The Briefing with Jen Psaki - podcast cover

The Briefing with Jen Psaki

MS NOW, Jen Psakiwww.ms.now
Jen Psaki tackles the biggest issues of the week and features one-on-one interviews with newsmakers.
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Episodes

Psaki: Trump continues to trample American values with raid on reporter's home

With Donald Trump already doubling down on the trauma and terror he is inflicting on the Minneapolis community with his federal ICE police force, he took a step further away from American values and the First Amendment with a F.B.I. raid on the home of a journalist, ostensibly to search for evidence in the prosecution of a suspected leaker of federal secrets. Jen Psaki reacts. Senator Elissa Slotkin organized a video of elected officials with military backgrounds reminding serving members of the...

Jan 15, 202645 minEp. 202601149

No one is buying Trump's ICE shooting narrative and videos of ICE abuses are making it worse

Jen Psaki reports on new polling that shows Americans are very aware of the deadly ICE shooting of a Minnesota mom and are not buying into Donald Trump's tactic of trying to blame the victim of the shooting. At the same time, Trump's DOJ deciding not to investigate has triggered a rash of resignations, and a non-stop flow of videos of ICE agents brutalizing residents of Minneapolis, including Americans, is further souring public opinion on the job Trump has ICE doing. Assistant attorney general ...

Jan 14, 202642 minEp. 202601139

VIDEO ANALYSIS: Jen Psaki breaks down multiple video angles of ICE killing Minneapolis mom

Just two days after the deadly ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, several videos, shot from different perspectives have been released to the public, including video taken by the shooter, which many on the political right claim supports the argument that the ICE agent was defending himself when he shot and killed Good in her car. Jen Psaki synchronizes several videos for a closer analysis of what the shooter's video actually shows, and what the videos tell us about what Good was doing whe...

Jan 10, 202643 minEp. 202601099

Get Insider Access to MS NOW Podcasts

Listen to this special invitation from Rachel Maddow and sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to take advantage of a 3-month free trial! With MS NOW Premium, you can get our entire suite of podcasts – everything from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” to “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace” – all ad-free. As a subscriber, you also get early access to select shows, plus exclusive bonus content – like a new episode of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order,” out Friday. Sign up right h...

Jan 09, 20262 min

NYC Mayor Mamdani calls for accountability for ICE killing of Minneapolis mom

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani talks with Jen Psaki about the need to hold ICE agents, including the one who shot and killed Minneapolis mother Renee Good, to the same justice as everyone else in America. Mamdani also highlights a new universal childcare initiative in New York, proving that government can still work for good outcomes and doesn't have to be all terror and chaos like the Trump administration produces. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro talks with Jen Psaki about how a well run...

Jan 09, 202641 minEp. 202601089

'The truth matters here': Minneapolis mayor rejects Trump narrative on deadly ICE shooting

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey talks with Jen Psaki about how his city is dealing with the deadly shooting by a federal ICE agent, his vehement opposition to how immigration agents are terrorizing communities, and the distortions the Trump administration is pushing even as Americans have seen multiple videos of the shooting. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer shares his reaction to the deadly shooting by a federal ICE agent of a woman in Minneapolis, condemning the Trump administration's anti-im...

Jan 08, 202642 minEp. 202601079

Psaki: Donald Trump is addicted to power; planning, not so much

Jen Psaki proposes that Donald Trump is motivated by a the rush of making himself feel powerful, which explains why so many of his actions don't appear to have rational, principled justifications, and also why so many of his actions have no follow-up plan for dealing with the messes he makes. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi talks with Jen Psaki about Democrats keeping their focus on improving Americans' quality of life while Donald Trump spends billions of taxpayer dollars on random schemes i...

Jan 07, 202642 minEp. 202601069

'Undo Trump' gains traction as a Democratic campaign message as Trump's popularity plummets

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee apparently thought they could help Donald Trump's cause by attacking former special counsel Jack Smith in hearing. Their failure in that endeavor is evidenced by them trying to bury the transcript of Smith's deposition over the New Year's holiday when as few people as possible were paying attention. Michael Feinberg, former FBI official, talks with Jen Psaki about Smith's clear explanation of Donald Trump's criminal culpability. It should come as no s...

Jan 03, 20261 hr 16 minEp. 202601028

Loose lips Trump blabs about covert Venezuela mission; appears to be making it up as he goes

As the U.S. military remains mostly opaque on the details of ongoing aggression against Venezuelan targets, Donald Trump lack of filter and braggadocious inclinations mean there is little holding him back from blurting about a recent U.S. attack. Margaret Donovan, former federal prosecutor and former Judge Advocate General officer, and MS NOW senior national security reporter David Rohde discuss what is known about what the U.S. is doing in Venezuela and whether the Trump administration is rever...

Dec 31, 202543 minEp. 202512309

'Not on the level': Trump makes sketchy business of second term

Jen Psaki looks at the many ways Donald Trump is using his time in office to enrich himself from the very start of his second term in office. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 25, 202542 minEp. 202512249

New Epstein docs point to potential co-conspirators; Trump DOJ still slow-walks release

Jen Psaki reports on some of the new discoveries in the latest tranche of files released in the Epstein document collection, as well as new questions raised by what is being concealed by inappropriate redactions and the slow-paced release of material from Donald Trump's Justice Department. Rep. Ro Khanna joins to discuss what is still missing from the release and what materials will actually address the question of who worked with Epstein and participated in his abuses. Jen Psaki remarks on some...

Dec 24, 202542 minEp. 202512239

DOJ risks criminal prosecution for defying Epstein documents release law: Weissmann

Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, and Julie K. Brown, investigative reporter for the Miami Herald, talk with Jen Psaki about the Justice Department's failure to comply with a law requiring the full release of the Epstein documents. Brown points out that much of the new document release consists of material that was already in the public domain. Weissmann explains different ways the DOJ can be held to account for failing to meet the law's requirements, not the least of which is actual c...

Dec 20, 202541 minEp. 202512199

'Bad, fast-talking infomercial': Psaki fact-checks Trump's address

Jen Psaki shares her first reaction and offers some corrections and clarifications to Donald Trump's address to the nation. MS NOW's Catherine Rampell and senior White House correspondent Vaughn Hillyard join with further fact-checking an analysis. Senator Mark Kelly shares his reaction to Donald Trump's address to the nation, describing Trump as "angry and desperate and defensive," and mocking the ridiculous intersection of math and Trump's dishonest exaggerations. Kelly also discusses Trump's ...

Dec 18, 202532 minEp. 202512179

Trump chief of staff makes disastrous miscalculation in talks with reporter

Jen Psaki shares highlights and insights from a new Vanity Fair article based on interviews with Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. The article not only shows that there are no "adults in the room" at Trump's White House, but shows Wiles to be so incompetent that agreeing to interviews with a reporter looks like a really bad idea. Rep. Adam Smith, top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee talks with Jen Psaki about the lack of information and evasiveness by the Trump administra...

Dec 17, 202542 minEp. 202512169

Tish James, who nailed Trump for fraud, humiliates Trump's prosecutors with third indictment failure

Donald Trump's prosecutors tried and failed a third time to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has repeatedly humiliated Donald Trump by exposing fraud in his organizations. Abbe Lowell, attorney for James, talks with Jen Psaki about the egregiousness of the politically motivated case, and the possibility of a counter suit over the DOJ's abuse of power. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries talks with Jen about the upcoming midterms, Donald Trump's unpopularity, and Indiana Republicans rejecting...

Dec 12, 202543 minEp. 202512119

Maddow: Trump's attacks on immigrants serve a more sinister purpose

Jen Psaki introduces viewers to Rachel Maddow's new podcast, "Burn Order," about Japanese internment in the U.S. during World War II, and points out that unlike Americans of that era, Americans now are being much more outspoken in support of immigrants and in condemnation of Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies. Rachel Maddow joins to discuss Trump's use of anti-immigrant scapegoating as a means of giving himself more power. Rachel Maddow talks with Jen Psaki about Donald Trump's cluelessness ...

Dec 11, 202542 minEp. 202512109

Trump's old tricks fall flat from overuse in the face of hard realities

Jen Psaki reviews the myriad scandals, disgraces, and bad news stories that are plaguing Donald Trump and his administration, and the familiar playbook of gaslighting, distraction, and lies that Trump is deploying with decreasing effectiveness. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear talks with Jen Psaki about the factual gap between Donald Trump's bizarre economic boasts and the reality that Americans are living with in an economy burdened and distorted by Trump's tariff policy. Even as Donald Trump tri...

Dec 10, 202541 minEp. 202512099

Psaki: No one home at the White House but the man-children

Jen Psaki looks at the myriad ways Donald Trump and members of his administration are indulging reckless, juvenile ideas with no one pushing back to force a re-thinking. Miles Taylor, former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security during Donald Trump's first term, joins to share his experience of why it's so bad that there are no grown-ups in the White House in Trump's second term. Rep. Adelita Grijalva talks with Jen Psaki about being confronted with aggression from border agents ...

Dec 06, 202542 minEp. 202512059

Rep. Himes shares shocking details from boat strikes briefing; disputes key points in reported story

Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee was one of only a few legislators in a classified briefing on the September 2nd bombing of a boat in the Caribbean Ocean. Himes was able to watch the full, unedited video of the attack and hear testimony from Admiral Frank M. Bradley, the Navy commander who oversaw the operation. Himes spoke with Jen Psaki about the shocking details of the video and what he learned that contradicts some of the key elements of the Trump administra...

Dec 05, 202542 minEp. 202512049

Hegseth's problems snowball despite domesticated Pentagon press corps

Jen Psaki rounds up reporting and developments from just the past 24 hours that paint Donald Trump's secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, into an even tighter corner, not the least of which is a newly uncovered video from 2016 in which Hegseth talks about war crimes and troops not following illegal orders, the same message he has been criticizing Democrats for delivering in a recent PSA video. Newly released photos and videos of Jeffrey Epstein's island estate have made Donald Trump's nightmarish...

Dec 04, 202542 minEp. 202512039

Hegseth, beside sleepy Trump, backtracks on boasts about boat strike amid war crimes talk

Tennessee State Rep. Aftyn Behn shocked the political world with a disproportionately strong showing in a special election in a congressional district that Republicans would expect to win by a large margin, as Donald Trump did just a year ago. Senator Mark Warner, ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, reiterates his call for Donald Trump secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, to step down as scrutiny of whether he ordered a war crime intensifies over the U.S. blowing up boats in the Carib...

Dec 03, 202540 minEp. 202512029

Preview of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order”

Rachel Maddow’s new series lays bare one of the most shocking decisions in American history. It’s story that reveals how an executive order authorizing the mass roundup of innocent Japanese Americans came to be, the powerful players who engineered it, and the burn order that tried to erase it from history. Stay right here to listen to a special preview of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order.” And for the full episode, search for “Burn Order” and follow the show. To listen to this show and other ...

Dec 01, 202510 min

GOP panics as Democrat closes gap in red district special election

Jen Psaki rounds up the latest reporting in the investigation of a shooting in Washington, D.C. that has left two members of the West Virginia National Guard in critical condition. Ken Dilanian, MS NOW justice correspondent, shares new reporting on Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national who came to the U.S. through a program for Afghan citizens after the United States ended involvement in Afghanistan. Hakeem Jeffries, top Democrat in the House, reacts to the shooting of two member...

Nov 27, 202541 minEp. 202511269

Trump's clown car Cabinet lives up to the name

Jen Psaki checks in on "some of the most incompetent people this country has ever seen," some of the higher profile members of Donald Trump's administration, and finds they have not grown to fill their positions and remain a source of humiliation for Trump. Glenn Kirschner, former federal prosecutor and former Army JAG prosecutor, talks with Jen Psaki about why Donald Trump's secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, is wrong for how he is treating Senator Mark Kelly, and why "you must obey lawful ord...

Nov 26, 202541 minEp. 202511259

Jaws drop as Trump has 'nothing but praise' for Mamdani, boogeyman of right-wing media

Right-wing, Trump-supporting media had so thoroughly demonized New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani that it seemed all but a certainty that Donald Trump would play his part and make a show of his disdain for the young upstart upon their meeting at the White House. Instead, Trump was nothing short of fawning and even affectionate. How were Trump supporters (and political observers) so wrong in their expectations of the historically fickle Trump? Ali Velshi discusses with Rev. Al Sharpton and ...

Nov 22, 202542 minEp. 202511219

Trump freaks out at reminder to military that he's not king

Donald Trump has made flouting the law and daring anyone to challenge his ability to do so a hallmark of his second term, but a new video reminding Americans of the limits of Trump's power has him in a red-faced tantrum. The video consists of several members of Congress who are veterans of the military and intelligence services pointing out the fact that members of the military are not required to follow illegal orders. Donald Trump called for the deaths of Democratic members of Congress who are...

Nov 21, 202541 minEp. 202511209

Trump fails to stop Epstein bill as his political grip slips and sycophants fall away

Jen Psaki reports on breaking news that Donald Trump has signed the Epstein Transparency Act after House Speaker (and Trump sycophant) Mike Johnson failed to keep Congress inert against Trump's deepening political unpopularity. Even devoted lackey Pam Bondi may not be able to keep the Epstein files from the public any longer. Jen Psaki points out Donald Trump's over-the-top treatment of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, as well as Trump's passionate defense of the Saudi leader agai...

Nov 20, 202541 minEp. 202511199

Epstein survivor breaks her silence on 'the list,' Mar-a-Lago and the fight for justice

Epstein survivor Sharlene Rochard tells Jen Psaki in an exclusive interview tonight that the people to whom she was trafficked include well-known names and some names that "have not been out there yet." Rochard explains how she was brought to "model parties" at Mar-a-Lago as a girl in her early teens, and discusses working with Sky and Amanda Roberts and survivors of Epstein's abuse to bring his associates to justice. Epstein survivor Sharlene Rochard and Sky and Amanda Roberts, brother and sist...

Nov 19, 202540 minEp. 202511189

New report exposes massive corruption in Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security

Trump struggles to find excuses and distractions in the face of unrelenting questions about his association with Jeffrety Epstein, leaving his Republican sycophants uncertain of what talking points to mimic. Jen Psaki shares new bombshell reporting from Pro Publica on the unseemly ties between Department of Homeland Security insiders and companies paid hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to create video advertisements, including one that thanks Donald Trump for his immigration crackdown. Te...

Nov 15, 202541 minEp. 202511149

'A slap in the face': Family members rage at Trump defenders hijacking Epstein victim's remarks

Donald Trump and his defenders have responded to the newly released tranche of Jeffrey Epstein documents by seeking to discredit any references to Trump that they contain, including by exposing the redacted name of Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre and treating her cherry-picked remarks as if they exonerate Trump of any wrongdoing. Sky and Amanda Roberts, Giuffre's brother and sister-in-law, talk with Jen Psaki about their outrage at Trump defenders trying to hijack her story for their pol...

Nov 14, 202540 minEp. 202511139
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