Here & Now Anytime

Rev. Zachary Hoover explains what's motivating protesters to go out and oppose the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles. And, in 2016, the Mississippi River punched a hole in the Len Small levee, built in 1943 to protect farmland along an S-shaped curve in the river known as Dogtooth Bend. That hole was never repaired. Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports on how some farmers in the area have had to give up their land. Then, Brian Wilson, the visionary force behind the Beach Boys, died at 82. Host Robin Young reflects on his life, legacy and musical impact. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The Trump administration has deployed a military presence to Los Angeles amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Retired 4-star General Barry McCaffrey explains his concerns about how Trump is using the armed forces in an American city. And, as Trump's tax bill makes its way through the Senate, the food assistance program SNAP could see cuts. Pamela Irvine, CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia, details how the work her food bank does might be be impacted. Then, in 2019, the sandbag levee protecting Anderson Jones' home failed, letting floodwaters seep past the barrier. After a years-long journey, Jones is back at home. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd reports on the rebuilding process and how a new pump project could mitigate future floods. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The ongoing protests in Los Angeles started after immigration raids and workplace arrests in the city. The Wall Street Journal's Michelle Hackman explores the decision-making that led the Trump administration to carry out recent immigration actions. And, hundreds of scientists with the National Institutes of Health have signed a letter calling to protect biomedical science from what they called forced politicization by the Trump administration around important research. Jenna Norton, a researcher with the NIH and one of the organizers behind this letter, explains more. Then, in 2019, an unrelenting flood swamped more than half a million acres in the Mississippi Delta's Yazoo Backwater. It took more than six months to recede. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd reports on a pumping station project that could protect against destruction from future floods. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

President Trump ordered the Pentagon to send around 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests against immigration raids in the city. Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, explains the legal implications. Trump ignored California Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections to deploying the National Guard. The last time a president called in the National Guard without the governor's approval was in 1965 during the Selma march. Historian Julian Zelizer explains more. Then, John Ruskey calls the Mississippi River "a creative force" that sculpts the landscape and rejuvenates the people who experience it up close. But climate change is making that force stronger and more destructive. Here & Now's Chris Bentley took a canoe ride with Ruskey and reports on the future of the river. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The federal trial of media mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is ending its fourth week. Combs faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. We get the latest from the Washington Post's Samantha Chery. Then, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, the Kenyan writer who is considered to be one of the founders of African literature, died last week at the age of 87. Kenyan writer Dennis Mugaa joins us. And, the blockbuster hit "Jaws" would not have been possible without the support of locals on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. A new exhibit on the island celebrates the helping hands that made the film come to life 50 years ago. WBUR's Andrea Shea reports. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

President Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday to ban nationals of 12 countries from entering the U.S. One of those countries is Afghanistan, where thousands of Afghans helped the U.S. military fight its 20-year war there. Zia Ghafoori, a former interpreter for the U.S. military, and Shawn Van Diver, founder and president of AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans, join us. Then, two food distribution sites have reopened in Gaza after violence in the region temporarily shut them down. UNICEF's James Elder joins us from on the ground in Gaza. And, researchers are praising the results of two studies that used immunotherapy to fight one of the most difficult-to-treat types of brain cancer, glioblastoma. We hear from STAT's Angus Chen. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Ms. Rachel became a YouTube star with her educational videos for toddlers. Now, she's getting attention and some pushback over her advocacy for children in Gaza.Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Accurso, tells us why she's willing to risk her career to stand up for children in war-torn Gaza. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Nearly 1,500 migrants in Massachusetts have been arrested by immigration officials over the past month. Federal agents say most were criminals, but many were not, including 18-year-old high school student Marcelo Gomes Da Silva. WBUR's Simón Rios explains more. And, Ukraine launched a major drone attack on airbases in Russian territory over the weekend. Peace talks followed in Turkey, but yielded little progress. Siobhan O'Grady of the Washington Post shares a view from Ukraine. Then, bird flu has wiped out nearly six million chickens at Hickman's Family Farms in Arizona. Glenn Hickman, president and CEO of Hickman's Family Farms, details the impact on one of Southwest's largest egg producers. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri was arrested in March by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while walking toward his Virginia home. The Trump administration has called him a threat to foreign policy, but Suri has not been charged with a crime and ICE agents never showed him a warrant. Suri speaks with Asma Khalid about his nearly two-month 'nightmare' detainment in facilities across Virginia, Louisiana and Texas, and why he still believes in American ideals. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Tens of thousands of researchers are out of work amid President Trump's ongoing purge of the federal workforce. One of those workers is Peggy Hall, a biologist who worked at the National Institutes of Health. Hall joins us with freelance reporter Virginia Gewin, who recently wrote about fired workers for Nature. And, a study from the Rochester Institute of Technology estimated more than 10,000 tons of plastic enter the Great Lakes every year. Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports on efforts to curb pollution, including a robot that combs the shores for trash. Then, the North American prairie is biologically diverse, but it's rapidly disappearing. In their book "Sea of Grass," Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty unpack the threats to the prairie and profile the people trying to save it. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Wednesday that the State Department "will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." NPR's Emily Feng joins us to explain what it means. Then, President Trump pardoned a man sentenced to tax fraud after his mother reportedly paid $1 million to attend a Trump fundraiser. Law professor Kim Wehle tells us more. And, a group of British climbers made it to the top of Mount Everest in a matter of days after they inhaled xenon gas. Mountaineer and Everest chronicler Alan Arnette talks about the controversial new way of climbing the world's tallest mountain. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Rural hospital CEO Kevin Stansbury talks about what the Medicaid cuts being debated by lawmakers could mean to his 25-bed county-owned hospital in Hugo, Colorado. Then, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday that the CDC would no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or healthy pregnant women. OBGYN Dr. Linda Eckert weighs in. And, landmark climate legislation from the Biden administration would be dismantled in the massive spending bill that House Republicans recently passed. Grist's Zoya Teirstein breaks down the potential impacts on renewable energy projects already underway. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

NPR and three Colorado public radio stations filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging President Trump's executive order to bar federal funding from going to NPR and PBS. NPR's David Folkenflik explains more. And, the Trump administration on Tuesday ordered federal agencies to unwind all federal funding to Harvard University. Trump claims the university fosters antisemitism and stifles viewpoint diversity. Connor Murnane — campus advocacy chief of staff at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — argues that Harvard's failures do not justify Trump's dramatic steps against the university. Then, if you've seen the hit TV show "Bridgerton," you've likely heard the musical stylings of the Vitamin String Quartet. The group reimagines pop songs as string instrument covers, and members Rachel Grace and Derek Stein share more about their musical journeys. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

This year's National Teacher of the Year is wrapping up classes with her students and getting ready to embark on a yearlong tour to inspire fellow teachers around the country. Ashlie Crosson, an English teacher from Pennsylvania, joins us. Then, if you are feeling stressed about speaking in front of others, you can transform that pressure by playing with your voice. Performance coaches Michael Allison and Mathilde Shisko explain how vocal play exercises help build confidence. And, thousands of U.S. schools had their students race the clock to stack cups in gym class. Why? A former circus clown from Colorado holds the key. We hear from sport stacking royalty, Kit Fox. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The year 1963 was a watershed moment for civil rights, with Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Medgar Evers leading the movement. But rollbacks of civil rights and racial justice ideals abound in 2025. Author Peniel Joseph unpacks the progress made in 1963 and the political climate in the U.S. now that is undoing some of that progress. And, the new horror movie "Sinners," where Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers who return to their Mississippi hometown after years working for the Chicago Mafia. The film is making waves in the box office, and author and professor Tananarive Due explains how it challenges ideas around the Black horror genre. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

On Wednesday, two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed following an event at a Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Police say the suspect shouted "free Palestine" after being detained. We hear from Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, the organization that hosted the event that the victims were leaving when they were killed. Then, the Department of Justice is backing off plans to oversee policy changes at police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville. Louisville Public Media's Roberto Roldan joins us. And, the market for energy drinks is rapidly expanding with an emphasis on health and wellness. But that marketing may be misleading consumers about the health risks of energy drinks. STAT's Sarah Todd tells us more. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

This week, families of infants and toddlers rally in Washington, D.C., in favor of protecting Medicaid as the program faces potential cuts by President Trump and House Republicans. Two caregivers share their experiences: Jaid Greene, a mother from Colorado, and Felicia Harvelle, a grandmother from Virginia. And, Medicaid expert Adrianna McIntyre of Harvard University explains the impact of the program on mainly low-income families and people with disabilities. Then, kick off your summer reading with stories about family drama. Traci Thomas, host and creator of "The Stacks" podcast, shares her picks for fiction and nonfiction family-focused books. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Israel says it will start allowing some aid to flow back into Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade. UNRWA's Juliette Touma joins us. Then, researchers have come up with a device to take the guesswork out of a common breastfeeding challenge: figuring out how much your baby is actually drinking in real time. Dr. Jennifer Wicks tells us more. And, "Crazy Rich Asians" author Kevin Kwan talks about his novel "Lies and Weddings." The book centers around the family of an English earl and a former Hong Kong supermodel whose fortunes appear to depend on their son marrying money. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. We learn more about the disease and its treatments from Dr. William Dahut. Then, the FBI warned last week about what they call "an ongoing malicious text and voice messaging campaign" that uses artificial intelligence to impersonate U.S. government officials. Axios' Ina Fried joins us. And, a new study suggests chimps understand the specific medicinal properties of certain plants and will go out of their way to treat the maladies of their peers. Primatologist Elodie Freymann talks about these healthcare-related behaviors. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

New reporting from ProPublica finds the Trump administration is subtly changing the mission of a government agency tasked with helping migrants and protecting kids who cross the border alone. We hear from investigative reporter Lomi Kriel. Then, Author Anthony Horowitz is out with a new book that takes jabs at mystery novels, while still being a great mystery read. He talks about "Marble Hall Murders." And, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, who front the band Lucius, join us. They're currently on tour behind their new self-titled album, which came out May 2. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy