Consider This from NPR - Trump is slashing the number of refugees. What does that mean?

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 - an organization that helps refugees and other immigrants navigate the legal process of resettlement. The International Refugee Assistance Project is also challenging Trump’s suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. 

Aly joined Consider This host Juana Summers to discuss how this historic drop means for the US refugee resettlement system.

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 Jonaki Mehta, Connor Donevan and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Becky Brown and Simon-Laslo Janssen. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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State of the World from NPR - An Annual Ritual in the West Bank Now Under Threat

Dates and olives are important crops in the Middle East and growing them is essential to the livelihood of many Palestinians in the West Bank. But increasingly Israeli settlers have been attacking and intimidating Palestinian olive farmers there. We go to the West Bank to see how this year’s harvest is going.

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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: The Pushback Against Election Deniers

As it’s filled election security roles at the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, the Trump administration has elevated people who are known election deniers — activists who’ve pushed unproven claims about fraud in the 2020 election or in American election systems more generally.

And the administration has asked states to turn over voter roll data that includes private information. It’s even sued eight of them for some of that data in an unprecedented push for federal control of voter information.

How are the systems and processes behind the 2026 midterm faring in 2025? Especially as the federal government pushes to have more control over what’s traditionally been the jurisdiction of state and local officials? We hear one of those officials as well as a panel of experts.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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Up First from NPR - Trump’s Shutdown Travel, SNAP Benefits Gap, NYC Mayoral Race

President Trump returns to Washington D.C. after a week of international travel and a weekend at his resort in Florida while the government shutdown enters its second month. SNAP benefits ran out over the weekend, leaving millions without food aid as courts press the administration to use emergency funds. And New York City voters head to the polls tomorrow in a heated mayoral race between Zohran Mamdani and former Governor Andrew Cuomo that could shape the future of the Democratic Party.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Russell Lewis, Andrea de Leon, Mohamad ElBardicy and Martha Ann Overland.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas

We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - When AI is your job interviewer

Companies are starting to use AI to interview potential employees. Sound creepy? Well, a new study suggests it might not be all bad.. Today on the show, we look at why a job interview with AI might be preferable to one with a human. ? And Adrian gets grilled by an AI job recruiter named “Anna.” 

Related episodes: 
AI creates, transforms and destroys … jobs 
Fighting AI with AI 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter


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NPR's Book of the Day - Karine Jean-Pierre’s new memoir ‘Independent’ explains why she left the Democrats

For almost three years, Karine Jean-Pierre was White House press secretary for the Biden-Harris administration. Her new memoir, Independent, explains her recent decision to leave the Democratic Party and identify as an independent. In today’s episode, Jean-Pierre joins NPR’s Michel Martin for a conversation about Democratic disunity, former President Biden’s health, and why she says her former party has failed Black women.


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Short Wave - Elections: A Big Math Problem

Ahead of Election Day tomorrow, millions of ballots are being cast in statewide, local and special elections. So, today, we're revisiting an episode asking: What would happen if the rules of our electoral system were changed? Producer Hannah Chinn reported on that very question, and today, with host Emily Kwong, they dive into three voting methods that are representative of alternative voting systems. They look at where these systems have been implemented, how they work and what they may mean for future elections. 

Want to hear more about how math could change our lives? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your idea on a future episode! 

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.

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Consider This from NPR - Trump calls alleged smugglers ‘unlawful combatants’. That term has a history.

The legal definition of the term 'unlawful combatants' was used to justify detaining people at Guantanamo indefinitely, without ever charging them with a crime. Now, the president is using it to describe the alleged drug smugglers that the military is targeting with boat strikes.

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 and Gabriel Sanchez. It was edited by Ahmad Damen. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Up First from NPR - How Smaller Families are Changing the World

Across the globe, there is a shift in the size of families as birthrates decline. Communities, schools, and workforces are all shrinking at an alarming rate. Even in the wealthiest countries populations are aging and straining key social systems. How are smaller families changing the world and what does it mean for our future? Explore the full series at npr.org/populationshift.

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Consider This from NPR - Why this episode wouldn’t work in print

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 executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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