Since last week, Israel has been attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, along with many other targets around the country. Iran has fired hundreds of missiles in response. NPR correspondent Geoff Brumfiel has been watching all of this very closely because Israel's missile defenses have been a focus of the Trump White House. This year, President Trump requested funding from Congress for a "Golden Dome for America" — a missile defense system that would protect all of the United States. The idea comes from Israel's Iron Dome — a network of interceptor missiles stationed at points across the country. Iron Dome and related Israeli air defenses don't get every missile fired — including some launched in the past few days by Iran — but the Israeli military says it has intercepted thousands of rockets since it was built. Trying to get that kind of protection for America, though, might be a very different matter.
Read more of science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel's reporting on this topic and find NPR's coverage of the Middle East here.
Questions about nuclear science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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NPR's Book of the Day - For a novel on the first women astronauts, Taylor Jenkins Reid studied old NASA PDFs
Joan Goodwin, an astronomer who has been in love with the stars since childhood, learns one day in 1980 that NASA is seeking the first women astronauts to join its space shuttle program. Taylor Jenkins Reid's new novel Atmosphere follows Joan as she becomes one of those astronauts, navigating new challenges, disaster, and a secret romance along the way. In today's episode, Reid speaks with NPR's Debbie Elliott about her research process for the novel, which included visiting the Johnson Space Center, conversations with a former NASA employee, and a lot PDFs. They also discuss the early days of NASA's shuttle program and the way the agency had to adjust to women joining the astronaut corps.
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Consider This from NPR - The big SCOTUS decisions looming
Around this time every year, the U.S. Supreme Court ends its term with a bang. The Justices typically save their biggest rulings for June.
Outstanding cases include the president's birthright citizenship executive order, a Tennessee law blocking gender-affirming care and a Texas law requiring age verification for porn sites.
NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg walks through the cases that may define this term.
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Outstanding cases include the president's birthright citizenship executive order, a Tennessee law blocking gender-affirming care and a Texas law requiring age verification for porn sites.
NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg walks through the cases that may define this term.
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.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1A - ICYMI: Suspect In Minnesota Shooting Arrested
On Saturday, Representative Melissa Hortman, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor party leader in the Minnesota House, was killed along with her husband Mark at their home in a suburb of Minneapolis. Another state representative, Democratic senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, were also shot, but are recovering.
Minnesota governor Tim Walz announced late Sunday that police had caught the main suspect in the case after a massive manhunt. The suspect, Vance Boelter, is due in court on Monday.
We discuss the latest.
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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Minnesota governor Tim Walz announced late Sunday that police had caught the main suspect in the case after a massive manhunt. The suspect, Vance Boelter, is due in court on Monday.
We discuss the latest.
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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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: The President And The National Guard
President Donald Trump's decision to send the National Guard to Los Angeles is now up in the air – with a federal appeals court reviewing the case. A lower court has already said Trump acted illegally.
For this edition of our weekly politics series, "If You Can Keep It," we explore how presidents can and can't deploy U.S. troops domestically.
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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For this edition of our weekly politics series, "If You Can Keep It," we explore how presidents can and can't deploy U.S. troops domestically.
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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Up First from NPR - Minnesota Shooting Arrest, Israel-Iran Conflict, G7 Kicks Off, Colorado Election Data
An arrest has been made in the shooting of two Democratic Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses, Israel and Iran are trading missile strikes with few signs of deescalation, President Trump has arrived at the G7 in Canada, and the Justice Department sent an unprecedented demand for election data to the state of Colorado.
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 Kevin Drew, Alex Leff, Roberta Rampton, Janaya Williams and Arezou Rezvani. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Claire Murashima and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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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 Kevin Drew, Alex Leff, Roberta Rampton, Janaya Williams and Arezou Rezvani. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Claire Murashima 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 - The secret to Nintendo’s success
Nintendo has been a titan in the video game industry for decades, but that wasn't always the case. At its very core, Nintendo sees itself as a toy company which is evident in its products from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Today on the show, we explore Nintendo's history and examine how a small playing card company in Japan became a multimedia giant.
Related episodes:
Forever games: the economics of the live service model
Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible
The boom and bust of esports
Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees
Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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Today on the show, we explore Nintendo's history and examine how a small playing card company in Japan became a multimedia giant.
Related episodes:
Forever games: the economics of the live service model
Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible
The boom and bust of esports
Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees
Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Short Wave - Why Weed’s Signature Scent Has Changed Over Time
The skunky smell of cannabis may be going out of style. NPR's science correspondent Pien Huang visited the grow facility for District Cannabis, which sells weed in Washington D.C. and Maryland. On her tour, she learned why cannabis smells the way it does. Plus, how many strains have been bred — to smells like lavender, citrus and even cookies.
Read more of science correspondent Pien Huang's reporting on this topic here, or check out the entire special series, "How safe is your weed?"
Questions about the science behind the mysteries, events and... smells... all around us? Email us at shortwave@npr.org – we'd love to hear your ideas!
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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Read more of science correspondent Pien Huang's reporting on this topic here, or check out the entire special series, "How safe is your weed?"
Questions about the science behind the mysteries, events and... smells... all around us? Email us at shortwave@npr.org – we'd love to hear your ideas!
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
NPR's Book of the Day - As prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern juggled leadership and motherhood
In 2017, Jacinda Ardern was sitting in a bathroom waiting to learn two things: whether she was going to be the prime minister of New Zealand – and whether she was pregnant. Ardern became only the second person in history to give birth while holding elected office at the top of government. And as prime minister, she had few people to turn to for advice on balancing the challenges of motherhood with leading a country. In today's episode, Ardern joins NPR's Mary Louise Kelly for a conversation about her new memoir A Different Kind of Power. They discuss what it was like to be a young woman running a country, the way Ardern has experienced parental guilt inside and outside of her political career, and how she knew when it was time to leave office.
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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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 - Is this the end of the rule of law in America?
Since the start of his second term, President Trump has been at odds with the federal courts.
The protests in Los Angeles are just the latest series of events to raise huge questions about presidential power: in this case, whether the president can use military force to control protests.
NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with J. Michael Luttig, a former federal judge who has a stark warning: that Trump's actions signal of the end of the rule of law in America.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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The protests in Los Angeles are just the latest series of events to raise huge questions about presidential power: in this case, whether the president can use military force to control protests.
NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with J. Michael Luttig, a former federal judge who has a stark warning: that Trump's actions signal of the end of the rule of law in America.
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.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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