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Two entertainment and media powerhouses are likely to become one. So why aren’t the artists happy about it?

Backlash against a possible merger between the media companies Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery increased this week when more than 2,000 actors, writers and directors signed a letter opposing the deal. 

The letter warns that the merger will result in “fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world.”  

Damon Lindelof created “The Leftovers”, “Watchmen” and helped create the hit series “Lost.” He was one of the artists to sign the letter, and he explains his decision to NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly. 

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This episode was produced by Marc Rivers and Karen Zamora.

It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Rep. Eric Swalwell, of California, is the latest member of Congress accused of sexual misconduct. How common is a story like this?

Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with PBS NewsHour Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins, who reported on the patterns of abuse in Congress eight years ago. In her reporting, Desjardins spoke to former staffers who were working to change the rules around reporting and consequences. 

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This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad and Karen Zamora.

It was edited by Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of both President Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, conceded defeat in an historic election in Hungary. The results of the vote will have far reaching consequences, potentially reshaping the central European country’s relationship with the EU and laying bare the weaknesses of Orban’s style of far-right, nationalist populism.

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This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, Mate Halmos and Daniel Ofman.

It was edited by Sarah Robbins.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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It took more than 50 years for humans to return to the moon. Will it take another 50 years before NASA can get back?

Fifty-four years. 

That is how long it has been since human last traveled beyond Earth’s orbit — since the crew of Apollo 17 left the moon behind in December 1972.

This week, NASA’s Artemis II mission changed that.

Why did it take so long? And given everything we know about the agency’s plans, budget battles and the growing shadow of China’s lunar ambitions — is the road ahead actually realistic?

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 Linah Mohammad and Karen Zamora.

It was edited by Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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As a fragile ceasefire holds in the Middle East, all eyes are turning to Islamabad for high-stakes talks to end the war in Iran. Pakistan has emerged as a key player in bringing Iran and the US to the negotiating table. But will that be enough to bring peace?

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This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Tyler Bartlam.

It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas.

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The landscape of Montgomery, Alabama is a monument to Civil Rights, but is America losing touch with the lessons of that movement?

Montgomery, Alabama was the setting for much of the battle for Civil Rights.

As the country celebrates its 250 anniversary, NPR’s Debbie Elliot went to Montgomery to see what it can teach us. 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 Tyler Bartlam. 

It was edited by Rose Friedman and Courtney Dorning

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

  

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President Trump is threatening to destroy the nation of Iran if a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is not reached by 8 p.m. ET Tuesday. 

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” the president wrote on his social media platform.

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

The U.S. and Iran are holding indirect talks on ways to pause, or end, the war. But there’s no real sign of progress.

As Trump’s latest deadline for a deal with Iran ticks closer, where do things stand now?

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 Brianna Scott and Karen Zamora.

It was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Andrew Sussman and Patrick Jarenwattananon.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have stood shoulder to shoulder in their war on Iran — both men have said they want to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions, destroy its ballistic missiles and end Tehran’s support for proxy militias across the region. But are they still on the same page on how to end it?

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This episode was produced by Brianna Scott and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro.

It was edited by James Hider, Rebekah Metzler, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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After a dramatic rescue of a U.S. airman in Iran, President Trump posted a profanity-laden threat to Iran that if it didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz it would be “living in Hell.” Representative Madeline Dean, Democrat from Pennsylvania told NPR that Trump’s handling of the war in Iran – and the recent budget he proposed to fund it – are troubling and un-American.

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. 

It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas and Sarah Robbins. 

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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As the U.S. pulls out of providing billions of dollars of aid for programs globally, NPR’s reporters find out what that looks like on the ground – and how China is moving in to take America’s place.

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This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad.  It was edited by Adam Raney and Gisele Grayson. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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