Searching for America with Robyn Curnow (Robyn Curnow, Bleav)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Searching for America with Robyn Curnow
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| 23 Dec 2024 | Xmas cheer for the New Year | Robyn Curnow | 00:10:25 | |
Christmas Cheer (and Fear) this happy Yuletide! Greetings from the American South where the inflatable Santas are bigger and better and BBQ pork is a seasonal delicacy. Robyn Curnow is hopeful that the Trump team's better angels will sing this time around. She's hoping the push and pull between his Disrupters and his Enforcers will create a less chaotic Presidency and lessen the worst instincts of The Don. For various reasons, Americans have trusted Trump with the country - will he leave it in a better place or not?
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| 24 Sep 2024 | Three-day weekend in NYC in 1951 | Doug Heye | 00:15:29 | |
In this bonus episode, Republican strategist Doug Heye shows his foodie side by listing his favorite restaurants and imagining his dream dinner party with Julia Child, Thomas Jefferson and Hank Aaron. When Robyn Curnow asks him about his favorite Presidents, Doug Heye gives a surprising answer.
Favorite piece of music or movie: Frank Sinatra singing What makes him cry? Maybe a few tears were shed' seeing Bruce Springsteen sing "Thunder Road" Favorite American landscape: Yellowstone Favorite President; Ronald Reagan. George Washington. Richard Nixon. Sports team: Tar Heels. First job: Mr Barbecue, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "I'll never forget the customer who returned his french fries because they tasted like potatoes." SIGN UP FOR ROBYN'S NEWSLETTERS AND MORE FUN BONUS CONTENT AT http://www.searchingforamericapod.com | |||
| 01 Apr 2025 | Ooh La La! Coming back to America from France | Robyn Curnow | 00:08:19 | |
The paper-white flowers of the dogwood trees are out, along with fairy pink blossoms and bright azaleas. Spring is here in the American South. After hosting an event with Prince Albert in Monaco, Robyn Curnow reflects on coming 'Home' to America and using her new US passport for the first time.
http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow | |||
| 12 Sep 2024 | An American Soldier | Lt. Gen Mark Hertling (1) | 00:24:30 | |
What does it mean to die for America? What is it like losing men under your command? Why do so many American civilians dress up like soldiers in camouflage gear and carry deadly weapons of war? (Lt. Gen Mark Hertling has strong opinions about that...) General Mark Hertling earned the Purple Heart in Operation Desert Storm and commanded the US Army Europe and Seventh Army. He's a Westpoint graduate and has numerous university degrees. When she was a CNN anchor, Robyn Curnow and Mark Hertling had numerous conversations on air about battles, wars or terror attacks, but now Robyn gets a chance to ask Mark all the questions she never had the chance to during breaking news.
In this episode they dive into what it means to be an American soldier in divided times. @markhertling @robyncurnow @searchingusapod www.searchingforamericapod.com | |||
| 29 Oct 2024 | That's when we knew something was off with Bill Cosby | Ben Jealous | 00:11:59 | |
Ben Jealous has given thousands of speeches as an American civil rights leader but few would guess that he had a childhood stutter that still defines his patterns of speech. As a surfer, he says he tends to ride his words and sentences like a wave. When he was a kid, Bill Cosby humiliated his stammer which left Ben's family stunned at the contrast between Cosby's public and personal behavior. Take listen to Ben favourite things on this bonus b-roll episode. Ben Jealous Three words to describe America: Big, beautiful, and divided. Favorite landscape: Big Sur. Yosemite Family background: My father’s family arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, around 400 years ago, coming from England. My mom’s family has been here for around the same amount of time. They were among the earliest settlers and slaves in Virginia. One of my ancestors came on one of 17 slave ships from Madagascar, and she was most likely a pirate—16 out of 17 of those ships were piloted by known European pirates. http://www.instagram.com/sierraclub Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the American Experience | |||
| 04 Nov 2024 | The Here Be Dragons Election | Robyn Curnow and guests | 00:13:03 | |
Early European map makers drew dragons and wrote ‘Here Be Dragons’ on areas of the world that were still undiscovered or unknown. It is an HBD week in America. We are about to sail into uncharted waters, and it’s totally and utterly unclear what the waves will reveal after the election. In the first ten episodes of Searching for America, Robyn Curnow asked her guests to give her three words to describe America. Three words only. In this special election episode she piles all the words together and adds her own combination to the mix. Three words to describe America? At A Crossroads Us vs Them Divided. Hopeful. Protean | |||
| 01 Oct 2024 | The Hundred Year Old President | Kevin Sullivan | 00:25:18 | |
"I think the race is a toss up," says Kevin Sullivan, "Trump has really captured the Republican Party." In this episode of Searching for America, Robyn Curnow talks with Washington Post journalist Kevin Sullivan about all the president's he has interviewed. They discuss the enduring influence of Donald Trump, the dynamics of the Biden administration, and the role of Kamala Harris as a progressive leader. Sullivan shares insights from his experiences covering American politics and reflects on the legacy of Jimmy Carter who turned 100 on Oct 1. #America #Trump #Biden #Kamala Harris # Jimmy Carter #carter100
Chapters 00:00 Searching for America: Our Kevin Sullivan is NOT Kevin Sullivan the wrestler | |||
| 10 Sep 2024 | Walking into a military psych ward | Jason Kander (Part 2) | 00:15:31 | |
Jason Kander tells the (funny) story of when checked himself into a military psych ward for PTSD Jason Kander was 'sorta' running to be President when he realized he needed to back out of politics because he was suffering from PTSD after a deployment in Afghanistan. His New York Times Best Selling book is called Invisible Storm, a Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD. In a humorous account of when he checked himself into a military psychiatric ward, he explains to Robyn Curnow why the doctor thought he was hear ing voices (President Obama really did suggest he should run for President.) With the benefit of perspective and a healthy dose of therapy, Kander talks about the army, mental health and fighting for America. @jasonkander X www.searchingforamericapod.com Instagram: @robyncurnow | |||
| 02 Jan 2025 | New Year, New World | Jim Sciutto and Robyn Curnow | 00:23:53 | |
The world is changing and it reminds CNN's National Security analyst Jim Sciutto of the 19th Century. He joins Robyn Curnow to talk about how 2025 will continue to trend towards Great Power rivalry and how that will or will not change with President Trump's reemergence on the global stage.
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| 05 Dec 2024 | Biden's nothing-burger Africa trip | Robyn Curnow | 00:15:27 | |
Robyn Curnow covered all the previous US President's trips to Africa. She says Joe Biden's sleepy, whistle-stop trip to Angola is symbolic of U.S. weakness on the continent during his presidency. She interviewed President George W. Bush in Zambia, President's Carter and Clinton in South Africa and First Lady Michelle Obama in Botswana. She was there when President Obama attended Nelson Mandela's memorial service in Soweto and present in the White House Rose Garden when President Trump welcomed Nigeria's former President. Biden's legacy on the continent is so bad, she says a second Trump term can only do better. | |||
| 25 Feb 2025 | The USA Chaos Myth and Second Acts | Justin Farmer and Robyn Curnow | 00:42:09 | |
Robyn Curnow had friends from abroad reach out to say they’re worried about “the chaos” in America right now, and she tells each of them That she's patiently waiting to see what happens. Between But when it comes to everyday life? Her guest this week is Justin Farmer is a former news anchor turned CEO of a private investment firm. How does he feel about the “chaos” in the U.S.? And why did he leave his successful career as an anchor at WSB-TV to start Exit Wealth Management? This week's episode is about second acts - both Justin's and Donald Trump's. Justin Farmer http://www.x.com/wallst_farmer http://www.instagram.com/wallst_farmer Robyn Curnow http://www.searchingforamericapod.com | |||
| 04 Feb 2025 | Dive bars, happy places and bad dudes with a CIA legend (1) | Marc Polymeropoulos | 00:27:19 | |
CIA intelligence officer (ret.) Marc Polymeropoulos joins Robyn Curnow to talk about the successes and failures of his time on the frontlines in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, as well as his love of dive bars and heavy metal music. Marc was one of the CIA's most highly decorated operations officers. He specialized in counterterrorism, the Middle East and South Asia and was in charge of the CIA's clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia when he retired in 2019. http://www.searchingforamericapod.com
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| 25 Mar 2025 | Fishin' with Jesus, Hell and losing religion | Drew McCoy and Robyn Curnow | 00:33:55 | |
Growing up in a hyper religious household, Drew McCoy had to 'come out' to shocked family and friends when he realized he no longer believed in God. Now he tries to understand the religious instincts of his Texas community via his hugely popular You Tube channel called Genetically Modified Skeptic. Drew talks to Robyn Curnow about creationism, the bible and Donald Trump's evangelical political base. Both Drew and Robyn live in the South and they talk about country music, persecution themes in politics and the bracelets that teenagers are wearing which say What Would Jesus Do? SIGN UP FOR THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER http://www.searchingforamericapod.com | |||
| 15 Jan 2025 | Goat rodeos and space nukes | Jeffrey Lewis and Robyn Curnow | 00:31:32 | |
Robyn Curnow spoke to Jeffrey Lewis, pre-eminent American nuclear expert, State Department security advisor and a self-described ‘arms control wonk. ’ Robyn has known Jeffrey ever since he tweeted during President Trump’s first term that the administration’s nuclear plans were a ‘goat rodeo.’ But this time around, the world is different and Trump's team is different. They talk about non-rational actors, paranoid leaders and nuclear realities. And how Pres Trump has a great opportunity to use his power to get China and Russia to sign up to new arms control agreements for missile defense and other things. Robyn asked him what crazy weapons some countries were testing and where he thought nuclear proliferation was a problem for 2025. Jeffrey explains why he’s worried about the Russians going all sci-fi with a space nuke which can take out satellites and a long-range nuclear-armed underwater drone, which the North Koreans copied. He’s also concerned that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon (highly likely) then the Saudis, the Turks and the UAE will want to pony up too. And there’s the worry that Burma (Myanmar) is looking to build up its nuclear capability, alongside Taiwan and South Korea. Saddle up, listen up! Robyn Curnow PODCAST IS NOW ON YOUTUBE at http://youtube.com/@searchingforamericapodcast Jeffery Lewis. | |||
| 23 Oct 2024 | Please, no, American politics are not 'unprecedented' | Julian Zelizer | 00:30:00 | |
The son of a rabbi and a renowned sociologist, Julian Zelizer is a Princeton historian who studies modern American politics in a clear, cool way. Robyn Curnow - who has covered elections around the worlld wanted to know why the politics of Donald Trump has taken so firmly root in American life and why Americans get so amped up over single issues. And, Robyn (who was in the 'belly of the beast' at CNN) and Julian talk frankly about the mistakes the media made in covering Trump in the early days. And the arguments over if the Democrats are too radicalized and 'dangerously liberal,' as the Republicans call them.
Chapters 00:00 Complexities of American Politics
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| 13 Nov 2024 | What next, 'Merica? | Robyn Curnow | 00:13:42 | |
The electoral map is red, red, red. Across America, folks decided that they preferred Donald Trump to Kamala Harris. Why did the Democrats lose so badly? How did Trump get such a wide, and deep, mandate from the American public? A South African living in the American South, Robyn Curnow brings her outsider perspective to the conversation about why Trump won (which did not surprise her in the least.) She argues it's wrong to suggest that more than half of Americans have been brainwashed by rightwing media. Nor is every Trump voter racist and sexist. It's not that simple. http://www.searchingforamericapod.com
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| 22 Jan 2025 | Buckle up, Buttercup | Robyn Curnow | 00:19:15 | |
Trump's has power and political capital. Americans - over 60% - are optimistic and want his policy promises to succeed. The Democrats have lost the White House, the Senate, the House, the Village People and Silicon Valley in the last four years. Now the Techbros are in DC - looking to deregulate the future instead of litigating the past with identity politics. Chapters 00:00 Trump 2.0: A New Era Begins | |||
| 17 Sep 2024 | Back-to-school battles over ideas | Josh Clark | 00:22:26 | |
We need to immerse kids in more ambiguity, says headteacher Josh Clark, who is also on the board of the National Association of Independent Schools. How do the divisions in America manifest in schools? Is pressure to say the right thing and give the 'correct answer' stifling debate and critical thinking in classrooms? Why have kids lost the ability to put themselves in another person's shoes? Does simplification of complicated issues create less empathy? Josh Clark's dad was a prison warder which meant Josh grew up in the warder's house inside a prison complex in Hopewell, Virginia. "My first friend in life was Nelson. Nelson was an inmate who worked in our yard. He smuggled cocaine into the country in a private plane in the 70s. I was seven. I thought he walked on water." Growing up in the dynamic of the federal prison system gave Josh a perspective that informs his views on right, wrong, legal, illegal and the need to understand ambiguities and embrace complexity. | |||
| 17 Sep 2024 | Dazed and Confused, U.S.A. | Josh Clark | 00:14:53 | |
Josh Clark would love to time travel to the 1850's just before the Civil War when the country was dealing with what it meant to be an American. As a Southerner, who grew up Mississippi, he is intrigued by a country that was grappling with itself and at the same time embracing transcendentalism. He lists his favorite books from the pre-Civil War days, written during an time of national tension. Leaves of Grass, Moby Dick and the Scarlet Letter. Motto: Make it New. Best President: Abraham Lincoln. Greatest fear for America: Apathy What can bring Americans together in divided times? Football, of course. And in particular, college football in the South. (Go Tennessee...)
http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow http://www.searchingforamericapod.com
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| 11 Mar 2025 | Hamas tunnels, Ukraine and city warfare | John Spencer and Robyn Curnow | 00:34:51 | |
Urban Warfare expert John Spencer says the conflict in Gaza is unlike any other. Spencer tells Robyn Curnow about his four trips into Gaza with the IDF since the October 7 massacre. As a combat veteran, national security and military analyst, he has served as an advisor to Pentagon to the U.S. Military Academy. Israel's fight in Gaza is unique in modern warfare, he says. He says in other wars, tunnels are used by civilians to seek refuge. But Hamas uses them as an underground network to base their operations. They're Hamas initially were able to use them to slow IDF operations. John Spencer talks to Robyn Curnow about his groundbreaking access and research on urban warfare. His manual on fighting in cities was used by Ukrainians to defend their towns and cities and villages against the Russian advance. http://www.searchingforamericapod.com http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow http://www.instagram.com/searchingforamericapod JOHN SPENCER http://www.instagram.com/spencerguard http://www.johnspenceronline.com CHAIR OF URBAN WARFARE STUDIES, MODERN WAR INSTITUTE AT WEST POINT HOST of the URBAN WARFARE PROJECT PODCAST | |||
| 08 Oct 2024 | Farmers and Latinos for Trump | Leyla Santiago | 00:22:34 | |
Leyla Santiago, a proud Latina with Puerto Rican roots, lives in Trump turf, as she calls it. “My neighbor has a big sign that says Farmers for Trump. There's a huge sign downtown that basically says F@#k Joe Biden right across from the church, by the way.” For many Americans, the rural countryside is the 'real' America. Trump and his team have been hugely successful in crafting the image of rural life as something that is pure America; untainted and disrespected by outsiders, liberals and urbanites. Yard signs are always a surefire way to gauge political persuasion in a community. Leyla’s green leafy nook of the country, which is forty-five minutes away from the nearest store, wears its pro-Trump heart on front yards. “I think there is very much this us versus them mentality,” she says. “It's two Americas and one that is not easily understood. And so I think a lot of farmers that are for Trump will tell you that they want to vote for someone that's a little out of the box, somebody that understands them because they do feel that us versus them.” Latinos for Trump Trump has promised to be tough on immigration. It might just be the one issue that gives him the presidency for the second time and it could well be that Latino men in swing states are the ones to give it to him, even though Trump has used divisive language to describe South Americans coming across the southern border. I asked Leyla why many Latino men have moved right and support Trump’s hardline threats on immigration even though he’s used racist tropes to describe them? As a Latina woman with Puerto Rican background, Leyla says the Latino communities in the USA are a blend of different people in different places. “When he says they're coming over the border and they're not bringing their best, they're bringing the rapists and the criminals. Cubans don't consider themselves Mexicans, Puerto Ricans don't consider themselves Mexicans. And so it's a little bit like, yeah, he's talking about Latinos, but he's not talking about me.” Crucially, she says the Republicans messaging on the economy and inflation really connects to many Latinos who have a historical and personal dislike of leftist dictatorships. “They really targeted those Cubans in Miami by putting out things like Biden is a socialist, right? You say socialism to a Venezuelan or a Cuban that has a voting registration card in the US and those are fighting words, right? Like that is fear.” Chapters 00:00 Understanding Rural America: Yard signs in Virginia Keywords Rural America, Politics, Identity, Latino Voters, Media, Journalism, Young Voters, Trump, Harris, Election 2024 http://www.searchingforamericapod.com
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| 17 Dec 2024 | But You Don't Look Arab | Hala Gorani and Robyn Curnow | 00:29:23 | |
Gorani Street, Aleppo, Syria is where Hala Gorani's family lived for generations. As an American-born child of Syrian immigrant parents she and her extended family across the world are watching what is happening in Syria with a personal interest. As a journalist, Hala is reluctant to make predictions on how a post-Assad Syria will play out because she says disappointment is baked into the Syria expat experience. Hala Gorani and Robyn Curnow were correspondents and anchors together at CNN for over twenty years. When Hala left CNN she wrote a memoir called You Don't Look Arab and other Tales of Unbelonging. Now she is an NBC correspondent and avidly watching events in Syria. Robyn and Hala talk about about covering the Middle East, Hala's great, great grandmother who was kidnapped as a child and raised in a Constantinople harem and why they're both happier since leaving CNN. http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow http://www.searchingforamericapod.com
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| 01 Oct 2024 | Wizard of Oz and Singing Angels | Kevin Sullivan | 00:10:35 | |
Every week Robyn Curnow asks her guest the same questions in this bonus episode. Where would you go if you could time travel? Dream Thanksgiving dinner guest (dead or alive)? What does it mean to be an American? Why is the country polarized? Favorite movie? Kevin Sullivan lists his favorite things 02:49 Time Traveling | |||
| 18 Feb 2025 | Deviants and true crime | Andrew Iden | 00:32:33 | |
Why is there such an obsession with True Crime stories in America? Andrew Iden, host of the Deviant podcast, has made a career covering true crime stories. Robyn Curnow wanted to know, out of all of the crazy stories — which one stayed with him? He quickly said… BTK. The killer who would Bind. Torture. Kill. “He was a killer in the 70s and 80s and went dark for a long time. but he was literally living two separate lives.” True Crime as an industry Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy, The Zodiac Killer. Whether or not you know what their crimes, most Americans know their names. I want to know… why? Why is it that America loves true crime stories so much? Perhaps people are just drawn to stories of other people who stray from the path of “normalcy.” DEVIANT POD http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.instagram.com/ajiden ROBYN CURNOW | |||
| 08 Oct 2024 | Army Brat, Dolly Parton and Puerto Rico | Leyla Santiago | 00:16:37 | |
Leyla Santiago answers Robyn's questionnaire that she sends to all her guests before the show. Three words to describe America? Where did you grow up? If you could time travel, which era in American history would you like to visit? Why? Iconic American landscape that means something to you? Or epitomizes your America? Dream dinner party guests? Which Americans would you invite to you Thanksgiving table (dead or alive?) Chapters 00:00 Three words to describe America? | |||
| 07 Jan 2025 | China, baby, it's all about China | Jim Sciutto and Robyn Curnow | 00:20:23 | |
The Biggest New Year Challenge for America: China! CNN's National Security Analyst, fmr. Chief of Staff to the US Ambassador to China and author of The Return of Great Powers joins Robyn Curnow to talk about how 2025 will be the Year of the Xi-Dragon. Xi Jin Ping's ambitions clash with Donald Trump's plans - where do they battle it out and what does it mean for America and the rest of the world?
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| 23 Oct 2024 | The Son of a Rabbi, LBJ and the Grateful Dead | Julian Zelizer | 00:17:51 | |
What are the current American leaders like? Princeton historian Julian Zelizer tells Robyn Curnow his perceptions of Trump, Biden, Vance, Harris and other leaders he's interviewed. Three words to describe America right now? Fractured, divided and fragile. Time travel? Oval Office, 1960's during Lyndon Johnson Presidency Music? Grateful Dead Ideal dinner guests? Ella Backer, Martin Luther King, FDR, Jerry Garcia. http://www.searchingforamericapod.com http://www.x.com/julianzelizer
Chapters 00:00 Exploring American Identity
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| 19 Sep 2024 | Texas two-step and Bourbon | Sarah Smarsh | 00:10:17 | |
Even though her family says American politicians 'are all crooks,' Sarah Smarsh was asked to run for Senate after she became a rare voice of an ignored part of America; the white, poor, rural working class. She choose not to go to run for office but instead wrote another book about her life in Kansas while working to save the prairies and fight against the stereotypes that paint her people as backwards. The solution to American polarization? More honky-tonks, dancing and bourbon. Her favorite landscape? The American prairie where she lives. American movie? Wizard of Oz (even though everyone always says to her, 'You're not in Kansas anymore.") Dinner party guests (dead or alive)? Dolores Huerta. Jodie Foster. Toni Morrison. Three words to describe America? Stressed, militarized and empire. The USA spends to much money policing the world and underinvests in taking care of its own people. | |||
| 12 Sep 2024 | The Sounds of Battle | Lt. Gen Mark Hertling (2) | 00:18:20 | |
Why do so many American civilians dress up like soldiers in camouflage gear and carry deadly weapons of war? Lt. Gen Mark Hertling talks about what makes a soldier, and what it means to die for America. Hertling earned the Purple Heart in Operation Desert Storm and commanded the US Army Europe and Seventh Army. When she was a CNN anchor, Robyn Curnow and Mark Hertling had numerous conversations on air about battles, wars or terror attacks, but now Robyn gets a chance to ask Mark all the questions she never had the chance to during breaking news. In this episode they dive into what it means to be an American soldier in divided times. | |||
| 29 Oct 2024 | An election scarier than Halloween | Ben Jealous | 00:14:58 | |
Ben Jealous is one of America's civil rights leaders. He's worked with Kamala Harris in San Francisco and heads up the country's largest and oldest environmental group. Robyn Curnow talks to him about black men being 'Trump-curious,' white poverty and his personal story as the son of a mixed-race marriage that was illegal at the time.
http://www.searchingforamericapod.com http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow Ben Jealous "We've shut down 65,000 American factories in 30 years." "Eight out of 10 black men will vote for Kamala Harris." Chapters 00:00 The State of American Manufacturing and Economy Takeaways 65,000 American factories have shut down in 30 years. American economy, manufacturing, political predictions, voting trends, Kamala Harris, environmental issues, progressive politics, civil rights, grassroots organizing, electoral college | |||
| 10 Dec 2024 | Trump's Road to Damascus | Robyn Curnow | 00:11:05 | |
Is there going to be a Balkanization of Syria after the fall of Assad? Robyn Curnow, who has covered Syria since the rise of ISIS, argues that even though President Trump doesn't want America to get involved there are opportunities for the US and allies like Israel, the Kurds etc in a post-Assad vacuum. Will the country break up and how will fragmentation play out? How many backchannel conversations have there been with US forces in Syria and the rebels now in Damascus? What games are being played out behind closed doors? http://www.searchingforamericapod.com http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow
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| 04 Mar 2025 | No Diggity, Michael Jackson and I | Teddy Riley and Robyn Curnow | 00:27:21 | |
New Yorker Teddy Riley reflects on his experiences in the music industry, particularly his collaborations with iconic artists like Michael Jackson and Pharrell Williams. He discusses the evolution of American music and the importance of loyalty in both music and politics. Riley shares personal anecdotes from his upbringing in Harlem and his journey as a music producer, emphasizing the significance of spending time on music to create lasting impact. Robyn Curnow asked him what was it like working with Michael Jackson and Teddy tells her that working with Michael was like working with your best friend. He said, ‘you're sleeping at the studio? I said, ‘but you don't sleep at studios…. He said, ‘no, you're on this project 24 — Chapters 00:00 The Art of Music Production http://www.instagram.com/teddyriley1 http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow | |||
| 24 Sep 2024 | Why is Jesus on the ballot? | Doug Heye | 00:22:38 | |
Unlike other Western democracies, America's politics are infused with religion. Why is God part of the get-out-and-vote plans? Republican strategist Doug Heye says Republicans and Democrats have used religion to attract voters in the past but evangelical fervor for Donald Trump has turbo-charged the Republican ticket in different ways. FOR MORE BONUS CONTENT FROM ROBYN, SIGN UP TO http://www.searchingforamericapod.com http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow
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| 07 Nov 2024 | Duh, Why Trump won | Robyn Curnow | 00:17:26 | |
As Donald Trump prepares to take control again - with a huge mandate from the American public - Robyn Curnow unpacks the result with her frank outsider perspective. While she's spent time trying to understand why so many of her neighbors voted for Trump, she is also clear that this is not a race the Democrats should have lost. Why? Joe Biden made a decision to run for a second term. If he had not, would things be very different now? | |||
| 28 Jan 2025 | Use and abuse of the words Nazi and Hitler | Robyn Curnow | 00:15:26 | |
During Holocaust Remembrance Week, Robyn Curnow laments the words 'Nazi' and 'Hitler' are being overused in political name-calling. Stop cherrypicking the past to pigeonhole the present, she says, especially when it comes to the Holocaust. No. Trump and his team are not Nazis and Hitlers. No. Americans are not like 'Germans supporting Hitler,' or 'Russians supporting Putin' blindly. And no, Big Business is not doing a Vichy France capitulation. Leave the Holocaust out of political mudslinging - it's a specific time in history that cannot be used as a lens today. Or ever again. http://www.searchingforamericapod.com | |||
| 10 Sep 2024 | Time Travel and baseball | Jason Kander (Part 3) | 00:12:03 | |
Jason Kander on his Field of Dreams and New York New York! @jasonkander X www.searchingforamericapod.com Instagram: @robyncurnow | |||
| 15 Oct 2024 | CIA, Hemmingway and a Nazi-KGB spy | Jerry O'Shea and John Sipher | 00:29:49 | |
Fun questions for two former CIA Station Chiefs. Where would you time travel to in American history? John Sipher - 1950's post-war John O'Shea - he wants to go 50 years into the future. "It's my time machine I can do what I want with it!" Favorite American landscape? Jerry O'Shea - Hawaii (and Zimbabwe and South Africa globally.) John Sipher - New England Dream dinner party guests Jerry O'Shea - Hemingway and lots more... John Sipher - FDR Worst mistake? Jerry O'Shea - believing the narrative that Saddam had WMD Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the American Experience
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| 10 Sep 2024 | Who is Kamala Harris? | Jason Kander (Part 1) | 00:23:27 | |
What is Kamala Harris like? Why do Trump voters believe he's on their side? US Army veteran and a former Democratic Party wunderkind, Jason Kander says he 'sorta ran for President.' He's also ran for Senate along with Kamala Harris so he knows what it's like working with her. Kander pulled back from public life after admitting he was struggling with PTSD from his time serving in Afghanistan. His book Invisible Storm, a soldier's memoir of politics and PTSD is a New York Times bestseller. Even though he's no longer in politics he - like everyone in the US - has an opinion on this election. In this episode, Robyn and Jason talk about who their neighbors might vote for (Robyn is in Atlanta, Jason is in Kansas City) and whether Kamala Harris's progressive agenda is a 'bridge to far' for some, and what that might mean for the vote in November. Listen now! @jasonkander X www.searchingforamericapod.com Instagram: @robyncurnow | |||
| 19 Nov 2024 | Not Havana a good time | Robyn Curnow and Patrick Oppmann | 00:25:34 | |
Robyn Curnow covered Fidel Castro's funeral from Havana and was in Cuba when President Obama made an historic visit to the island. Patrick Oppmann has lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in Cuba for over a decade. Talking to Robyn from his home in Havana, Patrick weighs up what the appointment of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. As the son of Cuban exiles, Rubio has always taken a hardline against Havana's leadership. While much of Trump's plans for his second term are still unclear, one definite is that Marco Rubio signals bad news for the Cuban leadership. Robyn and Patrick have worked side by side in Havana and talked on air for years. They share a number of amusing stories about the foibles of life in Havana and the Castros. And one sure thing about Trump's foreign policy. http://www.searchingforamericapod.com
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| 18 Mar 2025 | Standup comedy, politics, and being Reasonably Happy | Paul Ollinger and Robyn Curnow | 00:43:09 | |
He was one of the first employees at Facebook, and then retired at 42 to follow his passion for stand-up comedy. Paul Ollinger talks to Robyn Curnow about his time at Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and what his secret is to telling jokes in divided times. http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow http://www.instagram.com/searchingforamericapod SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS HERE: http://www.searchingforamericapod.com PAUL OLLINGER | |||
| 19 Sep 2024 | Poor teeth, rural voters | Sarah Smarsh | 00:24:40 | |
Sarah Smarsh's grandmother had dentures in her twenties, after her teeth were pulled out due to poverty. Robyn Curnow asks why good or bad teeth explain whether America is a meritocracy? Smarsh's new book is called Bone of Bone; Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class. Robyn wanted to talk to Sarah because she's rare commodity in America - a whisperer or translator of two Americas; rural, white, poor middle America and the educated, urbane newsrooms of the coasts. As one of the few people in a newsroom who have worked in a wheat field, Smarsh says she takes the stereotypes of middle America personally because they can get her people so wrong. Not all white, poor Americans in rural areas are Trump supporters, in the same way not all New Yorkers are walking around with Black Lives Matter t-shirts. Sarah blames a fractured media and the Democrat Party ignoring large chunks of America where people have felt ignored, and to whom Donald Trump speak to. How to bring divided Americans together? Dolly Parton, the Patron Saint of the American Working Class. http://www.x.com/scribnerbooks https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bone-of-the-Bone/Sarah-Smarsh/9781668055601 http://www.searchingforamericapod.com http://www.instagram.com/sarah_smarsh
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| 25 Nov 2024 | War and Peace | Lynsey Addario | 00:29:34 | |
War photographer Lynsey Addario captures moments in history that are difficult to witness. She talks to Robyn Curnow about being an American during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and what it is like to face danger head-on. Her path to the frontlines was an unlikely one; her parents were hairdressers and she grew up in a small Connecticut town in a large Italian-American family. http://www.searchingforamericapod.com http://www.x.com/lynseyaddario
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| 15 Oct 2024 | Ex-CIA Station Chiefs | John Sipher and Jerry O'Shea | 00:34:14 | |
Two of America's high-level intelligence officers join Searching for America for a wide-ranging conversation about what might happen if Donald Trump becomes President again? Ex-CIA Station Chiefs John Sipher and Jerry O'Shea who have 60 years experience between them operating in hostile environments across the world but they agree that trying to understand America right now is "befuddling." Robyn Curnow ask them who will win the election? "This isn't a secret that spies can steal." Chapters 00:00 Defining American Identity Keywords American identity, Trumpism, polarization, foreign influence, authoritarianism, conspiracy theories, intelligence analysis, political dynamics, cultural shifts, spycraft
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| 04 Feb 2025 | A Russian attack and the CIA cover-up (2) | Marc Polymeropoulos | 00:31:25 | |
What happened in Moscow when CIA operative Marc Polymeropoulos was attacked by an energy weapon that left him with a traumatic brain injury? There are still too many questions and not enough answers from America's intelligence community, says the decorated intelligence officer on what appears to be a systematic, targeted attack on American spies by a foreign government. Marc discusses, what he calls, a cover-up of Havana Syndrome with Robyn Curnow in this frank, emotional conversation about a career in the shadows, only to be hurt by a shadow weapon. http://www.searchingforamericapod.com
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| 12 Feb 2025 | Sick care, Dr America? | Dr LaSonya Lopez | 00:31:55 | |
Dr LaSonya Lopez was taught that medicine is art. After 25 years of treating patients she quit as a doctor because she felt corporate medicine has broken the system. Robyn Curnow speaks to Dr Lopez about why she supports the questions that RFK is asking about how the medical industry works, even though she doesn't support the broader Trump presidency. Now, she's practicing the artistry of medicine in her own way - without the burnout, and exhaustion. Look at Dr Lopez's new ventures at: http://www.facebook.com/syptea CHECK OUT ROBYN's LINKS http://www.searchingforamericapod.com
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| 09 Sep 2024 | Searching for America trailer. NEW! A podcast from Robyn Curnow | 00:03:08 | |
Listen to a fast-moving summary of what to expect from Robyn Curnow's new podcast called Searching for America. Based in Atlanta, Georgia after decades reporting around the world for CNN, Robyn Curnow wants to understand what it means to be an American in 2024. In this trailer she asks Democrats, Republicans, head teachers, ex-CIA officers, US Army Generals, Pulitzer prize winning journalists and photographers, Presidential historians and Americans from across the political spectrum why the country is divided and what can be done to bring people together. Make sure to tune into her bi-weekly podcasts on Tuesdays and Thursdays #america #usa #americans #americanlife #searching #politics #unity #talking #listening #outsider #perspective # www.searchingforamericapod.com Twitter: @robyncurnow Instagram:@robyncurnow Facebook: Searching for America pod | |||