Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

Many Americans are politically homeless, says Robyn Curnow. The loudness and anger of the extremes leaves many decent Americans left out of the national conversation. The political and media machine reinforce left and right position, staking a claim to one view. So what does being politically homeless look like in America right now? Robyn Curnow thinks it's a bit like being one of those wandering...

Who's blame for Donald Trump being President again? One simple answer. Joe Biden. Robyn Curnow has interviewed a US Presidents, a First Lady and been in the Rose Garden at the White House during press conferences. The recent exposes on the coverups over Joe Biden's health tell her one thing .. the Biden administration handed Donald Trump a big beautiful second term when they lied about the Preside...

What can spycraft teach business leaders? Marc Polymeropoulos is one of the CIA's most decorated operatives. He spills secrets to Robyn Curnow about the leadership lessons he learnt in the shadows. Memorial Day honors America's fallen warriors. The CIA men and women killed in action are remembered by stars at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Marc lost colleagues and agents because of mistake...

Out of all the foreign policy tit-for-tats to have - why has President Trump picked South Africa? Why is he concerned about minority white farmers who speak Afrikaans in the rural areas of a continent that's not a strategic priority for the USA? Robyn Curnow is South African, lives in Atlanta, Georgia and she was CNN's Africa correspondent for many years. She has known the South African president...

Business schools across America should run an MBA course on corporate succession and the Catholic Church says Robyn Curnow who's covered the Vatican. The ease of transition from one leader to another is smooth and seamless. And it's a key part of the enduring nature of the Vatican's well-oiled machine. Pope Francis to Pope Leo, and the others that came before them for hundreds of years, are chosen...

What happens to our stuff when we die? The estate of Robyn Curnow's late neighbor has been up for sale next door. Antique bargain hunters and second-hand vultures have been 'shopping' the contents of the couple's house. Strangers streamed through the neighborhood carting off everything the elderly couple owned, loved and collected for decades. Tupperware, silver, mattresses were all carried out of...

We're in the middle of graduation season. Americans love a party, a theme and an excuse to put signs in their front yards announcing the celebration of the moment. Sometimes it's an election, other times it's July 4th and for these few weeks of spring.... it's graduation. There is a constant rotation of goodbye parties. Graduation is not just a ceremony, it's a never-ending marathon of emotional a...

Being in the Vatican during a Pope's funeral and conclave is fascinating. Robyn Curnow was in Rome when John Paul II died. She remembers those days in St Peters. So, what to expect from the next conclave? Robyn has covered many papal deaths and reported on the politics of the Catholic church. Pope Francis was a different kind of pope to John Paul, and Ratzinger who succeeded him. Both John Paul an...

What do you think of when you read the words... STRIP MALL? Firstly, there's no stripping. No pole dancing. No one dollar bills. Secondly, they're everywhere and form the backbone of Main Street - the small mom-and-pop businesses that underpin American capitalism. The rows of grubby one-story shops occupy a slice of real estate along side main roads and intersections. We have a bunch littered arou...

When politics get crazy who do you listen to? Your financial advisor who’s watching the stock market? A friend in government? Robyn Curnow turns to her favorite analyst when times get complicated.... her 101 year old grandmother. She's has lived through world wars that redrew the map, economic depressions that shattered lives, technological revolutions that have fundamentally altered how we connec...

When Robyn Curnow moved to America she didn't take her family to Washington, or New York or Disney. Instead, they went on a pilgrimage to Graceland. The home of the King of Rock 'n Roll. Elvis Presley is a rare thing in America. Most Americans would agree that his legacy and his music are the best of the USA. Robyn Curnow reflects on why she made a trip to Graceland. It wasn't just Elvis and his m...

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 bas...

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.x.com/robyncurnow http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow http://www.instagram.com/searchingforamericapod SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS HERE...

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. "Israel's war against...

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...

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 → The firing of federal employees. → The slashing of government funding. → The constant signing of executive orders. …it’s easy to see how it  looks  like absolute chaos. But when it comes to everyday life...

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. He came back in the ear...

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...

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...

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 cal...

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 Bu...

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 B...

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 a...

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?  ...

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.     Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA Subscribe t...