All Things Considered

Monday through Friday, 3pm - 7pm; Saturday and Sunday, 4pm - 5pm

Melissa Block, Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish

Since its debut in 1971, All Things Considered has delivered in-depth reporting and transformed the way listeners understand current events and view the world. Every weekday afternoon, hosts Robert Siegel, Melissa Block, and Audie Cornish bring listeners breaking news mixed with compelling analysis, insightful commentaries, interviews, and special - sometimes quirky - features. WNIJ airs a one-hour edition of the program at 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Local Host(s):

Guy Stephens

Genre:

News/Talk

Composer ID:

5187f5a3e1c80ade92b5bd89|5187f57fe1c80ade92b5bceb

For China's 'Left-Behind Kids,' A Free Lunch

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Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

Students enjoy free meals on the inaugural day of the Free Lunch for Children program at Hujiaying primary school in Shaanxi province's Nanzheng county.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

For many of the students, the free school lunch is the best meal of the day. A study last year found that malnutrition has stunted the growth of 12 percent of China's poorest children.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

On a recent day, the children receive a tray full of rice, stir-fried pork with celery, spicy tofu and greens with mushrooms.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

Bai Baojun is the school's headmaster. The parents of 80 percent of his students have moved away to find work, and many of these "left-behind" children routinely go hungry, he says.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

The school's new canteen was built with government funding; the government is also stepping up its efforts to provide nutritional supplement for the country's poorest kids.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

The Free Lunch for Children program is a godsend for 10-year-old Xie Xiaoyuan, whose family of five survives on just $120 a month.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

Xie has frostbitten ears from her daily trek to school. She eats no breakfast and, before the school lunch program, had only two pieces of bread to keep her going until dinner.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

Because they are so hungry, the children say, they are unable to concentrate on their lessons.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

The Free Lunch for Children program is the brainchild of journalist Deng Fei. In eight months, he raised $4 million online, and is now feeding 25,000 children a day.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

Hujiaying primary school in China's remote Shaanxi province is among the schools benefiting from the nonprofit Free Lunch for Children program.

Credit Louisa Lim / NPR

In the school kitchen, a cook uses a shovel for stir-frying. He is preparing meals for more than 200 students.

By Louisa Lim

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:06 am

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For 10-year-old student Xie Xiaoyuan, just getting to school is an ordeal. On a recent day, her frostbitten ears are testament to just how difficult the trip is.

"I get up at five o'clock," she says, "then I comb my hair and start walking."

Xie navigates a mountain path in China's remote Shaanxi province in the dark, trudging through snowstorms and mudslides. Then she has to get a bus for about 10 miles. She hasn't time to eat breakfast.

"For lunch, I spend 15 cents on two pieces of bread and a drink," she says.

5:22 pm

Mon January 23, 2012

EU Squeezes Iran With New Oil Sanctions

Credit Virginia Mayo / AP

The EU has agreed to an embargo on buying oil from Iran in the latest sanction against that country for its nuclear program. Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, speaks here in Brussels on Monday following a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

By Tom Gjelten

The battle over Iran's nuclear program escalated Monday as the European Union announced an embargo on importing oil from Iran.

For years, Europe has been reluctant to join the United States in imposing tough sanctions on Iran. The United States years ago stopped buying Iranian oil, while European nations including France, Spain, Italy, and Greece kept up their purchases. European countries right now buy about 600,000 barrels of oil per day from Iran.

4:20 pm

Mon January 23, 2012

Cash-Strapped L.A. Dodgers Shop For A New Owner

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Credit Denis Poroy / Getty Images

Los Angeles Dodgers players high-five after beating the San Diego Padres 2-0 at Petco Park in San Diego on Sept. 23, 2011.

Credit Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt speaks at a news conference on April 14, 2011, in Los Angeles, about safety issues following a fan attack at Dodger Stadium on opening day of 2011. McCourt has put the team up for sale, and bids from buyers are due on Monday.

By Tom Goldman

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of professional sports' most storied franchises. But they're up for auction because much-maligned and outgoing owner Frank McCourt was forced to put the team under bankruptcy protection last summer.

Now, preliminary bids for the Dodgers are due on Monday. The team lost its luster during McCourt's ownership, but estimates for the winning bid range from $1.2 to $2 billion, dwarfing the record $845 million paid for the Chicago Cubs a couple of years ago.

3:00 pm

Mon January 23, 2012

'I'd Rather Be A Mystery': John Hawkes On Keeping His Hat Pulled Down

Credit Fox Searchlight

John Hawkes and Elizabeth Olsen in 2011's Martha Marcy May Marlene.

By Linda Holmes

Originally published on Mon January 23, 2012 5:25 pm

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John Hawkes' conversation with Melissa Block on today's All Things Considered begins as many of his conversations might: with her noting that when she told people she was coming to talk to him and rattled off his credits, she got a response that he undoubtedly gets a lot: "Ohhh, he's that guy."

2:00 pm

Mon January 23, 2012

Marine Accused Of Iraqi Killings Takes Plea Deal

By editor

A plea deal has been reached in the court martial case of Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich. He was the last person facing charges in the killings of 24 Iraqis at the village of Haditha in 2005. Monday, he admitted to one charge of dereliction of duty. The case became a touchstone for criticism of the Iraq war. Originally, several Marines were charged with murder in the case. But the Marines who killed the Iraqi civilians that day claimed that their actions were tragic — but legal under the official rules of engagement in a complex war fought in and among the people.

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1:43 pm

Tue January 24, 2012