At least half of the U.S. population will be hit by a powerful winter storm this weekend - we'll tell you how Oklahoma, and other states, are preparing. Plus, a look at how President Trump is using the military overseas as well inside the U.S. during his second term. Plus, a look at consumer spending in the U.S. and how sustainable it is at present levels.
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Planet Money - A trip to the magic mushroom megachurch
Book tour dates and ticket info here.
Just as every market has its first movers, every religion has its martyrs — the people willing to risk everything for what they believe. Pastor Dave Hodges just might be a little bit of both. He’s the spiritual leader of the Zide Door Church of Entheogenic Plants, in Oakland, California which places psilocybin mushrooms at the center of their religious practice.
Today on the show, like its 130,000+ members, we’re going to take a trip through the psychedelic mushroom megachurch. We’ll meet one of the lawyers trying to keep psychedelic religious leaders like Pastor Dave from running afoul of the law, and get a peek into how the government decides whether a belief system counts as sincere religion.
This episode was reported with support from the Ferris-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship.
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This episode was hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and edited by Eric Mennel. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Kwesi Lee with help from Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
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Just as every market has its first movers, every religion has its martyrs — the people willing to risk everything for what they believe. Pastor Dave Hodges just might be a little bit of both. He’s the spiritual leader of the Zide Door Church of Entheogenic Plants, in Oakland, California which places psilocybin mushrooms at the center of their religious practice.
Today on the show, like its 130,000+ members, we’re going to take a trip through the psychedelic mushroom megachurch. We’ll meet one of the lawyers trying to keep psychedelic religious leaders like Pastor Dave from running afoul of the law, and get a peek into how the government decides whether a belief system counts as sincere religion.
This episode was reported with support from the Ferris-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship.
Subscribe to Planet Money+
Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
This episode was hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and edited by Eric Mennel. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Kwesi Lee with help from Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - What’s really happening in Minnesota?
So much has happened since ICE ramped up efforts in Minneapolis. It can be hard to get a sense of the big picture. Two NPR reporters on the ground do just that.
It’s been nearly two months since ICE descended on the streets of Minneapolis. In that time, Renee Macklin Good has been shot and killed, children have been detained, and the federal government’s campaign to arrest undocumented immigrants has only grown bigger, more aggressive, and more intense.
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.
Each step of the way, Minnesotans have protested what’s been happening in their state.
This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro.
It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Eric Westervelt.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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State of the World from NPR - Oil, dollars and daily survival: the strange state of Venezuela’s economy
Dollars are trickling back into Venezuela, they’re the proceeds from the oil seized and by the U.S. That is helping to stabilize runaway prices in Venezuela—at least on paper. But for ordinary shoppers in Caracas, market prices remain dizzying, and families still struggle to make ends meet.
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1A - The News Roundup For January 23, 2026
ICE is continuing its Minnesota crackdown. This week, agents were reportedly targeting members of the public based on race. Now, state officials are asking federal judges to end the agency’s campaign in their communities, despite the administration asking those same judges to let them keep going.
The Department of Justice said in a recent court filing that Elon Musk’s DOGE team may have accessed private and off-limits social security data.
And the House Oversight Committee voted to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after the pair ignored a summons to appear before a panel, saying it was politically-motivated.
And, in global news, President Donald Trump claims he has the framework of a deal in place with NATO for control of Greenland.
Despite that possibility, the president heavily criticized European leaders in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. Now, America’s traditional allies are reportedly grappling with what the future might hold for the West.
President Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, touted the progress his team has made with Russian leaders in finding a solution to the war in Ukraine.
We cover the most important stories from around the globe on the News Roundup.
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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The Department of Justice said in a recent court filing that Elon Musk’s DOGE team may have accessed private and off-limits social security data.
And the House Oversight Committee voted to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after the pair ignored a summons to appear before a panel, saying it was politically-motivated.
And, in global news, President Donald Trump claims he has the framework of a deal in place with NATO for control of Greenland.
Despite that possibility, the president heavily criticized European leaders in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. Now, America’s traditional allies are reportedly grappling with what the future might hold for the West.
President Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, touted the progress his team has made with Russian leaders in finding a solution to the war in Ukraine.
We cover the most important stories from around the globe on the News Roundup.
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 - Minnesota Protests, Zelenskyy Slams Europe In Davos, Winter Storm Approaches
In Minnesota, protests and business closures spread as immigration operations continue and confrontations with federal agents intensify.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukraine’s president delivers a blunt message to Europe, warning that the continent must stop relying on the U.S. and prepare to defend itself as Russia’s war grinds on.
And across the U.S., states are bracing for a massive winter storm threatening millions of people with dangerous weather conditions.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukraine’s president delivers a blunt message to Europe, warning that the continent must stop relying on the U.S. and prepare to defend itself as Russia’s war grinds on.
And across the U.S., states are bracing for a massive winter storm threatening millions of people with dangerous weather conditions.
Want more 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 Eric Westervelt, Willem Marx, Russell Lewis, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:55) Minnesota Protests
(05:28) Zelenskyy Slams Europe In Davos
(09:00) Winter Storm Approaches
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The Indicator from Planet Money - Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths
It’s time for … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: Why does Davos feel interesting this year? What if we did cap credit card interest rates? And we’re paying most of those tariffs, aren’t we?
Also, big news! Planet Money wrote a book and we’re going on tour this spring. Find tickets and info at planetmoneybook.com.
Related episodes:
Trump's backup options for tariffs
Globalization At Davos: What Happened?
The carbon coin: A novel idea
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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On today’s episode: Why does Davos feel interesting this year? What if we did cap credit card interest rates? And we’re paying most of those tariffs, aren’t we?
Also, big news! Planet Money wrote a book and we’re going on tour this spring. Find tickets and info at planetmoneybook.com.
Related episodes:
Trump's backup options for tariffs
Globalization At Davos: What Happened?
The carbon coin: A novel idea
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.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Short Wave - The plight of penguins in Antarctica
A new study shows penguins are breeding earlier than ever in the Antarctic Peninsula. This region is one of the fastest-warming areas of the world due to climate change, and penguins time their breeding period to environmental conditions. That’s everything from the temperature outside and whether there’s ice on the ground to what food is available. Changes in those conditions could contribute to mating changes. Plus, answers to a debate about how ice melts and how dirty diapers train parents in the art of disgust.
Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us 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.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez and Christopher Intagliata. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineers were Kwesi Lee and Hannah Gluvna.
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Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us 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.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez and Christopher Intagliata. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineers were Kwesi Lee and Hannah Gluvna.
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NPR's Book of the Day - New books argue that far-off goals and humor can help shift daily routines
January is the month for people to take stock of their habits and routines – and two new books offer unconventional approaches to shaking up our lives. First, Mark Medley’s Live to See the Day is about the pursuit of far-fetched goals. He spoke with NPR’s A Martínez about what we can learn from no-hope political candidates, amateur creature-hunters, and dreamers. Then, comedian Chris Duffy’s Humor Me asks readers to find the funny alongside the grim. In today’s episode, he tells NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer about the inspiration for the book, which came from his experience as a teacher.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - How HIV researchers overcame setbacks and kept a vaccine trial going
Scientists say research into a vaccine for HIV is further along than it’s ever been.
But Trump administration cuts to scientific research have set that effort back.
Including a promising trial for an HIV vaccine in Africa – which was shut down altogether.
NPR’s Ari Daniel has the story of how researchers there refused to give up.
Ari’s reporting for this story was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center. The Gates Foundation is a financial supporter of NPR.
This episode was produced by Mallory Yu and Kira Wakeam.
It was edited by Rebecca Davis and Courtney Dorning.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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