The New Year and a new Administration is bringing some major changes to CNN's Washington reporter and anchor teams and programming, including something of a mantle-passing of the lead Washington role from Wolf Blitzer to Jake Tapper.
Starting in April, The Lead with Jake Tapper is expanding from 4-5 p.m. to 4-6 p.m., taking an hour from Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room, which will now air at 6-7.
Tapper will continue to host CNN's Sunday morning public affairs show, State of the Union, but with chief political correspondent Dana Bash now co-anchoring the appropriately re-branded State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. The two will actually trade off duties, with each hosting two Sundays per month, beginning Jan. 24.
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Tapper will also now serve as the lead anchor for all major Washington stories. Blitzer will have a "principal anchor" role in breaking news and host CNN special reports.
Abby Phillip has been named anchor of Inside Politics Sunday at 8-9 a.m., also beginning Jan. 24, and has been named senior political correspondent, taking over that weekend slot from John King, chief national correspondent, who will continue to host Inside Politics weekdays at 12-1 p.m.
Jim Acosta has been upped to weekend anchor and chief domestic correspondent, while Pamela Brown will anchor CNN Newsroom on Saturday and Sunday at 6-9 p.m., beginning Jan. 23 as senior Washington correspondent.
On the White House beat, and all effective Jan. 20, Kaitlan Collins has been named chief White House correspondent and Phil Mattingly senior White House correspondent.
Also covering the new White House as correspondents will be Arlette Saenz, Jeremy Diamond, John Harwood, MJ Lee and Kate Bennett. Kevin Liptak and Jasmine Wright will be reporters, also covering the White House.
Jeff Zeleny has been named chief national affairs correspondent focusing on the first year of the Biden Administration. Joe Johns remains senior Washington correspondent, but will shift from White House coverage to other Washington-based stories.
Sunlen Serfaty has been named Washington correspondent covering Washington generally, while Suzanne Malveaux continues as national correspondent.
Manu Raju will be chief Congressional correspondent, joined in covering the new Congress by correspondents Jessica Dean, Lauren Fox and Ryan Nobles. Daniella Diaz will be a Capitol Hill reporter.
All of CNN’s White House and Congressional assignments are effective Jan. 20.
