Most Americans now get at least some of their news from social media. But these days, the internet can seem less a place for humans to connect and more a playground for AI-powered bots.
One estimate found around 20 percent of accounts on social media are automated, while another study found that, for controversial topics, nearly half of the posts could be bot–generated.
Experts are sounding the alarm. Large-scale automated social media campaigns could threaten our democracy and the next presidential election.
We know conversations we have online can influence how we experience this political moment, but what happens when bad actors fan the flames with AI-generated photos, bot campaigns, and misinformation?
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Up First from NPR - DHS Shutdown, Ukraine Peace Talks, Olympics Stars Stumble
Congress is out on recess as a partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security is underway after talks collapsed over immigration enforcement reforms.
Officials from the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine prepare for new peace talks in Geneva as Moscow presses territorial demands and Kyiv insists on security guarantees.
And at the Winter Olympics in Italy, American speed skater Jordan Stolz is making history while other superstar athletes struggle with the intense pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage.
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Officials from the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine prepare for new peace talks in Geneva as Moscow presses territorial demands and Kyiv insists on security guarantees.
And at the Winter Olympics in Italy, American speed skater Jordan Stolz is making history while other superstar athletes struggle with the intense pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage.
Want more 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 Jason Breslow, Kate Bartlett, Tina Kraya, Eric Whitney, Mohamad ElBardicy and Adam Bearne.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Simon-Laslo Janssen.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:57) DHS Shutdown
(05:38) Ukraine Peace Talks
(09:26) Olympics Stars Stumble
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NPR's Book of the Day - After 100 years of Mount Rushmore, its biographer says the landmark is incomplete
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the first drilling at Mount Rushmore, the iconic American landmark in South Dakota. But Matthew Davis, author of the new book A Biography of a Mountain, says the project is actually unfinished. In today’s episode, he joins NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer for a conversation about the original vision for Mount Rushmore, which was intended to diversify a struggling South Dakota economy after World War I.
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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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Short Wave - Could this vaccine trial mean a future without HIV?
Early last year, a hundred researchers, clinicians and other experts on HIV discussed the development of an innovative vaccine that could prevent the disease. But just as the meeting was about to wrap up, the mood darkened. A new executive order signed by President Trump on Inauguration day had frozen all foreign aid, pending a review. Soon, DOGE would begin its decimation of USAID — and with it, this vaccine trial. That is – until the South African researchers came up with a new plan.
Read more of freelance science reporter Ari Daniel’s story here.
Interested in more on the future of science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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Read more of freelance science reporter Ari Daniel’s story here.
Interested in more on the future of science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
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Consider This from NPR - What should the future of federal immigration enforcement look like?
As lawmakers, and people around the country, grapple with what federal immigration enforcement should look like, Janet Napolitano, former DHS Secretary under President Obama, talks about the future - and the past - of ICE.
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.
This episode was produced by Henry Larson and Kai McNamee. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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Up First from NPR - Gisèle Pelicot Tells Her Story
How do you find the strength to face the unimaginable? In September of 2024, Gisèle Pelicot took the stand in an unprecedented mass rape trial in France. On trial was her former husband, along with 50 other men. Police had found images and videos of her husband and dozens of men raping Pelicot while she was drugged and unconscious. In this episode of The Sunday Story, Gisèle Pelicot sits down with NPR’s Michel Martin to talk about the pain of discovering what had happened to her, the harm it did to her family, and her decision to reject shame and speak up on behalf of victims of sexual assault.
Pelicot’s new memoir, “A Hymn to Life,” will be published on February 17th.
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Pelicot’s new memoir, “A Hymn to Life,” will be published on February 17th.
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Up First from NPR - The Munich Security Conference; FDA Rejects Flu Vaccine; The Fall of The Quad God
We get the latest from the Munich Security Conference, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech before European leaders. We also look at the reasons behind why the FDA rejected Moderna's new flu vaccine and how that decision could shape future clinical trials. Plus, we'll look at the what happened with U.S Olympic figure skater Illia Malinin, dubbed the "Quad God," on the ice yesterday. Tipped to win the gold, Malinin didn't end up even medaling.
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State of the World from NPR - Storied newspaper makes deep cuts, and closes many international bureaus
The Washington Post laid off most of its foreign correspondents, including some of the last American and Western journalists working in authoritarian countries.
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Planet Money - Betty Boop, Excel Olympics, Penny-isms: Our 2026 Valentines
Book tour event details and ticket info here.
An iconic cartoon character liberated from copyright, journalism from the world of competitive spreadsheeting, a controversial piece of US currency. Each year the Planet Money team dedicates an episode to the things we simply love and think you, our audience, will also love.
In this year’s Valentine’s Day episode:
Download THE OFFICIAL Planet Money valentine here.
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.
This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Kenny Malone. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, engineered by Cena Loffredo & Kwesi Lee, and edited by our executive producer Alex Goldmark.
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An iconic cartoon character liberated from copyright, journalism from the world of competitive spreadsheeting, a controversial piece of US currency. Each year the Planet Money team dedicates an episode to the things we simply love and think you, our audience, will also love.
In this year’s Valentine’s Day episode:
- The Public Domain Day list from Jennifer Jenkins’ of Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain and her colleagues.
- Jesse Dougherty’s article “Between the sheets at the college Excel Championship” which is behind a paywall. Here is Jesse’s substack.
- 404 Media’s excellent journalism on the tech that ICE is using
- An ode to the language of the penny, including songs like Pennies from Heaven.
- The only self-check out that doesn’t waste your time.
- And we made public domain Valentine’s cards.
Download THE OFFICIAL Planet Money valentine here.
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.
This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Kenny Malone. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, engineered by Cena Loffredo & Kwesi Lee, and edited by our executive producer Alex Goldmark.
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Consider This from NPR - A dangerous nuclear moment
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy kicked off a decades-long effort to reduce the risk of nuclear war, when he signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty. Subsequent presidents forged new agreements, but now that global order to safeguard and reduce nuclear arms is deteriorating.
This month the last bilateral nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States expired. Meanwhile, President Trump is pushing the international order to a breaking point, and European leaders are speculating about a new path forward for their collective nuclear defense.
NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with Christine Wormuth, former Secretary of the Army and now President and C.E.O. of The Nuclear Threat Initiative, about the possibility of a new nuclear arms race.
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This episode was produced by Karen Zamora and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata, Brett Neely and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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