Here & Now Anytime

In her novel "Demon Copperhead," author Barbara Kingsolver tells the story of poverty and addiction in contemporary Appalachia. Here & Now's Scott Tong spoke with her back in 2022 when the book came out. Tong caught up with Kingsolver in western Virginia to talk about the power of home, poverty and addiction. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Prominent evangelical Christian thinker Ed Stetzer talks about a legal settlement reached this week between the Internal Revenue Service and the National Religious Broadcasters organization that allows houses of worship and other nonprofits to endorse political candidates without losing their tax-exempt status. Then, Ricky Pruitt of the Kerrville Church of Christ in Texas spoke at a vigil on Wednesday night to remember the more than 120 people who were killed during last week's floods. He shares how the community is helping one another. And, Russia's hours-long assault on Ukraine overnight left at least two people dead. We get the latest from NPR's Joanna Kakissis and hear about Trump's changing policies from NPR's Tom Bowman. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Flooding in central Texas turned deadly in a matter of minutes. Erik Nielsen, assistant professor at Texas A&M University, explains how warning systems can make a difference in extreme weather events. And, the Trump administration's new spending bill includes changes to Medicaid that will play out over the next few years. Todd Eppler, the CEO of a rural hospital in Louisiana, explains how they are preparing for possible changes. Then, the debate over whether listening to audiobooks counts as reading draws a lot of hot takes. NPR's "Book of the Day" podcast host Andrew Limbong weighs in. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Katie Wagner, the supply chain director of an Iowa-based computer hardware maker, talks about how her company expects its bottom line to be affected if the U.S. follows through on threats to impose retaliatory tariffs on trading partners starting Aug. 1. Then, we speak with NPR's Anthony Kuhn about what the leaders of Asian nations are saying about the deadline. And, Amazon's Prime Days are running into unease about trade and tariffs. "Full Disclosure" host Roben Farzad talks about how tariffs may affect the sale. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The Guadalupe River in Central Texas rose more than two feet in less than an hour, according to state officials. We speak to Rice University professor Avantika Gori about why the storm was so intense and what can be done to better warn people ahead of such intense weather. And, the sweeping domestic policy bill that President Trump signed into law last week ends incentives for wind and solar energy. Reporter Matthew Daly unpacks the future of U.S. energy. Then, government statistics show the number of people taking second jobs is almost as high as it was during the Great Recession. Wall Street Journal columnist Callum Borchers explains why. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Being an American means something different to everyone. We hear from listeners across the U.S. on what patriotism means to them. And, ALS hasn't stopped John Driskell Hopkins from making or performing music. Hopkins — a founding member of the Zac Brown Band — explains why singing is like breathing. Then, this year's Poetry Out Loud winner, Isavel Mendoza, a high school senior from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, shares what he loves about performing and his dreams for the future. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

House Republicans approved President Trump's tax and spending bill. It now heads to Trump's desk. Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican representing Colorado's 8th District, joins us to explain why he supports it. Then, KFF's Larry Levitt talks about how the bill will result in the biggest rollback in federal support for health coverage ever. And, the Trump administration is withholding $7 billion in funding for schools that was approved by Congress and set to be distributed this week. The Washington Post's Justine McDaniel tells us more. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Congress is racing to pass President Trump's big domestic policy bill by July 4. Yale Budget Lab Martha Gimbel explains the potential long-term impacts of the tax cuts and spending provisions. And, the bill includes roughly $150 billion for immigration enforcement, a third of it for new detention centers. The Intercept's Matt Sledge joins us to talk about what this means for Trump's deportation policies. Then, child care costs continue to climb for families with young children. There is bipartisan support for making child care more affordable, but it's still too expensive. The 19th's Chabeli Carrazana explains why this is and what possible solutions exist. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Dr. Adil Husain, an American emergency medicine physician, talks about what sorts of injuries he treated while volunteering in Gaza. He described the scenes he witnessed as "apocalyptic." Then, the U.S. is in the middle of hurricane season, but key data used to track the intensity of these storms may soon go offline. We hear from climate scientist Daniel Swain. And, as the Supreme Court finishes up its term, we look at the expected lasting implications of the court's decision to limit the power of lower courts, with law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center Stephen Vladeck. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News explains where things stand as Senate Republicans race to pass President Trump's tax and spending bill by July 4. And, the Supreme Court's ruling last week on birthright citizenship is causing confusion as Trump's ban is expected to take effect in some parts of the country in less than 30 days. Martha Jones, a historian of citizenship at Johns Hopkins University, explains more. Then, a no-buy period can help you get your finances in order. The Washington Post's Michelle Singletary explains how to reset your financial goals and your relationship to spending so that you can reach those goals. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In 2016, the Mississippi River punched a hole in the Len Small levee, built 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. And, 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. Bentley took a canoe ride with Ruskey and reports on the future of the river. Then, Bentley and Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd reflect on their reporting along the Mississippi River and share thoughts on how the river has shaped the history and landscape of North America. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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. And, after a yearslong journey, Anderson Jones is back at home. The sandbag levee protecting his house failed during the 2019 floods. O'Dowd reports on Jones' rebuilding process and his hopes for the new pump project. Then, Sierra Club Mississippi's Louie Miller says the pumps project would be an environmental injustice for poor communities in Vicksburg. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Progressive state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani stunned the political world after he defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday's hotly contested Democratic primary for NYC mayor. Errol Louis, host of NY1's Inside City Hall, joins us to discuss what it means for New York and the rest of the country. And, when California Rep. Jimmy Gomez tried to visit an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, he was denied access after ICE began enforcing a new rule that blocks members of Congress from making unannounced visits to detention centers. Critics say the new policy is illegal. Gomez explains his efforts to see inside immigration operations. Then, New York is looking to expand nuclear energy after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans to build a nuclear power plant in upstate New York. The goal is to create clean and reliable power. Heatmap News' Robinson Meyer explains more. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Ernest Moniz, former energy secretary under President Obama and lead negotiator on the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, talks about what comes next now that a shaky ceasefire is underway between Iran and Israel. Then, new research highlights that indoor air quality can have a powerful impact on the health and development of babies and young children. Dr. Lindsey Burghardt tells us more. And, Kelly Ramsey spent two years as a hotshot firefighter in California beginning in 2020. In her new memoir, "Wildfire Days," she said she had to prepare mentally and physically to perform like her male counterparts. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

We get the view from inside Iran with former news editor Ali Safari, a resident of Tehran who unpacks how Iranians are responding to the conflict. And, Here & Now's security analyst Jim Walsh joins us to explain what the U.S.'s strikes and Iran's response mean for national security. Then, in the wake of escalating conflict in Iran, Republican senators squabble over the details of a massive policy bill to extend President Trump's deep tax cuts and slash spending to Medicaid. NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales joins us. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Though the U.S. and Iran were once allies, their relationship has since turned tense in the last 40 years. Now, President Trump is weighing U.S. involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Historian and author John Ghazvinian joins us to unpack decades of history in U.S.-Iran diplomacy. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently fired all members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent vaccine panel, prompting criticism from health experts. One of those experts is Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general in the first Trump administration. And, New York City's mayoral race is coming down to the wire, with progressive state representative Zohran Mamdani closing in on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's lead. WNYC reporter Brigid Bergin explains what the race says about the state of the Democratic Party. Then, honoring Juneteenth in Charleston from the past to the present. Chad Stewart, curator of history at the Charleston Museum, explains Charleston, South Carolina's role in the transatlantic slave trade and the role slave tags played in it. And singer Mumu Fresh shares the joy and celebration of Juneteenth through music. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

President Trump said on Wednesday that he hasn't decided whether the U.S. will strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine joins us to discuss a resolution he introduced that would require approval from Congress before the U.S. military could get involved in Iran. And, as Ukraine continues to endure deadly air strikes, the G7 conference ended with no strong condemnation of Russia or much mention of Ukraine at all. The Washington Post's Lizzie Johnson shares the latest from Kyiv. Then, pop singer Vanessa Hernandez, known as NEZZA, sang the official Spanish version of the U.S. national anthem at a Los Angeles Dodgers game, against the wishes of the team. NEZZA explains more about her decision. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

President Trump is calling for a "real end" to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Vali Nasr, a professor of Middle East studies and international affairs at Johns Hopkins University, joins us to talk about how Trump is navigating the crisis. And, the Trump administration's immigration raids have targeted farm workers. California farmer Lisa Tate shares the impact of those raids on the farm workforce. Then, Tuesday marks 10 years since a white supremacist opened fire at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine parishioners. Marcus Amaker, the first poet laureate of Charleston, reflects on the past decade. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

As Iran and Israel continue to lob airstrikes at each other, civilian casualties are climbing in both countries. Negar Mortazavi from the Center for International Policy shares how Iran sees the escalating conflict. And, authorities in Minnesota have arrested a suspect in the killing of State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and the shootings of State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Minnesota Public Radio's Matt Sepic joins us. Then, Meta is pursuing artificial "superintelligence." It bought a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.3 billion. Ina Fried, chief technology correspondent for Axios, explains more about Meta's race to create a more powerful AI. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy