The Briefing with Jen Psaki

A report from the non-profit watchdog group Public Citizen points out that while Donald Trump insists that donations are paying for his vanity project ballroom, those donors are being granted federal contracts totaling more than $50 billion.

Ruth Ben Ghiat, author of "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” and Timothy L. O'Brien, senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion, discuss Donald Trump's corruption and how his behavior is typical of authoritarians, from trying to put his name and face on everything to going to war against the free press.

The discovery of the screwworm parasite in cattle in Texas has raised alarm about the struggling U.S. cattle industry and the already high price of beef for American consumers. Ali Velshi explains the careful government precautions necessary to protect American livestock from the damaging screwworm, and how Donald Trump threw those precautions out the window. 

Rebecca Cooke, Democratic candidate for Congress from Wisconsin, talks with Ali Velshi about the hardships farmers have endured as a result of Donald Trump's policies and why his words on a visit with Wisconsin farmers rang hollow to anyone actually experiencing the fallout from Trump's tariffs, high fuel prices, cuts to local services and more.

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While Democratic candidate for Senate, Graham Platner, has incorporated a story of personal redemption as part of his campaign persona, new details are illustrating just how dark the life was from which he was redeemed. Chris Hayes follows his interview with Platner with a discussion of how compromising the latest revelations are for Platner's candidacy. 

Donald Trump is ready to appoint his own criminal defense attorney as Attorney General, and let slip that he wants the DOJ investigating his 2020 loss to Joe Biden. Senator Alex Padilla joins to discuss.

Former CIA director John Brennan discusses what's at stake with Donald Trump's choice of a sycophant with no intelligence experience to be the new director of national intelligence, and why someone who found a way to weaponize mortgage data against people Donald Trump doesn't like is a dangerous person to give access to America's intelligence products.

Donald Trump already had little room to spare in commanding the loyalty of the House majority, but as his popularity continues to sag and legislators become increasingly aware of the upcoming election and how upset their constituents are, more Republicans are willing to step out of line, including on Iran war power, Ukraine aid, and more sanctions against Russia (which Trump objects to for some reason). Rep. Gregory Meeks joins to discuss.

 

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While it is not unusual for Donald Trump to appoint completely unqualified people to important jobs in his administration, his choice of Bill Pulte, a Mar-a-Lago suck-up who Trump had already gifted the position of director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be the new Director of National Intelligence is too far for many Republicans who are already dealing with the burden of association with Trump's unpopularity. Senator Adam Schiff, a former member of the House Intelligence Committee, discusses with Jen Psaki.

Jen Psaki talks with Iowa State Rep. Josh Turek, now the Democratic candidate for Senate, about how Donald Trump's policies, from tariffs to the war with Iran have made the challenges Iowans deal with, particularly Iowa's farmers, more difficult, and how he addresses that in his campaign.

Scott MacFarlane, chief Washington correspondent for MeidasTouch, talks with Jen Psaki about the calamity taking place at CBS News as Trump loyalists eject journalists who resist their editorial influence.

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Senator Jon Ossoff, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, talks with Jen Psaki about the importance of his Senate race in Georgia to the Democrats' goal of retaking the majority, and shares his heated reaction to the news that Donald Trump is appointing Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Jim Messina, former campaign manager for President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, and Addisu Demissie,Democratic Party political strategist, talk with Jen Psaki about key themes in Tuesday night's primary elections in New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana and California.

Rob Sand, Iowa auditor of the state and Democratic candidate for governor, talks with Jen Psaki about the issues voters are telling him matter to them the most in this election.

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Jen Psaki reviews the fresh string of legal failures Donald Trump has suffered, including a federal judge dropping the hammer on Trump's sketchy IRS "settlement" trick to give himself a $1.8 billion slush fund. Former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara joins to share legal insights.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam tells Jen Psaki about Pam Bondi's behind-closed-doors testimony about the Jeffrey Epstein files before the House Overnight Committee, saying she repeatedly placed the burden of how the release of the Epstein files was handled on Donald Trump's former criminal defense lawyer and current acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Jen Psaki points out that despite lots of promises, Donald Trump is repeatedly failing to secure a deal with Iran, and the terms that are reportedly being considered include monetary concessions that are significantly more than Trump and his allies criticized former President Barack Obama for. Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security advisor to President Obama, and Admiral John Kirby (ret.), former NSC coordinator for strategic communications, join to add further insight.

And Jen surveys the mess Donald Trump has made of Washington, D.C.

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