106 episodes
The Assignment with Audie Cornish CNN
-
- News
-
-
4.6 • 754 Ratings
-
Each week on The Assignment, host Audie Cornish pulls listeners out of their digital echo chambers to hear from the people whose lives intersect with the news cycle. From the sex work economy to the battle over what’s taught in classrooms, no topic is off the table. Listen to The Assignment every Monday and Thursday.
-
Does Beyoncé Need Country?
And does Country need Beyoncé? The likely answer to both of those questions is no. But the discussion Beyoncé sparked seems to be the larger point of her new album, Cowboy Carter. Sidney Madden is a reporter for NPR Music, and has delved deep into the intricate dynamics of race, genre, and industry politics addressed on the album. Audie and Sidney talk about these bigger themes and explore the conversation that's been started by Beyoncé's latest bold venture.
Sidney Madden is also co-host of the podcast Louder Than a Riot.
Watch, “Call Me Country: Beyoncé & Nashville’s Renaissance,” available to stream in the U.S. on Friday, April 26 on Max (subscription required). The documentary examines this reckoning in the genre, straight from the country music capital of the world.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Why Trump Would Rather Be at The Supreme Court
While the political world fixates on Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial, the Supreme Court is weighing two decisions that could re-define the November election and invalidate charges for hundreds of January 6th defendants. CNN’s Senior Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic is here to explain what’s at stake and read the tea leaves as to which way the justices are leaning. Joan’s book, Nine Black Robes, is now out in paperback.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Pediatricians on the Frontlines of Gender-Affirming Care
This week, the Supreme Court ruled that Idaho could temporarily enforce a law that would ban providing gender-affirming care to minors. That means doctors who administer puberty blocking-drugs, hormone therapy, and perform certain surgeries could face up to 10 years in prison. It’s the latest move to prevent doctors from providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth. With politicians passing anti-trans bills and hospitals and doctors facing vitriol and threat, is this care on the line for trans kids? In this episode from the early days of our podcast, Audie speaks with two gender-affirming care providers to discuss the negative attention they’ve faced and understand the lifesaving care at risk.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Why Arizona Matters So Much
When Arizona’s Supreme Court upheld an 1864 law reinstating a near-total ban on abortion, it took most of the country by surprise. For plugged-in journalist Jim Small of AZ Mirror, this was the expected result of a deliberate effort by Republicans to arrive at precisely this outcome. Now that the great backpedal is underway, Small tells Audie how we got here and how Arizona politics will affect the elections in November.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
What Would a Second U.S. Civil War Look Like?
The new movie “Civil War” asks: what could happen if the system of checks and balances that hold the United States together falls apart? Audie talks with the writer and director of the film, Alex Garland. It follows journalists as they make their way through a war-torn American landscape, one where Texas and California have gone to war against a three-term president who has disbanded the FBI and deemed journalists enemy combatants who may be shot on sight.
--
The Assignment has been nominated for two Webby Awards in the categories of Best Host and Interview/Talk Show! Please click on the links and vote for us. Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Why Don’t Third Parties Work?
Last week, “No Labels,” the centrist group seeking to field a “unity ticket” for the presidential election, announced that despite raising $70 million and securing ballot access in key states, they had failed to secure a candidate and would drop their effort for the 2024 cycle. This news elicited sighs of relief all over Washington, including at Third Way, a center-left think tank. Kate deGruyter is communications director at Third Way, and she argues that any third-party candidate in this race disproportionately hurts Joe Biden by muddying the otherwise clear choice between Biden and former president Donald Trump.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Counting the Votes…
On your recent episode, listening to Al and Tonya share their stories of threats and intimidation from right wing nuts believing the 2020 election was stolen/rigged (and apparently all voting, unless their candidate wins, of course) it was shocking to me that they belong to the party who are responsible for these lies is incredible, and not in a good way.
Love but needs a new audio editor!
I’m an audio editor and the interviews are clearly not aligned properly in many episodes. It leads to it sounding like people talking over each other, awkward pauses and interrupting and there is echo from I’m assuming ambient audio from the online recording. Come on whoever you are! You can do this! I want to listen to these excellent interviews but it’s so hard to listen to when it’s not quite right.
Kara Swisher
Normally when I hear the topic of a podcast is tech and AI my eyes glaze over. WOW. I feel like I have a lot to learn from the likes of Kara Swisher. Audie led a great interview and it’s been the best 30 minutes I’ve spent recently.