Month: December 2025

Posted on

Short Wave - No, Raccoons Aren’t Pet-Ready (Yet)

Dogs are man’s best friend. And it’s no secret that we at Short Wave love cats (Regina has four)! Both of these iconic pets have been domesticated – evolved and adapted to live alongside humans – for millennia. And a recent study suggests that the common raccoon may be on its first steps towards joining them.

So how do scientists look for signs of domestication and what do those signs mean? And could you have a litter box trained raccoon in your lifetime? We talk to the study’s lead author, Raffaela Lesch, to find out.

Interested in more animal science stories? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.


Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Posted on

It Could Happen Here - Antisemitism in America feat. Dana El Kurd

Dana El Kurd speaks with Ben Lorber, Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates and co-author of Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. They discuss trends in antisemitism we are seeing today, why the far right is talking about Palestine, and how establishment organizations are not meeting the moment. 

Sources:

Jewish Currents article by Mari Cohen on the ADL - https://jewishcurrents.org/the-adls-antisemitism-findings-explained 

Jewish Currents article by Shane Burley and Naomi Bennett on the ADL - https://jewishcurrents.org/examining-the-adls-antisemitism-audit 

Safety through Solidarity book - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741043/safety-through-solidarity-by-shane-burley/ 

Article by Ben in Convergence Magazine on What Antisemitism Is and Isn’t – https://convergencemag.com/articles/what-antisemitism-is-part-1/ 

Nexus Project - https://nexusproject.us/ 

Diaspora Alliance - https://diasporaalliance.co/ 

Jewish Currents podcast on the confronting the anti-zionist right - https://jewishcurrents.org/confronting-the-anti-zionist-right 

Arielle Angel on the need for new Jewish institutions - https://jewishcurrents.org/we-need-new-jewish-institutions 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/image.jpg?t=1751824393&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }
Posted on

The Economics of Everyday Things - 119. Christmas Lights

Would you pay a professional $2,500 or more to put up your holiday lights? Zachary Crockett is walking in a winter wonderland.

 

 

 


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Posted on

The Source - After ICE detains: What happened to Carmen Herrera

Earlier this summer Carmen Herrera was detained by ICE outside of San Antonio’s immigration court. She’s a mother of five girls who are all U.S. citizens and she is also married to a U.S. citizen. After she was detained, Herrera’s nightmare began—and it’s a story shared by many in our community. Herrera’s story is told in a new documentary.
Posted on

PBS News Hour - World - U.S. Coast Guard ramps up oil tanker interceptions off Venezuelan coast

Trump’s pressure on Venezuelan President Maduro mounted Sunday as the Coast Guard went after another oil tanker that U.S. officials accused of helping Venezuela circumvent sanctions. Last week, Trump announced a “total and complete blockade of all sanctioned tankers heading to and from Venezuela.” John Yang speaks with Reuters national security correspondent Idrees Ali for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Posted on

PBS News Hour - Health - As medication costs rise, decreasing insurance coverage has deadly consequences

The rising cost of health care is among Americans’ biggest worries, according to recent year-end polls. Insurance coverage for prescription drugs has been decreasing as their prices have been increasing. As PBS Wisconsin’s Marisa Wojcik reports, not all health plans are created equal. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Posted on

Newshour - US pursuing another Venezuelan oil tanker

There are reports that the US coastguard may be trying to intercept another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, but why is US oil firm Chevron still operating in the country?

Also in the programme: Israel's security cabinet approves 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank; and an elegy for the US penny that is no longer being produced after 230 years.

(Photo: Government supporters participate in a protest against US President Donald Trump's order to blockade sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Caracas, Venezuela on 17 December 2025. Credit: Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

Posted on

Consider This from NPR - We use our smartphones for just about everything – why not voting?

Entrepreneur, political strategist and philanthropist Bradley Tusk argues his new online voting tech could revolutionize participation in American elections. He is hellbent on making online voting a reality - even at a time when much of the election establishment thinks that is a very bad idea. NPR's Miles Parks speaks with Tusk about how Tusk's organization, the Mobile Voting Project, is pushing a major technology makeover for American democracy.


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 Avery Keatley. It was edited by Ben Swasey and Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy