Up First from NPR - SNAP Benefits Shutdown, Trump In Japan, Hurricane Melissa

More than 40 million Americans will soon be without federal food assistance because SNAP benefits are set to expire on November 1 as the government shutdown drags on. President Trump signs a trade deal in Japan to secure rare earth minerals, a key bargaining chip ahead of his meeting with China's president later this week. And Hurricane Melissa bring over 170 mile per hour winds as it barrels towards Jamaica, and threatening other island nations in the Caribbean.

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 Dana Farrington, Padma Rama, Tara Neil, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle .

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams 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 Marxism went from philosophy to cudgel

Republican politicians like to use the term ‘Marxist’ to criticize Democrats. Lately, they’ve dubbed New York City mayoral candidate a ‘Marxist’ despite him identifying himself as a democratic socialist. Today on the show, we dig into what ‘Marxism, as an economic term,’ actually means.

Related episodes: 
Socialism 101
Even the facts are polarized

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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NPR's Book of the Day - Princeton professor Susan Wolfson on why we love ‘Frankenstein’ two centuries later

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written in 1818, permeated our cultural imagination in a way few stories have. With a new film adaptation directed by Guillermo del Toro out now, we’re revisiting a 2012 conversation about the Gothic classic. In today’s episode, NPR’s Rachel Martin speaks with Princeton English professor Susan Wolfson, who co-edited an annotated version of the book. They discuss Frankenstein’s representation in pop culture, film, and television – and Wolfson’s favorite depiction of the monster.


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Short Wave - Nature Quest: Rebuild Or Relocate Post-Disaster?

In the face of floods, wildfires and other natural disasters, when should a community relocate to avoid potential harm? Listener Molly Magid asks that very question. Molly wanted to know how other communities have chosen the path of “managed retreat.” That’s the purposeful and coordinated movement of people and assets out of harm’s way. In today’s episode, Short Wave's Emily Kwong and Hannah Chinn explore cases from New York to Illinois and Alaska to see how successful relocation happens — and what stops it. 

Have an environment-based question you want us to investigate on the next Nature Quest? Email us your question 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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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: Trump, Hate Speech, And Free Speech

A Hitler-praising group chat. A government official with a self-proclaimed “Nazi-streak.” A swastika flag in a sitting U.S. representative’s office.

Those are a few of the racist, antisemitic forms of speech and expression tied to notable Republicans in recent weeks. Vice President JD Vance downplayed outrage over some of these incidents as “pearl clutching.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed a memo designating groups like “Antifa” and Black Lives Matter as terrorist organizations. It’s part of the administration’s larger effort to crack down on what it calls a widespread left-wing conspiracy to carry out acts of political violence.

In this installment of “If You Can Keep It,” our weekly series on the state of our democracy, we talk about the Trump administration and the fine lines between hate speech, violence, and political dissent.

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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Consider This from NPR - What happens if Antifa is labeled a foreign terrorist organization

In a public roundtable, President Trump asked his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to apply the designation to Antifa.


NPR's Ryan Lucas reports that it could have enormous consequences, including making it illegal to provide something as meager as a bottle of water to what the Trump administration deems to be Antifa.

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 Tyler Bartlam and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Josephine Nyounai. It was edited by Justine Kenin and Krishnadev Calamur. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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State of the World from NPR - The Impact of U.S. Strikes in the Caribbean

The small island country of Trinidad and Tobago is in the middle of an American military buildup. The U.S. has deployed warships and attacked alleged drug boats nearby, leaving residents on edge. We hear from fishermen who see drones in the sky and go to the funeral of someone presumed to have been killed by a U.S. strike.

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Up First from NPR - Trump In Asia, U.S. Military In Caribbean, Shutdown Week 4

President Trump’s Asia trip kicks off with peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand and a trade framework with China, before meeting with President Xi Jinping on Thursday. The massive U.S. military build up in the Caribbean waters off the coast of Venezuela is causing concern from Caracas to the U.S. Congress, Venezuelan troops conduct drills on their beaches this weekend. And federal workers face growing financial strain as the government shutdown threatens holiday travel and food benefits.

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 Dana Farrington, Tara Neil, Kelsey Snell, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle .

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

Correction: In a previous audio version of this episode we refer to Venezuelan Minister Diosdado Cabello as Minister of Defense instead of Minister of Interior.

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Short Wave - What Works – And Doesn’t – For Hair Loss?

People may think of hair loss as a guy thing. But by some estimates, half of all women experience hair loss in their lifetime. And when your social media algorithm gets a whiff? Good. Luck. There are some solutions out there based in science, but not every remedy works for every person — or every type of hair loss. (Yes, there are different types. And the type you have matters!) So today, pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin guest hosts the show to talk about causes of hair loss and how to figure out which treatments may be best for you. 


Interested in more science behind your health? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.


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The Indicator from Planet Money - The new language of AI tech workers

It’s hard for young tech workers to find a job, even with the AI buildout bonanza. This has spawned a curious worldview that fears AI is coming for our jobs and a drive to be at the top of the AI food chain. This, tech writer Jasmine Sun believes, is revealed in the emerging dialect of Silicon Valley tech workers.   

Today on the show, San Francisco slang. Jasmine Sun takes us on a tour of high-agency 996ers and NPCs to see what it could mean for our present and our future.

Related episodes: 

No AI data centers in my backyard!


How much is AI actually affecting the workforce?


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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