CNN announced Thursday that Inside Politics Sunday With Manu Raju will make its debut on September 24 at 11 a.m. ET.
Raju, also CNN’s chief congressional correspondent, takes over the Sunday edition from Abby Philip, who will own the weekday 10 p.m. timeslot as part of CNN’s recently announced overhaul of its weekday, weeknight, and weekend programming slate.
Raju has been with CNN since 2015, joining the network as a senior political reporter from Politico. In that time, he has walked countless miles inside the hallways of the U.S. Capitol, talking to various lawmakers as he provides viewers with a better understanding of the function and dysfunction taking place inside and outside of the congressional chambers.
He was part of a group of CNN journalists selected as winners of the David Bloom Award in 2021 by the Radio-Television Correspondents Association (RTCA) for the team’s live coverage of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Raju becomes the first Asian American to lead Inside Politics, weekday or Sunday edition. The Inside Politics franchise launched in 1992 with Bernard Shaw and Catherine Crier and has also been hosted by Judy Woodruff and John King. Dana Bash recently replaced King as host of Inside Politics weekday edition.
Meanwhile, Raju has been getting acquainted with his new duties, filling in for Bash this week.
Philip, the most recent host of Inside Politics Sunday, appeared on the weekday show with Raju on Friday and expressed confidence that he would do a great job in the role.
Raju added, “So many great people have hosted the show over the years, not just you, but also Bernie Shaw, Katherine Crier, Judy Woodruff, John King, Dana Bash who hosts this show. Thank you for everything. I am very excited.”
He then addressed the viewers, “Yes, please tune in [on Sundays] because we will have a lot of reporting and spend a lot of time talking to reporters here. Reporters who will be at the table but also the newsmakers, the lawmakers themselves and bringing it to you directly — what they’re going to say about some of these key issues, whether it’s about the campaign trail, whether debating in the Capitol or what’s happening in the White House.”