Consider This from NPR

President Trump is deepening the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, despite the government coming under fire for human right abuses, despite the concerns the prince himself ordered the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

Why is Saudi Arabia such an important ally for the United States? 

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ ...

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 Conn...

It's been six months since a tornado hit St. Louis and damaged more than five thousand buildings and homes. 

Residents and local officials say the Trump administration's new policy on federal disaster assistance has meant they have been left to do the work traditionally done by FEMA.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or...

At a recent gathering of Swiss business executives in the White House, the CEO of Rolex presented President Trump with a gold-plated desk clock.

The CEO of a precious-metals company presented the president with an engraved gold bar.

They were not the official representatives of Switzerland’s economic agenda – but the following week, their government announced a trade deal that drastically lowere...

A group of National Guard members in Ohio are using an encrypted group chat to work out how they're feeling as President Trump deploys Guard troops to several U.S. cities.

It’s become a place for existential questions about their service, careers…and country. 

NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf flew to Ohio to meet some of them.

For sponsor-free ep...

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released emails to and from Jeffrey Epstein that suggest Donald Trump may have known about Epstein’s sex-abuse operations.

In one, Epstein writes that Trump “knew about the girls.”

The White House has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by Trump or meaningful connection to Epstein’s alleged crimes, and downplayed the new revelations a...

When John Fetterman won Pennsylvania's senate seat in 2022, Democrats across the country treated him as a hero and an example of a path forward for the party in the populist Trump era. 

Three years later, he often finds himself at odds with his party – most recently, on the governm...

The FDA is removing the black box warning on estrogen therapy after two decades. Should it?

Women who want to use estrogen to treat menopause symptoms often face a difficult choice.

That’s because those hormone treatments contain a “black-box warning.”

The Food and Drug...

Tuesday’s election was the first time voters registered how they’re feeling since President Trump entered the White House.

And after Democratic candidates won marquee races in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, the answer was clear: they are not happy with the party in power.

So what are the two major political parties taking away from this week?

NPR corresponde...

Next year, the Supreme Court will decide whether the President can use a five decade old emergency powers act to shape the U.S. economy.

Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or AYEEPA, last spring when he imposed sweeping tariffs of at least 10 percent across all countries.

Wednesday, the nine justices heard oral arguments in the case. And however ...

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a major case about the administration’s use of tariffs. 

President Trump has long touted the power of tariffs as a tool for trade negotiations and even for ending conflict. 

But now the justices will hear about how that tool may be misused. 

NPR's Scott Horsley and Danielle Kurtzleben discuss President Trump's ta...

Every year the President of the United States determines how many refugees can enter this country. The law says he must consult Congress on this number. 

But last week President Trump announced just 7,500 refugees would be admitted in the coming fiscal year – a 94% cut from the 125,000 cap set by President Joe Biden.

Sharif Aly leads the International Refugee Assistance Project - a...

From recording a snoring elephant to figuring out how to be a mime during an interview, three former print journalists talk about how telling an audio story is special.

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 Linah Mohammad. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our exe...

Voters head to the polls next week in California, Virginia and New Jersey among other states. 

Senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro explain what they are watching in these elections — and what voters’ choices might say about the political moment.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up f...