President Trump has called the affordability crisis a hoax, but the data shows the burden of rising costs really matters to Americans. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks about covering affordability issues and meeting people who struggle to find secure housing - or enough food to eat. 

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This episode was produced by Henry Larson. 

It was edited by Sarah Robbins. 

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The Strait of Hormuz is one of the global economy?s major arteries. It had been closed to most commercial traffic for about 6 weeks up to today.


The reopening is good news for hundreds of ships that have been stuck. 

But questions remain about the safety of the passage. Questions, like how many underwater mines are still out there? Or what happens if the ceasefire falls apart? 

And those questions are crucial for the people who insure these vessels. 

Hundreds of ships have been stuck in the Strait of Hormuz for weeks. Even though it?s now open, safety concerns remain. 

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This episode was produced by Avery Keatley and Karen Zamora.

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Almost a decade after the height of the #MeToo movement, intimacy coordinators are a fixture on film sets. As of this year, the job is now covered by SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that represents actors.


Their growing presence on set has led to more demand for intimacy coordinator training programs. NPR visited one of those programs in downtown Los Angeles, and met an assistant director  and a porn actor both training for the job.

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This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink and Karen Zamora.
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Unease is growing in the ranks of the US military.

Since President Trump began his second term, his controversial use of the armed forces both at home and abroad has left some service members unsettled and demoralized. 

The Iran war made those feelings worse. 

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This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam. 

It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Andrew Sussman.

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Two entertainment and media powerhouses are likely to become one. So why aren?t the artists happy about it?


Backlash against a possible merger between the media companies Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery increased this week when more than 2,000 actors, writers and directors signed a letter opposing the deal. 

The letter warns that the merger will result in ?fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world.?  

Damon Lindelof created "The Leftovers", "Watchmen" and helped create the hit series "Lost." He was one of the artists to sign the letter, and he explains his decision to NPR's Mary Louise Kelly. 

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Rep. Eric Swalwell, of California, is the latest member of Congress accused of sexual misconduct. How common is a story like this?


Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with PBS NewsHour Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins, who reported on the patterns of abuse in Congress eight years ago. In her reporting, Desjardins spoke to former staffers who were working to change the rules around reporting and consequences. 

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Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of both President Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin, conceded defeat in an historic election in Hungary. The results of the vote will have far reaching consequences, potentially reshaping the central European country's relationship with the EU and laying bare the weaknesses of Orban's style of far-right, nationalist populism.

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It took more than 50 years for humans to return to the moon. Will it take another 50 years before NASA can get back?


Fifty-four years. 

That is how long it has been since human last traveled beyond Earth?s orbit ? since the crew of Apollo 17 left the moon behind in December 1972.

This week, NASA?s Artemis II mission changed that.

Why did it take so long? And given everything we know about the agency?s plans, budget battles and the growing shadow of China?s lunar ambitions ? is the road ahead actually realistic?

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As a fragile ceasefire holds in the Middle East, all eyes are turning to Islamabad for high-stakes talks to end the war in Iran. Pakistan has emerged as a key player in bringing Iran and the US to the negotiating table. But will that be enough to bring peace?

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The landscape of Montgomery, Alabama is a monument to Civil Rights, but is America losing touch with the lessons of that movement?

Montgomery, Alabama was the setting for much of the battle for Civil Rights.

As the country celebrates its 250 anniversary, NPR?s Debbie Elliot went to Montgomery to see what it can teach us. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider

This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam. 

It was edited by Rose Friedman and Courtney Dorning

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President Trump is threatening to destroy the nation of Iran if a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is not reached by 8 p.m. ET Tuesday. 


?A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,? the president wrote on his social media platform.

?I don?t want that to happen, but it probably will.?

The U.S. and Iran are holding indirect talks on ways to pause, or end, the war. But there?s no real sign of progress.

As Trump?s latest deadline for a deal with Iran ticks closer, where do things stand now?

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This episode was produced by Brianna Scott and Karen Zamora.

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President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have stood shoulder to shoulder in their war on Iran ? both men have said they want to end Iran?s nuclear ambitions, destroy its ballistic missiles and end Tehran?s support for proxy militias across the region. But are they still on the same page on how to end it?


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This episode was produced by Brianna Scott and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro.

It was edited by James Hider, Rebekah Metzler, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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After a dramatic rescue of a U.S. airman in Iran, President Trump posted a profanity-laden threat to Iran that if it didn't open the Strait of Hormuz it would be "living in Hell." Representative Madeline Dean, Democrat from Pennsylvania told NPR that Trump's handling of the war in Iran - and the recent budget he proposed to fund it - are troubling and un-American.


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This episode was produced by Henry Larson. 

It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas and Sarah Robbins. 

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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As the U.S. pulls out of providing billions of dollars of aid for programs globally, NPR's reporters find out what that looks like on the ground - and how China is moving in to take America's place.


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This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad.  It was edited by Adam Raney and Gisele Grayson. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Some of the most memorable speeches in American history have been delivered in wartime, with presidents seeking to unify the country, explain their strategy and, often, make a moral case for war. But President Trump has always spoken differently than his predecessors, so what does that mean when there?s a war on?


 
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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan. 

It was edited by Mallory Yu. 

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Attacking civilian infrastructure is a war crime under international law. So when President Trump threatened to attack power plants and potentially all desalination plants in Iran earlier this week, it raised concerns among some legal experts. Kuwaiti officials also accused Iran of destroying one of its desalination plants earlier this week.  


If a war crime were to be committed during the conflict with Iran, what would accountability look like? Would there be any at all? 

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This episode was produced by Henry Larson and Jeffrey Pierre, with audio engineering by Peter Ellena.

It was edited by John Ketchum.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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The quest to reach  the Moon has always been a key part of the American myth.

So has the country's embrace of immigrants, and its vision of itself as a defender of democracy around the world. On a day all three are in play, we'll meet the crew headed out toward the moon.

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NPR?s Scott Neuman contributed to this episode.

This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, Marc Rivers and Connor Donevan.  It was edited by Ashley Brown and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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A series of Trump administration policy decisions ? deportations, tariffs, and the Iran war ? are ratcheting up the pressure on American farmers. 

It?s a group that tends to support the president, but persistent challenges may test their patience. 


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This episode was produced by Christine Arrasmith, Alejandra Marquez Janse and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by Rebekah Metzler and William Troop.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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Israel?s invasion in Lebanon is rapidly widening and could outlast the war in Iran.

People in southern Lebanon are living through a war within a war.

The war is of course the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.

The war within Lebanon started with a series of strikes from the militant group Hezbollah.

They launched rockets and drones from Lebanon into Israel.

Israel responded with strikes in Lebanon.

And with that, a conflict that has flared on and off for decades reignited.

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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Alejandra Marquez Janse. It was edited by Gerry Holmes, James Hider and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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At the heart of the war against Iran is a question about the fate of the Iranian government. Adrian Ma speaks with Ramtin Arablouei, host of the NPR podcast Throughline, about what Iranians in the United States want from regime change in Iran - and the history of why.


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Americans are keeping their driver?s licenses longer than ever and driving well into their old age. But how long is too long? And who decides when to take away the keys?

NPR?s transportation correspondent, Joel Rose, has been looking into those questions and found that there is no single national standard when it comes to older adults and driving. And the laws vary greatly from state to state.  

Often, the decision on whether it is time to take away the keys is left to family members. And that can be difficult when the driver resists.

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Anytime tensions are high in the Middle East, oil prices can be expected to spike.  So a war in the region is pretty much guaranteed to mean higher prices at the pump. And that is particularly painful for anyone whose living depends on what it costs to fill up.


Host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR?s economics correspondent Scott Horsley about how the U.S. economy is faring, almost a month since the U.S. and Israel launched the first strikes against Iran.


Plus, we hear from American business owners whose companies are already being impacted by higher fuel prices ? a long-haul trucker based in Ohio, and a pair of brothers who run a lobster distribution operation from Long Island, New York.


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This episode was produced by Mia Venkat, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by William Troop, Rafael Nam, and Maureen Pao. NPR correspondent Bill Chappell contributed to the reporting in this episode. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has a new book.

Unlike much of his public speaking of late ? like his record-breaking 25-hour Senate floor speech ? it isn?t directly about the politics of the current moment.

It?s an argument for civic ideals ? for ten virtues he sees as critical to American life, like agency and patriotism, but also vulnerability and humility.

What does that mean for his political future? Sen. Booker addresses that question among others in our interview.

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Airline travelers across the U.S. have been experiencing long wait times because of the partial government shutdown. TSA workers are calling off sick or quitting altogether because they haven?t been paid. Now, ICE agents have been deployed to some airports to mitigate wait times. What role could the agency play as officials in Washington continue to spar over government funding? And what could the next few weeks look like for travelers? A former TSA security chief weighs in. 


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This episode was produced by Jordan-Marie Smith and Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by John Ketchum.

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The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has voted to approve the design for a new commemorative gold coin.


On one side, an eagle in flight ? on the other, a portrait of President Trump, staring directly at the viewer.

Federal law prohibits living people from being featured on U.S. coins ? though the Trump administration believes the Treasury Department has authority here.

Moreover, it breaks a norm that dates to the beginning of the country.

Caroline Turco, a curator at the Money Museum of the American Numismatic Association, explains.

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The Israeli government has said it has the ability to find and assassinate top leaders in the Iranian government. But that strategy may end up hurting any effort to actually end the war, says Yossi Melman, co-author of the book ?Spies Against Armageddon.?

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This episode was produced by Henry Larson and Daniel Ofman. It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas and Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Emily Kwong talks with Camila Domonoske, who covers cars and energy for NPR, about how countries and companies that have bet big on electric vehicles are facing new, quickly moving variables in the market and the world.


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Dolores Huerta built a lasting movement with Cesar Chavez.  And after waiting decades, she has decided to share the story of how Chavez abused her.

Dolores Huerta told the New York Times that she felt pressured to have sex with Cesar Chavez, while on a work trip in 1960. 

Six years later  ? after they had founded the union for farmworkers?  she says Chavez raped her.  

Shortly after the Times story came out, Huerta spoke to Latino USA host Maria Hinojosa. Hinojosa shared what she learned with NPR's Ailsa Chang. 

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This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

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Three weeks into the US and Israel's war with Iran, the tensions continue to escalate. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the Pentagon would seek additional funding for the war -- to the tune of $200 billion.

Despite mixed messaging on the aims of the war, President Trump says he will decide when the conflict is over. 

But not everyone thinks it will be that easy.

Thomas Wright served as senior director for strategic planning at the National Security Council under President Biden. In a recent article in The Atlantic, he argues that any off-ramp in Iran is disappearing, and increases the risk that the US will be involved in a prolonged conflict.


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In red states and blue states, in suburbs and cities and in rural communities, officials from the Department of Homeland Security are scouting out real estate.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to significantly expand its detention capacity, to help support President Trump?s mass deportation agenda.

NPR?s Jasmine Garsd and Kate Dario of New Hampshire Public Radio have been talking with people in communities slated to host mass detention facilities. They?ve found fierce, bipartisan opposition to the plans.

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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Eric Westervelt and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has brought his Muslim faith to the center of his political life, but his effort has faced a backlash.


During this Ramadan he?s hosted half a dozen public prayers and celebrations, the latest Monday night when he broke fast with incarcerated men at Rikers Island.

NPR?s Brian Mann reports on how Mamdani?s efforts to celebrate his Muslim faith and the backlash that has accompanied those efforts. 

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This episode was produced by Jason Fuller, Sarah Ventre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Jason DeRose, Andrea de Leon, Daniel Burke and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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President Trump launched the war against Iran without building a coalition of U.S. allies.

Only now is the president trying to enlist allies to help end Iran?s effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz. 


And many of the countries he?s asked ? are rejecting Trump?s request.

Can the U.S. get its allies to help after going to war with Iran, and if they do, can the Strait of Hormuz really be secured?

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This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Rebekah Metzler and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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For many Iranians living in the U.S., the war against Iran was initially greeted with hope. Hope that the current regime might fall. But as the war stretches on, the uncertainty around it has also given way to another feeling: fear.


In a recent essay for the Wall Street Journal, Iranian-American writer Nick Mafi wrote about the myriad of emotions that he and millions of others in the Iranian diaspora are feeling as the war continues. 

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This episode was produced by Daniel Ofman and Michael Levitt.

It was edited by William Troop and Christopher Intagliata.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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Experts say foreign conflict and online radicalization are accelerating threats of terrorism. Can anything slow it down?

Even before the war in Iran, the terrorism threat in the U.S. has been evolving. So how do the attacks of the past week fit into that picture? Host Scott Detrow speaks with Domestic Extremism Correspondent Odette Yousef, who is tracking all of this closely. 

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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Marc Rivers, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Courtney Dorning and John Ketchum. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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In the opening strike of their war on Iran, the US and Israel killed the Islamic Republic?s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is an exceedingly rare instance of democracies killing a foreign head of state.

It?s not the first time the United States has been involved in the killing of a foreign leader, but it?s something U.S. leaders and the American public have long wrestled with. 

NPR?s Ryan Lucas reports. 

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This episode was produced by Mallory Yu and Erika Ryan, with audio engineering by Jay Czys.

It was edited by John Ketchum and Anna Yukhanov. 

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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The Trump administration wants to increase domestic manufacturing.

And in addition to tariffs, tax cuts and deregulation, it wants to increase the supply of skilled labor through apprenticeships ? to train up workers on the job.


The goal is to reach one million active apprentices. 


Are the programs in place now doing enough to make that happen? 


NPR?s Andrea Hsu reports.


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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Mia Venkat. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Emily Kopp. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Russian planners and Western intelligence predicted the invasion of Ukraine would be quick and decisive. Of course, Kyiv did not fall quickly - and still hasn?t.

In the four years since Russia first invaded, the Kremlin?s so-called ?special military operation? has evolved into the deadliest conflict on the European continent since World War II. According to Western governments and think tanks, more than 1.5 million people are dead.

And throughout the war, one of the biggest questions has been, is this what Russian people want?

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This episode was produced by Christine Arrasmith, Mia Venkat and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Stacey Abbott. It was edited by Nick Spicer and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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Americans are paying more for gas than they were a week ago.

On Sunday, the price of oil hit $118 a barrel. It's since come down from those highs, but remains up sharply from the pre-war price of $70.

The price is being pushed up by disruption to oil supply out of the Persian Gulf ? The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, typically handles around 20 million barrels of oil a day ?  close to a fifth of global oil consumption. 

But the war has brought tanker traffic in the Strait to basically a standstill. 

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This episode was produced by Mia Venkat.

It was edited by Courtney Dorning, Kara Platoni and Luis Clemens.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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The repercussions of the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran continue to be felt across the Middle East. However, Lebanon has become the most active second front in the continued conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. 


Israel began its military assault on Lebanon after the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel as a show of solidarity with Iran.

The U.S. and Israel's war in Iran is not just a regional crisis. It?s reshaping political dynamics across the Middle East, with global repercussions.

Kim Ghattas, journalist and author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East, offers her view from inside Lebanon, and the changing dynamics across the region.

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Reporting from NPR?s Hadeel Al-Shalchi contributed to this story. This episode was produced by Daniel Ofman. It was edited by Michael Levitt, Sarah Robbins and Hannah Bloch. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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Reporters here at NPR noticed the name of a highly respected youth camp popping up repeatedly in the Epstein Files - Interlochen Center for the Arts.

When intern Ava Berger and other reporters started combing through the documents, they learned how Jeffrey Epstein used his wealth to gain access to the campus and prey on girls.

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This episode was produced by Gabriel Sanchez. It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas and Adam Raney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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For the last week, Israeli and US bombs have devastated Iran. And the conflict has widened to include multiple countries in the Gulf.  

How is the conflict reshaping the world order and impacting Trump?s popularity here in the United States?

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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan, Elena Burnett, Alejandra Marquez Janse and Erika Ryan. It was edited by Barrie Hardymon, Tara Neill, Dana Farrington, Jeanette Woods and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement is using a variety of tools to surveil folks they want to intimidate and apprehend. 


That web helps federal agents find people to deport. But it also allows them to identify U.S. citizens who criticize the federal government and its policies.

NPR has compiled dozens of stories of people caught up in the surveillance web. Some were monitoring ICE activities and found themselves in interactions with agents who identify them by their names and home addresses. NPR?s Scott Detrow talks with Meg Anderson and Jude Joffe-Block who have been collecting the stories, and tracking ICE?s surveillance tactics.

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Reporting from NPR?s Kat Lonsdorf contributed to this story. This episode was produced by Gabriel Sanchez and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Alina Hartounian, John Ketchum and Sarah Handel.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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This past weekend, the United States went to war.

The president didn?t present his case in a primetime speech from the Oval Office or the White House?s East Room, but rather, in an edited video posted at 2:30 a.m. on the social media platform he owns.

And that video post came between others where President Trump has falsely claimed that elections were rigged and stolen, called for the prosecution of people who have opposed him, and lobbied to put his face on U.S. currency.

The New Yorker?s Susan Glasser has been tracking it all, week by week, since 2018. She talks about the myriad ways the presidency, and the norms surrounding it, continue to change under Trump.

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This episode was produced by Erika Ryan, with audio engineering by Becky Brown and Damian Herring. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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The future of Iran hangs on an important question: Who will be its next leader? We'll look at how succession could unfold.

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This episode contained reporting from NPR?s Ruth Sherlock. It was produced by Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Becky Brown. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Regime change, nuclear weapons, terrorism ?Why is the U.S. at war with Iran?

In the days since the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, the Trump administration has given a wide range of reasons why the US is now at war. On Saturday, Trump seemed to indicate the U.S. and Israel were trying to clear the way for regime change. On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the conflict in Iran was not about regime change.  A couple of hours later in Trump's first public comments, not prerecorded on video, he listed four objectives. Regime change wasn't among them. 


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This episode was produced by Lauren Hodges and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Senator Mark Warner tells NPR that the families of sailors in the conflict area that he has met with "have no idea why their sons and daughters are being put in harm's way." Warner says that the president should appear before Congress and ask for a declaration of war.

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This episode was produced by Henry Larson. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Iran?s supreme leader Ali Khemenei is dead, according President Donald Trump. This comes after US and Israeli forces bombarded targets across Iran. Iran has retaliated, launching attacks throughout the Middle East.

Given these historic events, we?re dropping our National Security Podcast ?Sources & Methods? into the feed today.

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This episode was produced by Erika Ryan, Karen Zamora, and Kai McNamee, with audio engineering by Neil Tevault. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Andrew Sussman. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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President Trump issued an executive order to increase domestic production of glyphosate, commonly used as a weedkiller. It?s the active ingredient in the weedkiller, Roundup.

That order immediately ignited an uproar in the Make America Healthy Again movement. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his supporters have long believed glyphosate is a health risk. But now, Kennedy says he supports Trump?s order.

Helena Bottemiller Evich, founder and editor-in-chief of the Food Fix newsletter, calls MAHA?s response a ?marital spat? with the Trump administration, and explains how it could affect Trump?s base going forward.

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This episode was produced by Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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With the U.S. military amassing in the Middle East ahead of possible strikes in Iran, a Democratic lawmaker explains his effort to limit the president.

The U.S. Constitution empowers Congress, not the president, to declare war. That hasn?t stopped plenty of presidents from commanding military combat. It didn?t stop President Trump from ordering airstrikes on Iran?s nuclear sites last year ? and building up the U.S. military in the Middle East while he mulls further action this year.

So far in this Trump administration, efforts to reclaim that congressional authority have failed. Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, explains why he is still pursuing a war powers resolution.

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This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Correctional officers are leaving their jobs at federal prisons. 

And when these prisons are understaffed ? psychologists and other staff are asked to act as guards. 

Recent reporting from The Marshall Project says it?s pushing mental health professionals out of prisons. 

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This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by Jeanette Woods and Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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