As Kamala Harris pulls ahead of Donald Trump in polls, Jen Psaki breaks down the stark choice voters have between a candidate who wants to take the country forward and the former president who aims to turn back the clock. 65 days out from the presidential election, Molly Jong-Fast, Tim Miller, and Maria Teresa Kumar join Jen to discuss the state of the race. Next, Jen is joined by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, to break down JD Vance's latest bizarre...

As the Harris and Trump campaigns negotiate whether candidates will be muted during the upcoming presidential debate, Jen Psaki reflects on how the more people hear from Donald Trump, the less they like. Don Lemon joins Jen to discuss the state of the presidential race and his new book "I Once Was Lost: My Search for God in America". Next, Ian Sams, senior advisor for the Harris-Walz campaign, joins the show to discuss topics including Trump's push for muted mics at the debate, the influx of...

Jen Psaki outlines the stark contrast between the Republican and Democratic national conventions - and explains why the Democratic party's joyful vision is more representative of our country's majority view. Senator Cory Booker joins the show to reflect on the historic convention. Next, Jen is joined by New York Attorney General Letitia James to discuss the dire stakes of the upcoming election, as Trump continues to obfuscate his plans for a potential second term. Later, Dan Pfeiffer joins...

Jen Psaki breaks down how Kamala Harris is beating Donald Trump at his own game, as she heads into the biggest week of her campaign yet - with a bus tour across Pennsylvania and the Democratic National Convention. Senator Amy Klobuchar joins the show to discuss the Harris campaign's accomplishments in just under a month, the Democratic party's recent messaging shift, and more. Next, Jen offers a sneak preview of this week's convention, featuring conversations with some of the event's top...

Guest anchor Michael Steele breaks down state of the presidential race with Molly Jong-Fast and Matthew Dowd as Kamala Harris and Tim Walz draw energetic crowds while Donald Trump melts down. Plus, Jen Psaki's wide-ranging interview with House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi about the new Democratic ticket, her relationship with President Biden after his decision to withdraw from the race, and her new book "The Art of Power". Later, Michael fact-checks JD Vance's attacks on Tim Walz's military...

Jen Psaki breaks down the final steps for Kamala Harris before she announces a running mate. Jim Messina and Claire McCaskill join Jen to discuss what the inner-workings of Harris's high-stakes decision-making process looks like. Next, Jen outlines Trump's plans to rid the Republican party of everyone who isn't sufficiently obedient amid the announcement of a new group called "Republicans for Harris," which includes over two dozen former GOP elected officials. Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh...

Jen Psaki explains why Trump's increasingly unhinged behavior reveals that he is running scared as Kamala Harris continues to gain momentum with voters. James Carville and Rev. Al Sharpton join Jen to reflect on the state of the race, including Harris's veepstakes and Donald Trump backing out of a presidential debate that he already agreed to. Next, Jen fact-checks JD Vance and the GOP's pro-family agenda with a reminder for voters to "watch what they do, not what they say." Rep. Elissa...

Jen Psaki reflects on the shift in momentum in the presidential race as Democrats rally around Kamala Harris. Governor Tim Walz joins Jen to discuss the state of the race and why the simple messaging tactic labeling MAGA Republicans as "weird" is gaining so much traction with voters. Next, Senator Brian Schatz joins Jen to discuss JD Vance doubling down on his indefensible "childless cat lady" comments, highlighting the stark contrast between MAGA Republicans and Democrats. Later, Jen...

100 days out from the presidential election, Jen Psaki examines how Kamala Harris is meeting the moment with a forward-looking vision just one week into her campaign, while Donald Trump and Project 2025 are proposing to take the country backward. Pete Buttigieg joins Jen for a wide-ranging interview, discussing the evolution of the Democratic party's messaging, the veepstakes, JD Vance and how having kids has informed how he thinks about policy. Next, Jen breaks down JD Vance's deeply weird...

In a two-hour show that concludes with the breaking news of President Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 race, J en Psaki outlines the latest updates in the ever-changing campaign, explaining why Donald Trump winning in November is not inevitable. To discuss Biden's path forward amid growing calls from Democrats to drop out of the race, Jen is joined by Senator Gary Peters and Governor Jared Polis. And later, Biden-Harris Senior Campaign Adviser Keisha Lance Bottoms joins to discuss Republican...

Jen Psaki explains why defiance alone is not enough for President Biden to win in November, as he faces increasing pressure to assure voters that his debate performance was an anomaly. Senator Chris Murphy joins Jen to express his concerns, given the stakes for the November election. Next, Senator John Fetterman joins the show to explain why he remains a staunch supporter of Joe Biden in the face of his colleagues' growing critiques of the President. Later, Jen explains why Trump's greatest...

Jen Psaki breaks down the current state of play within the Democratic party, as President Joe Biden digs in against growing pressure to withdraw from the race. Jen is joined by political reporters Peter Baker and Mark Leibovich to discuss Biden's path forward and whether more lawmakers might call on him to drop out as they return to Capitol Hill this week. Next, Jen is joined by Quentin Fulks, Biden-Harris 2024 principal deputy campaign manager, to reflect on inner-circle conversations among...

Jen Psaki addresses President Biden's bad debate night and the resulting fallout amid the frenzied speculation on what comes next for the Democratic party. David Plouffe, former campaign manager for Barack Obama, joins Jen to discuss how Biden can save his campaign and win a second term. Next, Jen questions Molly Murphy, pollster to the Biden-Harris campaign, about what the internal data shows and possible silver linings for the Democratic ticket. Later, Jen explains how the Supreme Court has...

Guest host Alicia Menendez breaks down how prosecutors confronted one of Donald Trump's most dangerous lies in a hearing overseen by MAGA-sympathetic Judge, Aileen Cannon. Legal experts Kristy Greenberg, Mary McCord, and Katie Phang discuss the tensions that flared in court as Jack Smith's team tried to revise the terms of Trump's release. Next, Alicia previews the first presidential debate with political analysts Tim Miller and Claire McCaskill, including Biden's recent bump in the polls,...

Guest host Michael Steele examines how Justices on the Supreme Court, as well as Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon, have delayed Trump's federal trials indefinitely. Michael speaks to Andrew Weissmann and Lisa Rubin about how unusual their behavior has been, given the stakes for the election and the country. In preparation for the debate between President Joe Biden and Trump, Jennifer Palmieri and Molly Jong-Fast join to talk about how each is preparing and what hot button topics they may...

Jen Psaki outlines Donald Trump's Big Lie 2.0 as he revives his 'stop the steal' playbook ahead of the presidential election and signals he'll pardon supporters who commit crimes on his behalf. Rep. Adam Schiff joins the show to reflect on Trump's increasingly dark proposals and their implications for November, as well as Speaker Mike Johnson's allegiance to the former president. Next, Jen is joined by Quentin Fulks, Biden-Harris 2024 principal deputy campaign manager, to discuss the...

Jen Psaki breaks down how willingly the GOP enables Trump's worst instincts, including his plan to weaponize the legal system in a possible second term. In a wide-ranging interview, Senator Cory Booker talks to Jen about what we learned from Trump's first visit to Capitol Hill since January 6th, as well as the impact of his legal troubles, the need for SCOTUS ethics reform, and protecting IVF access. Next, Jen explains why President Joe Biden's decision not to pardon his son Hunter Biden...

Jen Psaki breaks down Justice Samuel Alito's latest scandal, involving partisan remarks secretly recorded by an undercover progressive activist. Civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill joins Jen to discuss Alito's "alarming" comments and why they call the Supreme Court's impartiality even further into question. Next, Jen is joined by legal analyst Kristy Greenberg to recap Trump's meeting with his probation officer ahead of his sentencing for conviction on 34 criminal counts. Later, Jen...

As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of the second season of the award-winning original series, “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra.” In the chart-topping second season, Rachel Maddow returns to uncover the shocking history of the ultra-right’s reach into American politics. Listen to the entire first episode now, and follow the show to get the whole series: https://link.chtbl.com/rmpust_fdlw. You can also subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every...

Jen Psaki outlines the starkly different visions of America that President Biden and Donald Trump hold - both at home and abroad. She is joined by Mitch Landrieu, Biden-Harris 2024 National Co-Chair, to discuss Trump's departure the values the country should expect from a president, as well as the upcoming debate and the Biden campaign's messaging strategy. Next, Jen is joined by legal expert Andrew Weissmann to discuss a dubious Facebook post that Trump claimed was grounds for a mistrial....

Jen dissects the partisan fallout in the aftermath of Donald Trump's refusal to accept the verdict of his New York "hush money" trial. Legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara debunks Trump’s claims of a “rigged” ruling. JB Pritzker discusses what Democrats should be focusing on now that Donald Trump’s guilty verdict is behind us. Jen addresses the hypocrisy of Trump's attempted courtship of Black voters. And finally, Amy Walter breaks down how “double haters” could decide this...

Jen Psaki breaks down the fallout following Donald Trump’s conviction all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in his New York “hush money” criminal case. Jen is joined by legal analysts Andrew Weissman and Neal Katyal to discuss the all-out MAGA assault on the rule of law after Trump’s guilty verdict. Michael Cohen’s attorney and former Assistant United States Attorney Danya Perry discus the significance of her client’s testimony in Donald Trump’s conviction. Former FBI Director...

On day 12 of the Donald Trump’s criminal trial, Judge Juan Merchan ruled that Trump violated his gag order for the tenth time, again citing a possibility of jail time for the former president. Jen also breaks down the new documents detailing the alleged scheme to reimburse the hush money used to silence a port star. Former US Attorney Preet Bharara discusses the extensive paper trail that has proven so useful to prosecutors. Jen also delves into how Trump was juggling his official...