State of the Union - podcast cover

State of the Union

Hosted by CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, State of the Union features interviews with top newsmakers on politics and policy—covering Washington, the country, and the world.

Episodes

Interviews with: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, Former Vice President Mike Pence, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides, Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper

Israel responds after brutal Hamas terror attacks by formally declaring war. Will that war engulf the Middle East? US Secretary of State Antony Blinken joins Dana to discuss. Next, Congress rushes to condemn the Hamas attack and pledges to aid Israelis. But will the lack of a formal House Speaker hamper any US response? Dana gets reaction from key lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, Republican Senator Markwayne Mull...

Oct 08, 20232 hr 16 min

Interviews with: Rep. Matt Gaetz, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

First: Crisis averted as a surprise deal to stave off a government shutdown has passed. After the house speaker makes a deal with Democrats will Republican hard-liners try to oust him? The Republican leading that charge, Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks followed by Democratic congresswoman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.Next: Former President Donald Trump ramps up his violent rhetoric. Former aids warn he's unfit for office but does he have the GOP nomination all sewn up? Our political panel discusses the ...

Oct 01, 202348 min

Interviews with: Sec. Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Tim Burchett, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

First: The United States government continues to be on the verge of shutting down. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says that a shutdown should be avoided because it would prevent government workers such as air traffic control from being paid. He also voices support for UAW workers and President Biden's visit to striking workers in Michigan. Next: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars, a luxury car, and gold bars as bribes from wealthy businesspeople...

Sep 24, 202343 min

Interview with: Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mike Pence.

First: UAW workers at 3 major US auto manufacturer plants are on strike due to income inequality and poor conditions. Mike Pence says that the question of CEOs making 400 times as much as the average worker should be left to the companies' shareholders. Next: Sen. Bernie Sanders says he fully supports UAW's goals, and that companies could easily improve pay and benefits. The CEO of General Motors makes $29 million a year, while new workers make only $17 an hour. Later: The panel discusses the po...

Sep 17, 202344 min

Interviews with: Nikki Haley, Sec. Antony Blinken, Rep. Michael McCaul.

First: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley talks about the statement from the G20 on the war in Ukraine, describes China as "an enemy", and says the US should stop immigrants from entering the US from Mexico. Then: Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks about the statement from the G20 on the war in Ukraine, and declines to speak on Elon Musk's alleged prevention of a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian navy fleet. Later: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on ...

Sep 10, 202350 min

Interviews with: Secretary Gina Raimondo, Sen. Mike Rounds, and Rep. Nancy Mace.

First: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo talks to Dana Bash about US-China economic relations, the Biden administration's economic policy, and the economics of abortion restrictions. Next: Republican Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) speaks on Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) health status, hurricane relief efforts, and how he believes congress might avoid a government shutdown. Then: this week's panel, Kate Bedingfield, Doug Heye, Scott Jennings, and Faiz Shakir, discuss Florida Governor Ron Desantis refusin...

Sep 03, 202345 min

Interviews with: 2024 Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Family, Rep. Jamie Raskin, 2024 Candidate Asa Hutchinson, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker

First, three black Americans and a white shooter are dead after an attack in Jacksonville, Florida. The FBI is investigating the case as a hate crime. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy shares his thoughts. Plus, with Joe Biden's poll numbers stagnant, his one-time competitor Sen. Bernie Sanders heads to a key state with a warning. The panel shares their thoughts on the Republican debate without Donald Trump present. And the family of Martin Luther King, Jr. joins on the 60th anni...

Aug 27, 20231 hr 23 min

Interviews with: Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono, GOP Presidential Candidate Will Hurd, and Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman

First, Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii joins Jake to discuss what she witnessed after touring the wildfire devastation on Maui. Jake asks Sen. Hirono whether the federal response to the Maui fires is enough and gets her reaction to officials saying none of the 80 warning sirens on Maui were ever activated. To wrap-up, Jake asks Hirono if she thinks President Biden should declare a climate emergency.Next, Jake interviews GOP presidential candidate Will Hurd, who reacts to Georgia prosecutors obtainin...

Aug 13, 202342 min

Interviews with: John Lauro, Mike Pence, Chris Christie

First: Donald Trump lashes out after a 3rd indictment. How will he defend himself? Will he go to trial before the election? Trump's attorney John Lauro speaks.Next: Former Vice President and GOP presidential candidate Mike Pence criticizes Donald Trump and shares his thoughts on the case.Plus: With just 2 weeks left until the GOP debate, other candidates struggle to break through. Chris Christie joins us on the show and talks about his meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. ...

Aug 06, 202347 min

Interviews with: Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, Chris Murphy

First: As Donald Trump faces new charges with the potential for even more, he flexes his power over his party. Next: Republican presidential hopefuls take their message to key early states, but can they overtake the frontrunner without taking him on? 2024 candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie weigh in. Then: Is age just a number? Renewed concerns about aging political leaders. Candidates on both sides say it's time for a fresh start. What does the American public think? Democratic Sen. C...

Jul 30, 202341 min

Interviews with: Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Spencer Cox, Gov. Jared Polis.

First: As Donald Trump faces a potential third indictment over his actions around January 6th, one of the leaders who was there that day, former Vice President Mike Pence, joins to answer if he thinks Trump should be charged if the DOJ has evidence Trump committed a crime. Next: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi reacts to a potential third Trump indictment, Speaker McCarthy considering expunging impeachment measures against Trump, public sentiment of Biden amidst indications of US economic recovery, ...

Jul 23, 202345 min

Interviews with: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, GOP candidate Chris Christie, Sen. Mark Kelly

First, Jake Tapper and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan look at how deepening rifts in Congress are shaping defense priorities as Biden signals a drawn out war in Ukraine. Then, with the Iowa caucuses just six months away, new numbers reveal GOP voters' views on the field. Jake goes one-on-one with GOP Presidential candidate Chris Christie who speaks frankly about Trump's "lie" and flamboyant claim that his own recent indictments are "a great badge of honor and courage." Later, as the imp...

Jul 16, 202340 min

Interviews with: Rep. Michael McCaul, Rep. Barbara Lee

First, Jake goes one-on-one with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) to ask him why he sees nothing wrong with Biden sending cluster bombs to Ukraine. Rep. McCaul also responds to the Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen diplomatic relations with China. Next, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calf.) breaks with the Biden administration over its decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. Jake also asks Rep. Lee, notably the only House member to vote against the war in...

Jul 09, 202340 min

Interviews with: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican Presidential candidates Chris Christie and Will Hurd

First: Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talks to Dana Bash about the Supreme Court’s decision to block President Joe Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness program. Next: United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg reacts to the Supreme Court’s ruling limiting protections for LGBTQ+ Americans. Then: Former New Jersey Governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie weighs in on the Supreme Court rulings as well as former President Trump's legal per...

Jul 02, 202346 min

Interviews with: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ret. Gen. David Petraeus, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND)

First: Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks to Dana Bash about the latest developments in Russia and his recent trip to China, where he met with Xi Jinping. Next: Retired General and former CIA Director David Petraeus shares his thoughts on the state of Russian President Vladimir Putin following the failed Wagner insurrection. Then: Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar discusses the future of abortion rights a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Plus: North Dakota Repub...

Jun 25, 202342 min

Interviews with: Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), Former Defense Sec. Mark Esper, Mayor Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles)

First, Jake Tapper goes one-on-one with former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Christie tells Jake that former President Donald Trump is a “petulant child when someone disagrees with him” after several former officials criticized him over his federal indictment. Jake also presses Christie on whether he would pledge to support Trump if he is the Republican nominee for president in 2024. After, Rep. Mike Turner discusses Secretary Anthony Blinken’s trip to China as well as Trump’s alleged mish...

Jun 18, 202341 min

Interviews with: Judiciary Committee Chairman Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, GOP 2024 presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy & Asa Hutchinson.

First, Dana goes one-on-one with Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan. Bash pushes Jordan on the acceptability of former President Trump sharing information with individuals with no security clearance, and gets his reaction to Trump admitting on tape he knowingly shared classified information. Next, Dana interviews Rep. Dan Goldman, who responds to Rep. Jordan repeatedly asserting Trump had the remit to declassify every document he removed from the White House. Bash then asks Goldman if ...

Jun 11, 202343 min

Interviews with: Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Ken Buck, OMB Director Shalanda Young

First, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) sits down with Dana to react to CNN’s reporting that federal prosecutors have audio of former President Trump discussing a classified document he kept after leaving office. Rep. Raskin also responds to voters’ concerns about President Biden’s age and answers when he’ll make his decision on running whether he’ll run for Senate. Then, Dana speaks with conservative hard-liner Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) about the House Freedom Caucus’ influence after a majority of Repub...

Jun 04, 202341 min

Interviews with: Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

First: President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an "agreement in principle" last night to raise the debt limit. But with lawmakers on both sides skeptical, do they have the votes to pass it? Jake Tapper speaks with one of the GOP negotiators, South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson, as well as Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Representative Pramila Jayapal. Next: More Republicans have jumped into the 2024 presidential race, but Donald Trump continues to dominate the polls. Who, if...

May 28, 202348 min

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 i...

May 21, 202341 min

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 ...

May 14, 202341 min

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 ...

May 07, 202341 min

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 pane...

Apr 30, 202341 min

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 previ...

Apr 23, 202341 min

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 ...

Apr 16, 202342 min

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 do...

Apr 09, 202344 min

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 ...

Apr 02, 202343 min

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 mone...

Mar 26, 202342 min

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. ...

Mar 19, 202341 min

Interviews with: OMB Director Shalanda Young, Gary Cohn, Rep. Nancy Mace, Vivek Ramaswamy

First, guest anchor Kaitlan Collins sits down with the White House Director of Office Management and Budget Shalanda Young to discuss what actions the Biden administration will take to stabilize the financial system after the stunning collapse of Silicon Valley Bank this week.Next, South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace joins to discuss the future direction of the Republican Party and Mike Pence’s forceful comments that history will hold Donald Trump accountable for the January 6 insurrection...

Mar 12, 202351 min
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