Mark Halperin opens the show with his reported monologue on why some Democrats are suddenly, uncharacteristically serene in declaring Donald Trump politically finished — and why GOP insiders insist they’re getting the moment wrong again. Drawing on fresh conversations with Republican strategists, Mark breaks down the four-phase comeback plan they believe is already underway, the policy resets they want from the White House, and why Trump’s State of the Union could become the make-or-break moment of his presidency.

Next, Yale Law Professor Jed Rubenfeld joins Mark for a high-stakes conversation about the constitutional firestorm surrounding Trump’s recent drone strikes in the Caribbean. They explain why some critics call the actions “murder,” how the laws of war treat killing shipwrecked survivors, and why longstanding precedent may still give Trump a strong claim to authority. They also break down how the “second strike” became a national scandal and whether Congress has abandoned its role in defining presidential war powers.

Finally, Katie Miller sits down with Mark for an unfiltered conversation about the escalating pressures facing her family. She recounts her confrontation with CNN’s Abby Phillip, responds to Jennifer Welch’s renewed attacks on her and husband Stephen Miller, and pushes back on the media’s caricature of her husband. Katie also describes the threats that forced her family to relocate to a military base and the chilling fliers that appeared in her neighborhood hours after Charlie Kirk’s murder.

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