Octavia Butler's 1993 novel "The Parable of the Sower" contains a powerful and poignant vision of the United States of the future, one that rings scarily true in the present. The 2024 of Butler's 1993 work isn't so far away from the 2024 in which we're all currently living. Butler published a sequel, Parable of the Talents , in 1998. Both feature a protagonist named Lauren Olamina, a young woman trying to survive and make a life for herself. So what can we learn from Butler's novel? What makes b...
Oct 08, 2024•32 min
Millions in Florida and across the southeast are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Milton. On Monday, the storm was upgraded to Category 4 hurricane over the southern Gulf of Mexico. The storm's expected to landfall on Wednesday suggests a path of movement that includes Tampa and Orlando. Mass evacuations are underway less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline. We discuss how those in harm's way are preparing for another storm with life-threatening power. Want to support...
Oct 08, 2024•10 min
Hamas fighters killed over 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. In response, the Israeli government launched airstrikes and a ground invasion in Gaza, killing almost 42,000 people so far according to Palestinian health authorities. Despite repeated attempts, the United States has failed to broker a ceasefire – in both Gaza and now at Israel's northern border as its military targets the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Typically, each week leading up to Nov. 5, we f...
Oct 07, 2024•33 min
Hurricane Helene ripped through several states in the southeast and southern Appalachian regions of the U.S. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance faced off on Tuesday in what's expected to be their only debate of this election cycle for Vice President. Meanwhile, Israeli forces crossed the border into Lebanon this to conduct what authorities called "localized raids" into Lebanese villages that they claim pose threats to Israeli communities. They also battled Hezbo...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 24 min
Hurricane Helene and its aftereffects are devastating areas in the southern United States as towns are flooded and communities are isolated. The storm has killed at least 166 people across six states with many still missing. Hundreds of roads have been closed, over a million people are without power, and in Asheville, North Carolina, 100,000 people are facing the possibility of going weeks without water. We get into what relief efforts are being undertaken, and what the situation looks like on t...
Oct 03, 2024•28 min
We're breaking down what happened in New York City last night on the vice-presidential debate stage. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced off against Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Stakes last night were high. It was likely the last debate before Election Day, which is just a month away. Early voting has already begun in many places. According to a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Saturday, the race remains extraordinarily close in key battleground states. So, let's get into what happened and what it...
Oct 02, 2024•42 min
President Jimmy Carter turns 100 on Oct. 1. To mark the occasion, 1A is talking all about the legacy of a president whose time as office is sometimes called "underrated." Carter brokered huge deals in trade and tried securing peace in the Middle East. But his handling of the Iran hostage crisis and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan overshadowed much of the success the earlier part of his sole term in the White House. We discuss how Jimmy Carter's presidency should be remembered, nearly 50 year...
Oct 01, 2024•35 min
In this "If You Can Keep It" discussion, we're turning to some consequential races you might not be keeping front of mind: those concerning state supreme courts. And in 33 states this November, voters will decide their state supreme court's justices. Make no mistake, these courts are influential, deciding cases related to their respective state constitutions and electoral questions like whether legislative districts are gerrymandered. And they decide cases related to other major issues at stake ...
Sep 30, 2024•36 min
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday on at several federal criminal charges. Investigators have spent months looking into allegations of campaign finance violations and foreign influence in Adams' election. A new Senate report released this week revealed troubling details about the Secret Service's handling of security at the Pennsylvania rally where former President Donald Trump was shot. The document details "foreseeable, preventable" problems that have yet to be addressed. Isr...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 26 min
How do you start your work day? Sometimes there can be a lot to do, and a lot to keep in our heads all at once. Why has work turned into such a grind for so many Americans? What does overwork and stress from work do to us? And how can we change work for the better, no matter what career we're in? Author and journalist Brigid Schulte's new book, "Over Work" dives into America's obsession with working and how work culture affects our individual and a collective health. We sit down with Schulte and...
Sep 26, 2024•36 min
Most of us have experienced awkward moments in our lives, whether it's stuttering in front of a crush or presenting an idea at a meeting that's met with crickets. But avoiding awkwardness can mean not having necessary conversations or missing out on meaningful connections that may have started with an awkward exchange. We discuss awkwardness and what we can learn from it if we embrace it. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? C...
Sep 25, 2024•34 min
When you're eating sushi, something's always in season. Sushi established itself in America in the 1960s and '70s in Los Angeles. Since the cuisine made inroads on the West Coast, it's gone national. You can find restaurants serving dishes like nigiri in every state and can find stripped-down versions of popular dishes in American drugstores sold alongside cheese and crackers. It's safe to say Americans are taken with sushi. But it's a genre of food with a long history and specific philosophy. H...
Sep 24, 2024•32 min
In this edition of If You Can Keep It, we're focusing on campaign donations – where those funds come from and where they go. New data from the Federal Election Commissions reveals how much the campaigns have raised and spent for the month of August. It was the first full month of fundraising for Vice President Kamala Harris since she became the Democratic nominee. How did she do? You might also be inundated with texts and emails from election campaigns asking for contributions. We discuss how th...
Sep 23, 2024•33 min
Last Sunday saw yet another apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump's life at one of his golf courses in Florida. The Secret Service has come under renewed scrutiny. The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday after its September meeting that it has cut its main interest rate by half of a percent. It's the first cut to interest rates since the beginning of the pandemic in March 20-20. Meanwhile, two waves of deadly explosions involving pagers, walkie talkies, and other electr...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 23 min
How do some media organizations call an election before it's officially decided? Some have their own election analysts. Others, including NPR, rely on reporting from the Associated Press for breaking news from all around the country. Especially on election night. As votes roll in, the AP is regarded as the definitive source for when a state gets called in favor of one candidate or the other. It's how we find out who our next president is going to be. We take a closer look at the process and answ...
Sep 19, 2024•32 min
Book festivals are special events where authors are celebrities and audiences are bookworms ready to nerd out among their our own. Every year, more than 100 of these festivals take place nationwide. And one of the largest is in the nation's capital, hosted by the world's biggest library: The Library of Congress. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden joins us to discuss highlights from this year's National Book Festival, in Washington D.C. We hear from some of the country's most prominent authors on...
Sep 18, 2024•25 min
Scenes of chaos struck in Beirut on Tuesday where authorities say that 9 people have been killed and thousands injured. That's after hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously in parts of Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday. Among those wounded was Iran's ambassador to Lebanon. The pagers were used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah. In a statement released on Tuesday. Hezbollah said that two members of the Iran-backed group were among those killed. Hezbollah and the L...
Sep 18, 2024•12 min
Delicatessen supplier Boar's Head is shutting down its Virginia plant indefinitely after being linked to a listeria outbreak which killed nine people and hospitalized 57. Some 7 million pounds of meat has been recalled. Two years before the outbreak, the USDA submitted reports indicating the Virginia plant posed an imminent threat to food safety. That report cited mold, rust, and insects, among other concerns. The deadly listeria outbreak comes amid a rise in food recalls. According to Public In...
Sep 17, 2024•36 min
Former President Donald Trump is safe after what the FBI says was an "attempted assassination" while playing golf at a Trump property in Florida on. On Monday, the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was charged with federal gun crimes. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues. Officials say no motive has been determined at this time. The apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump – the second threat to his life in recent months – raises questions about how to ...
Sep 17, 2024•10 min
This November, voters in 41 states will consider 159 ballot measures. That's no more than usual. From 2010 to 2022, the average number in election years was 161. What is unusual is the number of abortion-related measures: 11, the most on record for a single year. Other consequential issues are up for consideration, too. Voters in multiple states will decide on non-citizen voting bans, electoral processes, and the minimum wage. We get an overview of ballot measures nationwide and the strategies o...
Sep 16, 2024•37 min
Some 67 million people tuned in to watch Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump face off in their first and maybe only debate of this election season on Tuesday. On Wednesday, state and local officials across the country warned that issues with the U.S. postal service could result in disenfranchised voters this election. Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike on a U.N. school complex sheltering 1,200 displaced Palestinians killed six U.N. staffers at a refugee camp in Central Ga...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 24 min
You've likely heard the saying "all politics is local." But here's the hitch. For many local offices, there's often just one candidate running in a race. Sometimes, nobody's running at all. In 2022, 67 percent of races went uncontested. That's according to the nonpartisan research organization BallotReady. That not only leaves voters with a lack of choice, but also raises questions about how and where we choose to live and who influences local policies. We discuss uncontested races and why they ...
Sep 12, 2024•32 min
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took to the debate stage in Philadelphia last night. It was the first debate between the two presidential candidates this election cycle and it could be the last before November. And the stakes were high. According to the latest NPR-PBS Newshour-Marist poll, Harris leads Trump by one point among voters nationally. Thirty percent of voters polled said the debate would decide which candidate they vote for. We discuss the big takeaways ...
Sep 11, 2024•40 min
It's NPR Climate Solutions Week. Across the network, we're talking about how to slow the effects of climate change. Offshore wind is a powerful source of clean, renewable energy. But it's deployment along U.S. shores has been slowed by supply chain challenges and significant local opposition. Just last week, the Biden Administration approved the nation's tenth offshore wind project. It's part of the president's goal to power 10 million American homes with offshore wind by the end of the decade. ...
Sep 10, 2024•36 min
A growing number of voters in swing states are saying that abortion could sway their decision in the election this November. But the presidency isn't the only place abortion is relevant on the ballot. At least 11 states—including Arizona, Montana, and Florida—are voting directly on the issue this fall. It's been two years since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. For this installment of 'If You Can Keep It,' we discuss how the abortion rights landscape has changed and what...
Sep 09, 2024•34 min
Officials last night in Georgia charged the father of the suspected Apalachee High gunman with two counts of second-degree murder. On Wednesday, his 14-year-old son was arrested and charged with four counts of felony murder after he allegedly killed two students and two teachers at his high school. Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Govs. Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo was charged this week with being an agent of the Chinese government. Meanwhile, overseas, Israel has been carrying out large-sc...
Sep 06, 2024•1 hr 22 min
It's one of the world's most serious current crises – and yet, this conflict is being deemed "forgotten." But it's certainly well known by the more than 25 million people in Sudan who are facing hunger and the 11 million who have been displaced from their homes. Since April of last year, conflict has raged between two Sudanese military groups, putting civilians in the middle of 500 days of violence and causing greater humanitarian crisis. One report predicts that more than 2.5 million people cou...
Sep 05, 2024•36 min
If you've followed the past month of presidential politics – a month that might feel like a decade – you may have noticed a particular issue come up that hasn't gotten much attention from national campaigns in the past: housing. Both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, and their vice-presidential picks, are talking about it on the stump. We discuss why housing is a central issue in the campaign and what the federal government can do to make renting or buying a home more afford...
Sep 04, 2024•36 min
In a time of widespread suspicion and cynicism, everyone has a role to play in strengthening social trust and building bridges. How can we create optimism about the present and the future? That big question was central to a conversation at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June. We discuss how individuals and organizations can work together to repair the fundamental bonds of a healthy society. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Co...
Sep 03, 2024•35 min
You're listening to a public radio show. There's a good chance you're into books and the stores that sell them. And what's not to love? There might be few greater joys in life than a warm drink, a kind clerk with good recs, and the scent of freshly printed pages wafting through the air. But in the age of the internet (and especially of Amazon) the future of the world's independent book sellers looks murky. But not hopeless. We discuss what the future holds for these brick and mortar institutions...
Sep 02, 2024•32 min
