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The federal government’s approach to public health has changed more in the last eight months than it has in decades. Since President Trump returned to office, he and members of his administration have challenged the safety of the covid vaccine, the overall childhood vaccine schedule, and the causes of autism. This has upended public health guidance that doctors and patients have relied on for years. Jen Brull, the President of the American Academy of Family Physicians talks about how doctors and...
President Trump is promising to sweep homeless people off America’s streets. One controversial part of his plan could force thousands of people into institutions where they would be treated “long-term” for for addiction and mental illness. Critics say the policy raises big concerns about civil liberties and cost. But parts of this idea - known as “civil commitment” are gaining traction with some Democratic leaders. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple ...
The Trump administration is moving fast on a plan to create several holding centers around the country for people detained in a nationwide immigration crackdown. One facility in particular has been rife with problems. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthis@npr.org . This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre. With audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by John Ketchum and William Troop. O...
Governor Spencer Cox of Utah, who has been in the national headlines just about every day since Charlie Kirk's killing, has long wanted to bring community harmony to national politics. That outlook comes in part from his upbringing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The governor was a critic of President Trump during Trump’s first term, but later endorsed him after the president survived an assassination attempt. Will Charlie Kirk’s killing change Cox’s approach? For sponsor-fre...
NPR's Don Gonyea reports from across the country, engaging with a wide range of people and in places as distinct and different as political rallies and automotive shops. Gonyea explains the importance of really listening, especially during this time of deep divides in America. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthis@npr.org . This episode was produced by Kira Wakeam. It was edited by Adam Raney. Our e...
A 30 second video clip shows a boat bobbing in the water. Then, a fireball and a huge plume of smoke. President Trump posted the footage on social media this week, saying he ordered the U-S military to attack what Trump called “narcoterrorists from Venezuela.” It’s at least the second time this month that President Trump has ordered this sort of a deadly strike on a boat that he claims carried illegal drugs. It's an example of the new ways Trump is deploying military force. The President has use...
President Trump has said for years that he wants Jimmy Kimmel off the air. Now, ABC and its parent company Disney have put the show on indefinite hiatus. One key player here is the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr. Today he applauded ABC’s decision, posting on X, “Broadcast TV stations have always been required by their licenses to operate in the public interest.” Kimmel’s cancellation reopens questions about free speech, the role of the FCC, and the relationship b...
The first day of President Trump’s historic trip to the UK was dominated by ceremony. A carriage procession around the grounds of Windsor Castle with the royal family. Inspection of the guards. Exhibits from the Royal Collection. A lavish banquet preceded by a joint US- UK military flypast. All the royal pomp and pageantry that might be expected for the first ever second state visit by an elected politician to a British monarch. But the sights and sounds beyond the castle were far different. Tho...
Robert Redford died early Tuesday morning, according to his publicist. He was 89 years old. Redford was a golden child of Hollywood, starring in dozens of movies. But he was never content just being an all-American matinee idol. He became an Oscar-winning director, founded the Sundance Institute and grew the Sundance Film Festival, and advocated for environmental causes before activism became a Hollywood cliche. Linda Holmes, host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, and film critic Bob Mond...
This episode explores the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination, focusing on how his movement is attempting to continue without him, with Vice President J.D. Vance stepping in to host The Charlie Kirk Show. NPR correspondents analyze the administration's strategy to shape the narrative, assigning blame to the political left for violence while reflecting on Kirk's significant influence within the MAGA world and the challenge of finding a successor for his unique brand of conservative activism.
The Supreme Court has cleared the way for federal immigration enforcement agents in Los Angeles to use race and other profiling factors in deciding who to stop and potentially detain. NPR’s Scott Detrow and Jasmine Garsd discuss how the expansion of ICE operations around the country has changed the way people interact with law enforcement, and their community. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthis@n...
Sometimes the stories that help us understand the full impact of war are told through a child’s voice. And sometimes the most powerful stories of war are not just of destruction and rising death tolls, but also of humanity, optimism and hope. Reporter Ari Daniel visited a clinic and captured a moving scene between a doctor and his patient, a young girl from Gaza. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthi...
HIV has been in retreat around the world. Fewer people are dying of the disease. New infections are decreasing. More HIV positive people have access to life saving medicine. Those trend lines have been moving in the right direction for decades. And US investment is one big reason. The Trump Administration dismantled foreign assistance through USAID, it continued PEPFAR — the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief — but much of the work is either no longer happening or happening at a very red...
For many young conservatives, Charlie Kirk was more than just another political activist or online personality. He was the face of their movement -- a glimpse at how life for their generation could look by embracing a more hard-right, MAGA worldview. Charlie Kirk's followers are in shock and grief over his assassination. As they try to make sense of his killing, many are also asking what's next for the movement he started. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ vi...
The 9/11 terrorism case has been in legal limbo for more than a decade and many doubt the case will ever make it to take to trial. That’s partly because the defendants were tortured in secret CIA prisons, so there are ongoing legal fights over what evidence is admissible. Meanwhile, the accused men are at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and thousands of 9/11 family members wait for a resolution. NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with two young people whose fathers died in the World T...
Six years after his death in prison, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues to dominate the news. A House committee has released a suggestive note sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday that is signed "Donald J. Trump." The White House continues to deny now President Trump wrote or signed it. Separately, a New York Times investigation tracked Epstein's relationship to the country's leading bank, JPMorgan Chase. It concludes that the bank enabled his sex crimes, even as evidence against him piled ...
Chris Hugues has what he calls an interesting job. He’s an assistant operator at a wastewater treatment plant in Cavendish, Vermont. On a recent August afternoon he gave NPR’s Jenna McLaughlin a tour of the plant. Hughes loves his work, in all its technical, mathematical, chemical, and yes, dirty, glory. But lately, Hughes has had to worry about a new hazard: cyberattacks. The threat of someone cutting water off for Americans is real. Chinese hackers recently spent nearly a year inside a Massach...
Over the weekend, President Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as a character from the war film “Apocalypse Now” and, in that same post, seemingly threatened “WAR” in Chicago; later, the president indicated that sending in troops would be to clean up cities, not to go to war. But weeks of talk of sending federal troops into Chicago has set the city on edge. NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Dr. Robert Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago who has studied pol...
President Trump has vowed to abolish the Department of Education. He’s pressured schools to end DEI initiatives and protections for transgender students. He's rescinded guidelines that barred immigration enforcement at schools. So what could Trump’s policies mean for kids in public schools? We get answers from NPR education correspondent Cory Turner and NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro . For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Ap...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a scathing line of questioning from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the Senate on Thursday. Kennedy is a vaccine skeptic and is using his position as Secretary of Health and Human Services to radically change vaccine policy. In recent weeks, there have been a number of public health officials who have resigned or been fired, creating chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies. Federal employees are also speaking out, ...
The one thing certain about the COVID vaccine right now is that everything about it is changing. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the next round of COVID-19 vaccines for the fall season, but it significantly changed who can get it. The move comes amidst a broader effort by the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to change policy and guidance around many vaccines. At this point — we’re guessing you have lots of questions about vaccination in general, but e...
“Chief diversity officer” was once Corporate America’s hottest job. Now corporate America has retreated from DEI and slashed thousands of jobs. So where does that leave the people who’ve built careers around that work? Hear the story of one veteran executive who’s been job-hunting for more than a year. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthis@npr.org . This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink and Chri...
So many movies are made about the beginning of a relationship. That first spark of attraction. That first kiss. The new dark comedy “The Roses” is about the other end – when it's all falling apart. Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman star as Theo and Ivy, a couple who was once very much in love. Two children and a transatlantic move later, they’re now struggling to save their marriage. No one thinks it’s going to work – including their therapist. Cumberbatch and Colman sit down with host Mary...
The Trump Administration has made significant changes to the departments in charge of public health. So what does that mean for the health of average Americans and to the future of public health research? NPR’s Scott Detrow speaks with Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency medicine physician who also teaches public health policy at Brown University. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This , sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This epis...
Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans twenty years ago this week, leaving a trail of destruction across the city and the Gulf Coast. NPR journalists were on the ground covering the developing story of what became the costliest storm in U.S. history. NPR’s Greg Allen reflects on covering the catastrophe and digs into the archives to remember the feel of the city after the storm. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at...
Before he entered politics, most Americans knew Donald Trump as an entertainer. As the host of the hit show “The Apprentice” he was catapulted to a new level of fame. That persona has carried over to Trump’s political life as he embraces his role as entertainer-in-chief. In this term, unlike the first, Trump has taken aim at cultural institutions. He initiated a takeover of the Kennedy Center, has declared that Smithsonian exhibits must submit to White House scrutiny, and he’s successfully sued ...
The war in Gaza is approaching the 2 year mark. As it does, Israel continues to launch new attacks on a territory that is already in ruins. And the humanitarian situation for Gaza’s Palestinian residents continues to worsen. A team of NPR reporters has been focusing on one question: how did we get here? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthis@npr.org . This episode was produced by Mia Venkat and Danie...
What happens when the federal government owns part of a company? That’s one of MANY questions about federal policy right now, as the Trump Administration aggressively pushes for stakes — and oversight — of major private companies. This week, the White House announced it was taking a ten percent stake in the struggling technology giant Intel. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the administration is considering similar moves with other companies tied to the defense industry, too. Trump looks r...
For over two weeks, members of the National Guard have been walking the streets of Washington, D.C. -- alongside federal law enforcement and local police. President Trump has said there is a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital -- and has openly hinted at taking similar actions in other Democratic-led cities like Chicago, New York and Baltimore. But while the president has unique authorities over the District of Columbia, federalizing the National Guard in U.S. states will require a higher ...
The Trump administration is deploying a new strategy to speed up deportations. Government lawyers are asking immigration judges to dismiss on-going cases. Then, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrest people as soon as they step out of the courtroom. The process is often chaotic. And for immigrants without legal status, it's also very risky. NPR immigration policy reporter Ximena Bustillo went to an immigration court in New York City to see how that process unfolds – and found herself...
