The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Latest Episodes:

Trump meme coin hype sputters as his public approval tanks Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki explains that Donald Trump is hosting another dinner in support of his cryptocurrency meme coin, ignoring the fact that his own followers took massive losses investing in the coin, with many openly disparaging him for it.

Rep. Jamie Raskin joins to discuss the myriad ways the Trump administration operates outside of ethical and even legal bounds, and the investigations Democrats are likely to open if they win control of the House.

Jen Psaki shares highlights from a new interview Donald Trump gave to Time magazine that shows someone woefully out of touch, misguided on the facts, and tone deaf about his political situation.
Jim Acosta, former White House correspondent for CNN, joins to discuss Donald Trump's resentment of a news media that won't adore him.

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'Clown' Hegseth makes a fool of himself with fixation on superficial priorities Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

September 30, 2026 - Despite the increasingly dangerous global security environment, made even more dangerous by Donald Trump's inexplicable war on Iran and Pete Hegseth's mismanagement of it, Hegseth has devoted his attention to prioritizing a cartoonish image of what it means to be an American servicemember. Michael Steele discusses with veterans Rep. Pat Ryan and Rep. Chris Deluzio.

Former congressman and ambassador, Rahm Emanuel, joins to discuss the steady implosion of Ken Paxton's Senate campaign in Texas and the responsibility Donald Trup bears for for putting Republicans at a disadvantage in Texas for the first time in a very long time.

Senator Eric Schmitt was warned that the text message he planned to use as a perjury trap for special counsel Jack Smith had not been vetted, but Schmitt was so convinced of his own conspiracy theory about the criminal investigations of Donald Trump that he ignored the warning and ran headlong into humiliating himself in the national spotlight. Capitol Hill reporter Mychael Schnell joins to explain MS NOW's exclusvie reporting and former Senator Claire McCaskill provides her analysis.

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Smug GOP senator faceplants with humiliating 'gotcha' failure Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki shares the events at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee in which Republican Senator Eric Schmitt thought he had caught former special counsel Jack Smith in a perjury gotcha only to be called out for his spectacular failure by Senator Amy Klobuchar who pointed out that Schmitt's blind spot for women's sports led him into what Psaki describes as a "slow-moving self-implosion" leaving Smith unscathed and unflapped.

Senator Amy Klobuchar joins Jen to talk about destroying Senator Eric Schmitt's big "gotcha" moment with a simple fact check.

Senator Cory Booker joins to discuss the issues facing the Senate and the U.S. government broadly.

Rep. Jim Himes, likely chair of the House Intelligence Committee if the Democrats take control of the House with the upcoming midterm elections, talks with Jen Psaki about how Democrats intend to investigate Trump administration corruption like pay-to-play deals if they are able to take control of the House with the coming midterm elections.

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Trump's hypocrisy compounds his humiliation in sucking up to China's President Xi Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

September 25, 2026 - Jen Psaki holds Donald Trump's boasts about helping Republican candidates on the campaign trail up against the reality that he is being sent to safely Republican districts where he not only won't face pushback from angry American voters, but he won't cause any damage with his politically toxic poll numbers.

Pastor Adam Hamilton, Democratic candidate for Senate from Kansas talks with Jen about why his blue campaign is performing so well in such a red state.

Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket talks with Jen about whether and how much to worry about Donald Trump's efforts to purge voter rolls.

Jen Psaki unearths past video of Donald Trump decrying state dinners, especially with China, and contrasts them with Donald Trump's literal red carpet treatment of China's President Xi, embarrassing himself and the United States with his fawning admiration. Former U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan joins to discuss.

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Psaki: Trump admiration for dictators seen in his attacks on media Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

September 24, 2026 - As Donald Trump ban on members of the media whose coverage he doesn't like continues to play out in court, Jen Psaki points out that the media model Trump seems to most want to emulate is that of the dictators he admires.

Peter Alexander, chief national reporter for MS NOW, and Jim Acosta, former chief White House correspondent for CNN, discuss the importance of news organizations staying united in the face of Donald Trump's attacks.

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirscher talks with Jen about the legal principles behind Donald Trump's failure to defend banning certain members of the media from the White House.

Rob Flaherty and Jesse Lehrich, co-hosts of the "Nobody Knows Anything" show, talk with Jen Psaki about the desperation among Republican legislators up for reelection this November trying to distance themselves from Donald Trump as Trump continues to double down on some of his most unpopular positions.

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How we know Donald Trump is freaking out about his disastrous poll numbers Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

September 23, 2026 - Jen Psaki points out that the last time Donald Trump lost his cool and tried to ban a member of the news media from the White House he had just been clobbered by a blue wave midterm and his political power was at a nadir. Polling shows him to be even worse off now than he was then. Jim Acosta, former chief White House correspondent for CNN who successfully challenged being banned from the White House in Trump's first term, joins to discuss why Trump's bad news makes him angry at the news media.

Jen Psaki explains that despite the importance of the visit to the United States by China's President Xi, the fuss Trump made to greet Xi was not covered by the TV press pool because of Donald Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Jay Carney, former White House press secretary, joins to discuss.

Rep. Jamie Raskin joins Jen in the studio to talk about the many ways Donald Trump violates the U.S. constitution, from tearing apart the White House to attempting to interfere in states' elections.

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Psaki lays waste to bogus GOP talking points on press freedom Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

While Donald Trump banning news organizations from the White House because he doesn't like their coverage is objectively inexcusable in the United States of America, Republicans are nonetheless trying their hardest to make excuses for Trump. Jen Psaki dismantles them with facts and context.

Jen Psaki shows the many Republican candidates campaigning for the coming midterm elections with a suspiciously similar message about the need for Donald Trump's disastrous Iran war to come to a quick end. But Psaki also points out that many of these Republicans failed to vote for war powers resolutions that would have forced Trump's hand in bringing the war to an end.

Jen Psaki shares new video of former President Barack Obama advocating for more people younger than himself to be elected to office and criticizing "old men" who won't make way for a new generation of leaders. Maryland Governor Wes Moore joins to discuss the importance of a younger generation serving in government at a time when new technology is changing Americans' lives at an alarming rate.

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Psaki: Trump can't hide by attacking the free press Sep 19, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki reviews the history of American presidents clashing with members of the press but still respecting their First Amendment role, and reports on Donald Trump's declaration that he is banning MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House. Trump previously lost a legal challenge to banning a member of the press, and Psaki notes that Trump's war on the free press hasn't prevented the press from continuing to cover him and his administration.

Terry Moran and Eugene Daniels join to discuss the relationship between presidents and the press, and Donald Trump's thin skin and petty nature.

Kerry Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy's niece, talks with Jen Psaki about Donald Trump's threat to destroy the Kennedy Center, a memorial to her uncle, if Trump is not allowed to also put his own name on it, and points out the contrast between JFK's vision of service to one's country versus Donald Trump's corruption and self-dealing.

Texas State Rep. Jon Rosenthal talks about the unexpcted support he is receiving from Republicans after his opponent revealed himself to be too racist even for very the low bar Republicans set.

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Alarming new disclosures highlight dangers of A.I. as Trump turns his back on regulation Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki looks at Republican candidates who have purged their campaign materials of mentions of Donald Trump or have avoided events with Trump or Trump officials. Some candidates are even speaking out in defiance of Trump despite having previously been supportive. But Trump is too unpopular now to admit that support.

Even as Republicans insist that technology companies can police themselves to ensure the public is safe from overstepping artificial intelligence and Donald Trump assures Americans that his firm hand is all that is necessary, the artificial intelligence industry continues to make alarming disclosures about the dangerous capabilities of A.I. and its occasional tendency to do something it supposedly shouldn't be able to do. Ronan Farrow, investigative reporter for the New Yorker, joins to discuss.

Rep. Joyce Beatty talks with Jen Psaki about her fight to defend the Kennedy Center from Donald Trump's spitefulness.

Sherrod Brown joins to discuss his campaign to retake his old Senate seat for Ohio.

And Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, former U.S. Election Assistance commissioners, talk with Jen about protecting the right to vote and also the practice of voting, and emphasize checking to make sure your registration is up to date.

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Fear of HEGSETH IMPEACHMENT sends Congress to early vacation Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki explains how articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth, filed by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, put House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans in an awkward position so he ended the session a day early to avoid having to deal with it. This comes as new reports show that the Trump administration is not being forthcoming about the damage Iran is inflicting on U.S. assets. Senator Mark Kelly joins to share his views on the matter.

The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been working hard to make that no longer the case. Jen Psaki traces Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccine activism through his time as Donald Trump's Health and Human Services secretary overseeing a surge in preventable measles cases including several deaths. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, whose state has been hit particularly hard by the measles outbreak, joins to discuss.

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