Consider This from NPR

Under the Trump administration, federal prosecutors have been sent to investigate federal lawmakers, the chairman of the Federal Reserve and the widow of Renee Macklin Good. The Department of Justice is once again at the center of the news. At least five federal lawmakers say they have been contacted for questioning from federal prosecutors. So has the chairman of the Federal Reserve. And in Minnesota, career federal prosecutors resigned after being asked to investigate not the shooting that killed Renee Macklin Good, but her widow’s potential ties to activist groups. NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro and NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson break down the week in Justice Department news. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Megan Lim and Karen Zamora. It was edited by Kelsey Snell, John Ketchum and Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2026

Vice President J.D. Vance says the ICE officer who shot and killed Renee Macklin Good last week has "absolute immunity." Some legal experts have pushed back. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 15 January 2026

What began two weeks ago as a demonstration against an economic crisis has become a broader antigovernment movement, in cities and towns across Iran.Iran’s authoritarian government has responded with violent repression. More than 2,500 people have been killed, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. NPR has not been able to independently verify that number.Many who watch Iran now believe the current round of protests feels different.We hear from the Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian, who was imprisoned by the Iranian government while serving as a foreign correspondent for the newspaper. His op-ed this week is titled: “I’ve waited for this electrifying moment in Iran for 10 years.”For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad with engineering support from Ted Mebane. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 14 January 2026

The Trump Justice Department has subpoenaed the Federal Reserve for information related to its multibillion-dollar renovation of the Fed's headquarters in Washington. The move comes on the heels of months of President Donald Trump trying to influence Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to lower interest rates.And while he told NBC News he doesn’t know anything about the Department of Justice investigations, members of Congress, including some Republicans, say they’re concerned the independence of the Federal Reserve is now at risk.The Federal Reserve decides monetary policy across the United States. Its decisions help shape the global economy. What happens if that independence is threatened?  President Trump has been trying to influence Federal Reserve policy, since his first term.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Henry Larson. Audio engineering by Ted Mebane.It was edited by Courtney Dorning and John Ketchum.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 13 January 2026

What do we know about what's happening in Iran? The country has been rocked by days of large antigovernment protests. First, sparked by the crippling economy, now anger at the theocratic regime. More than 500 people have been killed, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. NPR is unable to independently confirm that figure.And now President Trump is considering whether to weigh in – and how. Sanctions. Cyber attacks. Military strikes. President Trump keeps suggesting the United States may get involved. If so, when and how? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Becky Brown and Josephine Nyounai.It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Rebekah Metzler and Courtney Dorning.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2026

As the deputy chief of staff for policy and one of President Trump’s longest-serving aides, Stephen Miller has been the driving force behind many of Trump’s core policies. Ashley Parker, staff writer for The Atlantic, explains why Stephen Miller has President Trump’s ear. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Mia Venkat. It was edited by Sarah Robbins and Rebekah Metzler. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 11 January 2026

NPR International Correspondent Eyder Peralta has covered conflicts and crises from East Africa to Latin America. Sometimes just getting in place to cover a story is the hardest part of reporting. His latest deployment has taken him to Colombia where he has been covering the fallout from the U.S.’s intervention in Venezuela. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Gabriel Sanchez. It was edited by Adam Raney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 10 January 2026

President Trump raised eyebrows when he told the New York Times that there was only one thing that could stop him on the global stage: his own morality. So what do Americans think about the moral standing of the United States? Well, a new NPR-Ipsos poll finds Americans still want the U.S. to be a moral leader in the world — but far fewer think it actually is. Senior Political Editor and Correspondent Domenico Montanaro shares more from the poll, and Senior International Affairs Correspondent Jackie Northam helps make sense of what it means globally.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Kai McNamee. It was edited by Vincent Ni, Nick Spicer and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2026

"Make America great again." That phrase has been in our political ecosystem for 10 years now. But it's never been clear what time period in American history President Trump was referencing?Is it the 1980s? Or maybe the 1950s?What about further back, say the 1890s?As we enter the second year of Trump’s second term, is a 19th century presidency emerging? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam, with audio engineering from Tiffany Vera Castro. It was edited by Courtney Dorning.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2026

Today in Minneapolis, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer allegedly shot and killed a woman. ICE says she was shot in her car after attempting to run over immigration agents.  Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the woman’s actions a domestic act of terrorism. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the narrative that the shooting was done in self-defense “garbage.” An immigration crackdown gone wrong. What do we know?  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, Alejandra Marquez Janse and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Cheryl Corley, Ahmad Damen, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2026

For almost three years, a civil war has decimated Sudan’s Darfur region. Bob Kitchen, who leads emergency humanitarian programs for the International Rescue Committee, just returned from the region. He described what he saw in a series of audio diaries that he shared with NPR. A warning — the audio you are about to hear contains graphic descriptions of violence and rape against women and children.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Jay Czys. It was edited by Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2026

Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and his wife, politician and attorney Cilia Flores, made their first court appearance in New York City Monday afternoon, when they both pleaded not guilty to all charges. As Nicolás Maduro faces narco-terrorism charges in the US, Venezuelans try to figure out what it means for their future, and the rest of the world wonders what it could mean for theirs.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2026

In this NPR investigation, we take a close look at the brutal violence that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, the investigation that followed, and the campaign Trump has waged to whitewash it. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Monika Evstatieva, with audio engineering by Robert Rodriguez.It was edited by Barrie Hardymon.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 4 January 2026

In this NPR investigation, we take a close look at the brutal violence that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, the investigation that followed, and the campaign Trump has waged to whitewash it.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Monika Evstatieva, with audio engineering by Robert Rodriguez.It was edited by Barrie Hardymon.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 4 January 2026

In early morning hours of January 3rd, the US military launched an operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 3 January 2026

Ashley and Nick Evancho say raising their young daughter, Sophia, is one of the most joyous things they've ever done. But the Evanchos also made a decision that's increasingly common for families in the U.S. and around the world: one is enough. The trend is leading to populations that are dramatically older, and beginning to shrink, in many of the world's biggest economies. Experts say a rapidly aging and gradually shrinking population in the world's wealthiest countries could force sweeping changes in people's lives, causing many to work longer before retirement, making it harder for business owners to find employees and destabilizing eldercare and health insurance programs. This story is part of NPR's Population Shift series. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Paige Waterhouse and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was edited by Andrea de Leon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 2 January 2026

The new year is a time to set goals. But daily life often gets in the way of meeting our ambitions. NPR’s Life Kit podcast host Marielle Segarra give us some practical, daily life tips that can set us up for success in 2026.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Michael Levitt. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 1 January 2026

This summer, the island of Puerto Rico was under the thrall of Bad Bunny. His 31-concert residency at a stadium in San Juan was a homecoming for the global superstar. It's also a homecoming for many thousands of people who left home – but are flocking back for the shows.NPR’s Adrian Florido reports on how the concerts resonated with Puerto Ricans on and off the island.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink, Elena Burnett, Liz Baker and Marc Rivers. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Gigi Douban. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 31 December 2025

Hollywood had another quiet year at cinemas. Box office income hasn’t bounced back to pre-pandemic highs. But ticket sales aren’t always an indication of quality. As proof, critic Bob Mondello shares his top movies that are worth the watch. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Chloee Weiner, Marc Rivers and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Zo vanGinhoven and Ted Mebane. It was edited by Clare Lombardo and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 30 December 2025

Eight years ago, Daniel Day-Lewis announced he was retired from acting. He offered no further comment. Retirement notwithstanding, in October, Daniel Day-Lewis appeared in a new movie. He plays a man who long ago left the world he once knew – and then is contacted by a family member to come back. It was written with and directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis. Father and son spoke with host Mary Louise Kelly about their film, Anemone.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley and Neisha Heinis. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2025

President Trump is using his position to access sporting events across the country and embed himself with teams and fans. And he’s leveraging sports and American sports culture to build up and amplify his political brand. NPR’s Tamara Keith speak with Christine Brennan, a longtime sports columnist and author, about the president and the significance of his strong ties to sports.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Henry Larson. It was edited by Sarah Robbins, Dana Farrington and Rebekah Metzler. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 28 December 2025

Day in and day out - it’s NPR’s Newscast team delivering the most immediate news to our audience more than anyone else. NPR's Tamara Keith talks to Korva Coleman about what it takes to get the story and get it right every hour of every day. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad and Daniel Ofman. It was edited by Adam Raney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 27 December 2025

On the night of his inauguration, President Trump signed an executive order that froze almost all international assistance. What followed was the termination of billions of dollars in aid programs — and the dismantling of the U-S Agency for International Development. Now, the future of U.S. foreign assistance looks very different.NPR global health correspondents Fatma Tanis and Gabrielle Emanuel have been following this all year and break down the impact of this move both on the ground and for the U.S.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Mallory Yu, with additional reporting by Jonathan Lambert. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Rebecca Davis. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2025

In the months after World War I erupted, young men in Europe were killing each other by the tens of thousands. Yet on a frozen Christmas Eve in 1914, the guns briefly fell silent.  On the 100th anniversary of the truce, former All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro set out to reconstruct the events of that day using the accounts of the people who were there.  We bring you that story. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Elena Burnett. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 25 December 2025

Singer Brenda Lee reflects on the enduring power of her Christmas classic "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Brianna Scott.It was edited by Courtney Dorning.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 24 December 2025

2025 was a hard year for science. The Trump administration upended federal funding for all kinds of scientific pursuits, slashing budgets across agencies like NASA, NIH and NOAA.  NPR's Rob Stein and Katia Riddle spoke to scientists and officials who worry that those cuts could cause the United States to lose its competitive edge as a global hub for research and innovation, and steer future generations away from careers in science.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Zo vanGinhoven. It was edited by Sarah Handel, Scott Hensley and Amina Khan. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2025

The Trump administration has removed over 600,000 people without legal status from the U.S. through deportation this year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The Trump administration has also been busy revoking legal status for immigrants who entered the country through legal pathways -- affecting at least 1.6 million people -- by canceling programs and protections like CBP One, Temporary Protected Status, humanitarian parole and student visas.That legal limbo means they too now fear the constant threat of deportation.NPR's Sergio Martinez-Beltran and Ximena Bustillo recap the largest effort to delegalize immigrants in U.S. history.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Vincent Acovino, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon, Eric Westervelt and Anna Yukhananov. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2025

Entrepreneur, political strategist and philanthropist Bradley Tusk argues his new online voting tech could revolutionize participation in American elections. He is hellbent on making online voting a reality - even at a time when much of the election establishment thinks that is a very bad idea. NPR's Miles Parks speaks with Tusk about how Tusk's organization, the Mobile Voting Project, is pushing a major technology makeover for American democracy. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Avery Keatley. It was edited by Ben Swasey and Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 21 December 2025

A new report from U.S. government watchdog SIGAR gives us the fullest accounting yet of U.S. efforts to rebuild Afghanistan.In short, they call it "a two-decade long effort fraught with waste.”Each week, Consider This hosts interview newsmakers, experts, and artists for NPR — conversations we don’t always have time to share fully in the podcast or on the radio. So every other week we share one here, for our NPR+ supporters.Sign up to hear our bonus episodes, support public radio, and get regular episodes of your favorite NPR podcasts without sponsor messages at plus.npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 20 December 2025

2025 has proved that artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping online reality and that the “slop” is here to stay.  NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel and Shannon Bond have spent much of the year rolling around in that slop and join host Scott Detrow to break down some of the highlights and how to sort the real from the fake.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Elena Burnett and Daniel Ofman. It was edited by Brett Neely, John Ketchum and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2025

Rob Reiner spent his life trying to fix what he saw as America’s shortcomings. In an interview shortly before his death he explained why he was optimistic America could be better. The actor and director was found dead on Sunday along with his wife Michelle Singer Reiner.Their son has been charged with their murders.And those tributes – they’ve centered on Reiner's acting, the movies he’s directed, but also on his political activism.It’s something he talked to the journalist Todd Purdum about shortly before he died. Purdum wrote about that interview in the New York Times this week, and joins Scott Detrow to discuss what he learned about Reiner's work and view of America's future. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Elena Burnett.It was edited by Courtney Dorning.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 18 December 2025

The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Venezuela and its leader.  What is the ultimate goal? President Trump says he’s imposing a ban on all ‘sanctioned’ oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.Venezuela’s government is calling this an ‘outrageous threat’ intended to rob the country of its oil wealth. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam, with audio engineering from Ted Mebane. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Christopher Intagliata.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 17 December 2025

Tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. have been growing over the past few months. And last Wednesday, the pressure point was oil.  The U.S. government seized a tanker it says was filled with illegal oil headed to the black market, in violation of sanctions.The seizure was an unprecedented move. And it represents an escalation in the standoff between the two countries. In recent months, the U.S. has struck nearly two dozen suspected drug boats in nearby waters, issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela, and increased its naval presence in the Caribbean.The U.S. has long had economic and political interests in Venezuela. And the oil industry there has been a key part of that relationship. Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at the Baker Institute at Rice University, explains how the two nations got to this point.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Ava Berger and Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. It was edited by Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2025

On Sunday, during a celebration for the first day of Hanukkah, a father and son opened fire on Bondi Beach near Sydney. Killing or wounding dozens of people.  Officials are calling it a terrorist incident. Even though the Jewish community in Australia is small, with just over 115,000 people in a country of more than 25 million, antisemitism is a persistent and rising threat. The spike in Australia comes amidst a rise in antisemitic attacks globally.What do we know about this trend and what does it mean for the Jewish community around the world? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Michael Levitt and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 15 December 2025

Venezuelan leader and activist Maria Corina Machado’s perilous journey to Oslo made headlines this week, but that was just the start of a new phase of international campaign to bring pressure on the Nicolas Maduro regime in her home country. NPR’s Miles Parks speaks with Ana Corina Sosa, Machado’s daughter, who accepted the Nobel Peace prize on her mother’s behalf, and talked about the future of Venezuela. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Avery Keatley and Daniel Ofman. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2025

Trump’s SAVE tool is looking for noncitizen voters. But it’s flagging U.S. citizens too. Host Miles Parks speaks with NPR reporter Jude Joffe-Block about tracking down citizens who are now having to prove they have a right to vote. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Linah Mohammed and Avery Keatley. It was edited by Brett Neely, Ben Swasey and Adam Raney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 13 December 2025

They survived some of the Afghanistan war's most grueling and treacherous missions.  But once they evacuated to the U.S., many Afghan fighters who served in "Zero Units" found themselves spiraling. Among their ranks was Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man charged with killing one National Guard member and seriously injuring a second after opening fire on them in Washington, D.C., on Thanksgiving Eve. NPR's Brian Mann spoke to people involved in Zero Units and learned some have struggled with mental health since coming to the U.S. At least four soldiers have died by suicide.  A previous version of this episode incorrectly says that more than 100,000 Afghan civilians died in a 2021 attack at a checkpoint outside the Kabul airport. More than 100 Afghan civilians died. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Erika Ryan and Karen Zamora. It was edited by Alina Hartounian and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2025

The Trump administration is leaning into the once fringe idea of "reverse migration." For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink and Brianna Scott.It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Justine Kenin and Courtney Dorning.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 11 December 2025

The Catholic Church is wading into a deeply partisan issue. The Archbishop of Chicago weighs in. This fall, the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz – an aggressive immigration crackdown campaign in Chicago.It was met with outcry from many communities around the city including the Catholic Church, and that sentiment goes all the way to the very top of the Church with Pope Leo calling on the government to treat undocumented people humanely. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink, featuring reporting from NPR domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef.It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jarenwattananon.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2025

Venezuela dominates the headlines, but very little attention is paid to what life is like inside the country. In September, the Trump administration began a series of strikes targeting what U.S. officials call "narcoterrorists" in small vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Those strikes are ongoing and have killed more than 80 people. Then, in October, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.She's been in hiding since last year, when Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory in an election widely seen as fraudulent.Machado is expected to receive her award on Wednesday, in Oslo. And if she does, she might not be let back into her country. Machado, who supports the Trump administration’s campaign in the region, says the end of the Maduro regime is imminent.While the world is focused on Oslo and María Corina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize. We wanted to get the view from inside her country. We speak with a journalist in Venezuela about what daily life is like.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Karen Zamora & Matt Ozug with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2025

There's a growing fight in Hollywood over some of the biggest characters on screen, like Tony Soprano, Daenerys Targaryen and Harry Potter. All feature in shows and films owned by Warner Brothers Discovery, and now two companies are fighting to get a piece of the action.  First, on Friday, Netflix struck an $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Brothers Studios and HBO. Then, just days later, Paramount upped the ante with a higher bid of $108 billion for Warner Brothers Discovery – which includes not just the movie studios and HBO, but also WBD’s cable channels, like CNN.As corporate giants vie to take over Warner Brothers, we ask: What are the stakes for Hollywood and the news business? Editor’s note: Warner Bros. Discovery is a financial supporter of NPR. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Jordan-Marie Smith, Mia Venkat and Karen Zamora. It was edited by Pallavi Gogoi and Christopher Intagliata. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 8 December 2025

New research from the Aspen Economic Strategy Group argues that the subsidies-or-no-subsidies approach to the Affordable Care Act debate is too narrow. Co-author of the paper 'Coverage isn't Care: An Abundance Agenda for Medicaid' Professor Craig Garthwaite tells NPR’s Miles Parks that solutions to make healthcare both more efficient and more affordable at scale are right in front of us. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Avery Keatley, Jeffrey Pierre and Henry Larson. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 7 December 2025

Students are using AI tools more than ever.  An Angelo State University professor designed a way to figure out if his students were using artificial intelligence on a recent paper. We speak with Will Teague, who says students are sacrificing their own agency to artificial intelligence. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at  considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Henry Larson and Karen Zamora, with additional reporting by Ayana Archie and Lee V. Gaines. It was edited by Justine Kenin and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2025

Fifty years ago, special education in America was born. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the landmark law known today as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. It guaranteed all children with disabilities the right to a "free appropriate public education." Now, amid the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, there's growing concern that protections for students with disabilities are in jeopardy. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink. It was edited by Jeanette Woods and Nicole Cohen. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 4 December 2025

Roughly 80,000 people of Somali descent now live in Minnesota. The vast majority of them are American citizens. This week, President Trump attacked Somali immigrants in racist and xenophobic terms.  “I don't want 'em in our country,” he said at the end of a cabinet meeting. “Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks." The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul defended their Somali community – and responded to reports that the Trump administration is targeting that community with extra immigration enforcement. Minnesota Public Radio’s Matt Sepic has the latest from St. Paul. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Vincent Acovino, with audio engineering by Kwesi Lee. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2025

President Trump is purging the immigration court system. About 140 immigration judges have been fired by the administration or resigned. Meanwhile, the case backlog is growing.  What does it mean for immigrants caught in the middle? We speak with one of the judges recently let go. The firings are part of an ongoing effort by the White House to overhaul the U.S. immigration system. Now, those judges are being replaced by “deportation judges.” For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Daniel Ofman and Karen Zamora, with additional reporting by Ximena Bustillo and Anusha Mathur. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 2 December 2025

More than 80 people have now been killed by U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats. There are growing questions about an order to kill two of those people — whether it amounts to a war crime. Here’s what we know: On Sept. 2, the U.S. carried out two strikes on a boat in the Caribbean. The second, subsequent strike killed two remaining survivors. Details of that second strike were first reported by The Washington Post last week. Today, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “authorized” Admiral Frank Bradley to conduct both strikes, and that Admiral Bradley issued the order and, quote — “worked well within his authority and the law.” But on Capitol Hill, both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees are asking for a full accounting.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Vincent Acovino and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Jay Czys. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 1 December 2025

At the recent Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, summit - which was attended by the U.S. Secretary of Health and the Vice President - the agenda showed a shift toward alternative medicine, wellness and nutrition and away from conventional medication. Most of the speakers were not academic researchers or doctors. To discuss what happens when government guidance moves away from scientific consensus, Miles Parks speaks with Dr. Sandro Galea, a Distinguished Professor in Public Health, and Dean of the Washington University School of Public Health in St Louis, Missouri. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Avery Keatley and Jordan-Marie Smith. It was edited by Ahmad Damen. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.  Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 30 November 2025

When the Missouri legislature began to redraw maps mid-decade, it reminded a reporter of a very specific movie scene.  The film was Air Bud, and although the plot focuses on a loophole that allows a dog to play basketball, some in Missouri say there are similarities to the battle over gerrymandering, and the result could have a lasting impact on the state’s government. Miles Parks speaks with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad. It was edited by Adam Raney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.  Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 29 November 2025

No matter how you measure it, there is a lot of parking in the U.S. According to some estimates there are as many as six parking spaces for every car. Put another way, America devotes more square footage to storing cars than housing people. In this episode, originally published in 2023, journalist Henry Grabar walks through how we got here, and what Americans have sacrificed on the altar of parking. From affordable housing to walkable neighborhoods to untold hours spent circling the block, hunting for a free spot. His book is Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Connor Donevan with audio engineering by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Transcribed - Published: 28 November 2025