Consider This from NPR

A small number of people have made billions from AI and control the future of this groundbreaking technology.

Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders wants to spread that wealth and power among the American public. 

His idea idea? Create a sovereign wealth fund that can also regulate AI. 

But how will it work -- and is there political will to make it happen?

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This episode was produced by Christopher Harland-Dunaway and Tyler Bartlam.

It was edited by Sarah Handel and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.


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According to the latest government data, nearly 750,000 people are homeless in the United States – including more than 30,000 military veterans.

President Trump issued an executive order that aggressively targets homeless people - and advocates fear that includes veterans.

NPR's Quil Lawrence spent time with street-outreach workers in Long Beach, California to learn more about their concerns.

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This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam and Kathryn Fink.

It was edited by Andrew Sussman and Tinbete Ermyas.

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President Trump and Iran say an agreement has been reached to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The waterway is critical to global trade, especially oil -- and the blockades imposed on it have shocked energy markets, exacerbating inflation in the US.

But even if the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, will shipping companies feel safe to pass through it, given that sea mines could make their operations dangerous?

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] 

This episode was produced by Erika Ryan and Chris Harland-Dunaway.

It was edited by Sarah Handel and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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After months of war and deadlocked negotiations, President Donald Trump announced Sunday on social media that he’d struck a deal with Iran.

According to Trump and Iranian officials, the deal would open the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting on all fronts, including between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

But Israel, the US partner in this war, isn't a party to this agreement -- and Israeli officials have said that their forces in Lebanon are not going anywhere.

What could these dynamics mean for the agreement? NPR correspondents explain what we know about the tentative deal.

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] 

This episode was produced by Kai McNamee, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by James Hider, Rebekah Metzler, Sarah Handel, Courtney Dorning and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.


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A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Trump’s order to remove some exhibits at national parks. In Philadelphia, just ahead of the start of commemorations for America's 250th birthday, activists fight to restore a memorial about enslaved people who lived and worked in George Washington's executive mansion. 

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] 

This episode was produced by Henry Larson. 

It was edited by Sarah Robbins. 

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.


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Reporting assignments can often lead to unexpected joys and lessons. That was the case when NPR's Natalie Escobar and Ava Berger were sent on the road to tag along with three teenage boys competing in the World Series of Birding. The teens had 24 hours to crisscross New Jersey and tally up the number of bird species they spotted. For this week's Reporter's Notebook we hear from Escobar and Berger about how the assignment was both challenging and illuminating.

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SpaceX is now publicly traded, and it’s leaning heavily into space and AI. What does that mean for us humans here on earth?

Today, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX had a banner day in the stock market. The company is now valued at more than $2 trillion.

That is, after an already record-breaking initial public offering, or IPO.

That historic IPO is likely to make Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

And while SpaceX isn't profitable yet, investors have big expectations for the company’s ambitions in space and artificial intelligence.

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].

This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane and Becky Brown.

It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jarenwattananon. 

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.


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Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is key to U.S. counterterrorism efforts.


It authorizes U.S. intelligence agencies to intercept the electronic communications of foreign nationals, outside the United States.

But foreign nationals also talk to Americans. And lawmakers in both parties have long protested that this collection of phone calls, text messages and emails allow government agencies to monitor the conversations of Americans without a judicial warrant.

And FISA 702 is on a path to expire after Friday.

Elizabeth Goitein of the Brennan Center for Justice explains her proposal for reform. 

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].

This episode was produced by Vincent Acovino, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. It features additional reporting by Eric McDaniel. Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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Some 43 million Americans hold federal student loans. 

If you're one of them - or planning to be - some major changes are coming beginning July 1, including new loan limits and an overhaul of repayment plans.

How might these changes affect you? NPR education correspondent Cory Turner spells out the changes that are coming and what to expect. 

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].

This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by Nicole Cohen and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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The war with Iran is not popular in the U.S., and President Trump has been trying to negotiate a deal to resolve it.


In comparison, the Israeli public is pressing for military defeat of Iran and its allies, such as the militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a parliamentary election this fall which could unseat him from power.

So the war that Trump and Netanyahu launched together now sees the two leaders at odds on its potential end.

Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, explains the political calculus for Netanyahu right now.

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].

This episode was produced by Erika Ryan and Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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