Film director Raoul Peck grew up in Haiti and the Congo, and is no stranger to authoritarianism. So it was an easy “yes” when he was offered access to author George Orwell’s entire body of work, from the original manuscript of “1984” to letters and journals. The result is “Orwell: 2+2=5,” a documentary about how a man named Eric Arthur Blair became the timeless face of truth. Peck talks to Audie about his take on Orwell’s legacy and what it still has to teach us.  

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This episode was Produced by Madeleine Thompson and Lori Galarreta

Senior Producer: Matt Martinez  
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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This week The Assignment presents the first episode of CNN’s powerful narrative series, Tortured Justice with Omar Jimenez. It’s the story of systemic torture carried out by the Chicago police department over many years starting in the 1980s. The series focuses on James Gibson, who was wrongly convicted and tortured, Andrew Wilson, whose guilt for killing two police officers has not been questioned even as people learned of his torture, and Jon Burge, a police commander who oversaw torture. 

Subscribe to the podcast to hear all the episodes. And read more about how Omar reported the story.  

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Producers: Graelyn Brashear, Madeleine Thompson, Emily Williams, Kyra Dahring, Sofia Sanchez, and Lauren Kim   

Editor: Lacy Roberts  

Technical director: Dan Dzula   

Executive producer of CNN Podcasts: Steve Lickteig   

Production help from: Jake Sorgen, Joe DeCeault, David Guggenheim, Jessica Pupovac 

Special thanks to: Ferlon Webster, Jr. and Ed Kelly 

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Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel returned to TV after being suspended for his comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination. It was the latest sign of political pressure shaping the media landscape into something that may have been unrecognizable a decade ago. So how did we get here, and where are we headed? Axios media correspondent and CNN contributor Sara Fischer talks about the forces at play and how they’re influencing everything from talk shows to social media algorithms. 

This episode was Produced by Lori Galarreta and Madeleine Thompson

Senior Producer: Matt Martinez  
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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Charlie Kirk’s assassination may be part of a larger “political realignment” in America, that’s according to Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a leading scholar on political violence. She explains what it is, why it's violent, how it could get worse, and possible paths out.

This episode was Produced by Lori Galarreta and Jesse Remedios

Senior Producer: Matt Martinez  
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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Social media doesn’t just decide what you see — it shapes how you speak. Audie talks to linguist, author and educational influencer, Adam Aleksic to explore how the way we communicate is mutating in the age of TikTok, Trump, and ChatGPT. 

Adam’s book is called, “Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language.” 

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This episode was Produced by Lori Galarreta 

Senior Producer: Matt Martinez  
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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One of the biggest shows of the summer was Netflix’s “Hunting Wives,” a raunchy, soapy thriller about gun-toting Texas housewives. It’s the latest hit in a growing wave of so-called “red state entertainment” finding audiences everywhere. Audie calls up comedian and longtime television producer Larry Wilmore to find out what’s driving Hollywood’s pronounced shift away from the hard lean into wokeness we saw just a few years ago. Is this a lasting change, or just another spin of the wheel in studios’ chase for the next big thing?

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This episode was Produced by Jesse Remedios 

Senior Producer: Matt Martinez  
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. But for many, the storm is not just a memory, it’s an inheritance. At Be Loud Studios, an after-school program that helps young people tell their stories through radio, educator Alex Owens created Born After the Storm a podcast where local teens reflect on Katrina’s legacy. Audie sits down with high school senior Amari Walton, one of the storytellers, and Alex, who leads the program, to hear how the storm’s impact lives on through those who never lived it. 

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This episode was Produced by Lori Galarreta 

Senior Producer: Matt Martinez  
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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Dating apps are reporting record breaking numbers. Yet surveys show people across generations and sexualities are partnering less, having less sex, and are feeling increasingly pessimistic about the state of American romance. So what’s going on? Audie sits down with Faith Hill – staff writer at The Atlantic, who closely covers ‘The Slow, Quiet Demise of American Romance’ – for a breakdown of the uniquely modern challenges and consequences of searching for love on your phone.  

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This episode was Produced by Jesse Remedios and Lauren Kim.  

Senior Producers: Matt Martinez and Dan Bloom 
Technical Director: Dan Dzula   
Executive Producer:  Steve Lickteig 

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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 

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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.  

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