This past weekend, the United States went to war.

The president didn’t present his case in a primetime speech from the Oval Office or the White House’s East Room, but rather, in an edited video posted at 2:30 a.m. on the social media platform he owns.

And that video post came between others where President Trump has falsely claimed that elections were rigged and stolen, called for the prosecution of people who have opposed him, and lobbied to put his face on U.S. currency.

The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser has been tracking it all, week by week, since 2018. She talks about the myriad ways the presidency, and the norms surrounding it, continue to change under Trump.

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This episode was produced by Erika Ryan, with audio engineering by Becky Brown and Damian Herring. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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The future of Iran hangs on an important question: Who will be its next leader? We'll look at how succession could unfold.

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This episode contained reporting from NPR’s Ruth Sherlock. It was produced by Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Becky Brown. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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In the days since the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, the Trump administration has given a wide range of reasons why the US is now at war. On Saturday, Trump seemed to indicate the U.S. and Israel were trying to clear the way for regime change. On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the conflict in Iran was not about regime change. A couple of hours later in Trump's first public comments, not prerecorded on video, he listed four objectives. Regime change wasn't among them.


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This episode was produced by Lauren Hodges and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Senator Mark Warner tells NPR that the families of sailors in the conflict area that he has met with "have no idea why their sons and daughters are being put in harm's way." Warner says that the president should appear before Congress and ask for a declaration of war.

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This episode was produced by Henry Larson. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khemenei is dead, according President Donald Trump. This comes after US and Israeli forces bombarded targets across Iran. Iran has retaliated, launching attacks throughout the Middle East.

Given these historic events, we’re dropping our National Security Podcast “Sources & Methods” into the feed today.

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This episode was produced by Erika Ryan, Karen Zamora, and Kai McNamee, with audio engineering by Neil Tevault. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Andrew Sussman. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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President Trump issued an executive order to increase domestic production of glyphosate, commonly used as a weedkiller. It’s the active ingredient in the weedkiller, Roundup.

That order immediately ignited an uproar in the Make America Healthy Again movement. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his supporters have long believed glyphosate is a health risk. But now, Kennedy says he supports Trump’s order.

Helena Bottemiller Evich, founder and editor-in-chief of the Food Fix newsletter, calls MAHA’s response a “marital spat” with the Trump administration, and explains how it could affect Trump’s base going forward.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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