The derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3rd sparked fear and uncertainty among residents. They are still concerned, almost two weeks later. NPR's Ailsa Chang talks to Stan Meiburg, former acting deputy administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, about the agency's response and what authorities should focus on in order to prevent accidents in the future. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense...
Feb 16, 2023•10 min
A total of four high-flying, balloon-like objects have been shot down by US fighter jets this month. Officials have still not said where three of them came from. The United States claims the first one was a Chinese surveillance balloon, which China denies. But American officials have made no definitive statement as to what the other three could be, nor has anyone come forward to claim ownership. NPR correspondents Scott Detrow and Greg Myre share what they've learned about the mysterious flying ...
Feb 15, 2023•13 min
Sales of romance novels were up in 2022, with a surge of about 52 percent for sales of print copies, according to Publishers Weekly. That's despite an overall dip in book sales last year. Still, there's a longstanding social stigma against romance novels, as they're often written off as frivolous, or even shameful. NPR's Juana Summers visits a group of readers who are loud and proud about their love for the genre. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make s...
Feb 14, 2023•11 min
One week since arriving in southern Turkey after massive back-to-back earthquakes hit the region, our correspondent recounts what she has seen in seven days of covering the tragedy in Turkey and neighboring Syria. NPR's Ruth Sherlock traveled from Lebanon soon after the quakes hit, and has since reported from both Turkey and Syria. She says thousands of people in both countries are living versions of the same nightmare. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you ...
Feb 13, 2023•14 min
Haiti, a country long besieged by political turmoil, was plunged further into chaos in 2021 when then president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated. Today, gangs run large swaths of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Schools and businesses have shuttered, food, water and gas shortages have spiraled, and Haitians desperate to leave the country have overrun immigration offices hoping for a passport. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has been the de facto ruler since Moïse's assassination. There have not been...
Feb 11, 2023•15 min
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly is on the ground in Iran, where she spoke directly with Iranians about their grievances against the regime. She later put some of those grievances to Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during a rare in-person interview in Tehran. You can hear more of NPR's interview with Iran's Foreign Minister, on whether Iranians can freely voice their ideas, here . In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on ...
Feb 10, 2023•14 min
Negotiating a purchase at a car dealership can be a stressful experience. But once you sign the deal and drive away, the car is yours right? Not necessarily. NPR's Chris Arnold breaks down how some dealerships engage in a practice called a "yo-yo car sale" that can entrap people in bad deals. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our ...
Feb 09, 2023•11 min
President Joe Biden's State of the Union address seemed like business as usual, until one of Biden's remarks drew loud boos from some Republican lawmakers. We ask two House freshmen – Democrat Maxwell Frost of Florida and Republican Mike Lawler of New York – what they made of that moment and how they think the two parties could work together in a narrowly divided Congress. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community....
Feb 08, 2023•11 min
Communities in northern Syria and southeastern Turkey are struggling in the aftermath of Monday's devastating earthquake and its powerful aftershocks. NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports on ongoing rescue efforts in the region. And we speak with Gönül Tol, director of the Turkey program at the Middle East Institute, who is in Hatay province in Turkey. She raises questions about the Turkish government's response to the tragedy. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you m...
Feb 07, 2023•9 min
China and the US were supposed to hold diplomatic talks over the weekend. Instead they sparred over a Chinese balloon that entered American airspace before it was shot down. Where do relations between Washington and Beijing go from here? This wasn't the first time a Chinese surveillance balloon flew into into U.S. airspace. NPR's Greg Myre talks us through past incidents. Then we speak with Jessica Chen Weiss, a professor of China and Asia Pacific Studies at Cornell University, about where U.S. ...
Feb 06, 2023•15 min
Football is the most watched sport in the US - and one of the most profitable. The NFL reported that last year, the Super Bowl was watched by two-thirds of Americans. But for some, the popularity and success of the sport are overshadowed by its continuing problems around race - from its handling of players kneeling in protest against the killing of unarmed Black people, to lawsuits over racially biased compensation for concussed Black players, to the NFL's inability –or is it unwillingness?--to ...
Feb 04, 2023•14 min
More than three years since the start of the COVID pandemic, infectious disease experts are studying other viruses with pandemic potential. Their goal is to understand how pandemics begin and how they can be prevented. This is the focus of the NPR series "Hidden Viruses: How Pandemics Really Begin." In this episode, NPR's Ari Daniel takes us to Bangladesh, where researchers studied a dangerous virus called "Nipah" and how it spreads. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segmen...
Feb 03, 2023•15 min
The Memphis Police Department has disbanded its special SCORPION unit, after five of the unit's officers were involved in the death of Tyre Nichols. But similar units are still operating across the U.S. Specialized police units are often created after a spike in crime, as officials come under pressure to do something about it. The units often operate with little oversight and develop a reputation for using aggressive tactics. We speak with journalist Radley Balko, author of "Rise of the Warrior ...
Feb 02, 2023•10 min
Pamela Anderson has had an incredibly rich, and varied, career. She's an actress, the author of several books, and a prominent activist - especially for animal rights. But many people still see her primarily as a sex symbol, the archetypal "blonde bombshell." In a new memoir titled "Love, Pamela", Anderson takes control of the narrative, telling her story in her own words. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community....
Feb 01, 2023•13 min
Signs of a forthcoming recession seem to be everywhere: from grocery stores, where food prices are soaring, to Fortune 500 companies, where workers are being let go by the thousand. Survey after survey shows fears of recession are high. And if one does come, navigating the downturn can be tricky. NPR's Arezou Rezvani shares advice from economists and personal finance experts on how to prepare for a potential recession. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you m...
Jan 31, 2023•15 min
While some countries are seeing their populations decline and grow older, others are growing fast. That has economic implications. Could migration help? NPR's Emily Feng reports on the long term consequences of China's shrinking population. We also hear from Lant Pritchett, research director with the think tank Labor Mobility Partnerships, about the ways in which migration could help tackle population imbalances. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make se...
Jan 30, 2023•13 min
Americans have grown accustomed to hearing about the latest mass shooting. And recently news coverage has been focused on two tragic events in California — Last weekend eleven people were killed and nine injured in Monterey Park near Los Angeles. And on Monday, seven people were killed and one wounded in Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco. In the past 72 hours alone, seventy-one people were killed and 114 were injured by shootings in different incidents all across the country - including...
Jan 29, 2023•15 min
Five police officers have been charged with murder and other crimes in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death this month in Memphis. Nichols, who was Black, died after a traffic stop. All five of the officers facing charges are Black. Since the deaths of George Floyd in 2020 and so many others, many police departments have vowed to diversify their forces as a way to help end police brutality and racism within their ranks. But does diversity in a police force make a difference? And what more can be done...
Jan 27, 2023•13 min
Maya Moore stepped away from her stellar basketball career to help free Jonathan Irons, a man who was incarcerated for over two decades on a wrongful conviction. With the help of Moore and her family, Irons was exonerated and released from prison in 2020. Over the course of working on his case, Moore and Irons developed a friendship that turned into love and the pair got married shortly after Irons was freed from prison. This month, Moore officially retired from basketball to focus on her new fa...
Jan 26, 2023•12 min
For months, Ukraine pressed western allies for state-of-the-art tanks. For months, Germany and the U.S. resisted. That changed Wednesday. Both countries have now promised to send tanks to Ukraine. The German-made Leopard II and American-made Abrams tanks are considered the best in the world. NPR's Rob Schmitz in Berlin and Greg Myre in Washington explain how Ukraine's allies changed their minds. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's goin...
Jan 25, 2023•12 min
Since the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion, some Muslims in America have sought a better understanding of what their faith says about abortion. NPR's Linah Mohammad reports on the diversity of views within Islam about the issue. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data fo...
Jan 24, 2023•9 min
The people of Monterey Park, California, would normally be celebrating Lunar New Year right now, one of the biggest holidays of the year in a community that is two-thirds Asian. Instead, the city is mourning a terrible loss. Ailsa Chang went to the site of Saturday night's mass shooting in Monterey Park to speak to people there about the tragedy's impact on their community, which is often described as the "first suburban Chinatown" in America. We also hear from Min Zhou, a professor of sociology...
Jan 23, 2023•12 min
Admit it - you've fantasized about what you would do if you hit the lottery and exactly how you would spend your millions - or billions. Spending a few dollars for a chance at a massive jackpot seems irresistible. Roughly half of all Americans buy at least one lottery ticket per year, despite the nearly impossible odds of winning. But some people take it much further. Unlike casino games and sports betting, messaging around playing the lottery can make it seem much less like actual gambling and ...
Jan 21, 2023•17 min
In China, huge numbers of people are expected to travel and gather with family this weekend for the start of the Lunar New Year, just as the country experiences a major surge in COVID infections. NPR's Emily Feng reports that the holiday may be bittersweet for some. We also hear reporting from NPR's Wynne Davis, who collected recipes to help ring in the Lunar New Year . And in Ukraine, many Orthodox Christians marked the feast of the Epiphany on Thursday by plunging into the frigid waters of the...
Jan 20, 2023•11 min
The Justice Department is investigating the mishandling of classified documents linked to President Biden and to his predecessor, former President Trump. Both cases raise questions about how classified information should be handled. NPR's Greg Myre explains how classified material is handled at the White House, and how that compares to other government agencies. And we speak to Yale law professor and former special counsel at the Pentagon Oona Hathaway, about the issue of "overclassification" of...
Jan 19, 2023•12 min
The U.S. will hit its borrowing limit on Thursday, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and her department will need to take "extraordinary measures" to avoid default. That means the clock is ticking for Congress to take action to raise the debt ceiling. For the moment, though, Democrats and Republicans are in a staring match. House Republicans say they won't raise the limit without significant spending cuts. The White House says it won't negotiate over it. Juana Summers talks with two ...
Jan 18, 2023•10 min
If you could change one thing in your life to become a happier person — like your income, a job, your relationships or your health — what would make the biggest difference? That's the question Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Robert Waldinger has been attempting to answer through decades of research. He's the director of "the world's longest-running scientific study of happiness," and he spoke with Ari Shapiro about the factor that appears to make the biggest difference in people's lives. Waldinger is a...
Jan 17, 2023•10 min
The soccer world was shocked by the death of renowned U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl at the World Cup in Qatar. Then came the conspiracy theories claiming his death was caused by the COVID vaccine. Wahl died from an aortic aneurysm. His wife, epidemiologist Dr. Céline Gounder, gave multiple interviews and released Wahl's autopsy results to combat the disinformation. We ask Gounder about her decision to speak out about her husband's death, and about his legacy. In participating regions, you'll...
Jan 16, 2023•11 min
The start of a new year can push us to think about how we take care of ourselves – our bodies or our minds. And for some people that can mean seeking help for mental health issues like depression and anxiety. In some ways, being open about pursuing treatment for mental health concerns is becoming more commonplace. But for men who are socialized not to express vulnerability and keep emotions in check, seeking therapy may feel taboo. Black men must also contend with the long history of neglect and...
Jan 14, 2023•15 min
This is a pivotal moment in the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces continue to have the upper hand on the battlefield, but there are real questions about what comes next and what an acceptable end to this war could look like. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmyrto Kuleba provides his assessment on the state of the war and the path ahead. And former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice argues for a dramatic increase in military aid to Ukraine. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news ...
Jan 13, 2023•15 min
