Poppy Harlow missed Wednesday's rehearsal for her new show to deal with breaking news at home. Her 6-year-old daughter Sienna fractured her arm falling out of bed (with a helpful shove from 4-year-old brother Luca), forcing a visit to the emergency room.
But Harlow did find time in the afternoon to chat from her new office, decorated with photos and paintings from her kids, on the 20th floor of CNN building in New York. The Minneapolis native recently returned to the cable news network after a year at Yale Law School, just in time for Monday's launch of "This Morning," which will air from 6 to 9 a.m. ET weekdays. She'll anchor alongside former prime-time host Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins, who previously covered the White House.
Q: How did your year at law school change you as a journalist?
A: It was helpful to come back to the anchor chair just as the Supreme Court was making these monumental decisions on abortion and guns. It was also humbling. It was a real eye-opener as to what I don't know. Don Lemon says the core to our new show is to be curious. It made me change the way I ask questions. Good lawyers can see both sides of arguments coming. I'm not a great interviewer but I aspire to be. I think I listen to both sides now even more.
Q: What was it like to be graded again?
A: The first time I went to college, I was all about getting A's. That's all I cared about. That's a hindrance. I didn't take Arabic the first time around, when I was 20, because I was nervous about getting a bad grade. That was a mistake. This time around, I knew I wasn't going to be top of my class. I've got two kids, a job at CNN and a three-hour commute each way. Now I could go and just learn.
Q: Has becoming a parent changed the way you do journalism?
A: Yes, yes and yes. I was just having this discussion with Josh Campbell, who is leading the gun beat, something our new leader, Chris Licht, created. Every parent's thought when they drop their kids off at school is, "I pray they'll be safe." That's not normal but that's America. Being a mom gives me so much more compassion and empathy.
Q: The CNN publicity department is pushing the angle that the three "This Morning" anchors are from different parts of the country.
A: We are, too. I hate it when people say that Alabama, Louisiana and Minnesota, where we are all from, is flyover country. Gimme a break. Don is a gay Black man. I'm 40 and the mother of two. Kaitlan was the best White House correspondent at the age of 29 and the biggest Alabama football fan you'll find.
Q: So what?
A: So what? Look at the things networks don't cover if you only have folks from one part of the country. Where you are from changes the way you cover things and where you get information from. I can tell you that we're looking at booking some economists next week, and I want to get some people from the Midwest, maybe reporters from the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press. When I think about Minnesota, I think about Boyd Huppert. The way he tells stories is so unique to him and where he lives. I look up to him so, so, so, much.
Q: Got to ask the question everyone asks morning anchors. What time will have you wake up?
A: The answer is, way too early.
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