It's been six months since a tornado hit St. Louis and damaged more than five thousand buildings and homes.
Residents and local officials say the Trump administration's new policy on federal disaster assistance has meant they have been left to do the work traditionally done by FEMA.
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 Avery Keatley, in collaboration with Hiba Ahmad and Jason Rosenbaum from St. Louis Public Radio. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
Last September, a chemical fire in Conyers, Georgia, sent a toxic cloud over the area. A Georgia Public Broadcasting podcast called “Manufacturing Danger: The BioLab Story” examined that day, what led up to it, and the immediate aftermath. Now, a second season of the podcast looks at health consequences for residents a year later. John Yang speaks with GPB’s Pamela Kirkland for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Ecuador holds a referendum on whether or not to allow foreign military bases in the country again to help tackle drug trafficking. There was a US military base on the country’s Pacific coast until 2009, when President Rafael Correa ordered it closed.
Also in the programme: the UK government announces that most refugees granted asylum will have to wait twenty years before they can apply for permanent settlement, instead of five years; and we hear from a critic of the German auction house planning a sale of personal items from victims of the Nazi Holocaust.
(IMAGE: Ballots are placed on a table during a referendum to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases, which Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa says are central to fighting organized crime, and whether they back convening an assembly to rewrite the constitution, at a polling station in Quito, Ecuador November 16, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters / Karen Toro)
Donald Trump has spent this year trying to negotiate a deal to end the war in Ukraine. So far, Vladimir Putin doesn’t seem interested in the US’s proposals.
One man who has successfully negotiated with Russia – and with many of America’s adversaries – is Roger Carstens, former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. From 2020 to 2025 he worked to free dozens of US citizens taken hostage and wrongfully detained around the world, including in Russia. Securing their release often required complex deals that took years to put together.
What does it take to successfully negotiate with Putin’s Russia?
With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producer: Lucy Pawle
Executive producer: James Shield
Senior news editor: China Collins
Mix: Travis Evans
Photo: Roger Carstens. Credit: BBC
Cash App & Square roll out Bitcoin payments at 4M+ merchants. Jack Dorsey leverages Lightning Network to compete with Visa/credit card fees. Plus: the controversial Bitcoin denomination change that's dividing the community.
We break down Jack Dorsey's massive Bitcoin rollout across Cash App and Square—4M merchants can now accept BTC payments via Lightning and mainnet. We explore how Bitcoin rails are undercutting Visa/Amex fees, the Strike-style settlement strategy, and the controversial BIP 177 denomination debate.
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**Notes:**
• 4M Square merchants now accept Bitcoin payments
• Credit card fees range from 2-6% per transaction
• Cash App uses Lightning Network for settlements
• BIP 177 proposes renaming Satoshis to Bitcoins
• 100M Satoshis equal one Bitcoin
• Jack Dorsey owns Block, Square, and Cash App
Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:46 CashApp & Square updates overview
03:52 Bitcoin rails
09:36 Network effects
13:59 150 features
21:08 Bits are BACK
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Woke is out at the Department of War, and higher fitness standards are back. Since being sworn in as secretary, Pete Hegseth has acted to “removed the distractions” from the department, including getting rid of “political correctness” and “DEI offices.”
“No more dudes in dresses,” Hegseth said during a recent speech, adding, “we are restoring a ruthless, dispassionate, and common-sense application of standards.”
Amid the Department of War's implementation of common-sense politics and higher fitness standards, more women have chosen to enlist in the U.S. military.
Over the summer, the Department of War, which was recently renamed from the Department of Defense, announced about 24,000 women were shipped off to basic training in fiscal year 2025, up from about 16,700 in 2024.
Women want to be held to high standards, and that includes in military fitness, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson says on this week’s edition of “Problematic Women.”
Wilson joins the show to pull back the curtain on life at the Pentagon under Hegseth’s leadership, and explain the departments aggressive strategy behind defeating narco-terrorists.
Also on this week's edition of “Problematic Women,” we discuss who “won” the government shutdown battle. Plus, is the culture shifting toward a celebration of the family, or is it only a trend among some celebrities?
Gen Z and Millennials are tightening their purse strings, and the first businesses on the chopping block are fast-casual dining spots. The usual fan favorites like Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Cava are suddenly falling out of favor with young American consumers. WSJ reporters Heather Haddon and Matt Grossman discuss how these companies are responding, and what this shift says about the broader economy. Caitlin McCabe hosts.
President Trump says his Gaza peace plan will end the war between Israel and Hamas and launch a new era of peace in the Middle East. But a month into the ceasefire, progress on implementing the 20-point plan appears to be stalling. Today on The Sunday Story, NPR correspondents Aya Batrawy and Daniel Estrin unpack the ceasefire plan and why it’s not going according to plan. Why is the deal so fragile, and what does this mean for Gaza? And for the first time in over two years of war, NPR goes to the part of Gaza where Israel is fortifying its military occupation.
Thousands of indigenous people and activists demonstrate against global warming in the Amazonian city of Belém, where COP30 is taking place. It's the first time since 2021 that people have been allowed to protest outside the UN climate talks. Also: Palestinian families suffer, as heavy rains destroy camps in Gaza; Pakistan's Balochistan province bans child marriage; Mexican cities see protests over growing violence and insecurity; Ecuadorians are set to vote on allowing foreign military bases back into their country; and Pope Leo hosts some of Hollywood's biggest stars, describing them as "pilgrims of the imagination".
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.
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NPR's concert series Tiny Desk, first launched on a whim in 2008, attracts millions of viewers. We hear from two members of the NPR music team on what they love about producing and sharing Tiny Desk performances with the world.
Host Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Robin Hilton, host and Senior Producer of Tiny Desk and All Songs Considered and Kara Frame a video producer and director of Tiny Desk concerts.
