The Israeli government has said it has the ability to find and assassinate top leaders in the Iranian government. But that strategy may end up hurting any effort to actually end the war, says Yossi Melman, co-author of the book “Spies Against Armageddon.”
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 Daniel Ofman. It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas and Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Newshour - Israel steps up offensive in southern Lebanon
The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, says Israel's military action in the south of his country is a prelude to a full-scale ground invasion. Israel has started blowing up bridges over a crucial river in southern Lebanon, saying it is targeting infrastructure used by Hezbollah. Could Israel be about to take the next step in the Middle Eastern conflict?
Also in the programme: French voters have gone to the polls - will they tack to the centre ground or lurch to the far-left and far-right? And a British version of the celebrated US TV show Saturday Night Live has made its debut - did it translate well across the Atlantic?
(Photo shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike on a bridge near Qasmiyeh, Lebanon on 22 March 2026. Credit: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)
The Source - Allegations against César Chávez raise hard questions
New allegations that César Chávez sexually assaulted women and girls, including minors, have triggered a fast and painful reckoning over one of the most celebrated figures in Mexican American and labor history.array(3) {
[0]=>
string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source"
[1]=>
string(0) ""
[2]=>
string(1) "0"
}
The Source - The war with Iran and the surging price of oil
The U.S. Israeli war with Iran has caused a major disruption to the global flow of oil. The price of crude has jumped to over $100 a barrel. But the question has been, is this a short-term problem or will this war cause the destruction of key oil production sites in the Middle East and cause long term higher prices? And can Texas oil producers meet the moment?array(3) {
[0]=>
string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source"
[1]=>
string(0) ""
[2]=>
string(1) "0"
}
Global News Podcast - The Global Story:How does war affect a child’s brain?
For nearly forty years, Fergal Keane has reported for the BBC from some of the world’s most brutal conflicts – in Gaza, Iraq, Rwanda, Sudan, Ukraine and beyond – and in that time interviewed scores of children who are the innocent victims of adult wars.
As he came to understand the impacts of trauma on young minds, Keane began too to experience his own mental breakdowns – the result of a troubled childhood and a career spent running towards danger – and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD.
In today’s episode, he reflects on what he has learned from his own experiences and reporting about how childhood traumas can be treated, and the hope for those living through today’s wars.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producer: Hannah Moore
Executive producer: Bridget Harney
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Displaced children play in Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Haitham Imad/ EPA/ Shutterstock.
the memory palace - Episode 242: The Handwriter
Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.
The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.
Music
- Drywall from Johann Johannson's score to Sicario.
- Castle Song by Green-House
- Tea by Resevoir
- La Valse du Progres by Delphine Dora
- Arrival by Domenique Dumont
- Sarah in Bath from Kryzystof Komeda's score to Fearless Vampire Killers
- Thread of Light by Golden Retriever
- In Some Spirit World by Geotic
Notes
- This one was pulled together with tiny threads of information, much provided by the NCRA's website itself.
- You can find links to three fascinating (really!) studies on the brains of transcribers here, here, & here.
Audio Poem of the Day - Relating to Robinson
By Weldon Kees
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Motley Fool Money - Irresistible Change: How to Spot Real Growth
How can investors tell the difference between a real value-creating transformation and “compliance theatre”? Phil Gilbert, serial entrepreneur and former IBM General Manager, joins the show to talk about his new book, Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success. Motley Fool contributor Rich Lumelleau talks with Gilbert about the red flags of CEO bluster, the "25% Rule" for cultural tipping points, and why the next generation of great investors will be tracking "Revenue per Token."
Host: Rich Lumulleau
Guest: Phil Gilbert
Producer: Bart Shannon, Mac Greer
Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement.
We’re committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Newshour - Israeli Prime Minister visits site of latest Iranian strike
More than 160 people have been injured - some seriously - in Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns close to a nuclear facility, according to Israeli emergency officials. We hear about the medical situation on the ground and take a look at Israel's nuclear capabilities.
Also on the programme: Italian voters give their verdict on a government plan to have more power over the judiciary; and a US comedy institution makes its UK debut as Saturday Night Live hits British screens.
(Picture: Ultra Orthodox Jewish residents look on at the scene of a direct hit of an Iranian missile in Arad, Israel. Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA/Shutterstock)
The Daily - Injections, Bone Hammering and the Pursuit of Peak Male Beauty
If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably come across a video of a young, square-jawed influencer calling himself Clavicular. He has become the face of an internet subculture called looksmaxxing, in which men do almost anything — like taking steroids and hormones or bashing their jaws with a hammer — to try to become more handsome.
In this episode, Natalie Kitroeff talks with reporter Joseph Bernstein about the world of looksmaxxing and how what might seem like a fringe phenomenon is actually the culmination of a digital culture that rewards physical perfection with status and algorithmic power.
On Today’s Episode
Joseph Bernstein covers digital subcultures for the Styles desk at The New York Times.
Background Reading
Young Men Seek Answers to an Age-Old Question: How to Be Hot
The Suffix That Tells Us to Ruthlessly Optimize Everything
Photo Credit: Cassidy Araiza for The New York Times
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.