Category: International

Freedom of the press is enshrined in the Constitution as crucial to a functioning democracy. But what role does the press serve when it feels like the country can’t agree on basic facts? NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with a handful of journalists to hear how they’re navigating this divide.

This episode feature’s CBS‘s Leslie Stahl, CNN‘s Jake Tapper, NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe, Dawn Rhodes of Block Club Chicago and Sherry Liang of the University of Georgia’s Red & Black newspaper.

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

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

From dating apps, to airline travel, to in-person high school classes, the U.S. is seeing evidence of a return to close-to-normal life.

KUOW’s Clare McGrane reports on how that transition has been especially complicated for a choir in Washington state. Members were at the center of one of the earliest super-spreader events in the U.S. last year.

Saskia Popescu, infectious disease expert and assistant professor at George Mason University, says for as much progress as the U.S. has made against the coronavirus, many countries are still dealing with outbreaks and struggling to get vaccines.

Listen to GBH reporter Tori Bedford’s story on easing back into socializing here.

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

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

The Atlantic hurricane season began Tuesday and another “above average” number of storms is expected. And it’s not just hurricanes — overall, scientists are predicting more extreme weather events amplified by climate change this summer.

While there’s little to do in the short term to change this trajectory, recent actions by a Dutch court, the Biden administration and an activist hedge fund all suggest new pressure on large oil and gas companies could help in the long term. Pressure from these outside forces could signal a shift in how the companies operate.

Nell Minow, an Exxon shareholder, explains the direction she wants to see the company move in.

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

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Much is said about how divided the U.S. is these days. But perhaps there is still something that unites Americans. Longtime NPR correspondent Tom Gjelten reports on what he calls the country’s “civil religion” — a collection of beliefs, based on freedom, that should apply to every American equally.

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

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Former President Barack Obama is thinking a lot about our values as Americans. These days, in a divided America, he’s particularly thinking about what it means to be a man.

Is a man thoughtful, caring? Are men held back by what society traditionally expects a man to be?

These are questions that Aarti Shahani recently asked Obama on a recent episode of her podcast, Art of Power, from member station WBEZ in Chicago.

Listen to Art of Power on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and NPR One.

After his death on May 25, 2020, George Floyd became the face of a movement against police violence. But attorney Andrea Ritchie says, in some ways, the prosecution and conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin created a false sense of progress in that movement. Ritchie focuses on police misconduct and is the author of the book, Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women And Women Of Color.

Bowling Green State University criminologist Phillip Stinson explains why so few police officers are prosecuted and convicted for murder. Stinson maintains the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database.

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

We’re working on a future episode about people who got involved in activism in the past year. We want to know why — and whether you’ve stayed involved. If this sounds like you, please respond to our callout here.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Apple has always wanted to be one of the good guys in tech. But now a high-stakes lawsuit with Epic Games, the creator of the hit video game Fortnite, isn’t just challenging Apple’s reputation. It’s raising questions about whether the most valuable company in the world has grown into an illegal monopoly.

NPR’s Bobby Allyn reports on the federal trial that led to Apple CEO Tim Cook taking the stand last week to defend his company.

And Sally Hubbard, who researches monopolies, explains how Apple’s control over its app store reminds her of past antitrust violations from Microsoft and AT&T.

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

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Proponents of trans female athlete bans struggle to cite examples of trans women or girls gaining an unfair advantage in sports competitions. But amid a lot of debate about fairness, there’s been less attention on science. NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman spoke to a pioneering trans researcher who explains why — in most sports — trans women can compete fairly against cisgender women.

Behind a recent spate of anti-trans state laws, LGBTQ communities see a new chapter in a familiar story: the culture wars that broke out in America in the 1990s. A new episode of the FX documentary miniseries Pride examines that era. It was directed by Academy-Award nominee Yance Ford, who tells NPR why the culture wars of the 90s are so relevant today.

Additional reporting on the legal debate over Idaho’s ban on trans female athletes from our colleague Melissa Block.

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

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

All over the world, democratic institutions are under threat. The United States isn’t just part of that trend — it may also be one of the causes. Former Obama administration foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes examines why in a new book called After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made.

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

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

For decades, Israel had solid bipartisan support for Israel from Capitol Hill. But progressive congressional Democrats have started to question support for the policies of the Israeli government. Palestinian rights activists also feel tied to the growing power of racial justice movements in the United States. NPR political correspondent Asma Khalid explains.

Peter Beinart, editor-at-large of Jewish Currents, says more Americans are hearing Palestinian voices in the media, and some Democrats can now criticize Israel without fear of losing their next election.

Additional reporting in this episode comes from NPR’s Connor Donevan and Eli Newman with member station WDET.

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

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.