News

The release of WWII-era military documents this year has given a boost to researchers digging into Japan's germ warfare program. Japan's government has never apologized for the atrocities.

(Image credit: Wang Jianwei)

Details on President Trump's plan to get unhoused people off Washington D.C. streets are sparse. A legal advocate for the vulnerable population worries that means the focus will be on criminalization.

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Critics warn that Trump's demands for business leaders to step down, and for the government to take a cut of sales, threaten American-style capitalism.

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Counting steps is easy using a phone, a wearable or fitness tracker. And Scientists have lots of data to figure out how many daily steps you need to improve health. Here's what they've found.

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State leaders in both parties say they're ready to redraw political lines ahead of 2026, but state laws and constitutions make mid-decade redistricting virtually impossible in many places.

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Residents across Washington have different takes on crime in their communities. Overwhelmingly, however, people opposed President Trump's takeover of the city with federal agents and National Guard troops.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Donald Trump's "energetic and sincere" efforts to end the war in Ukraine. But on the streets of Moscow while many hope for an end to the war, they disagree on how to get there.

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Seemingly every celebrity has their own brand these days, whether it’s booze (Cameron Diaz, Matthew McConaughey) or cosmetics (Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga) or squeezy food pouches (Jennifer Garner). IToday on the show, what is fueling the celebrity business bonanza? We hear from two legendary singers, Lisa Loeb AND John Legend, who are pursuing ventures outside of show business

Related episodes:
The celebrity crypto nexus
The Olympian to influencer pipeline (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

The 25th amendment. A few years before JFK was shot, an idealistic young lawyer set out on a mission to convince people something essential was missing from the Constitution: clear instructions for what should happen if a U.S. president was no longer able to serve. On this episode of our ongoing series We the People, the story behind one of the last amendments to the Constitution, and the man who got it done. This story originally published in March 2025.

Guest:
John Feerick, Norris Professor of Law at Fordham Law School and author of The Twenty-Fifth Amendment - Its Complete History and Applications.

To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

A lawsuit challenging construction and operations of an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as 'Alligator Alley' has wrapped up with several key questions unanswered.

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Gallup, which started tracking Americans' alcohol habits more than 80 years ago, says the drop in drinking rates coincides with Americans' growing concerns that even moderate drinking is unhealthy.

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A federal appeals court handed President Trump a victory on Wednesday. The court ruled the administration can continue to freeze or terminate billions of dollars that Congress approved in foreign aid.

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Jones has lost control of his media empire to a newly-appointed receiver who will sell it off to pay the Sandy Hook Elementary School families who sued Jones for defamation after the 2012 shootings.

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All eyes are on Alaska ahead of President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting there on Friday. We revisit the history of Russia’s sale of the Alaskan territory to the U.S.. NPR’s Greg Myre describes how some Russians still question whether Alaska is truly American.

Inca society kept records by encoding information into knotted cords called khipu. A new analysis of hair woven into these cords suggests this record-keeping was practiced by commoners as well as elites.

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European leaders held a high-stakes meeting Wednesday with President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Ukraine's Zelenskyy, NATO's chief, and European leaders ahead of Friday's US Russia summit.

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It's the 40th anniversary of the superstar concert to raise money for an Ethiopian famine — and of the creation of a U.S. program called FEWS NET to prevent future famines.

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Mo Amer is the creator and star of the hit Netflix comedy series Mo. It's a first-of-its kind Palestinian-American sitcom with a fraught plot line about the American immigration system and the hope to return, at least for a visit, to his family's homeland. We talk to Mo Amer what it’s like to make a show so centered on the real facts of his own life, and to be thrust into the role of spokesperson for Palestinian-Americans at this particular moment.

Trump’s tax and spending law makes the largest cut in history to one of the nation’s biggest safety net programs. Today on the show, we explore how cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, impacts families and grocery stores alike. 

Based on the digital story: Independent grocery stores have had a tough five years. SNAP cuts will make it harder

Related episodes:
Do work requirements help SNAP people out of government aid?
When SNAP Gets Squeezed
The trouble with water discounts

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

(Image credit: Stephan Bisaha)

The White House lowered its expectations surrounding the Trump-Putin summit on Friday. And, advocates worry about penalties for homeless people in D.C. during the crackdown on crime.

(Image credit: Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP)