Consider This from NPR

The question of how to reconcile Michael Jackson's musical genius with his alleged misconduct is still fraught.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Polls – and NPR's own reporting – tell a story of many Americans fatigued by the upcoming presidential race. They're not satisfied with the choice between two men who have both already held the office of President. But American allies and partners are watching the race intently, including South Korea, Japan, Ukraine and Israel. The fates of those countries are closely tied to whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden ends up sitting in the White House next year.The NPR correspondents who cover those countries, Anthony Kuhn in South Korea, Joanna Kakissis in Ukraine, and Daniel Estrin in Israel, discuss the stakes each of those countries have in the outcome of America's presidential election.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This year's college application process was supposed to get easier. That's because last year, the U.S. Department of Education announced changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.The problems with the FAFSA form began last fall. And with August and September around the corner, some applicants continue to experience technical issues.Before this year, students would already know how much aid they're getting. But in 2024, not knowing, which is the case for many, could mean they can't go to college. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We are just weeks away from one of the biggest political events of the election campaign season: the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Former President Donald Trump is, of course, the party's presumptive nominee, but he's yet to announce his running mate.The list is long, but the candidates all have one thing in common — they're being considered because they could help Trump get elected in November. NPR's Franco Ordoñez and Jeongyoon Han break down which candidates are rising to the top and why it matters. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Vivek Murthy, U.S. surgeon general, has called attention to what he has called the 'youth mental health crisis' that is currently happening in the U.S.This week, he published an op-ed in The New York Times calling for social media warning labels like those put on cigarettes and alcohol. He hopes to warn young people of the danger social media poses to their mental wellbeing and development. On average, teens in the U.S. are spending nearly 5 hours on social media every single day. And it is negatively impacting their health.So what options do parents have? And will the government step in?For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As part of his ongoing look at groundbreaking films from 1999, host Scott Detrow speaks with Kimberly Peirce, the writer-director of Boys Don't Cry. The film starred Hillary Swank, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Brandon Teena, a young transgender man searching for himself and love in Nebraska. Peirce talks about the challenges she faced in getting the movie made and her efforts to find a transgender man to play the lead role in the film.Detrow also speaks with critic Willow Catelyn Maclay, who sees the film's legacy as complicated.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As the U.K. gears up for a July election, polls show the liberal Labour Party ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives by a hefty margin.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel that killed more than 1,100 people, President Joe Biden expressed America's backing for its Middle Eastern ally. But that same month, polls showed that support for Israel among American voters was not unwavering. And that, in fact, support was split across generations.That split between young voters poured out into the streets in November. Two big marches – one organized by pro-Palestinian groups and one by pro-Israeli groups – occurred in Washington. Whether or not Joe Biden gets re-elected in 2024 will depend a lot on if he can repeat his 2020 success with young voters. But a split over U.S. support for Israel may get in his way. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

America is facing two very different futures on the world stage after November. If former President Trump wins, he's promised to fundamentally re-evaluate the NATO alliance, reshape global trade and overhaul the Pentagon, State Department and intelligence agencies.He's largely avoided explaining how he'd handle the conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, yet says he can settle the war in Ukraine in 24 hours.Meanwhile, if President Biden wins, he's signaled his commitment to fight global threats to peace and freedom, and he's vowed to continue to help Ukraine and Israel fight in their respective wars.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Michael Bommer likely only has a few weeks left to live. A couple years ago, he was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer.Then, an opportunity arose to build an interactive artificial intelligence version of himself through a friend's company, Eternos.Life, so his wife, Anett, can interact with him after he dies.More and more people are turning to artificial intelligence to create digital memorials of themselves.Meanwhile Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska, a research associate at the University of Cambridge, has been studying the field of "digital death" for nearly a decade, and says using artificial intelligence after death is one big "techno-cultural experiment" because we don't yet know how people will respond to it. Artificial intelligence has opened the door for us to "live on" after we die. Just because we can, should we? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy