State of the World from NPR

Latest Episodes:

Israeli settlers besiege a West Bank house owned by a U.S. citizen Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

The family of a Palestinian American man have been under siege in their home in the occupied West Bank. Extremist Israeli settlers attacked the home for days and the Israeli military has now sealed off the area. A United Nations agency was called in to deliver food, water and medicine to the family. We hear from a family member now trapped in the house.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

Heavy environmental toll of war in southern Lebanon Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

Beneath the shattered villages and scorched fields of southern Lebanon lies a quieter aftermath of war - contaminated land. Israel's war against Hezbollah in south Lebanon has poisoned soil and destroyed valuable ecosystems for generations to come. Soil samples of the land show high levels of heavy metals, the herbicide Glyphosate, and white phosphorus.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

China's courts side with AI-displaced workers but job anxiety persists Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

In China, top leaders are pushing the adoption of Artificial Intelligence. Companies there are using AI at a scale that far outpaces that of the US. That means some Chinese workers are being displaced from their jobs. Now, Chinese courts are stepping in. And in some cases, courts are ruling that worker displacement is unlawful. But Chinese workers are still anxious.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

Pacific marine monuments lose environmental protections Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

The Trump administration is opening federally-protected marine areas in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. In rarely granted access, NPR visited Palmyra, a remote, low-lying atoll with one of the most pristine coral reefs in the world.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

Count Binface runs against Reform Party’s Farage in UK election Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

A trash-can wearing comedian is far-right Nigel Farage’s main rival in this week’s Parliamentary election in the British town of Clacton-on-Sea. Farage is the incumbent, and his campaign finances are under investigation. Polls show Farage is still likely to win, but that Count Binface — a spoof candidate who wears a garbage pail on his head — may get around 20-percent of the vote. Some say Binface’s relative popularity is a reflection of voter disaffection. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

Syria’s archaeological riches face threat of looting Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

Curators and archaeologists risked their lives to hide and protect Syria’s cultural treasures during its civil war. Some archaeological sites still face plunder by looters. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

Why does Switzerland have so many nuclear bunkers? Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Switzerland might be thought of as the land of snow-capped alps and incredibly good chocolate. But it is also a world leader in underground nuclear bunkers with more than 370,000 of them. There are enough for each of Switzerland’s nine million citizens to be guaranteed a space in one. But why? We go to the alpine country to find out.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

The Iran war hangs over a major Shiite pilgrimage Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

It is one of the largest gatherings of people in the world. More than 20 million Shia Muslim pilgrims gathered in the Iraqi city of Karbala this week for the annual commemoration of the 7th Century killing of a central figure of their faith. Iran is mostly Shia and this year greater numbers of Iranians participated in the pilgrimage, many say because of the killing of their modern-day religious leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by airstrikes in the early days of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. We go to Karbala to hear from some Iranian pilgrims.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

Israeli settler activity increases in the West Bank Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

The West Bank is a Palestinian territory between Israel and Jordan that been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. For decades Israeli Jewish settlers have been creating settlements there, taking more and more of the West Bank away from Palestinians. This has the support of Israel’s far right government, which faces a possible loss of power in an October election, and that’s led to a frenzy of settlement activity. The government has legalized past settlements under Israeli law and approved new ones in areas that are supposed to be under Palestinian civil control.
We go to the West Bank, where Palestinian residents say they feel like they’re being encircled by settlers trying to take their land, sometimes violently.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

Why Russia’s strikes on Ukraine are more intense; Germany’s song of the summer Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Ukraine’s defense forces have beaten back many types of Russian attacks during more than four years of war. But recently there has been a glaring weakness in their defenses: from Russian ballistic missiles. Those kinds of attacks are repelled by U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles. Ukraine is desperately short of them and even the U.S. supplies of Patriot missiles are dwindling. We go to Kyiv to hear what the shortage means for Ukraine.
And an extremely catchy German song has gone viral in part because its lyrical refrain sounds goofy to ears used to English. We learn about the positive message behind those lyrics.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

State of the World from NPR

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected