Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri was arrested in March by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while walking toward his Virginia home. The Trump administration has called him a threat to foreign policy, but Suri has not been charged with a crime and ICE agents never showed him a warrant. Suri speaks with Asma Khalid about his nearly two-month 'nightmare' detainment in facilities across Virginia, Louisiana and Texas, and why he still believes in American ideals.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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20:56
These scientists were fired by DOGE. What are they doing now?
Tens of thousands of researchers are out of work amid President Trump's ongoing purge of the federal workforce. One of those workers is Peggy Hall, a biologist who worked at the National Institutes of Health. Hall joins us with freelance reporter Virginia Gewin, who recently wrote about fired workers for Nature. And, a study from the Rochester Institute of Technology estimated more than 10,000 tons of plastic enter the Great Lakes every year. Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports on efforts to curb pollution, including a robot that combs the shores for trash. Then, the North American prairie is biologically diverse, but it's rapidly disappearing. In their book "Sea of Grass," Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty unpack the threats to the prairie and profile the people trying to save it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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27:39
Trump administration to 'aggressively' revoke visas from Chinese students
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Wednesday that the State Department "will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." NPR's Emily Feng joins us to explain what it means. Then, President Trump pardoned a man sentenced to tax fraud after his mother reportedly paid $1 million to attend a Trump fundraiser. Law professor Kim Wehle tells us more. And, a group of British climbers made it to the top of Mount Everest in a matter of days after they inhaled xenon gas. Mountaineer and Everest chronicler Alan Arnette talks about the controversial new way of climbing the world's tallest mountain.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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30:59
Why proposed Medicaid cuts could decimate rural hospitals
Rural hospital CEO Kevin Stansbury talks about what the Medicaid cuts being debated by lawmakers could mean to his 25-bed county-owned hospital in Hugo, Colorado. Then, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday that the CDC would no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or healthy pregnant women. OBGYN Dr. Linda Eckert weighs in. And, landmark climate legislation from the Biden administration would be dismantled in the massive spending bill that House Republicans recently passed. Grist's Zoya Teirstein breaks down the potential impacts on renewable energy projects already underway.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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18:20
NPR and three Colorado public radio stations sue Trump administration
NPR and three Colorado public radio stations filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging President Trump's executive order to bar federal funding from going to NPR and PBS. NPR's David Folkenflik explains more. And, the Trump administration on Tuesday ordered federal agencies to unwind all federal funding to Harvard University. Trump claims the university fosters antisemitism and stifles viewpoint diversity. Connor Murnane — campus advocacy chief of staff at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — argues that Harvard's failures do not justify Trump's dramatic steps against the university. Then, if you've seen the hit TV show "Bridgerton," you've likely heard the musical stylings of the Vitamin String Quartet. The group reimagines pop songs as string instrument covers, and members Rachel Grace and Derek Stein share more about their musical journeys.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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.
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