Happy Halloween, Short Wavers! In today’s news round-up, we’ve got only treats. Hosts Regina Barber and Emily Kwong fill in NPR’s Ailsa Chang on a debate in spider web architecture, how the details shared in storytelling affect how you form memories and why more pixels may not translate to a better TV viewing experience.
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1A - The 1A Movie Club Sees ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’
Bruce Springsteen is an American music legend. Songs like “Born to Run” and “Born in the USA” have echoed through ballparks, dive bars, TV shows, and politics for decades.
That’s why his new biopic, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” is unique. Instead of reckoning with The Boss’ glittering legacy, it focuses on a darker period of his career starting in 1981.
Played by Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen finishes touring his album “The River,” rents a house in New Jersey by himself, and turns his focus inward to grapple with his past and write a new album, “Nebraska.”
The 1A Movie Club convenes to talk about the film.
What has audience reception been to the movie? And what did "The Boss" have to say?
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That’s why his new biopic, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” is unique. Instead of reckoning with The Boss’ glittering legacy, it focuses on a darker period of his career starting in 1981.
Played by Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen finishes touring his album “The River,” rents a house in New Jersey by himself, and turns his focus inward to grapple with his past and write a new album, “Nebraska.”
The 1A Movie Club convenes to talk about the film.
What has audience reception been to the movie? And what did "The Boss" have to say?
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - Here’s what could happen if Obamacare subsidies aren’t extended
It’s a critical week regarding the Affordable Care Act, which is at the center of the government shutdown impasse. “Window shopping" began for some people buying health insurance through the ACA – also known as Obamacare – giving enrollees estimates on how much their premiums could cost next year.
Without the ACA tax credits that Democrats want to extend into 2026, many people could see big increases in their health care costs – 114%, on average, according to estimates by KFF, a nonprofit health policy think tank.
While there’s still time for lawmakers to strike a deal on extending the subsidies, “the longer this goes on, the more damage there could be,” says Cynthia Cox, who conducts research on Obamacare for KFF.
This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by Ashley Brown, Diane Webber, and Nadia Lancy. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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State of the World from NPR - Trump, Xi and the U.S.-China Relationship
President Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea amid a tense tariff war between the two countries. Trump was upbeat after the meeting in which both sides agreed to trade concessions. We take a look at the state of U.S.-China relations with a former U.S. ambassador to China.
And ahead of that meeting, President Trump signed several rare earth agreements with Asian countries to reduce America's reliance on China. We hear why the U.S. is anxious to find other sources for these minerals and ask if it’s too little too late.
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Up First from NPR - Trump-Xi Meeting, Head Start Funding, Surgeon General Nominee
President Trump met with China’s President Xi Jinping in South Korea, where the two leaders agree to ease trade tensions after months of tariff wars and threats. More than 65,000 children could lose access to Head Start as the government shutdown threatens to cut off funding for childcare and early learning programs. And Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Casey Means, faces questions today in her Senate confirmation hearing.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
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 Miguel Macias, Lauren Migaki, Diane Webber, Mohamad ElBardicy and Ally Schweitzer.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas
We get engineering support from Damian Herring-Nathan. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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The Indicator from Planet Money - Are China and India BFFs now?
China and India have a long, complicated history. Just a few years ago, there was a spate of armed skirmishes between the two nations. And yet, there are signs of warming relations amidst President Trump’s ongoing trade war. Today on the show, is that trade war pushing India toward China? And what could happen if two of the world’s largest economies come together?
Related episodes:
China’s trade war perspective
What might save China's economy
Is the US pushing countries towards China?
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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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘The Hacienda,’ the protagonist is trapped in a haunted house – and her marriage
After Mexico’s war for independence, a new bride finds herself alone in a haunted house surrounded by people who don't believe her. Isabel Cañas' debut novel The Hacienda blends romance, terror, and the supernatural to tell a story infused with Mexican culture. In a 2022 interview with Weekend Edition Sunday, Cañas told Ayesha Rascoe about the novel’s themes – colonialism, social status, the syncretism of Catholicism and indigenous practices – and her own fear of the dark.
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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Planet Money - The remittance mystery
For decades, the U.S. has been the single biggest source of remittances worldwide. A remittance is a transfer of money, typically from an immigrant to their family in their country of origin. But we are in the middle of a big, loud and very public immigration crackdown on those who are here without legal status. And that crackdown is disrupting the global remittance market.
People who have come to the U.S. from a handful of countries — especially some Central American countries — have been sending more money back to their countries of origin. And it’s a bit of a puzzle because … you might think the opposite would be the case.
As immigration plummets, we try to figure out why remittances are surging in some countries, and not others. And we learn why a surge in money sent home inspires joy — but also fear.
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This episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Greg Rosalsky. It was produced by Luis Gallo with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Marianne McCune with fact-checking help from Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Patrick Murray. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
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People who have come to the U.S. from a handful of countries — especially some Central American countries — have been sending more money back to their countries of origin. And it’s a bit of a puzzle because … you might think the opposite would be the case.
As immigration plummets, we try to figure out why remittances are surging in some countries, and not others. And we learn why a surge in money sent home inspires joy — but also fear.
Pre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift. / Subscribe to Planet Money+
Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Register here for our live Zoom event about our board game project on November 1st.
This episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Greg Rosalsky. It was produced by Luis Gallo with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Marianne McCune with fact-checking help from Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Patrick Murray. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1A - Anti-Science Bills Are Being Considered In State Legislatures
More than 400 bills challenging longstanding public health practices, including vaccines and milk safety, are making their way through statehouses across the country.
According to an Associated Press investigation that tracked said legislation, these bills would do everything from ban certain types of immunizations to making the sale and consumption of unpasteurized milk more accessible.
Anti-vaccine bills are by far the most common. At least 350 of the 420 bills were related to vaccines. Some 11 states have already adopted more than two dozen laws restricting vaccine access.
Who are the highly organized groups behind this wave of anti-science legislation? And how do these bills fit into the broader dismantling of the country’s public health system?
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According to an Associated Press investigation that tracked said legislation, these bills would do everything from ban certain types of immunizations to making the sale and consumption of unpasteurized milk more accessible.
Anti-vaccine bills are by far the most common. At least 350 of the 420 bills were related to vaccines. Some 11 states have already adopted more than two dozen laws restricting vaccine access.
Who are the highly organized groups behind this wave of anti-science legislation? And how do these bills fit into the broader dismantling of the country’s public health system?
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - Unpacking The U.S. Economy’s ‘Cockroach’ Problem
When companies need a loan, traditionally they turn to a bank.
But increasingly they’re turning to financial firms that are not really banks, but do have a lot of cash. This is called the “private credit” market. It has exploded in the past 15 years. It’s now valued at around $2 trillion.
Natasha Sarin, president of the Yale Budget Lab and former Biden administration official, argues that these private credit firms are making risky loans. So risky, that they’ve got her thinking about the 2008 financial crisis.
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Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Erika Ryan and Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Andie Huether and Josephine Nyounai. It was edited by Adam Raney and John Ketchum. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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