What should the future of federal immigration enforcement look like?

As lawmakers, and people around the country, grapple with what federal immigration enforcement should look like, Janet Napolitano, former DHS Secretary under President Obama, talks about the future – and the past – of ICE.

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This episode was produced by Henry Larson and Kai McNamee. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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A dangerous nuclear moment

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy kicked off a decades-long effort to reduce the risk of nuclear war, when he signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty. Subsequent presidents forged new agreements, but now that global order to safeguard and reduce nuclear arms is deteriorating.

This month the last bilateral nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States expired. Meanwhile, President Trump is pushing the international order to a breaking point, and European leaders are speculating about a new path forward for their collective nuclear defense. 

NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with Christine Wormuth, former Secretary of the Army and now President and C.E.O. of The Nuclear Threat Initiative, about the possibility of a new nuclear arms race.

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This episode was produced by Karen Zamora and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata, Brett Neely and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Finding common ground as another funding deadline looms

Congress is approaching yet another Friday funding deadline. So how can the parties find any common ground before DHS runs out of money?

NPR’s Scott Detrow speaks with Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York about a path forward.

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This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Elena Burnett and was edited by Christopher Intagliata, Sami Yenigun, Kelsey Snell and Nadia Lancy. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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A ‘bittersweet’ milestone: a million meals per day in Gaza

The people of Gaza have faced the threat of hunger since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. But after a ceasefire agreement finally came in October last year, aid organizations were able to scale up their deliveries of desperately needed food aid.

World Central Kitchen is one of the major organizations fighting hunger in Gaza. This week, it announced a milestone: It is now serving one million meals in Gaza every day.

NPR’s Ailsa Chang speaks with the organization’s founder, celebrity chef José Andrés, about what that milestone means and what still needs to be done.

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This episode was produced by Jordan-Marie Smith and Elena Burnett. It was edited by Michael Levitt, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Nadia Lancy. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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How Pam Bondi has reshaped the Justice Department

Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, where she’s likely to face questions about the Epstein Files, the Minnesota immigration crackdown and the attempt to prosecute several of President Trump’s perceived political enemies. 

NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with Pulitzer-Prize-winning investigative journalist Carol Leonnig about how Bondi has reshaped the Department of Justice, and what she’s expecting to hear in Wednesday’s testimony.

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This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Courtney Dorning.

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How the Epstein files are upending U.K. politics

The latest disclosure from the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein is threatening the U.K. ruling government.

New documents have led Peter Mandelson, a former ambassador to the U.S., to resign from Britain’s House of Lords and from the Labour Party.

The fallout has already claimed two key staff members close to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and some in his own party are calling for him to step down too.

Edward Luce, chief U.S. commentator for the Financial Times, helps explain the scandal – and why the reaction in the U.K. differs from the U.S.

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This episode was produced by Jordan-Marie Smith and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Michael Levitt. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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What does it mean when the president urges Republicans to “nationalize the voting”?

The power to regulate federal elections rests with states and Congress, according to the Constitution. Yet President Trump repeatedly questioned the integrity of election systems, despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and in recent days has urged Republicans to take over voting operations in a number of states. Wendy Weiser, the vice president for democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School, a think tank and voting rights advocacy group, examines the administration’s actions ahead of the midterm elections. 

This episode was produced by Henry Larson and Kai McNamee, with audio engineering by Damian Herring. 

It was edited by Sarah Robbins and Ahmad Damen. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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The sound of dad

NPR’s Bob Mondello and the search for a voice lost to time.

Each day on this podcast we bring you the context behind the headlines.

Headlines about President Trump or foreign policy or what’s playing out on America’s streets.

This story is smaller. More personal. About one person’s search for a voice he thought he’d never hear again.

But it moved us. And we wanted to share it. 

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This episode was produced by Chloee Weiner and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Damian Herring.

It was edited by Clare Lombardo and Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Will new limits on gender-related surgeries change anything?

The Trump administration is celebrating an American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommendation to delay gender-related surgeries, which are rare. So how much is changing?

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons declared this week that it recommends surgeons delay gender-related surgeries until a patient is at least 19 years old.

The Trump administration called the move “another victory for biological truth in the Trump administration,” and said the group “has set the scientific and medical standard for all provider groups to follow.”

The administration is describing the new recommendations as a “watershed moment”, but gender-affirming surgeries in minors are rare. So how much will this change?

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This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro.

It was edited by Diane Webber, Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jarenwattananon.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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