1A

Donald Trump's new Commission on Religious Liberty met last week for the first time. When Trump signed the executive order in May establishing the group, he marked the occasion by saying, "We're bringing religion back to our country, and it's a big deal." But isn't the separation of church and state guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution? Can the president just "forget about it" even once? We discuss the complicated answer. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

With strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday, President Donald Trump has brought the United States into Israel's war with Iran. Israel began its campaign against Iran 10 days ago with what it called a "preemptive strike." Now, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned on social media that Iran "reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people." Iran has so far retaliated only on Israeli sites. Some 40,000 American troops on the ground across the Middle East are on alert. We discuss the latest and look ahead to what could happen next. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In his first six months back in the Oval Office, President Trump rolled back decades of U.S. climate policy. So far, he's scaled back regulations that help keep our air and water clean, delayed critical protections for endangered species, withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement for a second time, and cut staffing and federal spending on critical environmental agencies and programs – among other changes. Trump's commitment to increase oil and gas production will escalate the effects we're already seeing from global warming as humans continue to burn fossil fuels. We discuss what changes to U.S. environmental policy could have the greatest impact on the fight to curb climate change. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

What's your most vivid school memory? Do you remember it as a time of exploration? Was it a place where you could figure out who you were and what you wanted to become? Or did it feel like it wasn't made for you? Did it feel constricting, or like a place with lots of rules about how you had to act and what you couldn't do? Your experience of schools likely depended on the administrators, who your teachers were, how your city or state set up the curriculum, and the resources your school received. Writer Eve L. Ewing argues that experience could also be shaped by who you are. What has school meant for students, and who influenced how schools function the way they do? And what are alternatives for how school could work for students? We sit down with Ewing to talk about her new book, "Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism." Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Drug overdose deaths have been increasing steadily for over two decades in large part due to opioids. That's until recently. Now, new data from the Centers for Disease Control found that 2024 saw the largest one year decline ever recorded. And that 24% decline was felt across the country. Every state except two saw a drop in overdose deaths. The drop comes after an aggressive public health response from both the Biden Administration and local efforts, including making the overdose reversing drug Naloxone available over the counter and in communities. But the crisis is far from over. Drug overdoses are still the leading cause of death for people aged 18 to 44. We discuss what we can we learn from looking at the recent decline in drug deaths and what federal cuts could mean for that progress. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

On Monday, the Israeli military struck the headquarters of Iran's state television network. The explosion was caught on video in the middle of a news broadcast. As the conflict enters its fifth day, 224 civilians have been killed in Iran. And in Israel, at least 24 people have been killed according to the prime minister's office. Meanwhile, Israel's war in Gaza continues. This weekend at least 79 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza strip, many at an aid distribution point operated by the U-S and Israel. The death toll since October 7, 2023 in Gaza has now surpassed 55,000 people. A French-Saudi summit scheduled to take place this week that was meant to pave the way for wider recognition of a Palestinian state was postponed indefinitely. We discuss the regional and global implications of conflict between Israel and Iran. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

On Saturday, Representative Melissa Hortman, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor party leader in the Minnesota House, was killed along with her husband Mark at their home in a suburb of Minneapolis. Another state representative, Democratic senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, were also shot, but are recovering. Minnesota governor Tim Walz announced late Sunday that police had caught the main suspect in the case after a massive manhunt. The suspect, Vance Boelter, is due in court on Monday. We discuss the latest. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

President Donald Trump's decision to send the National Guard to Los Angeles is now up in the air – with a federal appeals court reviewing the case. A lower court has already said Trump acted illegally. For this edition of our weekly politics series, "If You Can Keep It," we explore how presidents can and can't deploy U.S. troops domestically. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The second iteration of Donald Trump's travel ban goes into effect. A federal judge rules that the government must release Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. The International Monetary Fund looks to support Syria's economic recovery, saying that it will require investment from abroad. And, more deaths are reported at food aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

When someone hurts us, we might feel wounded or sad. We might feel angry and defensive. But sometimes those feelings turn into something more dangerous: a desire for revenge. Wanting to right a perceived wrong is normal. But neuroscientists are now finding that revenge-seeking behavior can be a form of addiction. Why does hurting those who have hurt us make us feel good, at least in the moment? And why does getting back at someone often backfire? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

People aged 50 and older have grown from about 10 percent of the homeless population to half. That's according to the most recent federal data. The increase is being driven by a number of factors including housing affordability and fixed incomes. It comes as social safety net programs like Medicaid are on the chopping block and fears grow over the future of Social Security under the Trump Administration. We talk about the reasons behind the dramatic increase in homelessness among seniors and how can they be protected. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The first official "Song of Summer" award was given to One Direction in 2013 for... well... "Best Song Ever." It's been more than a decade since that inaugural MTV Video Music Award. But has the way we consume music evolved so much that a "song of summer" is a relic of the not-so-distant past? How can we measure what makes a good summer song? We convene the 1A Record Club to get into it. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

After slashing the federal workforce by tens of thousands earlier this year, the Trump administration is looking to fill those empty positions again. But this time, they want Trump loyalists. It's a move that challenges more than 150 years of precedent set forth in the Pendleton Act of 1870, which created a nonpartisan civil service. The outlook for the federal workforce is changing again under Trump. Today, we talk about what it means for the government now and down the line, Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Donald Trump's travel ban is back. Its second iteration blocks all travelers from 12 countries and partially restricts those from seven more starting next week. The GOP's budget bill has made its way to the Senate, but not all Republicans are falling in line to pass it. In the Gaza Strip, at least 80 people are dead and hundreds more wounded in a series of shooting attacks near aid distribution sites. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said this week that his country would not stop enriching uranium. This week, after the latest rounds of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia floundered, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Hurricane season is here. June 1 marks its official start and NOAA says it could be a busy one. But with the Trump administration's recent cuts to federal agencies, including FEMA, how ready are we to respond when disaster hits? How will reductions in staff – and budgets – affect the government's ability to predict severe weather? We discuss how the country is gearing up for a summer of storms. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

U.S. officials are turning their attention to a pressing problem in space. Not asteroids crashing into earth, but something else: space debris. Thousands of satellites have been launched into space because our modern life depends on them. There are about 10,000 active satellites in low earth orbit right now. But as more and more of them go up, space is getting crowded. And where there's crowds, there's waste. Millions of pieces of space debris are circling Earth right now. There are big pieces — everything from dead satellites to spent rocket stages. And tiny ones like blots and paint flecks. But they're all whizzing around at speeds that can be faster than a speeding bullet. We team up with our friends at the Click Here podcast to take a look at the problem of space debris. We discuss what could happen if an adversary hacks an old satellite and uses it as a weapon. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

If you've been following the news lately — including with 1A — it can be a lot to take in. We've heard from many of you about how the news makes you feel. But what can we do in chaotic moments of history to build a sense of control in our lives? Maybe it's organizing in your community, starting a new hobby, or picking up that TV show from 10 years ago that you promised you'd get around to watching. We talk about what finding agency in the chaos can look like, and why we should actively focus on something rather than simply react to what's happening. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Last week, the House passed a sweeping budget bill, the centerpiece of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda. The final vote was 215 to 214, just one vote shy of failure, with all but two Republicans supporting the package. Now, all eyes are on the Senate. It's their job to take the legislation over the finish line and deliver it to the president's desk. Headlines about the bill are focused on tax cuts for the wealthy and steep cuts to programs like Medicaid and food stamps. But buried in this 1,100-page bill are a host lot of lesser-known provisions about immigration, artificial intelligence, and even one that would limit the courts' power by stripping away any consequences for officials who ignore judges' rulings. That last one is akin to "crowning Trump King" according to former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich. We discuss what's in the fine print and what it means for Americans. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

This week Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students. Elon Musk isn't leaving Washington quietly. In an interview with CBS news Musk took aim at the tax bill making its way through Congress, saying it undermines the work he and DOGE undertook. Israel's latest offensive in Gaza is drawing criticism from world leaders. This week officials in Germany, Italy, and Spain called for the Israeli military to cease its campaign against Palestinian civilians. And King Charles opens his address to the Canadian parliament with comments on the nation's sovereignty saying "the true north is indeed strong and free." We cover the week's most important stories during the News Roundup. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

It's been five years since widespread protests erupted after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020. That murder, and the resulting national protests, led to numerous calls for police reform in communities around the country. But the politics of policing have changed since 2024. Perceptions of crime and its relationship with immigration were central issues during the last presidential election, particularly for the Republican Party. And now, the Trump administration says it's undoing recent federal efforts to supervise police reforms in certain cities. We discuss where the end of those efforts leaves cities and police departments trying to be more accountable to those they're supposed to serve and protect. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy