CNN Politics

The presidents of the US and the UK met in Washington today. A lot was on the line. We discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: Millions of federal employees are in limbo today. They don't know whether to listen to their supervisor, their government HR department, or Elon Musk. And their jobs may be on the line.  Plus: Musk's Starlink system is scoring a major new contract with the FAA while directing cuts at that very agency. Remember, this is the same person who promised to avoid any conflicts of interest  And: We...

First: "What did you do at work last week?" The seemingly almighty, albeit unelected Elon Musk says millions of federal employees have just hours left to answer that question or lose their jobs. But even some of the most MAGA cabinet members are telling Musk to back off.  Plus: Ukraine marks a grim milestone as Donald Trump seems to side with the man responsible for brutally invading a sovereign d...

On CNN’s State of the Union, Jake Tapper speaks with President Trump’s point person leading negotiations to end the wars in the Mideast and Ukraine, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff says he’s optimistic that negotiations over phase two of the Gaza ceasefire will move forward. Jake also presses him over Trump’s attacks on Ukrainian President Zelensky and Witkoff’s suggestion that Russia’s invas...

First: Under fire. Trump orders a Pentagon purge and directs Elon Musk to get more aggressive as his cuts spark blowback. Then: Trump's calling himself a king. But is he bleeding support? Plus: Sea change. Trump pivots to Putin as Ukraine scrambles. And: Making his mark. Does the V.P. have eyes on 2028? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Turmoil hit the Justice Department last week when prosecutors were directed to dismiss the corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. The move sparked a flurry of resignations and accusations of a quid pro quo between Adams and the Trump administration. CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig joins Washington Bureau Chief and Political Director David Chalian to explain this shakeup at the DOJ...

First: Some Republicans are getting an earful from their constituents as thousands of federal workers are laid of all over the country. There are signs the White House may be rethinking some of its planned cuts.  Plus: Members of the Trump Administration are telling America's European allies that the official US stance on the war in Ukraine is to not blame it on "Russian aggression."  And: We expl...

First: It's been one month since Donald Trump's inauguration, and since then we've seen a firehose of executive orders and mass firings, not to mention what could be the start of a reordering of global alliances. We have a brand new CNN poll of what voters think so far.  Plus: Mitch McConnell, one of the Senate's most historic figures, says he will not run for reelection.  And: Israeli President I...

First: President Trump ramps up his criticism of his Ukrainian counterpart, falsely blaming Volodymyr Zelensky for starting the war, one in which Russia invaded his country three years ago.  Plus: Trump and Elon Musk sit down for a fawning interview on Fox. What did we learn from that lovefest  And: Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove is in New York today to ask a court to let him drop corruption ch...

First: Details about the just-concluded, high-level talks between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterparts. Can they end the war against Ukraine without giving Vladimir Putin everything he wants? Plus: We are standing by for a news conference in Toronto about yesterday's plane crash where a jet flipped over. Will President Trump and Elon Musk think twice about the cuts they'v...

First: The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to weigh in on the president's efforts to expand executive power in unprecedented ways, as he takes new steps to dismantle key parts of the government he now runs.  Plus: What do voters who flipped from Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024 think of the president's first weeks in office? Hear the results of a fascinating focus group.    And: A defia...

First: President Trump and top administration officials are blaming the war in Ukraine on Joe Biden and NATO, rather than the country that actually launched an unprovoked invasion of its neighbor. It's causing fear across the western world that the US is on the brink of abandoning Ukraine.   Plus: We're following the breaking news on the upheaval at the Department of Justice and the mind-boggling...

With President Trump back in office, Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) has been thinking a lot about how his party can better meet Americans in this populist moment. He joins CNN Washington Bureau Chief and Political Director David Chalian to discuss where he thinks Democrats have missed the mark with their messaging and how the party can recast the “heroes” and “villains” in America’s story. Plus, what resona...

First: The president and his billionaire benefactor are barreling ahead with their plan to slash the federal workforce, which could include eliminating entire agencies.  Plus: The Senate just confirmed RFK Jr. as secretary of health and human services. It's a tough pill to swallow for many Democrats, but not those who want to overhaul America's food and pharmaceutical industries.  And: We bring yo...

First: The Senate confirms Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence, which begs the question: What happened to those Republicans concerned about her lack of experience and apparent support of US adversaries?  Plus: An official tells CNN that Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone this morning, just hours after an American teacher was released from a Russian prison.  And: Candidate T...

First: As the show begins, Donald Trump is about to meet inside the Oval Office with the King of Jordan, trying to convince that key US ally to open up his country to a massive influx of Palestinian refugees - who, by the way, don't want to go anywhere.  Plus: The president publicly dares to defy the co-equal judicial branch of government as multiple federal judges push pause on his plans to disma...

First: We're tracking a key court hearing this afternoon that could determine the fate of the Trump-Musk plan to take a sledgehammer to the federal workforce. But does the trump administration even care what judges say?  Plus: President Trump is teasing new steep tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports as a majority of voters in a new poll say they approve of the president, but also say he's not...

On CNN’s State of the Union, Dana Bash sits down with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to discuss her recent trip to Guantanamo Bay. Dana presses Noem for specifics on Trump’s plan to house tens of thousands of migrants at Guantanamo, as well as questions over his legal authority to do so. Dana also challenges Noem over Elon Musk accessing American’s personal data, including at DHS. Then, S...

First: Trump takeover. The president takes a sledgehammer to the government. Now, judges are saying not so fast. The news overnight, and what's next. My panel weighs in. Plus, my new reporting and how Democrats are responding. And: The Elon effect. I'll talk to a close ally of musk about his next steps. But is it all legal? House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan live. Plus: It's Super Bowl Sunday and...

First: As Donald Trump hosts the second foreign leader to visit him this week, the world carefully watches his frenetic moves that could have serious implications far beyond the US.  Plus: The Trump Administration is smacked with a tidal wave of lawsuits. But can the scales of justice keep up with the onslaught of actions from the White House.  And: Hollywood and Broadway star Josh Gad joins us fo...

Time is ticking for congressional Republicans to get the ball rolling on President Trump’s big legislative agenda. But, so far, House and Senate Republicans can’t seem to agree on a strategy. CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent and Inside Politics Sunday anchor Manu Raju joins Washington Bureau Chief and Political Director David Chalian to preview the path forward for GOP legislators. Plus, ar...

First: New reporting on how Elon Musk and his allies are inserting themselves into what seems like every facet of the US government.  Plus: House Republican leaders meet with the president to hash out their plan to cut taxes and spend more money at the border.  And: Why is Clarence Thomas swearing in so many Trump cabinet officials?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adcho...

First: We're tracking the world's stunned reaction after President Trump announced his new idea to seize the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, relocate more than two million Palestinians, and turn the area into "the Riviera of the Middle East."  Plus: Democrats say they're ready to fight back against Donald Trump's and Elon Musk's efforts to dismantle the federal government. But is anyone in the party prepa...

Today's show begins just after the conclusion of a speech by Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, a medical doctor, explaining why he cast the deciding vote in favor of advancing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the country's next Secretary of Health & Human Services.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This morning, the President Trump agreed to delay a 25% tariff on Mexico and that country's President Claudia Sheinbaum said they would harden its border with the US. But major new tariffs on Canada and China are still set to go into effect in just 12 hours.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices