Having trouble finding eggs in the grocery store this week? You're not alone. Bird flu is roiling egg farms across the country. In April 2024, the first hens tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or H5N1. Since then, the avian flu has spread to turkeys, cows, and humans. What are farmers doing to protect their flocks? And how worried should we be about catching it? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect ...
Feb 12, 2025•11 min
It's not uncommon — or even always bad — to drink on a date. But most of us have a story of over-doing it and having one too many drinks. At what point does alcohol hinder our ability to make true romantic connections, or blunt our decision-making so that we wind up with someone our sober selves wouldn't have chosen? Dry dating is becoming more popular. According to a 2024 survey from the dating site DatingNews.com, nearly 2 in 3 Gen-Z and Millennials said they preferred alcohol-free dates. With...
Feb 12, 2025•34 min
It's been three crazy weeks. It can be hard to keep up with the new commander-in-chief. There are at least 45 challenges in the courts against the Trump administration. These complaints are broad in scope, dealing with the role of Elon Musk's new Department of Government Efficiency to the gutting of The United States Agency for International Development. Judges are beginning to step in and put a damper on Trump's plans. But will the judicial branch keep the executive branch in check? We answer t...
Feb 11, 2025•35 min
Does distance really make the heart grow fonder? A growing number of couples who are choosing to live apart together (LAT) seem to think so. These lovers are in a committed relationship but live or sleep separately. Between 2000 and 2022, the percentage of married couples who decided to live apart grew by more than 40 percent. The trend has been driven mainly by older women. New research from a U.K. household study found that older couples who decided to live in separate places have better menta...
Feb 11, 2025•36 min
President Donald Trump has dominated the news cycle in the earliest days of office, firing off rounds of executive orders, turning billionaire Elon Musk loose on the federal workforce, and blitzing the press. But where is the opposition? Democrats lost big in 2024, ceding control of the Senate, House, and the presidency to the GOP. But as Trump continues to swing big at our governing apparatus, they've been more passive than some Americans would like. Where does the party go from here? And what ...
Feb 10, 2025•38 min
All USAID workers were placed on leave effective Friday, Donald Trump and his administration are now turning their attention to the Department of Education. Millions of federal workers now have more time to make a decision after a judge suspended the Office of Personnel Management's deadline for them to accept, or reject, the agency's "deferred resignation" offer. Meanwhile, President Trump suggested that the U.S. might take over Gaza and that Palestinians will relocate to neighboring countries....
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 23 min
USAID workers worldwide were pulled off the job Tuesday as President Donald Trump's administration posted notices online and sent emails telling employees that the government's spending overseas is now considered a waste and that they have 30 days to return home. These workers have also been placed on leave effective midnight Friday. The organization's website was recently taken offline. What happens next? We discuss what these moves mean for the future of America's international relationships a...
Feb 06, 2025•39 min
The Trump Administration's FCC Chair, Brendan Carr, has already made some moves when it comes to media. Only two days on the job, Carr reinstated complaints against ABC, CBS, and NBC for bias against Trump during the 2024 election. Last Thursday, he ordered an investigation into NPR and PBS for allegedly running advertisements. We discuss how the FCC regulates media and protects free speech. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions...
Feb 05, 2025•36 min
The graduating class of 2025 is the largest the country has ever seen — around 3.9 million students. That's according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. And it'll likely be the largest group for a while. That's because starting next school year, the number of high school seniors is expected to drop sharply. That's partly due to low birth rates connected to the 2008 recession. We discuss how colleges and universities are grappling with declining enrollment. Want to support...
Feb 04, 2025•36 min
On the 2024 campaign trail, Donald Trump vowed to end a regulatory crackdown on the cryptocurrency industry. Crypto was part of the deluge of first-week executive orders from the new administration. Trump established a working group on digital asset markets that is chaired by his new crypto AI Czar David Sacks. Trump meanwhile made crypto moves for himself that could potentially put billions in his pocket. For this week's installment of our series "If You Can Keep It," we take a closer look at o...
Feb 03, 2025•31 min
An American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter on Wednesday in Washington D.C., sending both crashing into the Potomac River. There are no survivors. Donald Trump ordered a freeze of all federal grants, disrupting vital national processes. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Palestinians are making their way back into the northern parts of Gaza. Israel's ban on working with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency goes into effect this week. A new Chinese AI app, called DeepSeek, has upende...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr 27 min
Fluoride in American tap water is nothing new. We've been safely adding it to our drinking water for decades and staved off tooth decay in our population. But new skepticism has some Americans wondering about the benefits of the practice. This is in large part thanks to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump's pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services. We discuss why fluoride is added to our water supply, the risks and benefits. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio stat...
Jan 30, 2025•35 min
It was instrumental in coordinating global action during the pandemic. However, that meant became a target for the president of then and now. The World Health Organization helps to protect and maintain the health of the world's population. It receives about 10 percent of its budget from the United States. President Donald Trump, however, doesn't see a lot of value in its work, signing an executive order Monday to withdraw America from the membership of the agency. He called the organization "cor...
Jan 29, 2025•36 min
Social media bans for minors have been making the rounds internationally. Now, Congress is looking to follow that lead. In November, Australia imposed a sweeping ban on social media for users under 16 years old. The ban holds social media companies responsible for enforcing age restrictions on their sites and prohibits minors under that age limit from using those platforms or creating new accounts. The law doesn't name specific apps or websites, but companies could face fines of up to $32 millio...
Jan 29, 2025•11 min
Humans love to connect. We're social like that. Whether we're sending telegrams, calling each other on the telephone, or DM'ing each other on the social media platform of our choosing, we're interacting. Whether or not that constant connection is a good thing is another matter entirely. Writer and author Nicholas Carr spends a lot of time thinking about that very question (and others like it). His new book, "Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart," tells a story of the parallel...
Jan 28, 2025•32 min
It's a moment that's run through President Donald Trump's first week in office — a bishop in Washington imploring the incoming commander in chief to show mercy to the less powerful during a national prayer service. This simple claim meant a lot to million worrying for the future of their country. It also offended many more who think it's on the right track. But that hasn't caused Bishop Marian Budde to waver in her convictions. She joins us to discuss her faith, what that moment meant to her, an...
Jan 28, 2025•18 min
The first week of President Trump's new term ended with a late-night purge of around 17 federal inspectors general on Friday. The exact total is still unclear. Trump said the move was a, quote, "very standard thing to do." But federal law requires a 30-day notification to Congress before inspectors general can be removed from their posts. Also, in the first week of his second term – four Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit to stop President Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship...
Jan 27, 2025•33 min
Donald Trump's first week back in office has been frenetic. The 47th president issued a slew of executive orders and actions on subjects ranging from immigration to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. And a Bishop made a heartfelt plea directly to the president and Vice President JD Vance, asking them to show mercy towards immigrants and LGBTQ youth. Friday marks five days since the beginning of the first stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. And this week the Israeli Defense F...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 23 min
Tesla's Elon Musk, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos were all in attendance Monday as President Donald Trump was sworn into office. In fact, they had better seats than most. Tech Industry Titans have spent months cozying up to the 47th president of the United States. Musk made campaign appearances with Trump. Zuckerberg has switched up his cultural rhetoric to fall in line with the new administration. And Bezos's companies are investing in the first family. Then there's TikTok than...
Jan 23, 2025•43 min
In his first moments as president, Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive actions targeting immigration. These include declaring a national emergency at the southern border and ending birthright citizenship. The Trump administration also unveiled a plan to deploy as many as 200 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct raids targeting undocumented migrants in cities across the country this week. And a memo from the Department of Homeland Security gives immigration enforcement offi...
Jan 22, 2025•34 min
President Donald Trump issued a sweeping pardon of January 6 rioters within hours of taking office. The move came among dozens of other executive actions concerning things like remote work and immigration. Trump took time to talk about those orders in his inauguration remarks, saying, "With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense." The president is making good on repeated promises for what aides called "shock and awe" on his first day. ...
Jan 21, 2025•39 min
A lot has changed in the United States since the last presidential inauguration in January of 2021. Four years ago, the world was managing a global pandemic, the U.S. was coming to terms with an insurrection on our democracy, and Donald Trump was on his way out of the White House. In just a few hours, he'll be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on the steps of the Capitol building. We discuss the first items on his agenda and hear your thoughts on his upcoming presidency. Want t...
Jan 20, 2025•38 min
Republican officials are hinting that they may withhold aid from California in the wake of devastating fires unless "conditions are met." President Joe Biden bid farewell to the nation in his final address, warning Americans against the dangers of populism. Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal that will begin a path for the war in Gaza to end. And Ukraine arrested has North Korean troops fighting for Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr said Ukraine is ready to send th...
Jan 17, 2025•1 hr 27 min
For the this installment of our (dot) GOV series, we're taking a closer look at two departments with big responsibilities. The Department of the Interior is tasked with protecting and managing the nation's "natural resources and cultural heritage." It's often referred to as "The Department of Everything Else." It's made up of about 70-thousand workers. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy sounds a bit more straightforward – but even then, what exactly does "energy" entail – especially in an agenc...
Jan 16, 2025•34 min
Negotiators have reached a ceasefire deal, with a path to ending Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza. It is set to begin on Jan. 19. The war in Gaza began after Hamas' attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza. Gaza's health ministry says more than 46,500 people have been killed during the war. A new, peer-reviewed study in The Lancet suggests that the death toll could be 40 percent hi...
Jan 16, 2025•11 min
It's safe to say most Americans hear the most about the U.S. Department of Agriculture when things go wrong — namely when something has to be recalled. But the department is responsible for so much more than just delivering bad news. It consists of 29 agencies that employ some 100,000 employees across 4,500 locations both domestic and abroad. Another agency whose name shows up when things go wrong is the Environmental Protection Agency. As its name implies, it's tasked with creating and upholdin...
Jan 15, 2025•36 min
It's the country's least favorite federal agency. Especially around this time of year. The Internal Revenue Service is responsible for collecting America's taxes and administering tax laws. Which means it draws a lot of ire from our nation's citizens. But the work it does is vital to funding federal agencies, services, programs, and much more. In the same vein, the Department of the Treasury is responsible for managing federal finances. The public probably best knows it for its influence on inte...
Jan 14, 2025•35 min
You've probably heard President-elect Donald Trump say he plans to close the Department of Education. It's the smallest of the cabinet-level federal agencies, with just over 4,000 employees. Its 2024 budget was $275 billion. That's 4 percent of all federal funding. Trump's plans to completely shutter the department are unlikely to happen. He may, however, make big changes to it, shifting many of its responsibility to other agencies. But what are those responsibilities exactly? And who carries th...
Jan 13, 2025•36 min
Firefighters battle to control several of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed at least five people, razed communities and forced thousands from their homes. A New York court declines incoming President Trump's request to halt criminal sentencing in his felony sex scandal cover up case. Meanwhile, the Danish king changed the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature the territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. That comes after President-elect Donald Trump seems to sug...
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 27 min
Firefighters battle to control several of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed at least five people, razed communities and forced thousands from their homes. A New York court declines incoming President Trump's request to halt criminal sentencing in his felony sex scandal cover up case. Meanwhile, the Danish king changed the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature the territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. That comes after President-elect Donald Trump seems to sug...
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 27 min
