The Takeout with Major Garrett

CBS News national correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti joins Major to discuss his new book, Before It's Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America, out this week from Simon & Schuster. Vigliotti, who is frequently called upon by CBS to cover natural disasters and their impact on American communities, shares stories of survivors with, "lessons to teach us all of what they have been through, of what they have witnessed." He recounts the near-death experience he and his photographer encountered during the 2019 Kincaid Fire in Sonoma County, California: "There was no way out. There was no exit." Plus: the roles that beavers play in combating climate change. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we focus our attention on the new nine-part Netflix documentary series Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War, which offers viewers a comprehensive look at the Cold War and its aftermath. Major chats with Turning Point director Brian Knappenberger, an accomplished documentary filmmaker whose team conducted over 100 interviews with a variety of subjects: survivors of the atomic blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, current or former world leaders and many other key figures of the Cold War era. Knappenberger says his doc series aims to tell a story about the reverberations from the invention of the atomic bomb and that while it's primarily a look back at the events of the Cold War, it also reflects "the tension we're feeling now" with Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing quest to make Russia powerful again. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's guest wears several hats: he's an author, a data analyst, a tech businessman and a former gubernatorial candidate in his home state of Rhode Island. Ken Block, who joined Major for breakfast at Any Day Now in D.C.'s Navy Yard neighborhood, was also briefly employed by the Trump campaign to hunt for voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Block's new book, Disproven, details his unbiased search for evidence of fraud that ultimately, "wasn't there." He tells Major that he's worried about the election fraud narratives bubbling up ahead of the 2024 presidential election and warns that former President Trump, "has to be mindful that the election denialism is not a winning message." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su joins Major this week for dinner at Anju in Dupont Circle to discuss President Biden’s State of the Union promise of an economic soft landing. Su, who has been serving as Biden's acting Labor secretary since her nomination stalled in the Senate, also addresses her confirmation prospects and the criticism she's endured from her opponents. Plus: the “moment” unions are experiencing across industries, from restaurant workers to actors in Hollywood. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The man with one of the most coveted jobs in journalism, Anthony Mason, joins Major for breakfast at Carnegie Diner & Cafe in New York City's Times Square District. The veteran CBS News man currently serves as the network's senior culture correspondent, which means he's frequently profiling some of the biggest names in music. According to Anthony, carving out this unique lane was "entirely an accident" after a chance encounter with a CBS News Sunday Morning producer which led to him landing his first big fish: Bruce Springsteen. Anthony takes us behind-the-scenes of his interviews with the Boss, Neil Diamond, Adele, Pharrell and many more of music's most fascinating stars. It's Anthony Mason's greatest hits - and there's no B-sides or skips!This episode was recorded in December 2023. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Political analysts Joe Klein and John Ellis discuss President Biden's age, Michelle Obama's potential candidacy, Trump and Biden's border visits, Supreme Court's Trump immunity case, and Mitch McConnell stepping down. They also delve into concerns about Biden's mental acuity, the conflict in Gaza, the evolving journalism landscape, and the use of AI in news production.

Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) is disappointed with the state of Congress. "It's been a rough couple of months," McHenry told Major on this week's episode. McHenry is frustrated that his fellow House Republicans "played politics" and didn't pass the national security supplemental. He believes a majority of House members will support aid for Ukraine if it's allowed to come to the floor. McHenry, who served as temporary Speaker of the House for three weeks last year after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted, says that whether or not we have a government shutdown in March depends on Speaker Mike Johnson. He puts the odds for a shutdown at 50-50, calling it a "preventable disaster." McHenry also talks about the border, the threat of Russia, Trump's legal cases and investigations of Biden's family, and his impending retirement from Congress. Tune in! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anne Neuberger, the White House's Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, joins Major this week to discuss the threat of attacks from cyber criminals, mostly based in Russia, who target vulnerable systems like hospitals and schools and hold data hostage for ransom. She details actions that the U.S. government is taking, often in coordination with international partners, to stop these attacks. Neuberger also shares her views on artificial intelligence – both the benefits and potential pitfalls.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Major sits down with Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab to discuss former President Trump’s 14th Amendment case and whether a criminal conviction is needed to keep him off the ballot. “He hasn’t been tried," argues Schwab, a Republican who is against an “arbitrary authority” making the call. “I don't think you need a criminal conviction and neither does the law,” Fontes, a Democrat, counters. The secretaries also weigh in on election denialism, the threat of AI on democracy and “sore losers” in government. This episode was recorded on February 6th at Dirty Habit in D.C.'s Penn Quarter neighborhood. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

United States Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power joins Major this week to share her thoughts on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. She argues for the importance of both military and economic assistance for Ukraine from the US and Europe and warns, "If this economic support gets cut off, Putin can win this war without firing a shot." Power also weighs in on the allegations that a dozen United Nations Relief and Works Agency employees participated in the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas and discusses the need to surge humanitarian aid into Gaza. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices