1A

1A

NPR 300 Episodes Jul 3, 2026

1A is a news podcast from NPR that goes beyond the headlines to explore the stories shaping our world. Hosted by a team of journalists, the show cuts through the noise to get to the heart of the matter. It features in-depth conversations with experts, newsmakers, and listeners. The podcast aims to help audiences understand the news and its impact on their lives.

Episodes

Culture: The 2026 Sounds Of America For Our 250th Jul 3, 2026 2744 It's a milestone birthday for the U.S. this weekend. And we're marking the 250th by taking a look back at this year's Sounds of America series.Every year, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 pieces of sound to add to its collection — songs, speeches, and beyond.In the past, we’ve partnered with the 14th Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, who oversaw this project
Culture: What Does It Mean To Be An Adult Today? Jul 2, 2026 2734 Throughout history, adulthood has often been defined by clear markers — turning 18, moving out of your parents’ home, or getting married. But most of us know that being an adult by law is very different from being one in real life.Traditional markers of adulthood like purchasing a home or getting married are happening later and later these days. The average first-time homebuyer in 1981 was just 29
Special Call-in: What Does The U.S. At 250 Mean To You? Jul 1, 2026 2799 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 250 years ago, the founding fathers were days away from adopting the Declaration of Independence.Fast forward to July 4, 2026, two and a half centuries later, has America lived up to those
Politics: High Cost Of Healthcare And The Political Fallout Jun 30, 2026 2694 Americans are grappling with a rising cost in healthcare. For the first time in five years, fewer than half of Americans can consistently afford healthcare. That’s according to the latest data from Gallup. The cost of healthcare in the US remains higher than any other large, wealthy country. According to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services, five million fewer people are enrol
'If You Can Keep It': Pardons In The Trump Administration Jun 29, 2026 2251 President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly personal role in the government’s clemency process, wielding pardons aid his allies and advance his own political grievances.A Reuters investigation found that 96% of Trump’s second-term clemency grants have gone to recipients who didn’t fulfill longstanding DOJ guidelines for such requests. Past presidents on have sidestepped those rules before, bu
The News Roundup for June 26, 2026 Jun 26, 2026 5188 This week the Supreme Court sides with President Trump on ending Temporary Protected Status. The decades-long program currently gives legal status in the U.S. to about 350,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians seeking refuge from crises at home.The court also ruled to renew a “turn-back” policy at the border with Mexico that prevents migrants from entering the U.S. to seek asylum. A decision on
AI: The Peril And Opportunity Of Artificial Superintelligence Jun 25, 2026 2757 Artificial Intelligence is advancing at a dizzying pace. One analysis shows it doubling its abilities every seven months.And it’s surpassed humans in more than just trivia and Chess. Last year, an AI from Microsoft solved complex medical cases with 85% accuracy, far about the 20% average for experienced physicians. And a recent Stanford report found that some of the newest A-I systems now match or
Politics: What Donald Trump’s Defense Policy Means For Black Service Members Jun 24, 2026 2043 Black Americans serving in the U.S. military have long lived with a great contradiction. The country they’re fighting to protect is the same one that’s failed to serve and protect them.Despite this, Black Americans continue to enlist. There are over 350,000 Black active duty and select reserve members and more than 2.4 million Black veterans. That’s according to the Institute for Veterans and Mili
Tech: How Technology Is Changing The World Of Warfare Jun 23, 2026 2630 The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran. The Israel-Hamas war.Each of these conflicts of the last few years is rewriting how war is fought. Cheap drones are doing damage that once required far more expensive weapons. Battlefield information is now available at a distance in real time. And some of the biggest innovations are coming from countries with relativel
'If You Can Keep It': Donald Trump And Election Interference Jun 22, 2026 2573 How would lawmakers respond to election interference – both foreign and domestic – ahead of the midterm elections?That was the central question of a summit held earlier this month between top Senate Democrats and election experts. The meeting came weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that gave the U.S. postal service control over who gets to vote by mail. That order is bein
Writing: Pushing The Boundaries Of The Romance Genre Jun 19, 2026 1940 Novels centering on love and sex are among the best-selling books year after year. More and more are challenging the conventions of romance as a genre — and bringing us well beyond fairy tale endings.Two novels out this summer are pushing some of the boundaries of romance writing and love stories as we know them.Haili Blassingame’s “They All Fall in Love at the End” follows a young Black writer in
In Good Health: The Matter Of Male Fertility Jun 18, 2026 2554 When a couple struggles to conceive, the assumption is often that there is something wrong with the woman. Women are evaluated for infertility far more often than men. But male factor infertility accounts for about half of all infertility cases. And when that’s the case, men are less likely to talk about it, seek support, or even get tested in the first place.  In this installment of our “In Good

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