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This week, politics in the UK looked a little — crazy.

Outraged members of Parliament yelled their demands for Prime Minister Liz Truss to resign, a head of iceberg lettuce managed to outlast her, and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson -who was just ousted a few months ago over the “partygate” scandal- is back in play as a possible replacement for Truss.

It feels like political theater, but the consequences are very real as people in the U.K. continue to struggle through an economic crisis.

As the very “un-British” chaos continues to unfold, is it proof that the British political system, at its messiest, is still less dysfunctional than U.S. politics?

NPR’s Cheryl W. Thompson speaks with Rosa Prince, editor of “The House”, a magazine that covers U.K. Parliament. And expat Brian Klaas of The Atlantic, explains why he thinks the latest fallout is proof that British democracy is in better shape than American democracy.

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.

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Natalie Winston.

The House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot has subpoenaed former President Donald Trump for testimony under oath and records.

We speak with Nick Akerman, a former federal prosecutor who was involved in the Watergate case, about what’s at stake for both Congress and the former president.

Plus, NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports that Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon has now been sentenced to four months in prison for defying his own subpoena from the January 6 committee.

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.

Election day is less than three weeks away, and Democrats are trying desperately to hold on to their slim majority in Congress by focusing on abortion rights. But Republicans are betting that the economy and inflation are the most pressing issues for voters.

So how is the focus on abortion working out for the Democrats? We discuss that with NPR Political Correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben and NPR Senior Editor and Correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

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.

This week, China’s Communist Party Congress is expected to approve a historic third term in office for the country’s leader, Xi Jinping.

Xi has already been in power for a decade, a period marked by growing authoritarianism in China. Many experts believe he could emerge a more emboldened leader in his new term.

Ailsa Chang speaks with Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, about the global implications of a third term for Xi Jinping and how this signals a new era for China. And NPR’s Emily Feng reports on how little we know about the way China’s Communist Party Congress makes its decisions.

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.

It’s been more than a month since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being detained by Iran’s morality police – allegedly for breaking the rule requiring women to wear a hijab. Her death sparked protests that continue to this day.

Women and girls have been at the forefront of the demonstrations, often removing and burning their hijabs in defiance of the authorities.

We hear from some of the protesters themselves. And we talk to Iranian-American writer Reza Aslan, who tells us that what we are seeing today echoes a revolution that took place in Iran more than a century ago.

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.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was designed to soften the financial impact of the pandemic for small businesses. It issued about $800 billion in potentially forgivable government loans to keep workers employed during COVID shutdowns.

Now, the overwhelming majority of those loans have been forgiven with very little scrutiny. That means many loans have been forgiven to businesses that flourished during the pandemic or to fraudsters who took advantage of the lax system.

Meanwhile, the majority of the loans that remain unforgiven belong to the smallest businesses, companies the program was most meant to help.

Sacha Pfeiffer and Austin Fast of NPR’s Investigations team looked into how the program failed to be as stringent as the government promised.

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.

In a party not known for ethnic diversity, 22 Black candidates are running for Republican House seats this year. And for the first time, we could see two Black Republican senators serving simultaneously. The historically diverse lineup also includes Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans on Republican tickets for the midterms.

While some Republican see a shift toward Ronald Regan’s vision of the party as an inclusive “Big Tent”. But others say that the party’s problematic record on race continues to keep Black voters away – even those who consider themselves conservative.

Host Michel Martin talks to Theodore Johnson, a researcher, and writer whose work focuses on how race plays out in politics and policy. Johnson writes a column for the center-right news and opinion site, The Bulwark.

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.

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Natalie Winston.

Public health officials are warning of a possible surge in COVID cases this winter. How bad it could get depends on how many people take the right precautions, according to Dr. Ashish Jha. We talk to the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator about bracing for the next potential wave.

Even if a COVID surge doesn’t happen, there are plenty of respiratory ailments making a comeback, especially in children. Dr. Ibukun Kalu of Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham, North Carolina explains why viruses like RSV are already swamping hospitals with sick kids.

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 met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this summer — a man he had previously accused of ordering the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But at the meeting, he met the Crown Prince with a fist bump.

It all came as gas prices were rising globally, under pressure from Russia’s war in Ukraine. One of Biden’s goals was to convince Saudi Arabia’s leaders to increase oil production.

But this month, Saudi Arabia and the other oil producing countries of OPEC Plus decided to cut production by 2 million barrels a day. That move is expected to drive up gas prices, and put more money in Russia’s pockets. It has prompted Democrats in Congress to call for the U.S. to rethink or even walk away from its seven-decade partnership with Saudi Arabia.

NPR’s International Affairs Correspondent Jackie Northam reports on where the relationship may be headed.

And Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, explains why he plans to block future weapons sales to the Saudis.

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.

There are more than 16 million people in the U.S. that are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. More than two-thirds of them are women.

Caregiving can be emotionally and physically draining, as well as isolating. There are not a lot of resources available for caregivers and many are not paid.

For six years, Jacquleyn Revere took care of her mom who had dementia and posted about the highs and lows on her TikTok account.

Revere gained thousands of viewers and followers who could relate to her. Many of whom were also caregiving for a loved one with dementia.

Michigan Public Radio reporter Kate Wells shares Revere’s story and how a niche corner of TikTok became a place of community and support.

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.