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Consider This from NPR

The hosts of NPR's All Things Considered help you make sense of a major news story and what it means for you, in 15 minutes. New episodes six days a week, Sunday through Friday.

Support NPR and get your news sponsor-free with Consider This+. Learn more at plus.npr.org/considerthis

Episodes

"The Return" tells an ancient story that still resonates today.

An epic poem and an epic reunion come to the big screen. The Return looks for new meaning in Homer's ancient story of Odysseus' return to Ithaca — and to his wife Penelope. We talk to co-stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at [email protected] . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Dec 06, 202410 min

Insurgents gain ground in Syria. What happens now?

Syrian anti-government insurgents claim they have entered the city of Hama — a major Syrian government stronghold. This continues their momentum over the last week, when they also seized Syria's second largest city, Aleppo. Since the war started in 2011, half a million people have been killed and many millions of others displaced. The Syrian Civil War has been locked in a stalemate for years. Now, rebel forces are gaining ground against the oppressive regime of Bashar al-Assad. Will the group ul...

Dec 05, 20247 min

Can Pete Hegseth's nomination survive?

At the time we publish this episode, Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick to run the Pentagon, is struggling to hold onto his nomination. There's an ever growing list of accusations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and financial misconduct. The former Fox and Friends weekend host has spent Wednesday meeting with Senators and doing interviews trying to control the damage. Pete Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense hangs in the balance...will he survive? For sponsor-free episodes ...

Dec 04, 20249 min

Will Trump's next term make him richer?

Just before Donald Trump took office the first time, he held a press conference, announcing that he would turn over control of his business empire to his sons. He said he wanted to address concerns about conflicts of interest even though he maintained he didn't really have to. Saying, "I could actually run my business. I could actually run my business and run government at the same time. I don't like the way that looks, but I would be able to do that if I wanted to." Trump's second term may put ...

Dec 03, 202411 min

Joe Biden pardons his son. Is that justice?

Hunter Biden no longer has to worry about going to prison. That's because his father President Joe Biden pardoned him with just weeks left in his presidency. The President's son was convicted in June on federal gun charges. Hunter Biden lied about his addiction to crack cocaine when he purchased a gun. And he pleaded guilty in September for failing to pay more than a million dollars in federal taxes. The younger Biden was due to be sentenced in both cases later this month. President Biden has gr...

Dec 02, 20248 min

The 'Chinese Exclusion Era' shows how Trump's mass deportation plan could unfold

Donald Trump promises to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants once he returns to the White House. If he follows through, the scale of it would be unlike anything we've seen in our lifetimes. Many supporters of Trump's mass deportation agenda say expelling unauthorized immigrants will help the US economy. But a look back at America's first major immigration crackdown suggests otherwise. On this episode, host Adrian Ma and his colleagues from NPR's The Indicator podcast look at that immigrat...

Dec 01, 202412 min

Comedian Stephen Colbert is serious about food

If you've followed Stephen Colbert's career closely, you might have picked up on something. It's there back in his days on The Colbert Report , when he issued a throw-down about the proper way to make barbecue sauce and that time on The Late Show , when he took calls on the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line the weekend before Thanksgiving. Colbert has opinions about food. Like, strong opinions. And it turns out that's true off-camera, too. Stephen and his wife, Evie McGee Colbert say they basically li...

Nov 29, 202411 min

Ina Garten was ready for the luck

Thirteen bestselling cookbooks, a thriving food business in the Hamptons that she sold decades ago, and now her memoir "Be Ready When the Luck Happens" has hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list. None of that was in Ina Garten's plan. Her legendary career began when she was working in Washington DC as a somewhat discontented government employee, and saw an ad for a food store in the Hamptons. For this Thanksgiving, a holiday celebrating gratitude and food, we take a look at how Ina...

Nov 28, 202410 min

Is 'Do Unto Others' the way to bridge the political divide?

On a Sunday in mid-July, Pastor Chris Morgan welcomed worshipers to Christ United Methodist Church in suburban Pittsburgh with a simple message. That Sunday was particularly difficult. A day earlier, a man had nearly assassinated then-candidate Donald Trump forty miles north in Butler. Morgan asked people to pray for Trump and those killed and injured in the shooting, and asked the congregation to pray for the family of the shooter. Morgan had already planned a sermon series, called Do Unto Othe...

Nov 27, 202410 min

Angela Merkel recounts being the first and only in new memoir

In her new memoir, Angela Merkel writes about the many dilemmas she had to navigate as Chancellor of Germany. Dilemmas her male colleagues never had to sweat. Like, can you wear a pantsuit instead of a skirt in the Bundestag, Germany's parliament? She decided the answer was, yes. Merkel is the only woman ever to rise to the most powerful political post in Germany. She served as chancellor from 2005 to 2021. Angela Merkel has gone toe-to-toe with world leaders like Vladimir Putin, led Germany thr...

Nov 26, 202415 min

"Wicked" star Cynthia Erivo, can relate to being viewed as different.

The movie version of the Broadway smash Wicked hits screens Friday, just in time for the holidays. Stage and screen star Cynthia Erivo plays the Wicked Witch of the West. She speaks to NPR about the role. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Nov 25, 202410 min

The "Bad Sisters" are back, and they're better than ever.

The Apple TV series "Bad Sisters" debuted two years ago. There were laughs. There was murder. And that could've been it for the Garvey sisters, because the show wasn't originally intended to have a second season. But, as creator and star Sharon Horgan puts it — "You don't just kill a man and move on." The Garvey sisters are back for Season 2 – with more banter... wickedness... and secrets. We catch up with creator and star Sharon Horgan to find out what's in store. For sponsor-free episodes of C...

Nov 22, 202410 min

Some Trump cabinet picks are accused of sexual misconduct. What's it mean for #MeToo?

If you're tracking Donald Trump's cabinet picks, you may have noticed common threads among them: top jobs are going to people fiercely loyal to Trump, people with experience appearing on TV, but no experience directly relevant to the jobs they would be doing. There's another thing several share: being accused of sexual misconduct. Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, HHS Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, Elon Musk, who Trump has picked to co-run the Department of Government Efficien...

Nov 21, 202412 min

Witnesses say Israel is using sniper drones in Gaza and they're shooting civilians

Last week British surgeon Nizam Mamode testified in front of a committee in the U.K. Parliament. Dr. Mamode had recently returned from working at a hospital in Central Gaza. He told parliamentary members what he witnessed, including drones that would come down and "pick off civilians, children. And we had description after description. This is not, you know, an occasional thing. This was day after day after day." For months, NPR has been collecting eyewitness accounts from Gaza that corroborate ...

Nov 20, 202412 min

Is Trump's defense secretary nominee qualified?

What does it take to run the Department of Defense? That's a question that will be at the heart of Pete Hegseth's confirmation process early next year. Hegseth, a longtime Fox News host, is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense. The department he's nominated to run is one of the biggest, most complex entities in the US government. It's an institution that former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel notes – has its "own judicial code, legal system and health care system." Pete ...

Nov 19, 202410 min

If Trump gets rid of Department of Education, what would it mean for schools?

President-elect Trump has vowed to elimanate the Department of Education. The DOE oversees everything from college student loans to aid for public school special education. What would shutting it down mean for America's schools? Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Nov 18, 20247 min

From Trump opponent to Trump loyalist: The evolution of Marco Rubio

When compared to some of president-elect Trump's other cabinet picks, Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State is a pretty conventional choice. He's a veteran politician who served on the foreign relations and intelligence committees for over a decade, and he's been a loyal Trump backer throughout this year's campaign. But when you look back at Marco Rubio during his 2016 presidential campaign, there's a striking contrast. When he ran against Trump in 2016, Rubio called him a con artist, and d...

Nov 17, 202412 min

Trump nominates RFK Jr. to remake healthcare.

This week President-elect Donald Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services. The nomination comes after Trump promised to let Kennedy "go wild on health" during the campaign. Kennedy holds a number of controversial opinions on health, and promotes a number of scientifically debunked claims like vaccines cause autism, fluoride is poisoning the public water system and AIDS isn't caused by the HIV virus. Kennedy has long wanted to remake ...

Nov 15, 202410 min

Kamala Harris ran a historic campaign. What will her legacy be?

Vice President Kamala Harris made history as the first woman of color to lead the ticket of a major party. But despite her historic run, she ultimately lost. What will her legacy be? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Nov 14, 202414 min

How will Democrats move forward? Three strategists weigh in

Since Donald Trump won the presidency last week, Democrats have been pointing fingers, laying blame and second-guessing themselves. All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro talked with three democratic strategists who are looking ahead and asking: Where does the party go from here? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR...

Nov 13, 202414 min

With "Wicked," director Jon M. Chu writes his own story

Wicked – the 20-year-old – smash hit on Broadway turns the story of the "Wizard of Oz" on its head. Now, the story of Elfaba the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the Good Witch, and the Wizard himself is making the shift from stage to screen. The director bringing the Broadway hit to screens across the country is Jon M. Chu, the director of the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians . The movie version of Wicked is in many ways the culmination of Chu's own story as a person of color. Chu always wanted to...

Nov 12, 202413 min

In second term, will Trump punish news outlets that anger him?

During the campaign, President-elect Trump called for reporters to be imprisoned and for media outlets to lose their licenses over unfavorable coverage, Will he make good on the threats? Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Nov 11, 20249 min

What happens to Trump's criminal cases now that he's won re-election?

Today, we're sharing an episode of Trump's Trials for listeners. Now that Donald Trump is headed back to the White House the three remaining criminal cases against him will most likely go away. Host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson . Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for new episodes each Saturday. Sign up for sponsor-free episodes and support NPR's political journalism at plus.npr.org/trumpstrials . Email the show at [email protected] . Learn more ...

Nov 10, 202413 min

The Morgan Library's quest to honor a matriarch in archiving

Referred to as one of the most fascinating librarians in American history, Belle da Costa Greene is the figure who is responsible for the depth and legacy of the Morgan Library's collection, to this day. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Nov 08, 20249 min

Exploring what the early days of a second Trump administration could look like.

In just over 70 days, Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States will become the 47th, and he'll begin implementing his vision of an all powerful chief executive. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Nov 07, 202414 min

Who's sending Trump back to the White House and why?

In the days leading up to election night, news outlets across the country were predicting a historically close race, one that could take days to call. But as election night progressed, it became clear former President Donald Trump was on a path to victory. So much so, that before anything was official, he thanked his supporters from his campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach. And then, Wednesday morning at about 5:30, it became official when the Associated Press called Wisconsin for Trump. We'...

Nov 07, 202415 min

Who's paying to elect the president?

The homestretch of the presidential campaign means huge rallies, a final barrage of campaign ads, and massive multi-state get out the vote efforts. All of that costs money. And it seems like every successive presidential election ends up being the most expensive election in history. Open Secrets, a group that tracks election spending, estimates the 2024 federal election cycle will cost nearly $16 billion. It was around $15 billion in 2020. Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign raised a record b...

Nov 05, 202411 min

A look at the life of the singular Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones, the famed music producer who helped artists dominate popular music for half a century, has died. NPR's Walter Ray Watson described Jones' talent as one that produced music that hooked ears, warmed hearts and moved feet to dance. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Nov 04, 202414 min

Separating election facts from fiction

In these closing days of the presidential election, polling across the board has nearly every swing state in a statistical tie, meaning the election may come down to just a couple thousands votes. No matter who wins, in the coming days we're going to hear a lot more from Donald Trump and his allies about the results. And if history is any guide we can expect a mix of misleading information, rumors and outright lies For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple...

Nov 03, 202412 min