Cyberattackers have recently targeted a crucial fuel pipeline, a global meat distributor and a water treatment plant. The Biden administration likens the surge in cyberattacks to terrorism — and says they plan to treat it like a national security threat. NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre details the administration's plans. When businesses are targeted by ransomware, someone like Bill Siegel steps in to help companies figure out if they have any options but to pay up. Siegel runs Cove...
Jun 07, 2021•13 min
Stockton, Calif., may represent the future of American news. The city's longtime newspaper, The Record, has lost reporters, subscribers and, therefore, power. Meanwhile a non-traditional news source, a controversial online outlet called 209 Times , has quickly become one of the most popular sources of news in town. It proudly doesn't follow most journalistic norms and brags about tanking the previous mayor's campaign. Critics say the 209 Times is filling Stockton with misinformation. Yowei Shaw,...
Jun 06, 2021•47 min
Freedom of the press is enshrined in the Constitution as crucial to a functioning democracy. But what role does the press serve when it feels like the country can't agree on basic facts? NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with a handful of journalists to hear how they're navigating this divide. This episode feature's CBS 's Leslie Stahl, CNN 's Jake Tapper, NPR's Ayesha Rascoe, Dawn Rhodes of Block Club Chicago and Sherry Liang of the University of Georgia's Red & Black newspaper. In participati...
Jun 04, 2021•14 min
Corporations had a lot to say about racial justice last summer. They made statements. They donated millions to civil rights organizations. They promised to address their own problems with diversity and representation. A year later, NPR's David Gura reports on Wall Street's mixed progress. Kim Tran tells NPR's Sam Sanders that the diversity, equity and inclusion industry has lost its way. And DEI consultant Lily Zheng talks about their front row seat to corporations varied efforts to change cultu...
Jun 03, 2021•15 min
The Atlantic hurricane season began Tuesday and another "above average" number of storms is expected. And it's not just hurricanes — overall, scientists are predicting more extreme weather events amplified by climate change this summer. While there's little to do in the short term to change this trajectory, recent actions by a Dutch court, the Biden administration and an activist hedge fund all suggest new pressure on large oil and gas companies could help in the long term. Pressure from these o...
Jun 02, 2021•13 min
From dating apps, to airline travel, to in-person high school classes, the U.S. is seeing evidence of a return to close-to-normal life. KUOW's Clare McGrane reports on how that transition has been especially complicated for a choir in Washington state. Members were at the center of one of the earliest super-spreader events in the U.S. last year. Saskia Popescu, infectious disease expert and assistant professor at George Mason University, says for as much progress as the U.S. has made against the...
Jun 01, 2021•13 min
Much is said about how divided the U.S. is these days. But perhaps there is still something that unites Americans. Longtime NPR correspondent Tom Gjelten reports on what he calls the country's "civil religion" — a collection of beliefs, based on freedom, that should apply to every American equally. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for informati...
May 31, 2021•12 min
Former President Barack Obama is thinking a lot about our values as Americans. These days, in a divided America, he's particularly thinking about what it means to be a man. Is a man thoughtful, caring? Are men held back by what society traditionally expects a man to be? These are questions that Aarti Shahani recently asked Obama on a recent episode of her podcast, Art of Power , from member station WBEZ in Chicago. Listen to Art of Power on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and NPR One. See pcm.adswizz.co...
May 30, 2021•49 min
All over the world, democratic institutions are under threat. The United States isn't just part of that trend — it may also be one of the causes. Former Obama administration foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes examines why in a new book called After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made . In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for informatio...
May 28, 2021•15 min
Proponents of trans female athlete bans struggle to cite examples of trans women or girls gaining an unfair advantage in sports competitions. But amid a lot of debate about fairness, there's been less attention on science. NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman spoke to a pioneering trans researcher who explains why — in most sports — trans women can compete fairly against cisgender women. Behind a recent spate of anti-trans state laws, LGBTQ communities see a new chapter in a familiar story: the ...
May 27, 2021•15 min
Apple has always wanted to be one of the good guys in tech. But now a high-stakes lawsuit with Epic Games, the creator of the hit video game Fortnite , isn't just challenging Apple's reputation. It's raising questions about whether the most valuable company in the world has grown into an illegal monopoly. NPR's Bobby Allyn reports on the federal trial that led to Apple CEO Tim Cook taking the stand last week to defend his company. And Sally Hubbard , who researches monopolies, explains how Apple...
May 26, 2021•14 min
After his death on May 25, 2020, George Floyd became the face of a movement against police violence. But attorney Andrea Ritchie says, in some ways, the prosecution and conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin created a false sense of progress in that movement. Ritchie focuses on police misconduct and is the author of the book, Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women And Women Of Color. Bowling Green State University criminologist Phillip Stinson explains why ...
May 25, 2021•15 min
For decades, Israel had solid bipartisan support for Israel from Capitol Hill. But progressive congressional Democrats have started to question support for the policies of the Israeli government. Palestinian rights activists also feel tied to the growing power of racial justice movements in the United States. NPR political correspondent Asma Khalid explains. Peter Beinart, editor-at-large of Jewish Currents , says more Americans are hearing Palestinian voices in the media, and some Democrats can...
May 24, 2021•11 min
We know that Americans in blue states are getting vaccinated at higher rates than those in red ones. But that gap obscures another growing divide in America's vaccine campaign — the divide within states between rural and urban areas. An NPR analysis of county-level data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that divide exists across age groups in almost every state. NPR's Austin Fast explains why. The Biden administration says it's making progress on closing the gap. Their ...
May 21, 2021•13 min
A week ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance that vaccinated people can safely return to most activities without wearing a mask. But the announcement caught many local officials and business leaders off guard. One of them was Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports on the confusion among businesses, which now have to decide what to do on their own. NPR's Yuki Noguchi interviewed behavioral scientists about whether the new guidance may encoura...
May 20, 2021•14 min
The White House is courting influential Democratic senators and making a public relations push for President Biden's infrastructure proposal, while Republicans draw a red line around corporate tax increases. Biden also spent part of this week test-driving Ford's new electric F-150 Lightning. But for all the talk of energy innovation and electric cars, one part of Biden's infrastructure plan is based on a pretty old idea — one from another era when millions of Americans were out of work. NPR's Sc...
May 19, 2021•15 min
Over the past year, QAnon conspiracies have migrated from obscure corners of the internet into national headlines. The false belief that left-wing Satanists are controlling the government helped fuel the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6. These theories didn't come from nowhere. Back in the 1980s a similar "satanic panic" swept through the country and led to lawsuits that alleged preschool teachers were performing evil rituals with children. These claims were debunked but the accusations thems...
May 18, 2021•14 min
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has gone from bad to worse. The Biden administration says it's engaging in "quiet, intensive diplomacy" to broker an end to the violence. Leni Stenseth of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency tells NPR that the humanitarian situation in the region is "extremely alarming." NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro explains how the recent outbreak of violence began — and the historical seeds of the region's conflict. What is the diplomatic path toward some sort of peace...
May 17, 2021•15 min
Nine-year-old Hallel is the oldest of three children. They also identify as a "boy-girl," which was a revelation to their parents Shira and Ari when Hallel made the announcement to them. Through a series of family recordings and interviews with WBUR's Martha Bebinger , the family shared the story of how this realization unfolded, and what they're learning. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to m...
May 16, 2021•11 min
The promise of post-pandemic life is exciting, but that doesn't mean it won't get awkward at times. We asked for your questions about how to navigate this new normal and we have some answers. Dr. Lucy McBride , a primary care physician, and public theologian Ekemini Uwan have both written about this transitional moment Americans are living in and have some advice. To take a short, anonymous survey about Consider This , please visit npr.org/springsurvey . In participating regions, you'll also hea...
May 14, 2021•14 min
This week, House Republicans voted to expel Rep. Liz Cheney from party leadership after the Wyoming congresswoman repeatedly called out former President Trump's false claims about the 2020 election. Republican Congressman John Curtis of Utah told NPR the party's decision had nothing to do with her opposition to the former President. The fracture reminds Wall Street Journal Executive Washington Editor Gerald Seib of another era when Republican leadership tried to capture and control a growing pol...
May 13, 2021•16 min
Republicans say enhanced pandemic unemployment benefits are what's keeping people out of the workforce. That could be playing a role, but the complete picture is far more complicated. NPR chief economic correspondent Scott Horsley lays out the evidence for what's really behind the struggle to find workers. Stacey Vanek Smith , host of NPR's daily economics podcast The Indicator , explains why the problem may be specific to a certain subset of the economy. More from the Indicator on that topic he...
May 12, 2021•14 min
Three officers, each from a different generation, weigh in on Derek Chauvin's murder conviction and other recent acts of police violence. Isaiah McKinnon became a police officer for the city of Detroit in the 1960s, and eventually became chief of police. He also served two years as the city's deputy mayor starting in 2014. Cheryl Dorsey is a retired Los Angeles Police Department sergeant who first joined the force in the 1980s. Vincent Montague is president of the Black Shield Police Association...
May 11, 2021•14 min
Property ownership eludes Black Americans more than any other racial group. NPR's Ailsa Chang and Jonaki Mehta examine why. They tell the story of LA's Sugar Hill neighborhood, a once-vibrant black community that was demolished to make way for the Santa Monica Freeway. Their story is part of NPR's special series We Hold These Truths . To take a short, anonymous survey about Consider This , please visit npr.org/springsurvey . In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that wi...
May 10, 2021•16 min
Comic book publishers like Marvel and DC sit on a treasure trove: thousands and thousands of comic book characters. Pieces of intellectual property. You know the big ones--Superman, Ironman, Captain America. They each make millions off of movies and merchandise. But for every marquee character, there are hundreds of others sitting unused. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Priva...
May 09, 2021•22 min
Now 50 years old, NPR has grown up alongside American journalism. We take stock of some lessons learned along the way. In this episode: Linda Wertheimer , Robert Siegel , Brooke Gladstone , Ira Glass , Michele Norris , and Andy Carvin . Hear more from NPR's very first broadcast of All Things Considered. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for info...
May 07, 2021•14 min
Vaccine demand is beginning to slide in the U.S., but in other parts of the world, the pandemic is devastating countries where vaccines are more scarce. India is one of those countries. There only 2% of the population is fully immunized. There's an argument that waiving intellectual property rights could boost global vaccine production, and this week the Biden administration came out in support of that idea. Mustaqeem de Gama, South Africa's counsellor at the World Trade Organization, tells NPR ...
May 06, 2021•13 min
On Thursday, Scots vote in Regional Parliamentary elections. That's not usually an international story, but the ruling Scottish National Party is running on a platform to hold another independence referendum. Another vote on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland and Wales could follow their lead. Scotland voted to stay in the U.K. during the last independence referendum in 2014. But then the Brexit vote happened. Scots heavily voted against leaving the European Union...
May 05, 2021•14 min
The pandemic economy has left different people in vastly different situations. Today, we follow up with four American indicators — people whose paths will help us understand the arc of the recovery. You first heard their stories back in February. Now, we're talking to them again to ask how the American Rescue Plan has affected their lives — or not. Brooke Neubauer in Nevada, founder of The Just One Project ; Lisa Winton of the Winton Machine Company in Georgia; Lee Camp with Arch City Defenders ...
May 04, 2021•12 min
A record 172,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border in March. Those numbers are fueled, in part, by smuggling organizations that exploit desperate migrants, most of them from central America. NPR's John Burnett and KTEP's Angela Kocherga report on their tactics. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tells NPR about a new multi-agency effort to crack down on smugglers. In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists about what's happening in ...
May 03, 2021•14 min
