Episodes
What does the death of Oct. 7 architect Yahya Sinwar mean for the hostages still in Gaza? Sharone Lifschitz, whose father is being held hostage, joins us to talk about why she and other hostage families are pushing Israel to negotiate a deal. And, Fox News launched a Spanish-language news program called "Fox Noticias." Author Paola Ramos talks with us about how former President Donald Trump is making inroads in the Latino community. Then, Here & Now's resident games expert James Perkins...
Published 10/18/24
Israel says a military operation in Gaza killed, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attack. We get the latest from Daniel Levy of the U.S. / Middle East Project. Then, what should voters know about mail-in ballots? Elections expert Wendy Underhill joins us, along with Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who shares his concerns about the timely delivery of ballots by the U.S. Postal Service. And, the film "Hundreds of Beavers" was made on a low budget during two...
Published 10/18/24
The swing state of Michigan has a big Arab American population. Many Democrats in that community want to abandon their party over its support of Israel's war in Gaza. Host Deepa Fernandes traveled to Michigan to report on how voters are feeling. And, Vice President Kamala Harris did a town hall Monday night with popular radio host Charlamagne tha God, while Former President Donald Trump did an interview with Bloomberg News. NPR's Ron Elving joins us to talk about what those interviews...
Published 10/16/24
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Colin Allred will face off in a debate Tuesday night. KUT's Blaise Gainey tells us about the close Senate race. Then, how much do polls matter to the election? NPR's Domenico Montanaro discusses what people should look for in polling. And, aid trucks have made it into North Gaza after a customs dispute led to Israel blocking entry for relief agencies. UNWRA's Juliette Touma joins us. Plus, French singer Yseult stole the show at this year's Olympics...
Published 10/15/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. Elections departments across Pennsylvania are heightening security efforts and trying to tackle misinformation as the political climate heats up. Votebeat Pennsylvania's Carter Walker joins us. And, Asheville, North Carolina, was home to a thriving arts district before Hurricane Helene swept through. Fleta Monaghan, the founder of an art studio and school, tells us how the community is working to recover....
Published 10/14/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. We discuss the latest in politics with Jonathan Martin of Politico and Julia Terruso of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Then, former President Donald Trump is vowing to "save vaping." His promise comes after he reportedly met with a leading e-cigarette representative. Tevi Troy, author and former lobbyist for JUUL, joins us. And, Yom Kippur begins Friday night. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Park Avenue...
Published 10/11/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. Florida is cleaning up after Hurricane Milton blew through the state, leaving millions without power. NPR's Greg Allen and Florida resident Tricia Rand join us to explain the impact of the storm. And, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule requiring all lead pipes to be replaced in a decade. Federal officials say it will improve public health. EPA Administrator Michael Regan joins us. Then,...
Published 10/10/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida's west coast Wednesday night or early Thursday. Rep. Jared Moskowitz talks about his bipartisan call for Congress to pass another $15 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster response. Then, an investigation by The New York Times and ProPublica finds that two billionaire preachers hold the keys to the Republican Party in...
Published 10/09/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. Tampa General Hospital director of public safety Tony Venezia joins us to talk about how the hospital is preparing for Hurricane Milton. The hospital installed a temporary flood wall ahead of Hurricane Helene, but Milton is expected to be much stronger. And, the new book "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment" profiles the video game developer's meteoric rise and the controversies...
Published 10/08/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. The Supreme Court is beginning a new term, with cases about guns and transgender care on the docket. Slate's Dahlia Lithwick joins us. Then, Irit Lahav survived the Hamas attack on her kibbutz last year. Lahav describes how Nir Oz residents are doing and whether they want to return to their homes on the border with Gaza. And, Dr. Alaa Ali is a Palestinian American doctor in Dearborn, Michigan, who has...
Published 10/07/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Dockworkers have temporarily suspended their strike at ports along the East and Gulf coasts after reaching an agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance. Director of the National Economic Council Lael Brainard joins us. Then, one family tells their story of surviving the catastrophic flooding in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. Plus, Hurricane Helene unleashed devastating floods in...
Published 10/04/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. The number of election deniers and conspiracy theorists is growing in official capacities related to the election. Marc Elias — one of the attorneys who helped overturn nearly every legal challenge related to the 2020 election — joins us to share his concerns. And, Najat Aoun Saliba, a member of Lebanon's parliament, joins us from Beirut for an update on the Israeli airstrikes Thursday. Then, after learning...
Published 10/03/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Israel is vowing to retaliate after Iran fired ballistic missiles into Israel on Tuesday. So how does Iran view the escalating conflict with Israel? Author Trita Parsi weighs in. Then, four previously unknown recordings of the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan have been rediscovered and released on a new album called "Chain of Light." Composer Michael Brook and scholar Hussein Rashid join us....
Published 10/02/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. Israel has launched its first ground invasion into Lebanon since 2006. NPR international correspondent Ruth Sherlock joins us. And, misinformation about the election is spreading online. Renee DiResta joins us to discuss the Stanford institution she helped lead that aimed to fight election disinformation until it also became the target of disinformation. Then, Oct. 1 is Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday. Longtime...
Published 10/01/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. An Israeli strike Friday killed Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah, sending shockwaves through the region. Lawrence Freedman, emeritus professor of war studies at King's College in London, talks about Nasrallah's background and impact. Then, one under-the-radar item on Tim Walz's resume that may come up in Tuesday's vice presidential debate is his many trips to China. The Financial Times' Demetri...
Published 09/30/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. New York Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded not guilty to federal bribery and conspiracy charges. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is second in line to be mayor if Adams should resign or be removed. Lander joins us to talk about why he's calling on Adams to step down. And, the footage from a man who filmed former President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 is now up for auction after it was discovered...
Published 09/27/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. The vast majority of people who are arrested in this country cannot afford to pay bail — which is why states across the U.S. have tried to change the system. Marc Levin, chief policy counsel for the Council on Criminal Justice, tells us about those efforts. Then, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges of bribery and fraud, allegations he denies. WNYC's Bahar Ostadan tells...
Published 09/26/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. According to legal experts, the end of cash bail for nonviolent misdemeanor offenses made the justice system in the Houston area more fair. But it hasn't made the city's jail complex any safer. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd and Houston Public Media's Lucio Vasquez report on the alarming trend of inmates dying while incarcerated. And, several election officials received packages containing white powder last...
Published 09/25/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Local governments around the country are reconsidering the use of cash bail. But those changes often lead to political backlash. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd continues his series from Harris County, which ended cash bail in 2019 for most misdemeanors. Then, we talk with Abbas Alawieh, a leader of the Uncommitted movement in Michigan. He has relatives in Lebanon who are trying to find safety from...
Published 09/24/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. It's been nearly 5 years since cash bail was removed for most people charged with misdemeanors in Harris County, Texas, home to Houston. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd heads to Harris County for a special series on how bail reform has changed the criminal justice system there. And, North Carolina is a critical swing state in this year's presidential election. Democrat Kimberly Harding and Republican Dallas...
Published 09/23/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Journalists Jesse Holland and Ron Elving discuss the week in politics, including the fallout from conspiracy theories Trump has spread about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Then, Microsoft may soon power its artificial intelligence with an unexpected source: Three Mile Island. The nuclear plant is infamous for the worst reactor accident in U.S. history back in 1979. The Washington Post's Evan Halper...
Published 09/20/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Walkie-talkie and pager explosions have killed more than 30 people and wounded thousands in Lebanon. We get the latest on the attacks on Hezbollah members from NPR's Jane Arraf in Beirut. Plus, security analyst Jim Walsh talks about the implications of the attacks. Then, what are Trump and Harris saying about building more homes and making rent affordable? Dennis Shea of the Bipartisan Policy Center...
Published 09/19/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. In Kamala Harris' second high-profile national interview since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, she took questions from members of the National Association of Black Journalists. Politico's Eugene Daniels was one of the interviewers. He joins us. Then, in his new book "Hope For Cynics," Jamil Zaki tackles cynicism and how its rise might be eroding society. Zaki joins us. And, 25 years ago,...
Published 09/18/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. Schools are reopening in Springfield, Ohio, after bomb threats rocked the community. The city has become a center of anti-immigrant backlash after former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance amplified racist falsehoods about Haitian immigrants. WYSO's Kathryn Mobley and Springfield NAACP chapter president Denise Williams give us a picture of Springfield. And, after losing everything in a...
Published 09/17/24
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Police arrested Ryan Wesley Routh Sunday after what the FBI says was an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The New York Times' Thomas Gibbons-Neff talks about interviewing with Routh last year. Then, after a student collapsed and died during physical education, an inspection found 170 defibrillators in Houston Public Schools that aren't working. Houston Public Media's Adam...
Published 09/16/24