We're getting a look at how the public mood and political attitudes have changed over time thanks to economic shifts and dislocation. Paul Solman sat down with Nobel-winning economist Paul Krugman to discuss polarization, globalization and the potential financial risks ahead.

There's new insight into a group of voters that helped swing the 2024 presidential race, those who voted for Democrats in prior elections but for Donald Trump this November. The analysis comes from recent focus groups conducted by Republican strategist Sarah Longwell. She joined Geoff Bennett to discuss what led these voters to shift political allegiances.

President Trump ramped up his trade battles with countries around the world today after he announced a plan for new reciprocal tariffs that could take effect this spring. The tariffs would match the tax rates that other countries charge on American-made imports. Amna Nawaz discussed the concerns and questions about the president's goals with Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics.

It was a big day for President Trump's team and some of his most controversial choices. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Kash Patel took a big step forward on his way to be the next FBI director. Meantime, Linda McMahon was pressed about Trump's plans for the Department of Education during her confirmation hearing. Lisa Desjardins reports.

European leaders pushed back against what they describe as concessions and shifts by the Trump administration on Ukraine. On Wednesday, President Trump discussed ceasefire negotiations with Putin while his defense secretary doubted Ukraine’s future in NATO. Ukrainian and European officials are demanding continued support and a seat at the negotiating table. Nick Schifrin reports from Munich.

President Trump handed more power over to Elon Musk on Tuesday, giving his team oversight over hiring decisions across every government agency. Musk has also continued to post misleading or false accusations against government agencies on his social media platform X, despite his government and private sector work potentially serving as a conflict of interest. Laura Barrón-López reports.

The Department of Education is on the Trump chopping block. Details have not been fully released yet, but the president has signaled plans to dismantle it and move some of its key functions elsewhere. The department oversees student loans, federal funds for lower-income students, special education programs and more. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Laura Meckler of The Washington Post.

President Trump spoke to the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday and announced that talks to end the war would start immediately. Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined major U.S. shifts on Ukraine, saying Kyiv should not expect to recapture all territory occupied by Russia and that its bid for NATO membership is unrealistic at this time. Nick Schifrin reports.

It was a day of major diplomacy and policy statements from the Trump administration about the war in Ukraine. Amna Nawaz has two perspectives on the developments from Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Eurasia, and John Mearsheimer, author of "The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities."

House Republicans release their long-promised budget outline as they seek to fulfill President Trump’s agenda while cutting both the deficit and taxes. But it remains unclear whether the plan will achieve those goals, or if it even has the votes. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports.

The House subcommittee that bears the same acronym as Elon Musk's agency, DOGE, held its first hearing Wednesday. While members from both parties said they were focused on rooting out waste and fraud, Democrats pointed out the man at the heart of today’s hearing did not appear. Amna Nawaz discussed the debate with David Walker, former head of the Government Accountability Office.

One of the year’s most acclaimed films, “The Brutalist,” received ten Oscar nominations. Its star, Adrien Brody, was a winner at last month’s Golden Globes and is up for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown discussed the role with Brody for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

The fate of the ceasefire in Gaza seems fragile after Israel threatened to restart the war unless Hamas releases all Israeli hostages by Saturday. The overall fate of Gaza was the focus of an Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Jordan’s King Abdullah in which Trump vowed to “take” the enclave. Nick Schifrin reports.

The Trump administration recently announced the National Institutes of Health will make big changes in the way it funds researchers. Scientists say the move will have a huge effect on their work. We hear from medical researchers about the cuts and Amna Nawaz discusses more with Dr. David Skorton of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

More than 20 years ago, the U.S. became the leader in the worldwide fight against HIV/AIDS. The Bush administration initiative Pepfar was the largest health commitment made by a nation to combat a single disease. But Trump's cuts have thrown the initiative into a tailspin. Stephanie Sy discussed the shift in HIV funding with Angeli Achrekar of UNAIDS, which provides services in 55 countries.

Amid the devastation of the wildfires that tore through Southern California last month, thousands had their education disrupted. At least a dozen schools were burned or so badly damaged that students can’t return any time soon. William Brangham spent time with teachers and students from an elementary in Altadena to understand how educators keep moving forward in the middle of a disaster zone.

The Justice Department directed federal prosecutors to drop its corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Adams was charged in September with accepting bribes and foreign campaign contributions. The mayor has curried favor with President Trump for months, including dining with him in Florida. Laura Barrón-López discussed the implications with former federal prosecutor Jessica Roth.

With Democrats in the minority, they're searching for ways to serve as a check on GOP power in Congress and the White House. Sen. Andy Kim spent his entire working life in government service at USAID, the State Department, National Security Council and the House. The New Jersey Democrat recently said the country is on the cusp of a constitutional crisis and joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.

It’s not every day that a director’s debut feature film earns an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. But that’s what happened to RaMell Ross and the movie, “Nickel Boys." Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown spoke with Ross about his distinctive style for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including the first polling about how the American public views President Trump's second term so far, Elon Musk's cuts hurting Republican states and Trump saying he doesn't view Vice President Vance as his successor.