In 2016, the Mississippi River punched a hole in the Len Small levee, built to protect farmland along an S-shaped curve in the river known as Dogtooth Bend. That hole was never repaired. Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports on how some farmers in the area have had to give up their land. And, John Ruskey calls the Mississippi River "a creative force" that sculpts the landscape and rejuvenates the people who experience it up close. But climate change is making that force stronger and more destru...
Jun 27, 2025•32 min
In 2019, an unrelenting flood swamped more than half a million acres in the Mississippi Delta's Yazoo Backwater. It took more than six months to recede. Here & Now 's Peter O'Dowd reports on a pumping station project that could protect against destruction from future floods. And, after a yearslong journey, Anderson Jones is back at home. The sandbag levee protecting his house failed during the 2019 floods. O'Dowd reports on Jones' rebuilding process and his hopes for the new pump project. Th...
Jun 26, 2025•28 min
Progressive state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani stunned the political world after he defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday's hotly contested Democratic primary for NYC mayor. Errol Louis, host of NY1's Inside City Hall, joins us to discuss what it means for New York and the rest of the country. And, when California Rep. Jimmy Gomez tried to visit an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, he was denied access after ICE began enforcing a new rule that blocks members of Congress fro...
Jun 25, 2025•22 min
Ernest Moniz, former energy secretary under President Obama and lead negotiator on the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, talks about what comes next now that a shaky ceasefire is underway between Iran and Israel. Then, new research highlights that indoor air quality can have a powerful impact on the health and development of babies and young children. Dr. Lindsey Burghardt tells us more. And, Kelly Ramsey spent two years as a hotshot firefighter in California beginning in 2020. In her new memoir, "Wi...
Jun 24, 2025•29 min
We get the view from inside Iran with former news editor Ali Safari, a resident of Tehran who unpacks how Iranians are responding to the conflict. And, Here & Now 's security analyst Jim Walsh joins us to explain what the U.S.'s strikes and Iran's response mean for national security. Then, in the wake of escalating conflict in Iran, Republican senators squabble over the details of a massive policy bill to extend President Trump's deep tax cuts and slash spending to Medicaid. NPR congressiona...
Jun 23, 2025•22 min
Though the U.S. and Iran were once allies, their relationship has since turned tense in the last 40 years. Now, President Trump is weighing U.S. involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Historian and author John Ghazvinian joins us to unpack decades of history in U.S.-Iran diplomacy. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Jun 20, 2025•13 min
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently fired all members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent vaccine panel, prompting criticism from health experts. One of those experts is Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general in the first Trump administration. And, New York City's mayoral race is coming down to the wire, with progressive state representative Zohran Mamdani closing in on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's lead. WNYC reporter Brigid Bergin explains what the...
Jun 19, 2025•25 min
President Trump said on Wednesday that he hasn't decided whether the U.S. will strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine joins us to discuss a resolution he introduced that would require approval from Congress before the U.S. military could get involved in Iran. And, as Ukraine continues to endure deadly air strikes, the G7 conference ended with no strong condemnation of Russia or much mention of Ukraine at all. The Washington Post's Lizzie Johnson shares the latest from Kyiv. ...
Jun 18, 2025•21 min
President Trump is calling for a "real end" to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Vali Nasr, a professor of Middle East studies and international affairs at Johns Hopkins University, joins us to talk about how Trump is navigating the crisis. And, the Trump administration's immigration raids have targeted farm workers. California farmer Lisa Tate shares the impact of those raids on the farm workforce. Then, Tuesday marks 10 years since a white supremacist opened fire at Mother Emanu...
Jun 17, 2025•24 min
As Iran and Israel continue to lob airstrikes at each other, civilian casualties are climbing in both countries. Negar Mortazavi from the Center for International Policy shares how Iran sees the escalating conflict. And, authorities in Minnesota have arrested a suspect in the killing of State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and the shootings of State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Minnesota Public Radio's Matt Sepic joins us. Then, Meta is pursuing artificial "superintelligenc...
Jun 16, 2025•20 min
Apple sent engineers to China to make its sophisticated products cheaply. The company sent engineers to train workers and paid for expensive specialized equipment at factories there. This helped push China to become the world's leader in high-tech electronics manufacturing and helped Apple create the iPhone, one of the most iconic products of the 21st century. Patrick McGee, author of "Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company," explains how China and Apple have become entwined...
Jun 13, 2025•26 min
Rev. Zachary Hoover explains what's motivating protesters to go out and oppose the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles. And, in 2016, the Mississippi River punched a hole in the Len Small levee, built in 1943 to protect farmland along an S-shaped curve in the river known as Dogtooth Bend. That hole was never repaired. Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports on how some farmers in the area have had to give up their land. Then, Brian Wilson, the visionary force behind the Beach ...
Jun 12, 2025•29 min
The Trump administration has deployed a military presence to Los Angeles amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Retired 4-star General Barry McCaffrey explains his concerns about how Trump is using the armed forces in an American city. And, as Trump's tax bill makes its way through the Senate, the food assistance program SNAP could see cuts. Pamela Irvine, CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia, details how the work her food bank does might be be impacted. Then, in 2019, the...
Jun 11, 2025•26 min
The ongoing protests in Los Angeles started after immigration raids and workplace arrests in the city. The Wall Street Journal's Michelle Hackman explores the decision-making that led the Trump administration to carry out recent immigration actions. And, hundreds of scientists with the National Institutes of Health have signed a letter calling to protect biomedical science from what they called forced politicization by the Trump administration around important research. Jenna Norton, a researche...
Jun 10, 2025•27 min
President Trump ordered the Pentagon to send around 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests against immigration raids in the city. Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, explains the legal implications. Trump ignored California Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections to deploying the National Guard. The last time a president called in the National Guard without the governor's approval was in 1965 during...
Jun 09, 2025•24 min
The federal trial of media mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is ending its fourth week. Combs faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. We get the latest from the Washington Post's Samantha Chery. Then, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, the Kenyan writer who is considered to be one of the founders of African literature, died last week at the age of 87. Kenyan writer Dennis Mugaa joins us. And, the blockbuster hit "Jaws" would not have been possible without the support of locals on Martha's Vineyard ...
Jun 06, 2025•19 min
President Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday to ban nationals of 12 countries from entering the U.S. One of those countries is Afghanistan, where thousands of Afghans helped the U.S. military fight its 20-year war there. Zia Ghafoori, a former interpreter for the U.S. military, and Shawn Van Diver, founder and president of AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans, join us. Then, two food distribution sites have reopened in Gaza after violence in the region temporarily shut them down. U...
Jun 05, 2025•20 min
Ms. Rachel became a YouTube star with her educational videos for toddlers. Now, she's getting attention and some pushback over her advocacy for children in Gaza.Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Accurso, tells us why she's willing to risk her career to stand up for children in war-torn Gaza. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Jun 04, 2025•19 min
Nearly 1,500 migrants in Massachusetts have been arrested by immigration officials over the past month. Federal agents say most were criminals, but many were not, including 18-year-old high school student Marcelo Gomes Da Silva. WBUR's Simón Rios explains more. And, Ukraine launched a major drone attack on airbases in Russian territory over the weekend. Peace talks followed in Turkey, but yielded little progress. Siobhan O'Grady of the Washington Post shares a view from Ukraine. Then, bird flu h...
Jun 03, 2025•20 min
Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri was arrested in March by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while walking toward his Virginia home. The Trump administration has called him a threat to foreign policy, but Suri has not been charged with a crime and ICE agents never showed him a warrant. Suri speaks with Asma Khalid about his nearly two-month 'nightmare' detainment in facilities across Virginia, Louisiana and Texas, and why he still believes in American ideals. Learn more a...
Jun 02, 2025•21 min
Tens of thousands of researchers are out of work amid President Trump's ongoing purge of the federal workforce. One of those workers is Peggy Hall, a biologist who worked at the National Institutes of Health. Hall joins us with freelance reporter Virginia Gewin, who recently wrote about fired workers for Nature. And, a study from the Rochester Institute of Technology estimated more than 10,000 tons of plastic enter the Great Lakes every year. Here & Now 's Chris Bentley reports on efforts to...
May 30, 2025•28 min
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Wednesday that the State Department "will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." NPR's Emily Feng joins us to explain what it means. Then, President Trump pardoned a man sentenced to tax fraud after his mother reportedly paid $1 million to attend a Trump fundraiser. Law professor Kim Wehle tel...
May 29, 2025•31 min
Rural hospital CEO Kevin Stansbury talks about what the Medicaid cuts being debated by lawmakers could mean to his 25-bed county-owned hospital in Hugo, Colorado. Then, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday that the CDC would no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or healthy pregnant women. OBGYN Dr. Linda Eckert weighs in. And, landmark climate legislation from the Biden administration would be dismantled in the massive spending bill that House Repub...
May 28, 2025•18 min
NPR and three Colorado public radio stations filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging President Trump's executive order to bar federal funding from going to NPR and PBS. NPR's David Folkenflik explains more. And, the Trump administration on Tuesday ordered federal agencies to unwind all federal funding to Harvard University. Trump claims the university fosters antisemitism and stifles viewpoint diversity. Connor Murnane — campus advocacy chief of staff at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expr...
May 27, 2025•24 min
This year's National Teacher of the Year is wrapping up classes with her students and getting ready to embark on a yearlong tour to inspire fellow teachers around the country. Ashlie Crosson, an English teacher from Pennsylvania, joins us. Then, if you are feeling stressed about speaking in front of others, you can transform that pressure by playing with your voice. Performance coaches Michael Allison and Mathilde Shisko explain how vocal play exercises help build confidence. And, thousands of U...
May 26, 2025•29 min
The year 1963 was a watershed moment for civil rights, with Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Medgar Evers leading the movement. But rollbacks of civil rights and racial justice ideals abound in 2025. Author Peniel Joseph unpacks the progress made in 1963 and the political climate in the U.S. now that is undoing some of that progress. And, the new horror movie "Sinners," where Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers who return to their Mississippi hometown after years working for the Chicago M...
May 23, 2025•31 min
On Wednesday, two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed following an event at a Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Police say the suspect shouted "free Palestine" after being detained. We hear from Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, the organization that hosted the event that the victims were leaving when they were killed. Then, the Department of Justice is backing off plans to oversee policy changes at police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville. Louisville Publi...
May 22, 2025•20 min
This week, families of infants and toddlers rally in Washington, D.C., in favor of protecting Medicaid as the program faces potential cuts by President Trump and House Republicans. Two caregivers share their experiences: Jaid Greene, a mother from Colorado, and Felicia Harvelle, a grandmother from Virginia. And, Medicaid expert Adrianna McIntyre of Harvard University explains the impact of the program on mainly low-income families and people with disabilities. Then, kick off your summer reading ...
May 21, 2025•24 min
Israel says it will start allowing some aid to flow back into Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade. UNRWA's Juliette Touma joins us. Then, researchers have come up with a device to take the guesswork out of a common breastfeeding challenge: figuring out how much your baby is actually drinking in real time. Dr. Jennifer Wicks tells us more. And, "Crazy Rich Asians" author Kevin Kwan talks about his novel "Lies and Weddings." The book centers around the family of an English earl and a former H...
May 20, 2025•24 min
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. We learn more about the disease and its treatments from Dr. William Dahut. Then, the FBI warned last week about what they call "an ongoing malicious text and voice messaging campaign" that uses artificial intelligence to impersonate U.S. government officials. Axios' Ina Fried joins us. And, a new study suggests chimps understand the specific medicinal properties of certain plants and will go out of their way to treat the maladie...
May 19, 2025•21 min
