Politically Sound

You probably remember that Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California. But do you remember how it all happened? The blackouts, the budget and of course, the car tax! CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent, Dana Bash, takes you back to the origins of the 2003 California Recall and talks with Schwarzenegger and the man he beat, Gray Davis to learn why this election became such a circus. If you like what you hear, go to https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/total-recall and follow...

Politics is all about the future... and so it’s never too early to look at how upcoming elections are going to play out. In this episode, David Chalian and Dana Bash take a look at how the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential race are shaping up, and how former President Donald Trump is the wildcard that could drastically affect both elections. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

This week, we wanted to bring you an episode from Dr. Sanjay Gupta's podcast. When we look back on this pandemic, who and what will we remember? Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is at the top of that list for many. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Dr. Fauci about the past year-plus of non-stop press conferences and media appearances, and about what comes next. To learn more about how CNN protects listener...

This week, we wanted to bring you an episode from The Axe Files podcast we think you'll enjoy. In this episode, UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield joins CNN's David Axelrod to talk about growing up in the segregated South, facing down death in Rwanda, the importance of the US engaging with both adversaries and allies, and her reaction to the jury finding former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd. They also talked about the security threats posed by climate...

America has experienced at least 50 mass shootings this past month alone. And now, President Biden faces the same problem as his predecessors: a gun violence crisis and a country completely divided on the Second Amendment. This week, David Chalian is joined by gun policy expert Professor Adam Winkler of UCLA to explore this uniquely American concept of freedom within the context of the gun debate and what kind of change, if any, is possible. To learn more about how CNN protects listener...

Protests and marches in the streets, a rising generation of activists, and an embattled President who’s just left the White House... it sounds an awful lot like today, but that’s actually the story of the 1970’s. In this episode, David Chalian is joined by Ron Brownstein, the author of Rock Me On the Water: 1974 - The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics, to take you back in time and explain what the culture wars of 1970s can tell us about today’s conflict and...

Despite a Democratic controlled Senate, two obscure aspects of Senate procedure, the filibuster and reconciliation, hold the key to the success or failure of President Biden’s entire agenda. In this episode, David Chalian is joined by former Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin to nerd out and explain the quirky history and incredibly important future of these two procedures. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Record numbers of migrants traveling from Central America have been arriving at the US southern border over the past couple of months. Border Control facilities are now overwhelmingly past capacity, with thousands of unaccompanied minors in custody. As the Biden administration scrambles to safely accommodate them, President Biden has garnered criticism from both sides on his handling of the crisis. This week, David Chalian is joined by Melissa Lopez, Director of the Diocesan Migrant and...

More people voted in the 2020 election than any other in modern American history. Now, many Republican legislatures across the country are trying to pass laws rolling back voter access. At the center of that fight is Georgia, where this week the Governor signed a bill that restricts voting. In this episode, David Chalian speaks with the head of the Georgia ACLU, Andrea Young, about the voting rights fight in Georgia and the response to similar laws across the country. We want to hear from...

Women’s History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the landmark achievements of women everywhere. This week, CNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash talks with Madeleine Albright, the first female US Secretary of State. Secretary Albright shares stories from being the only woman in the room, putting women’s rights at the heart of US foreign policy, her early life escaping Nazis in Europe, and her thoughts on the January 6 insurrection. To learn more about how CNN protects listener...

For millions of Americans the climate crisis is a reality affecting their lives every day. Now, with the massive Covid relief package through Congress, the next challenge for the Biden administration is an immense infrastructure and climate bill. But in the meantime, the President has already begun implementing his agenda. In this episode, Nia-Malika Henderson is joined by climate policy expert and Harvard Law professor Jody Freeman to explain the new administration’s bold policies,...

One year into this pandemic, millions of Americans are still desperate to get back to work and in dire need of economic relief. President Biden hopes his $1.9 trillion plan will provide just that. But will its potential benefits for those in need outweigh the risks such a large package might pose to US financial stability? In this episode, David Chalian speaks with Paul Krugman, a world-renowned economist and New York Times opinion columnist, about the controversial price tag and the impact...

President Biden promised to deliver solutions to America’s centuries-old struggle for racial equity. But many are asking: can he achieve real change? As Black History Month draws to a close, Nia-Malika Henderson is joined by White House Senior Adviser Cedric Richmond to discuss the policies, pitfalls, and promises of the Biden administration’s racial equity agenda. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Decades of failed compromise and stalled deals in Washington have led to a broken immigration system with a tremendous human cost. With roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the US, and more in search of a better life, immigration is one of the biggest policy challenges facing the country today. In this episode, David Chalian speaks with Theresa Cardinal Brown, a leading expert on immigration policy, about the Biden administration’s immigration actions so far and the...

As the Biden administrations aims to restore America’s global standing, managing the relationship with China will likely be their biggest challenge, but one that could also present new opportunities. In this episode, Nia Malika-Henderson speaks with a leading expert on Chinese policy, Dr. Elizabeth Economy, to break down how and why President Biden’s foreign policy and his approach to China differ from former President Trump’s, and what lies ahead for US-China relations under this new...

The promise of unity and a return to normalcy were at the heart of President Biden’s pitch to the American people. But this push for unity is facing early tests, from passage of a Covid relief bill to the impeachment trial of former President Trump. This week, David Chalian and Nia Malika-Henderson are joined by former Senator Doug Jones to discuss the need for unity, as part of our series looking at the biggest policy goals and challenges facing the administration in its first 100 days. To...

President Biden has an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days in office and much of his success rides on getting a handle on the pandemic. In this episode, David Chalian digs deep on the implications of the Covid crisis with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN’s Coronavirus Fact vs. Fiction podcast, as part of our series looking at the biggest policy goals and challenges facing the administration in its first 100 days. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Normalcy returns to Washington as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are sworn into office. But is a smooth inauguration a sign of things to come or is there a bumpy road ahead? In this episode, David Chalian and Nia Malika-Henderson are joined by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to walk through the momentous inauguration and the early challenges facing the Biden administration. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The word “unprecedented” gets thrown around a lot these days. But how else do you describe a country still reeling from an attack on the Capitol building and impeaching the President for a second time while it prepares for an inauguration? In this episode, David Chalian and Nia Malika-Henderson are joined by CNN Washington Correspondent Ryan Nobles to explain what comes next - now that the President is impeached - what it means for the country, the Republican party, and President-elect...

The siege of the US Capitol by a Trump-supporting mob was four years in the making and completely preventable – yet still shocked the nation. In this episode, David Chalian and Nia-Malika Henderson are joined by CNN Reporter Donie O’Sullivan who was at the Capitol speaking to rioters on Wednesday, to discuss how the President instigated the violence, the depths of the misinformation his supporters believe, and what this means for the future of American politics. To learn more about how CNN...