Commentary

This image made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows part of a group of five galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet.

Science

'Are We Alone?' Churchill Concludes It's Likely Life Circles Other Suns

7:54am February 18, 2017

by Scott Simon

In an essay written in 1939, Winston Churchill pondered the possibility that there might be life elsewhere in the universe. The document was recently rediscovered in a museum in Fulton, Mo.

Week In Politics: Trump's Press Conference, Michael Flynn

4:34pm February 17, 2017

NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with political commentators, Jason Riley, of The Wall Street Journal and the Manhattan Institute, and Abderrahim Foukara, Washington, D.C., bureau chief for Al Jazeera, about President Trump's wide-ranging news conference on Thursday and the resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn.

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Beyoncé performs onstage during the 59th Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Beyoncé Is Not The Magical Negro Mammy

8:55pm February 15, 2017

by Denene Millner

Just imagine Beyoncé, one of the world's most celebrated, recognized and highest-paid stars, being asked to "mother" Adele and Faith Hill. Not happening.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is one of many NBA figures who's recent comments have veered into current politics.

With Politics, NBA Speaks Its Mind

8:23am February 15, 2017

by Pablo Torre

If you enjoy sports only as an escape from political give and take, commentator Pablo Torre warns there's some bad news: You can no longer enjoy the NBA. Players and coaches are talking politics.

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Valentine's Day can be seen as an invitation to feel embarrassed by the pressures of consumer culture, or let down because someone who professed to care had not managed to.

Lonely On Valentine's Day? Celebrate Love That Reaches Beyond Romance

1:43pm February 14, 2017

by Sarah Hepola

Author Sarah Hepola is used to being alone and disappointed on Valentine's Days. But this year her outlook has changed. "My life is rich with love, even if it's not the kind I expected," she says.

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One restaurant challenges our assumptions that immigrant food must be cheap.

National

Cheap Eats, Cheap Labor: The Hidden Human Costs Of Those Lists

7:00am February 12, 2017

by Diep Tran

Those all-too-common lists of cheap places to eat are part of a broader restaurant culture that devalues immigrant labor and ignores the consequences, says commentator and restaurateur Diep Tran.

Follow the Sugars on Twitter @dearsugarradio.

Arts

That's Me In The Spotlight, Losing My Religion

1:30pm February 11, 2017

Dear Sugar Radio is a podcast offering "radical empathy" and advice for the lost, lonely and heartsick. Today the hosts hear from a woman who's nervous to tell her parents she's no longer religious.

Syria President Bashar al-Assad in Paris in 2010.

World News

Amnesty International Identifies Assad's 'Policy Of Extermination'

8:45am February 11, 2017

by Scott Simon

Amnesty International says as many as 13,000 opponents of Bashar Assad have been hanged outside Damascus. NPR's Scott Simon wonders why any Syrian refugee who opposes the regime would return home.

Week In Politics: Appeals Court Upholds Stay On Travel Ban

5:38pm February 10, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with our regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss the federal appeals court ruling on President Trump's immigration order and cabinet confirmations.

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In this image from Senate Television, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks on the floor of the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017.

Politics & Government

A Senate Rule Silenced Elizabeth Warren. Is That Rule So Bad?

12:52pm February 08, 2017

by Steve Inskeep

Steve Inskeep says there is much to debate about the specifics of what happened to Sen. Elizabeth Warren but the Senate rule invoked by the GOP is one that many of us would do well to live by.