The Axe Files with David Axelrod

Shailagh Murray, former senior advisor to President Obama, talks with David Axelrod about the decades she spent as a journalist before transitioning into government service, the changing nature of the President's bully pulpit in the 21st century media environment, and why she believes Mitch McConnell's electoral successes haven't produced tangible benefits for the country.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan Shapiro, the former ambassador to Israel during the Obama administration, talks with David Axelrod about the prospects for Middle East peace, his assessment of the State Department's performance in the opening months of the Trump administration, and why he believes the Iranian nuclear deal was in the best interest of the United States.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Schiff, congressman from California and leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, talks with David Axelrod about his committee's investigation into possible connections between the Russians who interfered in the U.S. presidential election and associates of Donald Trump; America's options to de-escalate or resolve tensions with North Korea; and why he believes we should reform some of the U.S. intelligence community's surveillance methods.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lisa Monaco, the former homeland security adviser to President Obama, talks with David Axelrod about what she thinks are the greatest threats facing America today, why the Trump administration's travel ban hurts our counterterrorism efforts, and why she believes Russia's incursion into our election has opened a new phase in cyberwarfare.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason Benetti, play-by-play man for the Chicago White Sox, joins David to discuss how he overcame the effects of cerebral palsy to become a television broadcaster, his hopes and fears for people with disabilities, and the art of the call.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jim Sciutto, CNN's chief national security correspondent, talks with David Axelrod about the impact his Jesuit education had on his worldview, the complex nature of the U.S.-China relationship, the key question that world leaders and diplomats are asking about the Trump administration, and the pressures he's feeling as a reporter in the Trump era.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed, talks with David Axelrod about BuzzFeed's approach to journalism and how he responds to the organization's critics, why Donald Trump has reenergized the news media, why BuzzFeed decided to publish the Trump dossier without verifying its claims, and how the Clinton campaign in 2016 overcompensated for its mistakes in 2008.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senator John McCain talks with David Axelrod about the threat Russia poses to Western democracies, why he is more worried now about America than he has ever been before, what he misses most about his early days in the House and Senate, and why Donald Trump is no Ronald Reagan.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Maddon, manager of the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs, joins David before Opening Day to talk about his working class upbringing in Pennsylvania, his path towards an unconventional leadership style, the Cubs' prospects for a repeat, and more.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Julián Castro, the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, talks with David Axelrod about why Housing and Urban Development programs are important to rural and urban communities and should be preserved; Donald Trump's strained relationship with the Latino community; the lessons Democrats can learn from 2016; and whether he plans to run for office again.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices