The world is watching as Russia continues it's threat of invasion with troops at the border of Ukraine. But close to that border, in the Donbas region, people look at you a little funny if you ask whether they're worried about war with Russia, because they are already living through it. Areas of Eastern Ukraine have been at war since 2014 when Russia-backed separatists moved in and declared breakaway republics. And that's where NPR's Mary Louise Kelly has been, talking with residents about what ...
Feb 01, 2022•11 min
Before he took office, President Joe Biden said stopping domestic extremism would be a priority for him. His administration has now created the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships to stop radicalization before it starts. But critics say it's a repackaging of failed strategies and inadequate. NPR correspondent Odette Yousef has been reporting on the efforts of this new program built on old strategies . In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you ...
Jan 31, 2022•10 min
Minimalist lifestyles are in vogue. From books to blogs, to Instagram to YouTube, Marie Kondo and other influencers have popularized living with less. But many of the dominant voices ignore the ways history and culture influence how and why we consume. Enter Christine Platt, The Afrominimalist . Platt is a lifestyle strategist and author of The Afrominimalist's Guide To Living With Less. She examines how a history of oppression shapes a community's views on ownership and consumption. In particip...
Jan 29, 2022•13 min
Cases rates are dropping, but the number of people dying each day is not. Many hospitals are still overwhelmed. NPR's Will Stone reports. Deaths are a lagging indicator — meaning they, too, will soon fall as the omicron wave continues to recede. What does the next phase of the pandemic look like? NPR's Allison Aubrey explains why some public health experts think the coronavirus may not disappear — but become easier to live with. In the meantime, workplaces are still reeling from the surge as emp...
Jan 28, 2022•10 min
Tensions are not abating as the U.S. and NATO continue efforts to avoid armed conflict with Russia. This week President Biden said a Russian invasion of Ukraine would "change the world." State Department spokesperson Ned Price tells NPR what leverage the U.S. has to prevent that from happening. Mary Louise Kelly reports from Kyiv, where some people are preparing for an invasion, even as the Ukraine government urges calm. Additional reporting in this episode from NPR's Michele Kelemen and Daniel ...
Jan 27, 2022•13 min
After 27 years on the Supreme Court, liberal justice Stephen Breyer is retiring. His departure won't change the balance of the court, but it will give President Biden a chance to put his stamp on it — and cement a new, younger justice in place for decades. NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg explains who might replace Breyer, and NPR political editor Domenico Montanaro outlines how the process will unfold. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help ...
Jan 26, 2022•13 min
Writer-Director Joss Whedon has responded to his former colleagues' accusations of bullying on set. NY Magazine reporter Lila Shapiro interviewed Whedon, and his accusers, for a profile in Vulture called " The Undoing of Joss Whedon ." Motherboard's Gita Jackson considers Whedon's influence on his fans and, more broadly, pop culture, and freelance tv critic Robyn Bahr talks about the reasons why she doesn't think she'll ever rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer again. In participating regions, you'l...
Jan 25, 2022•12 min
When we talk about the pandemic, we talk about stress. Burnout. Uncertainty. Isolation. We don't talk as much about trauma. But a growing number of mental health professionals say that's what people are experiencing as the pandemic drags on — and we may need a new way to talk about what they're going through. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports. Psychiatrist, neurologist and author Bessel van der Kolk explains how the brain processes and recovers from trauma. His 2004 book The Body Keeps the Score surged...
Jan 24, 2022•13 min
A towering figure of the fashion world, André Leon Talley was impossible to ignore . His influence extended well beyond the runway — during his time at Vogue , he was a rare Black editor in a largely white industry, and also a major figure in the LGBTQ+ community. In this episode of It's Been A Minute , host Sam Sanders discusses Talley's influence and legacy with Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford . Listen to more It's Been A Minute with Sam Sanders via Apple , Spotify , or Google . See pcm.adswizz....
Jan 23, 2022•34 min
In Florida and Virginia, Governors Ron DeSantis and Glenn Youngkin are bolstering the right of parents to defy school mask mandates. While some parents are celebrating, others are filing lawsuits opposing the policies that make mask-wearing in schools optional. There are a lot of opinions about how schools should be run during the pandemic, but some key voices are often missing from the conversation – students and teachers. Over the last few weeks, amid a nationwide surge of coronavirus cases, s...
Jan 22, 2022•14 min
The pandemic has led to a huge rise in online shopping. And record spending from last year means record returns. But what happens to the items we send back is often a mystery. NPR correspondent Alina Selyukh reports on the like hood of an unwanted holiday gift making it into another customers hands. And Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi of NPR's Planet Money podcast visits a bargain bin store in North Carolina where dogged resellers rifle through mounds of unwanted items to find something they can turn for a...
Jan 21, 2022•8 min
Today marks one year since President Joe Biden took office. His most immediate challenge was the pandemic, but he also promised action on climate, racial equity, and infrastructure. One year later, NPR correspondents Kelsey Snell and Tamara Keith take stock of Biden's accomplishments and shortfalls. 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 informat...
Jan 20, 2022•13 min
Federal data released last week showed more than 101,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in a one-year period. This was partly due to the pandemic and disruptions to treatment, as well as a surge in methamphetamine and fentanyl use. But there is some positive news. A recent study on recovery success, co-authored by Dr. David Eddie , shows that three out of four people who experience addiction eventually recover, if they get the care they need. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local ...
Jan 19, 2022•10 min
During his time in office, former President Donald Trump embraced a Christian nationalist stance; the idea that the U.S. is a Christian country and should enforce those beliefs. Now, despite being out of office for nearly a year, those beliefs continue to spread. NPR correspondent John Burnett reports on the growing movement of Christian nationalism, and the the other Christian congregations that are pushing against it. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will he...
Jan 18, 2022•11 min
More people are hospitalized with COVID than at any point in the pandemic. But the omicron variant is also causing more Americans to tune out the pandemic and turn away from public health measures right when they're needed most. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports. Even some vaccinated and boosted Americans are ready to move on from COVID, writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic — a group he's dubbed 'vaxxed and done.' Thompson spoke to Jane Clayson on Here & Now , a production of NPR and WBUR Boston. ...
Jan 17, 2022•14 min
Americans' trust in both their government and in each other is declining. That's according to the Pew Research Center , who have been collecting this data for decades. Researchers Bradley Jones and Katerina Eva Matsa discuss how and why Americans are losing trust in two critical institutions: elections and news media. Then, Eric Liu , the co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, and Tony Marcano , managing editor of member station KPCC and the LAist, share the steps they are taking to help citi...
Jan 15, 2022•15 min
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is planning "things that we have not done in the past" if Russia invades Ukraine. His comments follow days of diplomatic talks and a deadlock on resolving the crisis brewing along the Ukraine-Russia border, where Russia has massed 100,000 troops with tanks and artillery. Blinken speaks to NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the current tensions and this week's diplomatic efforts. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will h...
Jan 14, 2022•14 min
The men on death row in Allan B. Polunsky Unit, a maximum security prison in southeastern Texas, spend most of their time in solitary confinement, isolated from each other. Now, a prison radio station is giving them a sense of community and a way to be heard. Keri Blakinger talks about how it started and the impact it's had. Read her piece "The Prisoner-Run Radio Station That's Reaching Men on Death Row" at The Marshall Project. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment tha...
Jan 13, 2022•10 min
Many public spaces across the country now require negative COVID-19 tests for entry. But the cost of testing can vary widely, and some say they have had to spend hundreds of dollars to purchase tests. Adam Tanner explains some of the reasons for the drastic difference in at-home test prices. Read his piece 'How Much Should It Cost to Get Tested for COVID-19' on Consumer Reports. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in yo...
Jan 12, 2022•12 min
As Democrats are making a push for voting rights legislation in Congress, more faith leaders want Americans to approach it as a moral – even spiritual – issue, including pastor and Democrat, Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia. Warnock explains why he thinks ending the legislative filibuster in the Senate may be a necessary step, a move that President Joe Biden also endorsed while speaking in Warnock's home state on Tuesday. And Warnock describes his spiritual motivation for this voting rights push....
Jan 11, 2022•12 min
A surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant has meant many school districts across the country have considered or committed to returning to remote learning for the time being. WBEZ reporter Sarah Karp spoke with parents in Chicago where a standoff between the teachers union and mayor has resulted in no teaching happening in person or virtually for the last few days. And we hear from three mothers who share how they've been coping with the stress and unpredictability of a very confusi...
Jan 10, 2022•13 min
Before they built one of the biggest athlete-driven business empires in the world, LeBron James and Maverick Carter were just two kids from Akron, Ohio. On this episode of NPR's newest podcast, The Limits With Jay Williams , Carter explains how he and James succeeded — on their own terms. Carter is CEO of the SpringHill Company. Listen to more of The Limits via Apple , Google , or Spotify . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to m...
Jan 09, 2022•37 min
If you're confused about the new CDC Coronavirus guidelines, you're not alone. In fact, this week, the American Medical Association released a statement saying, "The new recommendations on quarantine and isolation are not only confusing, but are risking further spread of the virus." Adherence to public health guidelines is built on trust, and over the last few weeks, trust in the CDC seems to be eroding. Jessica Malaty Rivera, a Senior Advisor at the Pandemic Prevention Institute and a science c...
Jan 08, 2022•14 min
A new owner can change everything for a professional sports team. And in the world of professional soccer, more and more of those new owners are countries accused of human rights abuses. Former Manchester City player Nedum Onuoha describes what it was like when a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family took charge of his club. Plus, New York Times reporter Tariq Panja explains why complaints about where money is coming from does little to change this growing trend, as evidenced by the recent purcha...
Jan 07, 2022•12 min
A year since the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, the belief in 'the big lie' is now mainstream . And in states around the country, that belief is driving people to run for public office, where they would oversee elections this year. NPR's Miles Parks reports. Here's his complete report on where election-denying candidates are running to control voting. And NPR's Tovia Smith reports on why 'the big lie' is still so hard to dispel. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news se...
Jan 06, 2022•15 min
New daily cases are at an all-time high. The good news: vaccines and boosters have never been more widely available — but not for everyone. Children five and under still do not have a vaccine available as the omicron surge stretches health care workers thin. For advice on navigating the pandemic in this moment, we turn to Dr. Ibukun Kalu , a pediatric infectious disease doctor at Duke University. Additional reporting in this episode from NPR's Allison Aubrey . In participating regions, you'll al...
Jan 05, 2022•4 min
A year ago, insurrectionists stormed the Capitol building in hopes of overturning the election results - fueled by the "Big Lie" that Donald Trump actually won. He did not. As NPR Special Correspondent Melissa Block reports, this lie has become entrenched in the Republican party. And Republican state legislators across the country have used it to justify passing new laws restricting voting access. We look at those changes, and what all this might mean for elections in 2022 and 2024. In participa...
Jan 04, 2022•12 min
This week marks a year since the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and in this episode we're returning to the events of the day, which have become much clearer over the past year. And Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, who was there on January 6th, describes what it's like returning to work in the building where he says he was almost certain he would die. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your com...
Jan 03, 2022•14 min
We take a look back on the year in news and pop culture... in quotes. Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro join Sam Sanders for a special episode of NPR's It's Been a Minute to play a deluxe version of their favorite game, Who Said That. Listen to It's Been A Minute on NPR One , Apple Podcasts or Spotify . 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 informat...
Dec 31, 2021•16 min
In 2011, influential Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei was secretly detained by Chinese authorities. While in detention, he thought often about his father – who had also been punished by the Chinese government – and how incomplete his understanding of his father was. Ai spoke to Ailsa Chang about his new book, which explores his time in detention, his relationship with his father, and his attempt to avoid a similar disconnect with his own son. In participating regions, you'll also hear a loc...
Dec 30, 2021•11 min
