Donald Trump returns to Washington newly empowered. The Republican party has remade itself in his image. The Supreme Court has granted him sweeping immunity for his official actions. And, unlike last time, he narrowly won the popular vote. And Trump is prepared to exercise his new power almost immediately. He's pledged to sign an unprecedented wave of executive actions many of which will be challenged in court. These actions include one making it U.S. policy to recognize only two biologically di...
Jan 21, 2025•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast When he ran for office in 2020, President Joe Biden vowed to turn the page on then president Donald Trump. But it's Trump who is returning to the White House for a second term in office. We speak with NPR's Asma Khalid, who covered the Biden administration, on the legacy he leaves behind. 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 . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adc...
Jan 19, 2025•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Will Rogers State Historic Park is a vast stretch of natural space in the Santa Monica Mountains. It's a treasure to Angelenos. People get married there, picnic there, and have kids' birthday parties on the great lawn. The park's namesake, Will Rogers, was a vaudeville performer, radio and movie star, and was known as America's "cowboy philosopher." His nearly century-old ranch house is the park's centerpiece. It's survived a near miss with wildfire before. Last week, as firestorm engulfed large...
Jan 17, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast At the time we publish this episode, Israel's government has yet to accept the terms of the long-negotiated and hard fought ceasefire deal announced yesterday. The deal is still on, but the quarreling over the details demonstrates how difficult it is to keep the agreement on track. On Thursday morning Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed a cabinet vote on the deal, accusing Hamas of "reneging" on parts of the agreement. A Hamas official said on social media that the group is committ...
Jan 16, 2025•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Confirmation hearings for Trump's cabinet picks are in full swing on Capitol Hill with a number of them appearing before the Senate this week. Nominees including Pam Bondi, Trump's pick to run the Justice Department, John Ratcliffe, his pick to run the CIA, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio Trump's nominee for Secretary of State have all answered questions about what they'll do and what they won't do if confirmed. Rubio and Ratcliffe will play key foreign policy roles under the 47th president. Tho...
Jan 15, 2025•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast On a shelf in his office at CIA headquarters, Director Bill Burns keeps a tiny scaled model of a house. It's the house in Kabul, Afghanistan, where Al Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2022. When NPR went out to interview him last week, Burns pointed to the exact balcony on which Zawahiri was standing. There was pride in his voice. The CIA had never stopped looking for the guy even more than two decades after 9/11. But it was also a reminder of challenges, of ad...
Jan 14, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast "Wildfire" is the word we tend to use when we talk about what Los Angeles has been dealing with the past week. But Lori Moore-Merrell, the U.S. Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency used a different word, when she spoke to NPR this morning. She described a "conflagration." Saying they're not wildland fires with trees burning. They're structure to structure fire spread. They may have started at the suburban fringe, but they didn't stay there. Which prompts a question: wha...
Jan 13, 2025•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast From handling crises in the rail and airline industries to overseeing the distribution of billions of dollars in infrastructure funding, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has taken on a lot over the last four years. Now, his tenure is coming to an end. Host Scott Detrow speaks with Buttigieg about what the Biden administration accomplished, what it didn't get done, and what he's taking away from an election where voters resoundingly called for something different. For sponsor-free episodes...
Jan 12, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast While the debate over homeless policy plays out across the country, Project HOME has offered resources to homeless people in Philadelphia for decades. We talk with the co-founder, who just retired after 35 years. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Jan 10, 2025•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jimmy Carter's four years in the White House were largely defined by an event that took place halfway through his term. On November 4th, 1979 Iranian college students took over the US Embassy in Tehran, and took 52 Americans hostage. For the next 444 days, the Carter administration tried to secure the hostages' release. In April, 1980 they even commissioned a rescue mission that ended in failure. While Carter was trying to end the hostage crisis, he was also campaigning for a second term. A year...
Jan 09, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Extremely dry conditions coupled with high winds have led to an explosive wildfire situation in southern California. Multiple fires have erupted across the Los Angeles area since Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people have had to evacuate, and firefighters are struggling to contain the flames. Adria Kloke is one of the people who has had to flee. She packed up her belongings, along with her cat, and left her home in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday. Kloke shares her story with NPR. For sponsor-free ep...
Jan 08, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast In Washington, D.C., the federal government is closed as are most of the schools in the area. That's because the first major snow storm in about three years barreled in Sunday night. Meanwhile, the Southern U.S. is preparing for another storm that could paralyze parts of Texas, Arkansas and Northern Louisiana. And Southern California is preparing for "life threatening, destructive gusts" driving wildfires. That's a lot of wild weather...so what's going on? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider T...
Jan 07, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast What happened on January 6, 2021? There have been news reports, documentaries and witness testimonies all trying to put that question to rest. But despite an impeachment trial and a House Select Committee investigation, the fight over how that day will be remembered isn't over. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org Email us at considerthis@npr.org Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Pri...
Jan 06, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Billionaire Elon Musk begins 2025 as one of the most influential people in the United States. He's developed a close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, and has been advising the incoming administration on policy and staffing. And Musk is now increasingly weighing in on European politics as well. Host Scott Detrow speaks with reporter Rebecca Collard about Musk wading into European politics. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Jan 05, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast As president, Jimmy Carter promised always to tell the American people the truth about what was happening in the country. We'll look at how that affected his presidency as we remember Carter's life and legacy. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Jan 03, 2025•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast New Orleans is still reeling from the New Year's Day attack that killed 14 people on Bourbon Street. We ask a counterterrorism expert how attacks like this can be prevented and hear the latest from New Orleans. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Jan 02, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast So much can happen in a year. While we all wish for a happy New Year, that's not always the case. We talk to author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan about the lessons she learned from a challenging year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Jan 01, 2025•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Most years bring both good and bad experiences. But sometimes, it's the challenges of a bad year that show us our hidden strengths. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Dec 31, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Every year, more and more Americans embark on Dry January a whole month of giving up alcohol. It's easy to imagine the benefits: no hangovers, better sleep, happier wallet. But like with any resolution for the new year, staying committed can be hard. Today, we're bringing you an episode from our friends at the "Life Kit" podcast that's all about how to get through Dry January and reexamine your relationship with alcohol. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via...
Dec 31, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Former President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. He was the nation's 39th president, in office from 1977 to 1981. He will of course be remembered for his accomplishments in office. But also for all that he accomplished in the four decades after he left the White House. Host Andrew Limbong speaks about Jimmy Carter's legacy with two NPR journalists who have covered the White House for years: national political correspondent Mara Liasson and senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. ...
Dec 30, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Syria's dictatorship fell in early December, celebrations broke out around the world - including nearly 6,000 miles away, in Toledo, Ohio. That's where Mohammed al-Refai, a refugee from Syria, lives now. NPR has followed his story for nearly a decade. In 2015, millions of Syrians fled the civil war in their country. al-Refai got a visa to come to the U.S. His parents and siblings, who fled to Jordan, did not. So, he moved on his own to Toledo, where built a new life for himself. He long dre...
Dec 29, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast The holiday season is joyous and also expensive. From steep flight prices to a laundry list of presents to buy, when January 1st rolls around, you might feel like your bank account is hurting. Luckily, our friends at the "Life Kit" podcast have an answer for everything including what they call "financial self-care." Today, we're bringing you one of their episodes that's all about creating routines for a healthy bank account in 2025 and beyond. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up ...
Dec 27, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It can be hard to resist jumping on the whole "New Year, New You" bandwagon. But if you've decided 2025 is your year to make some changes, we have tips to help you succeed. "Life Kit" host Marielle Segarra joins us to share the best ways to approach New Year's resolutions. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthis@npr.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Priv...
Dec 26, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast What makes a movie a Christmas movie? When the movie Die Hard was released on Blu Ray a few years back, the studio called it "the greatest Christmas story ever told!" It does take place at an office Christmas party, but is that fact enough to make it a Christmas movie? What about "Elf," "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Eyes Wide Shut" are those Christmas movies? Yes, right? NPR producer Marc Rivers says, "not so fast." Just what makes any Christmas movie a true Christmas movie? For sponsor-free episo...
Dec 25, 2024•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Whether you play it on loop or whether it drives you crazy, there's no question Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You," song has become a permanent fixture of the Christmas song canon. But the holiday song canon is big, and a number of other pop artists have made their own Yuletide jingles since 1994 including John Legend, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. But not even the woman who shattered records with her Eras tour has given us a holiday song that has had staying power worthy of The ...
Dec 24, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast By most objective measures, the US economy is in good shape. Employers added about 2 million jobs this year. Unemployment is low. In much of the country, gasoline is now selling for less than $3 a gallon. The Economist has called the United States' performance "the envy of the world." But even as the U.S. is outperforming most other countries, many Americans remain frustrated by the high cost of living. And that's fueled a lot of unhappiness, and a political comeback for President-elect Donald T...
Dec 23, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast It was a hectic election season in America, to put it lightly, and we're not alone. What do this year's elections across the world say about the state of democracy at large? Host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR correspondents about some of the most consequential global elections of 2024. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthis@npr.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoi...
Dec 22, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Given the fact that it seems like Hollywood churns out nothing but sequels, you would think the industry would have perfected the genre by now. Some sequels are pretty darn good, but many believe the perfect movie sequel came out 50 years ago this month. Of course, we're talking about Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather: Part II. It's not only considered the greatest sequel of all time, it's also considered one of the greatest movies of all time. So why does Godfather II work, and where so many...
Dec 20, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast At the start of this year Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was facing a crisis. Just a few months before, Hamas had breached Israel's border with Gaza, killing some 1200 people in Israel on October 7th. As the year ends, Netanyahu is spending some of it in a courtroom to fight corruption charges that have dogged him since 2019. The Israeli Prime Minister has called the charges absurd. You might think that would be detrimental to his political career, but instead Netanyahu looks stronger...
Dec 19, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast How does fitness and movement change across the lifespan? According to NPR's Allison Aubrey, who covers health and wellness, the official recommendation is to aim for more than 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity. That could be running, walking, biking, swimming, or weightlifting. We meet a group of active older people, who show it's never too late to find movement and exercise that works for you. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via ...
Dec 18, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
