1A

Since the start of his second term, President Donald Trump has fashioned the Department of Justice into a tool he can wield against his enemies.So far, Trump has installed his personal lawyer as the top official. He's culled the ranks of career prosecutors. And he's pressured U.S. attorneys into bringing cases against people he considers political enemies.In recent months, grand juries have acted as the last line of defense against his full weaponization of the justice system — refusing to indict in cases where the government hasn't proven a crime has been committed.In this latest installment of our weekly politics series, “If You Can Keep It,” what do recent high-profile grand jury proceedings tell us about accountability at the Justice Department?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The US and Iran appear to be close to a peace deal. That's according to US officials, but it's still awaiting President Trump approval. He's reviewing the details today.The deal would reportedly extend the ceasefire for 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and open talks over the future of Iran's nuclear program.We unpack the other big news of the week: Is the U.S ready for the Ebola outbreak? Conflict also erupted outside an ICE detention center in New Jersey, where detainees are on a hunger and labor strike. And major results out of the Texas runoff election.And for this week's global news, we have some special guests from the BBC and The Global Story podcast from the BBC to take us through some international news.The Trump administration is continuing to squeeze Cuba's communist regime with sanctions as it prepares for the possible collapse of the island's totalitarian government as early as this summer, according to U.S officials.And in another week of whiplash in the negotiations between the US and Iran, the countries appear on the cusp of a peace deal. The agreement would reportedly extend the ceasefire for 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and commit to negotiating Iran's nuclear enrichment program. Though it still needs President Trump's approval.We also talk Europe, and how the E.U is dealing with multiple diplomatic challenges from the far right to Russia to the Trump administration.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The official start of summer movie season is here. As the temperatures heat up, the box office is already off to a blazing start.Already in 2026, the film industry is experiencing its strongest theatrical rebound since the pandemic, after years of bad news. That's thanks to films like The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the Michael Jackson biopic Michael.We hear from movie critics what films they'll be watching, in the theater and at the box office.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Chronic pelvic and vulvovaginal pain is surprisingly common among women of all ages. In fact, 1 in 3 women will experience a pelvic floor disorder at some point in their lifetimes.So, why is it so difficult to receive diagnosis and treatment for these conditions? And why don't we talk about our pain ‘down there' in general?In this installment in our series, “In Good Health,” we sit down with a panel of experts to talk about it.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. is facing a steep healthcare worker shortage. A 2025 federal analysis projected that by 2038, 30 out of 35 physician specialties will be hurting for practitioners, with over 140,000 roles left unfilled. And for nurses, that shortage is projected to be over 108,000.And last week, 25 states plus the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education over new federal student loan limits on graduate degrees. Those caps apply to programs that could graduate workers into these threatened health care fields.But Education Secretary Linda McMahon says these worries are overblown and that these new rules aim to force colleges to lower tuition rates.So, what do these changes really mean for the future of our healthcare workforce in the U.S.?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

What does it mean to matter — to loved ones, to your community, at your job?Feeling like we have value and purpose in life is something humans inherently crave. But recent work on the topic takes this a step further – arguing that it is critical to our very existence. As critical as our need for sleep, food, and air.Why does it matter if we matter? We sit down with two experts to try and answer that question.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost his state's GOP primary to a Trump-backed candidate this week. The seven-term congressman became a target for the president over the former's desire to release the files related to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Thomas Massie and Bill Cassidy are now lame-duck Republicans after losing their primaries to Trump-backed challengers. Where does that leave razor-thin margins in Congress?President Donald Trump's seemingly doomed lawsuit against the IRS has resolved itself in an unprecedented way this week. A settlement in the case includes a clause that precludes the agency from investigating the president, his family, and his businesses ever again.And Trump allies get a $1.8 billion boost in the form of a new so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund paid for by taxpayers. That money could be giving pardoned January 6 insurrectionists payouts – and is drawing bipartisan ire.And, in global news, Iranian officials are accusing the U.S. of getting ready to start a new war as the American military makes moves in the Middle East. Both parties mull a new proposal, and familiar messaging from the White House. Also this week, Iran formalizes a plan to make money on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself in a precarious political situation this week as Knesset, votes to dissolve itself ahead of another election. Now, Netanyahu must find a way to keep his right-wing coalition from collapsing amid pressure from his nation's ultra-orthodox parties.And Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to China to meet with its president, Xi Jinping, a week after President Donald Trump made the same trip.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

A war the president promised would last weeks is now in its third month. And the ripple effects are rocking the global economy.The Strait of Hormuz is still closed to most ships. Iran, the U.S., and Israel don't look ready for a peace deal. Iran's air force and navy are severely damaged. But recent intelligence reports say the regime has control of more missiles and weapons systems than the Trump administration has acknowledged, and that it's taking advantage of the ceasefire to rearm.Meanwhile, Iranians are living under a blockade. Gulf states are absorbing the shock of Iranian missiles and of economic uncertainty.What does the Middle East look like now? Who wins, who loses, and what happens to American influence in a region it just turned upside down? Luckily, we know just the man to ask.Gregg Carlstrom's is a name that might be familiar to listeners of the News Roundup. He's been The Economist's Middle East correspondent since 2010. He's also the author of the book, “How long will Israel survive? The threat from within.” We sit down with him to talk through the latest in the region.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This week, thousands of Americans attended a day-long conservative prayer gathering. The event was billed as a rededication of the U.S. as “One Nation Under God” for our nation's 250th birthday.The gathering was a private-public partnership backed by the White House. Non-Christian voices of faith were notably absent, apart from one Jewish rabbi. Almost all the speakers featured were Christians and most were Evangelicals. Some were Trump cabinet members and lawmakers.With the separation of church and state and the freedom of religion baked into the founding of our country, what does our nation's relationship with faith look like today? Does the America of 2026 represent what our founding fathers intended?In this special broadcast of 1A in partnership with Religion News Service, we leave our studio and head to American University in Washington D.C. where we sit down with a panel of experts in front of a live audience.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It's been more than two weeks since the Supreme Court made the decision to weaken a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That piece of the legislation protected minority voters from discrimination in elections. Now, that ruling has invoked a new wave of calls to reform the court.In the last installment of our “If You Can Keep It” series, we discussed what those reforms might look like, from expanding the size of the bench, to restricting the shadow docket.Our listeners had so many thoughts on whether and how to reform the court that we decided to return to that conversation to talk more about what's possible and answer more questions.So, what happens when the Supreme Court loses credibility among a large swath of the country? And how can the court get it back when partisanship on the bench has become the expectation.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Despite assertions by President Donald Trump to the contrary, reporting from The New York Times indicates that Iran's military is still in fighting shape, regaining access to 30 of its 33 missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz.The Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act has paved the way for Alabama to use a controversial GOP-drawn electoral map in the upcoming midterms.And FBI Director Kash Patel appeared on Capitol Hill this week to give testimony before Congress. He clashed with Democrats over reporting from The Atlantic that indicated that the Trump official's alcohol use was impeding him from completing his duties.We cover the most important stories from around the country in the domestic hour of the News Roundup.And, in global news, President Donald Trump traveled to China this week to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Taiwan, the war in Iran, and trade are all up for discussion between the two leaders of the world's largest economies.The price tag of the war with Iran has now topped $29 billion.Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that he believes his country's invasion of Ukraine is “coming to an end.”We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Mayors are uniquely aware of what's needed to make their cities run more efficiently. And when it comes to improving city life — from housing, to public safety, to city services — a lack of resources can be a major obstacle.In February, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the winners of this year's mayors' challenge. A $1 million prize was awarded to 24 winners from 20 countries selected from 630 entries.1A spoke to some of those winners at Bloomberg's Citylab conference in Madrid, Spain. The summit was held in April and convened mayors from across the globe to talk about the latest in city planning.We sit down with Vico Sotto, mayor of Pasig in the Philippines; Lauren McLean, the Democratic mayor of Boise, Idaho; and Geordin Hill-Lewis, the Mayor of Cape Town, South Africa, to talk about how they're navigating the challenges facing them and their neighbors.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

In August 2024, 26-year-old Conor Hylton checked into Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut. Overnight, he was transferred to critical care, where he died.It was only after his passing that his family found out that Conor was treated at what's known as a “tele-ICU.” His story shines a light on a practice that's been around for decades despite a lack of substantial research about its outcomes.A tele-ICU is a hospital unit where patient care is handled off-site by remote doctors, nurses, or specialists. Up to a third of ICU beds in the U.S. are in tele-ICUs. That's according to a study from the American Hospital Association.In Wisconsin, as of May 1, critical care physicians are no longer physically present in the ICUs of a few Ascension satellite hospitals. They remain available via video call to help bedside nurses and on-site hospital medicine doctors, known as hospitalists, who do not specialize in critical care.These facilities do present an opportunity to expand and improve the health care people receive. But what are the risks of replacing in-person care in the most critical, life or death moments?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Last year, when Columbia University found itself embroiled by anti-war protests and fighting with the Trump administration, journalist Jodi Kantor was invited to speak at the school's commencement.“My friends actually tried to stop me. Like, ‘Don't do it. Call in sick,'” remembers Kantor.The Pulitzer prize-winner did wind up giving that speech. And that experience led her to write a new book about how young people can find their life's work. We sit down with Kantor to talk about ‘How to Start.'Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Public trust in the Supreme Court is at a 30-year low, according to Pew Research Center. For some, this month marked a turning point in perceptions of its legitimacy.The court recently ruled in Louisiana v. Callais. Its decision undermined a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that protected minority voters and sought to prevent racial discrimination in elections.Following the court's ruling, Tennessee's GOP-controlled legislature passed a new congressional map, dismantling the state's majority-Black district. The map gives Republicans a competitive advantage in all nine districts ahead of the state's midterms. Other red states are now scrambling to redraw their congressional maps as well.Justice Samuel Alito justified the court's ruling by claiming that Black voter turnout, both nationwide and in Louisiana, exceeded white voter turnout in two of the five recent presidential elections, writing that the kind of discrimination the Voting Rights Act was designed to prevent no longer exists.However, reporting from The Guardian found that Alito's claim was based on misleading data from the Justice Department.As trust in the Supreme Court continues to remain low, calls for reform grow. In this installment of our weekly politics series, “If You Can Keep It,” we unpack what that reform might actually look like and what's at stake for our democracy if it doesn't happen.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

President Donald Trump told PBS News this week that his offensive in the Middle East has a “very good chance of ending.” Just days later though, the U.S. traded fire with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening an already fragile ceasefire. The U.S. is still hoping for a “serious offer” from Iran on a proposal to end the war, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, even as the threat of escalation looms.Donald Trump isn't on the ballot in the upcoming Indiana primary. But his agenda certainly is. In late 2025, GOP state lawmakers resisted efforts by the White House to redraw Indiana's congressional map. Now, Trump allies are running to unseat them.The Trump administration has opened an investigation into Smith College, a women-only institution of higher education, over its 2015 decision to admit trans women as students.And, in global news, the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was tested this week when American forces launched “self-defense strikes” in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces targeted three Navy destroyers, though none were struck.These strikes come as Iran reviews the latest U.S. proposal to end the war which American officials hope will result in a “serious offer” from Iran, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.President Donald Trump claimed this week that the U.S. will be taking over Cuba “almost immediately.” The backlash from the island nation was swift, with Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel calling the American administration fascist.On Monday, and despite the ceasefire, Israeli attacks killed 17 people in southern Lebanon.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

One drug is at the center of the current legal battle over abortion: mifepristone.Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, mifepristone has become the dominant method of abortion in the United States, filling the gap left by clinic closures in states with abortion bans. And the number of abortions has actually risen nationally as a result.That's a problem for abortion access opponents. Now, they're taking aim at one of the main ways it's prescribed – via telehealth. And last week, they scored their first big win.A federal appeals court blocked remote prescription of mifepristone. Louisiana sued the FDA, arguing that mail access undermines the state's near-total ban on abortion. But two days later, the drug's manufacturers went to the Supreme Court and it temporarily restored telehealth access while it considers the case. But that stay is set to expire soon.So, what's next in this legal battle? And what does it mean for patients and reproductive health providers?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Last November, Calvin Duncan won an election to serve as the chief records keeper for the criminal courts of the parish that covers New Orleans.He received 68 percent of the vote, beating out a powerful incumbent. He has some personal experience with Louisiana courts. He was incarcerated for a murder conviction for 28 years. He studied criminal law to advocate for himself, and a judge eventually found him innocent. He was freed in 2011.But now, the Louisiana state legislature has moved to eliminate his position. State officials voted to combine his office with another in a move that state senators said was meant to save money. Duncan is taking legal action and a lawsuit over his role is now making its way through the courts. This situation is part of a larger trend across the nation where state legislatures are more and more often undoing decisions made by local officials.“State preemption” describes steps a state government can take to tell a local city or town council it can't do something. Legislators in states like Florida, Missouri, California, West Virginia, Michigan, and Louisiana have been using it to influence events and regulations in their communities.What's leading to more frequent, and public, fights between state legislatures and local governments? And what could defuse these fights?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Power is at the center of Americans' lives. It lets us cool our homes, keeps them lit, and charges our electronics.But the more things we plug into our aging power grid, the more strained it becomes. And electricity use in the U.S. is rising for the first time in more than a decade.What happens when our grid can't keep up? We sit down with a panel of experts to find out.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Last week, in a six-to-three ruling along ideological lines, the Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.That's the landmark Civil Rights era law designed to prevent racial discrimination in an election. The law was passed to unravel Jim Crow era policies that limited or blocked Black Americans' access to the ballot.The decision in Louisiana v. Callais struck down Louisiana's congressional map as an “unconstitutional gerrymander.”But the ruling goes further. It effectively rewrites the rules for how the Voting Rights Act can be used to challenge discriminatory maps, making it much harder to do so going forward. It's the latest in a string of rulings making the last all but moot.We tackle the race to redistrict across America and we talk about how this hugely consequential ruling changes an election season already in full swing.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Supreme Court this week struck down a voting map in Louisiana that created a second majority-Black district, ruling it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. In doing so, the majority also struck an enormous blow to the landmark Voting Rights Act, and fueled GOP redistricting efforts before the midterms.Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth headed to Congress, where things got testy as lawmakers grilled him over the war with Iran. Pentagon officials put a price tag on the conflict so far: $25 billion. And gas prices hit a four year high, with a national average of $4.30 a gallon.Federal prosecutors formally charged the alleged gunman at the White House Correspondents' Dinner with attempting to assassinate the president. He will remain in custody despite an appeal for a pre-trial release.We cover the most important stories from around the country in the domestic hour of the News Roundup.And, in global news, the United States and Iran extend their dueling blockades in the Strait of Hormuz as President Trump rejects the Islamic Republic's proposal to reopen the critical waterway.Israel ramps up attacks on southern Lebanon, while claiming it did not break a temporary U-S brokered ceasefire.And uncertainty over the global oil supply causes markets to spike once again, the same week energy companies report massive profits.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

American farmers are being squeezed. Tariffs are raising the cost of equipment and services. And now the war in Iran is driving up the cost of fertilizer and fuel.And the Farm bill — the sweeping, traditionally bipartisan legislation that shapes everything from crop insurance to food aid – hasn't been reauthorized since 2018.Next week, the House will try again.What's in the bill and why the coalition that supported it for years seems to be falling apart.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

In 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was a presidential hopeful running under the banner of “making America healthy again.”Among his most fervent supporters: vaccine skeptics and cynics, nutrition-focused parents and anti-pesticide activists.After dropping out of the presidential contest and endorsing Donald Trump, Kennedy emerged as the president's foremost pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.Now, many in the so-called “MAHA coalition” are disappointed with Secretary Kennedy for what they describe as a failure to deliver key reforms to the nation's health and food systems.And, we discuss what the rise in measles and other infectious diseases means about the state of our public health. Secretary Kennedy has repeatedly downplayed recent measles outbreaks and given deeply mixed messages on vaccination.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how we run cities. It has the potential to make life more affordable, efficient, and safe. But with little oversight and policy, what are the risks to residents?As tech changes our communities, it's often mayors who are leading the way. More than 500 of them are meeting in Madrid to share their best ideas as part of this year's Bloomberg CityLab, a global cities summit from Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the Aspen Institute … and 1A is there.The mayors of San Antonio, Texas, Nairobi, Kenya and Bogotá, Colombia join us for a discussion about how local leaders are using artificial intelligence to aid them in running their cities — and how they are balancing residents' concerns about privacy, the environmental impact, and what an increased use of AI could mean for the job market.They're among 10 founding mayors of the Mayors AI Forum launched Tuesday in Madrid by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University.“Mayors have often been early leaders on global challenges – even as national and international responses lagged,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P., and three-term mayor of New York City. “Now, the Mayors AI Forum will help put them – and the communities they serve – at the forefront of conversations about the future of AI.”Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

A growing number of states are looking at implementing a wealth tax to fund social services.California is among them, with a billionaire tax set to be included on its November ballot. And this month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, and Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced a proposed tax on luxury second homes in the city. In March, Washington passed its first ever income tax – which has already been met with a legal challenge.All this comes as the wealth gap in the U.S. grows to its widest point in three decades – and only looks set to keep increasing. In this installment of “If You Can Keep It,” we look at how tax codes have contributed to a growing inequality in the country, how to fix it, and what this wealth gap means for the health of our democracy.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

President Donald Trump is giving Iran a short window to unify behind an offer for peace in the Middle East after negotiations between Tehran and Washington recently broke down — or the ceasefire he extended Tuesday ends.Donald Trump's labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is leaving the agency amidst accusations of misconduct. She's now the third cabinet member to leave during the second Trump administration.Elsewhere, Virginia voters approved a new congressional map on Tuesday that could help Democrats pick up seats in the House during the midterms later this year. But a state judge blocked the map from being certified just a day after its passage.And, in global news, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, tonight for another round of peace talks with the U.S.A top Trump administration envoy floated the idea to FIFA this week to replace Iran with Italy at this summer's World Cup. The swap was likely suggested as an effort to repair ties between President Donald Trump and Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni amid rumors they've fallen out over the presidents attack on Pope Leo XIV.The Trump administration is reportedly in talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to send as many as eleven hundred Afghan refugees there, including more than 400 children.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Just a few decades ago, human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV, was a death sentence for those who contracted it.However, over the past 35 years, more effective medication and widespread access to AIDS drug assistance programs have helped those with the virus live longer and healthier lives.But in the coming months, tens of thousands of people living with HIV in the U.S. could lose access to that medication. That's because states around the country are trying to save money by making cuts to programs that pay for HIV meds and care.In March, more than 16,000 people lost coverage when Florida slashed ADAP eligibility overnight. Weeks later, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law allocating $31 million to keep thousands of those who lost coverage on their meds.But that money is only slated to last through June. And this isn't just a problem happening in Florida. Some 23 states and Washington, D.C. have implemented or are considering implementing cuts to their own HIV medication and care programs to help balance their budgets.We sit down with a panel of experts to discuss.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

More than 70 million Americans live with a disability. That's roughly one in four adults. And any of us can join that number at any point in our lives. Through an injury, illness, or simply getting older.Disabled people are one of the largest minorities in this country. Yet there's one part of their lives that almost never gets discussed: sex.Today, that silence is being challenged – by disabled people themselves – online, in film and television, and in conversations happening in bedrooms and doctors' offices across the country.In February, we brought you 1A's first sex week – about sex across our lifespans. And you told us you wanted more about sex and disability.How do we express our needs in the bedroom, especially when the sex we want doesn't match common ideas of what sex – and the people who have it – can look like?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Towns across the U.S. are now grappling with what it means to have ICE detention centers in their backyard — even communities that overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump and support his deportation efforts.Last week, hundreds of protestors showed up outside a Maryland courtroom while a federal judge temporarily blocked the construction of a detention center in the state. That pause will remain in place as a lawsuit from the the state's attorney general plays out. And last month, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro blocked ICE's access to water and sewage systems in two different counties where warehouses were bought. Local leaders argue these warehouses would overwhelm city resources.So, what are conditions like in these facilities? And what does the future hold for this new wave of detention centers?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Most of us would agree that access to foreign intelligence is important to national security. But whose private data gets swept up in the process?The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was first established in 1978 following Watergate. It's a key U.S. surveillance tool. Section 702 was added to the act in 2008 allowing the government to collect the communications of more than 300,000 foreign nationals outside of the U.S. without a warrant every year. And the Trump administration would like to keep it that way even though lawmakers on both sides of the aisle worry that the act violates American citizens' right to privacy.That section was set to expire today. But last Friday, the House voted to extend the expiration to April 30th. That's after House Speaker Mike Johnson failed to corral his party's support behind a long-term extension. The Senate also passed that short-term extension.So, as its future hangs in the balance, what's at risk if we lose this tool? And what are the dangers of failing to reform it?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

We start with the U.S.-Israel war with Iran — a war that President Donald Trump said would end in two to three weeks. Now, in its seventh week, the Pentagon is sending 10,000 more troops to the Middle East to pressure Iran into making a peace deal.On Sunday, Trump posted a long rant on Truth Social calling Pope Leo XIV “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.” Then, later that night, Trump posted an AI-generated photo that appeared to depict him as Jesus Christ.Rep. Eric Swalwell was a front-runner for the seat of California governor just weeks ago. Now, he's out of the race and out of Congress after numerous sexual assault allegations were leveled against him.And, in global news, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz completely open to commercial vessels. This move is expected to lessen severity of the growing global energy crisis and bring the possibility of a peace agreement between Iran and the U.S. closer to becoming a reality.New reporting from Axios indicates that U.S. and Iranian negotiators made progress in new peace talks on Tuesday. On Thursday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said a second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran will be held in Islamabad. But no date has been announced yet.And it's the dawn of a new era in Hungary this week. For the first time in 16 years, Viktor Orbán will no longer lead the nation from Budapest, having lost the election for his position as prime minister to conservative rival Peter Magyar.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For over 75 years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has bolstered American power and shaped the world order as we know it. But under President Donald Trump, its future is uncertain.The United States has spent the better part of a year telling its allies they're on their own. Trump has threatened to annex Greenland – the sovereign territory of NATO ally, Denmark. He skipped the Munich Security Conference. And he launched the war in Iran without consulting NATO allies.Now, the president is asking for help securing the Strait of Hormuz. And European countries are saying no.How is the war in Iran testing the alliance? And how would a U.S. withdrawal from NATO reshape global power dynamics?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Imagine you're in a bookstore and you wander over to the fiction section. There, you find two shelves: one for human-written novels… and one for novels written by AI.That future may not be as far off as you think. Roughly 4 million books were published in the U.S. in 2025. That's a more than a 32 percent increase from 2024, according to the trade magazine Publisher's Weekly.It's unclear how many of those books were written by AI, in part because software used to detect it can be ineffective. And the literary waters were made even murkier by the fact that at least 3 million of those 4 million books were self-published. That makes it even more difficult to know if they were written by human hands (er, minds).That's not to say the self-published portion of the industry is the only part where this tech is showing up. Hachette, one the largest publishers in the U.S., canceled one of its novels, “SHY GIRL,” after allegations that its author used AI to write it.All this is marking a turning point for the publishing industry. How can authors ethically use this technology? And do readers really need new AI-authored books in a market already saturated with options?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It's that time of the year again. Have you finished filing your return?Doing taxes this season has been particularly fraught – for both taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service. It's been a year since DOGE slashed federal funding and cut droves of federal employees. Those departures hit the IRS hard. Its leadership has largely turned over.Also, Republicans in Congress took back billions of dollars the agency had received to improve its systems. Then, they gave the IRS even more tax code changes to enforce.Can the IRS handle it all? And what do taxes – and a functional tax agency – have to do with the strength of U.S. democracy? We sit down with a panel of experts to find out.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Democrats are having a moment. They've enjoyed massive turnout for recent primaries, special elections, and local races. And voter data shows they're also gaining support among Republican and independent voters.In Wisconsin, liberal judge Chris Taylor recently won a spot on the state Supreme Court by nearly 20 points. That's nearly double the margin of victory another liberal candidate in 2025.Some Republicans are worried about what wins like these mean for the GOP's performance in the midterms. And as a shrinking job market, high inflation, and a costly war in Iran drag down the economy, Democrats are seizing the moment to capture voters.In this installment of our weekly politics series, “If You Can Keep It,” we go deep on the Democrats' recent successes. How are voters responding to a Republican party struggling to deliver on its promises?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire after President Donald Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die” in a social media post this week. Iranian officials are temporarily reopening the Strait of Hormuz as long as the truce remains unbroken.Trump also signed an executive order this week that restricts mail-in voting, a practice he's long criticized due to his belief that it leads to fraud. There is no evidence for the president's claim.Meanwhile, the president's former attorney general, Pam Bondi, has signaled she will not appear for a scheduled Congressional deposition over the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.And, in global news, despite the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, Israel is continuing its offensive in Lebanon meant to target the terrorist group Hezbollah.Now that the Strait of Hormuz has temporarily reopened, analysts are expecting that it will take weeks for global energy supplies to rebound.JD Vance was in Europe this week for a visit to Hungary where he repeatedly praised its president, Victor Orban, and attacked the European Union.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

In 2019, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the first openly gay governor elected in the U.S., signed a bill banning conversion therapy in the state. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that ban may be unconstitutional.Conversion therapy seeks to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. The practice has been deemed unethical and ineffective by most major mental health groups. And a study from the Trevor Project found that young people who go through conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to have reported attempting suicide compared to those who did not.Only one Supreme Court justice dissented in this case. Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that this decision “opens a dangerous can of worms” and “threatens to impair states' ability to regulate the provision of medical care in any respect.”What's behind the Supreme Court's decision that will likely overturn this ban? And how might this decision affect nearly two dozen other states that have similar bans?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

After threatening massive attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure, Donald Trump is agreeing to a ceasefire to end the war in Iran.On Tuesday morning, the president posted on social media that “an entire civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” referring to his Tuesday night deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for trade.Tuesday evening, the president extended that deadline and agreed to a two-week pause in fighting, writing in a social media post that his decision is based on conversations with Pakistan army chief and its prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said ships will be able to pass through the strait for the next two weeks in compliance with the ceasefire. Araghchi also said Iran will stop military attacks as long as it is not attacked.Plus – hiring in most of the country is at a virtual standstill. That's according to the most recent labor market figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The hiring rate fell to 3.1 percent in February. That's the lowest since April 2020, when the pandemic shuttered many businesses. Job openings also dropped over by the hundreds of thousands compared to January.Those losses are being felt most by young people. According to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment rate for college grads reached 5.6 percent last year, outpacing the national rate of 4.2. And a November report by the Stanford Digital Economy Lab shows a “substantial decline” in job openings for early career workers in fields most vulnerable to artificial intelligence.So, how are Americans feeling about the current job market? And how could U.S. and Israel's war in Iran make a chilly jobs market even colder?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

More than 80 million people rely on Medicaid. It's the single largest source of funding for health coverage for low-income Americans. But President Donald Trump's massive 2025 spending bill is expected to cut the program by nearly a trillion dollars over the next decade.Hospitals could be among the hardest hit. Medicaid covers about a fifth of all their spending, according to KFF Health News.And a new report from progressive think tank Public Citizen shows that more than 440 hospitals are at risk of closing or reducing services in the years ahead. More than a quarter of hospitals in states like Connecticut, California, New York, Massachusetts, and Washington are at risk of closing or cutting services.Obstetrics care could be hit especially hard. It's one of the most expensive categories of service provided by hospitals. And Medicaid funds nearly 40 percent of all births in the U.S.What does the potential loss of hundreds of hospitals mean for the quality and availability of health care in this country?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Both Iran and the U.S. have been accused of committing or planning war crimes since “Operation Epic Fury” began in late February.Targeting electricity-generating stations, schools, and water-purifying plants is illegal under international law. Pretty much any civilian infrastructure is supposed to be off limits.But what does it actually mean to label military action a war crime in today's conflicts? We sit down with a panel of experts to talk about it.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

President Donald Trump told the nation during a presidential address that he expected the war in Iran to come to a close soon, saying that it was “nearly complete.” Meanwhile, the Pentagon is preparing for a weeks of ground operations in the Middle East.The House rejected a Senate-approved bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security this week. Now, the Senate is scrambling to get another version of its plan back to the House before the week is over.And a federal judge struck down a Trump executive order that pulled funding from National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, citing free speech violations.And, in global news, President Donald Trump told aides this week that he would consider ending the war in Iran without securing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. It's a strategy that's left some American allies a little nervous about their energy supplies, leading the president to tell them to “go get your own oil.”Meanwhile, Israel passed a law legalizing the death penalty for any Palestinian caught perpetrating a terrorist attack.Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he and his forces are planning on widening their invasion of southern Lebanon.We cover the most important stories from around the globe on the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It's been nearly four years since Roe v. Wade was overturned.Since then, abortion access across the U.S. has been in flux – and the fight around that care continues today. Now, 13 states have a total ban. And five have restricted abortion after six weeks of gestation. The latest state to do so is Wyoming.But legal challenges to such bans are swift and constant, leading to confusion and uncertainty for both those seeking abortions and those who provide them.And despite these partial or total bans, new data from the Guttmacher Institute found that the number of abortions has remained relatively unchanged from 2024 to 2025.We sit down with a panel of experts to talk about the state of abortion access in 2026.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy