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Consider This from NPR - Unpacking The U.S. Economy’s ‘Cockroach’ Problem

When companies need a loan, traditionally they turn to a bank.


But increasingly they’re turning to financial firms that are not really banks, but do have a lot of cash. This is called the “private credit” market. It has exploded in the past 15 years. It’s now valued at around $2 trillion.

Natasha Sarin, president of the Yale Budget Lab and former Biden administration official, argues that these private credit firms are making risky loans. So risky, that they’ve got her thinking about the 2008 financial crisis. 

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 Erika Ryan and Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Andie Huether and Josephine Nyounai. It was edited by Adam Raney and John Ketchum. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.




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State of the World from NPR - The Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan Deepens

The Darfur region of Sudan because known to the world as the site of a genocide twenty years ago. The U.S. and U.N. say there is a genocide happening in Darfur again and now the violence there has reached a new level of horror. A paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces took control of the city of El Fasher, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents trapped under RSF control and there is evidence of atrocities being committed. We hear about what is happening in the city and a Sudanese-American poet who grew up in El Fasher and is watching from afar.

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Up First from NPR - Hurricane Melissa Aftermath, Israel Strikes Gaza Again, Air-Traffic Controllers

Hurricane Melissa devastates Jamaica, leaving neighborhoods underwater and hundreds of thousands without power as it moves toward Cuba. President Trump insisted nothing will jeopardize the ceasefire in Gaza, even after Israel launched new strikes while both sides accuse each other of violations. And air-traffic controllers are working without pay as the government shutdown strains the aviation system and threatens more flight disruptions.

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 Tara Neil, Russell Lewis, Miguel Macias, Mohamad ElBardicy and Ally Schweitzer.

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

We get engineering support from Damian Herring-Nathan. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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Short Wave - Like Being Scared? Here’s Why

Like haunted houses? Scientists do! That’s because they’re an excellent place to study how humans respond to – and even actively seek out – fear. In an immersive threat setting, as opposed to a carefully controlled lab, researchers can learn a lot about what scares people, why and how additional factors (like the presence of friends) might affect our experiences.

So what have they learned? What determines a good scare versus a bad one? And what’s the evolutionary reason for all of this, anyway? In today’s episode, producer Hannah Chinn heads to the haunted house in search of answers.


Have a seasonal science question you want us to investigate on the next Nature Quest? 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.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Is Obamacare doomed without extended subsidies?

Health insurance subsidies are at the center of the current government shutdown. Democrats want to extend some expiring Affordable Care Act/Obamacare subsidies. Obamacare has weathered several political storms since its inception, but how will it fair without those subsidies?

Today on the show, death spirals and the future of Obamacare.

Related episodes: 
The hidden costs of healthcare churn 
How doctors helped tank universal healthcare

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 - Shirley Jackson’s biographer on the writer’s ability to find evil in the ordinary

With stories like “The Lottery” and The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson was one of the great horror authors of the 20th century. In 2012, Ruth Franklin wrote a biography of the writer called Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life. In today’s episode, we revisit a conversation between Franklin and NPR’s Linda Wertheimer. They talk about Jackson’s childhood, domestic life, and her unique ability to see "extraordinary evil” under the surface of ordinary life.


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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Consider This from NPR - Can the global economy handle a world with fewer kids?

Ashley and Nick Evancho say raising their 3-year-old, Sophia, is one of the most joyous things they've ever done. But the Evanchos also made a decision that's increasingly common for families in the U.S. and around the world: One is enough. The trend is leading to populations that are dramatically older, and beginning to shrink, in many of the world's biggest economies.

Experts say a rapidly aging and gradually shrinking population in the world's wealthiest countries could force sweeping changes in people's lives, causing many to work longer before retirement, making it harder for business owners to find employees and destabilizing eldercare and health insurance programs.

This story is part of NPR's Population Shift series.

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 Paige Waterhouse and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was edited by Andrea de Leon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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State of the World from NPR - Fighting Drug Traffickers Deep in the Peruvian Amazon

Isolated indigenous tribes deep in the Amazon rainforests of Peru are seeing the crop used to make cocaine spread into their lands from drug traffickers seeking more territory for cultivation. With the incursion comes deforestation and violence. We go to the rainforest and meet the self-defense force patrolling the jungle to stop the destruction. 



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1A - ICYMI: Hurricane Melissa Is Set To Make Landfall In Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa is on track to make a direct hit on Jamaica today, with rains and winds already lashing the island.

Melissa is a category five storm, with winds clocked at up to 175 miles per hour. It’s the strongest storm on the planet this year and one of the most devastating on record.

Authorities in Jamaica and Cuba have issued evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people.

For years, scientists have been telling us that climate change will make hurricanes more dangerous.

What does this mean for the people of Jamaica? And what does a climate-change fueled future of hurricanes look like?

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 - SNAP Benefits Shutdown, Trump In Japan, Hurricane Melissa

More than 40 million Americans will soon be without federal food assistance because SNAP benefits are set to expire on November 1 as the government shutdown drags on. President Trump signs a trade deal in Japan to secure rare earth minerals, a key bargaining chip ahead of his meeting with China's president later this week. And Hurricane Melissa bring over 170 mile per hour winds as it barrels towards Jamaica, and threatening other island nations in the Caribbean.

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 Dana Farrington, Padma Rama, Tara Neil, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle .

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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