State of the World from NPR - Trump Administration’s War with International Drug Cartels

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the Trump administration is at war with the drug cartels and a recent deadly strike on a boat from Venezuela was just the beginning. Some countries in Central and South America are expressing unease, while others are willing to partner in the effort- despite questions about the legalities of the administration’s actions.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Why moms are leaving their paid jobs

Moms are quitting — or getting pushed out. Workforce participation for mothers in the U.S. has been dropping for most of this year, and the reasons are more complicated than return-to-office mandates. Today on the show, we talk to moms about why they left their jobs and to economist Misty Heggeness, who has studied the phenomenon. 

Find more of Misty’s research here

Related episodes:  
How insurance is affecting the cost of childcare 
Women, work and the pandemic  
That time America paid for universal daycare 

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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Up First from NPR - RFK Jr. Grilled, Europeans Pledge Troops to Ukraine, DC Sues Trump Admin


Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has defended his actions on vaccines in a contentious Senate hearing. European leaders have finalized a commitment to provide post-war security guarantees for Ukraine, including troops. And, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration calling the use of the National Guard in the District illegal. 

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 Diane Webber, Miguel Macias, Martha Ann Overland, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.





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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Papilio’ and ‘Chooch Helped’ are children’s books brought to life by friendship

Two children’s books were brought to life by close collaborations, one between longtime friends and another that began with a chance encounter. First, Papilio follows an adventurous caterpillar through different stages of metamorphosis, each written and illustrated by three friends: Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, and Andy Chou Musser. In today’s episode, the authors speak with NPR’s Scott Simon about how they made each section of the book their own. Then, author Andrea L. Rogers and illustrator Rebecca Kunz met by chance at the Cherokee National Holiday. Their book, Chooch Helped, went on to win the 2025 Caldecott Medal. In today’s episode, they talk with NPR’s Scott Simon about writing a sibling story.


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Short Wave - What Marsquakes Reveal About The Planet’s Habitability

Mars is known for its barren desert landscape and dry climate. But two recent studies in the journals Nature and Science go beneath the surface, exploring the interior of the red planet using seismic data from NASA’s InSight mission. And now, this data is also giving scientists a glimpse into the planet’s history – to see how Mars evolved over billions of years and how its inner structure compares to that of Earth. 

Interested in more science news? Let us know 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 - A vaccine skeptic is leading public health in the US. Today, RFK Jr. faced questions

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a scathing line of questioning from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the Senate on Thursday.

Kennedy is a vaccine skeptic and is using his position as Secretary of Health and Human Services to radically change vaccine policy. 

In recent weeks, there have been a number of public health officials who have resigned or been fired, creating chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies. 

Federal employees are also speaking out, including more than 1,000 former and current HHS employees who penned a letter urging Kennedy to resign. 

Now, some states are taking vaccine policy into their own hands

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 Kathryn Fink, Marc Rivers, and Manuela Lopez Restrepo, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by Jonaki Mehta, Diane Webber, and Scott Hensley.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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1A - What the 2025 US Open says about the future of tennis

Every August, New York City becomes the headquarters for all things tennis thanks to the U.S. Open.And a lot has happened for the sport in the Big Apple.

This year marks 75 since Althea Gibson broke the tennis color barrier at the tournament.

So, ahead of the finals this weekend, we sit down with a panel of experts to talk about the biggest takeaways from this year’s event and the future of the sport.

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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Up First from NPR - RFK Jr. Testifies Before Senate, Fed Confirmation Hearing, Harvard’s Legal Victory

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify in the Senate today following a week of upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Senate committee holds a hearing on President Trump’s nominee to fill a vacant seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. And, a federal judge in Boston has handed Harvard University a win, ruling the Trump administration unlawfully froze billions of dollars in research funds. 

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 Diane Webber, Rafael Nam, Lauren Migaki, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woelfle. 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 - How much is AI actually affecting the workforce?

There’s been a lot of big talk about how artificial intelligence is going to replace white collar workers. But what data do we actually have around AI’s impact on the workforce? Today on the show, we speak to an expert who has measured one aspect of these changes. She tells us how this moment in AI compares to the Industrial Revolution. 

Related episodes: 
AI creates, transforms, and destroys… jobs 
The golden ages of labor and looms 

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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