When someone hurts us, we might feel wounded or sad. We might feel angry and defensive. But sometimes those feelings turn into something more dangerous: a desire for revenge. Wanting to right a perceived wrong is normal. But neuroscientists are now finding that revenge-seeking behavior can be a form of addiction. Why does hurting those who have hurt us make us feel good, at least in the moment? And why does getting back at someone often backfire? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public rad...
Jun 12, 2025•31 min
People aged 50 and older have grown from about 10 percent of the homeless population to half. That's according to the most recent federal data. The increase is being driven by a number of factors including housing affordability and fixed incomes. It comes as social safety net programs like Medicaid are on the chopping block and fears grow over the future of Social Security under the Trump Administration. We talk about the reasons behind the dramatic increase in homelessness among seniors and how...
Jun 11, 2025•37 min
The first official "Song of Summer" award was given to One Direction in 2013 for... well... "Best Song Ever." It's been more than a decade since that inaugural MTV Video Music Award. But has the way we consume music evolved so much that a "song of summer" is a relic of the not-so-distant past? How can we measure what makes a good summer song? We convene the 1A Record Club to get into it. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Co...
Jun 11, 2025•36 min
After slashing the federal workforce by tens of thousands earlier this year, the Trump administration is looking to fill those empty positions again. But this time, they want Trump loyalists. It's a move that challenges more than 150 years of precedent set forth in the Pendleton Act of 1870, which created a nonpartisan civil service. The outlook for the federal workforce is changing again under Trump. Today, we talk about what it means for the government now and down the line, Want to support 1A...
Jun 09, 2025•30 min
Donald Trump's travel ban is back. Its second iteration blocks all travelers from 12 countries and partially restricts those from seven more starting next week. The GOP's budget bill has made its way to the Senate, but not all Republicans are falling in line to pass it. In the Gaza Strip, at least 80 people are dead and hundreds more wounded in a series of shooting attacks near aid distribution sites. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said this week that his country would not stop e...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Hurricane season is here. June 1 marks its official start and NOAA says it could be a busy one. But with the Trump administration's recent cuts to federal agencies, including FEMA, how ready are we to respond when disaster hits? How will reductions in staff – and budgets – affect the government's ability to predict severe weather? We discuss how the country is gearing up for a summer of storms. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questi...
Jun 05, 2025•36 min
U.S. officials are turning their attention to a pressing problem in space. Not asteroids crashing into earth, but something else: space debris. Thousands of satellites have been launched into space because our modern life depends on them. There are about 10,000 active satellites in low earth orbit right now. But as more and more of them go up, space is getting crowded. And where there's crowds, there's waste. Millions of pieces of space debris are circling Earth right now. There are big pieces —...
Jun 04, 2025•36 min
If you've been following the news lately — including with 1A — it can be a lot to take in. We've heard from many of you about how the news makes you feel. But what can we do in chaotic moments of history to build a sense of control in our lives? Maybe it's organizing in your community, starting a new hobby, or picking up that TV show from 10 years ago that you promised you'd get around to watching. We talk about what finding agency in the chaos can look like, and why we should actively focus on ...
Jun 03, 2025•31 min
Last week, the House passed a sweeping budget bill, the centerpiece of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda. The final vote was 215 to 214, just one vote shy of failure, with all but two Republicans supporting the package. Now, all eyes are on the Senate. It's their job to take the legislation over the finish line and deliver it to the president's desk. Headlines about the bill are focused on tax cuts for the wealthy and steep cuts to programs like Medicaid and food stamps. But buried in thi...
Jun 02, 2025•40 min
This week Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students. Elon Musk isn't leaving Washington quietly. In an interview with CBS news Musk took aim at the tax bill making its way through Congress, saying it undermines the work he and DOGE undertook. Israel's latest offensive in Gaza is drawing criticism from world leaders. This week officials in Germany, Italy, and Spain called for the Israeli military to cease its campaign against Pal...
May 30, 2025•1 hr 23 min
It's been five years since widespread protests erupted after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020. That murder, and the resulting national protests, led to numerous calls for police reform in communities around the country. But the politics of policing have changed since 2024. Perceptions of crime and its relationship with immigration were central issues during the last presidential election, particularly for the Republican Party. And now, the Trump admi...
May 29, 2025•36 min
80 years ago, Smokey the Bear was mostly talking about campfire safety. Now? Things are a little different. Forest fires have always been a normal part of our landscape – and a tool used by human civilizations for millennia. But as climate change makes our landscapes hotter and drier, wildfires are getting bigger and more destructive. Fire consumed 8.9 million acres across the U.S. last year. The LA County fires this January are the costliest so far, with some estimates putting the total close t...
May 28, 2025•33 min
The news last week of former President Joe Biden's advanced prostate cancer has more people thinking and talking about the condition. About 1 in 8 men in the U.S. are diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives. It's the most-diagnosed cancer in men and the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in American men after lung cancer. That's according to the American Cancer Society. In this installment of our series, "In Good Health," we talk about how to detect and treat prosta...
May 27, 2025•35 min
"Did you hear? A little birdy told me. Don't tell anyone I said this." Human beings love to gossip. We all talk about other people – sometimes it's a good thing and sometimes it's not. But where do we draw that line? Where and how did we learn to gossip? Are there benefits? We talk to the creator of the "Normal Gossip" podcast, Kelsey McKinney. Her new book is all about how we talk about other people. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have...
May 26, 2025•27 min
After an early-morning vote to open debate, the House passed the Republican spending and tax bill this week. Now, it moves to the Senate. Elsewhere in Washington, President Donald Trump welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for a meeting in the Oval Office where he lectured the visiting leader and made false claims about supposed persecution of white Afrikaner farmers. Despite Gaza being on the edge of famine, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Forces la...
May 23, 2025•1 hr 25 min
Cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, specifically to programs funding farms, schools, and food banks, mean meals won't make it to many tables across the country. A new report from Feeding America found that people in every county are experiencing hunger. In some areas, child food insecurity is as high as 50 percent. How are food banks and farms responding to a loss in federal funding? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions...
May 22, 2025•35 min
Musician Rhiannon Giddens has won Grammys, a Pulitzer, and a MacArthur "Genius Grant." But her new album is a true love letter to her North Carolina roots and features former Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmate Justin Robinson. The album is called "What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow." Giddens and Robinson join us to talk about North Carolina's musical past, taking the time to learn at the feet of a master, and what it means to call a place home. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public ra...
May 21, 2025•42 min
The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, known colloquially as the nation's report card, shows that reading scores dropped an average of two progress points for both 4th and 8th graders. But two states that are bucking this trend? Mississippi and Louisiana. How did two of the country's poorest states turn their literacy scores around in a matter of a few years? What can other states learn from those stories? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe t...
May 20, 2025•31 min
A flood of executive actions and attempts to reshape the scope of the federal government have resulted in at least 328 lawsuits against President Donald Trump's administration as of May 1. A Bloomberg analysis found that judges have blocked Trump's policies more than they have allowed them. We break down some of the biggest cases against the Trump administration and what they say about the balance of power in the U.S. today. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscri...
May 19, 2025•41 min
The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a case about President Donald Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. House Republicans unveil a bill to cut congressional spending. The U.S. and China hammer out a trade deal that reduces tariffs for 90 days. President Donald Trump visits the Middle East, announcing a slew of economic deals and partnerships. But back home, a luxury jet from the Qatari government takes over the headlines. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio sta...
May 16, 2025•1 hr 22 min
June is around the corner. It means the end of the Supreme Court's term, and with it, decisions on its most high-profile, high-stakes cases. That's the "what" of the Court's work – but how does the Court decide its cases today? One book tries to answer that. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podc...
May 15, 2025•31 min
On Sunday, Catholic churches across the world celebrated Mass while a new leader took the top seat in Vatican City. That new leader is Pope Leo XIV. But when white smoke rose last week, some of the faithful may have been surprised when Robert Prevost walked out of St. Peter's Basilica victorious. He's the first US-born pope in history. What do we know about the man now leading the church? What does it mean for someone born in the U.S. to be the pope? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public...
May 14, 2025•35 min
We're talking all about electric vehicles. The month of May was made for racing. From the Kentucky Derby to the Indy 500. And now, there's a new sound getting louder. Prime Video is offering a look into the fast lane of Formula E racing with the recently-released show Formula E: Driver. The series follows the lives, and the close calls of four Formula E drivers, including Andretti Racing's 2023 Formula E World Champion, Jake Dennis. And later, new polling from Gallup suggests fewer Americans are...
May 13, 2025•44 min
President Donald Trump has been clear about wanting to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world. What's becoming clearer is how much Trump is personally invested in the industry succeeding. A new report from State Democracy Defenders Action finds that Trump's crypto holdings represent nearly 40 percent of his net worth. The president has his own meme coin and is offering a dinner and private White House tour to the highest investors. Meanwhile, a recent deal by the Trump family's crypto fir...
May 12, 2025•41 min
There's a new Pope in town, the first American. We discuss what we know about the new pontiff. This week, President Trump says he wants the world to see the United States as a "luxury store." But who can afford it?U.S. ports say the trade war is already slowing traffic. We get to the latest on trade talks. Also, more on the right to due process and fresh U.S. intelligence that undercuts arguments about the president's power to remove those in the U.S. without legal status to prisons overseas. Th...
May 09, 2025•1 hr 26 min
John B. King Jr. has worked in nearly every role an educator can — teacher, principal, administrator, higher education chancellor, and education secretary (under Barack Obama). Some big changes for education in America could be coming. The Trump administration has signaled its intention to close the Department of Education. That could have far-reaching ripple effects on parents, teachers, and, most importantly, students. We discuss what it takes for teachers to impact students' lives for the bet...
May 08, 2025•33 min
Spring is here and whether you've a balcony or a big yard, it's a great time to garden. Maybe you're growing some vegetables this season or experimenting with new plants. But nothing says 'Spring' quite like flowers. We answer your flower gardening questions and spend some time talking about one flower in particular: orchids. Orchids are the largest plant family in the world with over 25,000 species. They also make great gifts. We talk about how to care for orchids even if you're not growing the...
May 07, 2025•27 min
Over five million US borrowers are in default, with their loan 270 days past due. Four million haven't made payments in 90 days. Now, the five-year pause on collections for defaulted student loans ended Monday. The original pause goes back to a 2020 pandemic-era policy, but it was extended multiple times during the Biden administration. For those in default, the collection of that debt may mean dipping into paychecks, tax refunds, and social security benefits. These collections are being restart...
May 06, 2025•38 min
President Donald Trump wants Congress to put together a 'big, beautiful" bill that will extend tax cuts implemented during his first administration. But with less money coming in for the federal government, Congress will have to find ways to cut its own spending. House Speaker Mike Johnson says that goal is $1.5 trillion. One big sticking point on where to make cuts is Medicaid. Johnson has repeatedly claimed that Congress will not make cuts to Medicaid for anyone who is "duly owed." There are s...
May 05, 2025•33 min
As dropping approval ratings rolled in at the end of his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to claim that America is currently living with Biden's stock market and not his. A Vermont judge ordered the release of Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi this week. He had been detained by ICE during a final interview for his American citizenship. As Donald Trump's trade war continues, traditional U.S. trading partners are seeking to make connections with othe...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 24 min
