The Briefing with Jen Psaki

MS NOW

4.4 (848)
POLITICS
UPDATED WEEKLY

Jen Psaki tackles the biggest issues of the week and features one-on-one interviews with newsmakers.

23H AGO

'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 surprise to anyone that criminal president Donald Trump is in regular conflict with the law, which means the best place to stop him is in the courts. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who sued the Trump administration 52 times last year, talks with Jen Psaki about why the rule of law is Donald Trump's most successful opponent. Many Democratic candidates are hearing from voters that simply moving on from Donald Trump or thwarting his agenda is not enough. Voters want accountability and they want the damage Trump has done to the United States to be undone. Rep. Eric Swalwell talks with Jen Psaki about Democrats taking a more aggressive stance on how to treat Trump if they can regain control of parts of the federal government. While Marjorie Taylor Greene's split from Donald Trump is uncommon, her doing so while maintaining "America First" and "MAGA" bona fides, and while Trump flakes on Epstein files promises and botches other key issues, signals a weakening of Trump's grip on the Republican Party that may not even survive the duration of his second term. Robert Draper, journalist for the New York Times, discusses with Jen Psaki. 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.

1h 16m
4D AGO

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 reverse engineering legal justifications for its actions. With the arrest of Pastor Joe Campbell earlier this month on child sex abuse charges, the women who have spent decades seek justice for abuse they accuse Campbell of committing may be closer to that goal. Abuse survivor Phaedra Creed talks with Antonia Hylton about her feelings about Campbell's arrest, the effort it took, and insights her experience offers for women who were abused at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. The ongoing release of Jeffrey Epstein-related files continues to raise more questions than answers. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam joins to discuss. Cesar Vazquez discusses progress in protecting his neighbors in California from the abuses of ICE. 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.

43 min
12/25/2025

'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.

42 min
12/24/2025

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 of the weak explanations given by CBS News management for spiking a 60 Minutes story about a Donald Trump deportation scandal. Former ABC News senior national correspondent, Terry Moran, joins to discuss the situation and the bigger picture concerns about Donald Trump and his billionaire supporters slowly transforming the free media in the United States into a subservient, supporting wing of the Trump administration. John Brennan, former director of the CIA, joins Jen to talk about Donald Trump's warped perspective on national security. Annie Farmer and Jennifer Freeman talk with Jen about how survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse are deal with the slow roll out of Epstein documents to the public. 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.

42 min
12/24/2025 • MS NOW PREMIUM ONLY

'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.

42 min
12/20/2025

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 criminal prosecution, with a statute of limitations exceeding the longevity of Donald Trump's term and his protection. Sky and Amanda Roberts, brother and sister-in-law of outspoken accuser of Jeffrey Epstein Virginia Giuffre, talk with Jen Psaki about their frustration with Donald Trump's Justice Department for failing to follow the law requiring the release of all of the Epstein documents, and their determination to continue to fight for the truth to come out and for those involved to be held to account. 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.

41 min
12/18/2025

'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 military escalation with Venezuela. And reporter Chris Whipple talks with Jen about his blockbuster piece in Vanity Fair based on 11 interviews with Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. 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.

32 min
12/17/2025

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 administration in explaining to Congress the reasoning behind Donald Trump's increasing belligerence toward Venezuela and the clear risk of plunging the United States into another forever war. With a new release of Epstein documents set for this Friday, Donald Trump and his supporting Republicans are getting anxious, but Rep. Robert Garcia isn't sure how much Friday's release will contain. Another looming deadline as the year comes to an end is the expiration of health care subsidies. Rep. Brendan Boyle explains that the best hope that Republicans will act to prevent millions of Americans from losing their healthcare is that enough angry voters make Republicans more afraid of them than they are of Donald Trump. 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.

42 min

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TRAILER

Introducing: Inside with Jen Psaki

Jen Psaki draws on her 20 years with a seat at the table – from the campaign bus to the Oval Office – to tackle the most pressing issues of the week, interview the biggest names in politics, and pull back the curtain on the lives of the people shaping every aspect of American life. 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.

06/15/2023

•

1 min

"Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order" is the story of one of the most shocking decisions in American history: the executive order to target and round up innocent citizens, Japanese Americans, at the outbreak of World War II. This six-episode narrative podcast will examine and shed new light on how that policy came to be, who was behind it, who attempted to stop it, and the heroism needed to end the policy for good. Brazen lies and stereotypes about a minority group being pushed by senior government officials. Desperate efforts to prevent the policy from going into place. A community terrorized on the streets by the U.S. military, grabbed from their homes and sent to faraway, hastily built detention camps. Government reports gathered up and set on fire to suppress the truth behind the policy. And a bombshell discovery in the unlikeliest of places that would ultimately expose it all. This is the story of the American government's decision to pursue and carry out an extreme and unconstitutional policy against its own citizens, and it's the story of what it finally took to stop it. Rachel Maddow's previous narrative podcasts -- "Bag Man," "Ultra," and "Ultra: Season 2" -- all reached #1 on the Apple podcast charts and have received an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award, a Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism, and most recently, a 2025 national Edward R. Murrow Award. Her new series, "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order," premieres December 1, 2025.

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Jen Psaki

Host
Ro Khanna

Guest
Terry Moran

Guest
John O. Brennan

Guest
Annie Farmer

Guest
Jennifer Freeman

Guest
Andrew Weissmann

Guest
Julie K. Brown

Guest
Sky Roberts

Guest
Amanda Roberts

Guest

4.4

out of 5

848 Ratings

Trumps old tricks are still working

12/11/2025

Lee Esq

Listen to Washington Journal on C-SPAN from 7 AM to 10 PM every day. His supporters believed prices are way down and they’re thrilled with everything he’s done. Tariffs are working nasty deportation are fabulous, etc..
Counter factual

11/08/2025

Gordie Seattle

What happens if Trump is convicted of war crimes for his extrajudicial killings?
Great interviews

12/03/2025

mpkfeedback

I love you but the word is preventive not preventative - so many people make this mistake
Where’s My MSNBC Premium?

11/06/2025

Aragon the Traveler

I’m a Premium subscriber, but Um only getting the show with ads this week. Something is broken with the program causing problems for (at least) iPhone users. Please get this sorted. The show is great, but this problem needs to be fixed.