1A

Experts have repeatedly said that the world has to stop burning fossil fuels if we want to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. The latest United Nations climate report reminded us just how soon that needs to happen. The U.S. should cut two-thirds of fossil fuels in the next decade. When it comes to carbon-free energy, many people think of renewables like solar or wind. But there's also the nuclear option. Nuclear currently accounts for 20 percent of our electricity...

On May 11, the United States will end the public health emergency declaration over COVID-19. As the emergency phase of the pandemic winds down, so too have infection rates. But the CDC still links about 2,000 deaths a week to COVID. And the end of COVID's emergency status will mean big changes in how Americans receive COVID care, including access to tests and vaccines. In this edition of our series Vaccination Nation, we talk about what it means for a pandemic to end, and how these changes...

For some Americans, the dream of ownership is becoming less of a reality. A new report from the National Association of Realtors shows the rate of first-time homebuyers is at its lowest point since the organization began tracking the data in 1981. Also, the race and gender gap in homeownership is widening. The pandemic helped skyrocket home prices. And as the number of available homes remains slim, affordability continues to be an issue. We discuss the market and what it'll take for...

Last week, the government announced plans to completely overhaul the organ transplant system in America. This includes breaking up The United Network for Sharing Organs (UNOS)'s multi-decade monopoly. For those who need an organ transplant, the process is far from easy. On average, 17 people die each day awaiting transplants. More than 100,000 people are currently on the transplant waiting list according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. UNOS has been criticized for...

More than 40 million Americans receive federal SNAP benefits. Congress boosted these benefits during the pandemic. But the public health emergency is ending on May 11, along with the SNAP boosts. Just as these cuts end, Congress is debating the future of SNAP. Republican lawmakers are calling for stricter work requirements, while Democrats say current funding levels are nowhere near adequate. We discuss how food-insecure Americans, and the food banks that help them, are making do. This...

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced Wednesday that the Fed would be increasing interest rates for a ninth time in a row. And he was blunt about the reason why he was raising the rate by a quarter of one percent Despite reports that Donald Trump would be indicted this week – well he hasn't been. At least not yet. The grand jury in Manhattan has been hearing evidence of a hush money payment former President Donald Trump made during the 2016 presidential campaign. Meanwhile,...

Andrew Hozier-Byrne has a lot to celebrate. Later this year, he'll celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his debut single and biggest hit "Take Me To Church." It's been four years since he release his last album, "Wasteland, Baby!" His newest project is called "Eat Your Young." It's a three-song EP inspired by "Dante's Inferno." He talks to us about his latest work, his upcoming third album, and what he's learned from nearly a decade of stardom. Want to support 1A? Give to your local...

The fourth season of "Buried Truths" investigates the death of a Black man in a town known for its violent, racist treatment of people of color. In 1958, James Brazier died of brain damage days after police beat him on his front lawn. A local police officer, Weyman B. Cherry, was notoriously violent with Black residents. His Georgia County earned the moniker "Terrible Terrell." We talk to Klibanoff about investigating the cold case and "Terrible Terrell." Want to support 1A? Give to your...

On March 13 the Biden administration approved a new oil venture in Alaska called the Willow Project. More than 4.6 million people petitioned against its approval. It will allow the energy company ConocoPhillips to drill for oil in the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaska's Northern slope. The company says it will produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day. But will the Willow Project turn into a "carbon-bomb?" Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this...

The burden of finding the right birth control method typically falls to the person who can get pregnant. Some 90 percent of females have taken a contraceptive at some point in their lives, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Currently, there are just two birth control options for people who produce sperm: a vasectomy or condoms. That could change soon. Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College discovered that a drug used to treat eye disease temporarily stopped sperm production in...

Hollywood's biggest night has come and gone. And it was a memorable one, even in the run-up. Excluding Michelle Yeoh of "Everything Everywhere All At Once", this year's slate of best actor nominees were entirely white. That's three years after the academy announced new diversity guidelines in response to 2015's Oscars-so-white campaign. We discuss where the Oscars go from here and what they tell us about the state of movie-going. Later, we revisit our conversation with Best Actor winner...

Silicon Valley Bank collapsed this week, sending shockwaves through the financial world. A judge in Texas heard arguments in a lawsuit against a widely-used abortion medication. The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine filed the suit to overturn the FDA's approval of pills that account for more than half of abortions in the U.S. The Biden administration approved a drilling project in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve that would supposedly produce 180,000 barrels of oil a day. Environmental...

The NCAA College Basketball tournament kicks off Tuesday. Millions of Americans are expected to watch and bet on the NCAA College Basketball tournament that kicked off this week. According to a new survey from the American Gaming Association, 68 million Americans are expected to place over $15 billion in bets on the tournament this year. As sports gambling becomes increasingly popular on mobile platforms, colleges and universities are getting in on the action through multi-million dollar...

Madera Community Hospital closed in December and has now filed for bankruptcy. The emergency room now sits empty, and labor and delivery services have stopped. The hospital's three rural clinics are also closed. Some 136 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2021, according to the American Hospital Association. According to a January report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, about 600 hospitals are currently at risk of closing in the U.S. We traveled to Fresno as...

This month, the USDA is implementing stronger oversight of organic products in order to reduce fraud. For a growing number of Americans buying organic, that's good news. The industry reached $63 billion in sales between 2020 and 2021. We discuss what the organic label actually means and the kind of benefits you can expect. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Some Americans are turning to a group of diabetes medications for something other than relief from the disease. Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are making headlines for their ability to stimulate weight loss. This is a problem for diabetes patients who need the medication and can't get it. A rise in demand for these medications has led to shortages. But should potentially life-saving medication be available to those whose lives aren't at risk? We speak to two doctors getting at the heart of...

Dozens of Democratic senators voted alongside their Republican counterparts last week on the issue of crime and safety in our nation's capital. The Senate voted 81-14 to block a criminal code rewrite that was unanimously approved by the D.C. City Council. The criminal code overhaul included major changes to criminal sentencing – including reducing maximum sentences for carjacking and eliminating mandatory minimums. We discuss the intersection of politics and criminal justice policy and...

We partnered with our friends at WIRED to bring you a special episode of their podcast Gadget Lab. For this episode of Gadget Lab, the team takes a look at recommendation algorithms. The modern internet is powered by recommendation algorithms. But some of these algorithms can lead to some weird places, occasionally taking users down dark internet rabbit holes or showing harmful content. Lawmakers and researchers have criticized recommendation systems before, but these methods are under...

In domestic headlines, the Biden administration is considering reviving a policy that would detain families of migrants who enter the country outside conventional channels. In Texas, five women are filing a lawsuit against the state claiming the abortion ban put their lives, and well-being, at risk by denying them necessary medical procedures. Meanwhile overseas, reports from U.S. intelligence officials suggest that a pro-Ukraine group was responsible for blowing up the Russian-controlled...

It's been over a year since Russia's launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Cyber weapons have continued to play a major role in the war. Both countries have leveraged 21st-century technologies like smartphones, artificial intelligence, and drones to aid their war efforts. Now, experts are saying Russia plans to scale up its cyber threats, into attacks capable of crippling Ukraine's digital infrastructure and impacting NATO allies. We discuss how we can better understand the cyber...