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Audie Cornish

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Audie Cornish is host of All Things Considered, along with Robert Siegel and Melissa Block.

Previously, she served as host of Weekend Edition Sunday. Prior to moving into that host position in the fall of 2011, Cornish reported from Capitol Hill for NPR News, covering issues and power in both the House and Senate and specializing in financial industry policy. She was part of NPR's six-person reporting team during the 2008 presidential election, and had a featured role in coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Cornish comes to Washington, D.C., from Nashville, where she covered the South for NPR, including many the Gulf states left reeling by the 2005 hurricane season. She has also covered the aftermath of other disasters, including the deaths of several miners in West Virginia in 2006, as well as the tornadoes that struck Tennessee in 2006 and Alabama in 2007.

Before coming to NPR, Cornish was a reporter for Boston's award-winning public radio station WBUR. There she covered some of the region's major news stories, including the legalization of same sex marriage, the sexual abuse scandal in the Boston Roman Catholic Archdiocese, as well as Boston's hosting of the Democratic National Convention. Cornish also reported for WBUR's syndicated programming including On Point, distributed by NPR, and Here and Now.

In 2005, Cornish shared in a first prize in the National Awards for Education Writing for "Reading, Writing, and Race," a study of the achievement gap. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Cornish has served as a reporter for the Associated Press in Boston. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Election 2012
5:07 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

Arizona Tea Party Activists Say They're Back

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Arizona businessman Wil Cardon attends a luncheon in Scottsdale. Cardon faces six-term Rep. Jeff Flake in the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate.
Credit Andrea Hsu / NPR
Wes Harris, founder of the Original North Phoenix Tea Party, has been a registered Democrat, independent and now Republican. He says that while Tea Party activism had dropped off over the past two years, issues like health care and immigration are starting to draw people back.
Credit Jonathan Gibby / Getty Images
A Tea Party activist rallies in support of Arizona's tough immigration law in Phoenix in April.
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Originally published on Thu July 12, 2012 5:37 pm

Maricopa County, Ariz., where 3 out of 5 Republicans in the state live, has become a hotbed of Tea Party activism.

That's where the head of the Original North Phoenix Tea Party lives. His name is Wesley Harris, and he used to manufacture precision rifle barrels. These days, his son runs the business, while Harris spends most of his time as a full-time Tea Party activist.

Running Against Disenchantment

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Politics
4:53 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

Arizona Immigration Activists Mobilize Latino Vote

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Maxima Guerrero and Daniel Rodriguez canvass for votes in Phoenix. Rodriguez moved to the U.S. with his mother when he was a child, and is undocumented. "The best thing I can do now," he says, "is organize those that can [vote], and make them vote for me."
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Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 5:21 pm

For years, Maricopa County, Ariz., has been ground zero in the debate over immigration.

On one hand, the massive county, which includes the state capital of Phoenix, has a growing Latino population. On the other, it's home to publicity savvy Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has made his name by strictly enforcing, some say overstepping, immigration laws.

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Reporter's Notebook
2:59 pm
Wed February 22, 2012

'We Crush The Cars': Inside The Monster Truck Arena

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The Grave Digger team of monster trucks, considered to be one of the most influential monster trucks of all time, is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary and racing in the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) Monster Jam series.
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
The Monster Jam tour begins in the late winter each year and ends in March — visiting major cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The large venues that host these events, such as Washington, D.C.'s Verizon Center arena featured in this photo, begin their preparations for the show almost three weeks before the night of the event.
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
After laying down a 10,000-yard stockpile of dirt with an 8- to 10-inch base, the constructing of the obstacles begin. Junkyard cars from towing companies are brought to the arena and painted over with vibrant colors to enhance the audience experience.
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
Rod Schmidt, the current driver of the Grave Digger #18 truck, has been driving for the team for more than a decade and says it's "the greatest job ever."
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
The Grave Digger's imagery of green flames and foggy graveyard scenes has earned it a wild reputation and unceasing popularity. The trucks have become the poster child for Monster Jam, and in some cases monster trucks in general.
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
The Grave Digger #18 was constructed from a 1950 Chevy Panel Van with a 540 CI size engine and a Coan 2-speed transmission. Sitting in the driver's seat of the car, one sees the immensity of the estimated 10,000 lbs. truck — standing at about 11 ft tall and 12 ft wide.
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
Every Monster truck is equipped with three safety shut offs. As seen from the front seat, the driver has one on the inside of the truck; another is clearly marked on the rear of the truck; and an official holds a remote kill switch in case the safety of onlookers is compromised.
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
One of the Grave Digger's most visible trademarks is the red headlights that glow menacingly whenever the truck is in side-by-side racing competition. The first truck to cross the finish line moves onto the next round until it is eliminated or triumphs over the competition.
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
Grave Digger driver Rod Schmidt stuns audiences inside Washington's Verizon Center, as he takes his monster truck vertical towards the end of the show. Today, the Grave Digger is traditionally the last truck to freestyle and is featured in the "grand finale" which caps off the show.
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
The Grave Digger truck received its name in 1981, when its builder Dennis Anderson, jokingly trash-talking with his fellow racers, said the now famous line, "I'll take this old junk and dig you a grave with it!"
Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
The Grave Digger team of monster trucks, considered to be one of the most influential monster trucks of all time, is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary and racing in the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) Monster Jam series.
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Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:01 am

It's that time of year again — the time when the sports world starts to zone in on basketball's March Madness, hockey's playoff push, baseball's spring training ... and monster trucks. That's right, it's prime time for four-wheeled contraptions that specialize in crushing each other.

While it may be hard to get past the deafening radio ads, a funny thing can happen on the way to a Monster Jam show. It turns out that young fans' giddiness over the awesome destruction they're about to witness can be pretty contagious.

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Digital Life
1:23 pm
Tue May 10, 2011

Senators Grill Phone Execs On Mobile Privacy

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Originally published on Tue May 10, 2011 2:23 pm

Executives from the biggest brands in mobile computing were called to Capitol Hill Tuesday to clear up concerns that they have tracked and stored data about their customers' whereabouts, in some cases without their permission.

Apple and Google defended the location technology in iPhones and Android-software-based phones that makes some of their services possible for consumers and advertisers.

While the companies say they've taken precautions to protect privacy, lawmakers are looking at further ways to shield consumers.

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