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President Trump has said the US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela - an operation reported to have been led by the US Coastguard. The seizure is certain to increase tensions between the United States and Venezuela, which is already being threatened by the deployment of a US fleet. Oil futures rose following news of the seizure.
Also in the programme: tourists from more than forty countries may have to provide a five-year social media history as a condition of entry to the US under a new proposal; and new evidence suggests humans made fire much earlier than previously thought.
(Photo: US President Donald J Trump makes remarks in a roundtable with high-tech business executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 December 2025. Credit: AARON SCHWARTZ/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)
The Catholic Church is wading into a deeply partisan issue. The Archbishop of Chicago weighs in.
This fall, the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz – an aggressive immigration crackdown campaign in Chicago.
It was met with outcry from many communities around the city including the Catholic Church, and that sentiment goes all the way to the very top of the Church with Pope Leo calling on the government to treat undocumented people humanely.
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 Kathryn Fink, featuring reporting from NPR domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef.
It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jarenwattananon.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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P.M. Edition for Dec. 10. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter point, as concerns about the cooling job market outweighed stalled progress on curbing inflation. Plus, investors are betting that higher bids are coming in the Hollywood megadeal for Warner Bros. WSJ reporter Ben Dummett walks us through the signs, and who investors are betting on to take home the prize. And Nobel laureate María Corina Machado snuck out of Venezuela by boat in an effort to claim her Peace Prize in Norway. Alex Ossola hosts.
For more analysis on the Federal Reserve’s decision, go to wsj.com/video.
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Investors took Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s comments as more dovish than expected, raising hopes for more rate cuts next year. Plus: EchoStar shares surged after striking a deal with SpaceX. And stock in Amazon advanced after it announced plans to invest $35 billion in India. Danny Lewis hosts.
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An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
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Located in the eastern Pacific ocean, thousands of miles from other civilizations, Rapa Nui is home to an enduring mystery: hundreds of giant, stone sculptures called maoi. For centuries, outsiders had no idea how these were built, when, why or -- most importantly -- what happened to make the construction stop. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into hidden history and the latest research... and just may, finally, find the answers.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/2e824128-fbd5-4c9e-9a57-ae2f0056b0c4/image.jpg?t=1749831085&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }Starting next year, babies born from 2025 to 2028 can receive $1,000 to start investment accounts. The initiative has gotten corporate America excited, with financial institutions vying for a role in the program, and philanthropists like Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell pledging billions of dollars in donations. WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy unpacks how the accounts work and why Wall Street is buzzing about them. Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- Closing the Wealth Gap With a Trust Fund for Babies
- The Nvidia CEO’s Quest to Sell Chips in China
- Inside Intel's Deal With the U.S. Government
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Life for Russians has changed in myriad ways since the start of the full scale war in Ukraine in 2022. It has affected everything from what they can say to what they can buy. But perhaps the most far reaching change is in what Russians learn. Our correspondent in Moscow tells us about a new undercover documentary that shows the changes to Russian schools.
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This episode takes a visit to the goonverse — a strange online world where hundreds of thousands of people spend hours chasing a “goon state,” a trance-like high reached through marathon porn consumption. Ravi talks with reporter Daniel Kolitz, whose Harper’s article on this community has become a viral sensation: horrifying, riveting, and impossible to look away from. Together they explore what this subculture reveals about loneliness, post-lockdown life, and the dangers of instant, unlimited online pleasure crowding out real-world connection. It’s disturbing, darkly funny, and a warning sign about where we’re all heading.
Daniel Kolitz’s The Goon Squad, (Harper’s, Nov 2025)
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Some of the most well-known companies in the world have dropped in 2025, so can they make a comeback? We dig into the fortunes of Chipotle, Target and Crocs.
Travis Hoium, Jon Quast, and Rachel Warren discuss:
- Chipotle’s drop and falling same-store sales
- Target’s lost identity
- Crocs’ value
Companies discussed: Chipotle (CMG), Target (TGT), Crocs (CROX).
Host: Travis Hoium
Guests: Jon Quast, Rachel Warren
Engineer: Dan Boyd
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