The Indicator from Planet Money - Do school lunches really need an overhaul?

School lunch has been revamped a ton over the last two decades. Now, the Trump administration wants to rejigger the menu once more to align with its Make America Healthy Again agenda. That means more meat. More dairy. But do schools really need another menu overhaul? And could they even afford it?

On today’s show, we join a school lunch line in South Carolina to find out what kids are actually eating.

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Related episodes: 
A food fight over free school lunch
How beef climbed to the top of the food pyramid

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter 

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NPR's Book of the Day - Andy Weir reveals his fun and frantic creative process behind ‘Project Hail Mary’

In Project Hail Mary, amateur astronaut Ryland Grace must travel light years from Earth to save humanity from a dying Sun. The stakes are high, to say the least. But author Andy Weir was intentional about centering hope in his bestselling novel, which inspired the recent blockbuster film starring Ryan Gosling. In today’s episode, Andy Weir joins Here and Now’s Indira Lakshmanan to discuss his creative world-building process, and why he remains optimistic about our ability to collaborate in the face of existential threats.

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Global News Podcast - Trump says he could ‘take the oil in Iran’

President Trump has said he could "take the oil in Iran" and possibly seize Kharg Island through which most Iranian oil is exported. He spoke to the Financial Times, as thousands of US ground troops arrived in the Middle East. But Mr Trump later told reporters a deal could be reached with Iran "very soon". The Israeli military says it has struck targets across the Iranian capital, where there are reports of heavy explosions and large scale power cuts. Also: a giant NASA rocket has arrived back on its launchpad after earlier technical problems, ahead of the Artemis mission to the far side of the moon; the English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur parts company with another manager, Igor Tudor, who left the club by mutual consent; a woman born to British parents has become the first British mayor in France. And, governments attending a UN wildlife summit have approved a list of 40 new species for international protection -- including giant otters and striped hyenas.

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

It Could Happen Here - The Trans Panic Clickbait Economy

Garrison investigates a series of frightening claims: that ICE can detain people for ‘looking trans,’ the creation of a transgender public registry, and that an adult gender-affirming healthcare ban is imminent.

Sources:

https://transitics.substack.com/p/trump-administration-opens-the-door 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/11/2026-04737/visas-enhancing-vetting-and-combatting-fraud-in-the-diversity-immigrant-visa-program 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/ 

https://rachelnorfolk.me/sites/default/files/2025-02/25_State_11402.pdf
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20250402-RecognizingMaleAndFemaleSexes.pdf

https://iptp-production.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/2025.2.24_DOS_Guidance_for_Visa_Adjudicators_EO_14201_22Keeping_Men_Out_of_Wom_VhPai1S.pdf

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/administrative-processing-information.html 

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:8%20section:1182%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1182)&f=treesort&num=0&edition=prelim 

https://fam.state.gov/fam/09FAM/09FAM030209.html 

https://bsky.app/profile/progesteronipizza.bsky.social/post/3m5w6wnkyhc2u 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a169_5h25.pdf

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/transgender-kansans-challenge-state-law-invalidating-their-drivers-licenses-and-allowing-them-to-be-sued-for-using-public-restrooms 

https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/sb244_03_0000.pdf 

https://www.tiktok.com/@transitics/video/7616520936925285662

https://bsky.app/profile/firestorm.coop/post/3mgwxdih3x222 

https://www.tiktok.com/@e_c_lider/video/7616688370462231830 

https://www.vera.org/news/ice-is-excluding-data-on-transgender-people-in-detention

https://www.them.us/story/alice-correia-barbosa-ice-arrest-brazil-trans

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-mexico-deportation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportations_of_U.S._citizens_in_the_second_Trump_administration#

https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118180/documents/HMKP-119-JU00-20250430-SD003.pdf

https://19thnews.org/2025/12/trump-administration-plans-to-end-prison-rape-protections-for-trans-and-intersex-people-memo-says/

https://theneedlenews.com/2026/03/anti-trans-hate-groups-petitioning-fda-for-registry-of-trans-women-crackdown-on-transition-newly-revealed-document-shows/

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27871234-fda-2025-p-7321-0001-attachment-public-fda/?ref=theneedlenews.com

https://bsky.app/profile/angelic.style/post/3mgv3hjepvs2p

https://bsky.app/profile/tinylesbianrobot.itch.io/post/3mgvbihtidu2m

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4865109/#:~:text=Only%20346%20(18%25)%20of,Risk%20Evaluation%20and%20Mitigation%20Strategy

https://www.thepinknews.com/2026/03/19/tennessee-gop-advances-bill-that-would-create-public-list-of-trans-residents/?utm_content=1773928472&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

https://trackbill.com/bill/tennessee-house-bill-754-an-act-to-amend-tennessee-code-annotated-title-1-title-4-title-33-title-56-title-63-title-68-and-title-71-relative-to-health-care/2644177/

https://x.com/popbase/status/2034737772792041622?s=46

https://transitics.substack.com/p/tennessee-republicans-advance-bill

https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/movaokabwva/USA_HEALTH_TRANSGENDER_WESTVIRGINIA.pdf

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/us/rfk-jr-transgender-care-ruling.html

https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/4th-circuit-rules-that-states-can

https://bsky.app/profile/davidforbes.bsky.social/post/3mgv5httwss26

https://glaad.org/new-york-times-sign-on-letter-from-lgtbq-allied-leaders-and-organizations

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/fbi-readies-new-war-on-trans-people

https://gnet-research.org/2025/07/18/meaning-through-its-opposite-significance-quest-theory-and-nihilistic-violent-extremism/

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/what-are-nihilist-violent-extremists 

https://x.com/ItsYourGov/status/1968802472111083949?s=20

https://oversight-project.revv.co/urge-the-fbi-to-designate-transgender-terrorism

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/designating-antifa-as-a-domestic-terrorist-organization/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/countering-domestic-terrorism-and-organized-political-violence/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOykLZJDS2h/

https://www.tiktok.com/@genericartdad/video/7554381061128473886

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Source - Mayor Jones reports back from Taiwan trade trip

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is using overseas trade missions to make the case that the city can compete for the industries shaping the next economy. Her latest trip, a March delegation visit to Taiwan, was framed by City Hall as an effort to strengthen bilateral ties, attract investment, and position San Antonio as a landing spot for Taiwanese firms looking to expand in the United States.array(3) { [0]=> string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }

The Source - How should San Antonio regulate data center growth?

The number of data centers in the San Antonio area continues to grow. And District 10 Councilmember Marc Whyte is presenting a nuanced position on the growth as an opportunity for the city’s economy — boosting revenue for CPS Energy and providing a projected $50 million dollars for the city’s general fund. Whyte is calling for managing data center growth to protect the region's water and neighborhoods.array(3) { [0]=> string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }

Consider This from NPR - Why some Iranian Americans back the war on their country of origin

At the heart of the war against Iran is a question about the fate of the Iranian government. Adrian Ma speaks with Ramtin Arablouei, host of the NPR podcast Throughline, about what Iranians in the United States want from regime change in Iran - and the history of why.


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 Henry Larson and Michael Levitt. It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas and Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.




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