No matter how you measure it, there is a lot of parking in the U.S. According to some estimates there are as many as six parking spaces for every car. Put another way, America devotes more square footage to storing cars than housing people.
In this episode, originally published in 2023, journalist Henry Grabar walks through how we got here, and what Americans have sacrificed on the altar of parking. From affordable housing to walkable neighborhoods to untold hours spent circling the block, hunting for a free spot. His book is Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World. 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 Connor Donevan with audio engineering by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
In this encore episode we look at the decision to have children. Much of the attention on the world's plunging birth rate is on east Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. But Latin American countries, like Chile, are also seeing a decline in fertility. We go to Chile’s capital to understand the personal decisions behind the countries plummeting birth rate trend.
The authorities in Hong Kong say fire alarms weren't working properly in the tower blocks where a blaze killed more than 100 people. The buildings were being renovated, and police say they've found materials that are believed not to be fireproof. Also: rescue services tackling heavy floods in South East Asia say they're struggling to cope as roads and communication infrastructure have been severely damaged; how 70 species of sharks and rays are to receive better international protection; and a stand-off between three nuns and their convent in Austria may have reached a resolution.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.
Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.
Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
This week in bitcoin mining news, the Department of Homeland Security is targeting Bitmain with Operation Red Sunset, and Tether buys more shares of Bitdeer.
Welcome back to The Mining Pod! Today, Colin and Charlie break down Operation Red Sunset—the US government's probe into Bitmain over national security concerns. We also cover brutal mining economics with hashprice at all-time lows, Trump's new executive order spurring AI and energy R&D, Hive's $300M at-the-market offering, and Tether reupping its BTDR investment. And for this week’s dual cry corner, why Cardano still sucks and why gamers are crying as RAM prices surge from AI demand.
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**Notes:**
- Hash price at $36 per petahash per day (all-time low territory)
- First back-to-back negative difficulty adjustments since summer
- Small miners (1-5MW) shutting down operations
- DDR5 RAM jumped from $100 to $400+ per unit
- Hive raises $300M at-the-market offering
- Operation Red Sunset targets Bitmain security risks
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Published twice weekly, "The Mining Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews on Tuesday and a news show on Friday!
Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve is at the centre of a legal battle over a new Marriott Ritz-Carlton luxury safari lodge. Why are Maasai leaders calling for the camp to be removed?
Also in the podcast, we hear from Malian refugees who allege war crimes committed by the now largely disbanded private Russian paramilitary group, Wagner.
And a tour guide in Madrid showcases Africa's influence in the city, that is hidden in plain slight.
Presenter: Nyasha Michelle
Producers: Joseph Keen, Sunita Nahar, Yvette Twagiramariya and Elphas Lagat in London
Technical Producer: Pat Sissons
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard
President Trump has said he'll "permanently pause" immigration from what he called Third World countries, following the shooting of two young National Guard soldiers in Washington on Wednesday, allegedly by an Afghan gunman. In a strongly worded post on social media, he said immigration had eroded living conditions in the United States and that he would remove or denaturalise migrants who "undermine domestic tranquillity," as he put it.
Also in the programme: a top Ukrainian official resigns; and Pope Leo XIV travels to Turkey.
(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media on Thanksgiving, in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 27, 2025. CREDIT: REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden)
National Guard member dies after being shot near White House. New immigration crackdown. Black Friday shopping is under way. CBS News Correspondent Jennifer Keiper has those stories and more on the World News Roundup podcast.
The dead are still being found; the displaced huddle in public spaces. Who or what will be blamed, and what policies will change after the tragedy? We visit Georgia, where protests have now lasted a year, probing the differences between popular uprisings that succeed and those that fail. And remembering He Yanxin, last natural inheritor of China’s ancient women-only language.
Additional audio courtesy of Zhao Ke'er from the documentary "Heart of Gold".
One of the two National Guard members allegedly shot by an Afghan man in Washington, D.C. has died. In response, President Trump says he wants to permanently suspend immigration from certain countries.
With the holiday season in full swing, consumer confidence in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest level in months. Yet, despite these worries about the economy retail sales this holiday season are expected to top $1 trillion for the first time.
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 Gerry Holmes, Julia Redpath, Emily Kopp, HJ Mai and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Kaity Kline.
