

CNN One Thing
CNN Podcasts
You’ve been overwhelmed with headlines all week – what's worth a closer look? One Thing takes you beyond the headlines and helps make sense of what everyone is talking about. Host David Rind talks to experts, reporters on the front lines and the real people impacted by the news about what they've learned – and why it matters. New episodes every Wednesday and Sunday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 21, 2025 • 23min
Disney Caves to Trump’s FCC. What Does it Mean for the Rest of Us?
Disney’s decision to yank ABC host Jimmy Kimmel off the air following FCC pressure has outraged fans, performers and Democratic politicians. Will other prominent anti-Trump voices be next? We hear from someone who used to be in charge of the FCC who says the regulator is going overboard.
Guest: Tom Wheeler, former FCC Chairman
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Host: David Rind
Producer: Paola Ortiz
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 17, 2025 • 20min
Is Kash Patel’s Bro-Coded FBI Dropping the Ball?
In the days since the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, FBI Director Kash Patel has been scrutinized for a series of missteps some believe hindered the investigation. However, experts say a series of other shakeups at the agency could have an even greater impact on US law enforcement going forward. Will President Trump stick with him?
Guest: Evan Perez, CNN Senior Justice Correspondent
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Host: David Rind
Producer: Paola Ortiz
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 14, 2025 • 20min
Charlie Kirk Was Killed. Now What?
The apparent assassination of Charlie Kirk has both sides of the aisle calling on Americans to ‘lower the temperature’ of political rhetoric. But we’ve been here before – is there actually any chance that happens? We hear why Kirk was so effective in motivating young conservatives and look at what could happen next.
Guest: Alex Stone & Lilliana Mason, SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins Professor of Political Science
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Host: David Rind
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin
Editorial Support: Donie O’Sullivan & Sean Clark Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 10, 2025 • 21min
Can Mass Deportations and ‘Made in America’ Coexist?
A massive immigration enforcement operation at a Hyundai manufacturing plant in Georgia is being described as one of the most extensive immigration raids in recent US history. But the incident has ensnared South Korea, a key US ally, which is learning a lesson that doing business with the Trump administration is much more complicated than expanding investment.
Guests: Charles Kuck, founding partner at Kuck Baxter Immigration & Allison Morrow, CNN Business Senior Writer
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Host: David Rind
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 7, 2025 • 18min
Deployed and Dejected: The National Guard in DC
As President Donald Trump threatens to send National Guard troops into other cities to fight crime, troops from at least six GOP-led states continue to patrol Washington, DC. We hear why the unorthodox mission is weighing on some guard members and their families back home.
Guest: Isabelle Khurshudyan, CNN Senior Enterprise Reporter/Writer
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Host: David Rind
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin
Editorial Support: Nicky Robertson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 3, 2025 • 21min
Can You Trust the CDC?
What’s next for the CDC after its director was fired? Have politics fully infiltrated public health? And where should Americans turn for reliable health guidance? We turn to someone who used to run the agency for answers.
Guest: Dr. Richard Besser, former acting CDC director
Have something you think we should know? Call us at 202-240-2895.
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Host: David Rind
Producer: Paola Ortiz
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin
Editorial Support: Jamie Gumbrecht Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 31, 2025 • 22min
Devastated by Katrina, Rescued by Music
20 years after the levees broke, New Orleans continues to feel the impacts from Hurricane Katrina. We hear from three generations of Katrina survivors about how music has helped the city recover and move forward.
Guests: Michael White, Keith Frazier, Jaron “Bear” Williams
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Host: David Rind
Producer: Paola Ortiz
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 27, 2025 • 21min
Why Trump’s Attempt to Reshape the Fed Could Backfire
President Donald Trump continues to insist that his aggressive tariff policies will not raise prices for consumers. But little by little, customers are starting to see the opposite. We hear about the phenomenon called ‘sneakflation’ (and why it may not actually be so sneaky) and how Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook could impact the entire economy.
Guest: Justin Wolfers, University of Michigan Professor of Public Policy and Economics
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Host: David Rind
Producer: Paola Ortiz
Senior Producer: Faiz Jamil
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin
Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 24, 2025 • 21min
Might at the Museum: Trump Targets the Smithsonian
Critics say President Donald Trump’s attacks on the Smithsonian museum system amount to an attempt to whitewash American history. A historian tells us why the administration's claims about ‘overemphasizing’ slavery do a disservice to all Americans.
Guest: Leah Wright Rigueur, political historian & associate professor, Johns Hopkins University
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Host: David Rind
Producer: Paola Ortiz
Senior Producer: Faiz Jamil
Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin
Support: Piper Hudspeth Blackburn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 20, 2025 • 21min
He Used to Lead ICE. He Doesn’t Love What He’s Seeing.
John Sandweg, former acting ICE director during the Obama administration, dives into the controversial tactics used by ICE today. He discusses the public outcry over aggressive operations and the implications of masked agents. Sandweg highlights the tragic consequences of intensified enforcement and the challenge of maintaining community trust in law enforcement. He raises concerns about the future of ICE recruitment amidst its tarnished reputation, reflecting on how these issues affect the agency's morale and effectiveness.