The U.S. is known around the world for its problem with gun violence. The vast majority of murders in the U.S. are committed using guns. But what leads one person to shoot another? The "conventional wisdom" says gun violence is usually the act of calculated criminals or people acting out of desperate economic circumstances. But economist Jens Ludwig believes the conventional wisdom is wrong. Today on the show, he explains why he believes many of us fundamentally misunderstand the problem of gun violence and how behavioral economics reveals some potential solutions.
Jens's new book detailing his research into gun violence is called "Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence".
Related episodes:
Can credit card codes help address gun violence?
The money going into and out of gun stocks
Guns and The Trump Slump
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Short Wave - How Baby Bats Learn To Eavesdrop On Dinner
Most bats use echolocation to navigate and hunt, but some use their ears for another trick: eavesdropping.
"And then these frog-eating bats, for example, they are actually listening in on the mating calls of frogs that are much, much lower in frequency," says behavioral ecologist Rachel Page.
But how the bats knew this eavesdropping trick was a mystery. So she set up and experiment with baby bats and a speaker.
Have a question about the animals all around us? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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"And then these frog-eating bats, for example, they are actually listening in on the mating calls of frogs that are much, much lower in frequency," says behavioral ecologist Rachel Page.
But how the bats knew this eavesdropping trick was a mystery. So she set up and experiment with baby bats and a speaker.
Have a question about the animals all around us? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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 - Going Electric: A Closer Look At EV Infrastructure
We're talking all about electric vehicles.
The month of May was made for racing. From the Kentucky Derby to the Indy 500. And now, there's a new sound getting louder.
Prime Video is offering a look into the fast lane of Formula E racing with the recently-released show Formula E: Driver. The series follows the lives, and the close calls of four Formula E drivers, including Andretti Racing's 2023 Formula E World Champion, Jake Dennis.
And later, new polling from Gallup suggests fewer Americans are interested in EVs now than two years ago. In 2023, 59% of those polled were open to buying an EV. That's now dropped to 51%.
Still, EV sales continue to rise. And that's despite the Trump administration's tariffs and potential repeal of EV tax credits. The administration also halted a program aiming to build a network of EV chargers. But some states are suing to restore the funding.
We discuss the future of EVs in America.
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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The month of May was made for racing. From the Kentucky Derby to the Indy 500. And now, there's a new sound getting louder.
Prime Video is offering a look into the fast lane of Formula E racing with the recently-released show Formula E: Driver. The series follows the lives, and the close calls of four Formula E drivers, including Andretti Racing's 2023 Formula E World Champion, Jake Dennis.
And later, new polling from Gallup suggests fewer Americans are interested in EVs now than two years ago. In 2023, 59% of those polled were open to buying an EV. That's now dropped to 51%.
Still, EV sales continue to rise. And that's despite the Trump administration's tariffs and potential repeal of EV tax credits. The administration also halted a program aiming to build a network of EV chargers. But some states are suing to restore the funding.
We discuss the future of EVs in America.
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.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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State of the World from NPR - President Trump’s Trip to the Middle East
President Trump's first major overseas trip of his second term is to the same place as his first term, the Middle East. Trump is visiting the Gulf States of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. And he is scheduled to meet with Syria's new president for the first time. We'll hear about the significance of that meeting and the deals between the U.S. and Gulf countries being announced. We'll also hear about the personal relationships and family business deals Trump has with various Gulf Arab rulers.
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Consider This from NPR - Poland’s plan to resist a Russian attack
As a neighbor of Ukraine's and host to more than 2 million of its war refugees, Poland has seen, heard and felt what Russia is capable of, and it's now preparing for the worst. This year, Poland will spend nearly 5% of its GDP on defense, more than any other NATO member, including the U.S.
NPR's Rob Schmitz reports on the country's plan to train every adult in Poland for war.
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NPR's Rob Schmitz reports on the country's plan to train every adult in Poland for war.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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Consider This from NPR - Poland’s plan to resist a Russian attack
As a neighbor of Ukraine's and host to more than 2 million of its war refugees, Poland has seen, heard and felt what Russia is capable of, and it's now preparing for the worst. This year, Poland will spend nearly 5% of its GDP on defense, more than any other NATO member, including the U.S.
NPR's Rob Schmitz reports on the country's plan to train every adult in Poland for war.
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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NPR's Rob Schmitz reports on the country's plan to train every adult in Poland for war.
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 - Seesawing Tariffs, Trump’s Middle East Agenda, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial
Companies are rushing to import merchandise while a temporary trade deal between the U.S. and China is in place, but what happens after the 90-day arrangement expires is unclear. As President Trump visits the Middle East, economic opportunities and security issues top the agenda. Jurors hear often graphic testimony on the first day Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial.
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 Carrie Kahn, Jacob Ganz, Rafael Nam, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Contributing reporting by Ximena Bustillo.
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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 Carrie Kahn, Jacob Ganz, Rafael Nam, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Contributing reporting by Ximena Bustillo.
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The Indicator from Planet Money - A brief history of NPR funding
Where does NPR get its funding? Today on the show, we open our books and share a brief history of public radio. And we learn what's at stake with President Trump's executive order to cut off federal funding to NPR.
Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.
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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Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.
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 - In ‘Julie Chan Is Dead,’ former influencer Liann Zhang takes a swipe at the industry
Julie Chan has an average life working as a cashier at a grocery store. But she's constantly getting mistaken for a famous influencer, her estranged identical twin Chloe. One day, Julie receives a mysterious phone call that results in her decision to swap lives with her sister, adopting Chloe's followers and the glamorous lifestyle that comes with them. That's the setup of Liann Zhang's debut novel, Julie Chan Is Dead. In today's episode, Zhang talks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the author's own experience as a teenage "skinfluencer" – and Zhang's views on influencer culture today.
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Short Wave - Learning A Second Language As An Adult
Becoming fluent in a second language is difficult. But for adults, is it impossible? Science says no. In this encore episode, Short Wave host Emily Kwong dissects the "critical period hypothesis," a theory which linguists have been debating for decades — with the help of Sarah Frances Phillips, a Ph.D. student in the linguistics department at New York University. Together, Emily and former Short Wave host Maddie Sofia explore where the theory comes from, how it applies to second-language acquisition and what it means for Emily's efforts to learn Mandarin Chinese as an adult.
Have a linguistics or neuroscience question? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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Have a linguistics or neuroscience question? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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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