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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: The Fight Over Redistricting In Texas

Redistricting in Texas is turning into a showdown that has nationwide implications for the House of Representatives. The situation paints another stroke in a portrait of a president who hasn't been shy about his desire to consolidate power and shore up GOP prospects ahead of the 2026 midterms.

So, what kicked this off? Last week more than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled the state to break quorum and prevent their state House vote on new redrawn congressional maps. The Democrats' revolt, threats of retaliation, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's threats have intensified the fight and sparked a national conversation.

In this installment of our politics series, "If You Can Keep It," we discuss the fight over redistricting in Texas what it means for the state of our democracy.

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 - Putin U.S. Meeting, Netanyahu’s Gaza Plan, Trump D.C. Action

President Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin prepare talks to end the war in Ukraine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to forcibly move Gaza's residents to take control of the entire Palestinian enclave. And Trump deploys federal agents as a show of force across Washington, D.C.


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 Rebecca Rossman, Hannah Bloch, Kevin Drew, Olivia Hampton and Adam Bearne. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. 

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The Indicator from Planet Money - What we’re reading on the beach this summer

It's time for our annual beach reading recs. Today we bring you three books, with a little economic learning to boot. Our recs:

Who is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis
El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott
Algospeak: How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic

Related episodes:
Beach reading with a side of economics How to beach on a budget
How to beach on a budget

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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Short Wave - Sea Camp: Did Life Start In Hydrothermal Vents?

How did life start on Earth? The answer is a big scientific mystery scientists are actively investigating. After talking with many scientists, host Regina G. Barber found that an abundance of water on Earth is most likely key, in some way, to the origin of life — specifically, in either deep sea hydrothermal vents or in tide pools. It's for this reason some scientists are also exploring the potential for life in so-called "water worlds" elsewhere in the solar system, like some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. This episode, Regina digs into two water-related hypotheses for the origin on life on Earth — and what that might mean for possible alien life.

Have another scientific mystery you want us to cover on a future episode? Email us 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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NPR's Book of the Day - A new mystery novel by Liza Tully pairs a green assistant with a seasoned detective

In a new murder mystery, a young woman, Olivia Blunt, is eager to impress her new boss, a no-nonsense detective named Aubrey Merritt. This intergenerational pairing is at the center of The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant, the latest novel from Liza Tully, which is the pen name of author Elisabeth Brink. In today’s episode, Tully joins NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe for a conversation that touches on why the author chose to write this duo, how she lays out her clues, and what draws readers to murder mysteries.

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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Consider This from NPR - Deep-sea mining is unregulated. Some want to forge ahead anyway

The Trump administration announced this past week that it has entered talks with the Cook Islands to research and develop seabed mineral resources.

The Polynesian archipelago is one of only a handful of countries worldwide that has begun permitting this type of exploration, called deep-sea mining.

Deep-sea mining is not regulated. There's no blueprint for how to do it safely, or responsibly. Which is why, for the last decade, the UN's International Seabed Authority has worked to draw up regulations.

But President Trump — and one Canadian company — have posed a question: Why wait?

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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Up First from NPR - Is Tech Really Helping Parents?

There are an endless stream of high-tech gadgets that promise to ease parenting fears and make the experience of child rearing more enjoyable. But at what cost? Does constant monitoring through pregnancy and early childhood make anyone safer... or happier? Today on The Sunday Story, we bring you an episode from our colleagues at On The Media. It's a conversation with author Amanda Hess about her new book, "Second Life: Having A Child In The Digital Age."

For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR's Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.

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Up First from NPR - Israel Expands War, Dems Enter Redistricting Fight, Setback For Asylum Seekers

There's been pushback from around the world after Israel said it would take control of Gaza City. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to enter the redistricting fight. And some asylum seekers are getting letters saying their applications have been dismissed.

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Planet Money - What happens when governments cook the books

After President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, economists and statisticians across the board were horrified. Because the firing raises the spectre of potential manipulation – and it raises the worry that, in the future, the numbers won't be as trustworthy.

So: we looked at two countries that have some experience with data manipulation. To ask what happens when governments get tempted to cook the books. And...once they cook the books... how hard is it to UN-cook them?

It's two statistical historical cautionary tales. First, we learn how Argentina tried to mask its true inflation rate, and how that effort backfired. Then, we hear about the difficult process of cleaning up the post-cooked-book mess, in Greece.

For more:
- Can we just change how we measure GDP?
 - The price of lettuce in Brooklyn
 - What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update)
 - Can we still trust the monthly jobs report? (Update)
 - How office politics could take down Europe
 - The amazing shrinking economy might stop shrinking

Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening and now Summer School episodes one week early by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

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Consider This from NPR - Investigating the Russia investigations. What’s left to learn?

The question of whether Russian interference in the 2016 election was a decisive reason Donald Trump won the presidency is one that has dogged Trump for the better part of a decade.

It's also been the subject of numerous investigations.

But even though that question has been asked and answered, the current Trump administration is launching another investigation in an effort to reach a different conclusion.

Last month, Trump's Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, declassified documents and she leveled an unprecedented accusation: The Obama administration knowingly pushed the idea of Russian interference as false narrative to sabotage Trump's campaign.

And this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi has authorized an investigation into the investigation of his 2016 campaign's relationship Russia.

What is there left to learn?

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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