Episodes

  • Ep. 580 — Jen Psaki

    Ep. 580 — Jen Psaki
    May 16 2024
    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 as a young campaign staffer to explaining to her kids why they should eat vegetables. With her new book, “Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World,” Psaki delves into what she’s learned about effective communication over the years. She joined David to talk about her book, the Biden administration’s messaging on the economy, how people are multilayered yet often caricatured, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the ongoing war in Gaza. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Ep. 579 — Cyrus Habib

    Ep. 579 — Cyrus Habib
    May 9 2024
    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 lost his eyesight to cancer at 8 years old, but that didn’t stop him from collecting such accolades as degrees from Yale and Oxford and the role of Washington state lieutenant governor by the age of 35. While he valued helping those in need, he felt he could make a difference more authentically by removing the ego of political office and leaning into his faith. He joined David to talk about growing up as the son of Iranian immigrants and how his parents taught him his blindness was not his identity, interning for then-Senator Hillary Clinton following 9/11 and how it changed his outlook on public service, and deciding to convert to Catholicism and join the Jesuit order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Ep. 578 — Frank Bruni

    Ep. 578 — Frank Bruni
    May 2 2024
    “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 culture obsessed with feeling victimized, searching for every micro-aggression, and leaning in to personal grievance as a sort of social currency. Frank joined David to talk about his book, the civic challenges posed by grievance, why Ron DeSantis is the most emblematic politician of our era, the need for political reform, protests on college campuses, and how to approach others with more grace and less judgement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep. 577 — Ken Buck

    Ep. 577 — Ken Buck
    Apr 25 2024
    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. He is Princeton educated, but beelined for the Rocky Mountain West upon graduating. He is a former Freedom Caucus conservative who voted to certify the 2020 election and believes some of the charges against Donald Trump should be taken seriously. He resigned his seat in March 2024, citing the current dysfunction in Congress. Former Rep. Buck joined David to talk about his take on the Republican MAGA wing, Speaker Mike Johnson and how long he’ll hold his leadership role, attacks on the Department of Justice, his issues with the Affordable Care Act, and the importance of bipartisanship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep. 576 — Fareed Zakaria

    Ep. 576 — Fareed Zakaria
    Apr 18 2024
    According to Fareed Zakaria, we are living in an age of revolution, kindled by the converging factors of technological advancement, information proliferation, globalization, and cultural shifts. He joined David during a live taping of The Axe Files at the University Club of Chicago to talk about what he discovered in researching his new book, “Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present,” how past revolutions inform today, how the US electoral system magnifies polarization, the ways in which the ideas of left and right politics have changed, and his mixed feelings on the upcoming trials of former President Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    57 mins
  • Ep. 575 — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

    Ep. 575 — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
    Apr 11 2024
    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 as an effective leader with a knack for building consensus and pushing landmark legislation across the finish line. She joined David live at Arizona State University to talk about the political skills she learned from her father, her work to pass the Affordable Care Act, her unfavorable opinion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, why she wishes the Department of Justice would have moved faster on investigating January 6, 2021, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Ep. 574— Sister Simone Campbell

    Ep. 574— Sister Simone Campbell
    Apr 4 2024
    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 further fueled by the early loss of her sister to Hodgkin's lymphoma. Sister Simone joined David to talk about making a name for herself as an advocate for the Affordable Care Act, deciding to attend law school in addition to taking her vows as a Catholic nun, intertwining her faith with activism, and centering her faith in the present. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Ep. 573 — David Plouffe and Karl Rove

    Ep. 573 — David Plouffe and Karl Rove
    Mar 28 2024
    This episode is a little different from the normal Axe Files. David sat down at Arizona State University with two legendary political strategists: Karl Rove, the architect of George W. Bush’s campaigns, and David Plouffe, David’s old partner and the brilliant manager behind the 2008 Barack Obama campaign. You can find their personal stories in past episodes of The Axe Files (Karl Rove episode #80, and David Plouffe episodes #43 and #418), but in this conversation, they talked about the Biden-Trump rematch, which they all agreed is the most unusual campaign of their lifetimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 6 mins