After a two-week chase, U.S. forces have seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the north Atlantic between Iceland and Britain. The tanker was originally bound for Venezuela, but changed course to avoid the U.S. ships, setting off an extended drama at sea. And Danes and Greenlanders respond to President Donald Trump’s remarks that Greenland should be annexed by the U.S.
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1A - ICYMI: The New Interim Leader Of Venezuela
Last night, President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela would start sending the U.S. oil. He’s voiced his desire to exploit the country’s vast reserves since ousting Nicolás Maduro in a midnight raid over the weekend.
The Venezuelan government hasn’t yet confirmed the move. And the country’s leaders continue to condemn U.S. actions in their country as they crack down on anti-Maduro sentiment.
This begs the question – who is in charge of Venezuela? And what does the relationship between the Trump administration and the Delcy Rodriguez, their pick to lead the nation, look like?
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The Venezuelan government hasn’t yet confirmed the move. And the country’s leaders continue to condemn U.S. actions in their country as they crack down on anti-Maduro sentiment.
This begs the question – who is in charge of Venezuela? And what does the relationship between the Trump administration and the Delcy Rodriguez, their pick to lead the nation, look like?
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Planet Money - How Black hair care grew Black power
The Afro is one of the most iconic hairstyles of the last century. And one of its main ingredients was a hair product – Afro Sheen. But Afro Sheen did so much more than make Black afros shine. It was the money behind the television show Soul Train, it helped fuel the civil rights movement – all because of an entrepreneur named George Johnson.
For decades, Joan and George Johnson owned and ran Johnson Products Company, a Black hair care company out of Chicago. Their intimate understanding of what Black people wanted and needed – for their hair and for their lives – helped grow the Black middle class and became an engine for Black culture and power. They helped turn the Black haircare industry into what is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. But although they helped create this industry, they no longer have a part in it.
Today on the show – the story of the rise and fall of Johnson Products. We’re gonna tell you this story in three hairstyles. The conk, the afro… and the jheri curl.
Related episodes:
This Ad’s For You
'Soul Train' and the business of Black joy
Fashion Fair's makeover
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This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Sonari Glinton and Erika Beras. It was produced by James Sneed, edited by Marianne McCune, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
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For decades, Joan and George Johnson owned and ran Johnson Products Company, a Black hair care company out of Chicago. Their intimate understanding of what Black people wanted and needed – for their hair and for their lives – helped grow the Black middle class and became an engine for Black culture and power. They helped turn the Black haircare industry into what is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. But although they helped create this industry, they no longer have a part in it.
Today on the show – the story of the rise and fall of Johnson Products. We’re gonna tell you this story in three hairstyles. The conk, the afro… and the jheri curl.
Related episodes:
This Ad’s For You
'Soul Train' and the business of Black joy
Fashion Fair's makeover
Pre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift. / 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 of Planet Money was hosted by Sonari Glinton and Erika Beras. It was produced by James Sneed, edited by Marianne McCune, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Up First from NPR - Next Steps In Venezuela, GOP 2026 Roadmap, Greenland and Europe
President Trump talks about next steps for Venezuela, calling for U.S. companies to help rebuild the economy even as much of the existing power structure remains in place.
Facing tough midterm elections in 2026, Trump tells House Republicans he’s struggling to understand voters and leans into culture-war issues rather than cost-of-living concerns.
And European leaders rally around Greenland, pushing back on Trump’s renewed claims that the United States needs the territory for national security.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Facing tough midterm elections in 2026, Trump tells House Republicans he’s struggling to understand voters and leans into culture-war issues rather than cost-of-living concerns.
And European leaders rally around Greenland, pushing back on Trump’s renewed claims that the United States needs the territory for national security.
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 Rebekah Metzler, Kelsey Snell, Kate Bartlett, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
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.
Our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:59) Next Steps In Venezuela
(05:47) GOP 2026 Roadmap
(09:32) Greenland and Europe
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Short Wave - Micro Forests: An Emerging Climate Hero?
Healthy forests help combat climate change, provide humans with drinking water and even improve mental and physical health. But it’s hard to imagine an entire forest in the middle of a big city. That’s where micro-forests come into play — public forests on a smaller scale, filled with native plants. They exist around the world, and producer Rachel Carlson went to visit the largest micro-forest in California. She joins host Emily Kwong to chat about what she saw.
Interested in more of the science behind urban nature? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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Interested in more of the science behind urban nature? 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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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘Twice Born,’ a daughter discovers her father through his biography of Mark Twain
Hester Kaplan, the daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Justin Kaplan, knew her father was an esteemed writer and researcher, but she didn’t quite know him personally. After the elder Kaplan died in 2014, Hester began to discover her father, unexpectedly, through his famous biographical account of Mark Twain. In today’s episode, Kaplan speaks with Here and Now’s Tiziana Dearing about the power of biography, and how her memoir Twice Born recounts the stories of a man – and a family – still alive in the margins.
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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The Indicator from Planet Money - Can you trust you’re getting the same grocery prices as someone else?
When you're in a grocery store nowadays, chances are your data is being collected. From a swipe of the loyalty card to the purchase of an ice cream pint, your data tells stores what you like, how much they should stock, and more.
But what if that data meant a grocer could charge you a different price than another shopper?
On today's show, the evolving price tag.
Related episodes:
Should 'surveillance pricing' be banned?
How Grocery Shelves Get Stacked
How niche brands got into your local supermarket
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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But what if that data meant a grocer could charge you a different price than another shopper?
On today's show, the evolving price tag.
Related episodes:
Should 'surveillance pricing' be banned?
How Grocery Shelves Get Stacked
How niche brands got into your local supermarket
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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State of the World from NPR - In Venezuela, Uncertainty Mixes with Normalcy Days After U.S. Strike
NPR’s Eyder Peralta is in Colombia on the border with Venezuela, and speaks with residents days after American forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the U.S. And President Trump’s comments about Greenland dominate a meeting of world leaders gathering to discuss Ukraine.
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1A - The Fifth Anniversary Of The Jan. 6 Capitol Riot
Five years ago today, thousands of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
A number of them assaulted police officers with weapons and even looted the building. They called for war, revolution, and political executions. That’s according to thousands of videos presented in court reviewed by NPR. One former federal prosecutor who led the Justice Department’s investigation into Jan. 6 called it the “most televised crime in American history, if not world history.”
But the narrative around what happened that day continues to shift. President Donald Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of nearly every Jan. 6 defendant, ending the largest criminal prosecution in American history.
What are we still learning about Jan. 6 five years later? And how is that day still shaping our politics — and the country?
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A number of them assaulted police officers with weapons and even looted the building. They called for war, revolution, and political executions. That’s according to thousands of videos presented in court reviewed by NPR. One former federal prosecutor who led the Justice Department’s investigation into Jan. 6 called it the “most televised crime in American history, if not world history.”
But the narrative around what happened that day continues to shift. President Donald Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of nearly every Jan. 6 defendant, ending the largest criminal prosecution in American history.
What are we still learning about Jan. 6 five years later? And how is that day still shaping our politics — and the country?
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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Consider This from NPR - What it’s like inside a Darfur camp
For almost three years, a civil war has decimated Sudan’s Darfur region.
Bob Kitchen, who leads emergency humanitarian programs for the International Rescue Committee, just returned from the region. He described what he saw in a series of audio diaries that he shared with NPR.
A warning — the audio you are about to hear contains graphic descriptions of violence and rape against women and children.
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 Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Jay Czys. It was edited by Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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