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The news you need to know today — and the stories that will stick with you tomorrow. Plus, special series and behind-the-scenes extras from Here & Now hosts Robin Young, Scott Tong and Deepa Fernandes with help from Producer Chris Bentley and the team at NPR and WBUR.

  • 28 minutes 32 seconds
    Sam Altman, AI and the future tech bros want
    In an extensive New Yorker investigation, Ronan Farrow looks into OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and whether one of the most influential AI minds can be trusted.

    Then, tech billionaires are trying to create autonomous communities, fueled by cryptocurrency and free from governmental oversight. They’ve set their sights on the Caribbean islands of St. Kitts and Nevi. Professor and author Douglas Rushkoff breaks down the implications.

    And, Anthropic’s new large language model, Claude Mythos, is said to be a skilled hacker with the ability to reshape cybersecurity. Axios correspondent Ina Fried explains more.

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    14 April 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 17 minutes 55 seconds
    Can the U.S. and Iran rescue talks from ‘unrealistic’ expectations?
    President Trump has put in place a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. and Iran failed to strike a deal to end the war. We speak with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who served as lead negotiator on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal under former President Barack Obama, about what comes next. 

    And then we talk with Pakistani Sen. Sherry Rehman about how negotiations played out in Islamabad.

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    13 April 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 26 minutes 49 seconds
    Meet the 'iPod archaeologist' resurrecting forgotten playlists
    iPods were all the rage 20 years ago, but Apple discontinued them in 2022. Now, Claire Hughes collects and refurbishes old iPods as a hobby, then shares the playlists she finds on them as time capsules of joy. She tells us about how she’s connecting with strangers through her project Junk Drawer Jukebox. 

    And, friction-maxxing is the idea of putting aside our phones and the convenience they bring in exchange for doing things the way we did before technology entered our lives. New York Magazine columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton shares more about the new term she coined.

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    10 April 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 22 minutes 3 seconds
    What does the ceasefire actually say?
    The U.S.’s ceasefire with Iran is on shaky ground after Israel launched its deadliest day of strikes on Lebanon so far. Tehran and Islamabad say the strikes violate the two-week agreement. Israel said Thursday it has agreed to talks with Lebanon. The Washington Institute's Holly Dagres explains more ahead of a U.S. delegation’s scheduled visit to Pakistan on Saturday.

    Then, since Israel began its invasion of Lebanon last month, more than 1 million people have been forced out of their homes. As Israeli airstrikes continue, the southern region of Lebanon is becoming increasingly isolated and unable to access humanitarian aid. Human Rights Watch researcher Ramzi Kaiss has more on the deepening humanitarian crisis.

    And, MS Now’s Ali Velshi details what the ceasefire means for markets, gas prices and the economy at large.

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    9 April 2026, 7:09 pm
  • 27 minutes 10 seconds
    Is Trump really done with his war with Iran?
    President Trump is celebrating the two-week ceasefire that the U.S. and Iran agreed to on Tuesday night. The deal includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, but will the U.S. end up walking away without getting much from Iran? Security analyst Jim Walsh discusses the deal. 

    Then, as negotiations continue, we hear from Radin Yad, who was born in Iran and now lives in Europe. 

    And, the Center on Conscience and War says it’s seeing a rise in calls from U.S. military members facing deployment who are seeking to be discharged or reassigned as conscientious objectors. We get more context about the process with Iraq War veteran Mike Prysner, the nonprofit’s executive director. 

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    8 April 2026, 7:14 pm
  • 17 minutes 23 seconds
    What Artemis II saw on the moon
    The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission is heading back to Earth after completing a loop around the moon. Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist, shares more details of the historic lunar flyby.

    Then, with the crew expected to return on Friday, former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman reacts to new pictures of the moon and explains how Artemis II could influence the future of space missions.

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    7 April 2026, 7:32 pm
  • 24 minutes 48 seconds
    Will we ever get to the bottom of the Epstein files?
    Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown talks about what's next in the unfinished release of Justice Department files about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, now that Pam Bondi has been forced out as attorney general. 

    Then, Ret. Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery says, "We're not going to get regime change; we need a change in how the regime acts." He talks about Iran's persistent military capabilities, the dramatic rescue of a downed U.S. weapons systems officer and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's firing of U.S. Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George. 

    And, Jessie Diggins is America’s most accomplished cross-country skier. She discusses her career, retirement, and her struggles with an eating disorder.

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    6 April 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 15 minutes 56 seconds
    25 at 250: Lowriders and the flight suit that opened the skies for Black pilots
    Lowriders have long turned city streets into moving works of art. Now, a new exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution is tracing the history of lowriding from its roots in Chicano communities to its influence on art and activism. Anthea Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History, talks about perhaps the most famous lowrider of all time, "Gypsy Rose." 

    Then, in 1939, a Black aviator named Chauncey Spencer flew in a fragile biplane from Chicago to Washington, D.C., to advocate for Black representation among military pilots. Smithsonian curator Joseph Abel tells the story of that journey and the impact it made.

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    3 April 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 15 minutes 48 seconds
    The energy crisis that may be coming for the U.S.
    While gas prices across the country have skyrocketed since the start of the war with Iran, the U.S. has been relatively insulated from Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. European and Asian countries haven’t been as lucky. But CNN’s Rana Foroohar said the energy crisis affecting them is likely to hit the U.S., too.

    And, a key panel approved President Trump's plans for a new ballroom. The vote came days after a federal judge ordered the project to stop until Congress signed off on it. The Washington Post's Dan Diamond explains more.

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    2 April 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 21 minutes 8 seconds
    What happens if the U.S. pulls out of NATO?
    President Trump is threatening to pull out of NATO, calling the alliance a "paper tiger." Trump and NATO allies in Europe have been at odds since his first term, but the relationship hit a new low following Trump's decision in late February to go to war in Iran without first consulting them. Now, Trump is criticizing allies for not helping the U.S. military. Julianne Smith, former ambassador to NATO under the Biden administration, joins us. Then, the Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday on President Trump's executive order that attempts to end birthright citizenship, which makes almost every child born in the U.S. a citizen. In an unprecedented move, Trump sat in on the oral arguments. We speak with Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute, and Kim Wehle, former assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. And, Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that seeks to create a national list of citizens who are eligible to vote in each state, and then directs the U.S. Postal Service to only send mail-in ballots to verified voters. But election experts and state officials in Arizona and Oregon say the order is unconstitutional. We hear from Rick Hasen, director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

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    1 April 2026, 7:13 pm
  • 18 minutes 25 seconds
    Will Trump end Iran war without opening the Strait of Hormuz?
    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said reopening the Strait of Hormuz is “not just a U.S. problem set.” NPR’s Tom Bowman weighs in on whether President Trump will wind down the war in Iran without reopening the narrow waterway through which a quarter of the world's oil travels.

    Then, the National Mall has become a stage for the deep division between the Trump administration and its many critics. Recently, artwork ridiculing President Trump appeared in front of the Lincoln Memorial. NPR’s Frank Langfitt explains more.

    And, NASA’s Artemis II will launch on Wednesday, sending four astronauts around the moon. Purdue University professor Briony Horgan explains the significance of this journey, which will send humans farther into space than they’ve ever gone before.

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    31 March 2026, 7:00 pm
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