The Assignment with Audie Cornish

The Assignment with Audie Cornish

Every Thursday on The Assignment, host Audie Cornish explores the animating forces of this extraordinary American political moment. It’s not about the horse race, it’s about the larger cultural ideas driving the conversation: the role of online influencers on the electorate, the intersection of pop culture and politics, and discussions with primary voices and thinkers who are shaping the political conversation.

Episodes

June 19, 2025 34 mins
Just a few years ago, ‘body positivity’ was everywhere. Then came Ozempic. Audie talks with Virginia Sole-Smith, who spent the past decade writing about ‘diet culture.’ She weighs in on the future of the body positivity in an Ozempic world, and whether the movement and the revolutionary new class of weight loss drugs can coexist.  Virginia Sole Smith’s book is called “Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture.”  Learn more ab...
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Protest has long been a tool for change in American life. But in an age of political gridlock and viral outrage, what actually works? Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible— one of several progressive groups organizing “No Kings Day” protests —joins Audie to talk about their strategy, and how they are preparing considering the Trump Administration’s reaction to ICE protests in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
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Some companies just build products. Others build empires — with innovative leaders who inspire fierce devotion. But when does innovation become something more like faith? Tech journalist Karen Hao joins Audie Cornish to talk about the rise of Sam Altman, the near-religious culture growing around AI, and what it all means for our future — whether you’re feeling hopeful, skeptical, or somewhere in between.  Karen Hao’s book is calle...
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Should you put your DoorDash burrito on a payment plan? Probably not. But Klarna co-founder and CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski argues the rise of "buy now, pay later" -- or BNPL -- services like his are a good thing. He joins Audie to talk about his “healthier” credit alternative, and whether the rise of BNPL is a sign of larger economic strain.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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As Sean “Diddy” Combs stands trial in New York, the music industry is reckoning with a hard truth: how did he stay untouchable for so long? Music journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy—who once interned at Bad Boy Records—joins Audie to unpack how hip-hop missed its Weinstein “Me Too” moment.   Krishnamurthy is the author of Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion.  Get a recap of the Combs trial in your podcast feed, sub...
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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.  Listen to Persuadable and f...
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Catholicism is having a moment. The election of a new pope set social media buzzing with silly songs and comedy sketches, fantasy pope drafts and power rankings, and last year’s Oscar-winner ‘Conclave’ provided an imaginary reference point for what was happening behind the Sistine Chapel’s closed doors. But the interest goes beyond the papal election: Reports point to a rise in young converts, from JD Vance to Shia LaBeouf to a wav...
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It’s been called a ‘romantic recession.’ Has love and dating always been this hard? Orna Guralnik, a psychoanalyst and star of Showtime’s Couples Therapy, says she’s seeing political polarization take a toll on modern-day romance. She sits down with Audie for a session on repairing America’s divided relationships, and steps we can all take to find connection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The White House Correspondents Dinner takes place this weekend with at least one notable absence: comedy. Standup comic W. Kamau Bell visits Audie to talk about the tough decisions facing artists in the Trump era—and what institutional power plays, like the president’s takeover of the Kennedy Center and the abrupt cutting of Amber Ruffin from the White House Correspondents Dinner, mean for the future of comedy. Learn more about you...
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April 17, 2025 29 mins
The fallout continues from the president’s so-called “Liberation Day,” with the on-again off-again global tariffs and the rising tensions with China. This all has the financial markets bouncing like a yo-yo. Audie talks with CNN Business Senior Writer Allison Morrow about what this means for you and your finances, and whether we’re heading for a recession.   Allison writes the CNN Business Nightcap, subscribe here.  Learn more abo...
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Artificial Intelligence can be difficult to understand, but a few things are certain: it's here, it's reshaping entire industries, and it's making a lot of people nervous. Audie sits down with Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI and a cautious optimist about our technological future. They unpack what AI is already changing, what it can do next—and how we can prepare for what’s coming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...
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Detaining foreign students over their activism is the “kind of policy that ends democracies.” That’s what Jameel Jaffer tells Audie this week. He’s a law professor and Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. We also hear from Franziska Wild, student senior editor at The Georgetown Voice, about the chilling effect the detentions are having on campus.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
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What’s the way out of the political wilderness for Democrats? The mayor of Chicago says look to his city “leading the way in this moment around the value system that the people of America want to see carried out in governance.” Audie talks with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about his political path forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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For decades, college athletes made millions for everyone but themselves. Now, the NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness policy, NIL, has changed the game. Audie dives into the chaos of NIL with former All-American gymnast Savannah Schoenherr and Washington Post writer Jesse Dougherty to find out who’s winning, who’s losing, and what it's like navigating America’s latest “wild west.” And will it change the way you experience college spor...
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Sweeping cuts are throwing America’s national parks and forests into uncertainty. With fewer rangers, trail crews, and wildfire fighters, the effects could be immediate — closed campgrounds, neglected trails, and a fire season primed to be more dangerous than ever. Audie talks with veteran wildland firefighter Riva Duncan and CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir about what these cuts mean for public lands, outdoor tourism, and...
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March 6, 2025 38 mins
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned from office in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal. Now, he’s back and running for mayor of New York City. And he’s not the only one, other so-called “canceled” men from Hollywood, media and politics are being welcomed back to the public sphere. So what’s happened to the Me Too Movement? Audie talks with the founder of ‘Me Too’, Tarana Burke, and former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carls...
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February 27, 2025 34 mins
A growing number of tech leaders, conservatives, and social influencers believe falling birthrates pose an existential threat to civilization, and this “pro-natalist” movement wants Americans to start having more babies. Audie talks to Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia. His book is called, “Get Married: Why Americans Should Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families and Save Civilization.” Learn more abou...
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The Oscars aren’t just about the movies—they’re about politics, too. Audie talks with New Yorker staff writer Michael Schulman, author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears. They break down the high-stakes world of Oscar campaigning including who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes, and what this year’s race reveals about the shifting dynamics of the industry.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...
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February 13, 2025 33 mins
Raw milk, seed oil skepticism, and...coffee enemas? The rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the conservative “Make America Healthy Again” movement is reclaiming what it means to be ‘crunchy’ -- a term previously associated with health-conscious liberals. Audie talks with Kiera Butler, a Mother Jones senior editor and reporter deeply embedded in the world of the conservative right's wellness trends.  Learn more about your ad choices. ...
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February 6, 2025 43 mins
President Trump put Elon Musk in charge of government efficiency and the result has been nonstop chaos and trauma for civil servants. Audie talks with WIRED reporter Vittoria Elliot about how he is doing it and who is helping him. Audie also talks with someone who’s gone through an Elon purge -- former Twitter executive Dr. Rumman Chowdhury. She offers advice on how to get through it.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...
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