Episodes

  • The songs that define America

    The songs that define America
    Jul 4 2025
    Independence Day means different things to each of us. On this 249th birthday for America, we spend some time looking at different definitions of America by revisiting NPR's 2018 series: American Anthem — which had the simple goal of telling 50 stories about 50 songs that have become galvanizing forces in American culture.

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    13 mins
  • The Trump domestic policy megabill is set to become law

    The Trump domestic policy megabill is set to become law
    Jul 3 2025
    President Trump put essentially his entire domestic agenda in one bill.

    It would significantly cut clean energy incentives, Medicaid and food assistance programs — and double down on tax cuts, immigration enforcement and national defense.

    Despite opposition from Democrats, and divides within the Republican Party, it passed through Congress.

    How did that happen? And what does it mean for American taxpayers? NPR correspondents explain.

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    9 mins
  • Saving history one story at a time

    Saving history one story at a time
    Jul 2 2025
    This summer marks 80 years since the end of World War II when Allied forces liberated Nazi-occupied Europe, and also began to discover the horrific scale of the Holocaust.

    An estimated six million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime.

    With the passage of time, there are fewer and fewer survivors who can tell the stories of what they witnessed and endured.

    Once fringe ideas of Holocaust denial are spreading. Multiple members of President Donald Trump's administration have expressed support for Nazi sympathizers and people who promote antisemitism.

    The stories of those who lived through the Holocaust are in danger of being forgotten. And there's a race against time to record as many as possible.

    In this episode, the story of a Jewish man who survived Buchenwald and an American soldier, who helped liberate the concentration camp.

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    11 mins
  • What this term says about where the Supreme Court is headed

    What this term says about where the Supreme Court is headed
    Jun 29 2025
    A number of Supreme Court decisions handed down this term have expanded the power of the president while limiting the power of the courts.

    How has this term changed the relationship of the judicial and the executive branches?

    NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Greg Stohr from Bloomberg about what we've learned about the makeup and direction of the court from this year's rulings.

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    11 mins
  • Iran's nuclear sites got bombed. North Korea? It's another story

    Iran's nuclear sites got bombed. North Korea? It's another story
    Jun 28 2025
    Although President Trump launched air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities, the administration has chosen a different path when dealing with Kim Jong Un, the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea.

    For our Reporter's Notebook series, host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR correspondent Anthony Kuhn about covering Trump and Kim's past negotiations and the difficulties of reporting on North Korea.

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    13 mins
  • The Supreme Court just lifted a key check on presidential power

    The Supreme Court just lifted a key check on presidential power
    Jun 27 2025
    Three different federal judges have issued nationwide blocks to President Trump's executive order to deny U.S. citizenship to some babies born to immigrants in the U.S.

    These court orders are called universal injunctions.

    But when the case reached the Supreme Court, the administration didn't focus on the constitutional right to birthright citizenship.

    Instead, government lawyers put most of their energy into arguing that universal injunctions themselves are unconstitutional.

    And on Friday, in a 6-3 decision on ideological lines, the Supreme Court agreed — limiting the power of lower courts and lifting a key restraint on the Trump administration.

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    11 mins