The Briefing with Jen Psaki

While Democratic candidate for Senate, Graham Platner, has incorporated a story of personal redemption as part of his campaign persona, new details are illustrating just how dark the life was from which he was redeemed. Chris Hayes follows his interview with Platner with a discussion of how compromising the latest revelations are for Platner's candidacy.  Donald Trump is ready to appoint his own c...

While it is not unusual for Donald Trump to appoint completely unqualified people to important jobs in his administration, his choice of Bill Pulte, a Mar-a-Lago suck-up who Trump had already gifted the position of director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be the new Director of National Intelligence is too far for many Republicans who are already dealing with the burden of association wi...

Senator Jon Ossoff, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, talks with Jen Psaki about the importance of his Senate race in Georgia to the Democrats' goal of retaking the majority, and shares his heated reaction to the news that Donald Trump is appointing Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Jim Messina, f...

Jen Psaki reviews the fresh string of legal failures Donald Trump has suffered, including a federal judge dropping the hammer on Trump's sketchy IRS "settlement" trick to give himself a $1.8 billion slush fund. Former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara joins to share legal insights. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam tells Jen Psaki about Pam Bondi's behind-closed-doors testimony about the Jeffrey Epstein files befo...

Jen Psaki shares reporting from Pro Publica that the White House played a direct role in helping a company in which Donald Trump Jr. is an investor.  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani talks with Jen Psaki on a range of issues from affordable housing to the New York Knicks and the World Cup, and directly addresses the threat by Donald Trump's Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that he pl...

Former Rep. Beto O'Rourk talks with Jen Psaki about why the political conditions in Texas may finally be right for Democrats to start flipping Senate seats. Donald Trump successfully lured the U.S. media into publishing headlines about another imminent peace deal with Iran over Memorial Day weekend, only for the deal to fall apart yet again and then days later the U.S. is firing more missiles desp...

As Texas Republicans follow Donald Trump's direction and give a primary victory to deeply flawed candidate, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Jim Messina, campaign manager for Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, and Chuck Rocha, former senior advisor to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, talk with Jen Psaki about how the Republican Party's inability to break away from unpopular Trump...

Donald Trump's avalanche of unpopular ideas and failures has Republican senators livid and turning against him. Even senators who have distinguished themselves as enthusiastic suck-ups to Trump are voicing concerns about Trump's slush fund and the hardships Trump's economy is imposing on the American people. Senator Richard Blumenthal joins to discuss. The $1,776,000,000 that Donald Trump wants to...

Jen Psaki points out that Republicans in Congress are increasingly losing their motivation to follow Donald Trump through his wildly unpopular vanity projects and destructive policies that are hurting Americans. On top of that are the number of lame duck legislators who ran afoul of Trump and lost primaries because of him and not have the rest of their term to exact payback as members of the "Yolo...

Jen Psaki reports on a wild day in Republican politics as Rep. Thomas Massie was defeated in an insanely expensive Kentucky primary by a Trump-backed challenger. Massie's advocacy for the release of the Epstein files put him at odds with Trump. Senator John Cornyn committed no act of defiance against Trump, and, in fact, debased himself in a desperate appeal for Trump's favor, only to be stabbed i...

Jen Psaki looks at the boasts and promises Donald Trump made on the campaign trail about how he would handle China and President Xi, and compares that to Trump's performance on an actual trip to China. Former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, and former Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr discuss Donald Trump's underwhelming performance in his meeting with China's Presient Xi. Rep. Jamie...

Jen Psaki shares new reporting from ABC News that Donald Trump is expected to settle his lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a $1.5 billion slush fund for people he feels were persecuted by the Biden administration. Former FBI Director James Comey talks with Jen Psaki about the state of the FBI in the second Trump administration, the effect of Kash Patel's leadership on morale and the resilien...

Jen Psaki looks at the political convenience of JD Vance's new anti-fraud talking points as he struggles to demonstrate some relevance while the rest of the Trump administration goes to China. But too much attention on fraud is a particularly awkward thing for Trump, who is trying to find a way to force the IRS to give him billions of taxpayer dollars, and while he his own son, Eric, with business...

Donald Trump's FBI directory, Kash Patel, testified before the Senator Appropriations Committee and faced more questions about reports of excessive drinking. Jen Psaki points out that despite Patel's umbridge in the face of questioning, before he became FBI director, he did not exactly keep his drinking a secret. Michael Feinberg, former FBI assistant special agent in charge, and award-winning jou...

The Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act followed closely by Virginia's supreme court rejecting their new redistricting has taken the wind out of Democratic sails, but the actual math and other political factors still favor Democrats re-taking the House in this year's elections. Dan Pfieffer, co-host of "Pod Save America," and Quentin Fulks, former Harris principal deputy campaign mana...

Jen Psaki shows members of the Trump administration failing desperately to address questions about the price of gas as polling shows an absolutely livid voting public. Former CIA director John Brennan talks with Jen Psaki about news reports on the war in Iran that contradict Donald Trump's boasts. Former Attorney General Eric Holder, chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, talks...

Jen Psaki reviews the shocking litany of political targeting by Donald Trump's Justice Department, from investigations and indictments to raids of political opponents led by disgraced FBI Director Kash Patel. Andrew Weissmann, former FBI general counsel, and Tim Weiner, author of "Enemies: A History of the FBI," discuss the level of disgrace Kash Patel has brought to the by-the-book FBI. Rep. Jami...

Pete Buttigieg, former secretary of transportation and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, talks with Jen Psaki about the burden of Donald Trump on Republican candidates, even in red states, and how politicians are recalibrating their approach to voters as Donald Trump loses both relevance and any popularity he once enjoyed. Dr. Amy Acton, Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio, talks with Jen...

Donald Trump's corruption and greed have reached a tipping point with the American public to become a campaign focus for many Democratic candidates. Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security advisor to President Obama, talks with Jen Psaki about the politics and also how Democrats can ensure justice is served as Trump's protective power slips. Donald Trump using his position in the White House t...

Jen Psaki looks at polling in key midterm Senate races that shows Democrats ahead, tied or within striking distance as Donald Trump's popularity continues to sag to new lows. Graham Platner, who essentially clinched the Democratic nomination for Senate from Maine when his opponent dropped out today, joins to discuss the grassroots energy behind his campaign and the significance of his race to even...

Jen Psaki explains the map at the center of the new Supreme Court ruling that is likely to weaken Black representation in Congress and talks with Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock about what the ruling's real world effects will likely be. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries talks with Jen Psaki about how Democrats plan to address Donald Trump's disasters. Jen Psaki shares highlights of Defense Secretary...

Jen Psaki shares part of King Charles' speech to Congress in which he explains the importance of checks and balances in a functioning democracy to the very people who have abdicated their responsibility to be a check on Donald Trump.  Senator Mark Kelly joins to discuss Donald Trump's misguided reaction to the security breach over the weekend, and also shares his thoughts on a report that JD Vance...

With a new Fox News poll showing that most American think Donald Trump does not have the mental soundness to serve effectively as president, Jen Psaki looks at the trouble Trump is having even staying awake, and his bad habit of making poor decisions based on the incorrect assumption that everyone will give him what he wants. White Donald Trump's Justice Department wages a bizarre political prosec...

Jen Psaki looks at the conflicts of interest behind the business deals Donald Trump's sons (and son-in-law) have made with companies that are making millions of dollars from government contracts and the demands of Trump's war on Iran. Rep. Jamie Raskin talks with Jen Psaki about holding Trump's family members accountable. Adm. John Kirby (ret.), former Pentagon press secretary, talks with Jen Psak...

As Donald Trump becomes ever more brazenly corrupt, finding ways to use his power over the federal government to enrich himself and his cronies, Americans are realizing the "checks and balances" they learned about in school are not happening because the Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress are doing everything in their power to make sure nothing gets in Trump's way. The result is that...