You probably remember that Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California. But do you remember how it all happened? The blackouts, the budget and of course, the car tax! CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent, Dana Bash, takes you back to the origins of the 2003 California Recall and talks with Schwarzenegger and the man he beat, Gray Davis to learn why this election became such a circus.

If you like what you hear, go to https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/total-recall and follow Total Recall: California's Political Circus, wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Politics is all about the future... and so it’s never too early to look at how upcoming elections are going to play out. In this episode, David Chalian and Dana Bash take a look at how the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential race are shaping up, and how former President Donald Trump is the wildcard that could drastically affect both elections. 

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This week, we wanted to bring you an episode from Dr. Sanjay Gupta's podcast. When we look back on this pandemic, who and what will we remember? Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is at the top of that list for many. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Dr. Fauci about the past year-plus of non-stop press conferences and media appearances, and about what comes next.

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This week, we wanted to bring you an episode from The Axe Files podcast we think you'll enjoy. In this episode, UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield joins CNN's David Axelrod to talk about growing up in the segregated South, facing down death in Rwanda, the importance of the US engaging with both adversaries and allies, and her reaction to the jury finding former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd. They also talked about the security threats posed by climate change and the Leaders Summit on Climate hosted by the Biden administration.

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America has experienced at least 50 mass shootings this past month alone. And now, President Biden faces the same problem as his predecessors: a gun violence crisis and a country completely divided on the Second Amendment. This week, David Chalian is joined by gun policy expert Professor Adam Winkler of UCLA to explore this uniquely American concept of freedom within the context of the gun debate and what kind of change, if any, is possible. 

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Protests and marches in the streets, a rising generation of activists, and an embattled President who’s just left the White House... it sounds an awful lot like today, but that’s actually the story of the 1970’s. In this episode, David Chalian is joined by Ron Brownstein, the author of Rock Me On the Water: 1974 - The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics, to take you back in time and explain what the culture wars of 1970s can tell us about today’s conflict and the political future of the country. 

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Despite a Democratic controlled Senate, two obscure aspects of Senate procedure, the filibuster and reconciliation, hold the key to the success or failure of President Biden’s entire agenda. In this episode, David Chalian is joined by former Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin to nerd out and explain the quirky history and incredibly important future of these two procedures.

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Record numbers of migrants traveling from Central America have been arriving at the US southern border over the past couple of months. Border Control facilities are now overwhelmingly past capacity, with thousands of unaccompanied minors in custody. As the Biden administration scrambles to safely accommodate them, President Biden has garnered criticism from both sides on his handling of the crisis. This week, David Chalian is joined by Melissa Lopez, Director of the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services in El Paso, Texas, to discuss to discuss the ongoing crisis at the southern border and how President Biden’s policies affect those crossing into the United States.

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More people voted in the 2020 election than any other in modern American history. Now, many Republican legislatures across the country are trying to pass laws rolling back voter access. At the center of that fight is Georgia, where this week the Governor signed a bill that restricts voting. In this episode, David Chalian speaks with the head of the Georgia ACLU, Andrea Young, about the voting rights fight in Georgia and the response to similar laws across the country. 

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Women’s History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the landmark achievements of women everywhere. This week, CNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash talks with Madeleine Albright, the first female US Secretary of State. Secretary Albright shares stories from being the only woman in the room, putting women’s rights at the heart of US foreign policy, her early life escaping Nazis in Europe, and her thoughts on the January 6 insurrection.

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For millions of Americans the climate crisis is a reality affecting their lives every day. Now, with the massive Covid relief package through Congress, the next challenge for the Biden administration is an immense infrastructure and climate bill. But in the meantime, the President has already begun implementing his agenda. In this episode, Nia-Malika Henderson is joined by climate policy expert and Harvard Law professor Jody Freeman to explain the new administration’s bold policies, political tension, and ambitious goals. 

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