CNN Political Briefing

It’s been a huge week for immigration politics with the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Tom Suozzi’s special election win, and the failure of a big border bill. What does it all mean, both for voters and for the presidential candidates? CNN White House reporter Priscilla Alvarez and CNN Political Director David Chalian untangle the meaning and impact of recent events on today’s episode of the podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

This week the Supreme Court heard a landmark case about whether former president and current Republican front-runner Donald Trump should be allowed on the ballot this year. The state of Colorado argued that his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection makes him ineligible, but Trump’s lawyers attempted to convince the court that one state cannot disqualify a presidential candidate under the 14th amendment to the Constitution...

It's hard to know who to trust in politics these days. Can we even trust ourselves? Artificial intelligence has already made its presence felt in this year’s election, from AI-generated ads to fake Biden robocalls, and it can be very hard to tell what’s real. Nicole Gill founded Accountable Tech four years ago to monitor AI’s increasing impact on politics. She talks to CNN Political Director David Chalian about the biggest threats it presents, and how lawmakers are responding in real time...

President Joe Biden has been the likely Democratic presidential nominee since he announced his decision to run for reelection. So why are Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and spiritual leader Marianne Williamson running against him? Has a challenger ever beaten an incumbent? Writer and political scientist Walter Shapiro joins CNN Political Director David Chalian to talk about historical similarities, and how quickly this election became a Trump vs. Biden rematch.  Learn more about your ad choices...

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is hoping for a big momentum boost in New Hampshire after placing third in Iowa. Former President Donald Trump is turning up the intensity of his attacks on Haley in hopes of countering the momentum she seeks...

What does it take to organize the Iowa caucuses? Could former president Donald Trump achieve a record-breaking win? Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann has been doing this for over a decade and knows to prepare for every possibility. He talks to CNN Political Director David Chalian about training thousands of volunteers for Monday’s big event and how there can be “no questioning of these results.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If election workers find their system has been hacked, what happens next? What does it mean to cure a ballot? And how will a crop of newcomers to the administration of elections handle this contentious election season? Jessica Huseman is editorial director of Votebeat and she’s here to discuss the efforts underway to protect the 2024 election and some of the new tools that will help this cycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What will it take to win the youth vote in 2024? John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, recently led a survey of voters between the ages of 18 and 29. He discovered that fewer of them are planning on voting this time than in the last election cycle. CNN Political Director David Chalian talks to him about other surprising finds, and how this year’s candidates might persuade young people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie isn’t sure if he’d be running for president if it weren’t for Donald Trump’s attempt to win back the White House. He says he is the only candidate who can beat Trump because he is the only candidate trying to do so. Christie joins CNN Political Director David Chalian to analyze the 2024 state of play and lay out his strategy for victory...

A recent New York Times focus group of 12 Democrats found voters were split on what the party stands for, and who their next leader should be. What is the value of this kind of data? And what do these results tell us about President Biden’s efforts to unify his party behind his reelection campaign? CNN Political Director David Chalian asks Margie Omero, a veteran pollster who moderated the focus group, for her take. Plus, she pulls back the curtain behind how focus groups work...