1A - ICYMI: A Conversation With Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell

Commander and Astronaut James A. Lovell, Jr. – died Thursday at the age of 97. He was one of the three-man Apollo 13 spacecraft crew that set for the moon in April 1970.  

In 1970, the Apollo 13 spacecraft launched from the Kennedy Space Center. It captured the world's attention as America's third attempt to get to the moon. But after only two days, an explosion crippled the spacecraft and changed its mission: Get home safely.

The three astronauts onboard, and dozens of flight controllers on Earth, labored for days to solve one challenge after another.

Captain Jim Lovell commanded that mission—after a series of historical firsts with his flights on Gemini 7, Gemini 12, and Apollo 8.

In 2020, 1A's Todd Zwillich spoke to the captain about that historic flight on its 50th anniversary. We revisit the conversation. 

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State of the World from NPR - Syria Tries To Rebuild A Functioning Economy After Years of Corrupt Dictatorship

Syria’s trying to emerge from a multi-layered financial crisis since opposition fighters toppled the regime late last year and formed a government. It’s been given a boost by the US lifting most sanctions, but efforts are hampered by a lack of liquidity.

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Up First from NPR - D.C. Crackdown, Europe’s Putin-Trump Scramble, Ford’s Cheaper EV Rollout

President Trump asserts federal control over Washington D.C., police force. European leaders will meet with Trump before a U.S. - Russia summit. Ford plans to invest billions of dollars into a plant in Kentucky to prepare to build a new, cheaper electric truck.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gigi Douban, Ryland Barton, Kara Platoni, Olivia Hampton and Adam Bearne. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Destinee Adams, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. 

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The Indicator from Planet Money - The arduous system for getting aid into Gaza

Insulin needles. Sleeping bags. Nutella. These are items Arwa Damon’s charity — International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance — has tried to send to Gaza and Israel has rejected. It’s a glimpse into the harsh reality of a humanitarian crisis with no end in sight. Today on the show, we talk to Damon about the economics of running a humanitarian nonprofit and what’s stopping more aid from reaching Gaza. 

Related episodes: 
Why Israel uses diaspora bonds 
Why the U.S. helps pay for Israel’s military 
What could convince Egypt to take Gaza’s refugees? 

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Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter

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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Sloppy’ author Rax King says she’s inspired by writers who did their best work sober

Author Rax King says her new book of essays Sloppy is unified by themes of “addiction and bad habits.” King has been sober from alcohol and cocaine for three years and in these essays, she openly shares her sobriety journey. In today’s episode, King speaks with NPR’s Juana Summers about why the author doesn’t see addiction as a shameful secret, King’s relationship with her dad, and learning to generate creativity without substances.

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Short Wave - Why Gene-Edited Babies May Be Closer Than Ever

A Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, made a shocking announcement to the world in 2018: He had secretly engineered the birth of the first gene-edited babies. The birth of the twins was seen as reckless and unethical by the scientific community. That’s because, among other things, the CRISPR gene-editing technique Jiankui used was so new. NPR science correspondent Rob Stein has been following the controversial world of gene-editing and human reproduction, including some companies’ recent quests to push gene-editing technology forward.

Read more of Rob Stein’s reporting on the topic here.

Interested in more science news? Let us know at shortwave@npr.org. 

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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: The Fight Over Redistricting In Texas

Redistricting in Texas is turning into a showdown that has nationwide implications for the House of Representatives. The situation paints another stroke in a portrait of a president who hasn't been shy about his desire to consolidate power and shore up GOP prospects ahead of the 2026 midterms.

So, what kicked this off? Last week more than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled the state to break quorum and prevent their state House vote on new redrawn congressional maps. The Democrats' revolt, threats of retaliation, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's threats have intensified the fight and sparked a national conversation.

In this installment of our politics series, "If You Can Keep It," we discuss the fight over redistricting in Texas what it means for the state of our democracy.

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Consider This from NPR - Trump takes over DC Police. Will other cities be next?

President Trump said he’s taking over Washington and announced he’s deploying the national guard to the city.

And he made another big promise: that his administration would take control of the DC police.

The President also mentioned other cities across the country with what he says are high levels of crime. 

As President Trump pledges to use his executive authority to control law enforcement in the crime in the nation's capital -- there are questions about what happens now. And - what this might mean for other cities across the country.

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State of the World from NPR - European Leaders Insist Ukraine Must be Part of Peace Talks

EU foreign ministers meet ahead of Friday’s Trump-Putin talks in Alaska, with Brussels insisting any peace deal must include Ukraine. And Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif was killed in an Israeli airstrike that also took out the broadcaster's crew in Gaza City.

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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: The Fight Over Redistricting In Texas

Redistricting in Texas is turning into a showdown that has nationwide implications for the House of Representatives. The situation paints another stroke in a portrait of a president who hasn't been shy about his desire to consolidate power and shore up GOP prospects ahead of the 2026 midterms.

So, what kicked this off? Last week more than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled the state to break quorum and prevent their state House vote on new redrawn congressional maps. The Democrats' revolt, threats of retaliation, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's threats have intensified the fight and sparked a national conversation.

In this installment of our politics series, "If You Can Keep It," we discuss the fight over redistricting in Texas what it means for the state of our democracy.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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