Consider This from NPR
Episodes
Alabama's Last Two Executions Failed. They're Trying Again Next Week
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
James Barber is scheduled to be executed on Thursday in Alabama, for the murder of Dorothy Epps in 2001. It's the first execution since Governor Kay I...
One Couple's Fight to Cure ALS
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Six years ago when former Obama staffer Brian Wallach was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - ALS - a rare neurological disease that kills ...
The Anthropocene
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we confront the realities of a changing climate, a group of scientists says we're living in a world of our very own making - a world altered by the...
Trying to Reverse the Decline of Black Players in Major League Baseball
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Baseball was once known for breaking racial barriers in the U.S. But now, Black representation in the major leagues is at its lowest level in decades....
The Impact of Cluster Bombs
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since the war began, military aid from the US to Ukraine has largely received bipartisan report. But a new planned 800 million dollar package has spli...
The Black Maternal Mortality Crisis and Why It Remains an Issue
09 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate of high-income countries globally, and the numbers have only grown. According to a new study published ...
Are We Witnessing The Death Of Movie Stars?
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Bettie Davis, Clark Gable. During Hollywood's Golden Age, which existed roughly from the 1910s and 20's into the early 19...
Confronting Police Violence and Racism in France
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The police killing in France of a 17-year old of North African descent sparked protests and violence across the country as well as a national conversa...
Palestinians Deal with Loss and Destruction Following Israeli Attack on Jenin
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday Israel said it concluded a two-day military operation in the Jenin refugee camp meant to root out armed militants. The raid on the camp i...
LGBTQ Vets Still Suffering The Consequences of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been more than a decade since 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was repealed. Introduced in 1993, the law remained in effect until 2011. During that time a...
Hot Dog Eating Contests: A Distinctly American Tradition
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's nothing obviously patriotic about scarfing down as many hot dogs as you can in ten minutes. So how did competitive eating become so synonymous...
Supreme Court Term Ends With Decisions That Will Impact Millions
02 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court ended its term this week with three rulings that will have far reaching consequences in the lives of millions of Americans.The court...
Putin's Hold on Power
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A week on from an aborted uprising, Vladimir Putin is still standing. But for how long? The brief rebellion, launched by the leader of the mercenary ...
The Death of Affirmative Action
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court effectively killed race-conscious admissions in higher education on Thursday. In two cases, the court decided that the admissions p...
What — And Who — Is To Blame For Extreme Heat?
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A punishing heat wave has left more than a dozen people dead across Texas. In recent days temperatures have climbed above 100 degrees in many parts of...
Florida In The Political Spotlight
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to American politics, Florida regularly finds its way to the center of the conversation. Often important, if not pivotal in presidential...
Putin Survived An Uprising. What's Next?
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Russian President Vladimir Putin faced a direct challenge to his authority over the weekend. Mercenary fighters with the Wagner group took over a mili...
Mitch Landrieu, the man Biden hopes can rebuild America, bring broadband to millions
25 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act is a $1.2 trillion law meant to spur a massive infrastructure renewal and rebuilding program complete with new bridg...
A Year After Dobbs Ruling, Seeking Reproductive Health Care Can Mean Few Good Options
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last June, when the Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade decision, which had stood for nearly 50 years, the constitutional right to abortion ceased ...
A New Report Warns China And The U.S. Are 'Drifting Toward A War' Over Taiwan
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There has been no shortage of confrontations between the U.S. and China this year. This week, shortly after a trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinke...
Insurers Flee California As Catastrophic Wildfires Become The Norm
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As climate change gets worse, California is seeing larger and more dangerous wildfires. And in response some insurers are leaving the state behind, fi...
What It's Like Inside The Submersible That's Lost In The Atlantic
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Time is running out to locate the submersible vessel that went missing Sunday, on a voyage to visit the wreckage of the Titanic. The U.S. Coast Guard ...
Remembering The Children's Crusade On Juneteenth
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While Black people in this country have been celebrating Juneteenth for decades, what is sometimes referred to as Emancipation Day or America's "seco...
Made in America: It's trickier than it sounds
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Made in America. It may be a catchy political slogan, but it's a lot more complicated than it sounds. So many things we use everyday come from China. ...
Celebrating Fathers From All Walks Of Life
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It depends on when, and where you grew up, but you can probably name a few of your favorite sit-com dads - from Mike Brady and his "bunch", to Homer S...
The drug fueling another wave of overdose deaths
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A deadly and addictive chemical normally used as a horse tranquilizer is being mixed into illegal drugs.Xylazine has been around for a while, but over...
A North Korean Defector SharesThoughts On Diplomacy With U.S.
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Kim Hyun-woo stepped into the NPR studios in Washington, he was doing something that in his past life would have gotten him killed - speaking fra...
Trump in Court...Again
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, former president Donald Trump appeared in a federal courthouse in Miami where he pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal charges, including obst...
Making It Easier For Kids To Get Help For Addiction, And Prevent Overdoses
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. is in the midst of a drug crisis, with opioid overdose deaths climbing to epidemic proportions. And overdose deaths among young people, betwe...
The PGA LIV Golf Deal Is All About The Green
11 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For more than a year the PGA, the world's leading pro golf league, has basically been at war with the upstart Saudi-funded LIV Golf league. Lawsuits a...
An American Indian Boarding School That Was Once Feared Is Now Celebrated
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Federal Indian boarding schools left a decades long legacy of abuse, neglect and forced assimilation of Indigenous children.Last year, when the federa...
Missing White Woman Syndrome: Media Bias And Missing People of Color
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every year about 600,000 thousand people are reported missing in the United States per the National Missing and Unidentified Persons database.In 2022,...
Black Immigrants in the South
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Being Black and an immigrant is an increasingly common phenomenon in the South, where 1 in 10 Black people are immigrants. Still, despite growing numb...
If Allah Has No Gender, Why Not Refer To God As 'She?'
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When people speak about God in various religions, the deity is typically referred to using the masculine pronoun "He."In Islam, Allah is not depicted ...
For Russia and Ukraine, The Battlefield Includes The Economy
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wars are expensive. And Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had an impact on the economies of both countries.NPR's Julian Hayda, in Kyiv, reports that in...
The Future Of Black Owned Media
04 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While it may seem like Black-focused media is at a high these days, the reality is only 4% of all media in the U.S. is Black-owned.Moreover, experts s...
The Power Of Lullabies
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lullabies. We all know one. Whether we were sung one as a baby or now sing one to our own children. Often, they're used to help babies gently fall asl...
This Is What Democracy Looks Like? How Erdogan Won Again In Turkey
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the months ahead of the election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faced criticism for his government's response to devastating earthquakes a...
A right to repair in Minnesota and beyond
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The right to repair movement scored a big victory last week in Minnesota, where it got legislation signed into law that requires manufacturers to let ...
Iran's Nuclear Program Marches Forward, 5 Years After The U.S. Abandoned The Deal
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been five years since the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal. What followed: the U-S re-imposed crushing sanctions, over time, Iran stopped adhe...
Unraveling The Evolution of Hong Kong's Civic Life
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Back in March, roughly 80 people in Hong Kong marched in opposition to a land reclamation project that protesters say would increase pollution. Police...
What's Up With Twitter?
28 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign announcement on Twitter did not go as planned. A series of awkward technical glitches delayed the...
Remembering Rock and Roll Icon Tina Turner
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tina Turner, one of Rock and Roll's greatest stars, died this week in her home in Switzerland at the age of 83, after a long period of illness.In a ca...
How A Jeopardy! Champ's Disappearance From The Show Left Fans Mystified For Decades
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since its relaunch in the 1980s, Jeopardy! has had thousands of contestants. For some of the its most memorable champions, the gameshow has been a lau...
Uvalde One Year Later
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been one year since an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and 2 teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy reignited debat...
With The Expansion of Carbon Capture Pipelines Come Safety Fears
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The United States has 27 years to reach its net-zero emissions goal. And among other initiatives to move towards that goal, the Biden administration i...
David Simon, Creator Of The Wire, On AI, Television and the WGA Strike
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Hollywood writers' strike has meant three weeks of late-night comedy and soap opera reruns for television fans. And for some fans, it might feel f...
Post Roe V. Wade, A Senator Wants to Make Birth Control Access Easier — and Affordable
21 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recently recommended allowing birth control pills to be sold without a prescription.While more than 100 ...
How The Class Of 2023 Survived High School In A Pandemic
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Across the country, members of the class of COVID are graduating: students who started high school before the pandemic, then spent the end of their fr...
Parkinson's Threatened To Tear Michael J. Fox Down, But He Keeps On Getting Up
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Few stars shined brighter in the 80's than Michael J Fox, and when the '90s rolled around, he was still one of the top names in show biz. But in 1991,...
Florida Guts Trans Rights
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At least fourteen states in the US have passed laws or policies that limit or restrict gender-affirming care for young people. Republican lawmakers cl...
Palestinian Family Stays Connected To Their Home Village, Long After Its Destruction
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The state of Israel turned 75 this week. For many Israeli Jews, it's a moment of celebration - the nation was established as a homeland and refuge fro...
COVID Public Health Emergency Ends, But For ERs, There's Still No "New Normal"
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hospital emergency rooms saw some of the most painful scenes of the pandemic: beds filled to capacity, nurses and doctors risking sickness themselves,...
Biden Administration Ends Title 42. What Now?
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday, the Biden administration lifted title 42, a pandemic-era policy that shut down virtually all avenues for migrants to seek asylum in the U...
Breaking Down The Conflict in Sudan
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sudan's month-long conflict has been a story of broken ceasefires, constant clashes, mass displacement and an exodus of refugees. Now, a conflict that...
Jordan Neely's Killing Turns Spotlight On New York's Crisis Of Homelessness
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, after a week of demonstrations, New York City mayor Eric Adams made some of his most forceful comments about the death of Jordan Neely –...
Dolly Parton's New Kid's Book Is A Story Of Perseverance and Standing Up To Bullies
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In addition to being one of country music's biggest icons, Dolly Parton is also a prolific philanthropist. One of the most important causes she's dedi...
How Parking Explains Everything
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
No matter how you measure it, there is a lot of parking in the U.S. According to some estimates there are as many as six parking spaces for every car....
Violence In Sudan Forces A Mother To Make Difficult Choice
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sudan's capital city Khartoum has been embroiled in a vicious urban battle between rival armies for nearly two weeks. With the country on the brink of...
The Texas Lawyer Behind The So-Called "Bounty Hunter" Abortion Ban
07 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Mitchell devised the legal strategy behind SB 8, a near-total ban on abortion in Texas. That legislation pioneered the idea of allowing priva...
The Kids Are Not Alright
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new advisory out this week from the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has deemed loneliness a public health challenge that needs immediate attenti...
The Push for the Supreme Court to Adopt an Ethical Code
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has put the Supreme Court, again, under scrutiny. Reports show that conservative billionaire Harlan Crow paid bo...
Trouble In Hollywood As Writers Continue To Strike For A Better Contract
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Union writers in Hollywood have put down their pens and reached for picket signs, after the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Pictur...
Iconic Bookstore Closes, But The Community It Helped Build Lives On
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eastwind Books in Berkeley, California, has closed its doors. It was one of the oldest Asian-American bookstores in the country. For decades, the stor...
College Acceptance: Check. Paying For It: A Big Question Mark.
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of colleges and universities have announced tuition hikes for the upcoming school year, just as inflation is taking a bite out of many families' ...
An Early Forecast Of Biden and Harris' Reelection Strategy
29 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week, nobody was surprised when President Joe Biden officially announced he is running for re-election. Framing it as a battle for the s...
Three Trans Americans Reflect On The Current State Of Trans Rights
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Several U.S. states have passed bills restricting or banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, while other states have enacted measures to protec...
How Social Media Use Impacts Teen Mental Health
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The idea that social media use has helped fuel an increase in anxiety, depression and loneliness among teenagers was once controversial. But a series ...
Tucker Carlson Built An Audience For Conspiracies At Fox. Where Does It Go Now?
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fox's statement announcing the departure of Tucker Carlson, it's most watched primetime host, was a terse four sentences. "FOX News Media and Tucker C...
What Lessons Have We Learned From The Covid Pandemic?
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden has officially ended the national emergency that was declared during the COVID-19 pandemic. But so farthere's been no official commiss...
Despite Layoffs, There Are Still Lots Of Jobs Out There. So Where Are They?
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even amid mass layoffs in tech and other sectors, the economy is still adding jobs. Even tech jobs.NPR's Andrea Hsu reports on a program that recruits...
Local Newsrooms Are Vanishing - Here's Why You Should Care
22 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Newspapers and intrepid reporters are at the heart of hundreds of movies - think Citizen Kane, All The President's Men -and have always been a big par...
Sen. John Fetterman On His Return To Congress
21 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is back at work on Capitol Hill after taking leave to seek treatment for clinical depression. It is rare for a sitting pol...
Seven Years Of U.K. Drama
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The past seven years in the United Kingdom have been intense. The country struggled through Brexit, royal scandals and the pandemic - and then Queen E...
Why Melting Ice In Antarctica Is A Big Problem For Coastal Texas
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Earth's climate warms, more ice is melting near the poles. And that is a huge driver of sea level rise around the globe. But some coastal communiti...
How Sudan's Democratic Dreams Were Dashed
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Just a few years before the violence and chaos currently engulfing Sudan, it seemed to be on a tenuous path toward democracy.NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu e...
A Possible Explanation for Long COVID Gains Traction
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While the country seemingly moves on from the pandemic, an estimated 15 million U.S. adults are suffering from long COVID. Scientists are trying to un...
Love, Loss And Resilience - Stories From A Kindergarten Class In Ukraine
15 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of children have left Ukraine since the Russian invasion. They have relocated across the country and the globe. And while these children ar...
The EPA Wants Millions More EVs On The Road. Should You Buy One?
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled ambitious new emissions rules this week. The agency estimates car makers would need up to 67% of their ne...
In Nearly Every Part of Syria, Life Is Struggle
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Syria is buckling under the stresses caused by civil war, a brutal dictatorship, punishing international sanctions, and most recently the devastation ...
Ukrainian Kindergartners And The Lasting Impact of War
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of Ukrainian children had their schooling interrupted by Russia's invasion. The war has also shaped their childhood in lasting ways. NPR's El...
What, Exactly, Does 'Tough On China' Mean?
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Democrats and Republicans disagree on a lot of issues. But there's a growing consenus in both parites that China represents a threat to the U.S. And s...
Expelled Tennessee Lawmaker Could Be Back In State House Soon
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A majority of the Nashville Metro Council supports reappointing former state Representative Justin Jones to the seat he was expelled from last week. J...
TikTok vs. Everybody
08 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you're a politician, a mental health expert, or a parent, it seems everyone has a problem with TikTok. Some concerns stem from the social medi...
How A New Majority On Wisconsin's Supreme Court Could Impact Reproductive Health
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, a 19th century abortion ban took effect in Wisconsin and forced those practicing and seeking...
Authors Of Banned Books Are Fed Up – and Fighting Back
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
2023 is on track to beat last year's record when it comes to book bans. The free speech group PEN America counted 2,500 instances of book bans in U.S....
The Lasting Impact Of Police Brutality On Black Families
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Black Americans are killed by police at more than twice the rate of White Americans. And there's a growing number of Black families who have to live w...
Trump, The Defendant
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The legal and political worlds officially moved into uncharted waters when former President Donald Trump was arraigned on 34 felony counts of falsifyi...
How Over-The-Counter Narcan Could Help Save More Lives
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The FDA has approved over-the-counter sales of Narcan, a nasal spray version of the life-saving medication naloxone. The medication is known for its a...
Pokémon Says Goodbye To Ash and Pikachu
01 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the twenty-five years since the Japanese media franchise Pokémon launched in the US, it has become a staple of American culture — from trading ...
The Road to Trump's Indictment and What Comes Next
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Former President Trump has been indicted by a New York grand jury, making him the first former president in American history to face criminal charges....
Should We 'Pause' AI?
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been another month of impressive and unsettling AI breakthroughs. And, along with excitement, these breakthroughs have also sparked concerns abou...
The Politics Of Involuntary Commitment
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some officials in Democratic-led jurisdictions around the country are pushing to use involuntary commitment as a tool to tackle a surge in homelessnes...
Lessons From A Country On The Front Lines Of Climate Change
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The United Nations says time is running out to avoid the worst effects of climate change. At the same time, countries like Bangladesh have no choice b...
How Do You Put A Price On America's Original Sin?
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A task force set up by the California state legislature is studying how the legacy of slavery has harmed the state's Black residents. This summer it w...
Possible Trump Indictment Is A Tricky Landscape For Rivals
25 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump was the first president in American history to be impeached twice. Now, he may be the first modern president, current or former – to be...
March For Our Lives Co-Founder David Hogg Is Still Angry, Five Years On
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On March 24, 2018, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Washington, D.C. to demand an end to gun violence. That was also the start o...
The Rise And Fall Of A Notorious Financial Investor
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
PIMCO founder and legendary investor Bill Gross was known as the "Bond King." People all over the finance world listened to his market calls. He helpe...
Can't Find a Teacher? Grow Your Own
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
School districts across the country are struggling to fill vacancies among their teaching staff. In addition to stepping up their recruitment efforts,...
The Cherokee Nation's Fight Against The Opioid Crisis
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Cherokee Nation has been hit hard by opioid addiction and fentanyl-related overdose deaths. But the tribe has a plan to heal.Like many communities...