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"Here's the Thing" is a series of intimate and honest conversations hosted by Alec Baldwin. Alec talks with artists, policy makers and performers -- to hear their stories, what inspires their creations, what decisions changed their careers, and what relationships influenced their work.

This season of "Here's the Thing" includes six hour-long episodes, which you'll hear through the month of March and into April on WRVO. Tune in each Sunday night at 7 p.m. for eye-opening conversations.

Michael Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, is testifying on Capitol Hill at 10 a.m. today. Cohen has been sentenced to three years in prison, to begin in May. He pleaded guilty last year to charges of campaign finance violations and other charges related to his work for Trump.

Update: NPR has received notification that President Trump's remarks will occur closer to 10:30 this morning.

President Trump is speaking about border security at the White House. Congress passed a compromise spending measure Thursday to avert a government shutdown that includes some funding for the border barrier. But the White House says Trump will also sign an emergency declaration that will allow him to divert additional funds to build a wall as he has long promised.

Join us via the video stream below:

Without gospel music there never would have been an Elvis Presley. There never would have been a Ray Charles, or a James Brown. From the mid-twentieth century on, gospel music not only thrived within a separate sphere as vital as the jazz, rock and rhythm and blues worlds; it also constantly intersected with the secular music industry, providing models that countless artists outside the church emulated.

More than 10 years ago, Lehman Brothers collapsed, and the world witnessed one of the worst financial crises in global history. In the United States, the stock market plummeted, unemployment soared, and the economy was thrown into a recession. And many other countries faced a similar fate. Has the world learned its lesson?

Some argue that the international framework for handling and responding to a future crisis is lacking. Beyond that, they argue, there is reduced market-making activity, less scope for reduced interest rates, and increased government spending and borrowing.

The Senate is holding confirmation hearings this week for President Trump's pick to run the Justice Department. William Barr is the nominee to be the next Attorney General. Lawmakers are questioning his views on the Special Counsel's Russia investigation, whether a sitting president can be indicted, and other matters. Watch the proceedings live starting at 9:30 a.m.

Tonight at 9 p.m., President Donald Trump will address the nation from Washington. Trump is expected to talk about security and humanitarian aid on the US-Mexico border, his call for $5.7 billion in funding for a border wall, and the current partial government shutdown (now heading into its third week). His address will be followed immediately by a joint resonse from Democratic leaders, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

NPR News will have special coverage of Trump's remarks (his first from the Oval Office) along with analysis and reaction.

The 116th Congress is beginning its first session today, and Democrats are now in control of the House of Representatives. Watch the first day of actions live, including the election for House Speaker, which Nancy Pelosi is expected to win, and debate on new House rules.

Join us for two consecutive weekends in January for the annual Best of the Best broadcast from the Third Coast Festival. Listen to winners of the 2018 Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation documentary competition.

This year's program will feature producer interviews, highlights from this year’s unforgettable awards ceremony in Chicago, and excerpts from the following stories:

John Thompson vs. American Justice, produced by Andrew Marantz, Sarah Lustbader, and Katherine Wells and edited by David Krasnow for The New Yorker Radio Hour.

Has it been a rough year? Did you buy stock in Sears? Or invest in Ivanka's clothing line? Did you take a job as a public relations spokesperson for Kanye West?

Then you may feel the need to laugh at 2018, and the Capitol Steps could not agree more! So tune in to the Capitol Steps' New Year's edition of "Politics Takes a Holiday," featuring songs from their latest album, Make America Grin Again.

"Take Care" has always covered a wide range of topics -- addiction, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, winter health hazards, and even mold. As we wrap up the year, we take a step back. Instead of exploring one particular facet of health and wellness, we settle on one broad question for this show: What is health?

Join us for the Third Coast International Audio Festival's take on the holidays.

Stories include:

No Santa | by John Biewen for Scene on Radio (2015)

A father turns on a recorder while tucking in his 7-year-old, having no idea he’s about to capture a poignant growing-up moment in his son’s life.

Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Christmas | by Ben Manilla for Inside the National Recording Registry for Studio 360 (2012)

On Wednesday morning, a funeral ceremony for former President George H. W. Bush will be held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Bush died late last Friday at age 94. A detailed schedule of the funeral and memorial services has been released.

Aging is inevitable. For many of us, reaching our later years means some more aches and pains -- but hey, retirement isn't that bad! Age related diseases, though -- like dementia and Alzheimer's -- can throw a wrench in retirement plans by putting a strain on loved ones and families as they navigate the new norm. But with the latest advances in technology, maybe we can stave off the effects of some of these diseases or live healthier altogether. This time on "Take Care," we explore what it means to age today.

As Democratic leaders and strategists gear up for the 2018 and 2020 elections, the party stands at a crossroads.

For progressive populists, the path forward is clear: Democrats must get back in touch with the party’s working-class roots by championing a specific set of policies, including Medicare for all, free public college tuition, a guaranteed federal jobs program, and housing as a human right. They say this strategy is key to winning back disillusioned working-class voters and to regaining power in Washington and beyond.

With our fall fundraiser now underway, we thought we should take the time to point out some of our newest thank you gifts.

We know you're all donating because you can't find regional news coverage like ours anywhere else on the dial, and you love laughing along with "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" and "Ask Me Another" on the weekends, and you'd be lost without the hourly news updates from NPR... but a cool mug doesn't hurt!

The Senate is taking a procedural vote on whether or not to move Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination forward. Watch the proceedings on the Senate floor live. Coverage will also be heard on-air. We expect speeches to begin at 9:30 a.m. today.

For the United States, tensions are rising with both allies and adversaries. Rogue states are racing to master new technologies and create weapons of mass destruction. And faith in international institutions is seemingly deteriorating. What does this all mean for U.S. national security?

Staged in the "Intelligence Squared U.S." "unresolved" format, five esteemed foreign policy thought leaders will argue for or against a number of motions revolving around some of America’s most pressing national security issues, including:

The Senate Judiciary Committee is voting on Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination today at 1:30 p.m. A full Senate vote on the nomination is expected as early as next week.

Watch the proceeding live, here (if it is after 1:30 p.m. and the video is not available, please refresh the page):