Could next week's elections predict the political future?

The legal definition of the term 'unlawful combatants' was used to justify detaining people at Guantanamo indefinitely, without ever charging them with a crime. Now, the president is using it to describe the alleged drug smugglers that the military is targeting with boat strikes.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Avery Keatley and Gabriel Sanchez. It was edited by Ahmad Damen. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From recording a snoring elephant to figuring out how to be a mime during an interview, three former print journalists talk about how telling an audio story is special.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Linah Mohammad. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Voters head to the polls next week in California, Virginia and New Jersey among other states. Senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro explain what they are watching in these elections — and what voters’ choices might say about the political moment.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Kai McNamee and Connor Donevan.It was edited by Kelsey Snell, Ben Swasey, Jeanette Woods and Courtney Dorning.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It’s a critical week regarding the Affordable Care Act, which is at the center of the government shutdown impasse. “Window shopping" began for some people buying health insurance through the ACA – also known as Obamacare – giving enrollees estimates on how much their premiums could cost next year. Without the ACA tax credits that Democrats want to extend into 2026, many people could see big increases in their health care costs – 114%, on average, according to estimates by KFF, a nonprofit health policy think tank. While there’s still time for lawmakers to strike a deal on extending the subsidies, “the longer this goes on, the more damage there could be,” says Cynthia Cox, who conducts research on Obamacare for KFF.This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by Ashley Brown, Diane Webber, and Nadia Lancy. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When companies need a loan, traditionally they turn to a bank.But increasingly they’re turning to financial firms that are not really banks, but do have a lot of cash. This is called the “private credit” market. It has exploded in the past 15 years. It’s now valued at around $2 trillion.Natasha Sarin, president of the Yale Budget Lab and former Biden administration official, argues that these private credit firms are making risky loans. So risky, that they’ve got her thinking about the 2008 financial crisis. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Erika Ryan and Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Andie Huether and Josephine Nyounai. It was edited by Adam Raney and John Ketchum. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ashley and Nick Evancho say raising their 3-year-old, Sophia, is one of the most joyous things they've ever done. But the Evanchos also made a decision that's increasingly common for families in the U.S. and around the world: One is enough. The trend is leading to populations that are dramatically older, and beginning to shrink, in many of the world's biggest economies.Experts say a rapidly aging and gradually shrinking population in the world's wealthiest countries could force sweeping changes in people's lives, causing many to work longer before retirement, making it harder for business owners to find employees and destabilizing eldercare and health insurance programs.This story is part of NPR's Population Shift series.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Paige Waterhouse and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was edited by Andrea de Leon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In a public roundtable, President Trump asked his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to apply the designation to Antifa.NPR's Ryan Lucas reports that it could have enormous consequences, including making it illegal to provide something as meager as a bottle of water to what the Trump administration deems to be Antifa.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Josephine Nyounai. It was edited by Justine Kenin and Krishnadev Calamur. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A delegation of high-level US officials were recently sent to Israel to try to hold the fragile Gaza truce together. The Israeli press called them the 'BibiSitters,' a nod to the Israeli prime minister's nickname. What does Benjamin Netanyahu's political future look like and how tied is he to the Trump administration's interests?For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Avery Keatley and Gabriel Sanchez, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was edited by Ahmad Damen. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

U.S. citizens have been arrested in the Trump Administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown. According to ProPublica, at least 170 have been arrested or detained by immigration agents since President Trump took office for his second term.In response, Texas Rep. Robert Garcia and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — both Democrats — have announced an investigation into these detentions.It is incredibly concerning that now anyone can be targeted,” Rep. Garcia tells NPR. “It’s important that we begin documenting all of this.”For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam and Michael Levitt, with audio engineeringfrom Damian Herring. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwatananon and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The FBI arrested multiple people tied to the NBA in a wide-ranging illegal gambling probe. The NBA and other major sports leagues have been deepening ties with the lucrative sports-betting industry. Washington Post sports columnist Kevin Blackistone explains the implications of this scandal on the NBA and sports betting in general. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Michael Levitt and Daniel Ofman. Additional reporting in this episode from Becky Sullivan.It was edited by Russell Lewis, Justine Kenin and our executive producer Sami Yenigun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy