Anderson Cooper 360

Latest Episodes:

Biden and Putin to meet as relations at lowest point since Cold War Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

President Joe Biden will meet with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday and U.S. officials say it could last four to five hours. Biden said he’s going to “make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate if he chooses.” A source tells CNN Biden will raise an array of concerns including ransomware and human rights during the summit. The New York Times Foreign Affairs Columnist Thomas Friedman tells Anderson Cooper “our problem is Vladimir Putin has become America’s bad ex-boyfriend from hell” and we would “really like to date someone else.” Plus, the U.S. reached 600,000 Covid-19 deaths as the new, dangerous Delta variant is on the rise. Both New York and California have reopened and dropped most of their restrictions. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy joins AC360 to discuss the grim death toll and just how worried people should be about the Delta variant.

Airdate: June 15, 2021

Guests:

Thomas Friedman

Dr. Vivek Murthy

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Biden preparing intensely for Putin’s tactics with aides and allies Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

President Joe Biden has been using his spare time on his European tour to prepare intensely for his meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Biden has been leaving his mornings free for consultations with advisers like Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. CNN’s Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward joins AC360 to discuss the President’s upcoming meeting with Putin. Plus, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said her comments comparing mask mandates and vaccination passports to the Holocaust were “offensive” after she visited the Holocaust museum. Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen is Jewish and tells Anderson Cooper he thinks it was good she apologized and went to the museum but her apology and speech after “didn’t sound like it came from the heart.”



Airdate: June 14, 2021

Guests:

Clarissa Ward

Rep. Steve Cohen

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump DOJ requested data on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses from Apple Jun 12, 2021

Show notes

The Department of Justice under former President Trump demanded metadata from Apple on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, the company said. It was part of the DOJ’s leak investigation that targeted Democratic members of Congress, staffers and their families. One target of the investigation was House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who held a briefing today with fellow Democrats. A source tells CNN the Democratic committee members were “animated” in trying to figure out who at the DOJ and in the Trump administration were behind the effort to seize their records. Rep. Jim Himes is a member of the committee. He joins AC360 to discuss the latest in the investigation and whether or not he thinks any of his records were seized. Plus, former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe knows what it’s like to be the subject of a leak investigation. He tells AC360 “when you see that the machinery of the Department of Justice has been activated against you and they’re actively trying to throw you in jail, it is absolutely terrifying.”

Airdate: June 11, 2021

Guests:

Rep. Jim Himes

Andrew McCabe

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bipartisan group of 10 senators agree on infrastructure plan Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

A bipartisan group of ten senators say they’ve reached an agreement on infrastructure that would be “fully paid for and not include tax increases.” The group was compromised of five Democrats and five Republicans but some members of the Senate Democratic Caucus have threatened to oppose it. Democratic Strategist James Carville joins AC360 to discuss how difficult it will be to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill if Democrats can’t even get on the same page. Plus, the FDA’s vaccine advisers debated the urgency of getting children vaccinated against Covid-19. Dr. Cody Meissner, director of pediatric infectious diseases at Tufts University School of Medicine, tells AC360 why he thinks it’s too early to be vaccinating kids.

Airdate: June 10, 2021

Guests:

James Carville

Dr. Cody Meissner

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Biden sets ambitious agenda on first overseas trip Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda is stalled in Washington, D.C. while he is overseas for his first trip abroad to talk with world leaders. Biden is set to meet with Russia President Vladimir Putin next week and says he won’t hold back and the U.S. will “respond in a robust and meaningful way if the Russian government engages in harmful activities.” David Axelrod is a former senior adviser to President Obama and has been on similar trips. He tells AC360 the President feels “quite confident” on the global stage and this is “comfortable terrain” for him. Plus, a growing number of Democrats are urging Biden and the Democratic leadership to act without their Republican colleagues to get legislation passed in Congress as bipartisan negotiations around infrastructure and gun reform seem to have crumbled. Democratic Sen. Ed Markey joins AC360 to discuss whether he thinks bipartisanship is a realistic goal to getting Biden’s agenda passed.

Airdate: June 9, 2021

Guests:

David Axelrod

Sen. Ed Markey

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

White House negotiations with Capito-led Republicans officially done Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

Infrastructure negotiations between President Joe Biden and a group of Republican senators led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito broke down. Sen. Capito said Biden “ultimately chose not to accept the very robust and targeted infrastructure package, and instead, end our discussions” and “this does not mean bipartisanship isn't feasible.” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine joins AC360 to discuss and says “if the Republicans decide they don’t want to engage, we’ll move forward anyway with tools at our disposal.” Plus, in an exclusive interview with Anderson Cooper, former President Barack Obama criticized Republicans for embracing 2020 election falsehoods and said they’ve been “cowed into accepting” a series of positions that "would be unrecognizable and unacceptable even five years ago or a decade ago.” Former Senior Adviser to Obama Valerie Jarrett tells AC360 the Republican party has become “completely unrecognizable.”

Airdate: June 8, 2021

Guests:

Sen. Tim Kaine

Valerie Jarrett

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NY Times: Trump Organization executive testifies before a grand jury Jun 05, 2021

Show notes

The New York Times reports that senior Trump Organization financial official Jeffrey McConney has testified before a grand jury in Manhattan as part of an investigation into former President Trump and his company. Former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams tells Anderson Cooper this is a sign that “they’re putting pressure” on the Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer, Allan Weisselberg, in an “attempt to get him to cooperate in the investigation” and potentially testify against the former President. Plus, Facebooks says Trump is now suspended from their platform until at least January 2023. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin joins AC360 to discuss Trump’s suspension and the effect his refusal to admit the election wasn’t stolen has on the future of democracy.



Airdate: June 4, 2021

Guests:

Elliot Williams

Doris Kearns Goodwin

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Manchin signals he’s not ready to buck Republicans on key issues Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin holds a powerful position as a pivotal swing vote for the party and he’s made it clear he’s not ready to abandon Republicans for Democrats to try and push legislation on their own. The senator from West Virginia said bipartisan infrastructure talks should continue even as pressure builds for Democrats to move forward without any Republican support. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders joins AC360 to discuss Manchin’s stand on bipartisanship and says “I want to make the Senate work.” Plus, former Vice President Mike Pence said he’s spoken to former President Trump “many times” since they left office but “I don’t know if we will ever see eye to eye” about what happened on January 6 when rioters stormed the Capitol. He added he’s proud of their accomplishments and won’t let Democrats and “their allies in the media” use “one tragic day” to discredit millions of Americans. CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins tells Anderson Cooper it’s “stunning” for Pence to make these comments considering the rioters were chanting “hang Mike Pence” and he had to be escorted out.

Airdate: June 3, 2021

Guests:

Sen. Bernie Sanders

Kaitlan Collins

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Trump advisers: The former President is more obsessed than ever with the 2020 election Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

Advisers for former President Trump tell CNN that he is more obsessed than ever with the 2020 election and is listening to “the bottom of the bottom of the crazies in the barrel.” The New York Times is reporting Trump is telling his allies he expects to be reinstated as President by August, which is not even a possibility. Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger has been an outspoken critic of the former President and the lies his GOP colleagues have been spreading about the 2020 election. He joins AC360 to discuss whether or not he agrees that the American democracy is in peril. Plus, state lawmakers from Pennsylvania traveled to meet with members of the Arizona legislature about the “audit” happening in Maricopa County. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs joins AC360 to discuss the “audit” and says it’s “dangerous” and will do “nothing to determine the validity of election results.”

Airdate: June 2, 2021

Guests:

Rep. Adam Kinzinger

Katie Hobbs

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Biden slams GOP voting restrictions as “simply un-American” Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

President Joe Biden announced Vice President Kamala Harris will lead his administration’s efforts on voting rights. Biden condemned the efforts by Republican-led state legislatures to pass restrictive laws that the President called “simply un-American.” Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar tells Anderson Cooper she agrees with Biden that these restrictions are an “unprecedented assault on our democracy.” Plus, while Biden was in Tulsa, he seemed to call out two moderate Democratic senators “who vote more with my Republican friends,” likely referring to West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema. Both vote more with the Democrats than the Republicans but aren’t always aligned with the Democratic caucus on some key parts of the President’s agenda. CNN Senior Political Correspondent Abby Phillip was with Biden in Tulsa, Oklahoma and joins AC360 to discuss his comments.

Airdate: June 1, 2021

Guests:

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Abby Phillip

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices