A government shutdown appears inevitable after Democratic leaders and President Trump fail to reach a deal to extend soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss what Democrats will need to do to win this shutdown fight and then check in on the latest from Trump's authoritarian takeover, including the political prosecution of James Comey, Trump's deployment of troops to Portland, and a terrifying new national security directive that targets left-wing organizations, funders, and beliefs. Then, the guys discuss Trump's 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza and the peculiar AI-generated video about "medbeds" the President posted on Truth Social over the weekend.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitioners. Today on the show, we talk to an economist about how much H-1B visa holders have contributed to US growth, their effects on American-born workers, and why the United States’ competitors are taking advantage of this moment.
It’s Chapo—in person! Will, Felix, and Brendan James of Blowback (formerly Chapo Trap House) gather at Will’s apartment to talk about Eric Adams dropping out of the NYC mayoral race. They then read a profile of Adam Jentleson and his new PAC, Searchlight, and its novel plan to win elections by pulling Democrats to the right. Also this episode: Pete Hegseth’s mysterious all-hands meeting, Trump finally releasing the files, and Peter Thiel’s obsession with the antichrist.
And be sure to vote for American Prestige at the Signal Awards: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting?utm_campaign=signal4_finalists_finalistnotification_092325&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cio#/2025/shows/genre/news-politics
And check out the new Blowback season! https://blowback.show/
The deadline for a government shutdown is quickly approaching. If Democrats and Republicans can't make a deal, the government will run out of money after Sept. 30.
A government shutdown is always a political gamble. For Democrats, the stakes of this one are even higher.
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 and Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Jay Czyz. It was edited by Kelsey Snell, Courtney Dorning and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
Does Donald Trump help or hurt himself by using the weapons of the presidency as personal tools for revenge? This is apart from the question of whether his doing so is simply turnabout-as-fair-play or simply an outrageous misuse of his power. Give a listen.
Jimmy Kimmel’s brief departure from the airwaves triggered a wave of debate over free speech. Partly triggering his suspension was the government threatening to leverage its power over pending media deals. That’s in part due to a piece of decades-old legislation.
Today on the show, we look at how the Telecommunications Act of 1996 set the stage for government meddling and corporate capitulation.
More than a hundred countries have committed to fresh plans to curb pollution, with one big holdout: the U.S.
NPR's Andrew Limbong speaks with the EU Commissioner for Climate, Wopke Hoekstra, about how global leaders are moving forward on climate goals with the U.S. on the sidelines.
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 Daniel Ofman. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
The writer Ta-Nehisi Coates was harshly critical of my response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. In an article in Vanity Fair, he suggested I was whitewashing Kirk’s legacy, comparing it to the whitewashing of the Southern cause after the Civil War.
So I wanted to have Coates on the show to talk out our disagreement, as well as some deeper questions that I think exist underneath it about the work of politics.
What should the left do about the fact that so many Americans share Kirk’s views? What kinds of disagreements should we try to bridge? When is that work moral and necessary, and when is it a betrayal?
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Kristin Lin, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. Transcript editing by Sarah Murphy. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
In early February 2025, something strange started happening across US government websites.
Decades of data began disappearing from webpages for agencies such as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Census Bureau. In many cases the entire website went dark.
Within a few days some 8,000 government pages and 3,000 datasets had been taken down. Since then, many have been reinstated - but some have not.
We speak to Professors Maggie Levinstein and John Kubale to find out why this data was taken away, and why any of it matters.
If you spot any numbers or statistical claims that you think we should check out contact: moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-Ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
Audio Mix: Neil Churchill
