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.

Steve Inskeep interviews Steve Bannon

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.

Wild Card: ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic ( (NPR | NPR))

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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U.S. measles cases hit highest level in 33 years, CDC reports

The U.S. has hit an unwelcome milestone in measles cases this year. The CDC is reporting 1,288 cases across the country. The disease was declared eliminated 25 years ago.

10 songs that were hyperpop before the subgenre was born

To commemorate 10 years of SOPHIE's debut, World Cafe put together a mix of "proto-hyperpop" tracks.

What’s on the table for the 5 African Presidents meeting Trump at the White House?

President Trump is hosting 5 African leaders in Washington this week — a mini summit that's raising eyebrows over who was invited, what's on the table, and what it signals about U.S. rivalry with China and BRICS in Africa.

Sean Combs’ sentencing date is set

Last week, a federal jury in Manhattan found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution while acquitting him on more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

A battle is unfolding in Europe over the future of wolves

Europe recently downgraded the protected status of wolves, sparking concern among conservationists who warn this may undo decades of progress and lead to the species becoming threatened again.

Greetings from Damascus, Syria, where a crowded bar welcomed post-Assad revelers

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

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