Episodes

  • The Offline Rebellion of the Most Online Generation

    The Offline Rebellion of the Most Online Generation
    Aug 14 2025
    Audie talks with artist and organizer Kennedy McDaniel about how she, and others in her generation -- Gen Z -- are finding connection and power offline through an old school medium: zines. This episode was Produced by Lori Galarreta. Senior Producer: Matt Martinez Technical Director: Dan Dzula Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • Are Respectability Politics Over?

    Are Respectability Politics Over?
    Aug 7 2025
    Kamala Harris is stepping back. And Jasmine Crockett – the fiery Texas congresswoman known for viral clapbacks – is turning heads. This week, Audie asks: are “respectability politics” still the price of power for Black politicians, or are the rules finally changing in the age of Trump? NOTUS White House Correspondent Jasmine Wright and GOP Strategist Melik Abdul to help her parse it out. The Assignment is a production of CNN Podcasts. This episode was Produced by Jesse Remedios and Sofia Sanchez. Our Senior Producer is Matt Martinez. Dan Dzula is our Technical Director and Steve Lickteig is Executive Producer of CNN Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • What the Recent Obsession with Yachts Says About Class in America

    What the Recent Obsession with Yachts Says About Class in America
    Jul 31 2025
    We’re living in a golden age of yachts, bunkers, and ultra-wealth – and social media is eating it up. Audie talks with journalist and author Evan Osnos about what this era reveals about American culture and class. His book is called, “The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich.” The Assignment is a production of CNN Podcasts. This episode was produced by Lori Galarreta and Grace Walker. Our Senior Producer is Matt Martinez. Dan Dzula is our Technical Director and Steve Lickteig is Executive Producer of CNN Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • How Early 2000s Pop Culture Pitted Women Against Each Other

    How Early 2000s Pop Culture Pitted Women Against Each Other
    Jul 24 2025
    In the early 2000s, girlhood became a spectacle. It was sold through reality TV, tabloid scandals, and the early Internet. And it’s still shaping the way we see women today. Audie talks with Sophie Gilbert, culture critic and author of “Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • What ICE’s Rapid Expansion Could Mean for Your Community

    What ICE’s Rapid Expansion Could Mean for Your Community
    Jul 17 2025
    President Trump's megabill sets Immigration and Customs Enforcement up to be the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency. Journalist Garrett Graff tells Audie how a relatively new federal agency rose to the top and why people should “get used to” seeing ICE agents in their community. Garrett Graff writes the newsletter Doomsday Scenario and hosts the Long Shadow podcast. For more CNN reporting on ICE’s expansion: https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/ice-cbp-police-los-angeles-immigration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • Will Tariffs Bring Trouble to Toyland?

    Will Tariffs Bring Trouble to Toyland?
    Jul 10 2025
    These days, the toy industry isn’t all fun and games. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks sits down with Audie to talk about how trade wars and culture wars are shaping the state of play in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • George Takei’s Journey Through Fear, Silence, and Activism

    George Takei’s Journey Through Fear, Silence, and Activism
    Jul 3 2025
    Star Trek legend George Takei has spent a lifetime confronting injustice: his family was sent to internment camps during World War II, he fought for civil rights in the 60’s, and later in life he became an activist in the LGBTQ+ community. Takei talks with Audie about his new graphic book, “It Rhymes with Takei,” a story about the experiences that shaped him, and what they say about patriotism, protest, and the state of American democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • Alaska’s Senator: 'You’re Roadkill in the Middle’

    Alaska’s Senator: 'You’re Roadkill in the Middle’
    Jun 26 2025
    Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski spent the past two decades making a name for herself as a Republican who regularly straddles party lines. In a new book, Far from Home, Murkowski delves into her journey navigating hyper-partisan politics -- from the Tea Party to the Trump era. She sits down with Audie Cornish for a conversation about whether there’s still room for pragmatism and consensus-building in the modern-day GOP. Watch this conversation on YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    30 mins