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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign announcement on Twitter did not go as planned. A series of awkward technical glitches delayed the event for about 20 minutes. Nevertheless, it was still a big moment, not just for DeSantis, but for Twitter, too.In fact, Desantis' announcement is just one example of how the social media platform has changed since Elon Musk took over the company.NPR's Eric Deggans talks with writer Charlie Warzel, who has covered the platform for 15 years, about his latest piece in The Atlantic, "Twitter is a Far Right Social Network."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.

Tina Turner, one of Rock and Roll's greatest stars, died this week in her home in Switzerland at the age of 83, after a long period of illness.In a career that spanned six decades, Turner left behind an indelible legacy in music, on the stage and on screen. Host Eric Deggans looks back on her tumultuous, and triumphant, life. Also we answer whether the "Queen of Rock and Roll" was somehow still underappreciated.

Since its relaunch in the 1980s, Jeopardy! has had thousands of contestants. For some of the its most memorable champions, the gameshow has been a launchpad for wider success. However, the disappearance of one of the earliest champions from the show left fans mystified for decades.NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with Claire McNear, a staff writer with The Ringer, about the 40-year-long mystery behind one of Jeopardy's most enigmatic champions. 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 one year since an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and 2 teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy reignited debates around gun safety in America and has haunted a community still seeking to fully understand how law enforcement was so slow to take down the shooter. About a month after the shooting, Congress passed the most significant gun legislation since the Federal Assault Weapons ban of 1994, but many Republican led-states, including Texas, have resisted gun safety legislation, even loosening gun restrictions.Uvalde, too, is divided — between those who want stricter gun laws and those who oppose them, between those who want to mark a year since the massacre, and those who want to move on. And for the families who lost loved ones, they're still searching for justice, accountability, and healing. NPR's Adrian Florido reports from Uvalde. And we hear from Texas Tribune reporter Zach Despart about the police response to the shooting.

The United States has 27 years to reach its net-zero emissions goal. And among other initiatives to move towards that goal, the Biden administration is offering incentives for carbon dioxide removal. The development of carbon capture pipelines is seen as a way to remove gas from ethanol plants and store it deep underground.While the companies that build the pipelines say the will help the U.S. meet its greenhouse gas emissions by capturing and storing 15 million metric tons of CO2 each year they have also run into problems. In Iowa, farmers are pushing back against the pipelines crossing their land. And for a town in Mississippi, a CO2 pipeline endangered lives.NPR's Julia Simon reports from Satartia, Mississippi on the aftermath of a pipeline rupture. The Climate Investigations Center obtained recordings of the 911 calls from Satartia and shared them with NPR. Harvest Public Media's Katie Peikes also provided reporting 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.

The Hollywood writers' strike has meant three weeks of late-night comedy and soap opera reruns for television fans. And for some fans, it might feel familiar. 15 years ago a Writers Guild strike lasted 100 days. And the effect of that strike was felt on shows from Saturday Night Live to Friday Night Lights. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with veteran TV writer David Simon about the strike and the changing business practices in the entertainment industry.And writer and cultural critic Emily St. James explains how the 2007 WGA strike may have saved the life of an iconic character in Breaking Bad.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 Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recently recommended allowing birth control pills to be sold without a prescription.While more than 100 countries currently allow access to birth control pills over the counter, the U.S. is not one of them.Washington Senator Patty Murray says it's important that the pill is easily available - but also affordable.When - and if - that day comes and the pill is available over the counter, Murray wants to require insurance companies to cover the cost, free of charge.NPR's Sarah McCammon speaks with Senator Murray on the proposed legislation.And we hear the latest on the legal challenge to the abortion medication mifepristone, as attorneys gather in New Orleans at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to argue whether it should be removed from the market.NPR's Becky Sullivan and Selena Simmons-Duffin contributed reporting on the real-life experiences of individuals taking mifepristone.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.

Across the country, members of the class of COVID are graduating: students who started high school before the pandemic, then spent the end of their freshman year and subsequent years navigating a new reality.And it was a very difficult path. According to many studies there has been considerable learning loss for K-12 students throughout the pandemic. And a recent study from researchers at Harvard and Stanford shows that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities.NPR's Sarah McCammon talks with three graduating high school seniors about how they made it through remote learning and coped with social isolation, and what they learned about themselves.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.

Few stars shined brighter in the 80's than Michael J Fox, and when the '90s rolled around, he was still one of the top names in show biz. But in 1991, after a night of heavy drinking, Fox noticed a tremor developing in his right pinky, an early symptom symptom of Parkinson's Disease, a diagnosis that would change the course of his life.Fox speaks to NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer, about his new documentary "Still", and how he found meaning in sharing his disease with 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.

At least fourteen states in the US have passed laws or policies that limit or restrict gender-affirming care for young people. Republican lawmakers claim the bills are meant to protect kids, but most medical groups say the treatment is safe, effective and potentially live-saving. Even so, Republican leaders like Texas governor Greg Abbot compare gender-affirming care to child abuse. Meanwhile trans people, parents, and their supporters have protested outside of Republican controlled statehouses across the country. Florida has targeted gender-affirming care more than most other states. And on Wednesday, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed the latest such bill into law. It's gotten to the point where some trans youth are leaving the state, rather than living under the ban.With reporting from WUFS's Stephanie Columbini and WFSU's Regan McCarthy.

The state of Israel turned 75 this week. For many Israeli Jews, it's a moment of celebration - the nation was established as a homeland and refuge from the persecution they have faced throughout history.But in the war surrounding Israel's founding, the majority of Palestinian Arabs were permanently displaced from their homeland.Palestinians call the anniversary of Israel's founding "The Nakba", an Arabic word that translates to "the catastrophe." And many say the catastrophe is not history, it is ever present with the Israeli military occupation.NPR's Daniel Estrin tells the story of how one Palestinian family stays connected to their home village, decades after it was destroyed. 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.

Hospital emergency rooms saw some of the most painful scenes of the pandemic: beds filled to capacity, nurses and doctors risking sickness themselves, and patients dying without their loved ones.Today, ERs are still living with the consequences of the pandemic. They face staffing challenges, patients who delayed care and arrive sicker, and the lingering emotional strain.We visit an emergency room at a hospital outside Baltimore to hear how this moment looks to the doctors and nurses who work there.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.

On Thursday, the Biden administration lifted title 42, a pandemic-era policy that shut down virtually all avenues for migrants to seek asylum in the US. In March of 2020 then president Trump invoked the rule as a public health emergency measure, allowing for the quick expulsion of migrants at the border. Now that Title 42 has been lifted, tens of thousands of migrants fleeing poverty, violence and political instability will be subjected to decades-old immigration laws that will allow them to stay in the country while their cases make their way through immigration court. But the process could cause a bottleneck at the border and strain federal, state and local government resources. How will the Biden administration respect asylum law and get control of the border, all while running a re-election campaign?Host Asma Khalid talks to White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Also NPR's Joel Rose provide a view from the southern border.

Sudan's month-long conflict has been a story of broken ceasefires, constant clashes, mass displacement and an exodus of refugees. Now, a conflict that started in the capital has spread across the country. At the center of this conflict is a bitter rivalry between two generals. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the country's military, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan is Africa's third largest country, it shares a border with seven other countries in an already volatile region. The longer the conflict drags on, the greater the risk that it could erupt into a civil war - and the greater the danger that the conflict could spill over into surrounding countries.NPR's Asma Khalid speaks with Africa correspondent Emanuel Akinwotu, Middle East correspondent Aya Batrawy, and Michele Kelemen who covers the U.S. State Department. 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.

On Wednesday, after a week of demonstrations, New York City mayor Eric Adams made some of his most forceful comments about the death of Jordan Neely – a homeless Black man who died on a subway train last week when another passenger - Daniel Penny, who's white - held him in a chokehold. While Mayor Adams said that Neely should not have died, he did not call for Penny to be arrested and charged with Neely's death. Jordan Neely's death raises difficult questions – about race, class, justice, and society's responsibility to care for those in need. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Milton Perez, head of the Homelessness Union of VOCAL-New York, on how New York is succeeding and failing at providing services for people who are living on the streets.

In addition to being one of country music's biggest icons, Dolly Parton is also a prolific philanthropist. One of the most important causes she's dedicated herself to is child literacy, which she does through both the work of her non-profit organization the Imagination Library, as well as by being a writer of children's books.Parton newest book Billy the Kid Makes It Big! and she spoke with NPR's Melissa Block about writing for children, standing up to bullies, and why her program to deliver books to children meant so much to her dad. 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.

No matter how you measure it, there is a lot of parking in the U.S. According to some estimates there are as many as six parking spaces for every car. Put another way, America devotes more square footage to storing cars than housing people.Henry Grabar walks through how we got here, and what Americans have sacrificed on the altar of parking. From affordable housing to walkable neighborhoods to untold hours spent circling the block, hunting for a free spot. His new book is Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains 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.

Sudan's capital city Khartoum has been embroiled in a vicious urban battle between rival armies for nearly two weeks. With the country on the brink of collapse, Residents Muhjah Khateeb, and her son have to make the difficult decision to leave their home and everything they have, behind. We hear excerpts from the audio diary that Khateeb recorded as they undertook the harrowing journey.NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu reported her story.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.

Jonathan Mitchell devised the legal strategy behind SB 8, a near-total ban on abortion in Texas. That legislation pioneered the idea of allowing private citizens to file lawsuits against people they suspected of helping provide access to abortion. Mitchell is also involved in similar efforts by conservative activists in other states. NPR'S Sarah McCammon profiles the Austin, Texas-based attorney. 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 new advisory out this week from the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has deemed loneliness a public health challenge that needs immediate attention. And some of those most severely affected are young people.But it's not just loneliness. Across the country, kids are struggling with challenges to their mental health - from social isolation to poor grades at school. NPR's Sarah McCammon speaks to Lisa Damour, a psychologist, and author of the book "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents", about what's going on with kids and how they can be helped.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.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has put the Supreme Court, again, under scrutiny. Reports show that conservative billionaire Harlan Crow paid boarding school tuition for Justice Thomas' grand-nephew.Revelations about the private dealings of other supreme court justices are shaking the already fragile public confidence in the institution.NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with independent Sen. Angus King of Maine about what needs to be done in order to create a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court.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.

Union writers in Hollywood have put down their pens and reached for picket signs, after the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to reach an agreement on a new contract.Some television shows and movies with finished scripts can continue filming, but other productions, like late-night talk shows, may soon be in reruns.NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with TV writer and WGA captain Jeane Phan Wong about what union members want and what's getting in the way.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.

Eastwind Books in Berkeley, California, has closed its doors. It was one of the oldest Asian-American bookstores in the country. For decades, the store functioned as a cultural hub, not only for the Asian-American community, but for a variety of marginalized groups.NPR's Ailsa Chang spoke with co-owner Harvey Dong about the bookstore's history and legacy. 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.

Lots of colleges and universities have announced tuition hikes for the upcoming school year, just as inflation is taking a bite out of many families' budgets.Still, NPR's Elissa Nadworny explains that the real cost of college for most students has actually been falling for the past few years, after decades of growth.But college is still very expensive, and it can feel out of reach for some students. Two Washington, D.C. high school students explain how they're trying to make the math work.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, nobody was surprised when President Joe Biden officially announced he is running for re-election. Framing it as a battle for the soul of the country, Biden did not mention Republican frontrunner Donald Trump by name but he took aim at "MAGA extremists".At 80, Biden is already the oldest president in US history, and even among Democrats it's become an issue. And while some hoped a younger candidate might emerge - and maybe that person would be Vice President Kamala Harris, she has faced doubts from within the party as well. Host Sarah McCammon talks with NPR's White House correspondent Scott Detrow about the potential hurdles facing Biden and Harris on the road to reelection. And Boston Globe columnist Renée Graham weighs in on why some people will criticize Kamala Harris no matter what she does.

Several U.S. states have passed bills restricting or banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, while other states have enacted measures to protect access to that care. What does that say about the future of trans rights in America?NPR's Melissa Block speaks with three trans Americans about the progress that's been made in regards to trans rights, and how those same rights are currently under attack.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 idea that social media use has helped fuel an increase in anxiety, depression and loneliness among teenagers was once controversial. But a series of studies are helping researchers understand how much of a correlation exists between the two. NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff tells us about Jean Twenge, a researcher who first raised the alarm in 2017, and about other researchers who have recently released studies on this topic.And NPR's Allison Aubrey shares some advice from another study looking into ways to minimize social media's impact.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.

Fox's statement announcing the departure of Tucker Carlson, it's most watched primetime host, was a terse four sentences. "FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways," it read.Carlson's brand of divisive and conspiracy theory-laden rhetoric helped fuel Fox's audience numbers. So what happens now that he is gone? And where will Carlson go?Mary Louise Kelly discusses all of the above with correspondents Shannon Bond and David Folkenflik, who cover misinformation and media matters for NPR.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 has officially ended the national emergency that was declared during the COVID-19 pandemic. But so farthere's been no official commission to look into how the country could be better prepared for the next pandemic.Now, the non-partisan Covid Crisis Group has issued a report titled "Lessons from the Covid War." NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with the group's director, Philip Zelikow, about the report's findings.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 amid mass layoffs in tech and other sectors, the economy is still adding jobs. Even tech jobs.NPR's Andrea Hsu reports on a program that recruits and trains workers to enter the tech pipeline. And NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Dana Peterson, chief economist with the Conference Board, about some of the broader trends in the labor market and what they could mean for job seekers.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.

Newspapers and intrepid reporters are at the heart of hundreds of movies - think Citizen Kane, All The President's Men -and have always been a big part of American culture. But in recent decades, the rise of digital news has led to the steady decline of print. And while big papers like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post still distribute print editions – small, local papers have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Add to that the consolidation of news outlets by big companies like Gannett and Alden Global Capital. Both companies have been buying regional newspapers, only to reduce the reporting staff, or completely dismantle an operation, focusing on turning a profit.Research has shown that when local newspapers are lost affected communities experience lower voter turnout, decreased civic engagement, and increased polarization.Host Adrian Florido speaks with Joshua Benton of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University on the increasing number of news deserts. And we hear from journalist Ashley White about the difficulties of providing a Louisiana community with news and information at a newspaper undergoing drastic reductions.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is back at work on Capitol Hill after taking leave to seek treatment for clinical depression. It is rare for a sitting politician to publicly discuss their mental health. But Sen. Fetterman sat down with NPR's Scott Detrow to talk about what the past few months have been like and 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.

The past seven years in the United Kingdom have been intense. The country struggled through Brexit, royal scandals and the pandemic - and then Queen Elizabeth II died.NPR's global democracy correspondent Frank Langfitt covered the U.K. through all of this and more. As he wraps up his time in London, Frank reflects on all the history and drama he's covered in the last seven 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.

As Earth's climate warms, more ice is melting near the poles. And that is a huge driver of sea level rise around the globe. But some coastal communities are threatened by this more than others.Places like the Gulf coast of Texas, for example, are feeling the impact of melting ice in West Antarctica, thousands of miles away.NPR Climate Correspondent Rebecca Hersher traveled to Galveston, Texas, to see how that ice melt is affecting sea levels there and what experts are doing to prepare. This reporting is part of NPR's Beyond the Poles: The far-reaching dangers of melting ice series.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.

Just a few years before the violence and chaos currently engulfing Sudan, it seemed to be on a tenuous path toward democracy.NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu explains how two rival generals who had promised to transition the country to civilian rule are instead tearing it apart in a bloody power struggle.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.

While the country seemingly moves on from the pandemic, an estimated 15 million U.S. adults are suffering from long COVID. Scientists are trying to understand what causes some people to develop long COVID while others do not.NPR's Will Stone spoke with researchers and reports on a growing body of evidence that points to one possible explanation: viral reservoirs where the coronavirus can stick around in the body long after a person is initially infected.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.

Millions of children have left Ukraine since the Russian invasion. They have relocated across the country and the globe. And while these children are survivors, for many the emotional scars are difficult to heal.A team of NPR journalists spent months following the stories of 27 kindergarten students - 6-year-olds - who were forced to leave their homes and school in the northeast city of Kharkiv in Ukraine when Russian troops invaded. Two of the children, Aurora and Daniel, were best friends. Always together in class - inseparable – until they were forced apart by war. Daniel and his family fled to New York. Aurora and her parents ended up in Spain.Host Elissa Nadworny speaks with the children and their parents about how they are learning to live without each other in a world where they have already lost so much. And a psychologist discusses the strength and resilience of kids in the face of trauma.

The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled ambitious new emissions rules this week. The agency estimates car makers would need up to 67% of their new vehicle sales to be electric by 2032 in order to comply with the stricter standards.Michelle Krebs, executive analyst with Cox Automotive says the changes "reinvent the vehicle" and will require a reinvention of the auto industry.In the face of these impending changes, Keith Barry, an automotive reporter for Consumer Reports, walks through what prospective electric vehicle buyers should be considering.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.

Syria is buckling under the stresses caused by civil war, a brutal dictatorship, punishing international sanctions, and most recently the devastation caused by earthquakes in the region last February.At the same time, the effectiveness of sanctions meant to hurt and isolate the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad is being questioned. Recently, a group of former U.S. officials and Syria experts urged President Biden to rethink U.S. policy and make sanctions more effective. NPR's Aya Batrawy traveled to a government-controlled area of Syria to learn more about what life under sanctions is like there.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.

Millions of Ukrainian children had their schooling interrupted by Russia's invasion. The war has also shaped their childhood in lasting ways. NPR's Elissa Nadworny visited a kindergarten classroom in Kharkiv, Ukraine, that was hit by Russian artillery last August. She set out to find out what happened to the children who had been students there.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.

Democrats and Republicans disagree on a lot of issues. But there's a growing consenus in both parites that China represents a threat to the U.S. And some worry that the rise in anti-China rhetoric could pave the way for xenophobia against Asian-Americans.Congresswoman Judy Chu, D-Calif., is concerned about that. She herself has been accused of disloyalty by a fellow lawmaker, and she says she worries about a "new McCarthyism," in the Republican Party.And Erika Lee, a professor of history and Asian-American studies at the University of Minnesota, says there's a long American history of national security concerns fueling xenophobia.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 majority of the Nashville Metro Council supports reappointing former state Representative Justin Jones to the seat he was expelled from last week. Jones was one of two Democrats ousted by the Republican-controlled Tennessee state legislature after taking part in protests calling for stricter gun control in the state.NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Nashville Council Member-At-Large Zulfat Saura about her vote to send Jones back to the State House.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.