The Axe Files with David Axelrod
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The Axe Files with David Axelrod
David Axelrod, the founder and director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, and CNN bring you The Axe Files, a series of revealing interviews with key figures in the political world. Go beyond the soundbites and get to know some of the most interesting players in politics.
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642 Episoden
Ep. 605 — Ambassador Rahm Emanuel
This week marks a significant moment for The Axe Files: our final episode. We hope you have found these conversations to be as eye-opening and inspiri...
Ep. 604 — Scott Jennings
Scott Jennings is well known as a conservative firebrand on CNN. From working for George W. Bush to being mentioned as a possible press secretary for...
Ep. 603 — Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has made waves—and won elections—by questioning who gets to be an expert on the needs of everyday Americans. S...
The Best of The Axe Files: Jon Meacham
This Thanksgiving, we’re revisiting a conversation with historian and writer Jon Meacham on his book, “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the Am...
Ep. 602 — Chris LaCivita
Chris LaCivita, GOP campaign pro and mastermind behind some of the party’s most ruthless yet effective political ads, says he focuses on a simple mand...
Ep. 601 — John Anzalone
Democratic pollster John Anzalone wants voters to know that pollsters are not prognosticators. Instead, they use their findings to help craft strategy...
The Axe Files: The 600th Episode
This week, The Axe Files reaches a milestone: 600 episodes. For this anniversary show, CNN’s Anderson Cooper sat down with David to talk about the ori...
Ep. 599 — Charlamagne tha God
Charlamagne tha God—born Lenard McKelvey—got his start in radio by chance, but once he started, he was hooked. He now co-hosts The Breakfast Club, a n...
Ep. 598 — John King
CNN’s John King loves being an anchor, but looking back on the past few presidential elections, he felt he was missing something from inside his Washi...
Ep. 597 — Ilana Dayan
Ilana Dayan, a prominent Israeli journalist, spoke with David last fall, just days after the October 7 massacre in Israel perpetrated by Hamas. One ye...
Ep. 596 — Secretary Janet Yellen
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has been thinking about the economy since she was a young girl in the working-class neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brookly...
Ep. 595 — Kasie Hunt
As a child, journalist Kasie Hunt eagerly awaited the arrival of “Time” magazine each week. She loved current events, which eventually piqued her inte...
Ep. 594 — Amb. Roger Carstens
At 11 years old, Roger Carstens, already an avid news consumer, was struck by stories of genocide in Cambodia. He resolved that when he grew up, he wo...
Ep. 593 — DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan is a six-time NBA All Star and an Olympic gold medalist. But perhaps the defining legacy of his career will be his decision to speak out...
The Axe Files presents The Assignment with Audie Cornish
Kamala Harris has “Freedom.” Donald Trump has “God Bless the USA” (and a lot of cease-and-desist letters). What makes for a good campaign song? And wh...
Ep. 592 — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has joined David on The Axe Files many times to talk about her life, policy, and politics. With the recent release of her...
Best of The Axe Files: Vice President Kamala Harris
As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to take the stage for the final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention as the Democratic presidenti...
Ep. 591 — Ezra Klein
Journalist Ezra Klein has been covering politics for two decades, first as a blogger from his undergrad dorm room and now as an Opinion columnist for...
Ep. 590 — Don Rose
Much has been said about perceived parallels between this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the 1968 convention, hallmarked by a vi...
Ep. 589 — Audie Cornish
As a longtime reporter and observer of American politics and culture, Audie Cornish spends her days chronicling and analyzing history as it’s happenin...
Ep. 588 — Rep. Dan Crenshaw
After reading about the Navy SEALs in middle school, Rep. Dan Crenshaw was determined to one day join their ranks. After 10 years as a Navy SEAL—inclu...
Best of The Axe Files: Sen. JD Vance
Ohio Sen. JD Vance made news this week when GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump selected Sen. Vance as his running mate. But Sen. Vance didn’t sta...
Ep. 587 — Jon Favreau
Political commentator and former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau watched the first 2024 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden with gre...
Ep. 586 — Doris Kearns Goodwin
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is known for chronicling the lives and leadership styles of some of America’s most prominent presidents. But for her la...
Ep. 585 — Dr. Anthony Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci became a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic. While Dr. Fauci stepped down as director of the National Institute of Allergy...
Ep. 584 – Evgenia Kara-Murza
Evgenia Kara-Murza did not intend to become a public figure. But that all changed after her husband, Russian political opposition leader and journalis...
Mayor Mike Duggan
From darkened streetlights and abandoned homes to pervasive graffiti and long waits for emergency services, Mayor Mike Duggan inherited a Detroit rife...
Ep. 582 - Leon Panetta
When Leon Panetta was growing up in Monterey, California, his Italian immigrant parents often invited soldiers training at nearby Fort Ord to holiday...
Best of The Axe Files: Bill Walton
Bill Walton, one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history and former basketball announcer, died this week. David talked with Bill back in 2016 about...
Ep. 581 — George Stephanopoulos
Originally built in just two weeks for $30,000, the White House Situation Room has been the nerve center during some of history’s most seismic events,...
Ep. 580 — Jen Psaki
For former press secretary and current MSNBC anchor Jen Psaki, clear communication has long been a hallmark of her success, from door knocking in Iowa...
Ep. 579 — Cyrus Habib
Cyrus Habib was a political rising star when he made the surprise announcement that he was leaving elected office to join the Catholic ministry. Cyrus...
Ep. 578 — Frank Bruni
“Measuring misfortune is no strategy for living,” writes journalist Frank Bruni in his new book, “The Age of Grievance.” Yet, he says, we live in a cu...
Ep. 577 — Ken Buck
Former Rep. Ken Buck eludes simple classification. He grew up on the East Coast but says he felt more at home on his uncle’s Wyoming ranch as a kid. H...
Ep. 576 — Fareed Zakaria
According to Fareed Zakaria, we are living in an age of revolution, kindled by the converging factors of technological advancement, information prolif...
Ep. 575 — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi may have made history as the first woman elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives, but she made her reputation...
Ep. 574— Sister Simone Campbell
Sister Simone Campbell has never shied away from fighting for the underdog. Since childhood, she has looked for ways to assist those in need, a drive...
Ep. 573 — David Plouffe and Karl Rove
This episode is a little different from the normal Axe Files. David sat down at Arizona State University with two legendary political strategists: Kar...
Ep. 572 — Chris Christie
Eight years ago, then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie shook up the political world by dropping out of the race for president to endorse Donald Trum...
Best of The Axe Files: Alastair Campbell
This week, we're revisiting a conversation from the early days of The Axe Files, way back in 2015, featuring Alastair Campbell. He served as the commu...