State of Ukraine

President Trump approaches Middle East peacemaking as a business deal. In today's episode we go to Israel and the Palestinian territory of the West Bank to hear about the different ways that those economies are being affected by war, and what that means for the peace process going forward.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the past year, President Trump has often threatened or turned to military force. Yet he likes to present himself as a peacemaker, and that includes his new plan for a global Board of Peace. We hear from two NPR correspondents about what the Board of Peace could be.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Despite dozens of lethal U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, figures show drug flows to the U.S. continue to rise and coastal communities in countries like Colombia are paying the price.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In Israel, families whose sons have died in the war in Gaza have the option of having sperm samples retrieved for future offspring. Many have agreed to the procedure. That has raised complicated questions of what can and should be done with this genetic material. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dollars are trickling back into Venezuela, they're the proceeds from the oil seized and by the U.S. That is helping to stabilize runaway prices in Venezuela—at least on paper. But for ordinary shoppers in Caracas, market prices remain dizzying, and families still struggle to make ends meet.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The booming population along coastal corridor from the cities Lagos to Abidjan has the potential to be a bustling West African economic engine, tied together by a long-promised superhighway that could slash travel time and supercharge trade. But the task of harnessing that potential has barely been met. We travel along a section of the road to understand why.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We meet a woman in India who estimates she has dozens of biological children. And she says there are many more women like her, because India has a thriving black market for human eggs. Rules constraining the supply of donated eggs, have given rise to this underground supply which have risks for the women giving up their eggs. Our reporter investigates.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It has been a year since President Donald Trump took office for his second term. And in that year many relationships between the United States and countries around the world have begun to be redefined. In this episode, a conversation between four of NPR's international correspondents in Great Britain, Russia, China and Mexico about how global politics have changed in the last year.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In 1955, Ruth Ellis was hanged for killing her abusive partner, a scandal that gripped the nation. But the murder investigation was flawed and incomplete, and eventually, Ellis' case was a catalyst for abolishing Britain's death penalty. 70 years later, her family is seeking a posthumous pardon.  Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

About two weeks ago, the United States military captured Venezuela's president, Nicholas Maduro. Since then President Trump has spoken to Venezuela's interim president, who was a key figure in Maduro's government, and has welcomed Venezuela's opposition leader to the White House. We look at what lies in the future for Venezuela and its relationship with the U.S. And the challenges for prosecutors who are seeking to convict Maduro on drug trafficking and other charges in a New York court.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, says the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is beginning. He said “phase two” will establish a new Palestinian administration in Gaza, and begin the full demilitarization and rebuilding of the territory. Our reporter tells us what all of this could mean for Gaza in practice. And we hear reaction to the plan from people living in Gaza City.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Protests are sweeping Iran and the government is cracking down hard, fearing the uprisings pose a threat to the theocratic regime. There is an internet blackout in the country making it hard to get information. We hear a rare first-person account of the protests from a Johns Hopkins professor who visits the Iran frequently and who recently attended a protest there.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It has been three months since the ceasefire in Gaza began and food that is desperately needed after being largely blocked for two years has begun returning by the truckload. We go to Gaza City to see what kind of food is arriving and where it is going.And we visit a haven in Tel Aviv for Jews and Palestinians to interact amid heightened tensions. In a nail salon.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In Iran, popular protests continue to sweep the country. Rights groups say hundreds of Iranians have been killed in the government crackdown on the protests, which are seen as a challenge to the theocratic regime. President Trump has warned he may hit Iran “very hard” for the violence against protesters. He also said the U.S. was set to meet with Iranian officials. Iran has said channels of communication with the U.S. remain “open”. Our reporter brings us up to speed on what we know about events inside Iran. And an we hear from an Iranian-American analyst about why the protests in Iran this time are different.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A new NPR/Ipsos poll found Americans across the political spectrum want the U.S. to be the moral leader of the world, but far fewer believe it actually is.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is now is the U.S. But back in Venezuela, the country's new leadership looks a lot like the old. We look at who's now leading the government in Caracas.  Also, President Trump ran on a campaign of no US involvement in foreign wars. But since he took office, the US military has struck Iran, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria and Venezuela, and made threats against others. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After a two-week chase, U.S. forces have seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the north Atlantic between Iceland and Britain. The tanker was originally bound for Venezuela, but changed course to avoid the U.S. ships, setting off an extended drama at sea. And Danes and Greenlanders respond to President Donald Trump's remarks that Greenland should be annexed by the U.S.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Eyder Peralta is in Colombia on the border with Venezuela, and speaks with residents days after American forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the U.S. And President Trump's comments about Greenland dominate a meeting of world leaders gathering to discuss Ukraine.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. seized Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro during a weekend attack on the country. Maduro and his wife are now in the U.S. and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in federal court in Manhattan. We hear the latest and look back at Maduro's political career. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit the story of an NPR journalist in Gaza seeking food from a distribution site run by private American contractors in June of 2025. In a harrowing experience he found himself facing Israeli military fire, crowds fighting for rations, and masked thieves.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year we revisit the story of the olive ridley turtle in India.  Their population has rebounded after years of efforts to stem their decline.  We go to a turtle festival on India's coast and hear tourists cheer on turtle hatchlings as they head to the ocean.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit a story about families from Ireland learning their full history. There, the Catholic Church once ran homes for unwed mothers. Until recently the church dominated life in Ireland and pregnancy outside marriage was considered shameful. Behind one of these homes a ghastly discovery has recently been made. It was a secret most people in the town knew about, but no one took any action until recently. And through reporting the story, our correspondent learned of a personal connection to this history.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit the story of an important typewriter.  It was  recently discovered in a basement in upstate New York and it holds important clues about the origins of Chinese computing. The discovery also raises questions about language and culture.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year we revisit a story about a Ukrainian youth orchestra.  Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the country has been hit with more than 50,000 drone strikes. The constant threats of war have changed many things about life in Ukraine, including the way the night time sounds. We meet members of a youth orchestra outside Kyiv who are marking the new sounds of their country with a sonic poem.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year we revisit a story about how Europe is experiencing a changing climate.  It is the world's fastest warming continent with temperatures there increasing at twice the average global rate. That is melting Europe's glaciers, which may disappear by the end of the century, forever altering the continent's rivers with ripple effects on shipping. We go to the water's source in the Swiss Alps to understand the changes taking place.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit a report from America's neighbor to the north last April.  Canada has seen wide ranging impacts from the tariffs on goods sent to the U.S.— from Canadian identity to the country's politics and of course the economy. Even small businesses are feeling the change. We go to the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia to see how tariffs are playing out.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit a report from a remote corner of southeastern Syria near the border with Jordan.  There some 7,000 people were trapped in a refugee camp for years. They had fled Syrian regime forces and ISIS attacks and had nowhere else they could go. Our reporter was the first person to visit the camp, after the Syrian regime fell.  We get an update on where those residents are now.Support our non-profit journalism by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.orgLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year we get a glimpse inside the shattered city of Khartoum, Sudan, in April of 2025.  The capital city was destroyed by the two-year civil war and is in the process of trying to recover.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit the story of the defiant Austrian nuns.  The three sisters, all in their 80's, recently ran away from a nursing home. With the help of supporters, and a locksmith, they broke into their former convent in defiance of church orders. They're determined to fulfill their vows and grow old on their own terms. These sisters are have taken Instagram by storm where they're being supported by a growing community. We go to Salzburg to meet them.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Cuba today feels more isolated than ever after years of sanctions from the United States have severely damaged the economy. Now Cubans are watching the U.S. ramp up pressure on the government of Venezuela, Cuba's most loyal ally and an important trading partner. Our reporter in Havana talks to some Cubans about the current moment.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump has ordered a ban on all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, escalating pressure on the country's president. Venezuelans tell us that in a country long battered by shortages, it's just another crisis to endure.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Myanmar, also known as Burma, will hold a phased general election starting later this month. It comes amidst a years long civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions. And it is being called by a military government that seized power in a coup four years ago. We learn about the lengths the leadership is going to in order to convince the world to accept the election's results.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

One method of combating extreme poverty is providing cash grants to allow people to start businesses. We go to Uganda to take a look at one such program that has changed their model in an effort to increase the impact of their support. And the changes caused intended consequences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jews in Israel had been looking forward to the Hanukkah holiday this year, since recent public celebrations had been curtailed first by COVID and then the wars that followed the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. But this year's celebration is happening in the aftermath of a horrific attack on a Hanukkah event in Australia that killed at least 15. We go to Tel Aviv to hear how people are feeling about the holiday this year.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NPR recently met with a senior Hamas leader on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar as the organization prepares to negotiate the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire. He says Hamas is willing to lay down its weapons for up to ten years. Our correspondent gives us the highlights of the conversation.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Physical maps might feel out of date in our smartphone and GPS age but maps aren't just for navigation. They are windows into history, culture and how we perceive the world. We visit a map library in Maine to see what maps can tells about the planet and ourselves.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Life for Russians has changed in myriad ways since the start of the full scale war in Ukraine in 2022. It has affected everything from what they can say to what they can buy. But perhaps the most far reaching change is in what Russians learn. Our correspondent in Moscow tells us about a new undercover documentary that shows the changes to Russian schools.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The mayor of a city in the state of Michoacan, Mexico launched a full-frontal assault on organized crime in his community. Last month he was assassinated by a lone gunman. His death has lead to a protests across Mexico and calls for more to be done to combat drug cartels and corruption. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Even as Ukraine is engaged in high stakes peace talks with the U.S. and Russia, the country is dealing with a massive corruption scandal which has reached very high levels of the government. Though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not been implicated, it has been a challenge for him. We go to Kyiv to get reaction from Ukrainians. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Today's episode explores a pair of business stories in China that may be unexpected. We hear about the robust service industry springing up as young people in China increasingly choose having pets over having children. And we go to the Chinese town where nearly all of an iconic Russian handicraft are actually produced.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Americans' most loved Italian food staple could soon double in price or disappear from U.S. supermarket shelves following tariffs imposed by the Trump administration that could go into force from January. Our reporter in Rome explores why the tariffs are being applied and what it could mean for Italian producers and U.S. consumers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Moscow this week to present the revised Ukraine peace proposal. We'll hear how they were received. And Marco Rubio won't attend a NATO meeting of foreign ministers about Ukraine, the first time in more than 20 years the U.S. Secretary of State won't be at such a meeting. We'll get reaction from Europe. And we'll hear from a former U.S. ambassador to NATO on what the alliance's role in a Ukraine peace deal should be. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy