Author: Matt

If you think about Jack the Ripper or In Cold Blood, true crime stories have always fascinated us. But the groundbreaking success of the 2014 podcast Serial sparked a new interest in these sordid stories. Hundreds of true crime podcasts followed in Serial’s footsteps, telling tales of the murdered and the missing and the unresolved.

Today true crime podcasts dominate weekly podcast charts. But what makes them so popular? And is that popularity problematic?

We hear from Ashley Flowers, host of the award-winning podcast Crime Junkie, who has a new work of crime fiction out, called All Good People Here, and Jane Coaston, host of the New York Times opinion podcast The Argument.

This week, authorities in Germany arrested more than two dozen suspected far-right extremists over a plot to violently overthrow the government.

The plotters were reportedly inspired by QAnon conspiracy theories.

NPR’s Rob Schmitz walks us through the latest.

And German historian and author Katja Hoyer explains why members of Germany’s far-right can seem invisible.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

President Biden on Thursday announced the negotiated release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from a penal colony in Russia and her return to the U.S. She had been detained since February, when Russian authorities found a small amount of hash oil in vape cartidges that were in her luggage when she arrived in the country.

In return, the U.S. released convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

NPR’s White House Correspondent Franco Ordoñez and Moscow Correspondent Charles Maynes walk through the details of the deal.

And White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby explains how the negotiations unfolded.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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In Georgia, Democrat Raphael Warnock held on to his U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican candidate Herschel Walker in a special runoff vote.

Warnock’s reelection is a big win for Democrats, as it gives them a slightly expanded majority in the Senate. It also further supports the idea that Georgia, a historically red state that Democrats managed to flip in 2020, really is becoming more purple.

We speak with Republican strategist Janelle King, and Democratic strategist Fred Hicks about the lessons both parties can learn from the results of this contest, as they look ahead to 2024.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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Jewish ultranationalists are about to have a lot more power in Israel. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to return to office after his far-right coalition won elections last month. And he’s already named two of the most incendiary figures in Israeli politics to key positions in the government.

The new government could stir internal divisions among Israel’s citizens, push to erode the rights of minorities and set off further conflict with Palestinians.

NPR’s Daniel Estrin has been talking with Israelis and Palestinians about the future they see under what’s expected to be the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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It’s been more than a year now since many kids across the country returned to their classrooms.

And many of them brought grief and trauma with them, too.

But some educators just don’t feel equipped to support kids who are grieving.

NPR’s Rhitu Chatterjee speaks with a handful of school mental health professionals who recently attended a special training on grief and trauma.

Also in this episode, NPR’s Eric Deggans speaks with a psychologist on collective trauma in the wake of mass shootings.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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On Sunday, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will return to the field for the first time in nearly two years. This comes after an 11-game suspension and $5 million fine imposed by the NFL after more than two dozen female massage therapists filed allegations against him ranging from sexual misconduct to sexual assault.

The allegations stem from incidents that occurred in 2020 and 2021, while Watson was a quarterback for the Houston Texans. And while he doesn’t face criminal charges, the sheer number of women coming forward with similar accounts is striking – but not, striking enough to deter Cleveland from signing Watson -in time for the 2022 season -with a five-year $230 million deal

The NFL has faced criticism in the past for how it handles cases like Watson’s, and many critics say the fine and suspension don’t go far enough.

Host Michel Martin speaks with Kevin Blackstione, a sports columnist for the Washington Post and ESPN panelist, about how the NFL might better handle allegations of player misconduct against women.

It didn’t take long for Elon Musk’s stated vision for Twitter—a “digital town square” where all legal speech flows freely—to run head long into reality. Namely, the fact that many citizens of that town square want to share inaccurate, racist or violent ideas.

Yoel Roth used to lead the team that set the rules for what was allowed on Twitter, and aimed to keep users safe. Not long after Musk took over the company, Roth quit.

In an interview, he explains why he left and what he thinks is ahead for the company.

This episode also features reporting from NPR’s Shannon Bond.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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The protests in China may have been silenced, for now. But could this be the start of a new political awakening among young people in the country?

Host Juana Summers talks to Yangyang Cheng, a Fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center, and Professor Mary Gallagher, who directs the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan about why this is happening now.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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The advocacy group Human Rights Campaign reports that in the past year, more than 300 bills targeting LGBTQ rights have been introduced by state legislatures around the U.S.

A recent NPR analysis shows that about 15% of those bills were signed into a law.

NPR’s Melissa Block breaks down the current landscape of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

At the same time, a record number of openly LGBTQ candidates were elected to public office across the nation this year. We hear from two just-elected state representatives: Zooey Zephyr, the first out trans lawmaker elected to office in Montana, and New Hampshire’s James Roesener, the first out trans man ever elected to a state legislature.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.