After a firehose of economic news in 2025, we wanted to check back on some of the people we’ve heard from on our show. Today, we check in with a former federal employee caught in the Trump administration's wood chipper, a Louisiana shrimper on Trump’s tariffs and an update on a financial aid scam.
The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Venezuela and its leader. What is the ultimate goal?
President Trump says he’s imposing a ban on all ‘sanctioned’ oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Venezuela’s government is calling this an ‘outrageous threat’ intended to rob the country of its oil wealth. 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, with audio engineering from Ted Mebane.
It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Christopher Intagliata.
The US economy is hooked on easy money and artificially low interest rates. Huge credit expansions are not “stimulating” the economy; they are destroying it.
Today, we discuss the life, work, and ideas of longtime COMMENTARY editor and intellectual giant Norman Podhoretz, who died yesterday at age 95. From there, we move on to the strange developments in the Brown University shooting investigation, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles's unusual interview with Vanity Fair, and the Trump administration generally. Give a listen.
In criticizing the progressive notion of equity, or equality of results, critics of such views embrace an order of “meritocracy.” F.A. Hayek, however, understood that in a free society, inequality is inevitable, and it is something we must accept.
The NHS is warning of an unprecedented flu season - we check what the numbers say.
Is there really a mass exodus of Brits leaving the UK due to Labour tax policies? We look at the latest emigration figures.
We take a look at the prison service’s curious habit of letting prisoners out early – or keeping them in for too long - is there a trend?
Plus - why the US economy can’t grow at 25 percent a year.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporter: Nathan Gower
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Katie Solleveld, Lizzy McNeill and Tom Colls.
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound mix: Gareth Jones
Editor: Richard Vadon
Absent a holiday miracle, premium subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are set to expire at the end of this year. This will greatly increase the cost of health insurance for many who rely on the marketplace for their coverage. Today on the show, we are visited by the ghosts of Obamacare past, present and future to learn what’s next for this landmark healthcare legislation.
Nate and Maria give out their second annual awards for decision-making in 2025: Who made the best decision this year? Who made the worst? Who were 2025’s biggest nits and degens? And which host had the best poker year?
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Tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. have been growing over the past few months. And last Wednesday, the pressure point was oil.
The U.S. government seized a tanker it says was filled with illegal oil headed to the black market, in violation of sanctions.
The seizure was an unprecedented move. And it represents an escalation in the standoff between the two countries. In recent months, the U.S. has struck nearly two dozen suspected drug boats in nearby waters, issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela, and increased its naval presence in the Caribbean.
The U.S. has long had economic and political interests in Venezuela. And the oil industry there has been a key part of that relationship. Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at the Baker Institute at Rice University, explains how the two nations got to this point.
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 Ava Berger and Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. It was edited by Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.