If you're just now planning travel for next week's total solar eclipse, you may be a little behind.Hotels are booked up and campgrounds are sold out in and around towns in the eclipse's path of totality.Nearly 4 million people are expected to make the trip to the viewing zone which stretches from Ma...

It's been about a week since NBC fired former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel just days after hiring her as a contributor.The network drew a ton of backlash for the decision after it aired an interview with McDaniel done by Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, in which McDaniel openly criticized the Republi...

A container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore this week causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River. Now, officials have suspended the search for four missing construction workers who are presumed dead. The remains of two others were recovered.The Supreme Court heard ar...

Everything is bigger in America. The portions, the cars, and now, our water bottles.Does it seem like everyone is carrying around a 30-ounce tumbler? The reusable water bottle industry is a multi-billion dollar business. But don't forget about plastics. The sales of single-use bottled water also con...

When it comes to explaining global politics and world events, few faces are more familiar to viewers than Fareed Zakaria's.He hosts CNN's international affairs show, "GPS," which debuted in 2008. He's also a best-selling author and columnist for The Washington Post.And now, he's gathered his insight...

Many people hear the term "psychedelics" and think of hippies, acid, and the music of the 1960s. But it may soon take on a whole different meaning for the U.S. military. Last December, Congress passed legislation that included funding for clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapy for active-d...

Shakira released her first new album in seven years, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran." The cross-genre, cross–culture singer's 12th album is expected to cover her most recent breakup and journey of self-discovery. She says that making the album was "an alchemical process" where "[her] tears transformed in...

This week in news, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has to come up with $454 million in under a week. The bond is part of a ruling handed down by a New York court that found that Trump, his son, and his organization conspired to inflate the value of their assets. Trump has in...

When you look up the word "intimate" in the dictionary, there are a few definitions. They include things like warmth, private, sex, personal, and familiarity.Our "Ask A" series returns, this time to talk to intimacy coordinators about their work.Parts of Hollywood production teams have practiced par...

Some 170 million Americans use the social video app TikTok, according to the company.And scrolling through it – you'll see everything from discussions about economics, and foreign policy to viral dance trends. Lawmakers are concerned that TikTok poses a national security threat because of who owns i...

What do LGBTQ+ youth in America need right now?The death of Nex Benedict was ruled as a suicide by a medical examiner in Oklahoma. Hundreds of anti-Trans legislation has been proposed and passed by state legislatures since 2021.According to a Washington Post analysis of FBI data, hate crimes at scho...

A new congressional map drawn up in Alabama produced 19 candidates to choose from this primary season. That's something Alabama doesn't see often in its elections. Today we're bringing you a conversation we had earlier this month in Birmingham, Alabama. We were back as part of our Remaking America c...

Let's take a moment to focus on the stakes of the 2024 election: for the people, for the country and for our democracy. New data analysis shows that Democratic support among Black, Latino and Asian American voters is the lowest it's been in over 60 years. That's according to polling data collected ...

After months of discussion about his advanced age, President Joe Biden leaned into the issue of his health and mental acuity in his first ad of the general election.A former Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, was found dead this week of apparent self-inflicted wounds.His lawyers told CNN they saw n...

It's a day at the races for 1A! The popularity of F1 in the US skyrocketed after Liberty Media bought Formula 1 in 2017. Netflix's Drive to Survive helped boost interest in the sport (for both new and old fans) during the height of the pandemic. Netflix's series has remained popular ever since and i...

Think back to your earliest video game memories. As technology changes and video games become increasingly released only on digital, many of the titles you grew up on may be unplayable today.87% of classic video games — those released before 2010 — are in danger of being lost to time. That's accordi...

Imagine you're at a dinner party and the conversation turns to the latest news. Everyone has a different opinion. People begin raising their voices.You notice the person beside you isn't talking, they're just watching. They turn to you and make a joke and you immediately relax. You hadn't even reali...

Super Tuesday might be over, but election season is just ramping up.President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump held dueling campaign rallies in Georgia over the weekend.We continue our election series, "If You Can Keep It," and dig into some of the biggest political stories ...

Muslims around the world are fasting for Ramadan. The holy month began in Gaza with ceasefire talks at a standstill, hunger worsening across the territory, and no end in sight to the Israel-Hamas war.In the city of Rafah, war-weary Palestinians shopped at an open-air market to find whatever they cou...

It's that time of year again.Time for Hollywood's finest to sport their finest as they head to the Oscars to find out which movies will be honored with cinema's highest achievement.But how much does an Academy Award actually move the needle for the average movie goer? Does the bestowal of a statue p...

President Biden delivered his State of the Union address Thursday evening. It was fiery, but was it enough to convince voters that he deserves four more years?Super Tuesday saw 16 states and one American territory report their primary results this week. As expected, President Biden and former Presid...

A cyber attack on one of the biggest healthcare companies in the U.S. is disrupting pharmacies and hospitals throughout the country. The company attacked, Change Healthcare, is owned by UnitedHealth Group, the biggest processor of medical claims in the nation.The Department of Health and Human Servi...

Another Super Tuesday is in the books and the race to the White House is underway. Millions of Americans finished primary voting yesterday across 16 states and one US territory – solidifying some of the matchups we'll be watching come November.It's looking like a rematch – with former President Dona...

Everyday, we're being asked to trust in something. We trust that our jobs will pay us on time. We trust that our partners will come home in the evening. We trust that our apartment won't suddenly collapse on us, that our neighbors won't steal our mail, and that our kids will be safe at school. But w...

This week, we're broadcasting from one of the states holding their primary election today – Alabama.Votes are also being cast across the country. After some uncertainty, we now know Donald Trump is eligible to appear on the ballot in all the remaining contests.On Monday, all nine Supreme Court justi...

According to an October poll, only around 30 percent of Americans trust the media to report on news fairly.It raises the question as we head into Super Tuesday and a long election year: How can the press responsibly cover the 2024 election?Some news organizations have already committed to working di...

Have you ever wondered what would change if you could rewind your life and redo one small moment? Brian Klaas, a professor of Global Politics at University College London, explores this theme in a new book called "Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters." He argues that tiny, chance ...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he will retire from his position on Capitol Hill in November. The GOP leader leaves behind a legacy of partisan gamesmanship, fundraising advocacy, and thwarted oversight.Michigan sends a message. Could its primary shape US foreign policy between now ...

"Ah, those were the good old days."Who hasn't thought something like this before? These feelings of warmth and longing can be about a time in our personal lives or about an era in history. The feeling is called nostalgia.Nostalgia is something we all experience, and according to psychologists, the p...

There was a chance that this week's Michigan primaries would be a pair of sleeper contests. A sitting president and a former president are running in both races. They've each already racked up wins in other states by large or overwhelming margins. But Michigan has proven a bit more lively than expec...

How has foreign policy changed since the presidency of Donald Trump?For decades, the U.S. aimed to create a more interconnected and globalized international landscape that would lift all boats, creating a more democratic world and a safer United States. But all of that changed in 2016. Donald Trump'...

Local newsrooms are struggling to stay alive. Major outlets, including public radio stations, continue to lay-off journalists.While some of those layoffs can be chalked up to the economic impact of the pandemic or private equity firms that buy and shut down newspapers – a lot of it is the online mig...

This week the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos were children, establishing a legal precedent that will affect reproductive rights in the state.The court argued that the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act "applies to all children, born and unborn, without limitation." The Biden administration is w...

It's been nearly two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. With Putin's forces making strategic gains in the eastern part of the country, there's increasing international pressure for the U.S. to step up its military aid. America has provided more than $47 billion in support to ...

Three Alabama couples stored frozen embryos at a fertility clinic in the state. A patient wandering around the clinic dropped the embryos, making them unusable. On Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that the couples could sue for wrongful death in an unprecedented decision that means frozen emb...

Twiddling your thumbs is often associated with wasting time. But feel shame about thumb-twiddling no longer. In a world of calendars and to-do lists, something has got to give. We so often fear doing nothing, missing out, or getting behind. Our smartphones make it increasingly hard to disconnect fro...

William Shakespeare once said that the eyes are the window to the soul. We make eye contact with others to show that we're listening, to connect, or simply as a way of saying, "I see you."Cultures around the world have understood the power of eyes for centuries. If you travel to India, Chad, Japan, ...

It's been another busy week. Closed-door hearings in the case of the classified documents former President Donald Trump kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate began this week. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon first met with Trump's team and the special counsel's prosecutors on Monday.Meanwhile, America's po...

The 2024 Super Bowl was the most watched television event in history with over 123 million viewers. Many eyes watching were trained on Taylor Swift as she made the journey from Tokyo to Las Vegas in a highly scrutinized flight on a private jet.A total of 882 private planes flew into Las Vegas during...

What's your love language? Acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts, or quality time?The concept has been around since the early 1990s. Gary Chapman, a Baptist pastor, published a book in 1992 called, "The Five Love Languages: Secrets to Love That Lasts." But new research is debu...

The Declaration of Independence promises the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.At a time when the language and intent of the Constitution are under intense scrutiny, one legal scholar is particular is out to explore what the founders may have meant when they defined that last part...

Last week, Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border bill that would send billions in wartime aid to Ukraine, Israel, and other nations. The bill links the GOP requests for stricter immigration policy changes to Democrat requests for foreign aid. It unraveled last week in a surprise turn, but ...

In October 1989, a white man named Charles Stuart called 911 in distress, saying a Black man had shot him and his wife, Carol, in their car. Carol died from the wound and police cracked down hard on the predominantly-Black Boston neighborhood of Mission Hill, looking for the killer.It turned out, Ch...

The Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments this week concerning whether former President Donald Trump will be included on the Colorado primary ballot due to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' propose...

A new show is poking fun at, well, us. Peacock's latest, "In the Know" is set in a public radio station. This includes nervous producers on the mic for pledge drives, and NPR's third most popular host, Lauren Caspian.The host is played by Zach Woods, who is best known for his roles in "Silicon Valle...

Many people hear the term "psychedelics" and think of hippies, acid, and the music of the 1960s. But it may soon take on a whole different meaning for the U.S. military. Last December, Congress passed legislation that included funding for clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapy for active-d...

It's American Heart Month.When it comes to heart disease and heart attacks, women commonly face misdiagnoses and delays in receiving care.These medical missteps mean women are twice as likely as men to die after having a heart attack. That's according to the European Society of Cardiology.That's als...

The U.S. and Britain launched a series of air and missile strikes against Iranian targets over the weekend. The strikes were in retaliation for a drone strike that killed three American service members and wounded 40 others at a base in Jordan last Sunday.The offensive comes at a time when foreign p...

This week, the House passed a bipartisan tax bill that expands the child tax credit and expands tax cuts for businesses. The bill, however, is expected to have to satisfy several demands from Senate Republicans before it makes it to President Joe Biden's desk.Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued...

The popularity of Dry January is part of a larger zero-proof movement here in the U.S. Non-alcoholic sales totaled half a billion dollars in sales as of July 2023. One poll found that 21 percent of adults said they would be cutting back on drinking to begin 2024. Restaurants and bars are offering mo...

In the United States, Kratom is sold in its concentrated form, oftentimes in potent capsules or liquid shots. Kratom is a tropical plant with leaves that contain a chemical compound with similar effects to opioids. The Kratom industry is worth roughly $1.5 billion, but unregulated.For this installm...

Are parents criminally responsible if their child commits a mass shooting? That's the question being debated in Oxford, Michigan, where a trial on parental responsibility after a tragic shooting is underway. On Nov. 30, 2021, a 15-year-old student opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan, killi...

As the curtain falls on the New Hampshire primary, Democrats and Republicans are looking ahead to South Carolina and Super Tuesday. And even though Nevada is next on the calendar, the nomination process there is looking unconventional for Republicans. GOP frontrunner and former President Donald Trum...

The path to victory for GOP hopefuls not named Donald Trump is growing slimmer. The 45th president walked away winner of both the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire GOP primary. The United Auto Workers union endorsed the campaign of President Joe Biden this week and the president and Vice President K...

If a loved one called you in a panic asking for help—maybe they just got arrested or kidnapped and needed money immediately. What would you do? Here's the thing, the voice on the other end of the line might not be them. It could be AI.Artificial Intelligence is now making it possible to clone someon...

Think back to your earliest video game memories. As technology changes and video games become increasingly released only on digital, many of the titles you grew up on may be unplayable today.87% of classic video games — those released before 2010 — are in danger of being lost to time. That's accordi...

When you look up the word "intimate" in the dictionary, there are a few definitions. They include things like warmth, private, sex, personal, and familiarity.Our "Ask A" series returns, this time to talk to intimacy coordinators about their work.Parts of Hollywood production teams have practiced par...

The Iowa caucuses are in the rearview mirror. Now, the GOP candidates have their sights set on the Granite State.Former President Donald Trump, who has had a busy month in court facing 91 criminal felony charges, traded jabs with his opponents on the campaign trail in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday'...

The Biden Administration asks the Supreme Court to intervene in Texas where National Guardsmen are preventing federal agents from accessing a swathe of land that's a popular crossing spot for migrants.A stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded passed. Meanwhile, Pakistan carried out deadl...

In the years since COVID-19 forced schools to move instruction online, we've seen a renewed effort to get kids back into the classroom.Chronic absenteeism has doubled since before the pandemic. Now, more than 14 million kids are chronically absent, according to education advocacy nonprofit Attendanc...

If it seems like everyone is sick – it might be the trifecta of viruses circulating the country.Health officials say RSV, flu, and a new strain of COVID are leading to an uptick in respiratory illnesses in most states. And the Centers for Disease Control say JN.1, the latest COVID variant, is spread...

The stakes are high in Iowa, as voters head to the polls in record-breaking cold and snow.It's the first contest in the Republican presidential primary. Donald Trump maintains a lead among GOP voters. And according to a new poll, Republican county chairs in Iowa feel the same.We discuss what the res...

Caffeine is the most used psychoactive stimulant across the world. According to the National Coffee Association, 60 percent of Americans drink coffee every day. That's more than any other beverage, including tap water. And 85 percent of people in the U.S. have one caffeinated beverage per day, accor...

Former President Donald Trump warned of unrest and "bedlam" this week following a hearing in an appeals court over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The former real estate mogul warned that if he were to be found guilty and lose the 2024 election, the potential for violence ...

Last May, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory addressing the epidemic of "loneliness and isolation."The Surgeon General's advisory underscores the negative impacts that loneliness and isolation have on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.One way to offset t...

Last year, Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) purchased World Wrestling Entertainment, the largest professional wrestling company in the world, for $9.3 billion. The sale is one indication of many of the continued prominence and popularity of professional wrestl...

2024 is the biggest global election year in history. More than 60 countries, representing half the world's population, will head to the polls.And the people vying to be elected will use all manner of tactics to get a leg up on their competitors – including social media bots.Across social media sites...

The Supreme Court said it will hear a case to determine whether former President Donald Trump will appear on Colorado's primary ballot due to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.The original decision is based on language from the Fourteenth Amendment. Maine's secretary of state ...

Former President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court this week to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to keep him off the ballot for the 2024 election. He's also appealed a decision by Maine's top election official to do the same.Meanwhile, South Africa has accused Israel of perpetrating...

It's been three years since a group of insurrectionists, emboldened by former President Donald Trump, attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.More than 1,069 people were arrested for their involvement in the attack and over 500 have been sentenced. But ha...

2024 will be a historic year for elections all around the world.According to The Economist, 76 countries will be heading to the polls, that's more than half of the world's population. That of course includes the United States, as well as places like Brazil, Mexico, and the members of the E.U. But...

While Shakespeare is long gone, but theater – and thus playwriting – is very much alive.Theater, in contrast to television or film, offers a unique chance for audiences to come together and experience a one-of-a-kind production. Playwrights, in collaboration with actors, directors, and stage crew wo...

Before we leave 2023 behind, we're looking back on the movies it gave us.We got blockbuster moments like Barbenheimer, a showdown between two very different but highly anticipated movies releasing in theaters on the same day.There were also moments of original content that might make you laugh like ...

We're wrapping up the year in music.It was a big year for boygenius, an indie supergroup made up of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. Their album "The Record" was nominated for album of the year. And they received five Grammy nods altogether.Another first this year – the song "Ella Bail...

By 2030, the Census Bureau estimates that the nation's population will consist of more adults over 65 than children.As the youngest of the baby boomers enter their sixties, and younger adults are having children later in life, many Americans – from Gen Z to Gen X – are finding themselves sandwiched ...

Everyday, we're being asked to trust in something. We trust that our jobs will pay us on time. We trust that our partners will come home in the evening. We trust that our apartment won't suddenly collapse on us, that our neighbors won't steal our mail, and that our kids will be safe at school. But w...

Marcus du Sautoy is a mathematician who loves games, travel, and, unsurprisingly, math. His new book is titled "Around the World in 80 Games: A Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the Greatest Games." In it, du Sautoy tours the world's games, exploring how they are built around (and can be won usin...

Christmas comes but once a year. But Christmas music? Well, that seems to come earlier and earlier each year. Brenda Lee made headlines this month when her 1958 tune, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," made the Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the first time. That's 65 years after the original was ...

2023 was a big year in games."The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" brought a new installment to a beloved series, six years after the last game. It broke sales records and became the best-selling Zelda game to date. And it wasn't the only blockbuster game this year. Marvel's "Spider-man 2," "F...

The Colorado Supreme Court disqualified former President Donald Trump from their primary ballot for the 2024 election this week. Congress is in gridlock again over funding for the war in Ukraine. House Republicans held a bill passed by the Senate that would send money to Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky...

Complaints against U.S. airlines hit a record high in 2022. And it's not getting any better. Consumer complaints nearly doubled in the first three months of this year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.With only four major airlines in the U.S., there's little choice for consumers in...

Years ago, if you opened your kitchen drawer, you'd probably find a stack of takeout menus. There's a good chance one of those menus would've been for a Chinese restaurant. Despite the decline of these doorstep stuffers, Chinese food remains a popular dinnertime choice in the U.S. and around the wo...

It's the holiday season which means bright lights and parties. It can also mean an unusually high credit card bill.From gift giving, to travel, to that item you just had to buy for yourself, end-of-year spending is up. Black Friday shoppers spent a record $9.8 billion dollars online this year. Shopp...

Retail experts have long said that U.S. malls are dying out. But a recent market analysis paints a different picture.According to a report from Coresight Research published in June, foot-traffic in top-tier malls was up 12 percent in 2022 compared to before the pandemic. Last year, these same malls ...

For Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain life right now is just grand.He's been involved in the comedy world since the late 90's.His long list of TV shows and stand-up tours includes the BBC's "Mock the Week," which was on air for 17 years. But Ó Briain has been known to talk about a range of topics from sc...

Special counsel Jack Smith went to the Supreme Court on Monday asking the justices to quickly rule on whether or not former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The Biden administration has signaled it may be willing to cave t...

Egg freezing, or oocyte preservation, was once considered an experimental procedure. But since the American Society for Reproductive Medicine dropped that designation in 2012, more people than ever are putting their hopes of parenthood on ice. There was a 400 percent increase in the number of peopl...

More than a third of Americans rent instead of own their home, according to the 2022 Census. That number is likely to increase. More than half of Gen Z say renting is a better option than buying a house, and a report from the Wall Street Journal found that more high-income earners are choosing to re...

Hacking and cyber attacks aren't just about flashing pop-ups and phishing emails anymore.Groups of online criminals have become bolder and more sophisticated these last few years. Attacks happen on a much larger scale these days, targeting small towns, hospitals, and even K-12 schools. The hacking g...

Drive-thrus are a quintessentially American phenomenon. The first was in the U.S. and they spread quickly nationwide in the mid-20th century due to the rise of car culture and the highway system.Now, estimates suggest there are around 200,000 drive-thrus across the country. They grew in popularity d...

House Speaker Mike Johnson is playing hardball with the Senate. He told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer this week that he can't pass any funding for Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasions through the House unless it was paired with immigration reforms.Meanwhile, leaked audio of Israeli h...

Plants and animals across the world are struggling for many reasons. Most of those reasons are caused by human activities. But within the last 50 years, we've taken some steps to try and ease that. Some places like Gorongosa National Park have the world's most hopeful stories of wildlife recovery. A...

A million species are under the threat of extinction, scientists say.Since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, 11 species on that list have been declared extinct in the United States. One tool being used to combat the extinction crisis is species reintroduction — the process of re-es...

What do bison, beaver, wolves and sea otters all have in common?They're keystone species. That means they have an outsized impact on their ecosystem. It took humans driving some of these to near extinction to realize just how important they are.Now animals like the American Bison and North American ...

Scientists predict that more than 1 million species could go extinct in the coming decades. It's been 50 years since Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 to protect plants and animals in the U.S. from extinction. Over 99 percent of the more than 1,600 species listed as endangered or th...

New York Rep. George Santos' time in Congress could come to an end this week. A vote to expel him is expected on Friday. He had already previously refused to resign.Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died this week at the age of 100. He played a part in some of the darkest moments of the Cold...

For the first time in the franchise's 21-year history, ABC's "The Bachelor" is surprising viewers with "The Golden Bachelor", where all the contestants are over 60. And the bachelor himself is 72. Whether you're a fan of the show or not, the series is airing at a time when many older Americans are f...

WeWork – the shared office space company – was once hailed as a revolutionary way to work, with a $47 billion valuation to match.But earlier this month, the company filed for bankruptcy. WeWork reported more than $18 billion in debt and around $100 million in unpaid rent.And while the bankruptcy may...

In June 2015, nine people died at Charleston's Emanuel A.M.E. Church, victims of a racist shooter's rampage.Some of the victims' relatives publicly forgave the murderer, including Chris Singleton, whose mother, Sharonda Coleman Singleton, was killed. Philosopher Myisha Cherry was struck by the story...

Marcus du Sautoy is a mathematician who loves games, travel, and, unsurprisingly, math. His new book is titled "Around the World in 80 Games: A Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the Greatest Games." In it, du Sautoy tours the world's games, exploring how they are built around (and can be won usin...

Whether it's high-speed rail or highway reconstruction, infrastructure projects in the U.S. are often associated with high price tags and lengthy timelines. Perhaps no project captures this better than Boston's Central Artery Tunnel project, more commonly known as the Big Dig. It's the nation's mos...

Dolly Parton's resume is as big as her hair. And at age 77 she's adding another title to it: "Rockstar."Her new album was released on Nov. 17. It's a mix of covers of classic rock songs, featuring collaborations with a whopping list of who's who in Rock-n-Roll. And there are almost 30 tracks – give ...

The wildly popular webcomic "Strange Planet" has attracted millions of followers by pointing out absurdities in everyday life.Beings on Strange Planet live in a place very similar to Earth and behave very similarly to humans. They just talk about it differently. On Strange Planet, coffee is "jitter ...

Hip-hop is many things – unapologetic, lyrical, rhythmic, and above all, ubiquitous.Since its nebulous "creation" at a party in the Bronx in 1973, hip-hop has become one of the world's most popular genres and cultural expressions.It's also evolved drastically. It's given way to various subgenres – l...

Chances are you uses spices everyday. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spice consumption per capita among Americans has more than tripled since 1966. But spices aren't just about taste. They can also be beneficial to our health. One 2019 study from the Journal of A.O.A.C. Internation...

Complaints against U.S. airlines hit a record high in 2022. And it's not getting any better. Consumer complaints nearly doubled in the first three months of this year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.With only four major airlines in the U.S., there's little choice for consumers in...

It's been a busy week for the GOP in Congress. Lawmakers managed to avoid another government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson's grace period in his new role seems to be over. US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for the first time in a year at a summit in San Francisco. Th...

William Shakespeare once said that the eyes are the window to the soul. We make eye contact with others to show that we're listening, to connect, or simply as a way of saying, "I see you."Cultures around the world have understood the power of eyes for centuries. If you travel to India, Chad, Japan, ...

It's been over three years since "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" was released. It became one of the best-selling video games of the year — moving over 42 million copies, almost four times as much as the previous edition of the game.It also renewed interest in a video game trend known for finding mag...

Guns, and who gets to have access to them, is one of the most hotly debated issues in our country. The Supreme Court will weigh in on gun rights once more in the coming months in the case of a 23-year-old Texas man named Zackey Rahimi.His case challenges a federal law that's been around for nearly t...

The first photographs of a major military conflict were taken during the Crimean War of the 1850s. Nearly 175 years later, photojournalists are on the ground, on the frontlines of conflicts around the world, documenting history.They do so at great risk to themselves. So far, at least five photojourn...

This was an off-year election week to remember. In Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear retained control of his office after making abortion a central issue of his campaign.Five GOP candidates took the debate stage in Miami this week, all doing their best to grab the attention of Republican primar...

Five Republican presidential hopefuls faced off in Miami on Wednesday night for the third GOP debate, the last one of 2023.Former President Donald Trump will, once again, not be on the stage. Instead, he'll be at a rally in a suburb of Miami nearby.The debate comes as many states went to the polls –...

By 2030, the Census Bureau estimates that the nation's population will consist of more adults over 65 than children.As the youngest of the baby boomers enter their sixties, and younger adults are having children later in life, many Americans – from Gen Z to Gen X – are finding themselves sandwiched ...

If you live near a bustling downtown or shopping center, you may have noticed an increase in private security during the last couple of years. Even places like hospitals, jails, or the occasional Walgreens and gas station have turned to hiring their own security. According to The New York Times, mo...

War is inherently difficult to cover in real-time. The war between Israel and Hamas is no different. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called the death toll among journalists in the conflict unprecedented with at least 36 journalists killed since the war began last month. What kind of challe...

House Republicans are set to put forward a bill to send aid to Israel to the tune of $14.3 billion. Idaho made its first "abortion trafficking" arrest this week. A mother and son were arrested and charged with kidnapping for taking an underage girl across state lines for an abortion without her par...

Pharmacists say they're overworked and understaffed and have been for years. So they planned a "Pharmageddon" – three days of nationwide walkouts at CVS and Walgreens. The walkouts come after protests from pharmacy workers at Walgreens last month, and multiple walkouts at CVS stores in Kansas City. ...

It's easy to mistake Día de los Muertos for Halloween. Skeletons and marigolds, like the vivid orange macabre of jack-o-lanterns, are synonymous with the tradition. So are the food and treats prepared for loved ones who have passed away. While both traditions evolved from a complicated intertwining ...

Different kinds of horror stories can be scary, dreadful, terrifying, and even gross. But they can also be rich with meaning. There's no lack of horror subjects and subgenres to venture into, whether it's slashers, zombies, monsters, ghosts, or vampires. And more niches like highway horror or found ...

All 220 House Republicans present voted for Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson as the body's next speaker. He was the fourth candidate put forward by the GOP in the three weeks since they ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump's legal issues continue to mo...

After three weeks of a vacancy, and multiple failed candidates, House Republicans finally named their speaker: Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson.Also this week, Ford and the United Auto Workers Union have reached a tentative deal that would see an end to the strike end and a pay raise for the union member...

For this month's Movie Club, we're discussing "Killers of the Flower Moon," a new film by director Martin Scorsese that some say could be his last. The film is based on a book by the same name by journalist David Grann. Set in the 1920s, it tells the story of the mysterious murders of more than 60 w...

Benjamin Netanyahu campaigned to be Israel's prime minister on the promise that he'd keep Israel safe.Now, as the leader of one of the most right-wing governments in the country's history, he's tasked with shepherding Israel through a crisis after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas — the militant and politi...

Since Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, a lot has been said about the militant and political group and whether or not they represent the Palestinian people.Hamas has been declared a terrorist group by dozens of countries, including the United States. And many Palestinians in Gaza think the ...

Cultivated meat is green-lit in the U.S. That's meat grown in a lab.Two food technology companies — UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat — are letting people try their cultivated meat. But you can't grab any off grocery shelves quite yet. For now, it's available to the public at Bar Crenn in San Francisco an...

President Joe Biden flew to Israel this week for a brief visit amid the country's preparation for a ground invasion of Gaza. During his brief, 7-hour stay, he managed to help push through a deal for humanitarian aid trucks to travel through Egypt to Gaza.Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense has...

Whether it's an ale, lager, stout, or sour, people all over the U.S. are trying their own craft beer recipes at home. Some turn them into businesses.The number of craft breweries in the U.S. is at an all-time high according to the Brewers Association, with more than 9,500 across the country. But the...

An air strike has hit the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City where thousands were seeking safety and treatment.Hamas has blamed an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military said the hospital was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants. The health ministry said at least 500 people had been kill...

Back in 2015, Schuyler Bailar made headlines for being the first openly transgender athlete to compete on a Division 1 NCAA sports team.Now, he's an advocate for transgender inclusion. His new book is called "He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters."In the years since Schuyler raced...

As Israel's military prepares for a ground war, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has become increasingly dire with water, food, and fuel in dangerously low supply.Hundreds of thousands of Gazans are fleeing south after the Israeli Government told residents to evacuate.Israel cut off fuel, electricity...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel this week to reaffirm U.S. support for the country's war against Hamas. He told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that America would 'always be there' for Israel at a joint press conference.House Republicans are beginning to coalesce ...

A report from Common Sense Media found that teens get over 230 of these distracting notifications each day. Some get over four thousand. But teens aren't the only ones inundated.According to market research company Insider Intelligence, American adults spend four and a half hours a day on their phon...

While Shakespeare is long gone, but theater – and thus playwriting – is very much alive.Theater, in contrast to television or film, offers a unique chance for audiences to come together and experience a one-of-a-kind production. Playwrights, in collaboration with actors, directors, and stage crew wo...

It's been over three years since "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" was released. It became one of the best-selling video games of the year — moving over 42 million copies, almost four times as much as the previous edition of the game.It also renewed interest in a video game trend known for finding mag...

Israel has not suffered a blow like this in 50 years. Death tolls are hard to verify. But Israeli officials say more than 600 Israelis have been killed in attacks from Gaza since Saturday. As many as 100 Israeli soldiers and civilians were kidnapped when Palestinian militants crossed the border and ...

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy lost his position this week as eight Republicans joined House Democrats in stripping him of his title. The House will now have to vote for a new Speaker. Migrant deaths have more than doubled at the border in El Paso, Texas, this year as scorching heat has made co...

Climate records have been broken non-stop this year.2023 saw the earth's hottest summer on record. The record-breaking heat continued into September. The year also saw extreme weather including the Canadian wildfires that scorched 37 million acres of land, roughly the size of the state of New York.N...

For the first time in the franchise's 21-year history, ABC's "The Bachelor" is surprising viewers with "The Golden Bachelor", where all the contestants are over 60. And the bachelor himself is 72. Whether you're a fan of the show or not, the series is airing at a time when many older Americans are f...

The American Library Association found that the number of books facing challenges for censorship is up 20 percent for the first eight months of this year compared to 2022. That includes more than 800 books in school districts across 37 states. More than 300 books were removed from Florida schools la...

Joy Milne met her husband Les in high school. Nearly 15 years after they met, Joy smelled something different about Les. The scent wouldn't go away, and a decade later, Les was diagnosed with Parkinson's. It turned out, Joy's nose was detecting the disease, long before doctors could.Joy's hyperosmia...

A New York Judge has determined that former President Donald Trump and his adult sons committed fraud and canceled the Trump Organization's business certification.Congress is running out of time to pass a funding bill that would avoid a partial government shutdown before Oct. 1. And tributes are bei...

Seven Republicans qualified for last night's presidential primary debate: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and South Carolina Sen. Ti...

What music have you turned to during hard times? That's the question Dessa's latest album hopes to answer.The award-winning rapper, singer, writer, and podcast (and sometimes 1A) host has been in the game for a while. She came up as part of the Minneapolis rap collective, Doomtree. She was featured ...

Chances are you uses spices everyday. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spice consumption per capita among Americans has more than tripled since 1966. But spices aren't just about taste. They can also be beneficial to our health. One 2019 study from the Journal of A.O.A.C. Internation...

How much do you think about the Roman Empire?It's a question that men the world over were asked by friends and loved ones who use the video-sharing app TikTok in recent days.A recent viral trend asserts that dudes spend a surprising amount of time ruminating on barbarian invasions, Hadrian's Wall, f...

House Republicans are struggling to agree on a temporary spending bill which would prevent a government shutdown at the end of the month. Democrats have made no offers to help House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.The Biden administration announced the creation of the American Climate Corps this week. The ...

The United Kingdom has had five prime ministers since it voted to leave the European Union in 2016. Rory Stewart once came close to being one of them. But he decided to quit party politics in 2019.He now enjoys a degree of popularity in the U.K. His high profile has raised talk that 10 Downing Stree...

In June 2015, nine people died at Charleston's Emanuel A.M.E. Church, victims of a racist shooter's rampage.Some of the victims' relatives publicly forgave the murderer, including Chris Singleton, whose mother, Sharonda Coleman Singleton, was killed. Philosopher Myisha Cherry was struck by the story...

Last week, an FDA advisory panel unanimously agreed that Phenylephrine, a common ingredient in many over-the-counter decongestant medications, is ineffective. The decision could affect hundreds of products including Sudafed PE, NyQuil Severe Cold and Flu, and Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion. This ...

It's hard to deny Google's power when it comes to the internet. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "google" is even a verb. The U.S. Department of Justice wants to do something about that. It's taking on Google in the biggest tech monopoly trial in 25 years. The DOJ is accusing the company of abusin...

Speaker Kevin McCarthy directed the House of Representatives to open an impeachment inquiry over the business dealings of President Joe Biden's family this week. And on Thursday Biden's son Hunter was indicted on three gun charges.American auto workers are on strike. Thousands of UAW members followe...

The 1995 film "Showgirls" starring Elizabeth Berkley was one of the largest commercial failures of its time. With a budget of $45 million, (nearly $90 million in 2023 dollars), the film ended up losing more than $8 million and was widely panned by critics. Berkeley said the movie was so bad she beca...

Matt Gutman has spent decades in front of cameras and microphones as a newscaster, reporting on current events across the globe. His calm, cool demeanor belied his internal struggle with a lifetime of panic.Matt is one of many Americans who suffer from panic attacks. He tried pharmaceuticals, psyche...

This summer, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education. That means colleges and universities can no longer consider a student applicant's race when building their student bodies.The decision was a victory for Edward Blum, the legal activist who founded Students for Fa...

Recovery and rebuilding efforts are underway in Hawaii a month after the deadly fires that swept through Maui. Some 115 people were killed and thousands were displaced by the fires which began in the town of Lahaina.Along with the homes and businesses lost to the fires in Maui, cultural institutions...

Another government shutdown is looming as the calendar shifts to the month of September. Congress has until the 30th to settle up on a short-term funding bill that would keep the lights on in Washington. Special Counsel Jack Smith is not making Donald Trump's life any easier. Smith has charged the ...

Some parents who are no longer married are trying a strategy called birdnesting. It's an arrangement where children remain in their family home while the parents cycle in and out of the house. The hope for this approach is that it offers stability to young people during a time of major change. Accor...

Over the past three years, the number of Americans who reported playing pickleball went from 5 million to 36.5 million according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals.As the sport builds in popularity among amateur players, professional pickleball is also getting an influx of cash from spor...

Cultivated meat is green-lit in the U.S. That's meat grown in a lab.Two food technology companies — UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat — are letting people try their cultivated meat. But you can't grab any off grocery shelves quite yet. For now, it's available to the public at Bar Crenn in San Francisco an...

Whether your mom was a natural cook or a reluctant one. Or if your other parent was the one throwing down in the kitchen, food and the place where it's made live inside of us long after we've eaten. What we inherit from our parents' kitchen and pass along as adults is at the center of a new podcast ...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze when answering questions asked by reporters about whether he would run for re-election. It's the second such incident involving the Kentucky senator. It has sparked discussions about the age at which politicians should step aside.A white shooter in Jackso...

The pandemic forced many families into homeschooling — and a surprising number of them are sticking with it.In the 2021 and 2022 school year, homeschool enrollment rose by 30 percent. That's according to research from Stanford University and the Urban Institute.The most dramatic shift in homeschool ...

On Aug. 30, 2021, the U.S. completed its full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, bringing the 20-year-long war to an end.Two weeks earlier, on Aug. 15, with fewer troops to block their path, the Taliban took over Kabul.Since then, the Taliban has controlled Afghanistan. Girls are now banned from...

The pandemic made monthly rent payments soar, rising 15 percent between 2020 and 2022.Evictions are also on the rise since the pandemic, with some cities seeing filings increases by as much as 50 percent, according to Princeton University's Eviction Lab. This has led some cities and states to consid...

While you may not be a fan of the heart pumping, adrenaline boosting feeling of a roller coaster's twists and turns, for others, it's the best part of the warmer months or even a core memory of their childhood. But recently, two roller coasters hit the headlines for less than awesome reasons. Riders...

The racketeering case against Donald Trump and his co-conspirators in Fulton County, Georgia, progressed this week. Former New York City Mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani surrendered to authorities this week at the Atlanta jail where the defendants in the case are being booked.Overseas, the head of...

For more than 80 years, cable television has been at the center of American politics and culture. While streaming platforms have driven many families to cut the cord, there are still more than 72 million active cable subscribers according to the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.News...

As anxieties over automation mount, AI is already responsible for the employment of millions of workers globally.From chatbots to text-to-image generators, AI relies on human workers labeling and annotating the millions of images and words it references. But the work of feeding information to AI can...

The wildly popular webcomic "Strange Planet" has attracted millions of followers by pointing out absurdities in everyday life.Beings on Strange Planet live in a place very similar to Earth and behave very similarly to humans. They just talk about it differently. On Strange Planet, coffee is "jitter ...

Former President Donald Trump is facing his fourth criminal indictment — this time for attempting to overturn election results in Georgia.Trump has denied the charges, but the alleged crimes facing the presidential candidate are piling up. We talk about where the latest indictment fits in with the o...

Former President Donald Trump was indicted again this week. He's been charged alongside 18 other co-defendants by a grand jury in Georgia for conspiring to unlawfully keep himself in office in the wake of the 2020 election under the state's racketeering law.Wildfires continue to ravage Maui. The dea...

The Inflation Reduction Act is one year old this week, but what has it actually accomplished? That depends on where you are. While the law provides billions of dollars for the U.S. to transition away from fossil fuels, it's up to local governments to allow the big renewable energy development needed...

Whether your mom was a natural cook or a reluctant one. Or if your other parent was the one throwing down in the kitchen, food and the place where it's made live inside of us long after we've eaten. What we inherit from our parents' kitchen and pass along as adults is at the center of a new podcast ...

The average American home generates roughly 10 thousand kilowatt hours of electricity every year according to the Energy Information Administration. Millions of Americans are transitioning to solar energy. A Pew Research poll last year found 8 percent of households have solar installed already and 3...

It's been nearly a year since the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 narrowly passed.President Joe Biden's sweeping climate bill has high hopes for fighting climate change, including a pledge to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030. Some initiatives are working.We discuss the IRA and what other laws need...

President Joe Biden is keeping his monument streak going, this time selecting more than 404,000 hectares of land near the Grand Canyon for protection. The move is welcome news for activists and members of Indigenous nations in the area.It was a busy week for the U.S. overseas, as well. U.S. official...

Hip-hop is many things – unapologetic, lyrical, rhythmic, and above all, ubiquitous.Since its nebulous "creation" at a party in the Bronx in 1973, hip-hop has become one of the world's most popular genres and cultural expressions.It's also evolved drastically. It's given way to various subgenres – l...

COVID is surging across the globe for the fourth consecutive summer. In the United States, the latest tracking data from the CDC shows a 12 percent rise in hospitalizations due to the virus.Dr. Paul Offit is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He'...

If you sank deep into the ocean, where the light no longer reaches, you would see, sitting on the seabed floor, nodules that look just like unassuming rocks.Those grayish clusters are actually filled with vital metals like cobalt, nickel, and copper, which are materials used in the construction of e...

In June, a state board voted 3-to-2 to approve plans for St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic School. It's named after the seventh-century patron saint of the internet. And it would be the first publicly-funded religious charter school in the country. The school is slated to go online in the fal...

Former President Donald Trump was indicted again this week, this time on four charges related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 220 election.Moscow's business district was hit by a drone strike this week, the second attack of its kind on the city since May. And in Ukraine, Russian shelli...

The U.S. population has grown by more than 20 million people since 2010. But where those new Americans end up is not even across the board.The populations of half of all counties in the U.S. shrank from 2010 to 2020, while those of most metropolitan areas continued to grow.People flock to booming ci...

About 20 years ago, Congress pretty much agreed on one thing: PEPFAR.President George W. Bush introduced the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in his 2003 State of the Union address. Since then, it's been renewed with little fuss every five years. But abortion politics are changing that, Po...

In the 1980s there were roughly 200 lesbian bars across the country. Today, there are less than 30, according to The Lesbian Bar Project.While many gay bars cater to men, spaces for queer women have dwindled.Two years ago, Krista Burton began her journey to find out why. In her book, "Moby Dyke: An ...

Extreme temperatures remind us just how much heat can affect our physical health in dangerous and sometimes deadly ways. More than 600 people die each year in the U.S. from heat-related illnesses. But emerging research shows that hot days can affect our mental health, too. Emergency room visits for...

A Congressional hearing on UAPs yielded some surprising information this week. Three military veterans appeared before lawmakers on Wednesday, one of whom alleged that the U.S. had recovered "non-human biologics" from supposed UAP crash sights.Overseas, the situation surrounding the military takeove...

Microsoft's intention to purchase video game developer Activision Blizzard was first announced in January 2022.The Federal Trade Commission issued a complaint against the deal, saying it would harm competition in the gaming market. That case went to trial — and Microsoft came out on top,And the deal...

Firefighters and fire departments perform a critical service in our communities, including responding to medical emergencies and helping mitigate the effects of natural disasters.But more than 70 percent of fire departments are staffed by volunteers, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.Volun...

Many of us have likely felt confused by food labels before. But nutrition facts can offer important information about what we're consuming. There are several efforts underway to make the labels on our food more clear for consumers. Earlier this year, a bill was introduced in California that would ch...

For this month's edition of the 1A Movie Club, we're seeing "Barbie." The film's star-studded cast includes Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, and Will Ferrell — just to name a few. There's even a Barbie album with original songs from Lizzo, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, and Gosling....

New temperature records were set in the southwest U.S. as climate change continues to push global temperatures to their extremes.Meanwhile, U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry spent time in China this week discussing climate change and carbon with officials in President Xi Jinping's government. Li...

Ludwig Göransson isn't a stranger to the power music can play in film.He's the composer behind the blockbuster "Black Panther" series, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2019. Now, he's back with "Oppenheimer." It's a historical epic that tells the life story of the father ...

Strikes. Picketing. Protests. One thing has become clear across dozens of industries in recent years. Workers are dissatisfied.To resolve some of their workplace qualms, many workers have taken to organizing. But unions, and the collective bargaining agreements they try to secure, are often stalled ...

About one in ten people have an autoimmune disease, according to a population study of more than 2.2 million people. Autoimmune disease varies widely, and falls into subspecialties across the medical world: dermatology, gastroenterology, neurology , and more — and getting a diagnosis for an autoimmu...

It's about that time of year when your garden may be looking lush or... a little sad. And with this weekend's heatwave hitting a large swath of the U.S., it's getting harder to keep plants alive. Research from the University of Colorado Boulder found that people who started gardening not only exper...

Vermont and New York are bracing for more rain and flooding. The capital of the Green Mountain state, Montpelier, was swamped this week after storms dumped two months' worth of water on the city in two days. President Joe Biden declared an emergency in the state and authorized the Federal Emergency ...

More than 20 states across the country have public accommodation laws to prevent businesses from discriminating against customers based on things like race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.But a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision could put these protections at risk. Last month, in a 6-to-3 ...

Americana music encompasses country, bluegrass, folk, and blues and has deep roots in Black musical traditions.Long before Lil Nas X pushed the boundaries of what constitutes country music, Black musicians across Americana were reclaiming space in the genre.Many of those musicians found celebration ...

While you may not be a fan of the heart pumping, adrenaline boosting feeling of a roller coaster's twists and turns, for others, it's the best part of the warmer months or even a core memory of their childhood. But recently, two roller coasters hit the headlines for less than awesome reasons. Riders...

Noise is unavoidable. Whether it's the rumbling of a freight train as it moves along the tracks in your backyard or the constant drip of your leaky faucet – we're surrounded by it.Qualities of sound, like frequency and loudness, impact how your body responds to a particular source of noise.A growing...

A federal judge told the Biden administration officials and several federal agencies this week to stop communicating with social media platforms. The decision is in response to a lawsuit brought by several states against the administration concerning efforts to combat misinformation.More than 20 mas...

As anxieties over automation mount, AI is already responsible for the employment of millions of workers globally.From chatbots to text-to-image generators, AI relies on human workers labeling and annotating the millions of images and words it references. But the work of feeding information to AI can...

Kids these days are busy.Even when school is out and it's time to close the books (or maybe, a laptop) time in the summer can fill up quickly. Often, with sports. Whether they're kicking a ball with the neighbors, going to the park for a game of pick-up basketball, traveling in Little League, headin...

First introduced by immigrants in the 1800s, hot dogs have become synonymous with sports, summer, and the Fourth of July. And no other food starts debates quite like hot dogs – what's the best way to cook them? What's the best brand? What toppings are and aren't allowed? Are they sandwiches? Should ...

Friendships are one of the few relationships that we choose. They can last longer than our romantic relationships and be just as intimate. They can take on the role of family if our own falls short. Having friends is an important part of the human experience. But over the past few years, adult frien...

In a 6-3 ruling, the court struck down race-conscious admissions at two universities, setting the stage for other college and university admissions policies.Meanwhile, Canadian wildfires are wreaking new havoc in the Upper Midwest of the US, creating dense smog and unsafe air qualities in major Amer...

MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, is illegal. It is listed as a Schedule 1 drug by the U.S. federal government (the same group as marijuana and psilocybin, or magic mushrooms).In recent years, a growing body of academic research has suggested potential benefits of MDMA. One study found that MDMA...

The U.S. is battling a years-long, devastating opioid epidemic. Last year saw 79,770 reported opioid-involved drug overdose deaths, a 1.5 percent decrease from the previous year, according to data from the CDC.Nevertheless, the opioid crisis has upended traditional family structures. Many parents ha...

More than 122,000 people in the U.S. are estimated to be in solitary confinement, according to a report by Solitary Watch and Unlock the Box. That number is far greater than previous estimates.The United Nations says that prolonged solitary confinement can be psychological torture. We talk with our ...

In May, legislators in Connecticut passed a resolution to exonerate people accused of being witches in the seventeenth century.Dozens of people were killed, mostly women, over accused witchcraft in the U.S. in the 1600s and early 1700s. It's estimated that nearly 50,000 people were killed in Europe ...

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal trying to get ahead of a report released by ProPublica detailing unreported trips he took with a billionaire who had business before the court.Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Congress this week. Th...

A year ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, upending abortion law across the country. With Roe v. Wade overturned, what could replace it? WNYC's Supreme Court podcast "More Perfect" takes up that question in a two-part series. The two episodes focus on the origins of the viability line—tha...

For carpenter Mark Ellison, a house, a staircase, a doorway are opportunities for beauty. Ellison has been called many things, including the best carpenter in New York City and the man who builds impossible things. His specialty is lavish and challenging projects, and his clients have included the ...

Our names are important to us. They tell us who we are and often, who we come from.So imagine suddenly discovering the last name you've always carried... might not actually be the name you should have. For Black Americans, genealogy can fill in the blanks left by the legacy of slavery and racism in...

On May 2, 1963, hundreds of school-age kids in Birmingham, Alabama, woke up with a plan. Through coded messages broadcast by local radio DJs, they were given the signal to leave the classroom and meet at the park for a peaceful protest against segregation in the city. These actions by students bro...

Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 counts of mishandling classified documents this week. GOP politicians are split on the matter. The Supreme Court upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act on Thursday. The law gives priority to Native tribes when children from the community are up for...

Forget the waltz and the tango. For this show, we're headed to a different kind of ball. In these spaces, Houses compete in different walking and dancing competitions.It's long influenced important parts of American pop culture. Beyoncé's "Renaissance," Madonna's "Vogue", the award-winning show "Pos...

Experts have repeatedly said that the world has to stop burning fossil fuels if we want to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.The latest United Nations climate report reminded us just how soon that needs to happen. The U.S. should cut two-thirds of fossil fuels in the next decade.Whe...

The most common store in the U.S.? It's not Target, not Walmart, or Walgreens.It's Dollar General.The chain boasts more than 19,000 locations across the country. According to the American Public Health Association, dollar stores are the fastest-growing food retailers in the country, but they don't u...

In 2021, the structural damage from wildfires, floods, and other climate-related disasters totaled $145 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Homeowners are feeling the effects. Between 2021 and 2022, 90 percent of them saw an increase in their home insurance pre...

The East Coast deals with the impact of smoke from wildfires in Canada that's blown south. Images out of New York City this week show haze and orange skies. Justice Department prosecutors have informed Former President Donald Trump's legal team that he is being investigated for the mishandling of cl...

Friendships are one of the few relationships that we choose. They can last longer than our romantic relationships and be just as intimate. They can take on the role of family if our own falls short. Having friends is an important part of the human experience. But over the past few years, adult frien...

In the 1980s there were roughly 200 lesbian bars across the country. Today, there are less than 30, according to The Lesbian Bar Project.While many gay bars cater to men, spaces for queer women have dwindled.Two years ago, Krista Burton began her journey to find out why. In her book, "Moby Dyke: An ...

Major League Baseball made some changes to the way the game is played in recent years. Some of the new rules include bigger bases, limits on shifting, and a new pitch timer.The minor leagues were the testing grounds for these new rules. But many teams are finding their own ways to make the game enga...

Isabel Allende is no stranger to the experience of being an immigrant and refugee. When a military coup overthrew the Chilean presidency in 1973—led by her cousin, Salvador Allende—her family fled to Venezuela, where she penned her first novel "The House of Spirits."Her latest book, "The Wind Knows ...

More than 60 years — that's how long Tina Turner's music career blessed crowds. With her powerful vocals, she brought house after house down with her thrilling performances. She died last week at her home in Switzerland. She was 83 years old. The numbers are impressive. But the impact she had on tho...

The House passed a deal to raise the debt ceiling this week in an attempt to avoid an economic disaster. Now, it moves to the Senate where amendments are expected.Meanwhile, overseas a top Russian official said U.K. lawmakers are legitimate military targets after the British foreign secretary argued...

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) defines the straw purchase of firearms as "purchasing a gun for someone who is prohibited by law from possessing one, or for someone who does not want his or her name associated with the transaction."City officials have tried to enact tougher policie...

This has been a record year for legislation aimed at trans youth. More than a dozen states have passed laws limiting gender-affirming care for minors.This month Texas became the largest state to do so. The new state law bans hormone therapies, puberty blockers, and gender-affirming surgeries for peo...

"The Little Mermaid" is back. This time, the Disney classic is reimagined in live action.Many elements from the 1989 cartoon musical have stayed the same — there's a singing crab, a mermaid king, and a tentacled sea-witch. But a new, diverse cast brings the characters to life, or at least to CGI. An...

It's estimated that sleep disorders affect between 50 and 70 million people in America. That includes conditions like sleep apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy. But depictions of living with a sleep disorder — like those in The Simpsons — don't always get it right.Even without a disorder, how we sleep h...

Talks in Washington on the debt ceiling are reportedly not going well. President Joe Biden has remained upbeat in his public comments on the situation. But Congressional Republicans say there's still a ways to go before they'll agree to any sort of deal.Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis attem...

This week, The Atlantic magazine published an exclusive interview with Harlan Crow, the ultra-rich real estate developer whose friendship and financial relationship with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is the subject of much scrutiny. The interview was done by Atlantic staff writer Graeme Woo...

Fifty years ago, Princeton University ethicist Peter Singer made the case that humans assume they're morally superior to other animals and that their actions against them are justified.At the time, speciesism was a radical concept that was adopted by some animal rights groups but was largely ignored...

Today marks one year since the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, left 19 children and two teachers dead.Even though nearly 400 officers were at the scene, it took over an hour for police to get to the gunman. The police response was widely viewed as a failure, but investigation...

Every year, thousands flock to the south of France to watch the most anticipated movie premieres from directors around the world.The titles on show at this year's Cannes Film Festival are stirring up excitement in cinephiles everywhere and for good reason. It's also happening amid a backdrop of soci...

The U.S. has the highest number of pregnancy-related death of any developed nation. During the pandemic, those numbers increased. According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, maternal mortality rose for the third consecutive year in 2021. And while the CDC's report co...

We collaborated with our friends at Bloomberg News to bring you the 'Life and Debt' series. We covered everything from the federal debt ceiling, medical debt, credit cards, and the impact of student loans. Today we're bringing you an episode of Bloomberg News' daily podcast, The Big Take.Bloomberg B...

Joe Biden is coming home. The President is cutting his trip to Japan for the G7 meeting short to help negotiate a deal ahead of the debt ceiling deadline on June 1.Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been busy. In recent days, he's met with the Pope, French President Emmanuel Mac...

According to the Education Data Initiative, the average student loan debt balance is upwards of $40,000. And the cost of college keeps rising. Over the past 20 years, college tuition at in-state public universities has risen 175 percent. The numbers can be dizzying, especially for recent high school...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported last year that there's around $88 billion of medical debt in collections, and about 43 million Americans have medical debt on their credit report. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – three major credit reporting companies in the U.S. – have eased how...

Credit cards seem like a great deal. But interest rates, late fees, and the cycle of debt can come back to bite cardholders. Nearly half of U.S. credit card owners had an average of more than $5,200 in outstanding debt in 2022. Credit card debt overall is at a historic high. In the last three months...

Congressional leaders will meet with President Joe Biden next week to discuss the federal debt ceiling as they face a looming deadline to avoid a default on U.S. debt obligations. The Treasury Department has warned that if an agreement isn't reached prior to June 1, there could be severe implication...

It made for an unlikely hit in 1966.The authentic Chicago blues sound of "Wang Dang Doodle" packed a punch and put a hole through the popular and poppier tunes at the time.Koko Taylor was born Cora Walton in Tennessee in 1935. For this song, she teamed up with blues composer, bassist, and producer W...

Border restrictions put into place during the pandemic ended this week. The controversial policy known as Title 42 expired on May 11, and states on the Southern border are preparing for a surge of migrants.Republican Congressman from New York George Santos turned himself in this week to authorities ...

"Um, like, literally, you know?"If those words sound to you like nails on a chalkboard, you're not alone. At NPR, we get lots of messages from listeners critiquing the way our hosts, reporters, and guests speak. Why does what we say and how we say it irk so many so much?Language norms are standardi...

Abortions are now illegal in 12 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute. That means many pregnant people now have to travel hundreds of miles to get an abortion.When Roe v. Wade was still the law of the land, it took on average 30 minutes for an abortion patient to get to a clinic. Now it take...

The AR-15 is the best-selling rifle in America.According to polling by The Washington Post and Ipsos, about 1 in 20 adults, or roughly 16 million people in the U.S., own an AR-15.It's been used in 10 of the 17 most deadly mass shootings in the United States since 2012. And while they weren't initial...

It's been more than a week since the 11,500 television and film writers that make up the Writers Guild of America have gone on strike. Thousands of writers have joined picket lines to demand higher compensation, increase the number of writers hired per show, and regulation on how networks and stream...

Diamonds are more than just pretty objects. Passed down over centuries, they can tell the story of their pasts. But that story isn't always a happy one. For many South Asians, the diamond that invokes this painful colonial history is the Kohinoor diamond. It's one of the largest diamonds in the wo...

Winifred Phillips is a video game music composer. She describes this history-making entry into the National Recording Registry as, "one of the, if not the most memorable game music melodies ever created."The audio that's selected for the Registry is based on their historical, cultural or aesthetic i...

On Monday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told lawmakers that the federal government could run out of money to pay its debts as soon as June 1 if the debt ceiling isn't raised. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing surrounding Supreme Court ethics. Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly accepte...

Judy Blume's 1970's classic book, "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." The novel wasn't initially well-received when it was published, being banned in libraries and schools, including the one Blume's children went to. It follows an 11-year-old Margaret stepping into the world of adolescence (bre...

Close to 600, 000 people in the U.S. don't have a home of their own, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of those in America experiencing homelessness, 40 percent of them are living outdoors or in buildings not meant for human habitation.Often, this takes the form of homele...

We are all – to some degree – stressed. And that can affect just how much we feel like saying hello to that person on the street or holding the elevator for the person we see around the corner.We discuss whether small gestures of manners and etiquette matter anymore.Want to support 1A? Give to your ...

On May 2, 1963, hundreds of school-age kids in Birmingham, Alabama, woke up with a plan. Through coded messages broadcast by local radio DJs, they were given the signal to leave the classroom and meet at the park for a peaceful protest against segregation in the city. These actions by students bro...

The settlement of opioid lawsuits means that states are seeing an influx of money. Purdue, Walgreens, and Johnson & Johnson are just a few of the companies pumping over $50 billion into state and municipal budgets for addiction treatment and prevention.But what that treatment and prevention look...

Every year, 25 audio recordings are added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. The registry contains recordings of all types, from music and radio broadcasts to dramatic performances and speeches. This does not mean they necessarily originated in America or that they were c...

It was a big week at the White House. President Joe Biden announced his plans to run for reelection in 2024. Washington became the 10th state to ban the sale of semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15.Meanwhile, supply shortages are impacting the citizens of Sudan as the fighting in its capital Khartou...

On April 23, 2013, a group of garment factories collapsed in Rana Plaza near Dhaka, Bangladesh. The accident killed more than 1,100 people and injured at least 2,500. It's considered the deadliest accident in the history of the modern garment industry.It's been a decade, but the garment industry is ...

Lawmakers in Republican-led states are proposing and passing legislation to roll back child labor regulations.In states like Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, and Arkansas, newly passed or pending laws allow companies to hire children without work permits and allow children to work longer hours under more dange...

In a statement on Monday, the Fox News said it's parting ways with its biggest star, Tucker Carlson. Before his firing, Carlson had the most-watched show on cable news, with more than 3 million viewers each night. His influence didn't just reach voters, but lawmakers too.We discuss what Tucker Carls...

One in six people across the globe experiences infertility, according to a report the World Health Organization published this month.Going through fertility treatment can be a long, hard process and very costly.For the first discussion in our new series "In Good Health," we talk about what it's like...

An estimated 16,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia or Russian-controlled territory since the start of the war. That's according to Ukraine's National Information Bureau. But some human rights experts place the number in the hundreds of thousands. The International Criminal Court has is...

Every year, 25 audio recordings are added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Each has been chosen because of its historical, cultural, or aesthetic importance to our nation's audio heritage.In this edition of "The Sounds of America," we speak about a recording from astrop...

Dominion Voting Systems settled its lawsuit with Fox Corp. this week for $787.5 million, making it one of the most expensive defamation payouts in American history. An 84-year-old white man was charged this week for the shooting of a Black teenager who mistakenly went to the wrong address in Kansas ...

"Um, like, literally, you know?"If those words sound to you like nails on a chalkboard, you're not alone. At NPR, we get lots of messages from listeners critiquing the way our hosts, reporters, and guests speak. Why does what we say and how we say it irk so many so much?Language norms are standardi...

In 2021, the structural damage from wildfires, floods, and other climate-related disasters totaled $145 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Homeowners are feeling the effects. Between 2021 and 2022, 90 percent of them saw an increase in their home insurance pre...

There have been 164 mass shootings in the U.S. just this year, according to the National Gun Violence Archive.As gun legislation stalls in Congress, gun violence in the U.S. continues to rise, leaving states and cities to grapple with safety measures on their own. One solution is gaining traction: c...

Supper clubs burst onto the scene in America in the 1930s. Back then, they were places where you could get a meal and dance.One fictional venue, set in northern Minnesota, is the stage for a new book by J. Ryan Stradal.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this...

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been on the bench for almost 32 years. For more than 25 of those years, he's been close with a billionaire Republican donor. A ProPublica investigation found that Justice Thomas went on luxury trips with Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow for 20 years and did no...

The Library of Congress is famous for its collection of American cultural treasures.     And each year, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress chooses just 25 pieces of audio to showcase the rich heritage of America's recorded sound — an audio hall of fame.Those being inducted th...

Amid an uncertain future surrounding the abortion medication mifepristone, Democratic governors across the nation are stockpiling the drug in order to protect abortion access in their states.A young, racist gun enthusiast is reportedly responsible for one of the worst intelligence leaks in Pentagon ...

NASA recently announced the crew members for the upcoming Artemis II Mission – among them, the first woman and person of color to go to the moon. The initial mission objective is to land on the lunar surface in 2025.According to NASA, this trip will serve as the foundation for its next ambitious mis...

The Trump-appointed Texas judge has ruled to revoke the FDA's approval of mifepristone – a drug used in miscarriage care and medication abortions.Soon after, in Washington, a different federal judge ruled to keep mifepristone available. Many legal experts are saying Supreme Court intervention might ...

We are all – to some degree – stressed. And that can affect just how much we feel like saying hello to that person on the street or holding the elevator for the person we see around the corner.We discuss whether small gestures of manners and etiquette matter anymore.Want to support 1A? Give to your ...

Several states have adopted or introduced legislation this year about student behavior and school discipline. Many of these bills would make it easier to kick students out of the classroom anywhere between a day and a year.Proponents say getting tougher on students will empower teachers, keeping the...

For 40 years, U.S. News and World Report has released rankings of the nation's top colleges, universities, and graduate schools. They've been used in advertising materials for schools and showcased in the national media. But in recent months, dozens of the nation's top-ranked institutions have stopp...

Former President Donald Trump was indicted this week. He was arraigned in a New York City courthouse on Tuesday and plead not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.Extreme weather continues to ravage many parts of the South. At least 32 people have been killed in the region by multiple...

It's been two months since a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, and spilled toxic materials into the surrounding environment.Since then, officials have deemed the town safe, but residents are saying otherwise. To complicate matters, CNN reported that a group of CDC researchers fell ill while in...

It's clear that baseless allegations about the mechanics of elections are still circulating, and they're powerful enough to shape events — and keep affecting our elections.A bevy of other partisan-led efforts, including court cases and state-level legislation, are shifting election policy ahead of 2...

Donald Trump has become the first president – former or current – charged with criminal activity. In a 34-count felony indictment, prosecutors allege that Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election through hush money payments to two women who said they had sexual encounter...

Republicans in state legislatures across the U.S. have found their focus for the 2023 legislative session: drag.But drag has been around for a long, long time.Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed one of these drag-restricting bills into law on March 3. But a federal judge blocked the law from taking effec...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed the planned overhaul of the country's judicial system, but his people are still taking to the streets in protest.The government's plans to weaken Israel's supreme court have been subject to months-long demonstrations and general strikes. Most rec...