President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined some stark changes to the U.S. military’s policies and norms at last week’s gathering of its top brass. From new standards that question the fitness of women in combat roles, to deploying the military to U.S. cities, the White House is outlining a new vision for the armed forces. It’s also looking to eliminate existing channels to report abuse and harassment within the ranks and implement random polygraph tests. We talk through a...
Oct 06, 2025•43 min
After Congress failed to reach an agreement to keep the doors in Washington open, the government has shut down. This comes as tens of thousands of federal workers are set to exit the federal payroll due to firings and deferred buyout agreements. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called all military generals to Quantico, Virginia, to listen to an address about his vision for the armed forces. President Donald Trump said he plans on sending troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect Immigration and Cu...
Oct 04, 2025•1 hr 23 min
How does hatred towards women relate to violence? We’ve seen more than a few incidents of political extremism and mass violence in the U.S. over the last few years. In the days, weeks, and months after acts like these, we seek motives. We try to understand why violence is perpetrated in hopes of preventing it in the future. One expert argues that in that search for answers – we’re missing something crucial. Something that keeps us from addressing this violence and extremism head on. That blind s...
Oct 02, 2025•36 min
The White House is continuing its mission to hollow out the federal workforce. The Trump administration has signaled that it will use the government shutdown to prompt and encourage mass resignations and layoffs. More than 150,000 federal employees plan to leave the U.S. government payroll this week. It’s the largest single-year exodus of federal workers since World War II. For workers who opted into the deferred exit program, those resignations began on Tuesday. Workers who didn’t take the buyo...
Oct 01, 2025•30 min
Many of us know that being outside feels good. Maybe it’s for a short walk to the store. Maybe for a hike at a nearby mountain. Or maybe spending time at the beach with loved ones for a holiday. But did you know that a short walk in nature can improve your attention span by 20 percent? And that even fake plants have been shown to deliver health benefits? There are real benefits to surrounding yourself with the natural world. We sit down with the pioneer of environmental neuroscience, Marc Berman...
Sep 30, 2025•33 min
NATO’s airspace is busy these days. And not in a good way. That’s especially true for member nations on the alliance’s eastern flank. It’s not supposed to be that way. In recent weeks, states like Poland, Estonia, Romania, and Denmark have seen drones or other aircraft violate their airspace. In some cases, these airborne craft clearly identify they’re Russian in origin. Multiple countries have called on NATO to consult about what to do next. So, what’s going on? What is Russia up to? Find more ...
Sep 30, 2025•22 min
President Donald Trump has, according to many legal experts, crossed the Rubicon. After years of railing against his perceived enemies and publicly threatening to use the government for revenge, he’s pressured the Justice Department to bring charges against someone he hates despite warnings from top prosecutors. Late last week, a grand jury narrowly indicted former FBI Director James Comey on allegations that he lied to Congress in 2020. The 5-year statute of limitations was set to expire on Tue...
Sep 29, 2025•41 min
A gunman opened fire at an ICE detention facility in Dallas leaving one person dead and two more injured. All three of the victims were detainees and no ICE agents were hurt. The shooter was found dead according to senior law enforcement officials. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air on ABC this week . He was suspended after he made comments concerning the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The deadline to pass the government funding bill is fast approaching. The Trump Whi...
Sep 26, 2025•1 hr 25 min
More than 50 years ago, President Richard Nixon declared war on cancer when he signed the National Cancer Act in 1971. Since then, the United States has emerged as a juggernaut in cancer research, funded largely by the government. But since President Donald Trump took office in January, the administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and government funding are upending the country’s research system. So, how are these funding and staffing cuts affecting cancer research and treatment? ...
Sep 25, 2025•32 min
A record number of people are being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And the conditions they’re reporting have been described as cruel and inhumane. Last month, 60,000 people were detained by ICE, breaking a record set by the previous Trump administration. A Los Angeles Times analysis of public data found that more than a third of detainees have spent time in a dedicated facility that is over capacity. And now, county jails and ICE field offices are being transformed to fill thos...
Sep 24, 2025•31 min
It happens every year — sometimes even more frequently than that. A fight is brewing over funding the government before a deadline at the end of September. On Friday, Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, passed a stop-gap measure to fund the government through Nov. 21 . This is all happening against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s summer of immigration raids , the deployment of the National Guard to Washington D.C. , and the claw back of approved fed...
Sep 22, 2025•36 min
In a blow to free speech, TV host Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was suspended from ABC’s lineup after the comedian made jokes about President Donald Trump’s relationship with the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The 22-year-old suspect in Kirk’s killing was charged on Tuesday in Utah County with aggravated murder. The state is seeking the death penalty. This week the president announced the National Guard will be deployed to Memphis, Tennessee. Meanwhile, a United Nations commission con...
Sep 19, 2025•1 hr 19 min
Fourteen people are dead after the U.S. military launched strikes on two Venezuelan boats this month in international waters. President Donald Trump says they were heading towards the U.S. That’s despite reports from several agencies saying the boat attacked two weeks ago was headed away from the U.S. when it was hit. Trump is also accusing the boats of being connected to Venezuelan drug trafficking cartels that he says posed a threat to the U.S. Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, says the U...
Sep 19, 2025•12 min
FBI Director Kash Patel appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for a second day of questioning by lawmakers. He faced questions about his leadership of the bureau including the firing of dozens of FBI agents and officials, the release of investigative files related to alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and the shooting of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk. Patel began his hearings on Wednesday by defending the agency under his leadership. What were some of the biggest ...
Sep 18, 2025•12 min
Various states in the U.S. are locked in a fight over redistricting. It’s all centered on which party will keep the House next year. Republicans now have a slim majority, 219 seats to 213. It started this summer when President Donald Trump asked Republicans in Texas to redraw the state’s congressional maps early. The goal he said, was to improve Republicans’ shot at winning five more seats in the House of Representatives during the 2026 midterm elections. After a standoff with Democrats in the s...
Sep 17, 2025•12 min
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer broke the norm when he handed President Donald Trump an invitation for a second state visit. The pomp begins on Wednesday, and leadership across the pond is making no secret of its intention to woo President Trump. But there’s more on the docket than making nice – and more at stake, too. What does the visit mean for both the U.S. And the UK? Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswi...
Sep 16, 2025•12 min
On Friday, law enforcement authorities announced the arrest of a 22-year-old for the shooting death of Charlie Kirk. Kirk, a Trump ally and the co-founder of Turning Point USA, died after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University. He was speaking to a large crowd at an outdoor “Prove Me Wrong” debate, where he invited students to challenge his political and cultural views. At a press conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox asked Americans to consider what happens from here – an escalation or an...
Sep 15, 2025•36 min
Republican provocateur and online personality Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while hosting an event at Utah Valley University this week. Despite authorities searching for the person responsible, no suspects are in custody. Donald Trump’s takeover of the Washington D.C. police department expired Thursday evening. Trump signaled that he would seek an extension, but that desire has reportedly cooled. Meanwhile, in an attempt to harm Hamas, Israel bombed the Qatari capital of Doha this week. Israe...
Sep 12, 2025•1 hr 28 min
The nation’s patchwork system of abortion laws is once again being challenged. This time, opponents are targeting telehealth abortions. That’s when a provider in a state where abortion is legal meets virtually with a patient and sends them pills to take at home. Those patients come from states all over the country – even those with abortion bans. A quarter of all abortions in the U.S. are done via telehealth. That’s according to a June report from the Society of Family Planning. Now, attorneys g...
Sep 11, 2025•31 min
What’s behind Donald Trump’s ongoing battle with the Federal Reserve? That’s the question on some analysts minds as the White House proposes staff shakeups at the historically independent central bank. Trump has been attempting to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook since Aug. 25. Cook was nominated by Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2022. The administration is attempting to fire her based on allegations that she committed mortgage fraud before joining the Fed – that’s despite the f...
Sep 10, 2025•36 min
President Donald Trump has tested the limits of the law since the day he took office at the start his second term. This includes signing an executive order to end birthright citizenship, terminating or freezing billions of dollars in federal funding, and enacting sweeping tariffs on foreign goods without congressional approval. But these actions have not been met with silence. Over the last eight months, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed by state attorneys, physicians, media organizations, in...
Sep 09, 2025•35 min
In recent weeks, we’ve seen a seismic shakeup inside the Department of Health and Human Services and unprecedented discord between the agency, scientists, and doctors. HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. is bucking the science-backed guidance of physicians on vaccines. That’s angered some Democrats. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren went after Kennedy over his pseudoscientific approach to running the agency during a Senate hearing Thursday. So, what happens when ...
Sep 08, 2025•44 min
Jobs numbers are out. They indicate a stalling labor market, with U.S. employers adding just 22,000 jobs in August and unemployment rising to 4.3 percent. After rumors about the president’s supposedly failing health swirled online last weekend, Donald Trump appeared in public at a press conference this week announcing the relocation of the Space Force headquarters from Colorado to Alabama. Florida announced this week that it’s set to become the first state in the U.S. to end vaccine mandates in ...
Sep 05, 2025•1 hr 27 min
Every August, New York City becomes the headquarters for all things tennis thanks to the U.S. Open. And a lot has happened for the sport in the Big Apple. This year marks 75 since Althea Gibson broke the tennis color barrier at the tournament . So, ahead of the finals this weekend, we sit down with a panel of experts to talk about the biggest takeaways from this year’s event and the future of the sport. Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.np...
Sep 04, 2025•33 min
A 6.0 earthquake hit Afghanistan on Sunday night leaving more than 1,400 dead and at least 3,000 injured. Rescue crews struggled to reach affected villages in remote areas of the country’s Kunar Province as powerful aftershocks continued to rattle the area. All of this is happening in a country already reeling from deep cuts to aid funding, a struggling economy, and an influx of millions of Afghans forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan. Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-...
Sep 03, 2025•12 min
Congress returned to the Capitol on Tuesday after their month-long summer break. They’re already in a time crunch. Lawmakers have around four weeks – or around just 14 legislative days – to pass a spending measure and avoid a government shutdown before Sept. 30. Tensions between Republicans and Democrats are high. After the passages of President Donald Trump’s spending and rescission bills, Democrats say they are ready for a fight. But the potential for being blamed for a government shutdown als...
Sep 03, 2025•12 min
Donald Trump says the office of the president gives him the right to deploy the National Guard to U.S. states. But does it? And who decides? The president signed an executive order last week calling for a restructuring of the National Guard. It also asks the nation’s defense secretary to create a rapid response force to be deployed to states for “quelling civil disturbances and ensuring public safety.” Meanwhile, Trump says the city of Chicago is in need of National Guard presence due to a rise ...
Sep 02, 2025•33 min
We love talking about food at 1A . From the latest cookbooks to answering your questions about your favorite foods. As a holiday weekend treat and a fond look back at summer, we bring you highlights from an episode of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio Podcast . The team discusses grilling and answer listener questions. 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 o...
Aug 31, 2025•34 min
A shooter opened fire in a Minneapolis church on Wednesday, injuring 17 people and killing two children. Parishioners and students were gathered at a Mass marking the first week of school A federal grand jury in the nation’s capital this week declined to indict a man who threw a sandwich at a federal officer in Washington DC. Emails between top Florida officials show that they expect the state’s newest immigration detention facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” to be emptied in the coming weeks...
Aug 29, 2025•1 hr 25 min
It’s been two decades since Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans , making landfall in the city as a Category 3 storm. The massive storm surge broke through levees and the flood walls. Some 80 percent of New Orleans flooded. Entire neighborhoods were wiped out. The official death toll totaled nearly 1,400 people. And what happened in the storm’s wake changed the face of emergency response in this country forever. We mark 20 years since Hurricane Katrina hit. We take you back to that time, look a...
Aug 28, 2025•43 min
