• How Pam Bondi has reshaped the Justice Department
    Feb 10 2026

    Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, where she’s likely to face questions about the Epstein Files, the Minnesota immigration crackdown and the attempt to prosecute several of President Trump’s perceived political enemies.

    NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with Pulitzer-Prize-winning investigative journalist Carol Leonnig about how Bondi has reshaped the Department of Justice, and what she’s expecting to hear in Wednesday’s testimony.

    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 Jeffrey Pierre and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Courtney Dorning.

    Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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    11 mins
  • How the Epstein files are upending U.K. politics
    Feb 9 2026

    The latest disclosure from the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein is threatening the U.K. ruling government.

    New documents have led Peter Mandelson, a former ambassador to the U.S., to resign from Britain’s House of Lords and from the Labour Party.

    The fallout has already claimed two key staff members close to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and some in his own party are calling for him to step down too.

    Edward Luce, chief U.S. commentator for the Financial Times, helps explain the scandal – and why the reaction in the U.K. differs from the U.S.

    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 Jordan-Marie Smith and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Michael Levitt. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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    10 mins
  • What does it mean when the president urges Republicans to "nationalize the voting"?
    Feb 8 2026

    The power to regulate federal elections rests with states and Congress, according to the Constitution. Yet President Trump repeatedly questioned the integrity of election systems, despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and in recent days has urged Republicans to take over voting operations in a number of states. Wendy Weiser, the vice president for democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School, a think tank and voting rights advocacy group, examines the administration’s actions ahead of the midterm elections.


    This episode was produced by Henry Larson and Kai McNamee, with audio engineering by Damian Herring.

    It was edited by Sarah Robbins and Ahmad Damen. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


    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.

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    9 mins
  • Covering the ICE surge in Minneapolis
    Feb 7 2026
    Reporting on the ICE surge in Minneapolis

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    10 mins
  • The sound of dad
    Feb 6 2026

    NPR's Bob Mondello and the search for a voice lost to time.


    Each day on this podcast we bring you the context behind the headlines.

    Headlines about President Trump or foreign policy or what's playing out on America's streets.

    This story is smaller. More personal. About one person’s search for a voice he thought he’d never hear again.

    But it moved us. And we wanted to share it.

    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 Chloe Weiner <> and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Damian Herring.

    It was edited by Clare Lombardo and Courtney Dorning.

    Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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    9 mins
  • Will new limits on gender-related surgeries change anything?
    Feb 5 2026
    The Trump administration is celebrating an American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommendation to delay gender-related surgeries, which are rare. So how much is changing?


    The American Society of Plastic Surgeons declared this week that it recommends surgeons delay gender-related surgeries until a patient is at least 19 years old.

    The Trump administration called the move "another victory for biological truth in the Trump administration,” and said the group "has set the scientific and medical standard for all provider groups to follow.”

    The administration is describing the new recommendations as a “watershed moment”, but gender-affirming surgeries in minors are rare. So how much will this change?

    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 Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro.

    It was edited by Diane Webber, Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jarenwattananon.

    Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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    8 mins
  • AI chatbots upended their lives. Then they turned to each other
    Feb 4 2026
    Some people who say AI chatbots upended their lives and the lives of their loved ones, are now turning to each other for support.


    Around the world, people are talking to AI chatbots, and these chats can sometimes lead to unhealthy emotional attachments or even breaks with reality.

    OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, is facing several lawsuits alleging the chatbot contributed to mental health crises and even multiple suicides.

    An OpenAI spokesperson told NPR that they are “continuing to improve” ChatGPT’s training to quote “recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support.”

    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 Audrey Nguyen and Karen Zamora.

    It was edited by Brett Neely and Courtney Dorning.

    Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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    9 mins
  • President Trump’s Kennedy Center plans are unclear, so far
    Feb 3 2026

    President Trump wants to close the Kennedy Center for two years. He says a massive renovation is coming.


    But so far, there are few details about what that renovation will look like, physically, and what it will mean to the nation’s performing arts center and its patrons.

    David Graham has been sifting through the clues, and he talks with NPR about what is known, and what could be lost in the upheaval.

    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 Henry Larson and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Sarah Handel.

    Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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    8 mins