CNN Inside Politics

First: A new CNN poll reveals deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the direction the incumbent president is taking the country, and significant doubts he's up to the job again. Plus: "Trump Employee #4" flips after the government promises to shield the Mar-a-Lago IT manager from prosecution. And: Mike Pence warns that Republicans are headed for extinction but is anyone in the GOP listening? Chris Christie joins the show to discuss. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: The cameras will be on in a Fulton County, Georgia court where Donald Trump will face accusations that he tried to steal the 2020 election. Plus: An explanation from the Capitol Hill physician fails to quiet some GOP concerns about Mitch McConnell's health. Today he gets a chance to answer the hard questions head on. And: The man who managed former President Obama's reelection tells Democrats to chill out and believe in the data that says Joe Biden has a clear path back to the White House. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: A brand-new CNN poll shows Donald Trump is still the overwhelming choice among Republican voters. We take a deep dive into the numbers and what they tell us about the 2024 race.  Plus: No stroke, no seizure disorder, no Parkinson's. So why did Mitch McConnell apparently freeze on-camera last week? Questions remain about whether he can continue to handle his duties.  And: Sources tell CNN that special counsel Jack Smith is still asking questions about a Trump lawyer. Could we see another indictment? To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: President Biden spends Labor Day in Philadelphia, hoping to convince the union rank and file he's still their man in Washington and deserves another turn in the White House.  Plus: The Republican primary is still Donald Trump's to lose. But are the four criminal indictments a sugar high, putting the former president in danger of a general election crash.  And: New reporting from CNN's Capitol Hill team underlines the mountain Congress needs to climb -- and climb quickly -- to avoid a shutdown. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: Florida governor Ron Desantis does not meet with President Biden after the category 4 Hurricane Idalia hits the southeastern United States.Next: Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's recent health issues raise speculation of if he will step down, and if so, who might his replacement be.Then: Former President Trump and several co-defendants plead not guilty in Georgia to charges related to election subversion.Later: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) asks his colleagues to vote for the government spending bill to avoid a government shutdown, but many other conservative congresspeople want to use it as leverage to pass far-right policies.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: The "Trump 19" might actually break the internet after a judge says the trial of the millennium will be broadcast on YouTube to the entire world.  Plus: Ron DeSantis tries to sell his national leadership chops by shepherding his state through a brutal storm while his super PAC asks donors for $50 million  And: The Capitol physician clears Mitch McConnell to keep doing his job, but plenty inside his own party are worried about the leader. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: Donald Trump pleads not guilty to charges he led a criminal enterprise designed to steal the 2020 election in Georgia.  Plus: For at least the second time, Mitch McConnell freezes on camera and stops speaking in mid-sentence. New CNN reporting spotlights a behind the scenes frenzy to reassure Republicans that the leader is okay and can still do his job.  And: Clarence Thomas fesses up to what we already knew: He lived like the rich and famous and on the dime of actual billionaires, who had business before the court. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's show we give you an up-close look at a disaster as Hurricane Idalia unleashes its destructive force on Georgia and Florida. As we came on the air CNN had confirmed two deaths, a number that's expected to grow. Our reporters are on the front lines in both states, with our coverage beginning in Tampa. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: Hurricane Idalia prompts millions to drop what they're doing and prepare for a life-threatening storm surge that's just hours from hitting Florida's Gulf Coast.  Plus: Mark Meadows spends three-plus hours on the stand trying to show his actions were just normal chief of staff things and not part of a conspiracy to subvert the 2020 election.  And: A campaign clash over foreign policy turns uglier as Vivek Ramaswamy calls Nikki Haley a liar and then by a name she chooses not to use. Some see it as thinly veiled dog whistle. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal judge Tanya Chutkan sets March 4, 2024 for Donald Trump's federal trial -- one day before Super Tuesday. Chutkan rejected trial dates proposed by both the Justice Department and Trump's legal team. Prosecutors had requested that the trial begin in January 2024, while Trump’s lawyers had asked for a date in April 2026. What does this mean for the former president? To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices