bbc assignment podcasts

110 episodes

Every Monday on The Assignment, host Audie Cornish explores the animating forces of American politics. It’s not about the horserace, it’s about the larger cultural ideas driving the American electorate. Audie draws on the deep well of CNN reporters, editors, and contributors to examine topics like the nuances of building electoral coalitions, and the role the media plays in modern elections.  Every Thursday, Audie pulls listeners out of their digital echo chambers to hear from the people whose lives intersect with the news cycle, as well as deep conversations with people driving the headlines. From astrology’s modern renaissance to the free speech wars on campus, no topic is off the table.

The Assignment with Audie Cornish CNN

• 4.4 • 5 Ratings

The Power and Promise of Psychedelics in Therapy

Bad trips, anti-drug PSAs, and the crackdown under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 helped stigmatize psychedelics in the U.S. But now, there’s renewed clinical inquiry into whether these drugs can ease emotional trauma. To understand the future of psychedelics, Audie calls up Ernesto Londoño, reporter at the New York Times and author of the new book, “Trippy: The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics.” They discuss his own mental health and psychedelic journeys and why he thinks there’s good reason for both hope and skepticism.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Speaker Mike Johnson Has Survived So Far

When Mike Johnson worked with Democrats to pass Ukraine war funding, he knew it would enrage the extreme right-wing and threaten his speakership. So far, Johnson has survived the challenge to his job, and as Doug Heye puts it, “survival is strength.” Heye has worked for Republicans in the House and Senate and is a former communications director for the Republican National Committee. He’ll describe the tightrope Mike Johnson must walk in order lead House Republicans back to a majority in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Do We Talk About Campus Protests?

Pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses have been met with suspensions, expulsions, and arrests. This week, Audie talks with two people in the middle of the story to understand how they view and talk about this moment. We hear from Krasimir Staykov, a junior and an activist at Pomona College in Claremont, California. He and others were arrested for staging a sit-in in the university president’s office. We also hear from Michael Roth, the president of Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, about his approach to campus protest, and his response to protest language he finds offensive. Read all of CNN’s coverage on campus protests.  Read all of Pomona College’s statements about protests on campus.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• 29 APR 2024

Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett of Pod Save America

Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett were speechwriters in the Obama White House who, along with Tommy Vietor, decided to venture into media with a podcast now called Pod Save America. The show became a hit, so they founded a whole company around it called Crooked Media. Now, they produce a plethora of podcasts, host a full schedule of live shows, and even write books like their new title, Democracy or Else. Favreau & Lovett go behind the fights over messaging in the Democratic party, parse Joe Biden's campaign strategy, and explain the challenges of running a progressive media company in the age of Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• 25 APR 2024

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

• 22 APR 2024

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

Customer Reviews

Love audie cornish.

Sad that Ms. Cornish left NPR, but wonderful to be able to hear her on this insightful & well-considered podcast.

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Man or bear? Hypothetical question sparks conversation about women's safety

Women explain why they would feel safer encountering a bear in the forest than a man they didn't know. the hypothetical has sparked a broader discussion about why women fear men..

If you were alone in the woods, would you rather encounter a bear or a man? Answers to that hypothetical question have sparked a debate about why the vast majority say they would feel more comfortable choosing a bear.

The topic has been hotly discussed for weeks as men and women chimed in with their thoughts all over social media.

Screenshot HQ , a TikTok account, started the conversation, asking a group of women whether they would rather run into a man they didn't know or a bear in the forest. Out of the seven women interviewed for the piece, only one picked a man.

"Bear. Man is scary," one of the women responds.

A number of women echoed the responses given in the original video, writing in the comments that they, too, would pick a bear over a man. The hypothetical has people split, with some expressing their sadness over the state of the world and others cracking jokes. Some men were flabbergasted.

Here's what we know.

A bear is the safer choice, no doubt about it, many say

There were a lot of responses, more than 65,000, under the original post. Many wrote that they understood why the women would choose a bear.

"No one’s gonna ask me if I led the bear on or give me a pamphlet on bear attack prevention tips," @celestiallystunning wrote.

@Brennduhh wrote: "When I die leave my body in the woods, the wolves will be gentler than any man."

"I know a bear's intentions," another woman wrote. "I don't know a man's intentions. no matter how nice they are."

Other TikTok users took it one step further, posing the hypothetical question to loved ones. Meredith Steele, who goes by @babiesofsteele , asked her husband last week whether he would rather have their daughter encounter a bear or a man in the woods. Her husband said he "didn't like either option" but said he was leaning toward the bear.

"Maybe it's a friendly bear," he says.

Diana, another TikTok user , asked her sister-in-law what she would choose and was left speechless.

"I asked her the question, you know, just for giggles. She was like, 'You know, I would rather it be a bear because if the bear attacks me, and I make it out of the woods, everybody’s gonna believe me and have sympathy for me," she said. "But if a man attacks me and I make it out, I’m gonna spend my whole life trying to get people to believe me and have sympathy for me.'"

Bear vs. man debate stirs the pot, woman and some men at odds

The hypothetical has caused some tension, with some women arguing that men will never truly understand what it's like to be a woman or the inherent dangers at play.

Social media users answered this question for themselves, producing memes, spoken word poetry and skits in the days and weeks since.

So, what would you choose?

Do zinc products really help shorten a cold? It’s hard to say

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You feel a cold coming on, or maybe it’s already upon you: the telltale cough, sore throat and stuffy head. You swing by the drugstore, where a shelf full of over-the-counter products containing the mineral zinc claim to be able to shorten the duration of your symptoms.

The promise of relief is tempting. But is it one these products can make good on?

A new analysis of studies published on zinc and cold viruses concludes that there isn’t enough evidence to say whether over-the-counter zinc treatments have any effect on preventing the common cold.

For those who pop lozenges or inhale nasal sprays once a cold has come on, the available research together indicates that the products may reduce the duration of symptoms by up to two days, said Daryl Nault, an assistant professor at Maryland University of Integrative Health and first author of the paper, published Wednesday by the nonprofit organization Cochrane .

But those studies are so inconsistent in terms of the dosage, type of zinc, patient population and definition of cold symptoms that “confidence in the evidence is mostly low to very low,” the review states. “It is likely that additional studies are required before any firm conclusions can be drawn.”

In other words: Nearly 30 years after zinc lozenges first hit the market, we still can’t say for sure if these things do what they say they do.

“We aren’t saying [zinc] does” have any effect on the common cold, Nault said. “We aren’t saying it doesn’t. We’re saying we need more consistent evidence that is replicable. That’s a cornerstone of good science.”

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The age of zinc cold products dawned in 1996, when researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation convinced 100 clinic employees to volunteer as research subjects within 24 hours of developing a cold.

Half were given placebos, and half were given lozenges containing 13.3 milligrams of zinc from zinc gluconate every two waking hours as long as their symptoms persisted. Those receiving the zinc got better after 4.4 days on average, while the placebo group felt sick for an average of 7.6 days.

Most people consume a sufficient amount of zinc, a vital nutrient, through a regular diet. The mineral is plentiful in red meat and poultry, and present in many grains and fruits. (Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other known food, with a single serving containing nearly 300% of the daily recommended intake.)

Scientists aren’t exactly sure how the mineral works to alleviate cold symptoms. But the idea of an over-the-counter way to shorten the misery of a common cold has proved wildly popular.

Total U.S. sales of zinc products, such as Zicam and Cold-Eeze, were $340 million in 2023, said Hannah Esper, managing editor of the trade publication Nutrition Business Journal. Demand for zinc and other supplements exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic , with sales for zinc growing 168.3% during 2020.

Based in the U.K., Cochrane uses rigorous research methods to evaluate existing scientific evidence and produce reports to help people make decisions about their health, according to its website.

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For this review, the Cochrane team looked at 34 studies conducted across 13 countries that examined zinc products and the treatment or prevention of the common cold.

Drawing strong conclusions from the available research is difficult, as the studies tend to measure different things, said author Susan Wieland, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field.

The cold “is a very common condition that is a difficult one to study,” Wieland said. It comes and goes quickly, making it difficult to enroll research subjects. Dosages and the type of zinc administered to study subjects varied widely.

“The designs of each study are different. So different dosages, different dosage forms, different patient populations, different criteria of exclusion and inclusion, different outcomes [and] definitions of cold,” said Dr. Jason Yee, an antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who was not involved with the review. “It’s really hard to draw the same conclusion based on different studies.”

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Physicians said they weren’t surprised by the findings.

“I agree with the study. ... It is consistent with my clinical experience in the hospital,” said Dr. Samia Faiz , an internal medicine specialist at UC Riverside Health. “In general, healthy people may be able to take zinc supplements if they make them feel better or if they get some comfort. They should not take these supplements if they have distaste or stomach upset.”

While over-the-counter zinc products are generally harmless to patients battling colds, said Dr. Pritish Tosh , an infectious disease physician and researcher at the Mayo Clinic, popping lozenges “shouldn’t come at the expense of doing things that really matter, which is getting plenty of rest, plenty of fluids and taking care of yourself.”

So why do we continue to fork over our cash for these things when we don’t really have more than a hunch that they work?

When a cold hits, “it’s natural for consumers to just reach for anything that may help alleviate those symptoms. But average consumers aren’t really educated on the literature and studies that are out there showing that there’s limited evidence and efficacy with these products,” Yee said.

Buying the lozenges or huffing the nasal spray can make us feel like we have more agency in a situation where we’re at the mercy of time and our immune systems, Nault said.

“Having a sense of control makes a lot of people feel better, and feel like they’re doing something,” Nault said. “Even if they aren’t.”

Times researcher Scott Wilson contributed to this report.

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Corinne Purtill is a science and medicine reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her writing on science and human behavior has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Time Magazine, the BBC, Quartz and elsewhere. Before joining The Times, she worked as the senior London correspondent for GlobalPost (now PRI) and as a reporter and assignment editor at the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. She is a native of Southern California and a graduate of Stanford University.

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'A real headache': How Cohen makes or breaks Trump trial

The prosecution's star witness in Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal trial could also be its biggest liability.

Michael Cohen, Mr Trump's former personal attorney, is expected to take the stand to testify against the man he once reverently referred to as "The Boss."

Cohen made the hush money payment at the centre of the case, a sum which the prosecution alleges was fraudulently reimbursed by Mr Trump. He could provide essential testimony for prosecutors.

But outside the courtroom, on podcasts, television and social media, Cohen has not exactly helped their case.

He has mocked Mr Trump on X, calling him "sleepy Donald" and has used a profane nickname referring to the former president. Cohen also has posted memes that appear to show Mr Trump in prison-uniform orange, and joked on TikTok about Mr Trump being incarcerated.

"Trump 2024?" he said during one TikTok stream, reported by ABC News. "More like Trump 20-24 years."

Cohen's rogue behaviour, coupled with his very real criminal record, has opened the door for Mr Trump's defence to cast doubt on this crucial player.

"He's a real headache," said Lance Fletcher, a former Manhattan prosecutor who now practises criminal defence. "He's doing everything as a prosecutor you don't want your witness to do. He's got all sorts of credibility problems."

An attorney representing Cohen declined to comment for this story.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felony counts including tax offences, fraud and campaign finance violations. The latter charge stemmed from the very same hush money payment at the heart of Mr Trump's case. He also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress - a fact Mr Trump's attorneys have brought up in this trial and during a separate civil case.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records for allegedly reimbursing Cohen for making a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, then trying to disguise records of the payment as legal expenses. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty.

Todd Blanche, Mr Trump's lead attorney, tried to undercut Cohen as a witness in his opening statement. He said Cohen remained "obsessed" with Trump "to this day," and that he "rants and raves" about the former president.

BBC News reporters are in the Manhattan courtroom covering the historic first criminal trial of a former US president. You'll find their updates and analysis on the BBC news website and app, and across TV, radio and podcasts.

• LIVE UPDATES: How Monday in court unfolded
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"I submit to you that he cannot be trusted," Mr Blanche said.

Mr Fletcher agrees with the defence's strategy. "You almost want to make the case about him," he said.

Mr Blanche and his colleagues could bring up Cohen's previous comments while he's on the stand, and call into question his motivation for providing damaging testimony against Mr Trump. His attorneys already have alleged Cohen is profiting off Mr Trump's legal problems through his podcast, TikTok streams, and books.

If Cohen testifies, "maybe you can get him upset, maybe he starts yelling and screaming and coming apart at you," Mr Fletcher said.

Rolling the dice

During her time as a prosecutor, former New York State Acting Supreme Court Justice Diane Kiesel used to have a saying: "I don't go to central casting for my witnesses."

In other words, prosecutors do not always get the perfect witness to prove their case - some, while providing essential testimony, are flawed. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is in a similar position with Cohen, she said.

"Who do you think is going to be making hush money payments to a porn star?" Judge Kiesel said. "Some upstanding member of the bar... who everyone looks up to as a paragon of legal ethics?"

She said Mr Bragg's team must "go through every single thing that Michael Cohen has to say" and offer corroborating evidence to convince the jury.

Prosecutors already have acknowledged Cohen's flaws to jurors.

During opening statements, assistant district attorney Michael Colangelo told the jury: "You will need to keep an open mind" about Cohen, and "keep in mind all the evidence that corroborates Michael Cohen's testimony".

Prosecutors have introduced a paper trail of texts, emails, phone calls, bank records and legal contacts Cohen left as he brokered payouts to Ms Daniels and another woman, Playboy model Karen McDougal, in exchange for their silence.

They have called on multiple corroborating witnesses, like former tabloid publisher David Pecker and Ms Daniel's former attorney Keith Davidson, who could shed light on events involving Cohen.

But prosecutors cannot make Cohen stop talking.

"When I was a prosecutor, I [occasionally] wished I could give witnesses a gag order, but you can't," Mr Fletcher said. "They have the same rights and powers as regular citizens."

The district attorney's office did not return a request for comment.

On 24 April, Cohen announced - likely to the relief of prosecutors - that he would impose a gag order on himself.

"Despite not being the gagged defendant, out of respect for Judge Merchan and the prosecutors, I will cease posting anything about Donald on my X (formerly Twitter) account or on the Mea Culpa Podcast until after my trial testimony," Mr Cohen posted. "See you all in a month (or more).

Whether or not he keeps his word remains to be seen.

"The district attorney can read him the riot act all they want," said former Judge Kiesel. "But if he's not gonna listen, he's not gonna listen."