CNN News Bits

CNN Exclusive with Angelina Jolie

CNN's Arwa Damon sis an exclusive one on one interview with Angelina Jolie who is on Baghdad, Iraq as part of her role as UN Ambassador for refugees.

To see the the interview click here.

Stephanie Elam - Engaged!

Monday morning on CNN Newsroom, Heidi Collins asked Stephanie Elam if she'd gotten recently engaged, noticing a ring on her finger. Stephanie confirmed that she got engaged this weekend. Congratulations to Stephanie and her fiance!

Where Are They Now???

Andrea Koppel Joins PR Firm

Former CNN correspondent Andrea Koppel is joining M+R Strategic Services to head up their communications division.M+R is a campaign and issues consultancy headquartered in Washington D.C., with a number of regional offices. It's closely affiliated with New York state-specific lobbying firm Malkin & Ross. Koppel left CNN in July of 2007. Out thanks to Jason at PRNewser.

Paula Zahn's TV Return

Paula Zahn, who departed CNN last August, will host Retirement Revolution, a two-part PBS program, next month. According to the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rosenthal, the program "will explore the financial challenges facing the nation's aging Baby Boom generation, offering suggestions on how to prepare for retirement." Retirement Revolution is scheduled to run on PBS stations starting March 31.

Good luck to both ladies in their future endeavors.

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Koppel Leaving & Yes, More YouTube

In today's post:

• Andrea Koppel
• More YouTube Debate
• Casual Friday
• Mystery Journalist

Andrea Koppel

CNN is losing another veteran correspondent.

Congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel, will be leaving CNN at the end of this month. She's been with CNN since 1993.

From TVNewser, Koppel's note about her departure:

Dear friends and colleagues: As some of you may have heard by now, CNN and I were unable to reach agreement on a new contract and, as a result, I'll be leaving the company at the end of the month. I want to thank David Bohrman and Jon Klein, especially, for their understanding, encouragement and support. With their leadership I know CNN will continue to be the world's news leader. I will be forever grateful to CNN and to people like Eason Jordan, Tom Johnson and the now deceased Ed Turner for giving a cub reporter her big break back in 1993. Finally, I can't leave without thanking all of you -- my talented, hard working and passionate colleagues in DC, Atlanta and NY as well as in CNN's many bureaus around the world. You are the best of the best and I hope our paths will cross again down the road .... Andrea Koppel

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More YouTube Debate

Did you miss all or part of the YouTube Debate with the Democratic candidates on Monday night? Well, don't fret! There are plenty of opportunities for you to still see the debate either in part or in its entirety.

First, CNN is scheduled to rebroadcast the debate on Saturday, July 28th & 29th at 9 pm EST.

Can't wait? CNN has posted the debate on their website. You have the option of watching the debate online or downloading it to watch on your iPod or PC.

Have you been to CNN's Election Center 2008 on their website?

• Rate the Democrats on how they did on Monday night's YouTube debate
• Get a profile of each of the candidates
• Find out where the candidates stand on the issues
• Play Presidential Pong

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Casual Friday

On Monday's American Morning, John Roberts was reporting on the YouTube moments that have already been created during the 2008 campaign, when he got caught up in a moment of his own...

I'm not sure how many times I've ended up watching this clip this past week, but it makes me laugh every time!

To see the full YouTube video by massmediakid featured in the clip- a link is available here.

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Mystery Journalist

Can you name this CNN journalist?

Please feel free to let us know who you think this journalist is in the comments. The identity of the Mystery Journalist will be revealed in Sunday night's post.

Five Things Andrea Koppel Learned From Her Dad

Andrea Koppel has been with CNN since 1993 and is currently a congressional correspondent based in the Washington, D.C., bureau. Her last name might lead you to wonder if she’s any relation to the former ABC “Nightline” anchor, Ted Koppel. The following article from USA Weekend Magazine addresses that question:

Yes. She's the eldest of four, and she tells us her dad worried that her name might make a journalism career more difficult. Still, she was drawn to it after a failed career as a trade representative for an American company in China. She'd been hanging out with Western journalists there, and "hearing [them] talk about their jobs, it sounded so fascinating." Koppel, 39, even met her husband of two years, Iraq expert Ken Pollack, who wrote "The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq", on the job.

Top 5 things Koppel learned from Dad:

1. Care about helping the voiceless.



2. Be passionate about people. "One of my earliest memories is when my parents took me to the Taj Mahal. I was 3, and I remember taking our box lunches and giving them to poor Indian people."



3. Make time for your kids. "He always makes time, no matter what's going on."



4. Keep your commitments. "My parents are about to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary."



5. Pay attention. "It's important to really listen to the person you're interviewing, not think ahead to the next question."

In an article published by Middlebury College's Middlebury Magazine, she explains that she didn’t always want to follow her father’s footsteps into the news business.

"Years ago, people would ask me, 'Oh, I suppose you want to anchor like your dad [Nightline anchor Ted Koppel],'" she says. "I'd say, No. I thought anchoring was what you do when you're on the network news, reading introductions to reporter packages and maybe throwing one question to a reporter. It is so different on CNN. You have to snap on your seatbelt and get ready for a rough ride. There have been days when we've been live from the moment I sit in the chair until the moment I get up three hours later—wall-to-wall live coverage that involves ad-libbing, no scripts, reacting to the situation on the ground. I love the excitement."