Consider This from NPR

If you could change one thing in your life to become a happier person — like your income, a job, your relationships or your health — what would make the biggest difference? That's the question Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Robert Waldinger has been attempting to answer through decades of research. He's the director of "the world's longest-running scientific study of happiness," and he spoke with Ari Sh...

The soccer world was shocked by the death of renowned U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl at the World Cup in Qatar. Then came the conspiracy theories claiming his death was caused by the COVID vaccine. Wahl died from an aortic aneurysm. His wife, epidemiologist Dr. Céline Gounder, gave multiple interviews and released Wahl's autopsy results to combat the disinformation. We ask Gounder about her dec...

The start of a new year can push us to think about how we take care of ourselves – our bodies or our minds. And for some people that can mean seeking help for mental health issues like depression and anxiety. In some ways, being open about pursuing treatment for mental health concerns is becoming more commonplace. But for men who are socialized not to express vulnerability and keep emotions in che...

This is a pivotal moment in the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces continue to have the upper hand on the battlefield, but there are real questions about what comes next and what an acceptable end to this war could look like. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmyrto Kuleba provides his assessment on the state of the war and the path ahead. And former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice argues for a dr...

People sometimes object when Aubrey Gordon describes herself as fat. It's not that they're disputing her size, she says. Rather, they're acting out on their assumptions about what it means to be a fat person. Gordon is the author of "'You Just Need To Lose Weight' and 19 other Myths about Fat People." In the book, she explores and debunks pervasive societal myths about fat people. In participating...

Destructive flooding caused by torrential rains has created a deadly disaster in California. The death toll rivals the worst wildfires and points to a common cause for both: drought. Brian Ferguson with California's Office of Emergency Services explains how a "weather whiplash" of dry years followed by heavy rain and snow can lead to dangerous outcomes. And NPR's Lauren Sommer reports on how offic...

The attack on Brazil's congress and presidential palace Sunday was reminiscent of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Both are part of a broader transnational extremist movement. We talk about that with Guilherme Casarões of the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, and with NPR correspondents Shannon Bond and Sergio Olmos. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news s...

Parents who have their kids placed in foster care often get a bill to reimburse the state for part of the cost. NPR found that in at least 12 states there are laws that say parents could lose their kids forever if they fail to pay it. We hear about one family in North Carolina who had a child taken away because of an unpaid bill. And NPR investigative correspondent Joseph Shapiro takes a closer lo...

'Tis the season for lists! Best films of the year, best albums, best podcasts. Lists can provoke strong emotions- from spirited debate to outrage - over who or what made the cut or ranked higher. This week, Rolling Stone magazine faced backlash over their list of the 200 greatest singers of all time, which omitted some big names (Celine Dion, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole to name a few) Lists! We...

It's been two years since rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, leaving an indelible mark on American democracy. We speak to NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson and NPR Senior Political Correspondent Domenico Montanaro, about how the events of that day continue to impact the country two years later. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you mak...

The world faces key deadlines for climate action in coming decades. But most of us are more focused on the short term — today, tomorrow, maybe next year. So what do we do about that? NPR's Rebecca Hersher explains why humans have so much trouble prioritizing climate change. And Esme Nicholson reports on climate protesters in Germany who are taking increasingly disruptive steps to demand action. In...

A small group of Republican hardliners set out to block Kevin McCarthy, their party's leader in the House of Representatives, from becoming Speaker. That same faction has taken on GOP leaders before. We speak to Paul Kane, senior Congressional correspondent and columnist for the Washington Post, about the history behind this week's standoff in the House and what it means for Congress. In participa...

High mortgage rates and a low supply of homes for sale has made homeownership feel out of reach for many Americans. And yet it remains an important way for Americans to build wealth. We speak with Chris Herbert, with the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, about how homeownership became such an important part of the American Dream, and about other ways to build wealth. In parti...

Although not widely known, 37-year-old Tobias Jesso Jr.'s name pops up on the credits of some of today's biggest musical hits. He's written for Adele, Harry Styles and FKA twigs among many others. Jesso Jr.'s body of work as a songwriter has earned him a Grammy nomination in the brand-new category Songwriter of the Year. And although he got his start in the music industry as a solo artist, he says...

It's that time of year - the ball has dropped, the champagne bottles are empty and you have a list of resolutions to start living your best life in 2023. There's plenty of expert advice to help us succeed at making a budget or running a 5K. But research and polling show that many people fail to reach their goals. If you routinely give up your resolutions by February, maybe the key to succeeding is...

The United Kingdom is, for many, synonymous with stability. But 2022 has been a year of turbulence and change for the U.K. In one, chaotic four-month stretch, the U.K. went through major transitions involving three prime ministers and two monarchs. We look back at what this turbulence meant for the United Kingdom, and ahead to what new leadership could bring, with NPR's London Correspondent Frank...

Artificial intelligence is now so much a part of our lives that it seems almost mundane. So is that something to be excited about? Or is the world a scarier place because of it? NPR's Bobby Allyn reports on how some new AI advances showcase both the power and the peril of the technology. And NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Brian Christian, author of the book "The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and...

You've heard the saying, 'Blood is thicker than water,' right? Yet for many people, family is not just about blood or DNA — it's about deep connections . For those people, chosen family could be close friends, people who share similar identities, people who went through similar experiences, or something else that forms a bond. We hear stories from people about their chosen families. We also speak...

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is the GOP leader in the House of Representatives and he's campaigning to become Speaker in the next Congress. But a handful of House Republicans say they won't support him. Associated Press' chief congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro talks about McCarthy's strategy. And NPR's Elena Moore reports on what young conservatives want from their party. In participating regions, y...

Malcolm Alexander and Frederick Clay both spent decades in prison for crimes they didn't commit. Both were eventually exonerated and released. Clay has received compensation from the state of Massachusetts, but Alexander is still battling the state of Louisiana in court. We hear from the two men about what it's like to fight for compensation for their wrongful convictions — and why that fight is a...

Even if you don't follow gossip sites, it was almost impossible this year to ignore the scandals, missteps, and legal woes of celebrities. Gossip has been a part of the media landscape almost since the advent of newspapers, gaining popularity throughout the 20th century and expanding across new media platforms. But this year, stories that might have once been relegated to sites like TMZ or Gawker...

Trauma is an inherent part of intelligence work. Think of undercover operatives deployed in dangerous places or investigating gruesome crimes. But getting help to process that trauma can be difficult. We speak with Heather Williams, a former U.S. intelligence officer, about her own experience with trauma and what she learned about how best to cope with it. In participating regions, you'll also hea...

The number of Americans experiencing anxiety has been rising, especially since the start of the pandemic. There also aren't enough providers to meet the need, making it tough to access proper treatment for millions of Americans. NPR's Juana Summers talks to Catherine Ettman, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, about how the pandemic caused anxiety to spike. An...

More and more young people are moving back in with their parents — and staying there. According to Pew Research , from 1971 to 2021, the number of adult Americans living in multigenerational households quadrupled. There are several reasons that many young adults have moved back in with their parents, including: low pay, high housing costs, caring for loved ones – and more recently, the pandemic. N...

The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Biden this year includes incentives for buying an electric vehicle, ideally to persuade people to ditch cars that run on gasoline and switch to EVs. And as interest in electric vehicles grows, so is the demand for lithium - a key component of electric vehicle batteries. One way to get more lithium is to open new mines — which could pose vari...