CNN Inside Politics

First: Republican candidates got busy bruising each other last night in a chaotic debate marked by insults, prepared one-liners and plenty of pettiness. But it offered little clarity about who, if anyone, can beat Donald Trump?  Plus: Today is day one of the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. Republicans promise a show and tell. Democrats ask, where's the evidence?  And: President Biden is in Ari...

First: New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez and his wife entered pleas of not guilty this morning to federal bribery charges. He's accused of using his influence to help Egypt in exchange for cash, gold bars and a luxury car.  Plus: Seven 2024 White House hopefuls take the stage tonight at Ronald Regan's presidential library in California in the second Republican debate. Notably absent - aga...

First: Joe Biden does something we've never seen before from any sitting US president by standing shoulder to shoulder with picketers in Detroit.  Plus: At least a dozen senators are now saying Bob Menendez should quit, including his fellow Democratic senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker.  And: The lineup for tomorrow's Republican presidential debate is set. Seven will clash in California.  To lea...

First: Bob Menendez vows to fight a federal bribery indictment, saying that, when all is said and done, he'll still be the senior senator from New Jersey.  Plus: Congress confronts a shrinking, six-day window to stop a government shutdown. But Donald Trump just made Kevin McCarty's job a whole lot harder.  And: In a picket line gamble, Joe Biden heads to Detroit to try and help bridge the big gap...

First: With only one week left to avoid a government shutdown, Congress continues to argue over a spending bill. House speaker Kevin McCarthy faces threats of removal as speaker if he compromises with Democrats. Next: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars and luxury gifts in bribes from multiple people. He was indicted Friday on corruption charges. Some Democ...

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First: The speaker suffers another humiliation on the House floor. Republicans can't agree to move forward on a defense bill and will remain nowhere close to solving a shutdown riddle. Plus: Life or death politics. Ukraine's president tries to convince a coalition to pay billions more in bullets, but Washington decides what will be felt. And: Media titan Rupert Murdoch steps down and says he will...

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First: The president uses the global stage to warn the rest of the world that failing to protect Ukraine means no nation is safe.  Plus: Consider the gauntlet thrown. The House speaker issues a challenge to Conservatives whose demands could lead to a shutdown.  And: A key narrative as told by a whistleblower center to the Hunter Biden investigation is refuted by others outside the room. To learn m...

First: The US and Iran have agreed on the release of 5 Iranian Americans which the Iranian government has imprisoned for several years. The Biden administration also announced new sanctions on Iran today. Next: Today is the fourth day of the UAW strike at the 3 largest US auto makers. Union representatives have met with company executives, but progress has been slow. Unifor workers at multiple Can...

First: Meet the Press interviewed Donald Trump this week. He discussed his recent indictments, saying he was not concerned by them. Trump also expressed a less anti-abortion stance than he had previously, in contrast to his evangelical Christian supporters and some other Republican presidential candidates. Next: Some Republicans are excited about the newly opened impeachment investigation into Pre...

First: Auto workers walk out on the big three. It may force Joe Biden to make a choice between the unions he says he loves and the economy that will help decide his reelection fate.  Plus: The president's Justice Department charges his son with crimes. Hunter Biden's attorneys respond by borrowing from the Trump political playbook.  And: Temper tantrums and big divides over how to pay the nation's...

First: A fired-up Kevin McCarthy dares Republican hardliners to actually do what they talked about doing for months and try to take his gavel.  Plus: The judge in charge of the Trump case makes a critical decision and says the former president's trial won't happen in October.  And: Detroit drives towards a strike. A walkout could trigger nationwide sticker shock and inch the economy closer to a re...

Today's show begins shortly after we learn that police finally captured Danelo Cavalcante, the convicted murderer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison. Brian Todd provides details on how it all went down, followed by an in-depth look at the incident that baffled police and terrorized residents for two weeks.  Also on today's show: Kevin McCarthy tries to explain why he made a unilateral decision...

First: Today, US House speaker Kevin McCarthy directed the house committee to open an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. Next: Kim Jung Un went on a diplomatic visit to meet with Vladimir Putin today, which may strengthen their alliance and dealings. Then: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) says that there is no evidence for any impeachable offense by President Biden. Later: Georgia District Attorney Fan...

First: America is replaying and reliving one of its darkest days. We honor the nearly 3,000 who paid the price on that September morning 22 years ago.  Plus: The president returns home from a dual-purpose foreign trip to advance his policies on the world stage and quiet voters' skepticism on his approach and ability to serve.  And: Kevin McCarthy runs the congressional hamster wheel, battling the...

First: US President Biden held a press conference today in Hanoi, Vietnam on strengthening the US-Vietnam relationship, saying he does not intend to isolate or harm China. Next: Republican presidential candidates have been canvasing in Iowa and North Dakota. Florida Governor Ron Desantis has been complaining about COVID19 prevention policies to attempt to gain more support in the Republican Presid...

The just-released Fulton County special grand jury report shows the Georgia citizens recommended prosecuting 39 people in the 2020 election subversion probe -- far more than the 19 DA Fani Willis ultimately decided to charge. Among those named but not indicted are Senator Lindsey Graham, former Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, and former Trump adviser Michael Flynn. Why did Willis not pro...

First: A new CNN poll reveals deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the direction the incumbent president is taking the country, and significant doubts he's up to the job again.  Plus: "Trump Employee #4" flips after the government promises to shield the Mar-a-Lago IT manager from prosecution.  And: Mike Pence warns that Republicans are headed for extinction but is anyone in the GOP listening? Chris Ch...

First: The cameras will be on in a Fulton County, Georgia court where Donald Trump will face accusations that he tried to steal the 2020 election.  Plus: An explanation from the Capitol Hill physician fails to quiet some GOP concerns about Mitch McConnell's health. Today he gets a chance to answer the hard questions head on.  And: The man who managed former President Obama's reelection tells Democ...

First: A brand-new CNN poll shows Donald Trump is still the overwhelming choice among Republican voters. We take a deep dive into the numbers and what they tell us about the 2024 race.  Plus: No stroke, no seizure disorder, no Parkinson's. So why did Mitch McConnell apparently freeze on-camera last week? Questions remain about whether he can continue to handle his duties.  And: Sources tell CNN th...

First: President Biden spends Labor Day in Philadelphia, hoping to convince the union rank and file he's still their man in Washington and deserves another turn in the White House.  Plus: The Republican primary is still Donald Trump's to lose. But are the four criminal indictments a sugar high, putting the former president in danger of a general election crash.  And: New reporting from CNN's Capit...

First: Florida governor Ron Desantis does not meet with President Biden after the category 4 Hurricane Idalia hits the southeastern United States. Next: Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's recent health issues raise speculation of if he will step down, and if so, who might his replacement be. Then: Former President Trump and several co-defendants plead not guilty in Georgia to char...

First: The "Trump 19" might actually break the internet after a judge says the trial of the millennium will be broadcast on YouTube to the entire world.  Plus: Ron DeSantis tries to sell his national leadership chops by shepherding his state through a brutal storm while his super PAC asks donors for $50 million  And: The Capitol physician clears Mitch McConnell to keep doing his job, but plenty in...

First: Donald Trump pleads not guilty to charges he led a criminal enterprise designed to steal the 2020 election in Georgia.  Plus: For at least the second time, Mitch McConnell freezes on camera and stops speaking in mid-sentence. New CNN reporting spotlights a behind the scenes frenzy to reassure Republicans that the leader is okay and can still do his job.  And: Clarence Thomas fesses up to wh...