There is no bigger cultural story right now than the romance between NFL superstar Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. The reaction to their relationship has been so extreme that parody is almost indiscernible from reality. It’s a potent mix of celebrity culture, sports, and extreme politics. Audie brings together Cari Champion and Anne Helen Petersen, to dissect why all of this is happening. Why have Travis and Taylor generated a supernova of fans, haters, and overwhelming scrutiny? Cari Champion is...
Feb 08, 2024•37 min•Ep. 83
“We know Joe. But most importantly, Joe knows us." Congressman James Clyburn spoke those all-important words four years ago while giving his crucial endorsement to Joe Biden in his home state of South Carolina. With Biden now in the White House, Clyburn wields the power to spur lots of change, including an alteration to the Democratic party’s primary calendar, placing South Carolina at the head of the line. Audie sat down with Clyburn to learn how he thinks about power, what Biden needs to do to...
Feb 05, 2024•30 min•Ep. 82
Jon Stewart is returning to The Daily Show, putting the spotlight back on this influential institution of political comedy. Today, Audie talks with a breakout star of the show’s very recent past, comedian Roy Wood Jr. He pulls back the curtain on his time at The Daily Show, schools us on the economics of entertainment for a creative, ambitious, working parent, and dives into whether comedians should fudge facts to get to a higher truth. Find out if Roy is on tour near you. Learn more about your ...
Feb 01, 2024•29 min•Ep. 81
Donald Trump is leading in the polls for South Carolina GOP primary, by a lot. But it’s also Nikki Haley’s home state and she refuses to go quietly, ramping up her attacks on Trump even as most of her fellow Republicans call on her to drop out. Eva McKend is national political correspondent for CNN and she checks in with a view from the ground. What did you think of this episode? Send us your feedback and assignments. Leave a message at (202) 854-8802 or email us at TheAssignment@CNN.com. Learn ...
Jan 29, 2024•22 min•Ep. 80
During these divisive times, political fault lines are everywhere – including among members of the same church. So for people who live, work, and worship in divided spaces, what have they learned about how to communicate with people they love but don’t seem to understand? Audie sits down with Pastor Rich Villodas of New Life Fellowship in Queens. They talk about “God, Politics, and the Church,” what division – and listening – looks like, why criticisms of candidate and party feel so personal, an...
Jan 25, 2024•30 min•Ep. 79
“There is a dangerous undercurrent dragging Americans who wade into the political waters out toward the extreme.” Oliver Darcy wrote these words after 66% of Iowa Republicans said they did not think Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election in a CNN entrance poll on caucus night. Darcy tells Audie Cornish why he thinks the mainstream media has a duty to shine a light on the “propaganda machine supporting Trump.” Sign up for CNN's Reliable Sources newsletter Oliver’s column, A dangerous underc...
Jan 22, 2024•23 min•Ep. 78
If you google the word “parenting” today, headlines include TikTok trends, celebrity mom secrets, and heated debates on parenting methodologies. Parenting is done privately and judged publicly. Audie talks with The Washington Post’s outgoing “On Parenting” Deputy Editor Amy Joyce. She gives Audie her views on the evolving landscape of parenting shaped by mommy blogs, fleeting parenting fads, and the overarching question that echoes in the minds of many caregivers: "Am I doing this right?" Read A...
Jan 18, 2024•24 min•Ep. 77
If the poll numbers are to be believed, Donald Trump’s march to the GOP nomination will be hard to stop. And that has lots of political observers pondering who he would choose as a running mate. CNN contributor Alyssa Farah Griffin worked in Trump’s White House and she shares first-hand knowledge of the characters vying for vice presidency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 15, 2024•34 min•Ep. 76
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs are facing a backlash, mostly from conservative commentators. This backlash came into sharp relief after Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard University. Some of her critics claimed it as a victory against the “DEI regime.” Audie talks to Celeste Headlee , a journalist and the founder of Headway DEI, about how this discourse is affecting those trying to continue their DEI work in corporations and organizations across the country. Celeste is the a...
Jan 11, 2024•31 min•Ep. 75
"Today, we’re here to answer the most important of questions. Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?” President Biden said these words on Friday while kicking off his re-election campaign near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The location was steeped in Revolutionary War history and continued Biden’s theme of speaking in locations that signify turning points for American democracy. Phil Mattingly was CNN’s Chief White House correspondent at the Biden White House before moving to the anchor’s desk...
Jan 08, 2024•27 min•Ep. 74
We’ve all seen the headlines: Gen Z is “lazy.” “Entitled.” They’re constantly asking for raises, and they complain too much. But are these things really a “problem”? This week, Audie chats with two Gen Z’ers with some #thoughts on how we think about work: DeAndre Brown , TikTok creator and founder of Gen XL Consulting, and Maia Ervin , Chief Impact Officer at the Gen Z consulting company JUV . Then, Audie brings their thoughts to the researcher who literally wrote the book on generations, Jean T...
Jan 04, 2024•31 min•Ep. 73
As the political winds intensify, CNN Political Director David Chalian is here to answer the burning questions of this election year: why don’t Republican candidates take off the gloves and attack former president Trump? Can President Biden and his allies amplify good economic news? And what will the U.S. Supreme Court do when it takes up its central role in determining Donald Trump’s political future? Make sure to follow David’s podcast, the CNN Political Briefing. He releases a new episode eve...
Jan 02, 2024•25 min•Ep. 72
Today we're bringing you an episode of All There Is with Anderson Cooper, a podcast about the people we lose, the people left behind, and how we can live on – with loss and with love. The Assignment team is taking a short holiday break. We'll be back with new episodes next week. - Katie Talman was grieving an unimaginable loss when she left a message for Anderson Cooper, one of more than a thousand voicemails he received from podcast listeners. Anderson called Katie back at her home in Texas and...
Dec 28, 2023•34 min•Ep. 71
Today, we present an episode of David Axelrod's CNN podcast, The Axe Files. Lifelong Republican Bill Gates was working as a lawyer and serving on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in Arizona’s most populous county when the 2020 election upended his life. Maricopa County became a hub of the Stop the Steal movement, and Bill, who defended the safety and legitimacy of the election, became a top target. Bill joined David to talk about navigating vicious attacks from those within his own party...
Dec 26, 2023•43 min
How does ageism impact all of us? What is causing the chemotherapy drug shortage? These questions come from you , our listeners, who call in week after week with ideas for our next assignment. This week Audie speaks with CNN Health reporter Jacqueline Howard and Gerontologist Dr. Tracey Gendron about the future of ongoing pharmaceutical drug shortages and the impact ageism could have on the 2024 presidential election. If you have an assignment you’d like us to look into, leave us a voicemail at ...
Dec 21, 2023•25 min•Ep. 69
Today, we're sharing the latest episode of CNN Political Briefing with David Chalian : What will it take to win the youth vote in 2024? John Della Volpe , director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, recently led a survey of voters between the ages of 18 and 29. He discovered that fewer of them are planning on voting this time than in the last election cycle. CNN Political Director David Chalian talks to him about other surprising finds, and how this year’s candidates...
Dec 19, 2023•29 min•Ep. 68
Black women are three times more likely than white women to die of pregnancy-related causes. CNN anchor Abby Phillip wanted to know why maternal mortality rates for Black women remaining stubbornly high – and who are the people trying to change that. She joins Audie to talk about her newest report, where she goes to Los Angeles to meet mothers who are opting out of traditional hospital births, and the communities, midwives, doulas, and nurses working to make them feel heard and supported. “Homeb...
Dec 14, 2023•31 min•Ep. 67
Audie talks with journalist and podcaster Tara Palmeri about the tactics, frustrations, and the purpose of political journalism. The stops on Palmeri’s career journey prepared her well for this moment. She covered Brexit for Politico Europe, she was White House correspondent at ABC News, and early in her career, she learned all about former president Trump when she worked for his favorite place to appear in print, Page Six of the New York Post. Today, Palmeri is senior political correspondent at...
Dec 12, 2023•30 min•Ep. 66
Ken Burns has been called “America’s Storyteller.” Audie spoke with him live on stage about his process, and about trying to get to the truth of a subject, especially in a political and cultural climate that actively challenges the very idea of truth. Their conversation was part of The Connecticut Forum's season of live, unscripted conversations among renowned experts and celebrities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Dec 07, 2023•34 min•Ep. 65
The Obama/Biden ticket’s historic victory in 2008 was the result of massive turnout from Black voters, young voters, and college-educated Americans. Audie talks with Ashley Allison, a CNN commentator and former National Coalitions Director for Biden-Harris 2020 campaign, about the challenge Democrats face holding that coalition together. Call and leave us your Assignments: (202) 854-8802 or email TheAssignment@cnn.com . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Dec 05, 2023•34 min•Ep. 64
The 28th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP28, begins this week. As global leaders convene to address the urgent challenges of our planet's changing climate, two creative minds join Audie to explore how we process the climate crisis. She explores how these creators infuse hope into their narratives, envisioning a world where art and storytelling inspire action and solutions. For all of CNN’s COP28 coverage, go to cnn.com/RoadToCop GUESTS Sam Alfred is a video game desi...
Nov 30, 2023•26 min•Ep. 63
Mass deportations, a weaponized justice department, purges of civil servants: these are among the plans that former President Trump and his allies are making for a second term in the White House. CNN national correspondent Kristen Holmes has been traveling to Trump’s rallies and she has an analysis of what’s in the works for MAGA 2.0. Call and leave us your Assignments: (202) 854-8802 or email TheAssignment@cnn.com . Reporting from Kristen Holmes: Trump’s radical second-term agenda would wield e...
Nov 28, 2023•29 min•Ep. 62
The number of Americans who would say that they’re “extremely proud to be American” is at a record low, according to a recent Gallup poll. Perhaps that’s not surprising, given widespread political divisiveness across the country. Today – in time for Thanksgiving – Audie sits down with writer, comedian, and activist Baratunde Thurston to talk about what it means to be patriotic in an age of growing disillusionment. And more importantly — why does it matter? Baratunde Thurston is the host and exec...
Nov 23, 2023•37 min•Ep. 61
New polling shows that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has moved into second place in New Hampshire, behind Donald Trump. Haley's momentum hasn’t gone unnoticed by the anti-Trump fundraisers looking for a horse to back. Audie talks with CNN Political Commentator Kevin Madden about the state of the race, and what Haley needs to do to maintain her momentum. Madden has worked on several Republican campaigns, including Mitt Romney’s 2012 bid for the White House. Learn more about your a...
Nov 20, 2023•28 min•Ep. 60
We are revisiting the public school culture wars – this time, from the perspective of students. What have we learned from the kids who are fighting against book bans? How has the war over books sparked a backlash to the so-called parents’ rights movement? We call up two busy teen activists – Da’Taeveyon Daniels in Texas and Eliza Lane in Florida – to find out. And CNN correspondent Elle Reeve , who covers how extremism percolates into everyday life, puts the board room debates over what kids sho...
Nov 16, 2023•33 min•Ep. 59
Ahead of President Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi, CNN spoke to Americans who are being hounded and harassed by the Chinese government's brazen online disinformation campaign. Correspondent Donie O’Sullivan reported the story and joins Audie to walk through the lengths Beijing will go to silence online critics, even those on US soil. Donie O’Sullivan is a CNN Correspondent. Read his full story here. And we’d love to hear from you! What do you want us to cover? Call and leave us your A...
Nov 14, 2023•20 min•Ep. 58
Last year the Army missed its recruitment goal; it had 65,000 spots to fill and came in 10,000 short. Audie talks with a former recruiter about what he saw as some of the challenges the Army faces when it comes to recruitment, including cultural shifts around everything from marijuana use to mental health. And we hear from Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth about how the Army is responding to recruitment shortfalls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Nov 09, 2023•33 min•Ep. 57
New polling shows President Biden trailing Donald Trump in key battleground states, and that has many Democrats worried about his re-election prospects. Can anything be done to turn the numbers around? Or should the President bow out? Audie talks with CNN Senior Political Commentator and longtime Obama advisor David Axelrod who’s said that the President must decide whether it’s wise to run given the political headwinds he’s facing. David Axelrod is the host of CNN’s The Axe Files . Download it w...
Nov 07, 2023•27 min•Ep. 56
Dive into the world of online detectives tracking down January 6th insurrectionists. How did a dedicated community of digital sleuths help the FBI bring thousands to justice? Audie sits down with Ryan Reilly , the author of "Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System," for a journey through the realm of modern digital investigations. Call us with your Assignments: (202) 854-8802. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Nov 02, 2023•30 min•Ep. 55
Lawyers who represented former President Donald Trump face a tough choice: cooperate with prosecutors or face the wrath of the MAGA movement. CNN’s senior reporter of crime and justice Katelyn Polantz is here to break down the different factions of Trump associates and their perilous paths ahead. What’s to become of "The Kraken," "The Pound Sand Club," and... Mark Meadows? Call and leave us your political Assignments: (202) 854-8802. Polantz: Mark Meadows walks tightrope, complying with Trump pr...
Oct 31, 2023•26 min•Ep. 54
