Here & Now

President Trump wants to pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of trafficking drugs into the United States. At the same time, his administration is blowing up what they call drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Juan Sebastián González of the Georgetown Americas Institute explains more about Trump’s actions in Latin America.And, bipartisan support is growing for congressional review of those strikes after multiple reports have raised questions about whether at least one of the strikes amounts to a war crime. Franco Ordoñez, a White House correspondent for NPR, joins us.Then, for the first time since 1988, the United States will not commemorate World AIDS Day. Dr. Monica Gandhi of the University of California, San Francisco, explains what the move says about the Trump administration’s policy to fight HIV and AIDS.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The famous country music venue and radio show “The Grand Ole Opry” turns 100 years old today. Grand Ole Opry host Charlie Mattos and country music star Mandy Barnett share some big moments from the institution’s long history.And, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin reburied the remains of 67 ancestors that were excavated in the 1960s and held for decades by the Milwaukee Public Museum. The Association on American Indian’s Shannon O’Loughlin — also a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma — talks about the decades-long fight for Native American repatriation. David Grignon, a tribal elder and historic preservation officer with the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, also joins us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

During World War I, fighter planes called Sopwith Camels downed 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter in WWI. For those familiar with the Peanuts comics, it's the name of the doghouse that Snoopy flies in his fantasy sequences as a Flying Ace, a brave WWI pilot battling the Red Barron. The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. has one on view. Here & Now's Scott Tong visits the museum to check it out. And, Yomi Young, a friend of disability activist and author Alice Wong, tells us about Wong's legacy of building community. Wong died earlier this month at 51Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Here & Now’s Scott Tong recently traveled to Doral, Florida, the U.S. city with the highest population of Venezuelans, to talk with people who support President Trump's pressure campaign against Venezuela's leader, Nicolas Maduro.And, even as they speak in support of the president's recent moves against Maduro, there is concern in the community after Trump ended Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants. Tong talks with residents about their loss of permission to live and work in the U.S. or buy health insurance, and the conflict between Venezuelans in Doral and Republican Mayor of Doral Christi Fraga over her unwavering support for Trump.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Pentagon is investigating former Navy officer and current Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly for calling for troops to disobey "illegal orders." Former Air Force Deputy Judge Advocate General Steve Lepper joins us to break down the complicated military justice system. Then, where might the U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela lead? We talk with Michael Shifter, former president of the Inter-American Dialogue and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Center for Latin American Studies. And, two Senate Democrats want to know why a White House official intervened in a federal investigation on behalf of pro-Trump influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, who are accused of sex trafficking. ProPublica's Avi Asher-Schapiro tells us more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ten secretaries of state are demanding answers from the Trump administration. Earlier this month, they wrote a letter to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security with concerns about how voter information they were asked to submit would be used. Arizona's Secretary of State Adrian Fontes talks about the letter and the implications for midterms. Then, a religious nonprofit and several Catholic clergy are suing the Trump administration for blocking them from ministering to people at an ICE detention center near Chicago. Father David Inczauskis tells us more. And, a record number of Indigenous people from around the world took part in COP30. Indigenous Climate Action's Rosalyn Boucha explains what the talks accomplished and whether indigenous concerns were addressed.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

TikTok chef Tineke "Tini” Younger went viral in 2023 for her mac and cheese recipe, and it’s become a Thanksgiving staple for home cooks. Younger joins us to share her recipe and tips for making it. Her number one recommendation? Shred your own cheese.And, roasting can bring out the flavors of vegetables with little effort. Resident chef Kathy Gunst shares tips for roasting and recipes that make squash, cabbage and other produce shine.Then, a stew is not a soup, and a soup is not a stew. In general, a stew is thicker and more of a comfort food that sticks to the ribs. Gunst details some recipes for hearty stews, perfect for winter.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Labor Department released September's monthly jobs report, showing employers added 119,000 jobs, which is the strongest increase since April. But it also shows the unemployment rate ticking up. NPR's Scott Horsley joins us. Then, we speak with two California congressmen, Democrat Sam Liccardo and Republican Kevin Kiley, about their proposal to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits for another two years, as well as other health care reform ideas that lawmakers are considering ahead of a planned vote next month. And, more than 4,000 students in the Cincinnati Public School System are experiencing homelessness. We hear from Rebeka Beach, program manager at Project Connect, the homeless advocacy organization within the school system, about its plan to help those students and their families.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump is expected to sign a bill forcing the Justice Department to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was friends with rich and powerful men, including President Trump, before he became a politician. The bill sailed through the House and Senate on Tuesday after Trump withdrew his opposition to it. But the battle over the Epstein files has revealed deep divisions between the president and some of his most ardent Make America Great Again supporters. The Bulwark’s Will Sommer explains.And, Liz Stein, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse and an anti-trafficking advocate, joins us to discuss the vote to release the files.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday to force the Department of Justice to release all of its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail in 2019. South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace explains why she's voting to release the files. Then, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is making his first visit to the White House after the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. NPR's Danielle Kurtzeleben tells us more. And, on the ground in war-torn Sudan, aid groups say the malnutrition crisis is the worst since the start of the civil war more than two years ago. Myriam Laaroussi with Doctors Without Borders explains what her team is seeing and what they are doing to help.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump posted on social media Sunday night that "we have nothing to hide" and now says House Republicans should vote to release all files on convicted sex offender and well-connected financier Jeffrey Epstein. Punchbowl News co-founder John Bresnahan explains why.And, even with the government open again, Head Start programs are unstable, with some of them still closed. Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association, shares more.Then, Kentucky's Republican senators are feuding over a provision quietly tucked into the bill that reopened the government. Sen. Mitch McConnell added language banning the sale of hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container. Sen. Rand Paul says the provision could devastate the industry. Kentucky Public Radio's Joe Sonka explains.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Officials in Charlotte, North Carolina, are expecting Border Patrol agents to arrive in the city in the coming days for a crackdown on illegal immigration. CBS News' Camilo Montoya-Galvez talks about why the administration is increasingly turning to Border Patrol agents for its immigration operations in cities that are not on the border. Then, AI stocks are sagging after reaching record highs, prompting some investors to warn of a bubble. We speak with The New York Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin about whether a crash is near. And, Vibe magazine is merging with Rolling Stone to help bolster its hip-hop coverage to include podcasts, long-form journalism and social media. Duke University professor Mark Anthony Neal discusses what this merger could mean for the future of Black cultural criticism.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent discusses what's next for Republicans and Democrats now that the shutdown is over and the fight over rising health care costs continues. Then, the House Oversight Committee released a trove of documents on Wednesday from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump's name appears multiple times, raising questions about what Trump may have known about Epstein's crimes. The Washington Post's Isaac Arnsdorf joins us. And, a new study finds that nearly every daily activity is more enjoyable when done with someone else. Psychology professor Elizabeth Dunn tells us more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Health insurance premiums are set to skyrocket after tax credits that make Obamacare more affordable expire at the end of the year. Republicans say they have plans to make health care more affordable. What are those plans? And would they would work? We ask KFF health policy expert Larry Levitt. Then, a Trump administration deadline came and went Tuesday without a sustainable water-sharing agreement on the Colorado River. Colorado State University's Bradley Udall tells us more. And, with fall well underway, resident chef Kathy Gunst has recipes for vegetable, fish and pork stews to share.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Senate just passed a government funding deal, and House members will vote soon. Many Democrats wanted the party to hold out for Affordable Care Act subsidies, and some of them have turned against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, even though he opposed the deal. Schumer's former legislative director, Jim Kessler, explains more.And, the Food and Drug Administration is removing a decades-old warning on hormone replacement therapy products for women experiencing menopause. Theresa Gaffney, a reporter at STAT, the health and medicine publication, joins us to discuss.Then, this Veterans Day, Marine Corps chaplain Navy Lt. Terry A. Roberts joins us to reflect on what the day means to him and how he sees his role as sort of a father figure to young Marines on the battlefield.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As lawmakers in Washington take steps toward ending the government shutdown, University of Pennsylvania energy expert Sanya Carley talks about federal home heating help known as LIHEAP, which is not being paid out to residents of several states as a cold snap arrives. Then, former Department of Justice pardon attorney Liz Oyer discusses President Trump's pardons of allies linked to efforts to undermine the 2020 election. And, the Supreme Court heard a case Monday about a Rastafari man who grew dreadlocks for his religion. When he was in prison, guards shaved his hair against his will. Shamara Wyllie Alhassan, assistant professor of African American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, explains the importance of dreadlocks in the Rastafari religion. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

High-profile wins for Democrats in New York, New Jersey and Virginia showed how important affordability is to voters. The New York Times' David Leonhardt tells us more. Then, Salman Rushdie talks about his book "The Eleventh Hour," a quintet of stories set in India, America, and England. It's his first fiction he has published since he suffered a knife attack in 2022. And, the team at the New England Aquarium in Boston has created a “geriatric island” for their elderly penguin residents. Eric Fox, associate curator of penguins at the aquarium, discusses the benefits of the special retreat.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday she will not seek reelection after 20 terms. Scott Shafer from KQED in San Francisco details Pelosi’s storied career.And, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey weighs in on the news of Pelosi’s retirement and how the record-long government shutdown is impacting his constituents.Then, the Federal Aviation Administration is cutting flights by 10% at 40 airports across the country starting Friday in an attempt to keep the airspace safe amid shutdown-induced staffing shortages. David Slotnick, contributing aviation editor at The Points Guy, explains what this means.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

According to New York City’s Board of Elections, more than 2 million people voted in Tuesday's mayoral race, the largest turnout in more than 50 years. The victor? Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. Spectrum News NY1's Ayana Harry joins us. Then, Democratic National Committee vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta talks about what Democratic election wins across the U.S. mean for the party's strategy going forward. And, President Trump's family made more than $800 million from its cryptocurrency ventures in the first half of 2025 alone, according to a Reuters report. We speak with Fortune’s Jeff John Roberts about the Trump family’s increasing presence in the world of cryptocurrency.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dick Cheney was arguably the most powerful vice president in U.S. history and he served four presidents over his career. Cheney died at age 84, and former President George H.W. Bush biographer Jon Meacham shares a remembrance of Cheney’s work and legacy.And, Hawai’i is home to a high number of federal workers, and the ongoing government shutdown is weighing heavily on the state. Gov. Josh Green details what’s happening in his state, 35 days into the shutdown.Then, Hurricane Melissa killed at least 33 people in Jamaica and resulted in billions of dollars in damage. Ivonne Rodríguez-Wiewall, executive advisor to Direct Relief, joins us from Kingston, Jamaica, with a look at recovery efforts there.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy