Consider This from NPR

At a recent gathering of Swiss business executives in the White House, the CEO of Rolex presented President Trump with a gold-plated desk clock. The CEO of a precious-metals company presented the president with an engraved gold bar. They were not the official representatives of Switzerland’s economic agenda – but the following week, their government announced a trade deal that drastically lowered...

A group of National Guard members in Ohio are using an encrypted group chat to work out how they're feeling as President Trump deploys Guard troops to several U.S. cities. It’s become a place for existential questions about their service, careers…and country.  NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf flew to Ohio to meet some of them. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podc...

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released emails to and from Jeffrey Epstein that suggest Donald Trump may have known about Epstein’s sex-abuse operations. In one, Epstein writes that Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by Trump or meaningful connection to Epstein’s alleged crimes, and downplayed the new revelations as part of a “fake n...

When John Fetterman won Pennsylvania's senate seat in 2022, Democrats across the country treated him as a hero and an example of a path forward for the party in the populist Trump era.  Three years later, he often finds himself at odds with his party – most recently, on the government shutdown, Israel, and working class voters. He delves deeper into his political views and experiences in a new mem...

The FDA is removing the black box warning on estrogen therapy after two decades. Should it? Women who want to use estrogen to treat menopause symptoms often face a difficult choice. That’s because those hormone treatments contain a “black-box warning.” The Food and Drug Administration uses black box warnings to indicate a medication has potentially life threatening side effects. In the case of est...

‘Affordability’ was the word that resonated across America during elections last week, reflecting voters’ demand for elected officials to address the rising cost of living. But the wealth gap in America and globally is increasing. Nobel-prize winning economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz talks about the repercussions for democracies worldwide. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for...

Tuesday’s election was the first time voters registered how they’re feeling since President Trump entered the White House. And after Democratic candidates won marquee races in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, the answer was clear: they are not happy with the party in power. So what are the two major political parties taking away from this week? NPR correspondents Domenico Montanaro and Tama...

Nancy Pelosi is arguably the most powerful woman in American history. After her election to Congress in 1987, she accumulated more and more power, eventually rising to become Speaker of the House in 2007, the first and only woman to hold that office.  Now in her 20th term, Pelosi announced Thursday morning that she will not seek reelection.  Susan Page is Washington Bureau chief for USA Today and...

Next year, the Supreme Court will decide whether the President can use a five decade old emergency powers act to shape the U.S. economy. Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or AYEEPA, last spring when he imposed sweeping tariffs of at least 10 percent across all countries. Wednesday, the nine justices heard oral arguments in the case. And however they decide it — the rul...

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a major case about the administration’s use of tariffs.  President Trump has long touted the power of tariffs as a tool for trade negotiations and even for ending conflict.  But now the justices will hear about how that tool may be misused.  NPR's Scott Horsley and Danielle Kurtzleben discuss President Trump's tariff policy and its economic im...

Every year the President of the United States determines how many refugees can enter this country. The law says he must consult Congress on this number.  But last week President Trump announced just 7,500 refugees would be admitted in the coming fiscal year – a 94% cut from the 125,000 cap set by President Joe Biden. Sharif Aly leads the International Refugee Assistance Project - an organization t...

The legal definition of the term 'unlawful combatants' was used to justify detaining people at Guantanamo indefinitely, without ever charging them with a crime. Now, the president is using it to describe the alleged drug smugglers that the military is targeting with boat strikes. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at  plus.npr.org . Email u...

From recording a snoring elephant to figuring out how to be a mime during an interview, three former print journalists talk about how telling an audio story is special. 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 Linah Mohammad. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our execut...

Voters head to the polls next week in California, Virginia and New Jersey among other states.  Senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro explain what they are watching in these elections — and what voters’ choices might say about the political moment. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ v...

It’s a critical week regarding the Affordable Care Act, which is at the center of the government shutdown impasse. “Window shopping" began for some people buying health insurance through the ACA – also known as Obamacare – giving enrollees estimates on how much their premiums could cost next year.  Without the ACA tax credits that Democrats want to extend into 2026, many people could see big incre...

When companies need a loan, traditionally they turn to a bank. But increasingly they’re turning to financial firms that are not really banks, but do have a lot of cash. This is called the “private credit” market. It has exploded in the past 15 years. It’s now valued at around $2 trillion. Natasha Sarin, president of the Yale Budget Lab and former Biden administration official, argues that these pr...

Ashley and Nick Evancho say raising their 3-year-old, Sophia, is one of the most joyous things they've ever done. But the Evanchos also made a decision that's increasingly common for families in the U.S. and around the world: One is enough. The trend is leading to populations that are dramatically older, and beginning to shrink, in many of the world's biggest economies. Experts say a rapidly aging...

In a public roundtable, President Trump asked his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to apply the designation to Antifa. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports that it could have enormous consequences, including making it illegal to provide something as meager as a bottle of water to what the Trump administration deems to be Antifa. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple...

A delegation of high-level US officials were recently sent to Israel to try to hold the fragile Gaza truce together. The Israeli press called them the 'BibiSitters,' a nod to the Israeli prime minister's nickname. What does Benjamin Netanyahu's political future look like and how tied is he to the Trump administration's interests? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider Thi...

U.S. citizens have been arrested in the Trump Administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown. According to ProPublica , at least 170 have been arrested or detained by immigration agents since President Trump took office for his second term. In response, Texas Rep. Robert Garcia and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — both Democrats — have announced an investigation into these detentions. I...

The FBI arrested multiple people tied to the NBA in a wide-ranging illegal gambling probe. The NBA and other major sports leagues have been deepening ties with the lucrative sports-betting industry.  Washington Post sports columnist Kevin Blackistone explains the implications of this scandal on the NBA and sports betting in general.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider...

For many years, the far right has been the most lethal and persistent source of domestic terrorism in the U.S. But the assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk last month and attacks against immigration enforcement efforts have fueled a talking point for Republicans about concerns over left-wing political violence. The political motivations behind these attacks are still unclear, but on...

It's getting harder to get away with murder in Philadelphia. Violent crime has fallen sharply -- like it has in many other cities. And Philadelphia police are now solving homicides at the highest rate since 1984. There's a connection there -- but there's also plenty more to the story. Philadelphia Inquirer crime reporter Ellie Rushing shows what her team has found. For sponsor-free episodes of Con...

The Trump administration's push to expand immigration enforcement -- as part of its deportation efforts -- has created job opportunities in small towns and cities. We head to one of them -- Folkston, Georgia, a community of about 2,800 residents.. That number will soon swell as immigrant detainees fill up a growing ICE detention center at the edge of town.  The center is in a old prison run by the...

Following repeated U.S attacks on boats off the coast of Venezuela, Senator Tim Kaine has partnered with fellow Democrat Senator Adam Schiff and Republican Senator Rand Paul to force a vote to prevent war on Venezuela without approval from Congress.  Senator Kaine speaks to NPR about the role he says Congress must play to keep the president from unilaterally leading the country into a military con...