1A - Behind The Dramatic Drop In Overdose Deaths

Drug overdose deaths have been increasing steadily for over two decades in large part due to opioids. That's until recently. Now, new data from the Centers for Disease Control found that 2024 saw the largest one year decline ever recorded. And that 24% decline was felt across the country. Every state except two saw a drop in overdose deaths.

The drop comes after an aggressive public health response from both the Biden Administration and local efforts, including making the overdose reversing drug Naloxone available over the counter and in communities. But the crisis is far from over. Drug overdoses are still the leading cause of death for people aged 18 to 44.

We discuss what we can we learn from looking at the recent decline in drug deaths and what federal cuts could mean for that progress.

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

NPR Privacy Policy

Consider This from NPR - Lessons from Iraq, as Trump teases attacks on Iran

In 2003, the U.S. launched a war in Iraq based on what turned out to be bad intelligence about weapons programs, then spent years mired in a conflict with no clear end.

Today, President Trump is threatening to bring the U.S. military into another Middle East conflict. As with Iraq, the justification for a potential attack on Iran is the alleged threat of a nuclear weapon.

We talk to journalist Steve Coll, author of The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq about how this moment echoes the run-up to the war in Iraq and how it differs.

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

NPR Privacy Policy

State of the World from NPR - What We Know About Iran’s Nuclear Program

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says Iran is "marching very quickly" toward a nuclear weapon. The U.S. intelligence community says Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program decades ago. We hear from two NPR correspondents who are watching this very closely to find out who is right.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Up First from NPR - Trump And Iran, Iran’s Nuclear Program, ICE Farm Raids Continue

President Trump has escalated his rhetoric against Iran. Israel and the U.S. intelligence community disagree about whether Iran has suspended its nuclear weapons program or not, and immigration enforcement continues to target work sites in agriculture, construction and hospitality.

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, Andrew Sussman, Anna Yukhananov, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Claire Murashima and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.


Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Book of the Day - Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig reflect on ‘The L Word’ in memoir ‘So Gay For You’

By the early 2000s, only a handful of queer female characters had ever been featured on television. Then, The L Word entered the scene in 2004, exploring lesbian identity, friendship and sex over six seasons and a 2019 reboot. Now, two of The L Word's stars – Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig – are out with a new memoir So Gay For You. In today's episode, the authors talk with NPR's Juana Summers about the way representation of queer characters has changed since the 2000s, the parts of the show that didn't stand the test of time, and their tips for lifelong friendship.

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

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

The Indicator from Planet Money - Why the 30-year bond matters

Last week, the U.S. Treasury held an auction for 30-year bonds. Some were worried no one would show up to buy these things! That didn't happen, but the 'long bond' isn't exactly thriving at the moment. Today on the show, we look back at why we have such a long maturity bond and why it might be a good idea to start paying attention to it going forward.

Related episodes:
Bond market nightmares (Apple / Spotify)
Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're coming (Apple / Spotify)
Trying to solve the mystery of big bond yields (Apple / Spotify)

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.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Short Wave - Why Emotions Run High For Sports Fans

We are in the thick of multiple sports seasons: the NBA finals are happening, and baseball and soccer are in full swing. For devoted fans, emotions can run pretty high during a game. Cognitive anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas has long been fascinated by that intensity — and how uniform it can be across fans. So, he and fellow researchers at the University of Connecticut decided to look into what exactly makes fans so deeply connected to their team and to fellow supporters. It turns out that connection may have less to do with actual gameplay and more to do with rituals. Their research was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Questions about sports science? Email us 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.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Consider This from NPR - What’s at stake in the conflict between Israel and Iran?

The United States has worked for decades to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon. Now Israel says it is attacking Iran to remove that threat. What are the stakes in this conflict, not only for the two nations directly involved, but for the US and the world?

Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Aaron Stein, the President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute about those stakes and the history of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

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

NPR Privacy Policy

State of the World from NPR - What is the Future of the Israel-Iran War and Will the U.S. Get Involved?

The war between Israel and Iran shows no signs of slowing down. There were traffic jams in Tehran with people fleeing after President Trump suggested on social media everyone there evacuate. We talk to a longtime Iran analyst about where the war might go and what the U.S. role in the conflict might be. And we go to the neighboring countries in the region to see how people are reacting to missiles flying overhead.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

1A - ICYMI: Israel, Iran Conflict Shifts Focus

On Monday, the Israeli military struck the headquarters of Iran's state television network. The explosion was caught on video in the middle of a news broadcast. As the conflict enters its fifth day, 224 civilians have been killed in Iran. And in Israel, at least 24 people have been killed according to the prime minister's office.

Meanwhile, Israel's war in Gaza continues. This weekend at least 79 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza strip, many at an aid distribution point operated by the U-S and Israel. The death toll since October 7, 2023 in Gaza has now surpassed 55,000 people.

A French-Saudi summit scheduled to take place this week that was meant to pave the way for wider recognition of a Palestinian state was postponed indefinitely.

We discuss the regional and global implications of conflict between Israel and Iran.

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

NPR Privacy Policy