Consider This from NPR

The US national debt has soared to $40 trillion - a record high.

How does that figure affect the lives of everyday Americans?

This episode was produced by Megan Lim, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. Our director is Jonas Adams.

It was edited by Janaya Williams and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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For decades, one of the most reliable trends in the American economy has been the growing number of women working.

But lately, government data shows women’s participation in the labor force has been falling.

What's behind this trend - and what does it tell us about the state of the US economy?

This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna and Robert Rodriguez. 

It was edited by Sarah Handel and Tinbete Ermyas. Our director is Alejandra Marquez Janse.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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Concerns about social media have prompted a group of attorneys general to sue Meta. Could their case change the way social media is used?

Meta’s lawyers are in federal court to defend against accusations from four state attorneys general that the company’s social media platforms are designed to hook children.

Meta denies the allegations.

We hear what happened on the first day of court.

This episode was produced by Elena Burnett, Jeffrey Pierre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Robert Rodriguez. Our director is Alejandra Marquez Janse.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning, who also edited this episode along with Ravenna Koenig, Kara Platoni, Diane Webber, Janaya Williams and Mallory Yu.

Note: The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a charity founded by Zuckerberg and his wife, is a financial supporter of NPR.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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Sociology professor Jason Arday was lauded as the youngest-ever Black professor appointed at the University of Cambridge in 2023. But since landing that position, he’d been, according to his family, “subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse,” stemming from scrutiny about his work and record.

Arday faced growing accusations of plagiarism and fraud, was found dead in London on August 14th, just days after he resigned from Cambridge. 

His death is raising new questions about how fairly Black academics are elevated and criticized in comparison to their peers. In this episode, we explore those questions with University of Southern California Professor Shaun Harper, whose research focuses on race, gender, and equity in education and other spheres. 

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 Michelle Aslam and Jeffrey Pierre, with audio engineering by Robert Rodriguez. Our director is Alejandra Marquez Janse.

It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Ashley Brown. 

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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Former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ruled Hungary with an iron fist for 16 years. After he was unseated in a landslide election last April, many Hungarians wonder if the new government led by Peter Magyar can mend the deeply damaged democracy. 

This episode was produced and edited by Michael Levitt.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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