More forever wars?

The US is trying to broker an end to the war between Israel and Hamas. Ceasefire talks begin and end and begin again. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has traveled to the region 10 times in the past year.

And that’s not the only war the US hopes to end. Russia and Ukraine have been fighting since 2014 when Russia first attacked. It launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, more than two and a half years ago.

The US and NATO have been supporting Ukraine’s efforts to hold off Russia in a hope to preserve broader security and stability in Western Europe.

The next occupant of the White House looks certain to inherit two major conflicts.

Why are these wars lasting so long with no end in sight?

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Would long-range missiles for Ukraine pull the U.S. into a war with Russia?

It’s been more than two and half years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the U.S. and its NATO allies have slowly and incrementally provided military assistance to Ukraine.

In recent months, Ukraine has been pressing for American long-range missiles with the ability to strike deep into Russia. But some officials fear that providing such weapons could place the U.S. and its allies in direct conflict with Russia.

Host Scott Detrow speaks with Pentagon reporter Tom Bowman.

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Is Georgia ready to vote for a female president?

A few months ago, it was looking like Donald Trump had Georgia all but locked up.

Now with Harris in the race, Georgia is once again in play for democrats. But the state has never elected a female Governor or a female U.S. senator.

Will that fact determine who might win their 16 electoral votes?

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The unraveling of Eric Adams’ administration

The biggest city in the country is in the midst of a major political scandal, and things appear to be unraveling in New York Mayor Eric Adam’s administration.

There are federal investigations, top level resignations, and scandals reaching back into his 2021 mayoral campaign. So, what’s going on?

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Israel rigged pagers and radios to explode across Lebanon

Two unusual attacks against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah come at a time when negotiations over a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas have stalled. What could this mean for the region, and the threat of an all-out war?

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A year after the strike is the UAW still winning?

A year ago at this time, members of the United Auto Workers Union were feeling powerful and optimistic. The group’s new President Shawn Fain had called a historic strike. For the first time, the Union walked out on ALL three big automakers.

It was a bold move that by most measures worked. It ultimately brought Ford, GM and Stellantis much closer to the union’s demands for historic raises and new job protections.

The strike’s success had people predicting a bigger and more powerful union.

A year on the union is still staring down some major challenges.

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Another attempt was made on Trump’s life. What do we know?

Former President Donald Trump was targeted in what “appears to be an attempted assassination” on Sunday afternoon, the FBI says.

What do we know about the suspect, his motivations, and what this could mean for the rest of the 2024 election?

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The Republicans who stood up to Trump after the 2020 election

In the new HBO documentary “Stopping the Steal,” we hear from Republican officials in Arizona and Georgia who wanted Donald Trump to win the 2020 presidential election but were not willing to break the law for him.

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NASA prepares to head back to the moon.

This time next year, if everything stays on schedule, NASA will send its first crewed mission to the moon, since the end of the Apollo program. Artemis II will be the first flight around the moon in more than 50 years.

Its goal will be to test out the Orion capsule and all the other equipment, so that by 2026, Artemis III can put astronauts back ON the moon.

The Artemis program is aimed to kickstart a new, more enduring era of space travel that leads to Mars.It’s also intentionally more representative than Apollo was. The Artemis program will eventually put the first woman on the moon, as well as the first person of color.

It’s all as historic and high stakes as it gets, and also pretty daunting.

NPR’s Scott Detrow goes behind the scenes at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to see how the team is preparing.

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Anne Lamott has some ideas on getting older in the United States

Getting older has been a punchline for as long as anyone can remember. And while there are plenty of jokes to be made about aging, it can also have some negative implications for how we see ourselves and others.

For writer Anne Lamott, aging has been a challenge, and a gift. “There is grace in not being able to see everything so clearly with all of its faults and annoying tendencies.”

Lamott has been reflecting on growing older in her latest column for the Washington Post, and shares some of those insights with Consider This host Mary Louise Kelly.

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