Special elections last night offered a mixed picture of the political mood in the country, even as Democrats seem to be seizing on the idea that their path to victory is to focus on Elon Musk. Did Trump do America and Elise Stefanik herself a favor by making her stay in the House to continue fighting the culture war against the universities? And what exactly are tariffs liberating us from? Plus, Val Kilmer, RIP. Give a listen.
Donald Trump is raising tariffs on Canada, but has his northern neighbour done anything to deserve them?
In her Spring Statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the UK?s fiscal ?headroom? was, again, ?9.9bn. We explore this curious coincidence.
Is it true that one in four people in the UK is disabled? And what does that mean for the state of our workforce?
Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporter: Lizzy McNeill
Producer: Nathan Gower
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
Felix sits down with writer & journalist Peter Korotaev for a wide ranging conversation on the state of the Russo-Ukranian War in the wake of the Trump administration’s spat with Zelensky & attempts at a peace deal, and loads of context on the politics of Ukraine, Russia, various oligarchs, the Atlantic Council, and other non-state actors that have led to this point.
You can find Peter’s writing on Ukraine here: https://substack.com/@eventsinukraine
And some other writing of note:
For al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/1/23/why-is-ukraine-struggling-to-mobilise-its-citizens-to-fight
Jacobin: https://jacobin.com/2022/07/ukraine-neoliberalism-war-russia-eu-imf
Canada Files: https://www.thecanadafiles.com/articles?author=645e6f082224bb01e8f3f37c
Arena https://arena.org.au/ukraines-borderline-disorder/
In President Donald Trump's telling, tariffs are the political equivalent of duct tape: you can use them to fix anything.
For example, they're a negotiating tool — he used the threat of tariffs to pressure Canada and Mexico to implement border policies he liked. He also sees tariffs as a revenue source that might help offset his proposed $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and as a shield to protect American manufacturing jobs from overseas competition.
With all of these potentially conflicting aims, and with another major round of tariffs expected to be announced on Wednesday, what is the strategy behind them?
Rana Foroohar, a Financial Times columnist and the author of Homecoming: The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World, says they're an "experiment" that could lead to a big change in the way the global economy works.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
In President Donald Trump's telling, tariffs are the political equivalent of duct tape: you can use them to fix anything.
For example, they're a negotiating tool — he used the threat of tariffs to pressure Canada and Mexico to implement border policies he liked. He also sees tariffs as a revenue source that might help offset his proposed $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and as a shield to protect American manufacturing jobs from overseas competition.
With all of these potentially conflicting aims, and with another major round of tariffs expected to be announced on Wednesday, what is the strategy behind them?
Rana Foroohar, a Financial Times columnist and the author of Homecoming: The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World, says they're an "experiment" that could lead to a big change in the way the global economy works.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
In President Donald Trump's telling, tariffs are the political equivalent of duct tape: you can use them to fix anything.
For example, they're a negotiating tool — he used the threat of tariffs to pressure Canada and Mexico to implement border policies he liked. He also sees tariffs as a revenue source that might help offset his proposed $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and as a shield to protect American manufacturing jobs from overseas competition.
With all of these potentially conflicting aims, and with another major round of tariffs expected to be announced on Wednesday, what is the strategy behind them?
Rana Foroohar, a Financial Times columnist and the author of Homecoming: The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World, says they're an "experiment" that could lead to a big change in the way the global economy works.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
It's become easier to hate those with whom we disagree on matters of policy and politics, and our ideological tribes insulate us from thoughtful challenge. Andrew Heaton hopes to help you navigate a coarsening culture with his book, Tribalism is Dumb.
How did it happen that Kamala Harris ever rose to the summit? What forces led her there, and what does it mean that she was stopped and that Trump won over her and is doing what he's doing now? Give a listen.
Donald Trump's long-promised "Liberation Day" of insane new tariffs approaches, but what's his plan for the global trade war he's promising to start? Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss all the latest madness, including Trump's new hints that he'll serve a third term, the galling new details about Alien Enemy Act deportations, and Elon Musk buying votes in the Wisconsin judicial race. Then, Jon sits down with Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego to talk about how Democrats can fight back against Trump and how we can win again in states like his.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.