Consider This from NPR

They survived some of the Afghanistan War's most grueling and treacherous missions. 

But once they evacuated to the U.S., many Afghan fighters who served in "Zero Units" found themselves spiraling. 

Among their ranks was Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man charged with killing one National Guard member and seriously injuring a second after opening fire on them in Wash...

The Trump administration is leaning into the once fringe idea of "reverse migration." 

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink and Brianna Scott.

It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Justine Kenin and Courtney Dornin...

The Catholic Church is wading into a deeply partisan issue. The Archbishop of Chicago weighs in.

This fall, the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz – an aggressive immigration crackdown campaign in Chicago.

It was met with outcry from many communities around the city including the Catholic Church, and that sentiment goes all the way to the very top of the Church with Pope Leo calli...

In September, the Trump administration began a series of strikes targeting what U.S. officials call "narcoterrorists" in small vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. 

Those strikes are ongoing and have killed more than 80 people. Then, in October, Venezuelan opposition leader M...

There's a growing fight in Hollywood over some of the biggest characters on screen, like Tony Soprano, Daenerys Targaryen and Harry Potter. All feature in shows and films owned by Warner Brothers Discovery, and now two companies are fighting to get a piece of the action. 

First, on Friday, Netflix struck an $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Brothers Studios and HBO. Then, just days later, Paramou...

New research from the Aspen Economic Strategy Group argues that the subsidies-or-no-subsidies approach to the Affordable Care Act debate is too narrow. Co-author of the paper 'Coverage isn't Care: An Abundance Agenda for Medicaid' Professor Craig Garthwaite tells NPR’s Miles Parks that solutions to make healthcare both more efficient and more affordable at scale are right in front of us.

At the recent Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, summit - which was attended by the U.S. Secretary of Health and the Vice President - the agenda showed a shift toward alternative medicine, wellness and nutrition and away from conventional medication. Most of the speakers were not academic researchers or doctors. To discuss what happens when government guidance moves away from scientific consensus, Miles Parks ...

When the Missouri legislature began to redraw maps mid-decade, it reminded a reporter of a very specific movie scene. 

The film was Air Bud, and although the plot focuses on a loophole that allows a dog to play basketball, some in Missouri say there are similarities to the battle over gerrymandering, and the result could have a lasting impact on the state’s government. ...

From building homes to ushering theater-goers to re-enacting medieval history for middle-schoolers – yes, you read that right – acts of volunteerism have remained vital for communities across the country. And not just for people in need.

This year, many volunteers have also reported seeing an increased need for food assistance across the country, as a temporary pause on the federal program known a...

By the midpoint of 2025, the U.S. was on track to set a new yearly record in the number of reported data breaches.

That’s according to data compiled by the Identity Theft Resource Center.

One reason is the proliferation of artificial intelligence, which has made the work of criminal hackers easier, cheaper and scalable.

What does that mean for the rest of us?

The CDC recently rewrote its vaccine guidance to suggest shots might cause autism, renewing false claims about vaccines and causing anxiety among parents. Physicians often deal with misinformation, but the difference is that it's now coming from the federal government. How do families know what guidance to trust?

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Dr. James Campbell, a practicing pediatri...

New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani built a coalition of voters who were engaged by his charisma and his campaign’s focus on key issues such as affordable transportation, housing and childcare. Mamdani has pointed to Boston mayor Michelle Wu, who was just re-elected in a landslide herself, as inspiration and for being “the most effective Democrat in America.” What can be learned from how progressive mayor...