Can’t-miss interviews: Mohsen Mahdawi, Steve Bannon and Maura Healey on Harvard cuts
A lot happened this week, and NPR has you covered. Catch up on the big news and culture moments you might have missed.
Mohsen Mahdawi — the Columbia student arrested at his citizenship appointment — speaks
Speaking to NPR in his first media interview since his detention, lawful permanent U.S. resident Mohsen Mahdawi finds peace in meditation and hopes “America will fulfill its promise.”
Steve Bannon praises Trump’s strategy, wants DOGE’s receipts
NPR’s Steve Inskeep spoke with the Trump ally and sometime presidential adviser about the president’s agenda at home and abroad.
Trump’s Harvard funding cuts don’t put “America first,” says Massachusetts governor
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey argues President Trump’s funding cuts to Harvard University and other universities are detrimental to the economy.
Weird Al keeps dorkiness close to his heart
“Weird Al” Yankovic has no trouble tapping into his dorkiness. Perhaps that’s the secret to his decades-spanning appeal. On this week’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin, he talks about aging into his weirdness.
Ford Motor CEO “welcomes” Trump’s move to ease tariffs on automakers
President Trump is easing some of his tariffs on the U.S. auto industry. But what will the overall impact of these economic policies mean for the nation’s biggest carmakers? Ford Motor CEO weighs in.
GOP blocked Hegseth Signal probe because he is “indefensible,” says Rep. Adam Smith
House Republicans blocked a resolution that could have forced an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., says it’s because the GOP knows it can’t defend him.
Heritage Foundation president on Trump’s first 100 days
NPR’s Juana Summers talks with Kevin Roberts — president of the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025 — about the Trump administration’s recent actions.
Ada Limón reflects on her tenure as the poet laureate
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón reflects on her term and the urgency of connecting to nature through poetry.
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‘Dawson’s Creek’ star James Van Der Beek has died at 48
Van Der Beek played Dawson Leery on the hit show Dawson's Creek. He announced his colon cancer diagnosis in 2024.
A Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump was convicted of sexually abusing children
A handyman from Florida who received a pardon from President Trump for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted on state charges of child sex abuse and exposing himself to a child.
A country-pop newcomer’s debut is your reinvention album of 2026
August Ponthier's Everywhere Isn't Texas is as much a fully realized introduction as a complete revival. Its an existential debut that asks: How, exactly, does the artist fit in here?
U.S. unexpectedly adds 130,000 jobs in January after a weak 2025
U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in January as the unemployment rate dipped to 4.3% from 4.4% in December. Annual revisions show that job growth last year was far weaker than initially reported.
Greetings from Mexico City’s iconic boulevard, where a dog on a bike steals the show
Every week, more than 100,000 people ride bikes, skates and rollerblades past some of the best-known parts of Mexico's capital. And sometimes their dogs join them too.
February may be short on days — but it boasts a long list of new books
The shortest month of the year is packed with highly anticipated new releases, including books from Michael Pollan, Tayari Jones and the late Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.
