Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for 1A
News

1A

NPR

Listening to the news can feel like a journey. But 1A guides you beyond the headlines – and cuts through the noise. Let's get to the heart of the story, together – on 1A.

Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for 1A.
Play
Open in
  • 89 episodes
  • daily
  • Avg 50 min
  • English

Support the show

Goes straight to the publisher. podnod takes nothing.

Episodes 89

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • October 9 · 1 hr 27 min

    The News Roundup For October 9, 2026

    With less than one month to go until the midterms, Donald Trump is in Texascampaigning on behalf of Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Senate Democrats scuppered a plan championed by their Republican colleagues that would havesought to lower surging energy prices driven by data center construction. And New York has declareda state of emergency due to a surge in measles cases. In global news, following the police response to student protesters in France, the government hasbanned the use of stun grenades as lawmakers work to quell the demonstrations. On President Vladimir Putin’s birthday, Russian forces unleashed a wave of attacks across Ukraine killing 12 and injuring more than 40. And in Brazil, the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio,won a key election victory this week, bringing his family one step closer to retaking the country’s top office. We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • October 8 · 44 min

    Religion: Pope Leo XIV, So Far

    It’s been a successful summer for Robert Prevost — one of Chicago’s most distinguished citizens. His essay on artificial intelligence was released in paperback to enthusiastic reviews. It was described by one prominent commentator as “beautifully written, hugely significant, speaks truth to power.” His three-city tour of France exceeded all expectations, drawing huge crowds. An estimated 800,000 people packed the Champs-Elysees to see him. And his beloved Chicago White Sox went from woeful to winners and made the World Series playoffs. Prevost, of course, is better known these days by another name: Pope Leo XIV. He’s the first ever American head of the Catholic church. So, how’s he doing? We sit down with a panel of experts to find out. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • October 7 · 43 min

    In Good Health: The Evolution Of Prostate Cancer Treatment

    Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men — and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. One in eight men will be diagnosed in their lifetime. And Black men are more than twice as likely to die from it. Between the social stigma and misconceptions about diagnostic methods, it’s not something many men want to talk about. Some 99 percent of people diagnosed early with prostate cancer live at least 5 more years. And treatment options and guidelines are evolving rapidly. Our “In Good Health” series continues. We gather a group of doctors from three of the disciplines involved in the treatment of prostate cancer. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • October 6 · 42 min

    Weather: What To Expect From The Super El Niño

    Last week, a key stretch of the Pacific Ocean hit its highest temperature on record. And it’s still climbing. It’s a warning sign of the so-called Super El Niño, expected to bring floods, droughts, and heat waves. And higher prices for staples like coffee. What to expect from the super El Niño — and how states are preparing. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • October 5 · 42 min

    'If You Can Keep It': Mental Health And Democracy

    A veteran journalist covered the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. That experience got her exploring the connection between stress, trauma, and our political choices. Our mental health might affect our politics. But our politics also definitely affect our mental health. In this edition of “If You Can Keep It,” we examine that intersection. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • October 2 · 1 hr 28 min

    The News Roundup For October 2, 2026

    The Department of Homeland Security has allocated$20 million to pay for pro-Trump ads glorifying the president, which have drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. The pay-to-play allegations plaguing Maine Sen. Susan Collins haveswing voters in her state re-thinking their support for the five-term GOP incumbent. And top AI executives descended upon Washington this week for a meeting at the White House. They agreed toself-police their industry following several high-profile mishaps and dire warnings from their colleagues about the dangers of their product. And, in global news, asthe value of Iran’s currency hits a record low, Qatari mediators are working to find a deal for peace that would be acceptable to leaders in both Washington and Tehran. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that thePalestinian death toll for the war in Gaza has surpassed 74,000. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an increase to the size of his country’s armyfor the fourth time this year. We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • October 1 · 31 min

    Midterms: The Connection Between Civics And Democracy

    In five weeks, more than 100 million people will vote as part of the 2026 midterm elections. In New Hampshire and across the country, that means that voters will go to the polls to choose representatives, senators, governors, state legislators, city councilors, school board members, and more. So, what do we know about the basic nuts and bolts of our elections? Do we know who’s on our ballot and understand the positions we’re being asked to vote on? Do we understand how our election system works — especially since that system is the target of baseless allegations from the president? What’s the connection between a good civics education and a functioning political system? 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 30 · 41 min

    Economy: Managing Your Money Ahead Of The Midterm Elections

    Gas. Groceries. Housing. Almost everywhere you look in the U.S. economy right now, prices are up – and people are feeling the squeeze. As of July, six in ten Americans say Trump’s economic policies have worsened economic conditions in the country, according to a survey from Pew Research. That’s up from roughly 53 percent who said the same last fall. While the U.S. economy is strong on paper — with relatively low unemployment and shrinking inflation — voter concerns about affordability are expected to factor heavily into the midterm elections. So, how should you manage your money right now? And what financial decisions are you weighing that you’d like a second opinion on? We put your questions to a panel of experts. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 29 · 43 min

    Policy: ICE And The Pregnant Women It's Detaining

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests reached record highs this summer. And the full scope is just coming into focus. Some 43,000 people were arrested in June, more than 49,000 in July, and almost 51,000 in August —an agency record. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last June passed a $70 billion package tofund ICE and the Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump’s second term. As ICE became the best funded law enforcement agency in the country, its tactics changed. Instead of high-profile operations centralized in one location – like the operations in Minnesota, Chicago, and Los Angeles last year – they’re focusing on quieter, everyday arrests throughout the country. And more details are being released about a record number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of pregnant women last fall.A September report by The Guardian revealed that ICE placed more pregnant immigrants in detention last fall and winter than at any time over the previous year. ICE data from February reveals that 86 pregnant women were in ICE custody — more than 10 percent were detained in their third trimester. Nearly 400 women who were pregnant, postpartum, or nursing were deported from January 2025 to February 2026, according to the Department of Homeland Security. We sit down and get into how pregnant women are being affected by the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 28 · 43 min

    'If You Can Keep It': How The Midterms Will Run

    The midterms are just five weeks away. Ballots are already in the mail and in person voting is underway in some states. Meanwhile, the federal government’s role in this election is still being hashed out in the courts. This month, the Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to give the U.S. Postal Service greater control over mail in ballots. Then on Friday, it revived a federal citizenship-check system that a lower court had found illegal. And three separate lawsuits have been filed in recent weeks to keep armed federal agents away from polling places. The White House says its push to federalize elections is about protecting the integrity of the vote. But a new NPR, PBS News, and Marist poll found that 75 percent of voters trust their state or local government to run a fair and accurate election. Amid all the false claims and efforts to confuse, how are elections running for the midterms? 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 25 · 1 hr 26 min

    The News Roundup For September 25, 2026

    President Donald Trumpbanned television networks he deemed adversarial from the White House press pool this week. Following a lawsuit, a judge issued a 14-day stay, temporarily restoring White House access to CNN, MSNow, and POLITICO. New reporting indicates that the ICE agent who shot a Venezuelan man in Austin, Texas, last Sunday was issued a body camera for use in the field,but wasn’t wearing it at the time of the encounter. And a poll finds that President Trump’s approval ratings have sunk to another low —diving to 32 percent. And, in global news, The81st United Nations General Assembly opened in New York City this week. President Donald Trump threatened to annihilate Iran, the Israeli delegation walked out during a speech by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the leader of the Palestinian Authorityaddressed the assembly via video after being denied a U.S. visa. Pomp, pageantry and grand displays of friendship. But was there substancein the Trump – Xi Summit in Washington? Leaders in the Tigray region of Ethiopiasay they’re mobilizing their military against the country’s federal government and a 2022 ceasefire falls apart. And as the Ebola virus continues to surge in Congo, the World Health Organization iswarning that there may be a shortage of aid workers to staff treatment centers. We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 24 · 43 min

    Conflict: Israel and Gaza at the 2026 UN General Assembly

    World leaders have descended upon New York City for this year’s edition of the United Nations General Assembly. And a lot is happening. So far, we’ve seen some most pointed criticism of Israel’s conduct heard at the U.N. in years. This led to the Israeli delegation walking out during the Turkish president’s address. It’s been nearly three years since Oct. 7. And the Palestinian Authority’s president isn’t in the room — the United States denied him a visa. Mahmoud Abbas will instead address the assembly on Thursday by video. What is being said about Gaza at this General Assembly? And what does it tell us about the limits of the U.N.’s power when America isn’t on board? 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 23 · 33 min

    Education: The Decline of American Higher Education on the World Stage

    For decades, U.S. colleges and universities have been regarded as among the best in the world. From the Ivy League to state research institutions, thousands of students and professors from around the globe flocked to America year after year to study, teach, and innovate. International students represented about 6 percent of all higher education students – that’s about 1.1 million. But last year, international student enrollment fell by a fifth compared to the year before. That’s the largest percentage change since the pandemic, according to federal data. And early data suggest that drop in enrollment continued this school year. How did the U.S. begin losing dominance in higher education? And what does this decline mean for students, faculty, and innovation in this country? 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 22 · 32 min

    Mr. Xi Goes To Washington

    President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet this week in a highly anticipated sit down as the U.N. summit continues in New York. This conference comes amid stark warnings over AI safety, U.S.-China trade anxiety, and the ongoing war in Iran. What‘s on the agenda and what do each of these superpowers want? 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 21 · 32 min

    'If You Can Keep It': ‘Empire of Grift’

    No two words defined President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign more than “America first.” The name of this country has been at the center of President Trump’s rhetoric. But his administration’s approach to foreign policy tells a different story. The Trump administration has done everything from leveraging tariffs, to canceling visas, to sanctioning foreign leaders trying to influence elections abroad for personal gain. In her new Atlantic essay, “Empire of Grift,” Anne Applebaum outlines in painstaking detail the ways Trump and his allies are only ‘America first’ in talk while lining their pockets in practice. In this installment of our weekly democracy series, “If You Can Keep It,” we discuss how the president is deploying the tools of U.S. diplomacy to make the world safer for corruption and authoritarianism. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 18 · 1 hr 27 min

    The News Roundup For September 18, 2026

    This week the nation woke up to the potential danger of runaway tech — that AI is behaving in ways its creators don’t intend and can’t control. And that we might be as little as six months to a year away from AI being capable of acting on its own. The midterm election is coming. Prices are high. And a new Congressional Budget Office report out this week says the main reason for relentless inflation is the Iran war. And President Donald Trump has made mail-in-voting a major part of his campaign to sow doubt in the voting process. But on Monday, the Supreme Court blocked his executive order to change how mail-in ballots are sent to voters across the country. And, in global news, this week, Yemeni Houthis militia members seized the Red Sea port of Mokha and several islands inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping passage. Reporting from The Washington Post revealed the details of a $2.8 billion arms package the Trump administration will send to Israel. The sale includes 2,000-pound bombs, the largest single sale of the controversial munition in recent years. And next week, is the U.N. General Assembly will stage its annual meeting in New York.Then, Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Washington for a much-anticipated meeting with President Donald Trump. We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 17 · 41 min

    Health: State Abortion Bans And Ectopic Pregnancies

    Between 2020 and 2025, nearly 200 women have died from ectopic pregnancies. That’s almost double the number of deaths in the previous six years. Ectopic pregnancies happen when an embryo implants outside the uterus and can’t develop properly. If left untreated, the embryo can rupture, causing deadly bleeding. The treatment for ectopic pregnancies – which are almost never viable – is termination. But since the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, terminating a pregnancy has become more complicated in states with abortion restrictions. We sit down to talk about a new investigation from ProPublica that explores the role these state abortion bans could be playing in the rise in deaths related to ectopic pregnancies. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 16 · 42 min

    AI: Should We Slow AI Innovation Down?

    Last week, a researcher at the artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced his resignation on X, formerly known as Twitter. Jacob Coxon wrote that his former company — along with Open AI, where he also recently worked — are acting irresponsibly and “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” That post went viral — it’s now been viewed nearly 200 million times. Then, on Saturday, Anthropic’s own CEO, Dario Amodei, published an essay calling on the entire industry to deliberately slow down. He also shared some ideas about how to do it. The head of Open AI, Sam Altman, replied by saying, “I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier.” Should we slow down AI innovation — and is that even possible? What’s at risk if we don’t? 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 15 · 44 min

    Policy: The Human Cost Of Third-Country Deportations

    The administration is expanding its third-country deportation campaign. Since President Donald Trump took office last year, more than 25,000 people have been sent to over 29 countries they’re not from. That includes places like Liberia, Guatemala, South Sudan, Guyana, Ghana, and Honduras. Now, more than 30 countries have agreed to accept deportees from the U.S. What does that mean for the people sent to a place they’ve never been? And for the relationship between accepting countries and the U.S.? 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

  • September 14 · 43 min

    'If You Can Keep It': The Deal With Dark Money

    At least a billion dollars of untraceable cash is flowing into this year’s midterm elections. That’s according to an analysis by The New York Times from late last month. These funds – referred to as dark money by campaign finance experts – are coming from super PACs, non-profits, and wealthy donors. Tracing exactly how much dark money is flowing through campaigns is difficult. Money spent to hire influencers online, direct mail campaigns, and employ door knockers isn’t always publicly disclosed as campaign spending. In this edition of “If you Can Keep it,” we tackle the role of dark money in our midterm elections. 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 of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Showing 21–40 of 89 episodes