Consider This from NPR

A man accused of killing 10 people in Buffalo, New York was allegedly motivated by a racist doctrine known as 'replacement theory.' It's just a new name for an old set of racial hatreds, Kathleen Belew told NPR. Belew is an assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago and the author of Bring The War Home: The White Power Movement And Paramilitary America.NPR's Quil Lawrence reports from Buffalo on the aftermath of the shooting, and NPR's Adrian Florido takes a closer look at the supermarket where it took place. 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 United States is experiencing an adolescent mental health crisis. Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Surgeon General are stressing the urgent need to address the mental health needs of children and teens. The pandemic focused attention on this issue as young people dealt with isolation, the uncertainty of lockdown and grief over the death of loved ones. But while the pandemic exacerbated the problem, it has been building for years. We speak with Judith Warner, a journalist and author, to find out how we got to this point, and what can be done to help kids now. Warner's most recent piece, "We Have Essentially Turned a Blind Eye to Our Own Children for Decades," appears in The Washington Post Magazine.This episode deals with suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the Crisis Text Line by texting "HOME" to 741741. 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.

Sasa Woodruff loves food—she's been accused of having far too many cookbooks. But in 2019, a phone call from an unknown caller changed her relationship to eating. A genetic counselor called to tell her that she had a rare genetic mutation which could lead to a lethal form of stomach cancer.The only way to prevent that cancer was to get her stomach surgically removed. While she's now grateful for the information that genetic testing gave her, Woodruff's story raises questions about what kind of information patients should have and how they can use it. Professor of law and philosophy at Duke University, Nita Farahany and professor of law and biosciences at Stanford University, Hank Greely discuss the implications of growing access to genetic testing and how to weigh health 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.See Consider This from NPR sponsors and promo codes.

Inflation dipped slightly in April, but it's still at a historically-high 8.3 percent. Research suggests lower-income families suffer the most when prices rise.NPR's Scott Horsley explains how people around the country are coping with inflation, and what the Federal Reserve is doing to try to bring it under control.This episode also includes reporting from NPR's Jennifer Ludden, on eviction rates rising in the face of increased rent and the end of pandemic rent aid in some places.And it features reporting from NPR's Brittany Cronin, on what's driving rising fuel prices.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.

Some countries in Latin America are expanding abortion rights. Other countries, like Poland, have all but outlawed the procedure. Meanwhile, health officials in Canada have signaled Americans would be welcome to seek abortion services across the border if they cannot access care at home. All of that speaks to the reality that America's abortion debate is not happening in vacuum, and is being watched closely around the world.Mary Louise Kelly spoke about how abortion laws around the world compare to those in the U.S., with NPR correspondents Mara Liasson in Washington D.C., Philip Reeves in Brazil, and Rob Schmitz in Germany. 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 Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is gaining followers in the U.S. — not Russian immigrants, but American converts drawn to its emphasis on "traditional values." NPR's Odette Yousef reports some new converts are using the religion to spread white nationalist views. More from her story here. 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.

Debates about the status of Roe v. Wade continue after the Supreme Court's draft opinion was leaked last week. This week, the Senate is planning to vote on legislation that would codify abortion rights into a federal law, but it's likely to fail given the 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans. That means abortion access will be left up to states — and some already have restrictive abortion laws. Reproductive justice advocates are concerned about the disproportionate impact those laws will have on Black and Brown communities if Roe is overturned.NPR's Sandhya Dirks spoke to some advocates about how women of color are situated in this abortion access debate. And NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin explains how restricting abortion access means restricting health care for people across all demographic backgrounds. You can also hear more from Dr. Diana Green Foster, who spoke to NPR's science podcast Shortwave, which examined what happened when people had access to abortion and what happened when they were denied.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.

Earlier this week, a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court suggested that after nearly 50 years, the court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Almost as soon as abortions became legal, opponents began organizing efforts to repeal the law. Eighteen states now have so-called "trigger laws" that will ban abortions the moment that Roe v. Wade is overturned or pre-"Roe" era bans that remain on the books, ready once again, to fall into place.We'll look back at the longstanding efforts by legal, political and religious groups - on both sides of the debate - that have led to this moment. And we'll discuss what comes next. 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. Audio in the podcast from Supreme Court arguments of Roe v. Wade was obtained from Oyez.org multimedia archive.

For a few months, it looked like COVID-19 was retreating in the United States. But cases are rising across the country again. Still, public health leaders are signaling that the U.S. is turning another corner in this pandemic, and that continued COVID surges might just be part of the new normal.NPR Science correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff reports on what the new Omicron variant could have in store for the U.S. in coming weeks and months, and what scientists know about Americans' COVID immunity.Andy Slavitt, former senior advisor to President Joe Biden on COVID, explains what the "endemic phase" could look like.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.

Twin babies Lenny and Moishe were born via surrogate in Ukraine, just as Russia invaded the country. Their parents live in Chicago and had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new sons.Rescuers exfiltrated the babies, dodging Russian artillery fire and driving through a snowstorm before finally arriving at a Polish hospital, where new father Alex "Sasha" Spektor met the boys for the first time. But a more difficult journey for the family was just beginning. NPR's Ari Shapiro followed up with Spektor and his partner, Irma Nuñez, as they navigated the complicated bureaucratic process of getting their twins from Poland to the United States.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.

Bipartisan members who serve on state and county boards of canvassers in Michigan have an important job: certifying the results of elections, making them official. In 2020, Former President Trump and his allies urged them not to certify as part of his campaign to undermine and overturn the presidential election, even though Joe Biden won Michigan by more than 154,000 votes.Since then, local GOP leaders have replaced many of the Republican canvassers who upheld their oaths and voted to certify the results for Biden.Michelle Voorheis, a Republican canvasser in Genessee County until last year, is one of them. She says she wasn't re-nominated because she pushed back against false allegations of election fraud.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 right to an abortion in the United States appears closer than ever to being eliminated, after a draft of a majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked. Should it stand, the court's ruling wouldn't ban abortion nationwide, but would leave the decision up to individual states. Many Republican-led states are ready to enact their own bans, should Roe v. Wade be overturned, which could leave tens of millions of people without access to abortions.NPR congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and national correspondent Sarah McCammon explain the far-reaching effects this draft could have on abortion-rights advocates, as well as its potential impact on the midterm elections later this year.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.

Cases of COVID-19 have been surging throughout China. The country has implemented a stringent "zero-COVID" strategy that includes mass testing, limited travel and large-scale lockdowns. In Shanghai, many residents haven't been able to leave their homes. It's an eerie reminder of the lockdowns in Wuhan during the first year of the pandemic. NPR's international correspondent Rob Schmitz spoke with two residents of a housing complex in Shanghai about their experiences with the city's lockdown.There are some people who are leaving their homes – mainly to enforce China's "zero-COVID" plan. China has hired tens of thousands of temporary workers to test, isolate and lock down entire cities.Beijing correspondent Emily Feng spoke to a few of those workers, many of whom are poorly treated and underpaid. 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.

Communities of color are the most harshly affected by climate change in the United States. While the importance of environmental justice is becoming more mainstream, too often people in this movement who are Black, Indigenous and people of color are overlooked and left out of conversations about how to solve the crisis.Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist, policy expert and writer, wants the broader environmental movement to understand the crucial link between the fight to save the planet and the fight for racial justice.And we'll hear how the Donors of Color Network is working to increase philanthropic funding for environmental initiatives led by people of color.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.

Over the past two years, about 200 journalists across the country have been detained or arrested while on the job. Many were covering the social and racial justice protests that began after the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and NPR producer Marc Rivers look at the growing tension between police and the press through the lens of one March 2021 night at Echo Park Lake, when police detained at least 16 journalists.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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask mandate on planes, trains and buses ended earlier this month, and it came down, in part, to a judge's interpretation of the word "sanitation." U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle voided the mask requirement, citing a 1944 law that gives the CDC power to stop the spread of communicable diseases through measures like inspection, fumigation, disinfection and sanitation.Lawrence Gostin is a professor of public health law at Georgetown University. He explains what the 1944 Public Health Service Act did and why he thinks the judge's interpretation could have an impact on the United States' ability to respond to future health crises. Additional reporting by NPR's Pien Huang also appeared in this episode.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.

One Palestinian man's struggle to get life-saving medical care while living in the Gaza Strip highlights many lesser-seen victims of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Since the militant group Hamas took over Gaza 15 years ago, Israel's travel restrictions have resulted in many barriers for Palestinians seeking critical health care.Palestinians can try to get medical treatment both in and outside of Gaza, but need a travel permit to choose the latter. And while Israel grants thousands of travel permits a year, the timeline for securing one can be long. Some doctors have also fled Gaza. All of these factors can pose dangerous delays for vital treatment.NPR Jerusalem Correspondent Daniel Estrin followed one patient's difficult journey to get heart surgery.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.

Stephanie is one of nearly one million Americans who have died of COVID-19. Her family says Stephanie's death was avoidable, but in recent years, she had been drawn into conspiracy theories.She believed that the coronavirus was a hoax and refused to get vaccinated. When she got COVID-19 last winter, Stephanie refused treatments and eventually died just a few days after Christmas. While there is no way to know exactly how many people like Stephanie have died because they believed conspiracy theories, the Kaiser Family Foundation recently found that more than 200,000 Americans would be alive today, had they had been vaccinated. NPR's Geoff Brumfiel reports. 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.

Between the 1990s and late 2000s, people in Chechnya described Russia's wars there as a nightmare. Its former leader, Akhmad Kadyrov, resisted Russian forces. But today, the Muslim-majority Chechen Republic is ruled by Kadyrov's son, Ramzan. He's a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is accused of numerous human rights abuses and is also leading his own forces against Ukraine to aid the Kremlin. Rachel Denber, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia Division, explains Ramzan Kadyrov's stake in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre, who reported from Chechnya during the wars, also breaks down the republic's evolution over the last 25 years. 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.

You introduce yourself and then someone mispronounces your name. At that point you have to decide if you correct them or let it slide. For many people from immigrant communities, this has been a lifelong experience. And sometimes, it's about more than mispronunciation, it can signal exclusion and disrespect. Some people even change their names in order to fit in more easily and not be "othered."For years, LA Times columnist, Jean Guerrero, let people say her name without rolling their r's, the way it would be said in Spanish. But after becoming the target of MAGA trolls online, she decided to reclaim the proper Spanish pronunciation.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.

For years, most states have reported a shortage of special education teachers. Now, according to federal data, nearly every state is struggling to hire qualified educators. And when schools can't find a licensed teacher, they hire people who are willing to do the job, but lack the training. From member station WFYI in Indianapolis, Lee Gaines reports on what that means for students, and Dylan Peers McCoy reports on one approach — in Hawaii — that's helped to fill shortages. 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.

California's Reparations Task Force is preparing to release its first report on the impact of racism on African Americans in June. It's the next step for the Task Force, following a narrow vote late last month to exclude some Black residents from being eligible if and when a reparations plan becomes law. Under the current proposal, only those who can trace their lineage to enslaved or freed Black people before the end of the 19th century will qualify for reparations from the state. Some Black Californians are fine with that for now. State residents Derika Denell Gibson, Taiwo Kujichagulia-Seitu, and Kaelyn Sabal-Wilson discuss what reparations would mean to them.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 pains of every war ripple out beyond the borders of the conflict zone. And as the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on, the disruptions in the global food supply chain are beginning to deepen the already dire hunger crisis around the world. Ukraine and Russia combined export 30% of the world's wheat, in addition to other food supplies. Now, because of the ongoing war, the price of food worldwide is skyrocketing and 38 countries are facing acute food insecurity, meaning they are just one step from famine.NPR global health and development correspondent Nurith Aizenman reports on how the war is driving up prices. David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Programme, talks about how food insecurity looks inside of Ukraine, and what is to come for the rest of the world.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.

A federal judge struck down the CDC's mask mandate for public transportation on Monday, clearing the way for airlines and ride hailing companies to eliminate mask requirements for passengers. What might the change mean for travelers — especially those most vulnerable to infection or too young to be vaccinated? NPR science correspondents Selena Simmons-Duffin and Maria Godoy explain. NPR's Tamara Keith outlines the political implications for the Biden administration. 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.

Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter. His vision of the future may not pan out for the platform, but that vision represents what historian Jill Lepore calls 'extreme capitalism.' Lepore, a Harvard professor and New Yorker writer, is host of the podcast The Evening Rocket, where she examines what she calls Musk's extravagant, "extreme" capitalism — where stock prices are driven by earnings, and also by fantasies. NPR's Bobby Allyn also explains Twitter's effort to prevent Musk from gaining control of the company. 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.

More than 4.5 million Ukrainians have left their country since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. While many hope to return to Ukraine, they don't know when it will be safe to do so. As the war shows no sign of stopping, some refugees are beginning to integrate into life in their adoptive countries. One of those people is Anastasiia Konovalova. She used to be the head teacher at a primary school in Odesa, Ukraine, but fled to Bucharest, Romania after the war began. In a matter of weeks, she's managed to get a school for Ukrainian refugees up and running. With more than 600 Ukrainian children on a waitlist to attend, Konovalova is now thinking about what a future in Romania could look like for these refugee children. 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 weekend, followers of three major religions are observing some of their most sacred holidays. Many will do so together, in person, for the first time in years. Easter, Passover, and Ramadan all have their own symbolism and themes. And it's not a stretch to tie any of those themes to world events; from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine. We invited three faith leaders to tell us about the messages they're bringing to their congregations during a difficult time – and a holy time: Reverend Marshall Hatch of the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Senior Rabbi Ruth Zlotnick of Temple Beth Am in Seattle, and Imam Mohamed Herbert from The Islamic Society of Tulsa.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.

A U.S. House investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is entering its final phase before lawmakers' findings become public later this spring.As that probe continues, prosecutions are running on a parallel track. Dozens of defendants are now awaiting trial and being held in together in a single unit at a Washington, D.C. jail.While corrections officials have said the accused insurrectionists are being kept from the jail's general population "for their own safety and security," that decision has come with some unintended consequences, including a bitter divide among the defendants.Tom Dreisbach of NPR's Investigations team spoke to some of the defendants.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 past week, the world's attention has been focused on the death and destruction that's been discovered in Ukranian towns north of Kyiv after Russian forces withdrew. One of those towns — vistied by NPR — is Borodyanka. The carnage left behind by Russians is also a sign of what may be to come in the country's east, where a new offensive looms. NPR's Scott Detrow reported from Boyodyanka with producers Noah Caldwell and Kat Lonsdorf. Additional reporting this episode from correspondents Nathan Rott and Greg Myre.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.

Prices are up on everything from groceries, to rent, to gas, and consumer price inflation hit a new 40-year high in March: Up 8.5% over a year ago.This increase impacts everyone across the economic spectrum, but inflation poses a particular hardship for low-income families. And while the Biden administration has announced new steps to bring down gas prices and other visible signs of inflation, there's mounting political pressure to do more during this midterm election year.NPR Congressional Correspondent Kelsey Snell and Chief Economics Correspondent Scott Horsley break down the stakes for those hit hardest by inflation and for the government. Scott Horsley also speaks to economists who explain why they believe the U.S. might be in another recession soon. 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.

After taking control of Afghanistan last summer, the Taliban made promises for more inclusive and less repressive leadership in Afghanistan. Many of those promises involved maintaining women's rights. But now, education for girls has become more limited, and other restrictions have been placed on women. NPR's Diaa Hadid reports on what the uneven implementation of those policies suggests about Taliban leadership. And Kathy Gannon of The Associated Press reports on how the Taliban backtracking on some of its promises bodes for Afghanistan's future.Additional reporting in this episode also comes from NPR's Fatma Tanis.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.

More than 400,000 Ukrainian refugees have poured across the border into the small country of Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe. Wedged between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is a little bigger than Maryland, but it has received the most refugees per capita of any country in this crisis. Now Moldova is providing assistance and support to those who are choosing to stay in the country. Even as they open their doors to Ukrainian refugees, many in the small country fear they may be next in line for invasion by Russian forces. Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union shortly after its fall in 1991, but since then there have been Russian troops stationed in a separatist region of the country called Transnistria. Moldova fears it would not be able to fend off a Russian offensive. NPR's Frank Langfitt explains why Moldova is in such a perilous position, and we talk to aid workers about how they are supporting Ukranians fleeing war.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.

Michelle Yeoh has been a star for decades. American audiences will know her as a warrior in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or an icy matriarch in Crazy Rich Asians. Now, in Everything Everywhere All At Once, she's playing Chinese immigrant Evelyn Wang who is both a failure and possibly the key to saving the multiverse from a great chaos-spreading evil. Michelle Yeoh talks with NPR's Ailsa Chang about her journey through the multiverse, with all its wackiness, wonder and wisdom.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.

Reports of civilians being tortured and killed — and the accompanying images that have surfaced this week in the city of Bucha — have raised questions about potential war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. The Biden administration is assisting international investigators in looking into potential war crimes. And some experts say the evidence of such crimes is clear in this highly-documented conflict. But history shows that drawing a straight line between war crimes and heads of state is challenging. NPR's Scott Detrow spoke with senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, Yulia Gorbunova, about her reporting of alleged human rights violations in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine. NPR's Julie McCarthy examines what constitutes war crimes and the prospects of Russian President Vladimir Putin being held to account.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.

Many Americans haven't gotten an initial COVID-19 booster. A second one is authorized for some. Others are waiting to see if they can get one soon. Will everyone need them eventually? An FDA advisory committee met Wednesday to discuss what's next in America's booster strategy. Dr. Anthony Fauci tells NPR the path forward is paved with uncertainties — about whether more variants will arise, how long booster protection lasts, and what kind of funding will be available for research. Fauci spoke to NPR's Rob Stein, who explains what's likely for booster guidance later this fall. Whatever the future of the pandemic holds, public health officials are hoping to get early glimpses of it by monitoring waste water treatment plants. John Daley reports. 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.

Florida's Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade, was signed into law at the end of March by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Critics have dubbed this it the 'Don't Say Gay' law.A lawsuit has been filed against Gov. DeSantis by several LGBTQ rights advocates in an effort to block the law.NPR's Melissa Block spoke with a number of teachers across the state of Florida who are worried about the chilling effect this law may have on not just what they teach and speak about in the classroom, but how it affects their students' well-being.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.

Thousands of people who claim Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused them to develop cancer cannot sue the company, which used a controversial legal maneuver in bankruptcy court to freeze lawsuits against it.NPR's Brian Mann explains. More from his reporting here. Additional reporting this episode from NPR's Scott Horsley. 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.

Roger Latimer says he was beaten by guards in a security camera blind spot at Western Illinois Correctional Center. He complained at the prison. He complained to local officials. He asked medical staff to take pictures. Nothing happened. Then another prisoner, Larry Earvin, died after an altercation with guards in the same blind spot.In this episode of WBEZ Chicago's Motive podcast, host Shannon Heffernan tracks the pattern of beatings in that blind spot, surfacing nine additional cases, sometimes involving the same guards, using very similar behavior in the same location. We ask the question of why this pattern persisted, even as prisoners like Latimer tried to stop it.Season 4 of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried.Listen to Motive on Apple podcasts and Spotify.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, there has been intense focus on Russian oligarchs - elites with enormous wealth and close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The United States and international allies have imposed travel bans and economic sanctions on the billionaires, freezing accounts and impounding yachts and private jets. The goal is to disrupt the covert money funneled to Putin and his regime and to make the oligarch's lives difficult enough that they might pressure Putin to loosen his grip on Ukraine.Now President Biden's KleptoCapture task force faces the difficult and time consuming task of tracking down assets hidden in intricate webs of financial secrecy - many created by US regulations - that allow the oligarchy to hide their money and maintain power. We speak with Paul Massaro, a congressional foreign policy adviser who specializes in sanctions and illicit finance. 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.

Binge watching a show you love is enjoyable, but not always productive. But artists Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear turned their binge into a Grammy nomination.They were inspired by Season 1 of Netflix's series Bridgerton, and used that inspiration to write a full musical theater album. They didn't intend to write a full album, but as they workshopped the songs on social media, fans everywhere watched as Barlow & Bear wrote the songs live — offering followers a front row seat to the music making process. This weekend at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow will be in the audience waiting to hear if their album, The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, wins in the category of Best Musical Theater Album.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.

Researchers say the intersection between far-right movements and environmentalism is bigger than many people realize — and it's growing. Blair Taylor, researcher at the Institute for Social Ecology, explains. Alex Amend, who researches eco-fascism, says climate change will only fuel the link between the far-right and environmentalism. Dorceta Taylor of Yale University traces the rise of the American conversation movement, which was partly motivated by a backlash against the racial mixing of American cities. Hop Hopkins of the Sierra Club opens up about racism in the organization's past. 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.

Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is a longtime conservative activist who has been public about her views and support of former President Donald Trump. And text messages that surfaced last week showed that she went as far as peddling falsehoods about the 2020 election directly to former White House staff and urging them to overturn President Joe Biden's victory. Earlier this year, Clarence Thomas was the sole dissenter as the Supreme Court ruled to give a House select committee investigating the January 6th attack access to White House communications during that period. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on why this possible conflict of interest is a true dilemma for the court and spoke with legal experts about what should happen next. 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.

An omicron subvariant known as BA.2 could soon become the dominant form of the coronavirus in the United States. It's not more deadly, but it is more transmissible. At the same time, the Biden administration has authorized a second booster shot for people over 50 and other people vulnerable to infection. But against that backdrop, Congress has so far refused to authorize more COVID spending measures, which would fund the stockpiling of more vaccine doses and public health surveillance for emerging variants. NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin reports on the funding debate. NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff looks at another variant whose creation gives scientists insight into how COVID-19 variants change, and why.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 2008, Russia invaded another former Soviet republic: Georgia, a small country on the southeast edge of Europe. Today, Georgia is seeing an influx of Russians who are fleeing their home country in opposition to its invasion of Ukraine. Mary Louise Kelly traveled to Georgia to hear how people who live with Russian troops on their doorsteps are feeling as they watch the war in Ukraine play out. 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.

Even if you're not a fan of celebrity gossip, you've probably heard that there's something going on with the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. He's exhibited increasingly erratic behavior, including relentless online harassment of his ex-wife, reality TV queen Kim Kardashian and her current boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson. Now he's been banned from performing at the Grammys, and was recently suspended from Instagram for a day. For years Ye's behavior has been puzzling to observe - ranging from announcing plans to run for President, to moving into a windowless basement room inside of a stadium to complete his last album, to high profile feuds with everyone from Jay Z to Jimmy Kimmel. He has admitted that he struggles with bipolar disorder and that instead of medical treatment he uses his art as therapy.Fans, critics and those who write and talk seriously about the arts are just not sure how to talk about the situation.Aisha Harris of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour joins us to unpack some of the complexities. And we speak with mental health advocate Bassey Ikpi who offers a personal perspective on Ye's behavior._________________________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 film Flee has already made Oscars history: it's the first to be nominated for best documentary, animated feature and international film. Flee tells the story of a boy whose family left Afghanistan in the 1990s. Now an adult and identified by an alias to protect him and his family, Amin Nawabi reveals a painful secret about his childhood journey to Denmark—a secret he has told almost no one.The film opens with the question: "What does the word 'home' mean to you?"Nawabi gives NPR his first interview with a news outlet, along with the director of "Flee," Jonas Poher Rasmussen. 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, the average price for a gallon of gas in L.A. County crested six dollars — the highest in the country. The national average is up around 70 cents in the last month. The are a lot of complicated reasons why gas is more expensive — and a lot of ideas for how to make this easier on consumers. But none of them are quick or easy. NPR's Scott Horsley explains why drivers who are newly interested in purchasing an electric vehicle might not have a lot of options. NPR's Brittany Cronin reports on calls for more domestic oil production in the U.S. — and why it may take some time for that to happen. Here's more on why gas prices are so high from NPR's Chris Arnold. 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 NCAA's March Madness Tournament is upon us, and after over two years of pandemic restrictions at sporting events, stands are packed to full capacity with fans. Transformative changes are happening off of the court too: for the first time in March Madness history, college athletes can cash in on endorsement deals because of changes to the NCAA's Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policies, which are a result of a Supreme Court ruling last summer.While the new arena in college sports has been lucrative for athletes, with contracts reaching 7 figures, NIL advocates are concerned about the lack of legal and financial protections for students. We speak with Stewart Mandel, Editor-In-Chief of college football at The Athletic, about how the current nature of NIL deals may risk exploiting student-athletes.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.

Tuesday was the second day of Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings. She would be the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice, and the first Democratic nominee to be confirmed since Elena Kagan in 2010. A vote on her nomination could come in weeks, and Democrats have the votes to confirm her without Republican support. NPR political correspondent Juana Summers spoke to black women working to support Jackson's historic nomination. 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.

Inside Ukraine, millions of people have been displaced, with millions more living in increasingly dire conditions. In the city of Maruipol, hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped — with dwindling supplies of food and water and no electricity. Mariupol has been bombarded by the Russians for weeks now. Petro Andrushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor, told NPR civilians in bomb shelters are running out of food. Millions of others have fled Ukraine without knowing if or when they'll be able to return home. Amid that uncertainty, they must start a new life elsewhere. It's an experience only people who've been refugees can truly understand. Mary Louise Kelly talks with refugees from Vietnam, Syria, and Afghanistan about their experiences, how fleeing their home country has affected their life and what life is like 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.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Senate confirmation hearings begin next week for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. If she is confirmed she will be the first Black woman on the high court and the first public defender. Judge Jackson served as a federal public defender between 2005 and 2007. She defended several Guantanamo detainees and others accused of crimes, a fact that her critics use to suggest that she works to free terrorists and put criminals back on the street.The 6th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees every criminal defendant the right to an attorney. The right to have effective counsel, along with presumption of innocence are the basic principles of fairness in our legal system. But too often, having worked as a defense attorney is a stop sign on the road to the bench.We speak with Martin Sabelli, president of the board of directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He explains why our legal system needs more judges with a background in criminal defense.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.