CNN Inside Politics

Is President Trump trying to take the 2026 midterms back to 1988? Stumping for Senate candidate Michael Whatley in North Carolina, Trump referred to Democrat Roy Cooper as a "pro-crime politician" who's "tried to bully you into silence while they turned your cities into blood-soaked killing fields, flooded your communities with migrant criminals, destroyed your schools with gangs and drugs, and filled your streets with lawlessness, filth and squalor. He mentioned crime at least 16 times during that speech. 

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President Trump is now going all in on the midterms with his cash and his time. He hits the trail tonight in North Carolina to campaign with GOP Senate candidate Michael Whatley in his race against former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. The visit underscores a crucial challenge for Whatley. He wants to tap into Trump's pull with the GOP base, but not alienate moderates and unaffiliated voters who could decide this incredibly important race. And Whatley is hardly alone in trying to thread the Trump endorsement needle. 

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FBI Director Kash Patel fielded questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee today, and the hearing veered into some very unexpected directions, with topics swinging from election lies and violent immigration operations to ... bestiality? Meanwhile, as the Patel was testifying, President Trump was lashing out at the Supreme Court after justices blocked his push to restrict mail-in ballots just seven weeks before the midterms. 

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On today's show we bring you brand new CNN reporting ranking the top nine Senate seats most likely to flip. But we begin with a harrowing Saturday night on the trail for the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, Tom Tiffany, who was flying home from a campaign event when his small, single-engine plane suddenly lost power, plunging the congressman and his pilot into a pitch black lake. 

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With just 51 days until Election Day, Inside Politics Sunday explores the GOP's ad blitz to secure their majorities. Dive into the strategy and potential impact.

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John King anchors our special coverage of the 25-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

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The Supreme Court may have just saved a Democratic House seat. After days of electoral chaos, the justices firmly rejected GOP efforts in Missouri to bring back a Republican-friendly congressional map that the state courts had blocked. Meanwhile, President Trump channeled his inner Oprah at the GOP's midterm convention last night by offering voters $5,000 each, but only if the Republicans win the House and Senate. 

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Brand new CNN polling from Michigan and Maine - two battleground states that could determine which party controls Congress - reveals that the Senate races in each are statistically tied. We consult the "magic wall" with all the numbers. 

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With just 56 days until the midterms, the economy, Iran war, and now a trade war with Canada are threatening the vulnerable Republicans. We are tracking the races, candidates and stories that could shift the balance of power. And we start today with New Hampshire, where there are competitive contests on both sides. 

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Labor Day traditionally marks the beginning of the general election campaign - the moment when non-political junkies start tuning in. This year, it's also the turning point for President Trump, who's ramping up his personal involvement in many races. But for many Republican candidates, that presents a challenge: Can they embrace the president to win his diehard base without turning off the majority of voters who are just plain tired of him? 

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