New books by Joy Harjo and Ruthie Ackerman focus on very different moments in the life cycle of motherhood. First, Harjo's new book Washing My Mother's Body is an illustrated version of a poem she wrote in order to process grief. Harjo, the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate and member of the Muscogee Nation, never got to carry out an important ritual after her mother's death – but returns in the poem to take care of things left undone. In today's episode, Harjo speaks with NPR's Leila Fadel about that ritual and the potency of the mother-daughter relationship. Then, journalist Ruthie Ackerman grew up hearing family stories that made her believe she shouldn't become a mom. But years later, she learned pieces of those stories weren't true. The Mother Code is a new memoir exploring Ackerman's indecision around becoming a parent. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Juana Summers about viewing maternal ambivalence as the norm.
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Short Wave - Why Daylight Boosts Immunity
Depending on what time it is, your body responds differently to an injury or infection. During the day, you're likely to heal faster and fight infection better than at night. And historically, scientists weren't entirely sure why. That picture is starting to clear up thanks to a new study published last week in the journal Science Immunology. The research finds a missing piece of the puzzle in neutrophils, powerful immune cells that — despite living less than 24 hours — know the difference between day and night.
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Got a question about how the body works? Let us know at shortwave@npr.org.
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Consider This from NPR - The CDC changed its COVID vaccine guidance. What does that mean for you?
When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced new COVID recommendations this week, it raised questions among clinicians and patients:
Will those shots still be available to people who want them — and will insurance cover it?
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, about the CDC's new guidelines for healthy children and pregnant women — and whether they could make it more difficult for these patients to get shots if they want them.
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Will those shots still be available to people who want them — and will insurance cover it?
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, about the CDC's new guidelines for healthy children and pregnant women — and whether they could make it more difficult for these patients to get shots if they want them.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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State of the World from NPR - Why Germany’s Government Can Spy on a Political Party
Germany's biggest opposition political party, the nationalist and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, has been designated "extremist" by the country's domestic intelligence agency. That means the German government can tap party members' phones and hire informants to monitor them, in a measure meant to ensure that the party is not a threat to democracy. U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both criticized this move. But it is something the German constitution allows and that constitution was shaped by the United States. Our correspondent in Germany looks into how and why this came about.
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1A - What’s Changed Since George Floyd Was Murdered By Police
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.
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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.
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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘Anima Rising,’ Gustav Klimt encounters a young woman under strange circumstances
In 1911 Vienna, a man on his way home spots the figure of a woman at the edge of the river. She is still, beautiful and nude, framed by tendrils of yellow hair. The man is Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. So instead of calling for help, the artist takes out his sketchbook. In his new historical novel Anima Rising, Christopher Moore uses this strange encounter as the jumping off point for his story, which goes on to involve characters like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. In today's episode, Moore joins NPR's Scott Simon for a conversation about the mystery at the center of the story and the real-life Klimt's relationship to women.
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Up First from NPR - Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
A federal court has blocked most of President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs. The judges said the president overstepped his authority when he put tariffs on nearly every country in the world last month. Trump also appears increasingly frustrated with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Moscow's ongoing airstrikes in Ukraine. How could this affect any peace negotiations? And one of the largest right-wing political gatherings is getting underway in Eastern Europe.
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 Kara Platoni, Miguel Macias, Arezou Rezvani, HJ Mai and Lisa Thomson. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, and 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 Kara Platoni, Miguel Macias, Arezou Rezvani, HJ Mai and Lisa Thomson. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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The Indicator from Planet Money - Are Trump’s trade deals the real deal?
Top Trump advisers have been boasting about 'awesome' trade deals the administration is negotiating with other countries. But are these deals real? Today on the show, we ask a former U.S. trade negotiator whether these agreements hold up.
Related episodes:
Dealmaker Don v. Tariff Man Trump (Apple / Spotify)
Why there's no referee for the trade war (Apple / Spotify)
Is this a bank?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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Related episodes:
Dealmaker Don v. Tariff Man Trump (Apple / Spotify)
Why there's no referee for the trade war (Apple / Spotify)
Is this a bank?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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Planet Money - Why does the government fund research at universities?
American universities are where people go to learn and teach. They're also where research and development happens. Over the past eight decades, universities have received billions in federal dollars to help that happen. Those dollars have contributed to innovations like: Drone technology. Inhalable Covid vaccines. Google search code.
The Trump administration is cutting or threatening to cut federal funding for research. Federal funding for all kinds of science is at its lowest level in decades.
Today on the show: when did the government start funding research at universities? And will massive cuts mean the end of universities as we know them?
We hear from the man who first pushed the government to fund university research and we talk to the chancellor of a big research school, Washington University in St. Louis. He opens up his books to show us how his school gets funded and what it would mean if that funding went away.
This episode is part of our series Pax Americana, about how the Trump administration and others are challenging a set of post-World War II policies that placed the U.S. at the center of the economic universe. Listen to our episode about the reign of the dollar.
Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
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The Trump administration is cutting or threatening to cut federal funding for research. Federal funding for all kinds of science is at its lowest level in decades.
Today on the show: when did the government start funding research at universities? And will massive cuts mean the end of universities as we know them?
We hear from the man who first pushed the government to fund university research and we talk to the chancellor of a big research school, Washington University in St. Louis. He opens up his books to show us how his school gets funded and what it would mean if that funding went away.
This episode is part of our series Pax Americana, about how the Trump administration and others are challenging a set of post-World War II policies that placed the U.S. at the center of the economic universe. Listen to our episode about the reign of the dollar.
Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - Children of ISIS fighter find new life in Minnesota
When ISIS was at its height, its ranks included several hundred Americans. They were often young men radicalized online by savvy marketing that promised free housing and the chance to meet a wife.
When the Islamic State collapsed, some of them ended up in huge detention camps in Syria, and the U.S. has been trying to bring them home.
NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer reports on one American family coping with the aftermath of the child they lost, and the children they found.
What happened to the families of the Americans who joined ISIS? Not just the families they left behind in the U.S., but the ones they formed overseas?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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When the Islamic State collapsed, some of them ended up in huge detention camps in Syria, and the U.S. has been trying to bring them home.
NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer reports on one American family coping with the aftermath of the child they lost, and the children they found.
What happened to the families of the Americans who joined ISIS? Not just the families they left behind in the U.S., but the ones they formed overseas?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
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