After a white police officer murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis, big banks announced plans to invest millions of dollars in smaller, Black-owned banks across the country to help those banks make more loans to small businesses in underserved communities. We'll hear from one South Carolina bank about how loan efforts are going. Also on the show: OpenAI is investing in hardware, and unions are receiving higher approval ratings.
Marketplace All-in-One - China’s Arctic ambitions
From the BBC World Service: China might not be the first country you think of when it comes to the Arctic, but it’s staking a claim, calling itself a near-Arctic state. We'll hear how the Arctic has become a battleground for territory, trade and power. Plus, new research shows tropical forests are being lost at an alarming rate, but there’s currently no economic model that incentivizes farming communities to preserve them.
Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - What Could SNAP Cuts Mean For Chicago?
Millions of people across the country rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP for food assistance, including nearly 2 million people in Illinois. The program is fully funded by the federal government with states helping pay for administrative costs. But that could change. House Republicans are proposing an estimated $300 billion in cuts to SNAP spending and looking to states to fill the financial gaps. On top of that, they’re also looking to make working requirements for benefits steeper. Reset talks about what the impact of SNAP cuts could mean for Chicagoans with director of communications at the Greater Chicago Food Depository Man-Yee Lee mother and SNAP recipient Veronica Cox.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Up First from NPR - Israeli Embassy Employees Killed, Israel’s Occupation Plans, Trump Bill Latest
Officials in Israel and Washington are condemning the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees outside a Jewish museum in Washington. Plus, Israel seeks full control of Gaza as a condition to end its war with Hamas, and Republicans close in on passage of a massive bill at the heart of President Trump's domestic agenda.
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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gigi Douban, Kevin Drew, Carrie Kahn, Kelsey Snell, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zac Coleman and Josh Sauvagvau. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gigi Douban, Kevin Drew, Carrie Kahn, Kelsey Snell, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zac Coleman and Josh Sauvagvau. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
WSJ Minute Briefing - Two Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed in Washington
Plus: House Republicans make last minute changes to their sprawling tax-and-spending bill. And Bitcoin has rallied to a new record high. Kate Bullivant hosts.
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Marketplace All-in-One - Farm workers head back to school to upskill in agtech
This week, we hit the road to check out California’s Central Valley, where the future of agricultural innovation is taking shape. We visited a farm that’s piloting next-gen tools and a university research center that’s helping develop that tech. Today, we’re at an AgTEC Workforce graduation, a community college program in this region that helps upskill farm workers.
Omnibus - Victorian Hairwork (Entry 1394.LK2118)
In which the popularity of "mourning bequeathments" and the death of the Prince Consort lead to an explosion of morbid family handicrafts, and John gives away the same piano twice. Certificate #50902.
Headlines From The Times - Trump’s Beautiful Bill, California’s Quake Risk, and AI’s Next Frontier
Trump’s sweeping 1,000-page bill proposes permanent tax breaks, deep cuts to social programs, and new financial benefits for newborns. In California, $33 million in federal earthquake retrofit funding just vanished, jeopardizing safety upgrades to vulnerable buildings. And OpenAI just made a $6.5 billion deal, teaming up with former Apple design chief to build what they’re calling the future of computing.
Bay Curious - How Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs Became Iconic Bay Area Street Food
If you've ever walked around Pier 39 in San Francisco or made a late-night exit from a concert at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, you're probably familiar with the bacon wrapped hot dog. But who are the vendors behind these savory snacks? And what's with the bacon and onions? Bay Curious listener Olivia Godfrey wanted to find out more.
Additional Resources:
- How Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs Became One of the Bay Area’s Most Popular Street Foods
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This story was reported by Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.
Curious City - Car towed? Listen to this on your way down to Chicago’s Central Auto Pound
If you’ve had your car towed in Chicago, there’s a decent chance you had to journey down to Lower Lower Wacker Drive — likely not in the best of moods — to open your wallet and recollect your vehicle.
“It's supposed to be a happy process,” said Michael Lacoco, the deputy commissioner of the city’s bureau of traffic services.
In our last episode, we answered some of your many questions about Lower Wacker Drive, a.k.a. Chicago’s basement. Today, we try to demystify a notorious Chicago landmark within: the Central Auto Pound.
Lacoco is a 33-year veteran of this department, the perfect person to help us on this journey. He explains why you shouldn’t try to steal your own car from the lot, why that white inventory number they draw on your window is so hard to wash off, and what you can do if you think you were wrongfully towed.