Consider This from NPR

Afghan CIA fighters face stark reality in the U.S.

They survived some of the Afghanistan War's most grueling and treacherous missions.  But once they evacuated to the U.S., many Afghan fighters who served in "Zero Units" found themselves spiraling.  Among their ranks was Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man charged with killing one National Guard member and seriously injuring a second after opening fire on them in Washington, D.C. on Thanksgiving Eve. NPR's Brian Mann spoke to people involved in Zero Units and learned some have struggled with mental health since coming to the U.S. At least four soldiers have died by suicide.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org]. Email us at considerthis@npr.org [considerthis@npr.org]. This episode was produced by Erika Ryan and Karen Zamora. It was edited by Alina Hartounian and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

How a once fringe idea became a Trump administration mantra

The Trump administration is leaning into the once fringe idea of "reverse migration."  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org]. Email us at considerthis@npr.org [considerthis@npr.org]. This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink and Brianna Scott. It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Justine Kenin and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Chicago's Archbishop weighs in on immigration enforcement

The Catholic Church is wading into a deeply partisan issue. The Archbishop of Chicago weighs in. This fall, the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz – an aggressive immigration crackdown campaign in Chicago. It was met with outcry from many communities around the city including the Catholic Church, and that sentiment goes all the way to the very top of the Church with Pope Leo calling on the government to treat undocumented people humanely.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org]. Email us at considerthis@npr.org [considerthis@npr.org].This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink, featuring reporting from NPR domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

View from Venezuela

Venezuela dominates the headlines, but very little attention is paid to what life is like inside the country. In September, the Trump administration began a series of strikes targeting what U.S. officials call "narcoterrorists" in small vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.  Those strikes are ongoing and have killed more than 80 people. Then, in October, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She's been in hiding since last year, when Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory in an election widely seen as fraudulent. Machado is expected to receive her award on Wednesday, in Oslo. And if she does, she might not be let back into her country.  Machado, who supports the Trump administration’s campaign in the region, says the end of the Maduro regime is imminent. While the world is focused on Oslo and María Corina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize. We wanted to get the view from inside her country. We speak with a journalist in Venezuela about what daily life is like.  For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Email us at considerthis@npr.org [considerthis@npr.org]. This episode was produced by Karen Zamora & Matt Ozug with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

The fight for the future of Warner Bros. just got messier

There's a growing fight in Hollywood over some of the biggest characters on screen, like Tony Soprano, Daenerys Targaryen and Harry Potter. All feature in shows and films owned by Warner Brothers Discovery, and now two companies are fighting to get a piece of the action.  First, on Friday, Netflix struck an $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Brothers Studios and HBO. Then, just days later, Paramount upped the ante with a higher bid of $108 billion for Warner Brothers Discovery – which includes not just the movie studios and HBO, but also WBD’s cable channels, like CNN. As corporate giants vie to take over Warner Brothers, we ask: What are the stakes for Hollywood and the news business?  Editor’s note: Warner Bros. Discovery is a financial supporter of NPR. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org].  Email us at considerthis@npr.org [considerthis@npr.org]. This episode was produced by Jordan-Marie Smith, Mia Venkat and Karen Zamora. It was edited by Pallavi Gogoi and Christopher Intagliata. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]