Congress finally cosigns the release of a bunch of emails from Jeffrey Epstein, which confirm earlier conversation. Europe aims to feed astronauts through a pretty fascinating process using human urine (yes, it is as weird as it sounds). Over in China, Uncle Xi demands all online influencers speaking about finance, law or medicine verify that they do, in fact, have some sort of expertise in their purported fields, prompting Ben, Matt and Noel to examine the nature of free speech. All this and more in this week's strange news segment.
Sheikh Hasina, in exile in India, was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. The former Prime Minister was found guilty of ordering the use of lethal force against protesters, resulting in the deaths of around 1,400 people. Hasina denies the charges and her supporters say they are politically motivated.
Also on the programme: we ask what led to Donald Trump’s sudden U-turn on the Epstein files; and the discovery of two organ pieces by a teenaged Johann Sebastian Bach.
(PICTURE: Bangladeshi Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman addresses the media in Dhaka, 17 November 2025 CREDIT: MONIRUL ALAM/EPA/Shutterstock)
Voters in Ecuador overwhelmingly voted not to allow foreign military bases to return to the country. The Trump Administration had hoped to use Ecuador to support U.S. military activity in the region. And it’s happening against the backdrop of frequent U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats. Supporters of the national referendum wanted help to stem soaring violence from drug gangs using it as a key transit hub. We go to the Ecuadoran coast where fishermen try to make a living in the face of extortion by drug gangs and now contend with the threat of strikes by the U.S. military.
Voters in Ecuador overwhelmingly voted not to allow foreign military bases to return to the country. The Trump Administration had hoped to use Ecuador to support U.S. military activity in the region. And it’s happening against the backdrop of frequent U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats. Supporters of the national referendum wanted help to stem soaring violence from drug gangs using it as a key transit hub. We go to the Ecuadoran coast where fishermen try to make a living in the face of extortion by drug gangs and now contend with the threat of strikes by the U.S. military.
Tucker Carlson’s interview with right-wing provocateur podcaster Nick Fuentes has the conservative movement fighting over what the definition of “canceling” is and struggling to determine if there are cases in which it is called for. If so, was the Fuentes interview one of them?
Victor Davis Hanson states there is a fine line between “canceling” and “deplatforming,” and it all has to do with how the platformer handles the issue they’re amplifying. He breaks down this dichotomy and explains where he believes Carlson went wrong on this episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.”
“ When you don't invite Nick Fuentes on your program, it doesn't mean that you're canceling him. It doesn't mean that you're deplatforming him because he's beyond the pale. And you say, ‘Well, who are you to say that, Victor?’ Well, I'm not Victor saying that. There are accepted norms—that you don't use the N-word, or you don't call for people to go back to Israel, if they're Jewish, or you don't make fun of people's race in the public sphere, the way he did. You can do that, of course, under the First Amendment, but you're not invited into acceptable venues to vent those views and to spread hate.”
(0:00) Platforming vs. Canceling
(2:15) Debating Extremists
(3:54) Tucker Carlson's Skills
(4:27) Norms and Boundaries in Media
(5:42) Tucker Carlson's Recent Controversies
(6:54) Conclusion
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P.M. Edition for Nov. 17. As companies are laying off thousands of workers, they’re using new tactics like texting and emails and listen-only video calls to communicate to workers that they’ve lost their jobs. Chip Cutter, who covers workplace issues for the Journal, discusses what’s driving these new strategies and how workers are responding. Plus, the head of FEMA has resigned after about seven months on the job. And “Baby Shark Dance”—every toddler’s favorite jam—is YouTube’s most watched video ever. But that mind-blowing popularity hasn’t translated to major sales for the South Korean company behind it. Alex Ossola hosts.
Maine Family Planning clinics treat STDs, bronchitis and tick bites. Because they also provide abortions, they've been hit by a new federal law that cuts them out of Medicaid. Now, they're cutting back on services to try to survive.
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 Connor Donevan and Ava Berger, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was edited by Diane Webber and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
