Interviews with Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin; Republican Senator James Lankford

Dec 21, 2025
43 mins

Episode Description

Kasie Hunt guest anchors CNN’s State of the Union. First, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, joins Kasie to discuss the partial release of the Epstein files and whether he’s considering legal options to force the Justice Department to release all of its files. Next, Republican Sen. James Lankford joins Kasie to Congress’ failure to avert skyrocketing health care costs. Lankford – a pastor – also discusses how faith can help make people feel more connected with one another this holiday season. Then, CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings and CNN Political Commentators Bakari Sellers, Kate Bedingfield, and Kristen Soltis Anderson discuss President Trump’s struggles to focus on affordability, the challenges facing Democrats in the midterms, and the growing rupture within the MAGA movement. Finally, Kasie reflects on the surprising end to the political career of a moderate Republican-turned “ultra MAGA” warrior, Elise Stefanik.

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