State of the World from NPR - Making Music from the Sounds of War

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the country has been hit with more than 50,000 drone strikes. The constant threats of war have changed many things about life in Ukraine, including the way the night time sounds. We meet members of a youth orchestra outside Kyiv who are marking the new sounds of their country with a sonic poem.



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Up First from NPR - VP Vance In Israel, Shutdown Politics, White House Under Construction

Vice President JD Vance says he’s optimistic about the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the U.S. pushes for the next phase of the deal. It’s week four of the government shutdown, and the White House is ramping up pressure with cuts and layoffs. And the demolition of the East Wing raises legal and ethical questions about President Trump’s ballroom project.

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 Padmananda Rama, Miguel Macias, Dana Farrington, Mohamad ElBardicy and Martha Ann Overland.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams 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 - No AI data centers in my backyard!

In the rush to power AI, data centers are popping up in small communities across the U.S. But a growing backlash against this build-out is pitting communities against developers over energy prices and water use. Today on the show, one Michigan community’s fight to stop a data center and what it means for Big Tech. 

Related episodes: 
What $10B in data centers actually gets you 
Is AI overrated or underrated? 

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 - Migrating Birds Have a Big, Clear Problem

Around this time of year, every night, a quiet exodus is occurring. Hundreds of millions of birds are migrating thousands of miles south for the winter. One of the biggest dangers for these tiny travelers? Glass. 

Researchers estimate that every year in the U. S., collisions with glass windows take out at least a billion birds. Even if the birds initially fly away, these collisions can cause concussions, broken bones, and other injuries; most victims don’t survive. 

After much reporting, NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce has found … it doesn’t have to be this way. Scientists and researchers have studied how to stop collisions from happening, and examples around the country indicate that even little solutions can make a big difference.

Interested in more seasonal animal science? 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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NPR's Book of the Day - A new James Baldwin biography asks how the writer’s lovers might’ve shaped him

The scholar Nicholas Boggs has a new perspective on James Baldwin. The new biography Baldwin: A Love Story considers how the writer and Civil Rights leader’s lovers might’ve shaped him. In today’s conversation with NPR’s Michel Martin, Boggs argues Baldwin provided a dynamic model for how we relate to other people – both in platonic and romantic relationships.

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Consider This from NPR - Philadelphia is solving homicides at the fastest rate in 40 years. Here’s how

It's getting harder to get away with murder in Philadelphia.

Violent crime has fallen sharply -- like it has in many other cities.

And Philadelphia police are now solving homicides at the highest rate since 1984.

There's a connection there -- but there's also plenty more to the story.

Philadelphia Inquirer crime reporter Ellie Rushing shows what her team has found.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or atplus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Simon-Laslo Janssen. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. It features additional reporting by Martin Kaste and WHYY’s Aaron Moselle. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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1A - The Map Men On Missing Islands And The Meaning Of Mistakes

Last year, Americans spent more than 300 billion minutes on navigation apps, like Waze or Google Maps.

The GPS systems in our pockets have come a long way from the first known map, carved into a mammoth tusk 30,000 years ago.

But even with satellites tracking us and the ever-changing Earth from the skies – digital maps aren’t fact. Errors can show up and are sometimes as old as maps themselves. The phantom island of Sandy Island appeared on Google Maps until 2012, when Australian scientists sailed to its supposed location and found only open ocean.

Mistakes on maps were sometimes intentional, sometimes not – but every single one tells a bigger story.

How and why did it get there? What does it reveal about the creator of the map and the world around them?

We sit down with Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones, better known as the Map Men on YouTube, to talk through these questions and more.

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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State of the World from NPR - A Brazen Theft from France’s Most Famous Museum

In just seven minutes, in broad daylight, millions of dollars worth of jewels that once belonged to French royalty were stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. We hear about what was stolen, how the French people are reacting and what it might take to catch the thieves who did it.

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Up First from NPR - Shutdown Economics, U.S.- Colombia Tensions, Louvre Heist Fallout

The economic cost of the government shutdown is mounting, as workers miss paychecks and contracts stall. President Trump’s feud with Colombia is deepening, with threats to cut aid testing a decades-long alliance. And in France, outrage is growing after the Louvre jewel heist, with political backlash and a security crackdown underway.

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 Raphael Nam, Tara Neil, Miguel Macias, Mohamad ElBardicy and Martha Ann Overland.

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 - Should we ditch quarterly earnings reports?

Quarterly earnings reports are a long-standing requirement for public companies in the U.S. But the Trump administration wants to axe quarterly releases and just release them twice a year. And there is evidence to suggest this could be better in the long run for companies and investors. On today’s show, we look at the potential benefits and trade-offs of changing how often companies report their financial results. 

Related episodes: 
Can shareholders influence Elon Musk’s trillion dollar pay package? 

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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