Next Up with Mark Halperin

Mark Halperin opens the latest episode of "Next Up" with his reported monologue on how President Trump’s decade-long war against the Dominant Media remains one of his most effective political tools. Mark highlights Trump’s unparalleled understanding of the news business, which, unbelievably, he gets better than journalists themselves do. Trump’s critique of the industry's flaws is as muscular as it is accurate, highlighting liberal bias, elitism, and a broken business model, all of which further erode the press’ credibility, which also energizes Trump’s base and conservatives at large.
Then, former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison joins the program on a special occasion – his 50th birthday. Harrison offers an insider’s perspective on the Democratic Party’s fundraising challenges against the "billionaire class" of the GOP. He also dives into the heart of the 2028 presidential nominating process, noting that potential White House candidates do not yet seem to be lobbying for specific early states, and offers his prediction on the first-in-the-nation nominating calendar: South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
Finally, Emma-Jo Morris, Senior Consultant at Beck & Stone and co-host of The Group Chat on 2WAY, joins Mark to debate the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, arguing that the public supports mass deportation. She addresses recent criticisms regarding Vice President J.D. Vance’s temperament and stance on Israel, arguing that his "contemptuous tone" is a sensible and necessary reaction to hostile media frames. Morris also evaluates the current cabinet, offering high praise for HHS Secretary RFK Jr. while critiquing Kristi Noem’s performance.
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Mark Halperin opens a new episode with a reported monologue on the shifting midterm landscape, explaining why Republicans are increasingly worried about a potential Blue Wave. He walks through new polling, historical patterns, and insider conversations that suggest what felt possible to sophisticated Republican strategists just weeks ago — keeping the House majority — for now has gone out of reach. And the clock could end working against the GOP, unless they make some significant changes, coupled with some luck, soon.
Then Maureen Callahan joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation on culture, celebrity, and power. Maureen and Mark break down why awards season is now driven by Oscar campaigning rather than performances, unpack the legal war surrounding “It Ends With Us” and the Hollywood players caught in it, and examine how fame and entitlement can distort family dynamics at the highest levels. The discussion also covers what is actually worth watching and listening to right now, from TV to podcasts, offering a sharp and unsparing look at the here-and-now culture.
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Mark Halperin opens with his reported monologue arguing that America is losing sight of what matters by obsessing over elites, gossip, and political theater instead of grappling with the serious policy questions that matter. He makes the case that the media and political class are crowding out first-principles debates at a moment when the stakes could not be higher.

Mark then turns to foreign policy and constitutional power, breaking down a revealing Senate exchange between Rand Paul and Marco Rubio that forces a hard rethink of what actually constitutes an act of war. The debate goes beyond partisanship and raises uncomfortable questions about American power, moral consistency, and the limits of executive authority.

The episode closes with two deep dives on immigration. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell joins Mark to discuss why the scenes in Minneapolis have unsettled the country and to wrestle with the most difficult deportation cases, the millions who fall between clear extremes. Then, National Review editor Rich Lowry offers the conservative perspective, laying out how the right is divided over deterrence, practicality, and whether there is any workable middle ground at all

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On today’s episode of Next Up, Mark Halperin uses his reported monologue to go inside what really drove Donald Trump to change course on Minnesota. He lays out the specific voices that matter when Trump rethinks a decision and explains why media optics, internal pressure, and shifting political narratives pushed a rapid reversal — all informed by Trump insiders who really understand how he made the choice to head in a different direction.
Later, Buck Sexton and Clay Travis join Mark for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from politics to culture to media. What starts as a playful debate over iconic duos quickly exposes a serious generational divide, before turning to how Clay and Buck managed to succeed in a time slot long defined by Rush Limbaugh. The episode wraps with a look inside Trump’s cabinet, as Buck and Clay explain why Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has quietly emerged as one of the administration’s most impressive figures and closes with a candid debate over who would actually make the stronger presidential candidate: Clay or Buck.
 
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President Trump is leaning hard into foreign policy and national security, even as voters keep signaling they want answers on costs, security, and everyday life at home. In today’s reported monologue, Mark explains why second term presidents so often focus overseas and why that instinct can collide with midterm politics.  Davos isn’t Dayton, but the president just spent time in Davos dealing with Greenland, Europe, the Middle East, Ukraine, and more. Why?
Then Mark is joined by Melissa DeRosa and Mark Bednar to test the administration’s core argument on Greenland and Venezuela. Can Trump actually connect those moves to tangible benefits for Americans, or is the message still stuck at the level of leverage and headlines? The panel also digs into the reported slowdown in low dollar giving, and what a $10 donor recession could mean for campaigns heading into 2026 and 2028.
Finally, Mark sits down with Michael Knowles for a wide-ranging conversation that begins with the lasting impact of Charlie Kirk and expands into the broader story of coalition politics on the right. They talk faith and politics, the aftermath of political violence, the combustible immigration debate playing out in Minnesota, and a rapid round look at what the second Trump term has revealed about the people shaping it, including Trump himself.
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