Hawaii may be a tourist attraction to many Americans, but for over a million people, it's their home. And like any state in the US, it is not immune to the effects of climate change. This week brought a devastating reminder, as wildfires stoked by Hurricane Dora spread across the island of Maui. Dozens have been killed in the fires and thousands have been evacuated. Much of the historical town of Lahaina lies in ruins. Hawaii, like many other places on the planet, has experienced less rainfall i...
Aug 10, 2023•9 min
The number of overdoses from fentanyl continues to soar, as do concerns from those in Washington. Immigration authorities say illicit fentanyl is flowing into the U.S. from Mexico through official ports of entry. Not everyone believes that's the full story. NPR's Joel Rose traveled to the border to find out what's really happening. Fentanyl is largely smuggled by U.S. citizens and other authorized border crossers. We hear the story of one of the smugglers. In participating regions, you'll also h...
Aug 09, 2023•11 min
In past wars, updates have trickled out slowly — often tightly controlled by the militaries involved. In the war in Ukraine, every day is a firehose of nearly real-time information, in the form of cell phone footage captured by civilians, updates from satellite intelligence companies and embedded military bloggers. NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre explains how that's shaping perceptions of the war in Russia, in Ukraine and around the world. In participating regions, you'll also hear...
Aug 08, 2023•9 min
One Republican senator from Alabama is single-handedly holding up over 300 senior-level military promotions and appointments. Senator Tommy Tuberville says he's doing it to take a stand against a Defense Department policy that reimburses travel expenses for military personnel who have to leave their states to get an abortion or other reproductive care. Tonya Murphy is a military spouse who went to Capitol Hill to hand deliver a petition signed by hundreds calling on lawmakers to stop the impasse...
Aug 07, 2023•15 min
July was almost certainly the hottest month, globally, on record. It was also a month in which many lives were upended by weather related-disasters — the sort of disasters that are increasingly likely as climate change continues. So what do the people who lived through those disasters make of all this? We asked Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency room doctor at Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz., about trying to keep people alive who spent too much time out in the deadly heat. And ...
Aug 06, 2023•12 min
For years, Russell Moore was one of the top officials in the Southern Baptist Convention. But after he criticized Donald Trump, Moore found himself ostracized from many other Evangelical leaders who embraced Trump and Trumpism. Moore eventually resigned from his post, and found himself on the outside of a denomination that had, up until that point, defined his life. Today, Moore argues that Christianity is in crisis in America, and he explores a way forward for the faith he loves in his book, "L...
Aug 04, 2023•14 min
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to criminal charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. And a member of his legal team told NPR that Trump plans to invoke the right to freedom of speech as part of his defense. To learn how a free speech defense would work for the former president in court, we hear from Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor at Stetson University's College of Law in Florida. And former acting solicitor general of the United States, Neal ...
Aug 03, 2023•13 min
The unions representing actors and writers in Hollywood have some differences in what they want from the big film studios. But one thing they agree on is the threat posed by artificial intelligence to their members' livelihoods. The threat of AI is something Hollywood was imagining long before it was real. NPR arts critic Bob Mondello tells the story of how AI became a movie villain. The threat of AI is something Hollywood was imagining long before it was real. NPR arts critic Bob Mondello tells...
Aug 02, 2023•15 min
Former President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on four counts related to the efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to court documents. Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, witness tampering, conspiracy against the rights of citizens and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding. Special counsel Jack Smith has been leading the investigation into Trump's conduct after the 2020 election and his role in th...
Aug 02, 2023•13 min
Two years ago, Mohamed Bazoum was elected as president in Niger's first peaceful democratic transfer of power. He enjoyed the backing of Western governments, including the United States. Then, last week, members of his own presidential guard detained him and seized power. The coup in Niger is part of a wave of attempted, and successful, power grabs in West and Central Africa, a region gripped by political instability. Now, a group of West African nations imposed sanctions on Niger, and threatene...
Jul 31, 2023•10 min
There's a labor shortage on farms in the U.S., and that has implications for all of us who enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. For farmers across America, finding enough labor has become a top concern. Decades ago, whole families of migrant farmworkers, the majority of them from Mexico, would travel around the U.S. in search of seasonal work. But over time, farmworkers began to settle. Now, many of them are aging out. And their children and grandchildren are finding opportunities in other sectors...
Jul 30, 2023•14 min
Editor's note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence. The U.S. military has consistently maintained that its troops didn't harm civilians during the 2019 raid on the Syrian hideout of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which lead to Baghdadi blowing himself up. It stuck to that version of events even after NPR reported on claims from Syrians that civilians were killed and maimed by U.S. helicopter fire during the raid. The Pentagon claimed the men were enemy combatants. NPR sued...
Jul 28, 2023•13 min
The Supreme Court may have ended race-conscious admissions in higher education. But the end of affirmative action seems to have added fuel to another contentious debate around college admissions policies. For decades, many elite, private institutions have given prospective college students preference if a relative attended the school or, in some cases, when a major donor was involved. While the practice of affirmative action is dead, legacy admissions continue. But more and more critics of the p...
Jul 27, 2023•11 min
When Utah passed a ban on gender-affirming care for people younger than 18, Kat and their family had to make a tough choice. Should they uproot their lives and leave the state? Kat is 14 and transgender. The Utah law banned the medical care that Kat was considering. Around 20 states have passed similar laws — meaning many families could face the same tough decision: whether to leave their homes and where to go. Often it's to a state like Minnesota, where elected officials have protected trans he...
Jul 26, 2023•16 min
When a fiery, toxic train wreck forced residents of East Palestine, Ohio to evacuate last February, the crash and its aftermath became a national flashpoint and a hot button issue on both sides of the political aisle. Alan Shaw, the CEO of Norfolk Southern - the freight railroad responsible - found himself in front of Congress, grilled by bipartisan lawmakers. Shaw insists the company is continuing its commitment to help East Palestine recover, and that they are at the forefront of improving saf...
Jul 25, 2023•14 min
On Monday, Israel's parliament voted into law a key measure to overhaul the country's judiciary. The measure prevents judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are "unreasonable." The law strips Israel's Supreme Court of a key check on the power of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. This marks the first big move in a broader effort to weaken court oversight of senior officials. It comes after six months of protests from Israelis concerned that their gover...
Jul 24, 2023•10 min
The United States' preeminent professional soccer league, Major League Soccer, has long lagged behind top European leagues. However, international soccer superstar Lionel Messi joining the Inter Miami might be the boost the league needs. NPR's Scott Detrow reports on the impact of Messi coming to the MLS and what the league's future could be. 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.o...
Jul 23, 2023•12 min
Tony Bennett, the crooner whose success spanned generations, died Friday. He was 96 years old. His voice was synonymous with the Great American Songbook, which he continued to bring to new audiences even as the country's musical tastes changed. NPR's Walter Ray Watson traces the arc of Bennett's life, from his days as a singing waiter in Astoria, New York, to his Billboard- charting hits as a nonagenarian. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of ...
Jul 21, 2023•10 min
We know that climate change is making all sorts of extreme weather events more likely all around the globe. So what can we do about that? In this episode, NPR's Allison Aubrey gives us tips on how to avoid heat-related illnesses when temperatures soar to dangerous levels. And we hear from a climate researcher about what steps we would need to take on a global scale to try and bring temperatures down. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's...
Jul 20, 2023•11 min
It's easy to lose track of the seriousness of the legal cases involving Donald Trump, in part because there are just so many. This week the former president and current presidential candidate said he received a letter informing him he is a target in Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Such a letter often precedes an indictment. And a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, may soon consider an election interference case there that cou...
Jul 19, 2023•12 min
One of the most cutting-edge and controversial fields of biomedical research right now is the quest to create eggs and sperm in the lab for anyone with their own DNA. And now, private companies have jumped into the race to revolutionize the way humans reproduce. In vitro gametogenesis, or IVG, would enable infertile women and men to have children with their own DNA instead of genes from the sperm and eggs of donors. It would also provide queer couples the opportunity to have children biologicall...
Jul 18, 2023•12 min
Carlos Alcaraz's victory over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final was the latest coronation of a tennis great from Spain. NPR's Rob Schmitz looks into how the country became such fertile ground for outstanding players. 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 for sponsorship and to manage your po...
Jul 17, 2023•8 min
Since the 2024 Presidential election may ultimately be decided by a handful of votes in a handful of states, courting young voters will be key. Gen Z has been turning out in record numbers in recent midterms. Often much of the political conversation focuses on young voters in and around big cities. But since young voters are so key for Democrats' success, and rural voters are an essential bloc for Republicans, what young, rural voters think really matters. Host Scott Detrow spoke with NPR's Elen...
Jul 16, 2023•14 min
James Barber is scheduled to be executed on Thursday in Alabama, for the murder of Dorothy Epps in 2001. It's the first execution since Governor Kay Ivey paused capital punishment in the state and ordered a "top-to-bottom" review of death penalty protocols after the state failed to execute two inmates last year. Host Scott Detrow speaks with The Atlantic's Elizabeth Bruenig. She reported extensively on Alabama's troubles with lethal injection last year. She says the state's process is very opaqu...
Jul 14, 2023•15 min
Six years ago when former Obama staffer Brian Wallach was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - ALS - a rare neurological disease that kills most people who contract it within a few years, he and his wife Sandra Abrevaya quickly got to work. They launched a non-profit advocacy group I am ALS and a battle to try and fight for increased funding and research that they hoped would lead to a cure for the disease. Since then Wallach and Abrevaya have changed the face of medical advocacy in th...
Jul 13, 2023•15 min
As we confront the realities of a changing climate, a group of scientists says we're living in a world of our very own making - a world altered by the burning of fossil fuels, the explosion of nuclear weapons, plastic pollution and environmental degradation. The scientists call it the Anthropocene. And they have identified a geological site in Canada they say best reflects this new epoch in Earth's history. We hear from NASA's Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor Kate Calvin. Also, NPR's A...
Jul 12, 2023•10 min
Baseball was once known for breaking racial barriers in the U.S. But now, Black representation in the major leagues is at its lowest level in decades. This year, MLB did something to try and change that, by staging the first annual HBCU Swingman Classic. It's an opportunity for players from historically Black colleges and universities to play in front of scouts and executives on a national stage. NPR's Juana Summers reports from Seattle on MLB's efforts to reverse the decline and recruit Black A...
Jul 11, 2023•13 min
Since the war began, military aid from the US to Ukraine has largely received bipartisan report. But a new planned 800 million dollar package has split Democrats and also riled up Human Rights Groups because of one weapon included in the package — cluster bombs. More than a hundred countries, including allies of the US, have banned use of the weapon, which releases a large number of bomblets over a wide area. Unexploded bomblets pose a danger to civilians. The Biden administration is defending t...
Jul 10, 2023•13 min
The U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate of high-income countries globally, and the numbers have only grown. According to a new study published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association – maternal death rates remain the highest among Black women, and those high rates have more than doubled over the last twenty years. When compared to white women, Black women are more than twice as likely to experience severe pregnancy-related complications, and nearly three times as likely t...
Jul 09, 2023•15 min
Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Bettie Davis, Clark Gable. During Hollywood's Golden Age, which existed roughly from the 1910s and 20's into the early 1960s, these actors weren't just stars... They were in the words of NPR's movie critic Bob Mondello "American royalty". But in an age of Disney and Marvel, the movie star appears to have been eclipsed by the franchises in which they appear. NPR critics Mondello and Aisha Harris breakdown the decline and seemingly disappearance of the classic movie st...
Jul 07, 2023•13 min
