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 inspiring as we have, and we’ll miss sharing stories with you each week. For the final episode, David talked with his friend, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who is finishing up his time abroad. Known f…

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 Donald Trump, Scott has a deep background in Republican politics, yet he considers himself a journalist at heart. Scott joined David to talk about his early days in radio news, his childhood in rural …

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. She grew up in Texas and attended Reed College before settling in rural Washington and opening an auto repair shop with her husband. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez joined David to talk about her upbringing as …

This Thanksgiving, we’re revisiting a conversation with historian and writer Jon Meacham on his book, “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle.” The book dives deep into Lincoln and the why behind the actions of America’s 16th president, from personal to political. Jon joined David to talk about Lincoln’s anti-slavery roots, …

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 mandate—getting his boss elected. In the weeks following his successful stint as co-manager of Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, the former Marine joined David to talk about his upbringing in the Pittsburgh a…

Democratic pollster John Anzalone wants voters to know that pollsters are not prognosticators. Instead, they use their findings to help craft strategy and messaging, and John has some advice for the Democratic Party after the 2024 election. He joined David to talk about the over saturation of lower quality polling, the need for Democrats to retool …

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 origins of The Axe Files, some of the most memorable moments from the podcast, what David has learned about people and politics through the show, and what David will be watching for on election night. Le…

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 nationally syndicated morning show reaching millions of listeners each month. He talked to David about growing up in a small town in South Carolina, addressing his mental health and how it changed his …

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 Washington, D.C. bubble. So, he decided to get back on the road, traveling from state to state and talking to people on the ground in the lead up to the 2024 election with his All Over the Map project. Joh…

Ilana Dayan, a prominent Israeli journalist, spoke with David last fall, just days after the October 7 massacre in Israel perpetrated by Hamas. One year later, David checked in with Ilana to talk about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s staying power, reporting on Gaza, recognizing the US’s political calculations in its dealings with Israe…

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has been thinking about the economy since she was a young girl in the working-class neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, keenly attuned to how broader economic trends impacted the employment of her neighbors. Once she took her first economics class in college, she was hooked. She has since spent her career moving bet…

As a child, journalist Kasie Hunt eagerly awaited the arrival of “Time” magazine each week. She loved current events, which eventually piqued her interest in national security and journalism. She joined David to talk about growing up in a post-war period and watching 9/11 puncture that feeling of safety, covering Jan. 6 as a Capitol Hill reporter, …

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 would work to alleviate human suffering. That mission took him to the Army and jobs in the non-profit sector and government, including his current role as the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affa…

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 about his struggles with depression and mental health. He joined David to talk about growing up in Compton, California, surrounded by both gang violence and a strong, loving family; basketball as an …

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 why do we respond so viscerally to the ones that work? Audie talks with DJ Cassidy, who DJ'd the DNC Roll Call. And Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, who studies the use of music in political campaigns. Learn more…

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 book, “The Art of Power,” the two again met to talk at the University Club of Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. Although they spoke before an audience, it sounded more like a convers…

As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to take the stage for the final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention as the Democratic presidential nominee, we are re-airing a conversation David had with Harris back in 2017. At the time, she was the new senator from California. They sat down to talk about the prospects for criminal justice ref…