Here & Now

After Hurricane Katrina, state officials in Louisiana accelerated their takeover of New Orleans’ lowest-performing schools.  WWNO's Aubri Juhasz discusses the state of New Orleans' schools 20 years after Katrina. Then, 20 years ago, actor Wendell Pierce managed to evacuate his parents from the Ponchartrain Park neighborhood in the hours before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Pierce joins us. And, the animal welfare crisis that followed Hurricane Katrina spurred the nation to change the way it thinks about pets during natural disasters. NPR's Nate Rott reports.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump has proposed scaling back federal funding for low-income renters as part of his budget for the next fiscal year that starts in October. Developers are already responding by scaling back projects that rent to people who depend on that aid to pay their rent. Denice Wint of EAH Housing, a low-income housing developer, explains more.And, Gov. Kim Reynolds explains why she went around the legislature to overhaul the state's child care system.Then, rising costs, tariffs and funding cuts to public education are heightening the debate over who should be paying for school supplies — parents or teachers? Chabeli Carrazana, an economy and child care reporter for The 19th, joins us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. imposed tariffs of up to 50% on India on Wednesday, threatening to raise tensions with a major trading partner and destabilize global markets. NPR's Diaa Hadid explains.And, EarthQuaker Devices, based in Akron, Ohio, makes guitar pedals for musicians who want to create distortion effects in both live and recorded performances. But the ever-changing tariff policies are making it difficult to manufacture the company's products and plan for the future. Ideastream Public Media's J. Nungesser reports.Then, five years after the pandemic changed the way we work, people are facing less pressure to be at work for eight hours a day. Wall Street Journal columnist Callum Borchers explains what that means for ourselves and how others perceive us. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

One year ago, during the 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched the Make America Healthy Again movement. Now as the head of Health and Human Services, Kennedy is trying to push through changes to policies around vaccines and food safety, and end the chronic disease epidemic. STAT reporter Isabella Cueto explains how much progress the movement has made.And, when 19-year-old Viraj Dhanda starts his first year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he’ll be the first student with non-speaking autism. Viraj Dhanda and his father, Sumit Dhanda, join us to detail his journey to MIT.Then, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students are studying in the U.S., but only 1,200 U.S. students are studying in China. Linguistics professor and author David Moser explains why.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump is using the full force of the presidency to go after critics and people he believes are criminals. Law professor Kim Wehle talks about the implications of Trump's push to use the attorney general as his own personal lawyer. Then, Trump has suggested that Chicago could be the next U.S. city where he deploys National Guard troops after doing so in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The Chicago Sun-Times' Tina Sfondeles gives more context. And, an undocumented teen is trying to get an education at a Bronx school for immigrants as the Trump administration amps up ICE actions. Chalkbeat reporter Michael Elsen-Rooney tells us more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Research shows that developing a daily routine can positively impact mental health by creating a structure that helps reduce stress and anxiety. Mental health counselor Samantha Zhu explains how to create and stick to a routine.And, exercise improves not only physical health, but mental health too. It can be hard to start a fitness regimen, but fitness instructor Aubre Winters shares some tips for working regular exercise into your life.Then, according to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 30% of Americans say their sleep quality is poor, or they aren’t getting enough sleep each night. Psychologist Shelby Harris details how to create morning and bedtime routines that can help you get more restful sleep.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

New data shows the Democratic Party is hemorrhaging voters. New York Times national political correspondent Shane Goldmacher broke the story and joins us to explain what the numbers mean as Democrats try to find their way out of the political wilderness.And, with voter enrollment numbers down, Democrats are working on new strategies to win elections again. Democratic strategists Rebecca Kirszner Katz and Jamal Simmons explain what they think the party needs to do to connect with voters.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After the Supreme Court struck down federal abortion rights in 2022, voters in Ohio and Missouri approved state abortion protections. Now, conservatives in the states are working to roll those rights back. Reporters Karen Kasler and Jason Rosenbaum break down those efforts.And, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised "a massive testing and research effort" to determine what he calls environmental causes of autism. But now, the government is ending funding for some of those studies. ProPublica’s Sharon Lerner shares more.Then, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a set of vaccine recommendations that strays from the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. AAP president Dr. Susan Kressly explains why. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Kremlin is demanding that Ukraine give up the entire Donetsk Oblast as part of any ceasefire agreement. Russia analyst Kateryna Stepanenko explains why Donetsk is so important to Ukraine and why Russia wants control of it. Then, Brennan Center for Justice CEO Michael Waldman talks about President Trump's push to end mail-in voting, baselessly claiming it is "corrupt." And, Trump kicked off a nationwide race to redraw political maps after he urged Texas Republicans to draw five more GOP-leaning seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. Author David Daley writes that the "true architect" of the gerrymandering fight is Chief Justice John Roberts and the conservative Supreme Court.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As many as 5,000 migrants may soon be detained at a new facility at Fort Bliss in Texas. The center opened on Sunday. KTEP’s Angela Kocherga joins us to explain more.And, just seven months into President Trump’s second term, nearly half of the goals outlined in Project 2025 have been achieved. During the 2024 campaign, Trump distanced himself from the conservative Heritage Foundation's governing blueprint. Law professor Kim Wehle details what’s left on the checklist.Then, Elon Musk's The Boring Company is moving forward with its planned tunnel under Nashville. The tunnel, called the Music City Loop, has faced questions about its environmental impacts. Environmental reporter Caroline Eggers at WPLN joins us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Spike Lee’s latest film, “Highest 2 Lowest,” is his reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film, “High and Low.” Denzel Washington stars as a music mogul faced with a moral dilemma: Should he fork over $17 million to save his driver and friend’s son? Lee joins us to talk more about the film as it hits theaters Friday.And, radio legend Bruce Morrow, known as Cousin Brucie, reminisces about helping to introduce The Beatles 60 years ago when they kicked off a new era in rock 'n' roll by headlining at Shea Stadium in 1965.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A voter-approved mandate in Missouri for employers to provide paid sick leave is set to go away later this month after Republican lawmakers repealed it. St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum. Then, this week, a glacial outburst sent millions of gallons of water surging down the Mendenhall River that runs through Juneau, Alaska. Public Safety manager Sabrina Grubitz joins us. And, dermatologists are stunned by a new movement that falsely claims that sunscreen — one of the proven ways to prevent skin cancer — is ineffective and even dangerous. Dr. Susan Taylor explains the science.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Increased immigration enforcement is playing out across the U.S., and Boston is no exception. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been spotted in neighborhoods across the city, and the detainment of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk made headlines across the country.WBUR reporter Simón Rios, who has extensively covered immigration in Boston, joins Here & Now’s Chris Bentley to explain more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump put Washington, D.C. police under federal control, vowing to fight crime in the country’s capital. What does the move mean for mayors across the country as they try to keep their cities safe? Van Johnson, president of the African American Mayors Association, joins us.And, despite fears around crime, data shows that violent crime and property crime rates fell to a 20-year low in 2024. Jeff Asher, co-founder of AH Datalytics, explains more about the data.Then, as electric vehicle sales flatten, Ford announced a line of smaller, cheaper electric vehicles. Roben Farzad, host of the podcast "Full Disclosure," details the rollout.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Israel targeted a journalist tent in Gaza City, killing five Al Jazeera journalists Sunday, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif. The Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 192 journalists have been killed since the start of the war nearly two years ago. Mohamed Moawad, Al Jazeera’s managing editor, joins us to talk about the loss of his colleagues.And, President Trump took the unprecedented move on Monday of placing the Washington, D.C. police department under federal control and sending in National Guard troops to fight crime in the nation's capital, despite statistics showing violent crime declining 26% since last year. WAMU's Alex Koma details White House plans to use federal forces in D.C.Then, Chipmakers Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices are selling advanced artificial intelligence chips to China, and national security experts have major concerns. The deal requires the two companies to pay 15% of chip sales revenue to the U.S. government. The Jamestown Foundation’s Peter Mattis expla

On a recent reporting trip, Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd and Chris Bentley stopped in Clarksdale, Mississippi, a town known as the birthplace of the blues. They speak with Mayor Orlando Paden, who runs the blues club Red's, and Shelley Ritter, executive director of the Delta Blues Museum. Then, music journalist Betto Arcos goes to Bentonia, Mississippi, to get a music and history lesson from a storied musician and owner of one of the region's remaining juke joints.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found Americans consume more than half of their calories from ultra-processed food. Cleveland Clinic dietitian Julia Zumpano explains the health implications.And, President Trump’s new round of tariffs took effect Thursday, with more on the way. MSNBC’s Ali Velshi unpacks what this means for global trade.Then, a new alert system in Arizona, called Turquoise Alerts, works to address a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people in the state. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio shares what this means for tribal communities.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is cutting nearly $500 million in funding for the development of mRNA vaccines that are used to fight COVID-19 and the flu. Dr. Paul Offit joins us to discuss what the move could mean for vaccine research and development. Then, the Department of Transportation is raising concerns about airlines using artificial intelligence to set ticket prices based on customers' personal information. Transportation analyst Seth Kaplan talks about how AI could show up in ticket prices. And, Microsoft watches over the data of government agencies like the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Last month, Microsoft announced a Chinese state-sponsored hack on those accounts. ProPublica's Renee Dudley tells us more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Democratic lawmakers in Texas left the state to prevent a vote on redrawing the state’s congressional maps. The redrawn maps would create five more winnable U.S. House districts for Republicans. Democratic Texas state Rep. Armando Walle talks about where Democrats go from here.And, as the school year is about to start back up, Michigan’s education budget and federal funding changes are creating uncertainty for districts in the state. Katy Xenakis-Makowski, superintendent of Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools, shares more about how uncertainty is impacting her district.Then, Martha Barnette — co-host of “A Way with Words” — joins us to talk about her new book “Friends with Words,” where she explores word origins and her own love of language.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Texas House Democrats fled the state in a bid to block a new congressional district map. The proposed redistricting would create five new Republican-leaning seats in the House. Texas Newsroom's Lauren McGaughy tells us more. Then, on Friday, President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, after the July jobs report showed job growth had stagnated. We speak with former BLS Commissioner under Trump's first term, William Beach, who believes the move undermines credibility in the government's economic statistics. And, the first several seasons of "The Simpsons" revolutionized primetime TV, blazed a trail for animated comedy. Alan Siegel talks about his new book, "Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of The Simpsons Changed Television — and America — Forever."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy