Social media platforms have helped fuel political polarization and incitements to violence across the globe, from the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.This is because algorithms consistently select content that evokes anger and outrage from its users to maximize engagement. And sometimes, those extreme emotions turn into extreme actions.New York Times reporter Max Fisher took a deep dive into the impact of social media in his book, "The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World." He shares with us how platform leaders have prioritized profit and growth over safeguards and how the polarizing effect of social media is only speeding up.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A lot of mobile homes aren't actually that mobile. They're brought in trucks in big pieces, then screwed together and put up on foundations. At that point they're basically just houses, with one major exception: the people who own those houses, if they live in a mobile home park, often don't own the land underneath them.That can leave them at the mercy of the big companies that own and manage the mobile home parks.NPR's Chris Arnold and Robert Benincasa have the story of a group of residents who are suing their corporate landlord, and what it might say about the mobile home industry in America.You can read an in-depth version of the story here.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Even if you have never walked the red carpet at the Met Gala, or sat in the front row of a Fashion Week runway, the notion of fashion is hard to escape. For some of us, what we wear – whether it's Gucci or the GAP–is about more than just the clothes on our bodies. Fashion is often about who we are - our ideas, identity, and culture. For those who cover and create fashion, it can be a way to challenge and change the culture in ways that resonate beyond the red carpet and the runway. Host Michel Martin speaks with designer Eileen Fisher, one of the first in the industry to introduce sustainable clothing production. She is stepping down as CEO of her self named company after 34 years. Kenya Hunt is stepping into the editor-in-chief role at Elle UK. She is the first Black woman to hold the position. Hunt talks about why she chose Lizzo for the magazine's September cover. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at [email protected] episode was produced by Robert Baldwin III. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Natalie Winston.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Quiet quitting. It's a buzzy topic in the workplace and on social media, sparked by a viral TikTok video earlier this summer. So what does it mean?For some workers, it's simply doing what's in your job description and nothing more. For others, it's about setting boundaries and focusing on work-life balance. Quiet quitting doesn't actually involve quitting a job. But as workplace culture has changed during the pandemic, many people are re-evaluating their relationship to work and trying to figure out the right balance between their work lives and their personal lives.We talk to Robyn Garrett, CEO of the leadership company Beamably, and Jhanee Carter, CEO and founder of the HR Queen, about quiet quitting and the impact it's having on workers and the workplace.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch of Britain since 1952, died on Thursday at the age of 96. She reigned for longer than any other ruler of the United Kingdom, spanning seventy years and fifteen prime ministers. NPR's Frank Langfitt brings us the story of her life and reign, including the ups and downs of the royal family during her tenure.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For more than a month, residents of Jackson, Mississippi, have not had access to safe drinking water. The city is under a boil water advisory after problems with the pumps at the city's main water treatment plant. It's the latest emergency in a city that has had problems with its water system for decades. We talk to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan about efforts to fix Jackson's water infrastructure.This episode also features reporting from NPR's Cory Turner and Jennifer Ludden.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Traffic fatalities have surged since the early days of the pandemic, reversing a persistent decline since the 1970s. Roads in the U.S. are now more dangerous than they've been in 20 years.Vox's Marin Cogan tells us about the deadliest road in the country, a stretch of US-19 in Pasco County, Fla.And we speak to Ryan Sharp, director of transportation and planning in Hoboken, N.J. That city has managed to bring traffic deaths to zero for the past four years.This episode also features reporting from KCUR's Frank Morris.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in 2017, she was in the midst of reporting on corruption within the island's government. After her death, a small team of reporters picked up her work where she left off, determined to find the people behind her assassination.In this episode, we'll talk with one of those reporters — Stephen Grey from Reuters — about their investigation, which has uncovered new evidence about the network of people responsible for killing Caruana Galizia.This episode also features reporting from NPR's Joanna Kakisiss. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After decades of scandals over horrible conditions, many states are reimagining prisons and jails and reusing those properties to benefit the community.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After the 2016 election – and Russian hacking attempts targeted at local election offices – hundreds of local governments across the country made changes.Among them, installing something called an Albert sensor. It's designed to warn of hacking attempts.But in Washington State, this cybersecurity tool has become the subject of suspicion on the political right. It's part of a trend that one voting expert described as "using the language of election integrity to dismantle the infrastructure of election integrity."The Northwest News Network's Austin Jenkins and NPR's Miles Parks explain what's happening.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Students in Uvalde, Texas are going back to school for the first time since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School back in May. But parents and kids are still worried about security in the district — and some families are opting to homeschool instead of going back in-person.NPR's Juana Summers spent a week in Uvalde speaking with families about how the community is trying to move forward — and balance education with the need to keep students safe.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been 17 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, permanently changing life for many people across the country.Over a thousand were killed, and many more were displaced. The city suffered billions of dollars of damage. New Orleans has slowly recovered over the years, but for many, the trauma of the natural disaster lingers on. NPR's Juana Summers talks with filmmaker Edward Buckles Jr. about his new documentary, 'Katrina Babies,' which explores the trauma experienced by families and children from Hurricane Katrina. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Serena Williams dominated tennis for the better part of two decades. Her athleticism and aggressive style changed the way the women's game is played. And she inspired a generation of young Black players who followed in her footsteps.Coco Gauff was one of them. At 18 years old, she was born five years after Williams' first Grand Slam singles title. Today, she's ranked 12th in the WTA rankings. "Growing up, I never thought I was different," she said, "because the number one player in the world was somebody who looked like me."As Williams plays in what may be the final matches of her career, in the U.S. Open, Chanda Rubin of Tennis Channel reflects on Williams' career and her legacy.This episode also features reporting on the Williams family's time in Compton, California, from NPR's Danny Hajek.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This summer, just weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the story of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio became a flashpoint in the national abortion debate.The girl had become pregnant as a result of rape and had to travel across state lines to Indiana to get an abortion.For one rape survivor, the case reminded her of what she lived through long ago, before Roe was the law the of the land. She spoke with NPR's Sarah McCammon about her experience.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Across the country, some teachers are deciding not to return to the classroom this September. The pandemic didn't create the problem of teacher burnout, but it made a bad situation worse. Fed up with low pay, hampered by partisan politics intruding in the classroom, and shaken by the recent Uvalde shooting, many say they have reached their breaking point. Teacher vacancies have left school districts across the U.S. scrambling to find enough qualified faculty for the fall. In some areas, competition for teachers is fierce, and schools are finding creative ways to hold on to existing teachers and attract new talent.Host Don Gonyea speaks with John Kuhn, Superintendent of Mineral Wells Independent School District in Texas, about the bold changes he made to retain teachers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Biden's plan to forgive federal student loan debt – up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for others who qualify – leaves millions of borrowers with unanswered questions. NPR's Sequoia Carrillo and Carolina Rodriguez of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York, examine the new plan and help answer some of the frequently asked questions about how it would work. This episode features reporting from NPR's Scott Horsley.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For nearly four decades, Dr. Anthony Fauci has been leading the fight against infectious diseases in America - including AIDS and COVID-19. Now, he's stepping away.Earlier this week, Dr. Fauci announced he would retire as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the end of the year. In this episode, we'll talk with Dr. Fauci about his decision to leave, and take a look at the twists and turns of his long - and sometimes controversial - career.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The soldiers known as the Azovstal defenders are heroes in Ukraine. They held out for months against the Russians, fighting from a bombed-out steel plant in the southern port city of Mariupol. When the city fell, the Ukrainian soldiers were taken captive by Russia. Last month, the prison where they were being held was rocked by an explosion. More than 50 people died according to Russian sources, and both Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the attack. NPR's Joanna Kakissis and producer Iryna Matviyishyn spoke to some of these soldiers' families as they waited to find out whether the men were dead or alive.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Gas prices are down. Inflation is dropping ever so slightly. But the cost of food is going up. The price of food in America rose more in the past year than it has at any time since 1979.We'll explore the ways that high food prices are affecting consumers and small businesses alike, and see what inflation means for those who are most vulnerable to food insecurity.This episode features reporting from NPR's Asma Khalid, Scott Horsley and Ari Shapiro, along with Stephan Bisaha from our Gulf States Newsroom.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

One year after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the lives of women and girls have changed dramatically.Girls are no longer permitted to attend secondary school. Women are blocked from working in most sectors. And they are under orders to cover themselves in public. Rangina Hamidi was the acting minister of education when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. We hear about her decision to leave the country and her yearning to return. Additional reporting in this episode comes from NPR's Steve Inskeep and Diaa Hadid.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's the kind of captivating, complex story that's hard to forget once you hear it. In 2012, star Notre Dame linebacker Manti T'eo's grandmother died. Just hours later, his girlfriend died of leukemia. Rising above the tragedy he seemed unstoppable on the field as Notre Dame went on to a winning season. But the girlfriend was a hoax. Te'o was the victim of catfishing. He had fallen in love with a fake Facebook profile. In the media frenzy that followed, he went from the golden boy of Notre Dame football to the target of ridicule and attack. In a new documentary on Netflix, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist, Manti Te'o gets the opportunity to tell his full story for the first time in nearly ten years. Host Michel Martin speaks with Te'o about the scandal and how he overcame it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Biden had the narrowest possible Democratic Majority in the Senate when he took office. Yet the Biden administration's legislative successes continue to pile up.He signed the American Rescue Plan just a couple months after taking office, followed by a major infrastructure bill last fall. Most recently, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. These three legislative packages total up to around $4 trillion.NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with journalist Michael Grunwald, author of the book, "The New New Deal", about what it all means for the country. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

75 years ago this week, British colonial rule ended in India. Two new nations emerged - Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. But that freedom was followed by chaos and bloodshed. Partition triggered a mass migration across a shared border, as millions of Muslims fled to Pakistan and millions of Hindus and Sikhs fled to India. Violent attacks happened on both sides of the border. An estimated one million people were killed. Pakistan and India still grapple with the repercussions of Partition and the effects are still felt today. NPR's Lauren Frayer tells us about an effort to heal some of those old wounds by reconnecting elderly survivors of Partition with the homes and villages they haven't seen in decades. Additional reporting in this episode from NPR's Diaa Hadid.You can read more about Diaa and Lauren's reporting on this story here.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A key primary this week in Wyoming re-affirmed Donald Trump's hold on the Republican party.As expected, Republican Representative Liz Cheney lost her race in a landslide, defeated by attorney Harriet Hageman, a Trump-endorsed political newcomer. Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, came to office five years ago as a Republican darling. But everything shifted when she voted to impeach Trump after the January 6th insurrection. She then took center stage in the January 6th hearings, speaking out against Republicans that continued to defend Trump's stolen election lie.With Cheney's time in Congress coming to an end, Political journalist Jodi Edna has been thinking about what Cheney might do next — and what it means for the future of the GOP. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In 2018, more than 5,500 children of immigrants were separated from their parents at the border.The Trump administration's "Zero Tolerance" policy, better known as family separation, was short-lived, ending in June of 2018 after facing condemnation from the public and members of Congress.For some families, it took years to reunite, and hundreds of families still have not been brought back together.Caitlin Dickerson's latest cover story for The Atlantic, titled, "We Need To Take Away Children: The Secret History Of The U.S. Government's Family Separation Policy", is an exhaustive investigation into how the policy came about.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

One year ago, on August 15, 2021, the Taliban swept into power in Kabul. It's a day that many remember, as videos and images showed a chaotic scene at the Kabul airport, with thousands of Afghans desperately trying to flee the country. Lt. Col. Chris Richardella was one of the officers leading the U.S. Marine Corps at the airport when the Taliban took over. In a conversation with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, he recounts what followed.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

At one point, over 90% of African Americans with a college degree obtained it from an HBCU. But in the decades following the legal dismantling of segregation, enrollment declined at HBCUs.Recently, some HBCUs have seen a significant rise in applications. The boost could be due to more funding, celebrity students, or famous HBCU grads like Vice President Kamala Harris. But informal conversations with Black students and their families point to something even more powerful: HBCUs are a safe and nurturing space to learn in a time of increasing anti-Black racism.Host Michel Martin speaks with Walter Kimbrough, the past president of two historically Black institutions - Philander Smith College and Dillard University - and the interim executive director of the Black Men's Research Institute at Morehouse College. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Former President Donald Trump is dominating headlines yet again. Earlier this week, the FBI took several boxes of secret and top secret documents from Mar-a-Lago during a search of Trump's home. And on Friday, a federal judge unsealed the warrant for the search – plus a list of what was taken from the property. NPR's Carrie Johnson explains what the unsealed warrant reveals, and what comes next. But the news from Mar-a-Lago is just the latest in a litany of legal battles entangling the former president. From the civil and criminal cases in New York, to the Georgia election interference case and the Jan 6th DOJ investigation – it can be hard to keep track of it all. Barbara McQuade is a professor at University of Michigan Law School and a former U.S. attorney, she helps us understand where these cases stand.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Up until a few weeks ago, meaningful climate legislation was sidelined in the U.S. Senate. But after months of wrangling votes — and adding concessions to oil and gas companies — Democrats in the Senate have finally passed the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill includes more than $300 billion in climate investments — the highest amount ever allocated by the federal government to tackle climate change. This episode lays out what the bill does, what it doesn't, and tracks the ups and downs of the legislation as it wound its way through Congress.This episode also features reporting by NPR's Laura Benshoff looking at the ways the legislation incentivizes individuals to fight climate change in their everyday life.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In Republican politics, one of the biggest issues in the 2022 election is the 2020 election. In at least 8 states so far, Republicans have picked candidates for Secretary of State who deny the results of the last presidential election. This is despite the fact that not a shred of evidence calls President Biden's victory into question. If elected, they would become the chief elections officer in their states.In some of the same swing states where election deniers will be on the statewide ballot in November, there's another effort underway, backed by key figures in former President Trump's orbit. Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who worked on Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election, is working to mobilize an "army" of poll watchers.NPR's Tom Dreisbach reports on what he learned from leaked audio of one of her summits. This episode also features reporting from NPR's Miles Parks, who covers voting and election security.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Researchers at an American national laboratory spent years developing cutting-edge vanadium redox flow batteries. But now, a Chinese company is making those batteries in a factory in northeastern China.An investigation from NPR's Laura Sullivan and Northwest News Network's Courtney Flatt shows how the U.S. federal government gave away American-made technology to China. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

All eyes are on Kherson. In Ukraine's first major offensive of the war, soldiers are pushing towards the city, trying to retake it from Russian troops. It's a transport hub and key river crossing, and reclaiming it would be a huge victory for Ukraine.NPR's Kat Lonsdorf brings us the story of Vitaly, a 22-year-old college student in Kherson. Since the city first fell, he has sent NPR voice memos detailing life under the Russian occupation. Now, he's decided he has to get out.And NPR's Brian Mann travels near the front lines with Ukrainian forces pushing towards Kherson. It's a vast stretch of half-abandoned villages and farms fields, old industrial sites and dense forests, where the exact point of contact between Russian and Ukrainian troops is often unclear day by day.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bashar Murad's danceable riffs and live concerts and videos - filled with bubbles, enormous hats, and layers and layers of veils - have earned him the nickname "Palestinian Lady Gaga" from his fans. And much like Born This Way is an anthem of equality, Murad's songs challenge conservative social norms and push for LGBTQ rights while also challenging the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Earlier this summer, Murad's concert in the West Bank city of Ramallah was cancelled under threats by anti-LGBTQ activists. As an outspoken proponent of LGBTQ rights, Murad is challenging both the external conflict Palestinians face with Israel and the internal conflicts imposed by a conservative society. This week, NPR's Daniel Estrin speaks with Bashar Murad about his music, his activism, and how anti-LGBTQ events that unfolded during the summer have added to the complexities that can come with being a voice for both the Palestinian and the LGBTQ communities.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.This episode was reported by Daniel Estrin. It was produced by Miranda Mazariegos and edited by Jeanette Woods and Larry Kaplow. Our executive producer is Natalie Winston. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week the Biden administration declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. And as the number of cases in the U.S. continues to climb, there's a lot of confusion about the disease, how it spreads and who's most at-risk. NPR health correspondents Pien Huang and Michaeleen Doucleff join us to discuss the current outbreak. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the U.S. airstrike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, there's a lot to talk about with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan these days.He weighs in on all three in a sit-down interview with NPR.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Since the fall of Roe v. Wade, a dozen states have implemented laws banning or severely restricting abortion. Those laws have consequences for wanted pregnancies, too. NPR's Carrie Feibel brings us the story of a woman in Texas whose pregnancy took a sudden turn. Because of the state's abortion law, her case became a medical crisis. This episode also includes reporting from NPR's Sarah McCammon and Melissa BlockIn participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al Qaeda, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan over the weekend. For years, al-Zawahiri was Osama Bin Laden's deputy — and was known as the mastermind behind the 9-11 attacks. NPR's Greg Myre and Diaa Hadid discuss the implications of al-Zawahiri's death for the U.S., Afghanistan, and America's decades-long war on terror.This episode also features reporting from NPR's Steve Inskeep.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dee Davis remembers watching his grandmother float by in a canoe during the 1957 flood that hit Whitesburg, Ky. The water crested at nearly 15 feet back then--a record that stood for over half a century, until it was obliterated last week.The water was more than six feet higher than the 1957 mark when floodwater destroyed the gauge.The flooding took out bridges and knocked houses off their foundations. It had claimed at least 35 lives as of Monday afternoon.And it was just the latest record-breaking flooding event to hit the U.S. this summer. NPR's Rebecca Hersher explains that climate change is making extreme floods more frequent. A warming atmosphere can hold more moisture, which means, when it rains, it rains harder.This episode also features reporting from NPR's Kirk Siegler, KJZZ's Michel Marizco and St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Fentem.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

You may have never heard the phrase abortion doula, but for years they have been working to support people navigating the process and experience of ending a pregnancy. With Roe overturned, depending on where you live, figuring out how to obtain an abortion has gotten much harder. This could make the role of abortion doulas more critical than ever --- and more risky.NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Vicki Bloom. She refers to herself as a full spectrum doula and provides a range of reproductive health support services, from helping clients create a birth plan, to being present at abortions, to providing information and emotional support. We discuss what a abortion doula does and how that role might change in a post-Roe world.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, Pope Francis has been in Canada, on what he calls a "Pilgrimage of Penance". He's been going around the country to apologize for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's residential school system. These schools – funded by the Canadian government and administered by the Catholic Church – were aimed at erasing the culture and language of indigenous people. The apology from Pope Francis this week comes after years of allegations detailing abuse and neglect at these residential boarding schools. Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2008 to document what happened at these schools – and the lasting trauma that has followed. Stephanie Scott is a member of the Anishinaabe from Roseau River First Nation. She's executive director of the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation – and has been part of a years-long effort to gather the testimony of survivors. She shares with us the mixed feelings about the Pope's apology, and the work that still has to be done towards reconciliation.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The BA.5 variant is the most dominant strain of COVID-19 in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's highly transmissible and it's driving up COVID cases and hospitalizations. This week NPR learned that the Biden administration may scrap plans to let more younger adults get second COVID-19 boosters this summer. Instead, officials are trying to speed up availability of the next generation of boosters in the fall — boosters that specifically target the new subvariant. We talk to Dr. Robert Wachter, the chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, about the administration's booster strategy and how people can protect themselves in the midst of the latest surge. This episode also features reporting from NPR's Rob Stein.A heads up to listeners: we recorded this episode Thursday afternoon, before the Biden administration announced that it will hold off on offering boosters for people under 50 this summer.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Residential hotels used to play a huge role in the American housing landscape, providing flexible accommodation for anyone who needed it, from the rich and famous to the barely scraping by. Slate staff writer Henry Grabar argues that a return of extended-stay hotels could help solve some of today's housing market dysfunction.KNKX's Will James reports on what happened after tenants of a residential hotel in Tacoma, Wash., were forced out—into a housing market with very few affordable options.You can read his entire series on the Merkle Hotel here, and Henry Grabar's article on extended stay hotels here.This episode also features reporting on the US housing shortage from NPR's Chris Arnold.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured images of the universe that have stunned both scientists and the public. But for more than twenty years before its launch, the mission faced multiple delays, cost overruns, technical difficulties and threats from Congress to kill it altogether.We'll speak with some of the leaders of the Webb telescope mission who fought to keep it alive — and hear from astronomers whose work is now changed forever by its images.This episode also features reporting from NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Food, gas, rent — prices are climbing across the board. As inflation hit a 40-year high last month, millions of Americans are adjusting their spending and looking for ways to stretch their budgets. The Federal Reserve is taking action, too. Policy makers are meeting this week to consider whether and how much to raise interest rates in an effort to curb inflation. We talk to NPR's chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley and business correspondent David Gura. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week dozens of family members of victims of the Uvalde Texas school shooting showed up at the town's first school board meeting since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in May.The atmosphere became tense and emotional as families confronted board members, demanding assurances that students and staff would be safe in the coming school year.The school board meeting followed the release of surveillance footage from the day of the shooting and an investigative report released by the Texas House of Representatives.The investigation found that a total of 376 local, state, and federal officers converged on the scene. But due to "systemic failures and egregiously poor decision making" on the part of the police, more than an hour passed before anyone confronted the gunman. Many Americans feel that the police stand between order and chaos. Yet the massive failure by law enforcement in Uvalde may change how the public views police and how police view themselves.NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Seth Stoughton, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol wrapped up its first set of public hearings. The final hearing focused on former President Trump's actions - or lack of action - as rioters breached the Capitol.As the hearings continue, the Department of Justice is conducting its own investigation. And Attorney General Merrick Garland is under pressure from the left to bring criminal charges against Trump.We spoke to former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann about the evidence that the House Select Committee has presented and what the attorney general may be considering. Weissmann was a senior prosecutor on Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Record high temperatures have wreaked havoc around the world this week. In Southern England, railway tracks bent from the heat. In China, the roof tiles on a museum melted. In Texas, heat and a dry spell have caused nearly 200 water main breaks over the past month.And extreme heat puts lives at risk, too. It's more deadly than tornadoes, hurricanes, and all other weather events combined.Extreme temperatures, and the attendant misery, are connected to global warming, which is driven by human activity and accelerating.Reporters from around the globe talk about what they're seeing and how governments are responding. NPR's Rebecca Hersher, who reports on climate science and policy from the US, NPR's John Ruwitch in Shanghai and Willem Marx in London.This episode also features reporting from NPR's Franco Ordoñez.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Talking about abortion can be difficult even among adults. So how do you talk to kids about it? We asked listeners to send us their questions — and brought together two experts to answer them. Reena B. Patel, a parenting expert and licensed educational psychologist in San Diego, California, and Dr. Elise Berlan, a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist in Columbus, Ohio, join us to talk about ways to broach the conversation around abortion with kids of all ages.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy