State of the Union

CNN Podcasts
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May 21, 2023 • 41min

Interviews with: National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy

First, Jake Tapper goes one-on-one with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Biden’s decision  to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 jets and what changed the President’s mind. Tapper also presses Sullivan on the Pentagon’s $3 billion accounting error on Ukraine aid and the US military's claim that it killed an Al-Qaeda leader in a strike in Syria. Tapper asks if Sullivan still has faith in the Secret Service after an intruder entered his home last month without being detected. Next, Jake interviews Republican Senator Bill Cassidy about stalled negotiations over the debt ceiling and whether House Republicans are willing to support a compromise deal. They also discuss Cassidy's efforts to prevent Social Security from going insolvent, as well as the state of the Republican presidential primary. After, the panel discusses the debt ceiling showdown, the expanding GOP 2024 field, and whether any candidate can make a dent in Trump’s lead. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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May 14, 2023 • 41min

Interviews with: Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, Rep. Mark Green, Deputy Treasury Sec. Wally Adeyemo, Sen. Tammy Duckworth

With the flow of migrants into the U.S. lower than expected after the end of the Covid-era Title 42 border rule, Dana Bash asks Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the latest updates from the Southern border. Afterwards, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green tells Dana that last week saw more border crossings than any other week in U.S. history.  Then, Dana asks Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo about the status of the debt ceiling negotiations after President Biden said they are moving along.  And, this week’s panel discusses Ron DeSantis’ approach to his expected 2024 presidential candidacy and Democrats’ reaction to Donald Trump’s statements at the CNN town hall last week. Finally, Senator Tammy Duckworth joins Dana to discuss solutions to the rising cost of child care in the U.S.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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May 7, 2023 • 41min

Interviews with: Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez, Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Mike Turner, Rep. Jim Himes

First, in a horrifying new normal, eight people were killed in a Texas shopping mall shooting rampage on Saturday. Jake interviews Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, for his reaction to the mass shooting, his efforts to change gun laws, and to answer what will it take to get American leaders to take action.  Next, amid revelations of hidden payments to Supreme Court Justice Thomas's family, Jake speaks with Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin about calls for Supreme Court ethics reform. Sen. Durbin also answers if Sen. Diane Feinstein’s health condition is undermining Democrats’ ability to govern.  After, Jake leads a bipartisan joint interview with Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and House Intelligence Committee ranking member Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) on their meetings with leadership in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. They also discuss Iran’s efforts to build a nuclear weapon, China’s more active role in the Middle East than the U.S., and whether a U.S. debt default would be a national security threat.  Then, the panel debates if bipartisan support exists for gun reform and discuss a recent poll on whether President Biden and former President Trump have the mental sharpness to be president.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 30, 2023 • 41min

Interviews with: Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Tom Emmer, Fmr. Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Arnold Schwarzenegger

First: House Republicans pass a debt ceiling bill meant to kick off talks, but Democrats say they won't negotiate unless a US default is averted. Dana Bash discusses the impasse with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN).  Then: Former Governor Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) tells Dana why he's running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.  Plus: Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited Auschwitz last fall, talks about discovering his father was a Nazi.  On today's panel: Former Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL); Democratic strategist Lis Smith; David Urban, former senior adviser to Trump 2016 campaign and member of Trump’s 2020 advisory committee; Ashley Allison, former national coalitions director for Biden-Harris 2020 and former Obama senior policy adviser. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 23, 2023 • 41min

Interviews with: Senator Lindsey Graham & Senator Amy Klobuchar

First, Dana goes one-on-on with Republican Senator Lindsay Graham. He reacts to the US evacuation of American diplomats in Sudan amid escalating violence, as well as the SCOTUS ruling upholding access to abortion drug Mifepristone. Bash pushes Graham on whether he thinks abortion is a state or a federal issue. They also discuss Graham’s recent travels to the Middle East to push for an Israel-Saudi deal and whether the Saudi Crown Prince is once again "[playing] him like a fiddle" as Graham previously said after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Next, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar joins Dana to discuss the Supreme Court ruling and the future of the fight over abortion rights. They then discuss whether President Biden should negotiate with Speaker McCarthy to avert a debt default and if Senator Feinstein should resign from the Senate Judiciary Committee following her absence due to ill-health.Then, the panel discusses Florida Republicans snubbing Governor DeSantis to endorse Trump in 2024, as well as Biden’s expected reelection campaign announcement.Finally, Dana Bash and Wolf Blitzer take a deeply personal and emotional trip to Auschwitz for the March of the Living.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 16, 2023 • 42min

Interviews with: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Gov. Brian Kemp.

As more states make it harder for women to get abortion, the Supreme Court considers a challenge to abortion medication. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) sits down with Jake to answer how Democrats plan to respond. They also discuss the leak of highly-classified information, federal food assistance programs, and calls among some Democrats for Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign.  Then, as the GOP works on its message and messenger for 2024, Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who overcame Donald Trump’s attacks and won in the purple state of Georgia, joins Jake to lay out his vision on how his party can win back the White House. They discuss include gun reform, medication abortion access, and the investigations into Trump.  After, the panel discusses if Trump is still the candidate to beat in the 2024 primary race, Republican presidential candidates’ firm line against gun restrictions, and Trump’s new ad poking fun of DeSantis.  Finally, Jake takes a look at President Biden’s trip to Ireland where he met with the priest who gave his son Beau his last rites before his passing, Nikki Haley’s daughter getting married, and offers a reminder about Americans’ shared humanity amid a politically divisive time. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 9, 2023 • 44min

Interviews with: Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Tony Gonzales

First, after a federal judge in Texas blocked the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, the Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra tells Dana Bash that women have access to the pill today and the department intends “to do everything to make sure it’s available to them not just in a week, but moving forward period.” Then, Dana asks Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) about her support for impeaching Justice Clarence Thomas over luxury travel paid for by a Republican donor. Ocasio-Cortez also calls the abortion pill ruling an “extreme abuse of power.” Later, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) joins Dana to defend the judge's decision to block access to abortion medication. Dana also asks him why it seems like the Republican Party is punishing politicians who are trying to address gun violence, after Tennessee Republicans expelled two Democratic lawmakers from the state house. And, today’s panel looks at what Trump’s indictment means for his supporters. Finally, Dana takes us inside a day in the life of Ukraine’s tireless U.S. ambassador. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 2, 2023 • 43min

Interviews with: Lawyer Joe Tacopina, Lawyer Lanny Davis, Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Mike Turner, Rep. Dan Crenshaw.

First, as Donald Trump prepares for his day in court, what do we know about the evidence against the former president and how will his attorneys handle the case? Dana Bash speaks with Trump's personal lawyer Joe Tacopina, who describes Trump's upcoming arraignment as "a day the rule of law in the United States has died."  Next, lawyer Lanny Davis, who now represents Trump's former personal lawyer/"fixer" Michael Cohen, provides his (very different) take on the Trump indictment.   Then, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) weighs in on the indictment, as well as where he sees the economy going.  And, Dana interviews House Intel Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-OH) about Russia's arrest of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich.  Finally, regarding the Trump indictment, Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) tells Dana, "You don't have to be a lawyer to look at this case and think it's on very weak grounds." To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Mar 26, 2023 • 42min

Interviews with: Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Rep. Ro Khanna.

First, Jake asks Senate Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner whether he’s concerned about Trump warning about "potential death and destruction” if he’s indicted in the Manhattan DA’s hush money probe. They also discuss the risk of military escalation in Syria following last week’s drone attack on US personnel, as well as Russia’ plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Next, Jake presses Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer about his efforts to intervene in the Trump hush money probe in New York and his demand for Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to answer Congress' questions about his investigation.Then, Jake goes one-on-one with Rep. Ro Khanna, who responds to Republicans' efforts to intervene in the New York investigation and makes an announcement about whether he will run for Senate in California. Jake also speaks with Committee Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who led Congress’ TikTok hearing last week, on why she thinks the app should be banned in the United States. Finally, the panel discusses Trump's attacks on potential 2024 rival Gov. Ron Desantis and whether the Florida governor can maintain his popularity within his party of he decides to formally run against Trump.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Mar 19, 2023 • 41min

Interviews with: Gov. Chris Sununu, Sen. Mark Kelly, New York Times’ Maggie Haberman

Former President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post that he expects to be arrested on charges of hush money payments involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels and called on his supporters to protest any such move. But how likely are charges? New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu tells Jake Tapper the investigation is building “sympathy” for the former president and that “we don’t want history to repeat itself” with Trump’s call for protests, after the violent protests of January 6, 2021. Later, Senator Mark Kelly tells Jake that “nobody is above the law” and that it’s important for the Manhattan District Attorney to thoroughly investigate Trump’s alleged role in the hush money scheme. He also reacts to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saying that the war in Ukraine is not a “vital" national interest for the United States. Then, New York Times Senior Political Correspondent Maggie Haberman tells Jake that Trump is “very anxious about the prospect of being indicted.” Then, the panel discusses whether Trump should drop out of the 2024 presidential race if he is indicted this week and whether the investigation actually helps his campaign prospects. And, Jake reflects on the 20-year mark of the Iraq War.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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