the Democrats’ Best Weapon
Nov 1400:27:26Tap to summarizeIn 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →How Zohran Mamdani Changed the Game in NYC
Nov 700:22:34Tap to summarizeOnce 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The Home Stretch: Elections in NYC, NJ, and VA
Oct 3100:25:19Tap to summarizeAs 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Curtis Sliwa Sees a Path to Becoming NYC’s Mayor
Oct 2400:20:48Tap to summarizeRunning 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →How Does This Shutdown End?
Oct 1700:24:24Tap to summarizeWith 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →An Extraordinary Moment in American Justice
Oct 1000:25:37Tap to summarizeThe 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The Republicans' Plan to Win the Shutdown
Oct 300:21:49Tap to summarizeWith 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The Democrats' Plan to Win the Shutdown
Sep 2600:19:20Tap to summarizeWith 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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