Independence Day is approaching! Imagine in a few days, someone has procured illegal fireworks from a couple of states over. Are you:
A) first in line to light them
B) content to watch while others set them off
C) going to find a fire extinguisher — just in case — while loudly condemning the activity?
Ken Carter, a psychologist at Oxford College of Emory University, says everyone has a different level of sensation-seeking. This episode, we get into the factors at play, like people's brain chemistry, when deciding whether or not to do an activity, like setting off fireworks. Plus, he and Emily reveal their scores to his forty-point scale.
Ken's 40-point sensation seeking survey can be found in his book, Buzz!.
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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: Church And State, Continued
Last month, President Donald Trump openly questioned the separation of church and state during the establishment of the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty. He said that he is bringing religion back to the country.
We continue our "If You Can Keep It" series by assessing the boundaries of the separation between religion and the government.
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We continue our "If You Can Keep It" series by assessing the boundaries of the separation between religion and the government.
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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Consider This from NPR - Why a GOP senator says the budget bill breaks Trump’s promise
The massive budget bill that Senate Republicans are debating pays for some of its tax cuts by slashing hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid spending. The latest report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates nearly 12 million people will lose health insurance if the Senate version of the bill becomes law.
Trump insists the cuts come from eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. Democrats have said they break Trump's promise not to touch Medicaid — and over the weekend, Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina agreed. "What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding's not there anymore?"
We asked Sarah Jane Tribble, the chief rural correspondent for KFF Health News, what the cuts will mean for rural residents of states like North Carolina — and the hospitals that serve them.
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Trump insists the cuts come from eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. Democrats have said they break Trump's promise not to touch Medicaid — and over the weekend, Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina agreed. "What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding's not there anymore?"
We asked Sarah Jane Tribble, the chief rural correspondent for KFF Health News, what the cuts will mean for rural residents of states like North Carolina — and the hospitals that serve 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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1A - Senator Elissa Slotkin On The Future Of The Democratic Party
Sen. Elissa Slotkin isn't just a congressperson, she's also a former CIA analyst. That means she has special insight into what's be going on abroad. And there's a lot happening these days.
But, as a Democrat, there are plenty of things to focus on at home, too. Namely, what her party is going to do to ensure success in the midterm elections.
We sit down with her to discuss the Trump administration, the Democratic party, and American foreign policy.
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But, as a Democrat, there are plenty of things to focus on at home, too. Namely, what her party is going to do to ensure success in the midterm elections.
We sit down with her to discuss the Trump administration, the Democratic party, and American foreign policy.
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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State of the World from NPR - Russia’s Largest Bombardment of Ukraine
Russia attacked Ukraine with over 500 drones and missiles over the weekend, it was the largest air assault since the Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. The barrage included targets in Western Ukraine, a region far from the front lines that doesn't often see bombardments. We get the latest from our correspondent in Kyiv.
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NPR's Book of the Day - Emily Henry’s ‘Funny Story’ centers a new character in rom-com tropes
Two childhood best friends realize they're in love and break up with their significant others to be together – that's a classic romantic-comedy storyline. But in her book, Funny Story, author Emily Henry wonders about some of the other forgotten cast members: what happens to the people who got dumped along the way? In today's encore episode, NPR's Juana Summers asks Henry about writing male characters that go to therapy, leaning into the cringey moments of falling in love and looking up to her own parents' relationship.
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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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Up First from NPR - Senate Spending Bill, Ukraine Airstrikes, Idaho Firefighter Shootings
Several Senate Republicans are attacking the cuts to Medicaid in the President's massive tax and spending bill, Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles and drones across Ukraine, and two firefighters are dead in North Idaho after an ambush by a sniper.
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 Jason Breslow, Ryland Barton, Kevin Drew, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Destinee Adams and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.
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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 Jason Breslow, Ryland Barton, Kevin Drew, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Destinee Adams and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.
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Short Wave - RFK Jr.’s New Vaccine Advisors Signal Big Changes
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Policy, an influential CDC committee that shapes U.S. vaccine policy, has become a flashpoint in recent weeks. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members and replaced them with 7 new members — many of whom do not have deep expertise in vaccines, and some of whom have spread vaccine misinformation. NPR public health correspondent Pien Huang was at the new working group's first meeting last week. This episode, she talks with Emily about the sweeping changes they promised to how vaccine policy is made in the U.S. — and resurrected issues that have been advanced by groups that question vaccines.
Read more of Pien's reporting on this topic.
Want us to cover more twists and turns in U.S. health policy? Or less? Either way, tell us by emailing shortwave@npr.org! We'd love to know what you're hearing — and want to hear from us!
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Read more of Pien's reporting on this topic.
Want us to cover more twists and turns in U.S. health policy? Or less? Either way, tell us by emailing shortwave@npr.org! We'd love to know what you're hearing — and want to hear from us!
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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The Indicator from Planet Money - Can Starlink stay ahead in satellite internet?
Whether you're watching Love Island in an RV or streaming a playlist in a remote California campground, if you're using satellite internet, odds are you're using Elon Musk's Starlink.
Today on the show, we learn how Starlink got such a big lead in the satellite market and if it can stay ahead of the European Union, China, and, of course, Jeff Bezos.
Related episodes:
Elon's giant rocket
Why I joined DOGE (Apple/Spotify)
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Today on the show, we learn how Starlink got such a big lead in the satellite market and if it can stay ahead of the European Union, China, and, of course, Jeff Bezos.
Related episodes:
Elon's giant rocket
Why I joined DOGE (Apple/Spotify)
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Consider This from NPR - What this term says about where the Supreme Court is headed
A number of Supreme Court decisions handed down this term have expanded the power of the president while limiting the power of the courts.
How has this term changed the relationship of the judicial and the executive branches?
NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Greg Stohr from Bloomberg about what we've learned about the makeup and direction of the court from this year's rulings.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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How has this term changed the relationship of the judicial and the executive branches?
NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Greg Stohr from Bloomberg about what we've learned about the makeup and direction of the court from this year's rulings.
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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