CNN has announced the addition of Rahm Emanuel as its new Senior Political and Global Affairs Commentator.
Emanuel has plenty of experience in both foreign and domestic politics. He served as a Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Politics during the Clinton administration before representing Illinois’ 5th Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008. He then became the White House Chief of Staff to President Obama before being elected Mayor of Chicago, where he served from 2011 to 2019.
Most recently, Rahm Emanuel worked as the United States Ambassador to Japan for the Biden administration.
According to a statement from CNN, Emanuel will “bring his extensive knowledge of American politics and international affairs to CNN’s on-air programming.”
The announcement of Emanuel’s hiring comes as CNN is in the midst of a strategic shift with a specialized focus on its digital products. Under the direction of CEO Mark Thompson, the company is realigning itself for the future.
Earlier this year, it slashed more than 200 jobs — roughly 6% of its workforce — in an effort to reallocate funds in preparation for its shift to digital. Despite the cuts, the network will fill 100 of those jobs in new sectors in the first half of 2025, Thompson revealed during the announcement of layoffs. Additionally, CNN is preparing to launch its own streaming service outside of the Max platform it has placed most of its content on in recent years.
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