CNN Inside Politics

First: President Trump is desperate to move on from the Jeffrey Epstein saga engulfing his administration. But even his own party is helping to keep it front and center. We have breaking news on the House Republican push for answers.  Plus: The political firestorm in Texas is exploding across the country as Democrats declare war on the GOP push to deliver the president more seats in Congress ahead...

First: Texas Democrats have fled the state in a last-ditch effort to block a Republican gerrymander. But is this a strategy or a stunt?  Plus: The White House is trying to justify President Trump's decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because he did not like Friday's jobs report. But contrary to what they say, numbers don't lie.  And: We have brand new CNN reporting on far-r...

First: Popping off. An emboldened President Trump reshuffles the global economy. What's his next target? Plus: Democratic dreams. What's giving the party hope as it tries to retake power? And how far will they go to block a takeover in Texas? I go one on one with Senator Cory Booker who says his fellow lawmakers need to do more. And: Camp democracy. As Trump's cuts mount, fired federal workers bri...

First: A dismal jobs report delivers a gut punch to the White House as it tries to sell the president's new sweeping tariffs. We'll bring you the latest from Wall Street as the double whammy shakes investor confidence.  Plus: Will the real Democratic leader please stand up? Kamala Harris says she is not going back in the system, but does not name a single person leading her party. Is it a politica...

The US reaches a trade deal with Mexico, while dozens of other countries have just 12 hours left to reach an agreement with the Trump Administration or face steep tariff hikes. Will the president's gamble make the US rich, as he claims, or leave American consumers paying the price.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: Senate Democrats have a new strategy to keep the Jeffrey Epstein scandal front and center. But will a century-old law actually force the DOJ to release the files?  Plus: We're getting the first look at the Texas GOP's push to redraw the congressional map in their favor. How will this change the midterm math?  And: Wolf speaks with a 26-year-old hoping to unseat a 78-year-old Capitol Hill ve...

First: President Trump says he's headed back home to "put out fires all over the world." But will the seemingly never-ending Jeffrey Epstein scandal be the flame that defies all containment?  Plus: According to New York City's mayor, the gunman who opened fire in a busy Manhattan office building had a suicide note expressing grievances with the NFL. We get the latest New York Governor Kathy Hochul...

First: In the rough. As President Trump tees off overseas, he faces urgent questions about a major tariff deadline and deepening starvation in Gaza. Will he make any progress? Plus: No end in sight. As Trump tries to put miles between him and the Epstein saga, could a new tactic by his team backfire? A conservative congressman who's pushing for more information, Eric Burlison joins me live. And: S...

First: The number two at the DOJ, who just happens to be President Trump's former defense attorney, is behind closed doors with Jeffrey Epstein's convicted accomplice for the second day in a row. The president now refuses to rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell.  Plus: Democrats are trying to use the Epstein scandal as political ammunition, accusing Republicans of a coverup while running ads ta...

CNN has learned a crucial reason why President Trump has changed his tune on the Jeffrey Epstein case: He now knows his name is in the so-called Epstein Files. While that does not implicate him in any crime, it certainly raises questions of a coverup.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's show begins just after President Trump holds another impromptu press conference at the White House while meeting with the Philippine president, who's in Washington to negotiate a trade deal. Asked about the Justice Department's request to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, the sole living person convicted in the Jeffrey Epstein case, he replied, "That sounds appropriate," but then quickly shifte...

First: President Trump floods social media with dozens of posts about former President Obama, the Washington Commanders and even a head-spinning video of a woman tossing a snake. But can any of it redirect the spotlight from the Jeffrey Epstein saga?  Plus: A federal judge is hearing arguments in Harvard's effort to reverse the White House's decision to block more than $2 billion in federal fundin...

First: MAGA revolt. President Trump faces the fallout over Epstein. Will his latest moves satisfy his base? Or are they digging in for a fight? Plus: Six months in. Trump is taking action on his campaign promises. So why are Americans souring on his approach? We have brand new polling. And: Texas hold up. As Democrats accuse Texas Republicans of stealing seats to hold the House. CNN’s Manu Raju go...

First: We have new details from the Wall Street Journal on the friendship that once existed between President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Trump says the WSJ story isn't true and has asked the Justice Department to release new information about the Epstein case.  Plus: We have new details of potential 2028 presidential hopefuls making their way into some early primary states to make early impression...

First: The Epstein outrage cycle shows no signs of letting up after the Justice Department fired a top prosecutor in the case, who also happens to be the daughter near the top of the president's enemies list.  Plus: We have brand new CNN polling that shows Democrats can't wait to vote in next year's midterms. It's an enthusiasm advantage that could pay dividends for the party, except for another u...

Responding to a question about the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein controversy, President Trump claims Republicans "got duped by the Democrats" and attacks his own supporters for questioning AG Pam Bondi's assertion that there is no "client list" nor conspiracy surrounding Epstein's death.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: We bring you brand new CNN polling on the Jeffrey Epstein saga. Do Americans think their government is hiding something?  Plus: President Trump's plan to take apart the Department of Education gets a thumbs up from the Supreme Court. It means the department could be virtually eliminated without permission from Congress.  And: Democrats in Arizona will pick a candidate to replace a 77-year-o...

First: President Trump says there's nothing to see here on Jeffrey Epstein, but many in his base aren't buying it after he and some top officials spent years telling supporters that Epstein's death is at the center of a massive conspiracy.  Plus: The president says he's losing patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And this time he says he will back up those words with weapons.  And: Afte...

First: Crisis control. As President Trump nears six months in office, he threatens new tariffs and ramped-up ICE raids. But amid backlash to his bill and a MAGA world mutiny, can the president take back the narrative? And: Survivor. One year after he was shot, how has the assassination attempt shaped Trump? A new book has fresh details on that fateful day. Plus: Exclusive. As Trump hits the road t...

First: The president and the first lady are on their way to a state ravaged by flooding. They'll arrive to pressing questions about vacancies inside the National Weather service and about red tape slowing federal help.  Plus: A candidate's wife shakes up an important primary by dropping a bomb about filing for divorce. She did it on social media, citing biblical grounds.  And: It's a bird. It's a...

First: CNN has learned that the homeland security secretary waited a full 72 hours to sign off on a request for more first responders to the deadly Texas flooding.  Plus: A couple of days after President Trump publicly turned on Vladimir Putin, he threatens Brazil with massive tariffs if they don't stop a "witch hunt" targeting the country's former leader.  And: The authors of a new, revealing loo...

First: First responders are searching for at least 160 people still missing since Friday's flood. Meanwhile, we have new details about the real-time response to the disaster.  Plus: Russia unleashes on Ukraine after President Trump explained why he restarted weapons shipments to Kyiv.  And: Bill Nye "The Science Guy" is spending the day lobbying on the Hill, warning about funding cuts to NASA and...

First: The number of dead in Texas floods eclipses 100 families grappling with immeasurable loss. Could anything have been done to save their loved ones?  Plus: In a made-for-TV moment, President Trump is touted as a peacemaker while he defies his MAGA base by sending weapons to fuel a far-flung war.  And: While the calendar reads 2025, the California's governor's travels today send a message abou...

Politics is taking a back seat to the harrowing and devastating flooding disaster as the hope for a Texas miracle wanes. Rescue crews are trying to outrun the rain and find survivors clinging to life before floodwaters can descend on central Texas again. The death toll sits at 89, making it one of the most destructive floods in the United States in the past 100 years.  Learn more about your ad cho...

CNN’s Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny and CNN’s Boris Sanchez cover the devastating flash flooding in central Texas. Sanchez is on the ground in Hunt, Texas. Hear from Texas officials who provide an update on the deadly flooding. Plus, President Trump signs a Texas disaster declaration. And, the midterm elections are 16 months away, but President Trump's mega bill is already shapi...