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Here & Now Anytime
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The news you need to know today — and the stories that will stick with you tomorrow. Plus, special series and behind-the-scenes extras from Here & Now hosts Robin Young and Scott Tong with help from Producer Chris Bentley and the team at NPR and WBUR.
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The loneliness cure: How to break the cycle and build connections
Feb 14, 202500:28:10Tap to summarizeA recent Gallup Poll showed that 1 in 5 American adults reports feeling lonely every single day. It's something that former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called a "national epidemic of loneliness and isolation." We hear from Murthy about the broader impact of loneliness. Then, experts say that loneliness and social isolation carry the same health risks as smoking. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychology and neuroscience professor, joins us to discuss how to break the cycle of loneliness and build more social connections in our lives. And, the longest scientific study of happiness has found that strong relationships stand out as the key. Dr. Robert Waldinger talks about what the study shows about the importance of relationships, how they benefit overall health, and how we can improve our own personal connections at any stage of life.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →Trump and Putin will negotiate peace talks. But will Ukraine be at the table?
Feb 13, 202500:20:45Tap to summarizePresident Trump says Russia has agreed to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine's European allies insist any peace talks must include Ukraine. Ukrainian security analyst Maria Avdeeva joins us. And, after the devastating wildfires in Southern California torched thousands of homes, experts are worried that already-high real estate prices will skyrocket. Los Angeles County real estate agent Richard Schulman shares a picture of what the post-fire real estate market might look like. Then, employers are increasingly using personality tests in their hiring processes. Wall Street Journal columnist Callum Borchers explains the trend.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →What does it really mean to run government 'like a business'?
Feb 12, 202500:26:20Tap to summarizeThe idea that running the federal government like a business would improve how it functions has been around for many decades. Elaine Kamarck, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former Clinton administration who worked on government efficiency efforts, talks about President Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to streamline the government. The U.S. Department of Education is the latest federal agency to wind up on Trump's chopping block. Jon Valant, director of the Brookings Institution's Brown Center on Education Policy, joins us to explain what this means for schools around the country. Then, Trump has made numerous claims about taking control of Gaza over the past week, referring to it as "a big real estate site" and putting forth plans to redevelop it under U.S. ownership. Khaled Elgindy, visiting scholar at Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, joins us. And, Trump says he's directed the Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies. Jeff Gore, founder of the group Citizens to Retire the U.S. Penny, explains why it might make 'cents' to retire the coin.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →Have Democrats given up on opposing Trump?
Feb 11, 202500:19:33Tap to summarizeMinority Whip Katherine Clark explains what the Democratic Party is doing to push back on President Trump and Republican leadership in Congress. And, After President Trump signed an executive order for 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, many U.S. trade partners threatened retaliation. Roben Farzad of the podcast "Full Disclosure" discusses what the impact of these tariffs could be. Then, some American foreign service workers abroad have been ordered to report home as Trump moves to reduce the scope of the federal government. Thomas Yazdgerdi — president of the American Foreign Service Association — shares what he's been hearing from workers abroad.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →Courts can't keep up with Trump and Musk
Feb 10, 202500:27:34Tap to summarizeFederal judges have paused some Trump administration efforts to slash government programs and fire federal workers, but cases are piling up. Politico's Kyle Cheney tells us more. Then, the National Institutes of Health just announced a funding cap for universities, research hospitals and other scientific institutions. Biomedical researchers have criticized the move and warned that it would damage the development of life-saving technologies. We discuss the impact with Ars Technica's John Timmer. And amid data purges by the Trump administration, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, the interim CEO of the American Cancer Society, talks about the risks of inadequate access to federal health data. Plus, Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway, a Democrat, disagrees with the immigration and trade policies that have emerged in the early days of the second Trump administration. He tells us why.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →Trump to put most USAID employees on leave
Feb 7, 202500:21:12Tap to summarizePresident Trump is set to put all but a few hundred USAID employees on leave, prompting lawsuits from unions that represent foreign service officers. Politico's Nahal Toosi joins us to discuss. And, produce importers in the border city of Nogales, Arizona, are feeling spooked by Trump's lingering threat of tariffs on goods from Mexico. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd reports. Then, a discovery in southern Arizona could potentially be the oldest firearms ever found in the U.S. Research archeologist Deni Seymour, who dug up the canons, shares more about what she found.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →Trump's plan to detain migrants at Guantánamo Bay before deportation
Feb 6, 202500:25:59Tap to summarizeTen migrants have been sent from the U.S. to Guantánamo Bay to be held in a military prison that has housed al-Qaida members. NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks about the first people sent there and the legal challenges that loom around President Trump's plans for the migrants. Then, many Nicaraguan farmworkers in Wisconsin are staying home, keeping a low profile in anticipation of mass deportations promised by Trump. ProPublica's Melissa Sanchez tells us more. And, Trump's decision to put most staffers on leave from the U.S. Agency for International Development is impacting farmers in the U.S. who grow food that is distributed as part of the Food for Peace program. Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union, joins us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →'Destruction, drama and delusion': Trump wants the U.S. to 'own' Gaza
Feb 5, 202500:21:40Tap to summarizeDuring his meeting with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump suggested the U.S. take over the Gaza Strip after displaced Palestinians are relocated. Palestinian American journalist Rami Khouri joins us. And, the Trump administration gave federal employees a Feb. 6 deadline to quit their jobs in exchange for pay and benefits through September. But the terms of the deal keep changing. Law professor Nick Bednar explains the uncertainty and legal questions. Then, Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced concerns about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal during a recent trip to Panama. Bloomberg's Eric Martin breaks down the history of China's relationship to the Panama Canal.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →Elon Musk's 'special' status in government
Feb 4, 202500:28:08Tap to summarizeIn the past few days, Elon Musk has been very busy with his unpaid, part-time job as a special government employee. Law professor Richard Painter talks about the limits of Musk's power to eliminate entire agencies and their employees. Then, we unpack the latest moves in Trump's second administration through a historical lens, with Princeton University historian Julian Zelizer. And, then a global view of President Trump's threatened trade war. First, the U.S. has imposed new 10% tariffs on goods from China, and China responded by imposing 15% tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas from the U.S. NPR's John Ruwitch joins us from Beijing. Then, tariffs on goods from Mexico are on hold for now. Washington Post reporter Mary Beth Sheridan tells us more. And, after Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke on Monday, the U.S. also has held off on imposing tariffs on all goods from Canada. We hear from the University of Toronto's Peter Morrow.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Transcribe →What to expect from Trump's tariffs
Feb 3, 202500:24:49Tap to summarizeThe U.S. and Mexico agree to put tariffs on hold for the next month, averting for now a trade war with one of the U.S.'s largest trading partners. Tariffs on goods from China and Canada are still set to take effect. Yale University's Amit Khandelwal joins us to discuss the economic impact of tariffs. Then, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appointed himself the acting director of U.S. Agency for International Development or USAID after Trump adviser Elon Musk said he was shutting down the agency. NPR's Franco Ordoñez breaks down what's happening. And, The Grammys saw the crowning of Beyoncé in a first Best Album and Best Country Album win. We get the latest with Jill Mapes of Hearing Things.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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