"George Bush doesn't care about Black people" 20 years later – NCPR: North Country Public Radio

On September 2, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurrican Katrina, Kanye West went off script and said, “George Bush doesn’t care…
“George Bush doesn’t care about Black people” 20 years later
On September 2, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurrican Katrina, Kanye West went off script and said, “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.” 20 years later, would those words have the same impact today?

In this episode, Brittany, NPR music correspondent Rodney Carmichael, and Code Switch’s Leah Donella revisit that moment and dissect why those words rippled through the nation. They investigate how race and politics intersected decades ago and how those words still cast a shadow over American politics now…from what celebrities are willing to say to power and why or why not.
Get your own personalized summer school diploma here.
Today on our final episode of Summer School 2025, we will test your knowledge. We will salute the unsung heroes of government service. And we will pick our valedictorian from among you of the class of 2025.
Editorial Note:
President Trump attempted to fire Lisa Cook, a Biden appointee to the Federal Reserve Board. Our daily podcast, The Indicator, has coverage on their feed. We’ll have an episode in the Planet Money feed soon, in the meantime, here’s some background listening on why this is so important.
Years before she joined the Fed, we profiled the work of Lisa Cook. Listen here.
Also these:

Happy Fed Independence Day
A primer on the Federal Reserve’s independence
The case for Fed independence in the Nixon tapes
Turkey’s runaway inflation problem
Arthur Burns: shorthand for Fed failure?
Should presidents have more of a say in interest rates?
Can the Federal Reserve stay independent?
It’s hard out there for a Fed chair
The series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Eric Mennel. Our project manager is Devin Mellor. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark and fact-checked by Emily Crawford.
Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Get your own personalized summer school diploma here.
Today on our final episode of Summer School 2025, we will test your knowledge. We will salute the unsung heroes of government service. And we will pick our valedictorian from among you of the class of 2025.
Editorial Note:
President Trump attempted to fire Lisa Cook, a Biden appointee to the Federal Reserve Board. Our daily podcast, The Indicator, has coverage on their feed. We’ll have an episode in the Planet Money feed soon, in the meantime, here’s some background listening on why this is so important.
Years before she joined the Fed, we profiled the work of Lisa Cook. Listen here.
Also these:

Happy Fed Independence Day
A primer on the Federal Reserve’s independence
The case for Fed independence in the Nixon tapes
Turkey’s runaway inflation problem
Arthur Burns: shorthand for Fed failure?
Should presidents have more of a say in interest rates?
Can the Federal Reserve stay independent?
It’s hard out there for a Fed chair
The series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Eric Mennel. Our project manager is Devin Mellor. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark and fact-checked by Emily Crawford.
Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
The Inca Empire in South America was one of the most powerful pre-Columbian societies. It was known for the architecture of Machu Picchu, an extensive road network and a system of terraces for agriculture. The society also kept records known as khipu, which involved a system of tying knots to encode sophisticated information.

Literacy in this form of writing was assumed to be something that only the highest levels of Inca society could do. But NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce shares how a new analysis of a cord made out of human hair may change that assumption.

Curious about science history? Email us at [email protected].

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
On September 2, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurrican Katrina, Kanye West went off script and said, “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.” 20 years later, would those words have the same impact today?

In this episode, Brittany, NPR music correspondent Rodney Carmichael, and Code Switch’s Leah Donella revisit that moment and dissect why those words rippled through the nation. They investigate how race and politics intersected decades ago and how those words still cast a shadow over American politics now…from what celebrities are willing to say to power and why or why not.
More than 180 current and former FEMA employees signed the letter sent to the FEMA Review Council and Congress warning that FEMA’s capacity to respond to a major disaster was dangerously diminished.
Current and former Microsoft employees were among those arrested. Microsoft has said it is reviewing a report that Israel has used its platform to facilitate attacks on Palestinian targets.
Last night, President Donald Trump posted a letter firing Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook. The reason? She was accused of listing two properties as her primary residences, which potentially gave her more favorable lending terms. This marks another escalation in the president’s battle for control of America’s central bank.

We’re publishing our conversation early about whether this is legal, what the Fed might do, and how the Fed’s independence is more fragile than we may think.

Related episodes:
Should presidents have more of a say in interest rates?
Can the Federal Reserve stay independent?
It’s hard out there for a Fed chair
Patent Racism
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
After a series of failures during recent test flights, SpaceX’s massive Starship had a smooth ride for Tuesday’s blast-off, and successfully deployed some fake satellites.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, these storms can whip up walls of dust as high as 10,000 feet.
For over two weeks, members of the National Guard have been walking the streets of Washington, D.C. — alongside federal law enforcement and local police.

President Trump has said there is a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital — and has openly hinted at taking similar actions in other Democratic-led cities like Chicago, New York and Baltimore.

But while the president has unique authorities over the District of Columbia, federalizing the National Guard in U.S. states will require a higher legal standard.

Georgetown University law professor Steve Vladeck breaks it down.

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

Email us at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. It features additional reporting by Frank Langfitt. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
An investigation by NPR, Texas Public Radio and 1A in 2024 found that more than 250 workers had died as a result of preventable trench collapses since 2013, and that at-fault companies were rarely held accountable.
President Trump has made clear he’s interested in ending the war Russia has waged on Ukraine. After a flurry of diplomatic meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a variety of European leaders, is the prospect of peace near? We hear from NPR’s correspondent in Moscow and a national security correspondent from the New York Times on whether progress has been made.

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