Consider This from NPR - High stakes diplomacy and canceled Halibut Olympia, insights from the Alaska Summit

Normally, foreign policy summits between world leaders involve painstaking planning and organization days and weeks in advance. The hectic and last minute nature of the meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska provided a window into how so much of what’s happening to try and end a brutal war in Ukraine, is being made up on the fly.

NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, who has covered her share of high stakes diplomatic meetings between some of the world’s most powerful people, spoke with Scott Detrow about what was different this time.

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This episode was produced by Kira Wakeam. It was edited by Sarah Robbins and Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Up First from NPR - DOJ’s Maxwell Transcripts, Possible Interest Rate Cut, DC Immigrants Fearful

The Justice Department released transcripts and recordings of their recent talks with convicted sex trafficker and Jeffrey Epstein partner Ghislaine Maxwell yesterday. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signals the Fed may start interest rates cuts soon. After nearly two weeks of stepped-up arrests and federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital, many immigrants are afraid to attend church, worried they could be detained and deported.



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Planet Money - Buy discount Ozempic here now click this link

In the past couple years, demand has gone wild for drugs like Ozempic – and its cousins, Zepbound, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. For people who had never been able to lose weight before, suddenly the numbers on the scale were plummeting. And everybody wanted to get their hands on them. 

Now, in most industries, if a product goes viral like this, it’s a golden ticket. And thanks to government-granted monopolies designed to encourage innovation, the big drug companies behind these blockbuster injections are currently the only ones allowed to make them.

In theory, anyway. 

But, what if that explosive demand backfired, opening the door to legal knock-offs? You’ve maybe seen them - copycats advertised as the same thing as Ozempic. So, what’s the difference? And just how legal are they? On today’s show - a drug that’s changing peoples lives is also challenging the traditional way we buy and sell medicine.

This episode was hosted by Sydney Lupkin and Jeff Guo. It was produced by James Sneed. It was edited by Marianne McCune, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Gilly Moon and Debbie Daughtry. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.

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Music: Source Audio - “Subtly Silly Thug,” “Got The Moves,” and “Vive le Punk”

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Consider This from NPR - Famine is declared in Gaza. Will anything change?

The people of Northern Gaza are starving. That’s according to an official declaration by a United Nations-backed group of experts, who comprise the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification or IPC. They say that famine has officially reached Gaza city and could soon reach other areas of the territory.

Still, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has says there is no famine in Gaza, and that food shortages are the result of Hamas seizing aid shipments.Jean-Martin Bauer is the director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis for the World Food Program. He explains how the ICP came to this conclusion and what the declaration means for the people facing starvation. 

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This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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1A - The News Roundup For August 22, 2025

President Donald Trump is continuing his efforts to influence the Federal Reserve. 

He’s calling on one of its governors to resign, publicly criticized Chair Jerome Powell, and is trying to fast-track a close ally onto the board.

The White House continued its campaign against the Smithsonian Institution this week. Its given museums 120 days to adjust any content that the administration finds problematic in “tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals.”

In a break from the federal guidance under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the American Academy of Pediatrics released updated recommendations this week that urge COVID-19 vaccinations for infants and young children.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov questioned whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy even has the authority to sign a “peace deal” for the war in his country at all.

Israel’s military says they’ve taken the first steps in their planned operation to take over and occupy Gaza City. On Thursday, they ramped up their attacks in a move that could displace close to one million Palestinians.

Haitian police are deploying drones armed with explosives in an attempt to fight back against gangs that control the majority of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

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State of the World from NPR - What is Hamas’ Strategy?

A U.N. backed panel of experts declares a famine in the northern part of Gaza, the first time there has been a confirmed famine in the Middle East. We hear about the conditions that lead to the declaration. And Hamas has endorsed a new proposal for a ceasefire with Israel, while Israel is threatening a new assault into Gaza City. We hear about the pressure Hamas is facing from Arab countries while it seeks to ensure its own survival.



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The Indicator from Planet Money - Job retraining and the brain, DC dining, and Robinhood’s sports bet

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today’s episode: Job retraining boosts mental health (with more mixed results for romance); the complex picture behind why dinner reservations are down in DC; and the trading platform Robinhood gets into the sports definitely-not-betting game.

Related episodes: 
The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict 
The nepo baby premium, frothing markets, and Apple vs. Apples

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 Cooper Katz McKim and Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  


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Up First from NPR - Famine in Northern Gaza, Epstein Docs, CA/TX Maps

A UN-backed panel of experts says there is famine in northern Gaza, the Justice Department is expected to deliver a first batch of files from its Jeffrey Epstein investigation to the House Oversight Committee and California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a California redistricting plan today to counter Texas Republicans.

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, Emily Kopp, Acacia Squires, Arezou Rezvani and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is David Greenburg. Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.


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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Cook Once, Eat Twice’ and ‘Accidentally on Purpose’ are new books from cooking stars

Nadiya Hussain and Kristen Kish are winners of two of the most popular cooking shows on television – and they’re both out with new books about life and food. First, Hussain won The Great British Baking Show in 2015. Her latest cookbook Cook Once, Eat Twice is about simplicity, efficiency, and turning one dish into two different meals. In today’s episode, she speaks with NPR’s Sarah McCammon about a two-part recipe from her cookbook. Then, Kristen Kish won season 10 of Top Chef, but says she wasn’t always comfortable being showcased. Her new memoir Accidentally on Purpose tells the story of that journey. In today’s episode, she talks with Here & Now’s Jane Clayson about growing up adopted, working at fast food restaurants, and filling in for Padma Lakshmi on Top Chef.


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Short Wave - Could labs replace your natural chocolate?

Chocolate may fill grocery store shelves around the world, but the raw product that powers chocolate is far more selective. The majority of chocolate farms are found in West Africa and South America – just 20 degrees north or south of the equator. Each farm produces chocolate of a different flavor. Some cocoa tastes fruitier; others, more floral. Nutty. Earthy. Spicy. But what drives these different flavor profiles? And can it be recreated in a lab? 

A team led by scientists at the University of Nottingham in the UK sought to find out and published their results in the journal Nature Microbiology this week. 

Curious about other ways science intersects with food? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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