The Axe Files with David Axelrod

This holiday season, we are revisiting a conversation from March 2017 with Madeleine Albright, the trailblazing American scholar, diplomat, and Secretary of State. She passed away in 2022, but her inspiring personal story and her extraordinary insights into this complicated world are timeless. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former White House staffer and author Cassidy Hutchinson discusses her book 'Enough', her time in the White House, her relationship with the Republican Party, and her appearance as a star witness in a televised hearing about the events of January 6th at Capitol Hill.

Although author Sara Paretsky grew up in Kansas, she said it was her summer in Chicago volunteering during the civil rights movement in 1966 that marked the “defining experience” on her life. Second wave feminism similarly influenced Sara, culminating in the creation of V.I. Warshawski, a stereotype-smashing, hardboiled, female private eye, who leads 22 of Sara’s crime novels. Sara joined David to talk about her family history, the recent rise in antisemitism, using her writing to give voice to the marginalized, the creation of V.I. Warshawski, and Sara’s work on abortion and women’s rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journalist Tim Alberta grew up in the evangelical church and has watched with both concern and interest as some factions of the faith have changed over the years. Following the death of his pastor father, Tim decided to take a closer look at American evangelicalism. He published the book “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism” in December 2023. Tim joined David to talk about his new book, the profitability and politicization of the evangelical movement, the Moral Majority and the history of evangelical victimization, Donald Trump’s threat to religious freedom, and the real Nikki Haley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow always wanted to design cars. While that didn’t quite pan out—although she did spend some time working for Mattel on Hot Wheels—she has made a name for herself as a legislator after a speech she gave on the Michigan Senate floor rebuking GOP culture wars went viral in 2022. Sen. McMorrow joined David to talk about her Catholic upbringing rooted in service, her journey from industrial design to politics, the war in the Middle East and her disgust over politicization of human suffering, Michigan politics, and why she thinks Democrats need to prioritize good candidates at all levels of government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Walter Massey is a uniquely accomplished and fascinating American. Raised in the segregated South, Walter became one of only a handful of Black physicists in the 1960s and went on to hold leadership roles at laboratories, universities, and briefly Bank of America during the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis. He joined David to talk about his work bringing more minorities into the sciences, his involvement in civil rights as a professor, nuclear energy and scientific research, and Covid-19’s effect on trust in the scientific community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ambassador David Pressman, a human rights advocate, discusses supporting LGBT rights in Hungary, being targeted by state-run media, and the threat of Vladimir Putin to democracy. He reflects on his career, including working with Madeline Albright and George Clooney, and emphasizes the importance of determination in accomplishing goals.

Former Obama campaign members Jon Favreau, Robert Gibbs, Reggie Love, and Alyssa Mastromonaco share memories, reflect on the historic nature of the 2008 election, and discuss topics such as writing Obama's victory speech, the weight of the financial crisis, the significance of Obama's presidency, and the power of hope in his speeches.

Journalist McKay Coppins has been linked to Sen. Mitt Romney since he covered Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. As a fellow Mormon from Massachusetts, McKay was seen as a “Mormon whisperer” by his fellow reporters on the trail. Now, with the help of dozens of interviews and access to Romney’s journals and emails, McKay has written “Romney: A Reckoning.” He joined David to talk about his new book, the political evolution of Romney and the Republican Party, the omnipresence of Romney’s father in his life and career decisions, political idealism, Donald Trump, and Romney’s sense of legacy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Israeli journalist Ilana Dayan discusses the first 24 hours after Hamas attacked Israel, America's involvement, the helplessness felt in Israel, potential expansion of the war, political fallout for Netanyahu and Likud party, and the future of Israeli-Palestinian relationship and peace.