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 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What we learn when things fall apart

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.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jimmy Carter's complex legacy

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 dreamed of visiting his family and maybe, one day, returning to Syria.With the Syrian civil war now over, we talked to al-Refai about what comes next. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

He left everything to flee war in Syria. What does the war's end mean for his future?

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 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Your guide to financial self-care in 2025

What makes a true Christmas movie?

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 Canon.For 30 years Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" has dominated the holiday music charts. NPR's Stephen Thompson explains what makes it a lasting hit?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What makes a holiday song a lasting hit?

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 Trump. Trump will soon take the reins of an economy that's bounced back strongly during the four years he was out of office. For many families, though, that rebound was overshadowed by soaring prices for food, housing, and other necessities.Will his policies bring costs down? Or rekindle inflation? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The numbers were good, but feelings were bad: The US economy in 2024

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 Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In a year of global elections, what did we learn about the state of democracy?

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 other sequels fall short? NPR producer Marc Rivers weighs in.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Is "The Godfather: Part II," the perfect sequel?

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 than he has since the war began. This — despite that trial, an international arrest warrant and a grinding war.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How Netanyahu survived another tumultuous year

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 Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's never too late to get fit

With just a handful of shopping days until Christmas, millions are making last minute online purchases. Unfortunately 'tis also the season for financial and identity theft. We ask an expert how you can avoid the scams.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Holidays shopping brings out the scammers. Here's how to stay safe

Donald Trump becomes the 47th President of the United States in just over a month.Throughout his campaign, Trump laid out a list. Things he plans to accomplish in a second term — some on day one. They include: closing the border...imposing tariffs... and ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.Trump also campaigned on bringing down food prices...in fact, he told NBC's Kristen Welker, it's the reason he won.President-elect Trump has a long to-do list for his first days in office.  How much of it can he actually get done?  A lot says senior Trump advisor Jason Miller.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Can Trump turn promises into policy?

For many of us, Christmas songs are dominating our playlists this week. There's the one you start hearing in October, Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby," and the Christmas banger that went to number one last year, Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."Lee, now 80, recorded the song when she was 13. The living legend talked to NPR last year when her song — finally — hit number one. We revisit that conversation. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A legend weighs in on a Christmas classic

The brutal regime of Bashar al Assad fell over the weekend with dizzying speed. Syrians within the country and around the world burst into celebration. Now, the rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al Sham, or HTS has to govern. They are designated a terrorist organization by the US.And some worry that HTS could slide into its own kind of autocratic regime.That fear is not unfounded. Across the Middle East and North Africa, many revolutions have overthrown autocrats, only for those countries to descend back into chaos or a more oppressive rule.The Syrian revolution began amid a wave of uprisings in the region that led to new, undemocratic regimes. Can Syria avoid a similar fate today? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Can Syria avoid another slide into autocracy?

FBI Director Christopher Wray announced yesterday that he will resign before President-elect Trump takes office.  This comes after Trump announced he would appoint loyalist Kash Patel to lead the Bureau.President-elect Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, held several national security positions in the first Trump administration. Since then, he's found money and attention as a pro-Trump influencer promoting conspiracy theories. What can that tell us about his plans for the FBI?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Wray is out. Patel may be in. What's it mean for the FBI?

Five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in Manhattan, police arrested 26 year old Luigi Mangione in Pennsylvania. He's facing charges including murder, the illegal possession of a firearm, and lying about his identity.Authorities believe they have arrested the person responsible for gunning down the CEO of a health insurance company.  What have we learned about Luigi Mangione, and his possible motivations? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A suspect is in custody. Some Americans are celebrating his alleged actions

For half a century, one family has brutally ruled Syria. Nearly overnight, that reign ended. Syria is not only a home to millions of people. It's also a crucial piece in a geopolitical chess game.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What Assad's Fall Means For The World

You never know if president-elect Donald Trump is bluffing, but when you have billions of dollars on the line, you have to take him seriously. So car companies took notice, when Trump announced a plan for huge new tariffs in a social media post before Thanksgiving.A 25 percent tax on imports from Canada and Mexico would have a major impact on the car industry, which depends heavily on cross border trade.Trump's tariffs could have huge consequences for the people who make cars, and the people who buy them. Even if he's bluffing, he has other big plans to shake up the auto industry.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The enormous consequences Trump's tariffs could have

An epic poem and an epic reunion come to the big screen.  The Return looks for new meaning in Homer's ancient story of Odysseus' return to Ithaca — and to his wife Penelope. We talk to co-stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

"The Return" tells an ancient story that still resonates today.

Syrian anti-government insurgents claim they have entered the city of Hama — a major Syrian government stronghold.This continues their momentum over the last week, when they also seized Syria's second largest city, Aleppo. Since the war started in 2011, half a million people have been killed and many millions of others displaced.The Syrian Civil War has been locked in a stalemate for years. Now, rebel forces are gaining ground against the oppressive regime of Bashar al-Assad. Will the group ultimately end his control over the country?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Insurgents gain ground in Syria. What happens now?

At the time we publish this episode, Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick to run the Pentagon, is struggling to hold onto his nomination. There's an ever growing list of accusations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and financial misconduct.The former Fox and Friends weekend host has spent Wednesday meeting with Senators and doing interviews trying to control the damage.Pete Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense hangs in the balance...will he survive? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Can Pete Hegseth's nomination survive?

Just before Donald Trump took office the first time, he held a press conference, announcing that he would turn over control of his business empire to his sons. He said he wanted to address concerns about conflicts of interest even though he maintained he didn't really have to. Saying, "I could actually run my business. I could actually run my business and run government at the same time. I don't like the way that looks, but I would be able to do that if I wanted to."Trump's second term may put that theory to the test. The former and future president hasn't yet announced any plan to wall himself off from his businesses while in office, and Trump's businesses like his many hotels and resorts could benefit substantially from his actions as President.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Will Trump's next term make him richer?

Hunter Biden no longer has to worry about going to prison.That's because his father President Joe Biden pardoned him with just weeks left in his presidency. The President's son was convicted in June on federal gun charges. Hunter Biden lied about his addiction to crack cocaine when he purchased a gun. And he pleaded guilty in September for failing to pay more than a million dollars in federal taxes.The younger Biden was due to be sentenced in both cases later this month.President Biden has granted his son a sweeping pardon. What will that mean for his legacy... and for the future of presidential pardons? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Joe Biden pardons his son. Is that justice?

A conservative group posted a social media thread showing flyers in a border encampment in Mexico urging migrants to vote for Joe Biden. Now, the woman caught up in it, speaks to NPR. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The migrant aid group caught in a right-wing social media thread

The Girl Scouts have been part of American childhood for generations. And now that quintessential experience is helping young girls, who are new to the United States get a sense of belonging.  It comes through a Girl Scout troop based in one of New York City's largest migrant shelters. The shelter has around 3,500 migrants, and all of the Girl Scouts are children of families seeking asylum. For the last few weeks, NPR's Jasmine Garsd has been spending time with them, and brings us their their story.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How this Girl Scout troop offers community to migrant children

America is a land of contradictions; while we're known as a nation that loves to eat, we also live within a culture that has long valued thinness as the utmost beauty standard.Over the last several years the body positivity movement has pushed back on that notion. But then came a new class of weight-loss drugs.New York Magazine contributing writer Samhita Mukhopadhyay grapples with the possible future of a movement like this in her recent article, So Was Body Positivity All A Big Lie?She joins All Things Considered host Juana Summers to discuss the ever-evolving conversation on health, size, and whose business that is in the first place.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Have the new weight-loss drugs changed what it means to be body positive?

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have turned their attention on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently. And the fact that the major party candidates are either trying to criticize him or praise him is a sign that his independent candidacy could have a real impact.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

He may be a longshot, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could impact the election

When Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace hit screens across the country in 1999, Return of the Jedi felt like ancient history to Star Wars fans. But after 16 long years, the movie let down fans and critics alike.  Twenty-five years have changed how a lot of people feel. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Critics hated 'The Phantom Menace.' It might be time to reconsider

Louis Sahagún first arrived at the Los Angeles Times in his early twenties as a utility worker, sweeping lead dust around the printing machines.But it was the buzzing newsroom that inspired Sahagún to soon spend his lifetime writing stories about the undiscovered characters and corners of California.Now after 43 years, he's retiring from the paper, and reflecting on what motivated him to cover a side of the Golden state that remained unknown to many.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From utility man to one of California's foremost journalists

The Biden administration has put a hold on an arms shipment to Israel.  A senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity told NPR it was due to concerns the bombs could be used in Rafah.Rafah is the site of Israel's latest campaign in its war against Hamas.  It's also home to some 1.3 million Palestinians. More than half of those people have fled fighting in other parts of Gaza.On Monday night, Israeli tanks rolled into Rafah taking control of the Palestinian side of the border crossing with Egypt.  The seizure of the border crossing cuts a key supply line for humanitarian aid. Israel says its incursion in Rafah is a "precise counterterrorism operation." But possible further military action along with the closed border crossing could exacerbate a humanitarian catastrophe.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Israel seized control of the Rafah border crossing. The impact could be devastating

Brittney Griner didn't know the flight she was taking to Moscow in February 2022 would upend her life. But even before she left for the airport, Griner felt something was off.It was a premonition that foreshadowed a waking nightmare.She had accidentally left two vape cartridges with traces of cannabis oil in her luggage. What followed was nearly 10 months of struggle in a cell, and diplomatic efforts from the U.S. to get her home.Griner reflects on the experience in her new memoir, 'Coming Home' and discusses it in depth with NPR's Juana Summers.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brittney Griner shares her experience behind bars in Russia

The term "outside agitator" has staying power.It's been used against protestors throughout history, from the Civil Rights Movement, to the anti-Vietnam War protests and now during the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses."Outside agitator" was also used to describe some of the people who protested the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri In 2014.Who exactly are the "outside agitators" and what purpose does it serve to call them out? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What's behind the 'outside agitator' narrative

On Friday, China launched its Chang'e-6 mission carrying a probe to the far side of the moon to gather samples and bring them back to Earth. If successful, it would be a first, for any country. The race to get astronauts back on the moon is in full swing. The U.S. has serious competition. China wants to put astronauts on the moon by 2030. Other countries are in the race, too.If the U.S. stays on schedule it will get humans back on the moon before anyone else, as part of NASA's Artemis program. That's a big if.  But NASA is making progress.The space agency's making a bit of a bet, and mostly relying on private companies, mainly Elon Musk's SpaceX .With limited resources and facing a more crowded field, it's unclear if the U.S. will dominate space as it once did.Host Scott Detrow talks to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson about what he is doing to try to keep the U.S. at the front of the race back to the moon.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NASA chief is worried about China getting back to the moon first

Welcome to Wild Card with Rachel Martin. In this first episode, Rachel talks to Jenny Slate, known for her roles in Obvious Child, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and Parks and Recreation. Jenny opens up about whether fate brought her to her husband, what she's sacrificed for motherhood and what's so special about margarine and white bread sandwiches.Subscribe to Wild Card here.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Wild Card: Jenny Slate

Larry Demeritte is the first Black trainer participating in the Kentucky Derby in 35 years. And while the betting-books have his colt West Saratoga running at long odds, Demeritte, who is battling chronic illness and cancer, is feeling confident. For the 70-something veteran trainer, this is his first time at the Derby, but he is part of a rich history of Black horsemen who helped shape the Kentucky Derby into the iconic race it is today.  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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Larry Demeritte will be the first Black trainer in the Kentucky Derby in decades

If you go by headlines, the last 12 months have delivered major wins to organized labor. But despite well publicized victories the rate of U.S. union membership fell to a record low in 2023. Just 10%. And in southern states, the push to unionize can still be a grinding, uphill battle.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Want to understand America's labor movement? Head south

From New York — to Illinois — to Los Angeles — encampments in support of Palestinians dot campuses across the country.And over the last couple of days the tension has only increased as police have intervened on several campuses, including Columbia University, UCLA and the University of Texas.  Hundreds of protestors have been arrested.Pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses are growing in scope and intensity, and colleges are calling on law enforcement to help. Is it the right decision, and what happens next?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For weeks students have protested the war in Gaza — now things are escalating

Dame Judi Dench has played everyone from the writer Iris Murdoch to M in the James Bond films. But among the roles the actress is most closely associated, are Shakespeare's heroines and some of his villians.  Amongst those roles are the star-crossed lover Juliet, the comical Titania and the tragic Lady Macbeth.  Now she's reflecting on that work, and Shakespeare's work in Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent.The book is comprised of Dench's conversations with her friend, the actor and director Brendan O'Hea.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Judi Dench reflects on a career built around Shakespeare

Protests against Israel's war in Gaza on college campuses have expanded across the country.  They're the biggest student protests, since college students demonstrated against the Vietnam war in the late sixties and early seventies.What do the campus protests of today have in common with those of the sixties?  How might they affect the policies of their universities and the US government?Thirty years ago, South Africa became an emblem of a multiracial democracy. Decades on, how is that legacy holding up?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How the college protests echo history

Three decades ago, South Africa held its first democratic election, closing the door on the apartheid era.  And Nelson Mandela was elected its first Black president.Today, the country is still led by Mandela's political party - the African National Congress. But polls show that voters are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the party's leadership, and next month's national elections could lead to the ANC having to share power with opposition parties.Thirty years ago, South Africa became an emblem of a multiracial democracy. Decades on, how is that legacy holding up?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With the end of apartheid South Africa became an emblem of democracy.  Is it still?

During the early days of the pandemic, former NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins became a familiar voice steering the country through an unprecedented public health crisis.  Now, he is going through his own health crisis, an aggressive form of prostate cancer. By talking about it publicly he hopes to draw attention to routine screening.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This former NIH chief went public with his prostate cancer to help others

Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a strict immigration law making it harder to hire undocumented workers. But like much of the country, Florida is dealing with a tight labor market and some employers are struggling to find workers. NPR's Jasmine Garsd reports on how the law is affecting the state's economy, from construction sites, to strawberry fields.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How DeSantis' immigration laws may be backfiring

One of Richard Nixon's most famous quotes...right up there with "I am not a crook"... had to do with presidential immunity."When the president does it" he said "that means that it is not illegal." That idea – that you can't prosecute someone for actions taken as president - the Supreme Court has never actually ruled on it.On Thursday, the Justices will take a crack, with the federal election interference case against former president Donald Trump hanging in the balance.We preview how things might go.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Trump is arguing for immunity in his criminal case. Will the Supreme Court agree?

Americans often rank the economy as a number one voting issue. As part of NPR's "We the Voters" series we check back in with four Americans we've been following since the pandemic.They share how they're faring in a the current economy, and how that might influence the positions they take in the 2024 presidential election.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How voters from different economic sectors see the 2024 election

The broad outlines of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case have been known for months. Hush money payments to a former porn star made in 2016, when Trump was a presidential candidate. Bragg alleges Trump was involved in a scheme to cover up those payments, one that amounted to criminal fraud.Now we're getting a more detailed outline of their arguments – and Trump's defense.  We break down the legal case at the center of the political universe.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Breaking down the legal case at the center of the political universe

For the last 60 years a transportation revolution has largely passed America by. Bullet trains were invented in Japan in the early 1960s. Since then, countries all over the world have adopted the technology and constructed sprawling networks of high speed rail lines. Despite spending billions of dollars in federal funding, he U.S. lags far behind. But a recent visit from Japan's Prime minister has revived interest in bullet train projects around the country. One of those projects is in Texas – a proposed high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas.NPR's Andrew Limbong speaks with Dallas Morning News mobility and transportation reporter Amber Gaudet about what it will take to get Texas' high-speed rail project completed, and what it could mean for high-speed rail in America.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The push to deliver high-speed rail to Texas

Civil War, the new A24 film from British director Alex Garland, imagines a scenario that might not seem so far-fetched to some; a contemporary civil war breaking out in the United States.And while the film has taken heat for little mention of politics, the question of an actual civil war has everything to do with it. Amy Cooter is a director of research at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Her work has led her to the question that Garland's movie has put in the minds of both moviegoers and political pundits: Could a second civil war really happen here? Cooter joins host Andrew Limbong to discuss the actual threat of current political movements in the U.S., outside of the movie theaters.  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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Is this fictitious civil war closer to reality than we think?

Back in 1999 when Donald Trump was flirting with a presidential run, he was pro-abortion rights.  In an interview on Meet the Press with NBC's Tim Russert, the New York real estate developer said he didn't like abortion, but he wouldn't ban it.Fast forward almost two decades, and Trump was running for the republican presidential nomination, and he had a very different stance on abortion, even suggesting in an MSNBC town hall meeting that women should be punished for seeking abortions.Trump ultimately won the presidency with the support of white Evangelical voters, many of whom wanted to see Roe v. Wade overturned.  Six years after he won, the Supreme Court justices Trump appointed helped deliver exactly that.Now as Trump mounts another run for the White House, abortion rights are on the ballot and winning. And Trump has once again evolved his stance on abortion.  Is it a political calculation?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Trump's anti-abortion stance helped him win in 2016. Will it hurt him in 2024?

Salman Rushdie is probably most closely associated with his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, a book inspired by the life of the prophet Muhummad. The book was notorious not just for its contents but because of the intense backlash, and the threat it posed to his safety and wellbeing. While Rushdie saw it as an exploration of Islamic culture, some Muslims saw it as blasphemous.  The year after it published, Iran's supreme leader issued a fatwa, ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie.Rushdie moved to New York in 2000, and was able to resume the public life of a popular author, but that all changed on August 12th, 2022 when a young man charged at Rushdie while he was on stage at an event, stabbing him at least a dozen times.After two years, he has chronicled his brush with death, and the aftermath in his new memoir 'KNIFE'. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What happened when the threat of danger became Salman Rushdie's reality?

In 1994, the world watched as genocide unfolded in Rwanda. Nearly one million people died as neighbors brutally killed their neighbors. Paul Rusesabagina is credited for keeping more than 1,200 people safe in his hotel through weeks of violence. His life and story inspired the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda. In 2021, Rusesabagina says he was kidnapped, tried and imprisoned in Rwanda for two years and seven months over his ties to the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), a group that opposes President Paul Kagame's rule. After intervention from the U.S. and other countries, Rusesabagina was eventually released from prison. At the time he was released, he says he electronically signed a letter promising not to criticize the government. Ultimately, he decided to disregard that promise.Many allies of President Kagame would argue that he has been responsible for shepherding an era of what they say is relative peace in the country. His critics say he leads an oppressive government that leaves no space for dissent. We hear from Paul Rusesabagina and his daughter Anaïse Kanimba, who are still speaking out against the Rwandan government.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The man who inspired 'Hotel Rwanda' is still taking risks for his country

Iran launched a barrage of more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel over the weekend, saying it was in response to an airstrike earlier this month that hit Iran's consulate in Syria and killed seven Iranian military officials, including two generals.Israel neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the Syria strike, though the Pentagon said Israel was responsible.Sima Shine is a former senior Israeli intelligence official. She now runs the Iran desk at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. She says this attack is "crossing the Rubicon" from the point of view of Iran, and explains what Israel's retaliation could be.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Iran's attack on Israel is a major escalation. What comes next for the region?

On Monday, former President Donald Trump will enter a Manhattan courtroom for his first criminal trial. But before a verdict can be rendered a jury must be selected. And for Trump's legal team that is going to be a challenge. A small number of attorneys have faced a similar challenge — how do you select an impartial jury when your client is famous? Host Scott Detrow speaks with attorney Camille Vasquez for insight into the art of jury selection in such a case. She represented Johnny Depp in his defamation suit against his ex-wife Amber Heard. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How do you select an impartial  jury when your client is famous?

For months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been insisting that the goal of Israel's bombardment in Gaza is to "destroy Hamas."But in the path of that destruction, more than 33,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed. Regular people, entire families, and more than 13,000 children. Yet, it's not clear if Israel is any closer to its stated goal of destroying Hamas. In fact, is it possible that the horrors of this war could ignite a cycle of radicalization in the region?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Is Israel perpetuating a cycle of radicalization rather than ending it?

O.J. Simpson was more than a football star. More than a pop culture icon or a defendant acquitted of murder.He became a symbol of America's complicated relationship to race, celebrity, and justice. His family announced that he died of cancer Wednesday at age 76.The murder trial of O.J. Simpson became not only about one man and two victims, but the entire country. Coming up, we assess the legacy of a case, and a verdict, that put race in America on the stand.  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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

O.J. Simpson's trial divided the nation. What legacy does he leave behind?

In recent years, the body positivity movement has raised it's profile, especially on social media largely through self-described anti-diet and body positivity influencers.These influencers and others like them represent a pivot away from the diet and fitness culture embodied by companies like weight watchers, which focuses on losing weight as a path to healthier living. Today there is a broad "anti-diet" movement that posits that bodies can be healthy at any size. But some are trying to co-opt this movement. An investigation by The Washington Post and the Examination found that large food companies are recruiting these influencers to promote sugary cereals and processed snacks.As people who are part of the anti-diet movement saw an opportunity to practice and spread a message of self-love and acceptance, big food companies saw an opportunity to make money. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Anti-Diet Culture Gets Hijacked

Many of us don't have the opportunity to handpick our neighbors. We buy or rent a place in a neighborhood with good schools or an easy commute. Some of us become friends with those who live nearby, others of us never talk to our neighbors at all. For most though, we co-exist. In the midst of a brutal civil war, neighbors killed their neighbors simply because of who they were. Thirty years ago this month, that wasn't the case in Rwanda.We visit a Rwandan village where how neighbors live alongside one another is deliberate, and complicated. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Learning To Live As Neighbors In The Shadow Of A Brutal, Violent History

Researchers are finding that the impact of relationships with siblings —for better or worse — can be important, and endure well beyond childhood.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How Sibling Bonds Shape Our Lives

Tomorrow, the Great American Eclipse will sweep across North America, and millions will experience total darkness.It's an eerie and mysterious experience even though at this point, we know exactly what's happening: the moon passes in front of the sun, casting a shadow over earth. But imagine you lived in the ancient world, with no warning that an eclipse was about to happen, as the sun's disk suddenly disappeared and the day fell dark and cool. Unsurprisingly, eclipses were often seen as bad omens. That was true in Mesopotamia, the region that today includes Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and Turkey. But even then, ancient Mesopotamian astronomers were looking for other explanations.Watching an eclipse is one of humanity's oldest rituals, and it's been inspiration to scientists since the beginning of time. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bad Omens Or The Cycle of Nature? How The Ancient World Viewed Eclipses

The American response to Israel's war with Hamas could be a major factor in the upcoming Congressional elections.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

U.S. Stance On Israel Proving Divisive In Congressional Primaries

Bird flu has spread to cows. And now a human has contracted the virus from an infected cow.  What kind of risk does this virus pose to people, and are we prepared to treat it?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bird Flu Has Jumped To Cattle And To Humans. What Are The Potential Risks?

The recent transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney into a living human raises hopes that lives will no longer depend on the availability of human donor organs.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In U.S., Over 100,000 Await Organ Transplants. Are Pig Organs The Solution?

One week after a massive container ship crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, a massive effort is underway to clear the wreckage. But it's still unclear how long the cleanup will take.Meanwhile, with much of the Port of Baltimore shut down, the economic impact is being felt locally, regionally and in the broad economy.Host Mary Louise Kelly gets the latest from NPR's Laurel Wamsley, on the ground in Baltimore, and Camila Domonoske, who covers the auto industry for NPR. Baltimore is a major national hub for the import and export of vehicles. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Measuring The Economic Impact Of Baltimore's Port Closure

When news outlets shut down in a city, that creates what's often called a news desert. But in Richmond, California, NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik says the situation is more like a news mirage.Energy giant Chevron is the biggest employer - and the biggest polluter in the California city. Chevron also owns the local news site. How does that impact the community there?NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Folkenflik and Miranda Green, director of investigations for the news site Floodlight - about what happens when a major corporation owns the local news.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What Happens When A Powerful Corporation Owns The Local News?

Hawaii is no stranger to extravagant homes owned by the super-rich. But when a tech billionaire started buying up land in Waimea, a small, rural town on the Big Island, the community got curious - and worried.  Locals fear it will become even more difficult for Native Hawaiians to afford to live in Waimea and buy property. In Hawaii, the average home price is close to a million dollars. Who's purchasing all this land in rural Hawaii and how will it affect the already high cost of housing in Waimea?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A Billionaire's Land Purchases In Rural Hawaii Have Locals Worried

Shirley Chisholm made history in 1968 as the first Black woman ever elected to Congress. Four years later, the New York representative made history again when she ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, the first woman and the first African American to do so. A new Netflix movie, called simply "Shirley," tells her story. Host Ailsa Chang speaks with Regina King, who plays Shirley Chisholm and the film's director  John Ridley.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A new biopic on Shirley Chisolm fills in the picture on a woman who broke barriers

This week Russian authorities extended the detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich.  Authorities have yet to provide any evidence to backup charges that Gershkovich was spying, and no trial date has been set.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

One Year On, American Journalist Evan Gershkovich Remains In Russian Prison

People who work on ways to end poverty have been trying a simple approach lately: just giving money to those in need, with no strings attached.Universal basic income, or UBI, once seemed like a radical idea in the US. But now, many places in the country are pushing to make UBI a permanent part of the social safety net.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Could Universal Basic Income Help End Poverty?

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning after a cargo ship rammed into it.  As search and rescue efforts continue, federal investigators are trying to understand what led to the collapse.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Investigators Search For Answers in Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Famine is a man-made disaster affecting millions in conflict zones.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For Millions Of People In Conflict Zones, Famine Is A Man-Made Disaster

Suicide rates for queer and trans people are disproportionately high. They're also routinely targets of violence and hate crimes.While some states have protections for queer and trans people, many other states have passed laws that restrict the rights and visibility of transgender individuals.The stories of Nex Benedict and Dime Doe illustrate both those trends.Benedict died by suicide the day after a physical altercation in their school bathroom. Benedict had been bullied by other students for more than a year.Dime Doe, a Black trans woman, was killed in 2019. Last month a man who had been in a relationship with Doe was found guilty of killing her. It's the first time a hate crime against a trans person was brought to trial. What do these cases tell us about the lives of trans and queer people in America?If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How Two Recent Cases Of Violence Illustrate The Lives of LGBTQ People

In 1974, Stephen King published his first book, "Carrie". But 50 years on, critics still debate if his work deserves a place in the literary canon.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Stephen King Has Ruled The Horror Genre For 50 Years. But Is It Art?

President Biden just awarded $8.5 billion dollars to the company Intel to help fund semiconductor factories in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico, and Oregon. At a visit to Intel's campus outside Phoenix this week, Biden said the money will help semiconductor manufacturing make a comeback in the US after 40 years.The money for Intel comes from the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed in 2022 to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing. The administration's goal? For 20% of the world's leading-edge semiconductor chips to be made on American soil by 2030.The US currently makes zero of the world's leading-edge semiconductor chips. By 2030, the Biden administration wants to make a fifth of them. So how will America get there? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Can America Win The Chips Manufacturing Race?

Next week representatives of the Israeli government are scheduled to fly from Tel Aviv to Washington, DC. When they arrive, they'll head to the White House, where they'll meet with representatives of the US government.On the agenda – the next steps in Israel's war against Hamas. The meeting comes as famine is imminent for roughly 300-thousand Palestinians in Northern Gaza.At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be losing US support. Still, Netanyahu insists that Israel won't stop until it has achieved, quote, "total victory." But what does that mean – and how close is Israel to achieving that?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Is Netanyahu's Endgame Achievable?

The way we have bought homes for the last 100 years could change as soon as July.  Who wins, who loses, and who gets a share of the $418 million class-action settlement?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A $418 Million Settlement Could Change U.S. Home Buying. But Who Benefits?

Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia for a quarter century. This weekend's election results confirmed that he will reign for another six years. Putin's hold on the Kremlin gives him control of the world's largest nuclear arsenal and a military that's been at war in Ukraine for more than two years, ever since he launched an invasion in February 2022.That war has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, but despite these losses, the Russian military is pressing forward.Ukraine faces the stark prospect of a fight in which key US military assistance is in question. So what will six more years of Vladimir Putin mean for the war in Ukraine? And where do both militaries stand at this point in that brutal war?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What Another Putin Term Means For Ukraine

Three solidly blue cities have rolled out crime fighting initiatives that feel more like conservative strategies.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

To Fight Crime, Blue Cities Take A Page From The Conservative Playbook

When Russia's war in Ukraine began over two years ago, neighboring countries feared that they could be next.And NATO asked itself - was it prepared to defend its territory if war arrived on its doorstep?The answer was no.So, its military chief decided it was time to ramp up NATO's strategy and revive its military headquarters. And for the first time this spring, NATO will exercise brand new war plans to prepare for the worst. The plan comes as Donald Trump makes another run at the White House, and expresses skepticism about NATO along the way.  Can NATO take on Russia if American support for the alliance doesn't hold?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NATO Positions Itself For War

This week marks four years since the outbreak of Covid-19 was officially declared a pandemic. One of the most vexing legacies — one that science still hasn't solved — is long Covid. That's the debilitating condition that can develop in the aftermath of an infection. Millions of Americans are living with the often debilitating symptoms that can include brain fog, shortness of breath, and low energy. Some struggle with simple daily living tasks like laundry and cooking. Four years since the pandemic hit, patients with long Covid are still fighting for answers. 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What Do We Understand About Long COVID?

Here's one sign that shrinkflation is no longer just a topic for economics nerds. Cookie Monster recently complained on social media that his favorite food was getting smaller. "Me hate shrinkflation!" the fuzzy blue monster declared. "Guess me going to have to eat double da cookies!" President Biden promised to sign a bill banning it during his State of the Union address.Shrinkflation isn't new. It's been happening for years. But people seem to be paying more attention right now amidst high food prices and inflation. And the White House is clearly aware of that.  After years of rising prices, many Americans are fed up with paying more and getting less. Will the pendulum ever swing back? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

You're Not Imagining It; Shrinkflation Is Real

Haiti's Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, has  announced his resignation. But the country remains in freefall. Will Haitians finally have a chance to determine their own political future?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Haiti's Prime Minister Says He'll Resign. Will It Help Calm The Violence?

The holy month of Ramadan begins this week. It is a holy month of worship for Muslims during which they worship, study the Quran, pray and fast from sunrise until sunset.It is a time of light, but Ramadan feels different this year, especially for Palestinian-Americans, says Eman Abdelhadi. She is a professor at the University of Chicago, whose research focuses on  Muslim-Americans.  Abdelhadi says "every moment of joy feels stolen and elicits a sense of guilt." The guilt she describes is connected to the mass death and suffering in Gaza. What does Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza mean for the holiest of Muslim holidays? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ramadan In A Time Of War

We're moving closer to the dream of landing humans on Mars. But will sustaining human life on Mars even be possible?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NASA Hopes To Land Humans On Mars By 2030. Is That A Good Thing?

As John Kerry leaves his role as the first Presidential Envoy for Climate, has he helped shift us away from climate disaster?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Is Catastrophic Climate Change Inevitable? We Ask Outgoing Climate Chief Kerry

When Shogun, James Clavell's best selling novel was adapted into a powerhouse NBC miniseries in 1980. The hero of the story was Englishman John Blackthorne.The people he met when he landed in Japan in search of riches, are viewed and portrayed as primitive.In the 2024 Shogun adaptation the Japanese characters are fully formed. The series elevates the stories of the Japanese characters as much as it does Blackthorne's. That was a deliberate decision on the part of Shogun co-creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks.In the 1980 version of Shogun, Japan, its culture and its people were portrayed as foreign and remote. What do we lose when stories are only told from one point of view? And what can be gained when we widen the lens?  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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

FX's Shogun Takes A New Approach To An Old Story

On August 6, 1945, a stone-faced President Harry Truman appeared on television and told Americans about the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. The attack on Hiroshima marked the first time nuclear power was used in war, but the atomic bomb was actually tested a month earlier in the Jornada del Muerto desert of New Mexico. At least hundreds of New Mexicans were harmed by the test's fallout.  Radiation creeped into the grass their cows grazed, on the food they ate, and the water they drank. A program compensating victims of government-caused nuclear contamination has been in place since 1990, but it never included downwinders in New Mexico, the site of the very first nuclear test. This week, the Senate voted to broaden the bi-partisan legislation that could compensate people who have suffered health consequences of radiation testing. Now, the bill will go to a House vote.Generations after the Trinity Nuclear Test, will downwinders in New Mexico finally get compensation? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Generations After The First Nuclear Test, Those Sickened Fight For Compensation

Nikki Haley's announcement that she was suspending her campaign for president didn't come as a surprise. She's trailed front-runner Donald Trump in all but two Republican primary contests so far. Haley did manage to sway some Republican voters away from Trump.  She also managed to recruit independents and Democrats, too. As she ended her campaign on a stage in South Carolina, Haley did not endorse Trump.  She said he would have to earn their votes.Nikki Haley appealed to Republicans who did not want another four years of Trump. Now that she's out of the race, where will her voters go? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Haley's Out: Can Trump Win Her Supporters?

This week marks a milestone in the presidential primary process.  Fifteen states and one US Territory vote on Super Tuesday.  This one day is the biggest delegate haul for candidates during the presidential primary season.  The states voting on Super Tuesday include places with lots of Arab American voters, like Minnesota.  Just last week, more than 13 percent of voters in Michigan's Democratic primary voted uncommitted.  Many of those voters are Arab Americans who wanted to send Joe Biden a message about his support for Israel in the war in Gaza. The 2024 election is likely to be narrowly divided between President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump. The way the Biden administration handles conflicts abroad could have the power to shape the electorate here at home.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How Conflict Can Influence Voters

Former President Donald Trump scored a legal victory today.  The Supreme Court ruled 9 to 0 that the likely Republican nominee for President should be restored to the ballot in Colorado.The decision also says individual states cannot bar candidates for federal office under the insurrection clause. So:  a legal victory, and also a political victory.As the clock ticks toward November 5th – Election day – it's increasingly looking like the many legal cases focused on former President Trump may tip his way, or remain unresolved.What impact will this have on Trump's campaign for a second term in the White House?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Supreme Court Hands Trump A Legal And Political Win

Chances are, this November 5th 2024 is going to feel a lot like November 3rd 2020 — a bit like Groundhog Day.After a decisive set of Republican primaries, it's increasingly clear President Joe Biden is likely to face off against a familiar foe: former President Donald Trump.  A race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden isn't only a rematch, but a contest between two men who have already occupied the Oval office and been in the public eye for decades.  This, despite the fact that several polls show Americans did not want a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. So what is there still to learn about the two candidates, their styles, and the policies they would put in place if they get another four years in the White House?  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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Rematch: Biden v. Trump

Are we alone in the universe?  It's a question that's been posed again and again. Carl Sagan posed it in the 1970s as a NASA mission scientist as the agency prepared to send its twin Viking landers to Mars. And nearly 50 years after the first of two landers touched down on Mars, we're no closer to an answer as to whether there's life — out there.Scientists haven't stopped looking. In fact, they've expanded their gaze to places like Saturn's largest moon, Titan and Jupiter's moon Europa.  The search for life beyond planet earth continues to captivate. And NASA has upcoming missions to both moons. Could we be closer to answering that question Carl Sagan asked some 50 years ago? 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Are We Alone In The Universe?

Here in the US, the average age of retirement is 61. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky passed that birthday more than 20 years ago. And on Wednesday afternoon, he announced that while he still isn't ready to retire just yet, he will no longer lead Republicans in the Senate. McConnell says he still has "enough gas" in the tank to thoroughly disappoint his critics. The soon-to-be former leader intends to serve out the rest of his term which continues through January 2027.McConnell's Congressional career began back in 1984 when Ronald Reagan was President. The Kentucky republican has long embraced Reagan's conservatism and view of American exceptionalism.Today's Republican party is one Mitch McConnell played a key role in shaping. Yet as he gets ready to step down from leadership, McConnell seems out of step with the direction the party is heading.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

McConnell Releases His Grip On Power

Despite a last minute agreement to push a deadline for a shutdown, Congress and the White House have to agree on how to fund the government.  So far, all they've been able to do is kick the can down the road.  And conditions for making a political deal are only getting worse. Republicans can only lose two votes. And there's skepticism all around.Finding a way out largely depends on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana.  But Johnson has a fractious caucus, is relatively inexperienced, and shutdowns have become the political weapon of choice.If the House leader can't find a path to a deal, the entire country could pay the price.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Can Speaker Of The House Mike Johnson Make A Deal?

The backlash to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling designating frozen embryos has been intense. Republicans at the state and national level have openly disagreed with the decision. And Democrats have used the ruling to hammer Republicans over reproductive rights. Last month, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth introduced a bill to protect IVF. It hasn't gotten a lot of attention - until now. Duckworth used IVF to build her own family, and has been warning since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that the decision could lead to reproductive rights being challenged.Duckworth discusses her legislation and whether she thinks republicans will support it.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Trying To Protect Access To IVF

Popular culture is filled with stories of the underground railroad - the legendary secret network that helped enslaved people escape from southern slave states to free states in the north. Harriet Tubman is the underground railroad's best known conductor.  Tubman, who was a Union spy during the Civil War, escaped slavery in Maryland, but returned again and again, risking her own freedom to help free others, including members of her family.  Inevitably there's much we don't know ...including how the term, the Underground Railroad, came to be.Journalist Scott Shane, stumbled on the answer while he was writing his book "Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery's Borderland." His book tells the story of Thomas Smallwood, an activist and writer who's story and the key role he played in the abolition movement has mostly been lost to history.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How The Underground Railroad Got Its Name

In the last few years, a new trend has emerged on social media: de-influencing.Instead of selling, de-influencers encourage their followers to stop buying things they don't need. De-influencers are also using this trend as an opportunity to raise awareness about the negative impact of overconsumption on the environment.From plastic packaging to useless gadgets that end up in landfills, overconsumption doesn't just have a negative effect on our wallets, but also on our planet and climate change. We look at what role de-influencers can play in helping to address climate change and spreading the message of sustainable living.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

De-influencers Ring the Alarm on the Environmental Impacts of Overconsumption

In Kansas City neighborhood organizations do the work of violence prevention one block, and one person at at time.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kansas City Communities Continue Block By Block Efforts To Prevent Violence

Quote – "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride." That statement, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the U-S Embassy, came two days after Russian missiles began raining down on his country two years ago.After weeks of speculation and warnings  Russian President Vladimir Putin had declared war.Fueled by grit, patriotism and billions of dollars from the US, Ukraine has waged a fight no one expected they could. But nearly two years in that could be changing. US aid is stuck in Congress. This week, Russian forces captured their first city in 9 months. And that plea Zelensky made for ammunition in February 2022 – he's still making it. Ukraine has waged a war against Russia that has exceeded expectations.  Can it continue to stand up to Russia if western aid doesn't come through?We get the view from the battlefield from a Ukrainian writer turned soldier.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Boredom Followed By Unexpected Tragedy: A Ukrainian Soldier's Life At War

Keyser, West Virginia, was once known for coal. But the jobs have been disappearing. First because of automation, then cheap natural gas. And now, the urgency to address climate change is one more pressure on this energy source that contributes to global warming.Now the town, like so much of the country is attempting to transition to renewable energy. The country's first major climate policy, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, gave that transition a boost. It passed with the key vote of West Virginia's own Senator Democrat Joe Manchin.Keyser represents a national shift in American energy production. And in a town that was defined by coal for generations, change can be difficult.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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Wind Power Is Taking Over A West Virginia Coal Town.  Will The Residents Embrace It?

Brian Mann covers the U-S opioid and fentanyl crisis for NPR. That means he talks to a lot of people struggling with addiction. Again and again, he's heard stories of people who have succumbed to their addiction — last year 112, 000 — more than ever in history.   But when Mann traveled to Portugal to report on that country's model for dealing with the opioid crisis, he heard a very different story. Overdose deaths in Portugal are extremely rare.The country has taken a radically different approach to drugs – decriminalizing small amounts and publicly funding addiction services – including sites where people can use drugs like crack and heroin. Portugal treats addiction as an illness rather than a crime. No one has to pay for addiction care, and no one scrambles to navigate a poorly regulated recovery system. Could Portugal's approach help the U-S fight its opioid epidemic?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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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