What would you do if the person closest to you woke up believing something that sounded completely crazy? That’s what happened to Stephen Ghiglieri when his then- fiancée, Katrina Vaillancourt, became a Q-Anon believer overnight. But their story is a hopeful one. In part two of Persuadable, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan explores one route out of conspiracy theory belief.
Listen to more of Donie's conversation with Dr. Joe Pierre, author of False: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things That Aren’t True, on YouTube.
Read about Katrina Vaillancourt's book, ReQovery: How I Tumbled Down the QAnon Rabbit Hole and Climbed Out, here.
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37:29
Persuadable: Why Do We Believe Crazy S**t?
Conspiracy theories are not new. They’re as old as time itself. But if you feel like they’re everywhere right now, you’re not alone. So, what do you do when somebody you love has fallen down a rabbit hole? CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan has been covering the world of misinformation for more than a decade, but now he's less interested in what people believe than why they believe it. So, he’s trying to find out.
See more of Donie's interview with Dr. Samuel Veissière on YouTube.
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32:31
All Over The Map: Why America Voted, From Actual Voters
As the dust settled in the wake of election day, the All Over the Map team started calling up some of the 86 swing-state voters John King has been visiting and revisiting over the last year and a half. Who they ultimately voted for — and why — offers a window on a country taking stock in the aftermath of an unprecedented election.
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33:26
All Over The Map: The Pennsylvania Voters Who May Decide the Race
With just hours before election day, we’re returning to a handful of people who represent a crucial voter segment: unhappy Pennsylvania Republicans. John King interviews three people who voted for Nikki Haley in the state’s primary back in the spring — long after she’d dropped out. How they and others like them fill out their ballots this week may decide the next president of the United States.
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34:15
All Over The Map: Why the Race Is So Close in the Rust Belt
Wisconsin and Michigan, the big bricks of the former Blue Wall, are considered must-wins for Kamala Harris. They’re also both toss-ups at this point. This week, John talks to voters in Milwaukee and Detroit who have a lot in common: They’re both Black men, about the same age, born and raised in their respective Rust Belt cities, and steeped in a culture that always voted for Democrats. One is voting for Harris. The other is going for Trump. Their choices — and how they got there — tell us a lot about the very tight election math in the upper Midwest.
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The Account is CNN’s home for powerful, narrative-driven audio storytelling. Featuring in-depth reporting from CNN journalists.
Our new season features CNN Senior Correspondent Donie O’Sullivan, who has been reporting on people with “crazy” beliefs for years. In this new, deeply personal podcast series, O’Sullivan confronts some crazy beliefs of his own. With help from cult survivors, psychologists, and families who’ve tried to pull loved ones out of the rabbit hole, O’Sullivan puts an empathetic lens on a fraught topic, debunks common misconceptions, and leaves listeners with practical takeaways for navigating this slippery world.