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Consider This from NPR - A Rolex, a gold bar, a trade deal and the ethics of presidential gifts

At a recent gathering of Swiss business executives in the White House, the CEO of Rolex presented President Trump with a gold-plated desk clock.

The CEO of a precious-metals company presented the president with an engraved gold bar.

They were not the official representatives of Switzerland’s economic agenda – but the following week, their government announced a trade deal that drastically lowered the U.S. tariff on imported Swiss goods from 39 percent to 15 percent – now on par with the European Union.

So were the gifts appropriate for the U.S. president to accept?

We hear from University of Minnesota law professor Richard Painter – formerly the chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush.

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 Tyler Bartlam and Brianna Scott, with audio engineering from Simon Laslo-Jansson. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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State of the World from NPR - The Culture War Over Pigeon Feeding in Mumbai

This year authorities in Mumbai, India banned feeding pigeons in public spaces over health concerns. That might seem like a minor civic act but the backlash has been huge. We go to Mumbai to understand the controversy that touches not just on public health but also caste dynamics and religious duty.

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State of the World from NPR - The Culture War Over Pigeon Feeding in Mumbai

This year authorities in Mumbai, India banned feeding pigeons in public spaces over health concerns. That might seem like a minor civic act but the backlash has been huge. We go to Mumbai to understand the controversy that touches not just on public health but also caste dynamics and religious duty.

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1A - The News Roundup For November 14, 2025

The longest government shutdown in history is now over after a group of Senate Democrats broke with the party to vote for a bill that funds the federal government.

Meanwhile, House Democrats facilitated the release of emails from the Epstein files that reference President Donald Trump and suggest that he knew about former financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes.

Shots were fired at ICE agents in Chicago this week amid chaotic immigration enforcement operations.

And, in global news, in the face of the growing U.S. presence around his country, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is mobilizing his army, ordering the deployment of some 200,000 soldiers.

Donald Trump sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption charges the latter is facing in his country.

Following explosions in Islamabad and New Delhi, both India and Pakistan and on edge. It remains unclear who is responsible for the attacks.

We cover the most important stories from around the world on the News Roundup.

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

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Up First from NPR - Epstein Files Fallout, Charlotte Immigration Patrols, Economic Impact Of Shutdown

The White House is calling the recent trove of Epstein documents a "distraction" as both Democratic and Republican lawmakers call for the full release of the Epstein files. In Charlotte, North Carolina, city leaders and residents are scrambling after last-minute notice that Border Patrol agents could arrive within days. And economists warn the government shutdown left lasting scars on the U.S. economy, from lost wages to missing federal data that may never be recovered.

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, Susanna Capelouto, Rafael Nam, Mohamad ElBardicy and HJ Mai.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay Totty

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

Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor

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NPR's Book of the Day - Music biographies ‘The Cars,’ ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ balance greatness and tragedy

Two new biographies focus on legendary musical acts: the rock band The Cars and rapper Tupac Shakur. First, in the late 1970s, a Boston radio DJ played The Cars’ demo tape – and the band went on to inform rock music for decades. In today’s episode, author Bill Janovitz speaks with Here & Now’s Robin Young about his new book The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told. Then, Tupac was one of the most influential rappers of all time, but his life was cut short at age 25. In today’s episode, author Jeff Pearlman tells Here & Now’s Scott Tong about his new biography of the music artist Only God Can Judge Me.


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The Indicator from Planet Money - 50-year mortgages, falling real wages, and doing your rideshare due diligence

It’s … Indicators of the Week! We look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news and bring them to you.

On today’s episode: The cost of living is outstripping wage growth for most of us, the math behind the Trump administration’s proposed 50-year mortgages, and how we’re just giving Uber and Lyft free money. 

Related episodes: 

Trump's plans for the housing market 

The Money Illusion: Have Americans really gotten a raise? 


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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Short Wave - Data Centers, Icy Moons And Chameleons

It’s another news roundup! This time, we cover how, using data analytics – and ironically, some AI – a team at Cornell University has mapped the environmental impact of AI by state. They determined that, by 2030, the rate of AI growth in the U.S. would put an additional 24 to 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The team further calculated that by 2030, AI could use as much water as 6 to 10 millions Americans do every year. All of this, they conclude, would put the tech industry’s climate goals out of reach. This episode, we also get into the potential for life on one of Saturn’s moons and a new discovery about why chameleons’ eyes are so special. 


Interested in reporting on the environmental impact of AI? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.


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State of the World from NPR - Searching for Survivors 40 Years After One of Latin America’s Deadliest Disasters

In 1985 the Nevado del Ruiz volcano triggered a mudslide that wiped out the town of Armero, Colombia in one of the 20th century’s worst natural disasters. All these years later the ghosts of Colombia’s deadliest tragedy still haunt its slopes, and families are still searching for lost children.

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1A - The State Of The Civil War In Sudan

The civil war in Sudan has claimed the lives of some 150,000 people.

From the outside looking in, the story of the war is one of two competing generals, foreign involvement complicating matters, and mass casualties among the innocent.

Now, following a massacre in the city of El Fasher, the rebels have agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire proposed by the Quad — a group of group of four countries including the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. But for how long will it hold?

We discuss the latest on the conflict in Sudan and the humanitarian crisis. What is the international community doing to help (or hurt) the situation?

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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