This conversation covers a wide-ranging exploration of the entirely different political landscape, which includes new leadership in the White House, a change of control in Congress, and a rebalanced Supreme Court. Moderated by Ana Cabrera, anchor of the weekend primetime edition of CNN Newsroom, Nicholas Fandos, congressional correspondent at The New York Times; Weijia Jiang, CBS News White House correspondent; and Nina Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent at NPR, share their insights about the new dynamics across all three branches of the federal government and what they mean for the future of American democracy.This program featured a wide-ranging exploration of the entirely different political landscape, which includes new leadership in the White House, a change of control in Congress, and a rebalanced Supreme Court. In a conversation moderated by Ana Cabrera, anchor of the weekend primetime edition of CNN Newsroom, Nicholas Fandos, congressional correspondent at The New York Times; Weijia Jiang, CBS News White House correspondent; and Nina Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent at NPR, shared their insights about the new dynamics across all three branches of the federal government and what they mean for the future of American democracy.
To participate in programs like this, consider joining the Society of Fellows. To learn more contact the SOF team at [email protected] or visit our website.
The Society of Fellows is a national community of diverse and distinguished leaders who sustain and support the values-based work of the Aspen Institute. SOF members enjoy unparalleled access to Institute programs and events, including unique experiences with nationally recognized speakers and thought leaders. They are the first to know about Aspen Institute events, and they receive special invitations to member-exclusive programs across the country. The work of the Aspen Institute is more critical now than ever before because it uniquely convenes inclusive conversations with diverse thinkers and practitioners to solve the world’s greatest challenges. Members of the Society of Fellows help to ensure this work continues, and they are fully engaged with it through programs curated specifically for them.
Presenters:
Ana Cabrera anchors the weekend primetime edition of CNN Newsroom based in New York. Throughout her tenure at CNN, Cabrera has extensively reported on everything from politics, to natural disasters, to mass shootings and more.
Cabrera’s political coverage includes the impeachment proceedings, hosting multiple 2020 Democratic presidential candidate town halls, reporting on the historic 2018 midterm elections and regularly traveling around the country to speak with suburban voters, keeping CNN viewers updated on the pulse of the national electorate. She also regularly provides in-depth coverage of the #MeToo movement and immigration issues.
Cabrera has also anchored many of CNN’s top breaking news stories, including Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, the Southerland Springs, Tx. church shooting, the London Bridge attack and the deadly Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va. Following a ruling for increased sanctions on North Korea, Cabrera was one of the first reporters to interview then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley about the matter.
Cabrera joined CNN as a correspondent in 2013, based in Denver. More recently she was part of the CNN Investigative team that revealed systemic failures in reporting, investigating and tracking alleged sexual abuse at elderly living facilities. She covered the unrest in Ferguson, Mo. following the shooting of Michael Brown. Cabrera landed exclusive interviews with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney while the grand jury was hearing the case and the Police Chief following his long-awaited public apology. She also did extensive enterprise reporting on the marijuana legalization movement, and her pot pesticide investigation resulted in the recall of thousands of pot products in Colorado.
Prior to joining CNN, Cabrera was an anchor for the top-ranked daily morning news program at KMGH-TV 7 News, the ABC affiliate in Denver. She earned an Emmy Award for her in-the-field anchoring as a part of the 7 News morning team that was honored for its High Park Fire coverage in 2012. She and the 7 News morning team were also honored with the Associated Press TV and Radio Association’s Annual Mark Twain Award for Best Morning Show Broadcast in 2013.
From 2005 to 2009, Cabrera was an anchor and reporter at NBC affiliate KHQ-TV and FOX affiliate KAYU-TV in Spokane, Washington. Cabrera began her broadcasting career as an intern for Denver’s CBS affiliate KCNC-TV and KMGH-TV.
In 2019 Cabrera was awarded with the National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Award. Previously she has served on the Board of Directors of Mi Casa Resource Center and on the board of the American Cancer Society.
Cabrera is a graduate of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. As a distinguished alumnae, she is a member of the Murrow Professional Advisory Board and in 2019 was honored as an inductee into the Murrow Hall of Achievement.
Nicholas Fandos is a national reporter for The New York Times, based in the Washington bureau. He has covered Congress for the Times since 2017 and is part of a team of reporters who chronicled investigations by the Justice Department and Congress into President Trump and his administration. Over the last year, he helped lead The Times’s coverage of the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, and the 2020 election. He graduated with a degree in history and literature from Harvard, where he was the editor of The Harvard Crimson.
Weijia Jiang is a CBS News White House correspondent based in Washington, D.C. Jiang’s reporting is featured across all CBS News broadcasts and platforms, including the CBS EVENING NEWS, CBS THIS MORNING and CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 streaming news service. She has traveled with President Trump on numerous occasions, both domestically and abroad. She has covered major political stories for the Network including the President’s historic summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the 2018 midterm elections, the nomination process and confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and the Mueller Probe. Jiang joined CBS News in 2015 as a correspondent for Newspath, the Network’s 24-hour television newsgathering service for CBS stations and broadcasters around the world. Since then, she has reported extensively on both the Obama and Trump administrations, the 2016 presidential campaign and election, the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush; and the congressional baseball shooting that wounded House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. She has also covered a number of national stories such as Hurricane Harvey, the catastrophic Category 4 hurricane that hit Texas in 2017.
Nina Totenberg is NPR’s award-winning legal affairs correspondent. Her reports air regularly on NPR’s critically acclaimed newsmagazines All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition. Totenberg’s coverage of the Supreme Court and legal affairs has won her widespread recognition. She is often featured in documentaries — most recently RBG — that deal with issues before the court. As Newsweek put it, “The mainstays [of NPR] are Morning Edition and All Things Considered. But the creme de la creme is Nina Totenberg.”
