How to Win 2024

With the Iowa caucuses fast approaching, Republican presidential candidates went toe to toe in their fourth debate on Wednesday, December 6th. The debate was hosted by NewsNation in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie all making it to the stage. Like in earlier debates, the party frontrunner, former President Trump, was not present. After things wrapped, MSNBC’s Jen Psaki hosted a live YouTube special to analyze the night. She was joined by co-hosts of MSNBC's new show "The Weekend": Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Michael Steele. Listen to the coverage here as a bonus podcast episode.

Getting into their campaign mode three-point stance, Senator Claire McCaskill and White House Comms Director Jen Palmieri shift gears to look at the biggest news of the week from their unique comms and strategy lens. And after last week’s report from Special Counsel Hur that's put a spotlight on Biden, veteran prosecutor Andrew Weissmann talks about the politics of what should not have been a political report. Then, Claire and Jen rip off the band aid to speak directly about Biden’s age and candidacy, and what to say when people ask if Dems should be looking to another candidate for President.

Subscribe to the How to Win newsletter! With the 2024 election season off to a dramatic start, now is the perfect time to get expert analysis on key races sent straight to your inbox, including insights from the network’s top talent, like How to Win host Jennifer Palmieri. Click here to sign up.

Earlier this week, the Texas Supreme Court ruled against a pregnant woman in Dallas seeking an abortion following a fatal fetal diagnosis. The ruling prompted outcries from abortion-rights activists across the country. Former Sen. Claire McCaskill and Jennifer Palmieri are joined by Christina Reynolds of EMILYs List to break down what happened in Texas and look ahead to how the push for abortion access will influence political races in 2024. Plus, they shine a spotlight on voters’ climate change concerns following this week’s COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai.

In recent weeks, Donald Trump has made his plans for a second term clear: he wants to use the military on domestic soil, repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and increase deportation efforts – to name a few. Former Senior Advisor to President Obama, Dan Pfeiffer, joins former Sen. Claire McCaskill and Jennifer Palmieri to take a closer look at Trump’s second term threats. Plus, they shine a spotlight on the rising concerns at the US southern border.

Despite a party-wide effort urging Trump to pivot to policy, he just can’t seem to muster the discipline to talk about any issues. And for two former Senators who know the focus it takes to win a competitive race, it’s wild to watch. This week, former Senator Claire McCaskill’s Senate colleague Heidi Heitkamp joins her as guest-host. After weighing the latest musings from JD Vance’s audio vault, the two ‘post-menopausal grandmas' remind him that older women are still able to vote. Claire also asks Heidi to give some perspective on the unique opportunity the Harris-Walz team has to reach rural voters. Then, Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman stops by for a deep dive into the latest Harris-Trump polling, how to understand the margin-of-error in a given sample, and how the down-ballot races are shaping up after the shift to the vice president's candidacy.

Want to listen to this show without ads? Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts. As a subscriber you’ll also be able to get occasional bonus content from this and other shows.