The Weekend

August 17, 2025; 8am: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have reinforcements in his high-stakes meeting with President Trump at the White House. European leaders plan to join Zelenskyy when he meets with President Trump. The announcement comes after Zelenskyy said he is skeptical about Russia's willingness to work toward peace but welcomes further conversations. It will be Zelenskyy's fi...

August 17, 2025; 7am: Saturday,  the Democratic National Committee organized hundreds of “Fight the Trump Takeover” protests in 43 states, according to the event website. Protesters took to the streets to oppose what they see as a sweeping power grab by Texas Republicans: a gerrymandering plan designed to lock in Republican control of the House of Representatives in the midterms. Protestors also t...

August 16, 2025; 9am: Attorney General Pam Bondi pulled back her order to strip authority from Washington, DC’s police chief. But that isn’t stopping President Trump, who’s continuing to exert his authority as hundreds of National Guard troops fan out across the city. Plus, the Trump administration warns more cities could be next. Former New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman and Washington, D.C. Shad...

August 16, 2025; 8am: Late on Friday, California Democrats released proposed maps that would likely flip five Republican-held seats, giving Democrats 48 of the state’s 52 districts, up from 43. It's a direct counter to Republican gains that Texas Republicans are proposing. State lawmakers will vote on the plan next week.  Additionally, Texas Democrats plan to return home after leaving the state in...

August 16, 2025; 7am: On Friday, President Trump hosted President Putin in Alaska to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine with the hopes of brokering a peace deal. However, the nearly three-hour meeting ended without a ceasefire or peace agreement. Now, just hours after the summit, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced his plans to travel to Washington on Monday. Richard Haass and Celeste Wallande...

August 10, 2025; 9am: Texas Republicans have unleashed a wave of legal action aimed at forcing Texas Democrats to return to the Lone Star State. A recent lawsuit accused Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke of bribing lawmakers to break quorum by raising money for their travel expenses and legal defense. A district judge temporarily sided with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, blocking O'Rourke from...

August 10, 2025; 7am: President Donald Trump has dispatched roughly 450 federal law enforcement officers from various agencies across Washington DC near high traffic areas. The move comes a week after a former DOGE staffer was attacked in an attempted carjacking. Despite the president's habit of trashing the city where he currently lives, violent crime is actually down 26% from last year when it w...

August 10, 2025; 8am: One week in, Texas Democratic lawmakers are standing strong despite growing legal threats after leaving the state in protest of the GOP redistricting effort. Texas State Representatives James Talarico and Jolanda Jones join “The Weekend” to discuss. For more, follow us on social media: Bluesky: @theweekendmsnbc.bsky.social Instagram: @theweekendmsnbc TikTok: @theweekendmsnbc...

August 9, 2025; 9am: Texas Democrats are facing a full-blown retaliation campaign after leaving the state to block the GOP's redistricting campaign. Governor Greg Abbott is asking the Texas Supreme Court to expel the House Democratic leader from office. Plus, Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit demanding that 13 House Democrats be declared vacant from their seats. One of those Democrat...

August 9, 2025; 8am: Pam Bondi’s promises from her confirmation hearing back in January have fallen by the wayside. NBC News has learned that the DOJ is now investigating one of Trump’s outspoken political rivals, New York Attorney General Letitia James. Plus, the DOJ continues its purge of those who have either been involved in a past investigation against Trump or who have not been willing to ta...

August 9, 2025; 7am: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected a proposal from President Donald Trump to discuss "swapping territory" with Russia after it was announced that President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week in Alaska to discuss the ongoing conflict between the two warring nations. There is also a dramatic escalation in another international confl...

As Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs go into effect, a federal appeals court is deciding whether a bulk of Trump’s tariffs are even legal. Neal Katyal joins The Weekend to discuss the legal challenge brought against the president's ability to set tariffs. The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host who has defended Trump for years, as U.S. attorney for Washington, DC. The...

Following a marathon 16-hour hearing, Texas Republicans have advanced the Trump-backed congressional map, which is expected to shift five Democratic House districts to Republican control. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a special election this November to adopt new congressional maps of his own. Texas State Representative Gina Hinojosa joins The Weekend to discuss the la...

Fox News host and one of President Trump’s close allies, Jeanine Pirro, was confirmed by the Senate Saturday night as U.S. Attorney for Washington, DC. Former Special Counsel and Special Assistant to President Obama, Norm Eisen, and Political Strategist Rina Shah join The Weekend to discuss how Pirro has been known for going after the Department of Justice and pushing baseless conspiracy theories....

President Donald Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics just hours after the release of a weaker-than-expected jobs report. Critics say the termination of Erika McEntarfer could undermine confidence in the U.S. economy. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis joins The Weekend to discuss the impact of the recent jobs report and the President's tariff wars.. There are lots of new developments in...

Texas Republicans, following President Trump's demands, unveiled a new congressional map this week that could hand the GOP five additional House seats, each drawn in areas Trump carried by double digits. Representative Lloyd Doggett and Texas State Representative Rafael Anchía join The Weekend to discuss what Democrats can do at the local and national level. Plus, a dive into the escalating tensio...

Just hours after a weak jobs report showed signs of a clear slowdown in the job market, President Trump did what he does best: fire the messenger. Senior Economics reporter for Axios, Courtenay Brown, and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota join The Weekend to discuss the president’s direction to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and his claim that the job numbers were “rigged...

President Trump’s DOJ continues to take unprecedented actions in handling the Jeffrey Epstein case. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, but little is known about what was discussed between the two. Former Attorney General Eric Holder joins The Weekend to share his thoughts on the two-day meeting. Plus, Holder weighs in on Republican-l...

President Trump unleashed a retribution campaign inside the Department of Justice on those involved in either investigating him or those who dealt with the January 6 cases. Former Senior Trial Counsel Mike Gordon was among the group who were terminated without warning in June. He joins The Weekend to share his story and discuss how he is now suing the Trump administration over the firing. Plus, Tr...

President Trump took a weekend trip to Scotland to promote his latest golf course, with taxpayers footing the bill. However, this trip was met with protestors showing opposition to the administration’s immigration policies, the war in Gaza, and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Eugene Robinson and Brendan Buck join The Weekend to discuss the optics of this trip as the country demands answers about Epst...

Deputy Attorney General and former defense attorney to Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, spent two days in Florida interviewing Epstein’s longtime accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. New reports say the DOJ granted Maxwell limited immunity during these meetings. Legal experts Andrew Weissmann and George Conway join The Weekend to dissect these rare actions. Then, Representative Maxwell Frost explains what De...

In this hour, Teresa Helm, a Jeffrey Epstein survivor, joins The Weekend to describe the anguish survivors are dealing with and why it is important to release the Epstein files. Plus, Texas State Representative James Talarico joins The Weekend to discuss his newfound popularity and how he’s getting Lone Star Democrats fired up for the next big election. Then, former Capitol police officer Michael...

President Donald Trump tries to deflect from the Jeffrey Epstein controversy amid calls for transparency. Former Congressman Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania and Republican strategist Annalyse Keller join The Weekend to discuss Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, meeting for two days with a top DOJ official and the DOJ's decision to offer her limited immunity. Plus, in an effort to distract America...

New reporting details the Justice Department’s plot to obtain voter rolls and election data from multiple states. These unprecedented steps are raising concerns among election officials ahead of the 2026 midterms. Colorado’s Attorney General Phil Weiser and Executive Director of the Colorado County Clerks Association Matt Crane join The Weekend to discuss. Plus, Gretchen Carlson talks about her fo...

All eyes are on Texas as the state’s legislature is set to convene for a special session that will likely be dominated by one agenda item: President Trump’s demand to redraw the state’s congressional maps. Former Texas congressman Colin Allred joins The Weekend to discuss the implications this could have on the midterms. And, as extreme flooding hits many parts of the nation, the Trump administrat...