
CNN One Thing
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.
Latest episodes

Jun 8, 2025 • 22min
How Trump’s Coal Cuts are Hitting His Diehards
President Donald Trump wants coal to be king again – but what about the people who have risked everything to extract it? A CNN investigation has revealed how the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have slashed protections for vulnerable coal miners.
Guest: Kyung Lah, CNN Senior Investigative Correspondent
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895.
Episode Photo by: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 4, 2025 • 29min
A GOP Trump Critic Wants Others to Speak Out. Will They Listen?
A post-Trump GOP Is years away, but some are already planning. In a conversation recorded live at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival, we hear from one of Trump’s loudest critics from his first term about whether current Republicans can push back without jeopardizing their political futures.
Guest: Jeff Flake, former US Ambassador to Turkey
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 1, 2025 • 20min
Under RFK Jr.’s HHS, Who Decides the Facts?
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that the Covid-19 vaccine will no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women has sparked concern among many health experts. We hear from one of them who thinks this is just the latest in a line of moves that could undermine trust in science.
Guest: Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895.
Episode photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 28, 2025 • 22min
Congress Makes the Case for Crypto
President Donald Trump’s embrace of the cryptocurrency industry has boosted the value of multiple digital assets, while raising thorny conflict of interest questions stemming from his personal crypto ventures. We break down a bill moving through Congress that could have wide-ranging impacts – even for those who have never invested in crypto.
Guest: Hilary Allen, Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 25, 2025 • 25min
‘Total Disaster’: Why Some Fear Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill
The House passed President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill on Thursday, despite divisions within the GOP. We break down what’s in it and hear from a Medicaid recipient who is worried she could lose coverage at the worst possible time.
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 21, 2025 • 23min
How Trump Clouded America’s Weather Forecasting
As hurricane season approaches, the National Weather Service is grappling with a DOGE-fueled staffing shortage that has left some local offices unable to operate 24/7. A former meteorologist explains why it’s leaving behind a patchwork system that could threaten lives when disaster strikes.
Guest: Andrew Freedman, CNN Climate & Weather Senior Reporter & Brian LaMarre, former NWS meteorologist
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 18, 2025 • 22min
What to Expect When You’re Expecting More Tariffs
The US and China have agreed to drastically walk back their trade war – for now. But will consumers feel the pain anyway? The co-founder of a baby products company tells us why he isn’t afraid to talk to his customers about tariffs.
Guest: Michael Wieder, Lalo co-founder
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 14, 2025 • 21min
Trump, a Newborn, and Her Parents' Birthright Fight
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Thursday in a case involving President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order. We examine how the outcome could impact other Trump court cases and hear from immigrant parents of a new baby who are worried their child could be branded an ‘outcast.’
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 11, 2025 • 21min
Air Traffic, Out of Control?
The Department of Transportation announced it will build a “brand new air traffic control system” by 2029. It follows more than a week of massive delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport sparked by a frightening communications blackout. We look at the plan for the new system and hear from a former air traffic controller who says government funding is at the heart of the problem.
Guest: Michael McCormick, Air Traffic Management Program Coordinator at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University & Alexandra Skores, CNN Transportation Reporter
Have a question about the news? Have a story you think we should cover? Call us at 202-240-2895. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 9, 2025 • 19min
Conclave Watch: The Book That 'Pope Pilled’ The Internet
Interest in the 2024 Oscar-winning film “Conclave” skyrocketed as Cardinals gathered in Rome this week and elected Pope Leo XIV. We talk with the author of the book that inspired the movie, who shares why he thinks the story has resonated with Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
Guest: “Conclave” author Robert Harris Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices