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Here & Now
Monday through Thursday from 2-4 p.m.

A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with public radio stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it’s happening in the middle of the day, with timely, smart and in-depth news, interviews and conversation.

Co-hosted by award-winning journalists Robin Young and Scott Tong, the show’s daily lineup includes interviews with NPR reporters, as well as leading newsmakers, innovators and artists from across the U.S. and around the globe.

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  • Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of former leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was named as Iran's next supreme leader. Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus offers his thoughts on the latest news out of Iran.Then, Negar Mortazavi, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, unpacks how the Iranian public is responding to the new leader and why his selection is a signal that Iran's leadership is digging in against the Trump administration's campaign against it.And, defense spending expert Mark Cancian estimates the war is costing the U.S. nearly $1 billion each day. He talks about how expensive it could get.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • Even when it's freezing and covered in snow, Minnesota's Sax Zim Bog attracts birders from around the world. They flock there hoping to spot owls, hawks and rare songbirds that spend most of their time in northern Canada. Many of those birds are feeling the pressure of the warming climate, however, so local scientists and wildlife enthusiasts are working to conserve their habitat, which also happens to be a peatland adept at storing carbon. Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports. Then, volunteer naturalist Rich Hoeg recently installed listening devices across northern Minnesota to record elusive species of birds. Some of his recordings are informing scientific studies of owls, and surprising even lifelong birders.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • The United States does not have a rich diamond mining history. But an exhibit at the Smithsonian proves that some of the world’s most dazzling gems are homegrown. We speak with Gabriela Farfan, curator of gems and minerals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, about two of their best American gems on display. And, voting by mail became a major political flashpoint during the COVID-19 pandemic, but controversies over voting remotely aren't new. During the Civil War, tens of thousands of soldiers used a simple envelope to cast their ballot from the battlefield. Dan Piazza from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum tells the story of one of those envelopes.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • As the U.S. and Israel hit Iranian targets from the air, some Iranian Kurdish groups are reportedly discussing whether to launch an incursion from Iraq, potentially opening a new front in the conflict. Al-Monitor correspondent Amberin Zaman discusses the conversations happening behind the scenes. Then, retired Adm. Mark Montgomery supports the war but has concerns the Trump administration hasn't planned for what comes next. He tells us why. And, former Iranian news editor and Tehran resident Ali Safari talks about what the mood is in Iran's capital city during U.S. and Israeli bombardment. Last year, Safari told us bombings by the U.S. made some Iranians rally around the government.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • More than 10 years ago, journalists Yeganeh Rezaian and her husband, Jason Rezaian, were wrongfully imprisoned in Iran. She was released after more than two months; he was held for 544 days. Yeganeh Rezaian shares how she views the U.S. war with Iran. Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson talks about Secretary Kristi Noem testifying before Congress, the Iran war and the partial government shutdown. Then, Democrats aim to flip a dozen Republican-held House seats in red districts around the country. The person leading the charge, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairperson Suzan DelBene, explains how they plan to make that happen.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • Reuters correspondent Emily Rose joins us from Jerusalem to explain what the war with Iran could mean for Israeli politics after decades of Prime Minister Netanyahu pushing for intervention in Iran.Then, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) attended a classified briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She’s part of a cohort of Democratic lawmakers working to rein in President Trump, and details what an upcoming vote on war powers could mean.And, the Trump administration has cited regime change, destroying nuclear weapons and preemptive action as justifications for war with Iran. Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence Beth Sanner shares more.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • The president and the secretary of defense have made conflicting statements about whether regime change is the goal of the U.S. military action in Iran. It's not fully clear what the Trump administration's objectives are there and what the timeline is. Here & Now security analyst Jim Walsh weighs in. Then, retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling gives his perspective on the objectives of the U.S. military and how long the war may last. And, former Iranian prisoner and human rights activist Shirin Nariman is watching developments in Iran closely. As a supporter of the National Council of Iran Resistance, Nariman is hoping that the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his advisors will pave the road for democracy and human rights in the country. She talks about the situation in Iran and its reverberations around the region.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • There are only a few hundred black-footed ferrets still living in the Western United States. But scientists have been able to clone ferrets from genetic specimens collected in the 1980s. Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd talks with Ryan Phelan, co-founder of Revive & Restore, an organization involved with the cloning project.Then, the number of moose in Minnesota is about half what it was just 20 years ago. Here & Now’s Chris Bentley reports on efforts to track juvenile moose, who may hold the key to growing the population.And, Arizona’s Mt. Graham is the only place a species of red squirrel can survive. When a 2017 fire ravaged their habitat, their population dropped to only 35. O’Dowd climbs to the top of Mt. Graham to report on how scientists are rebuilding their habitat and attempting to breed more squirrels.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • A report released this week lays out a bleak future that comes with artificial intelligence's displacement of white-collar workers. MIT's Daron Acemoglu shares what he predicts AI will lead to in work and the economy. Then, U.S. officials are involved in two rapidly evolving foreign policy situations this week: a firefight where Cuban officials shot at a Florida-registered speedboat, killing four people and injuring six, and negotiating with Iranian officials over the country's nuclear program. Jon Finer, former principal deputy national security advisor during the Biden administration, reacts. And, the rapper Flavor Flav has invited all of the women athletes who medaled in the Olympics and Paralympics to celebrate with him in Las Vegas. He talks about his support of women's sports, the Olympics, and his music career with Public Enemy.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • In his State of the Union address, President Trump made exaggerated claims about the state of the economy, including prices, jobs and the cost of health care. Economics professor Justin Wolfers breaks down what Trump’s policies have meant for middle-class U.S. families.Then, artificial intelligence companies are engaging in circular lending. For example, the high-tech chip-maker Nvidia is investing in the company OpenAI, and OpenAI is then buying chips from Nvidia. The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weil explains what these deals mean and the risks behind them.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • As Russia and Ukraine enter their fifth year of war, we check in with NPR's Joanna Kakissis for a snapshot of the key developments throughout these past four years and what the future of the war looks like. Then, Toma Istomina, deputy chief editor of The Kyiv Independent, joins us to discuss where the war in Ukraine goes from here as the country marks four years since Russia's full-scale invasion. And we hear from Dmytro Vezelov, who joined us four years ago when the Russian invasion began. Since then, he's gone from a desk job to coordinating drones to fight Russian invaders.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
  • In cities across the country, the Department of Homeland Security is buying up huge warehouses, some that can house more than 8,000 people each. Rudy Cruz Jr., the mayor of Socorro, Texas, explains how a warehouse purchase in his community would impact local residents.Then, President Trump imposed 15% tariffs this weekend after the Supreme Court on Friday struck down his sweeping global import fees. NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben breaks down how he was able to do it.And, Mexico's army killed the leader of one of the country's fastest-growing drug cartels. NPR international correspondent Eyder Peralta details the Trump administration’s praise for Mexico’s government in the aftermath.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy