logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
52m 14s

05/19/2024: Pope Francis, Cuban Spycraft...

CBS News
About this episode

Norah O'Donnell meets Pope Francis for a rare and historic interview at his home, the Santa Marta guest house in Vatican City, a week before the Catholic Church hosts its inaugural World Children's Day. The 87-year-old, Argentinian-born pope - the first named Francis and first from the Americas - is known for his dedication to the poor and marginalized, and for being the most unconventional head of the Church in recent memory. He spoke candidly with O’Donnell about the wars in Israel and Gaza, Ukraine, and the migration crises around the world and on the U.S. southern border. The wide-ranging conversation also touches upon the Church's handling of its own sexual abuse scandals; Francis' deep commitment to inclusiveness within the Church; the backlash against his papacy from certain corners of U.S. Catholicism; and an exploration of his thinking on surrogate parenthood.

For decades, prolific Cuban spies working in the U.S. government, serving in high profile positions with top security clearances, have evaded American intelligence officials. Correspondent Cecilia Vega reports from Washington, D.C. and Miami on the stories of two such undercover agents, former U.S. Ambassador Victor Manuel Rocha and onetime Pentagon official Ana Montes. Cuba continues to supply one of the most dangerous exports to American adversaries around the world: American secrets.

When a photo album depicting Nazis socializing at dinner parties and picnics arrived at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007, historians weren’t sure what to make of it. After an extensive investigation, it turned out to be a rare personal scrapbook of a high-ranking Nazi officer who helped run the daily operations of Auschwitz, the concentration camp where more than a million people, mostly Jews, were murdered. Correspondent Anderson Cooper tells the story behind the album and why acclaimed theater director Moises Kaufman decided to turn it into a new Off Broadway play called HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Oct 6
10/5/2025: Vaccine Court, The Tequila Heist, This is Rob Reiner
With vaccinations increasingly a point of political tension, correspondent Jon Wertheim reports on the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program – a “no fault” vaccine court that balances the public health benefits of widespread vaccination with rare cases of harm to individua ... Show More
47m 20s
Sep 29
09/28/2025: A Lonely Voice, The Mystery of the Eagles, Dana White
In the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox called for unity and civility. It was an unexpected message delivered by an unexpected messenger at a time when political violence in America is on the rise. Correspondent Scott Pelley trav ... Show More
47m 2s
Sep 22
09/21/2025: Disrupter U., Sculpting Evolution, Flight of the Monarchs
Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week has prompted a nationwide conversation on free speech, a founding principle of a Texas startup university that correspondent Jon Wertheim first reported on in November. The University of Austin has been labeled by some as “anti-woke,” but fo ... Show More
46m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
On Monday morning, Pope Francis died at 88. The first South American to hold the office, he was known for his commitment to social and economic justice. WSJ’s Margherita Stancati discusses Francis’ legacy and explains what happens next for the Catholic Church. Jessica Mendoza hos ... Show More
18m 25s
Apr 2025
How Pope Francis Changed the Catholic Church
Church bells rang out across the world on Monday to mark the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88.Jason Horowitz, the Rome bureau chief at The New York Times, discusses the pope’s push to change the church, his bitter clashes with traditionalists, and what his papacy meant to t ... Show More
39m 20s
May 2025
An American Pope
The world’s 1.4 billion Catholics have a new pope, and for the first time, he is from America.Jason Horowitz, the Rome bureau chief of The New York Times, introduces us to Pope Leo XIV.Guest: Jason Horowitz, the Rome bureau chief of The New York TimesBackground reading: Who is Po ... Show More
27m 59s
Apr 2025
Pope Francis Dies: How has the World Responded & What Happens Next?
In today’s episode, we cover Pope Francis’ death and its aftermath, Donald Trump’s attack on Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Vladimir Putin signalling an openness to bilateral talks with Ukraine, and Israel’s admission of “‘professional failures” in the killing of 15 emergency workers i ... Show More
7m 24s
Apr 2025
About 250,000 People Paid Respects To Pope Francis Over 3 Days
With Pope Francis' funeral just hours away, the Vatican says about 250,000 paid their respects to the pontiff in St. Peter’s Basilica. Francis was known for his love of those on the margins - immigrants, the poor, those too often shunted aside. CNN’s Clarissa Ward talks with a fe ... Show More
47m 1s
May 2025
Chicago Pope
The first American pope's pro-immigrant views have put him publicly at odds with Vice President JD Vance. How Pope Leo XIV's ancient Catholic order collides with the beliefs of a growing group of converts like Vance. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn and Avishay Artsy, ... Show More
27m 53s
May 2025
Peruvians celebrate election of new Pope
The new leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, was born in Chicago but spent many years living and working in Peru where he was made a bishop. We speak to a Peruvian Catholic, who welcomes Leo's election, and hear from our correspondent, Ione Wells, in the Peruvian city of ... Show More
47m 25s
May 2025
Pope Leo XIV's historic opportunity, with Father James Martin
Ian Bremmer sits down with Jesuit priest and bestselling author Father James Martin to discuss the unprecedented election of Pope Leo XIV—the first-ever (North) American Pope—and what his leadership could mean for the Catholic Church, American politics, and a divided, secular wor ... Show More
30m 41s
Apr 2025
Pope funeral details, Russia-Ukraine direct talks, Walgreens DOJ settlement & more
The Vatican has released details for Pope Francis’ funeral. Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to talks with Ukraine. We’ll tell you why Walgreens reached a $350 million settlement with the DOJ. Mahmood Khalil was barred from attending the birth of his first child yesterday ... Show More
6m 45s
Sep 2024
The Pope’s big bet on China
One of the most significant parts of Pope Francis’s Asia tour might be a country he isn’t visiting: China, home to 10 million Catholics, with whom the Vatican has long dreamed of strengthening ties.This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked b ... Show More
27m 45s