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Analysis

Thursday

Why India's warnings about Sikh separatism don't get much traction in the West

People hold flags during a Sikh rally outside the Indian Consulate in Toronto to raise awareness in the wake of the Canadian prime minister's comments alleging Indian government agents were potentially involved in the June killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, on Monday. Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images

World

Why India's warnings about Sikh separatism don't get much traction in the West

The current India-Canada crisis has exposed a sharp disconnect between India and the West on the issue of Sikh separatism. Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute explains why.

Tuesday

How new borrowers can prepare for their first student loan payment

A Spelman College graduate waves during the school's 2023 commencement ceremony on May 21. Recent college graduates are due to make their first student loan payments in the coming weeks. Paras Griffin/Getty Images hide caption

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Paras Griffin/Getty Images

The Student Loan Restart

How new borrowers can prepare for their first student loan payment

When student loan bills begin coming due in October, new borrowers will take their first steps on the long road to paying off their debt. These tools and tips can help ease the journey.

Saturday

Jann Wenner's Rock Hall is crumbling — is it worth fixing?

With all of this condemnation swirling, it's worth wondering what about enduring monuments like the Rock Hall keeps stirring people up. Duane Prokop/Getty Images hide caption

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Duane Prokop/Getty Images

Music Features

Jann Wenner's Rock Hall is crumbling — is it worth fixing?

Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner was removed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's board after sexist and racist comments. But he is, and always has been, an avatar for an exclusionary framework.

Friday

Here's one potential winner from the UAW strike: Non-union auto workers in the South

Autoworkers at Mercedes plant in Vance, Ala., assemble an all-electric SUV. Stephan Bisaha/Gulf States Newsroom hide caption

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Stephan Bisaha/Gulf States Newsroom

UAW vs. the Detroit Big 3 automakers

Here's one potential winner from the UAW strike: Non-union auto workers in the South

WBHM

If the UAW strike leads to a win for the union, southern auto workers believe that will lead to a pay up at plants like Nissan and Mercedes.

Here's one potential winner from the UAW strike: Non-union auto workers in the South

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Friday

Is capitalism in its flop era?

Americans have capitalism on the brain — here's why. Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images; Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images; Stephen Voss/Vox hide caption

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Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images; Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images; Stephen Voss/Vox

It's Been a Minute

Is capitalism in its flop era?

In 2017, Today, Explained co-host Noel King says she started getting a vibe: young people were discussing and dissecting capitalism. She began noticing the word in pop culture and cultural reporting — but found her own tribe of economics reporters were missing from the conversation. Flash forward to 2023, and the word capitalism is all over politics and culture: it's on the stage at the Republican debates, it's on the picket lines and the language of union strikes from Hollywood to New York City, it's even in the new Indiana Jones movie. How did we get here — and has talking about capitalism made us more divided? Noel King joins host Brittany Luse to discuss her new multi-part series exploring how a new generation of Americans are coming to terms with capitalism.

Is capitalism in its flop era?

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Wednesday

Fall football — or the fall of football?
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Code Switch

Fall football — or the fall of football?

This week, the NFL is gearing up for the start of its 104th season. But as this new chapter begins, we're looking at some of the league's old problems with race and diversity — ones that have implications for the coaches, the players, and the fans.

Fall football — or the fall of football?

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Tuesday

20 years of pumpkin spice power
Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

20 years of pumpkin spice power

It's been 20 years since Starbucks debuted the first pumpkin spice latte in 2003. Since then, it's become a cultural phenomenon greater than itself: it's shorthand for fall, for basicness, for femininity, and even for white culture. Why did the PSL become so powerful — and how do food trends garner so much meaning? Host Brittany Luse chats with Suzy Badaracco, food trend forecaster and founder of Culinary Tides, to discuss the $500 million dollar industry, and how little miss pumpkin spice has held on to her cultural power.

20 years of pumpkin spice power

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Sunday

In a state where elections can be close, Wisconsin Latinos learn their political power

Jennifer Nuno checks her 11-year-old son's back-to-school haircut in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee on August 21. Franco Ordoñez/NPR hide caption

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Franco Ordoñez/NPR

Politics

In a state where elections can be close, Wisconsin Latinos learn their political power

Wisconsin is not known for the power of the Latino vote, but in a state with such tiny margins even a small shift can have a big impact on national politics.

In a state where elections can be close, Wisconsin Latinos learn their political power

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Saturday

Labor Day is now a key to Election Day for Democrats and Republicans alike

Members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union are seen on a Labor Day parade float, Sept. 4, 1961. While many may associate the holiday with major retail sales and end-of summer barbecues, Labor Day's roots are in worker-driven organizing. Hans Von Nolde/AP hide caption

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Hans Von Nolde/AP

Politics

Labor Day is now a key to Election Day for Democrats and Republicans alike

With all that has shifted around in American politics, the Democrats' disconnect from the broad working class is the loss that has cost them the most and threatens them most in the years ahead.

Friday

Age ain't nothing but a number but for aging lawmakers, it's raising questions

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., center, is helped by, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, after the 81-year-old GOP leader froze at the microphones as he arrived for a news conference, at the Capitol in Washington on July 26. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Politics

Age ain't nothing but a number but for aging lawmakers, it's raising questions

Elected officials are (almost) the oldest they have ever been in Washington which is causing discussions over what it means to be fit for office.

Age ain't nothing but a number but for aging lawmakers, it's raising questions

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Thursday

Friday

For Trump, X marks the spot for his social media return. Why that could really matter

Former President Donald Trump looks at his phone during a roundtable with governors in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, June 18, 2020. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

Politics

For Trump, X marks the spot for his social media return. Why that could really matter

Donald Trump posted again for the first time in three years since being banned from various social media, taking to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter to post his mugshot.

Thursday

5 takeaways from the first Republican primary debate

From left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum before a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News Channel Wednesday in Milwaukee. Morry Gash/AP hide caption

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Morry Gash/AP

Elections

5 takeaways from the first Republican primary debate

The first Republican debate of the 2024 election cycle is in the books. Without the front-runner onstage, each candidate had the opportunity to grab the spotlight, though some had more of an impact.

Wednesday

5 questions ahead of the first GOP primary debate of the 2024 election cycle

A former President Donald Trump supporter stands near the Fiserv Forum Tuesday as setup continues for Wednesday's Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee. Morry Gash/AP hide caption

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Morry Gash/AP

Elections

5 questions ahead of the first GOP primary debate of the 2024 election cycle

The first Republican primary debate, in Milwaukee on Wednesday, will give many Americans the first chance to hear from the GOP presidential candidates, but the party's frontrunner won't be there.