Here & Now

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

The Trump administration says it will restart SNAP food benefits for the nearly 42 million Americans that receive them, but that it will pay out only half the amount people normally get. A federal judge ruled that the government must continue funding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on an emergency basis after the food assistance program ran out of money this weekend. We get the latest from NPR's Jennifer Ludden. Then, as some Head Start early learning programs close across the country due to the government shutdown, we check in with how the community is coming together to keep doors open for a few hundred low-income children in Florida. Then, on Monday, International Criminal Court prosecutors at The Hague said they are collecting evidence of alleged mass killings and rapes in Sudan. The New York Times' Declan Walsh joins us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Open enrollment season is underway and many people looking to purchase their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act are seeing sticker shock. Health care subsidies that are at the center of the government shutdown are expected expire at the of the year, causing premiums to double. Health economist Katherine Baicker explains the cost of Obamacare, how it works, and claims being made about the program.And, listeners submitted their insurance questions about topics including affordable prescriptions and high-deductible plans. Hannah Frigand from HelpLine and Emilie Fauchet, an Affordable Care Act navigator, join us to answer those questions.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Mohammed Abu Moussa, a radiology technician at Nasser Hospital in Gaza, was released from Israeli detention after being held for 20 months. We speak with him about his treatment in prison, the loss of his son, mother and sister, and what it is like for him to be free after almost two years being held without charges.Then, as the government shutdown grinds on, a federal program that provides millions of vulnerable mothers and their children with key nutritional assistance is expected to run out of money later this week. Omaha Nation WIC director Jessika Free-Bass joins us.And, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of Major League Baseball's World Series on Wednesday night. Fox Sports' Rachel Nichols wraps up the latest action.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Pressure on lawmakers to end the 29-day government shutdown is mounting, and Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin joins us to discuss where the shutdown stands and what his party expects from Democrats to reopen the government.And, Hurricane Melissa left more than 500,000 people in Jamaica without power. David Rose, reporter for The Jamaica Observer, details the latest rescue and recovery efforts.Then, as climate change reshapes the Blue Ridge Mountains, the iconic brook trout is in decline. Grist and Blue Ridge Public Radio reporter Katie Myers explains whether the native Appalachian trout can survive in a warmer world.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hurricane Melissa made landfall early Tuesday afternoon as a Category 5 storm with wind speeds of 185 m.p.h. It is the most powerful storm to ever hit Jamaica. NPR's Eyder Peralta tells us more.Then, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Mayor Matt Tuerk talks about why he and a bipartisan group of mayors are urging the agriculture secretary to not let the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and other government food assistance programs run out of money during the ongoing government shutdown. And, on Tuesday, air traffic controllers are missing their first full paycheck because of the government shutdown, but they have to continue working without pay. Capt. Dennis Tajer, with the Allied Pilots Association joins us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

If the government shutdown continues into November, 34-year-old Pennsylvania mother of three Sara Stone is one of the tens of millions of Americans set to lose food assistance. She joins us to discuss what it means for her family.And, some lawmakers are raising concerns about the Trump administration's airstrikes against alleged drug cartel boats off the coast of Venezuela. Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey weighs in on these military actions.Then, a redistricting war is going on across the country as Republicans and Democrats try to redraw congressional maps ahead of next year's midterms. California is asking voters to decide through Proposition 50. Maya C. Miller, politics reporter at CalMatters, explains more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy