There were fewer Republican presidential candidates on the debate stage this week. The front runner, former President Donald Trump, was noticeably absent, while Governor Asa Hutchinson failed to qualify. CNN Political Director David Chalian asks Hutchinson how he plans to regain ground in the race, what made him run for president, and how his former losses inform his current campaign. Plus, Hutchinson shares what life is like on the campaign trail and when he first met former President (and fellow Arkansan) Bill Clinton.
To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hutchinson Aggravated by his Debate Absence

Join CNN Political Director David Chalian as he guides you through our ever-changing political landscape. Every week, David and a guest take you inside the latest developments with insight and analysis from the key players in politics.

News

Politics

Daily News

This week a group of Donald Trump’s allies flocked to the Manhattan courthouse for the former president’s criminal hush money trial. It’s become a way for North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, and others to ‘audition’ for the role of vice president. Elaine Godfrey is covering this year’s ‘Veepstakes’ for the Atlantic. She joins CNN Political Director David Chalian to explain why she says Trump’s search is different this time around. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inside Trump’s ‘Veepstakes'

Mike Johnson evaded another threat to his position as leader of the House this week. On Wednesday, Georgia GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene made a motion to oust Speaker Johnson, after threatening to do so for several weeks. The House voted swiftly in favor of Johnson by a tally of 359 to 43, so Speaker Johnson will keep his job, for now. But how long will this last? And how might this impact the presidential election? On this special edition of CNN Political Briefing, CNN Anchor and Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju and Capitol Hill Reporter Melanie Zanona discuss the latest.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker Johnson Survives, Now What?

This week’s Pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University led to more than 100 arrests after students barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall. This happened in the exact same building where anti-war student protestors demonstrated 56 years ago to the day, according to Columbia’s student newspaper. Mark Naison, a Fordham University professor of history, was part of the 1968 protests. He joins CNN Political Director David Chalian to explain why he says this week’s protests feel like ‘déjà vu,’ and why he supports today’s demonstrations.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Columbia’s Protests, Then and Now

This week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in former president Donald Trump’s historic immunity case. Trump’s attorneys say he should be granted sweeping immunity in a federal election subversion case because he was acting “officially” as president. Now all eyes turn to how the court decides -- and whether or not this is sent back to lower courts for further adjudication -- with this November’s election potentially hanging in the balance. University of Michigan Law professor Leah Litman and CNN Political Director David Chalian break down the foundations of the case and talk about what’s at stake.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Private” vs “Official” Actions in Trump’s Historic Immunity Case

This week, the first of four expected criminal trials involving former President Donald Trump began in Manhattan. And for the first time in United States history, a former president is now a defendant in a criminal trial. CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen was in the courtroom. He joins CNN Political Director David Chalian to share his analysis of not only this case, but also this week’s Supreme Court oral arguments on the January 6 obstruction charges, which could have potential legal implications for Trump as well. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hutchinson Aggravated by his Debate Absence

Download our free app to listen on your phone