1A

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...

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced on March 1 that it would cut the cost of its insulin at retail pharmacies by 70 percent. That's for patients with or without insurance. Eli Lilly is one of three pharmaceutical companies that supply insulin in the U.S. For years, people in the U.S. who are insulin-dependent have had to ration their insulin or drive to Canada or Mexico to afford it. The patent to insulin was initially sold for $1. We discuss insulin prices in the U.S. have...

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has become a leading voice in the American left during his 30 years in Congress. He's been staunchly opposed to increases in military defense spending, has been a strong advocate for gay marriage, and has called on Congress to invest trillions more to combat climate change. But the signature issue that drove two presidential campaigns and garnered millions of followers on social media is his fight against economic inequality and the power of America's billionaire...

Children are working some of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. according to a new investigation by The New York Times. Child labor violations have nearly quadrupled since 2015, according to data from the Labor Department. This includes some migrant children who are working throughout the manufacturing industry. Interviews with 60 caseworkers found that two-thirds of unaccompanied migrant children end up working full-time. Even with those statistics, some states are still looking to...

On Wednesday, Eli Lilly, one of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies, announced it was slashing the price of its most widely prescribed insulin by 70 percent. The U.S. Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments this week related to President Biden's student debt forgiveness plan. Meanwhile, tempers did not calm in the West Bank this week. Following settler attacks on Palestinian villages, the violence has continued, causing Israeli officials to appeal for calm. And President Biden...

The American West is experiencing its worst drought in over 1,000 years. That's making a lot of farmers rethink their sustainability practices and reimagine land that has become infertile. One way to innovate is via solar energy. Solar panels can make use of depleted land and help offset a farm's energy costs. They also preserve groundwater and help with crop growth. But the transition isn't always cheap. Could expanding solar on farmland make it harder and more expensive to feed...

In the wake of the pandemic, many people are struggling with their mental health regardless of their age. But recently published data from the CDC is shedding light on how teens are faring. The numbers show that 4 in 10 U.S. high schoolers experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021. Nearly a quarter seriously considered attempting suicide. We discuss how parents can help teens navigate this tumultuous period. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio...

Hospice care in the United States began as a social movement in the 1960s and '70s. What was once provided mainly by nonprofits, is now a $22.4 billion industry. Now, more than 70 percent of hospice clinics are for-profit businesses. And the rate of Americans choosing hospice is only going up. More than half of Americans will spend their final days in hospice. We check in on the hospice care industry — what it is, how it works, and what you need to know to prepare end-of-life...

Cities across the country are using green space to combat the effects of climate change. Many are going beyond tree planting by rezoning abandoned infrastructure — like railroads and suspended highways — to create expansive, vibrant urban parks. But new data shows that this environmental revitalization is driving gentrification and displacing people in low-income communities. How can cities balance the impact of green gentrification with the need to adopt more climate-resilient...

President Joe Biden was in Europe this week, prompting commentary from his critics. Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs says he wants future funding to Ukraine pulled and disagrees that it's America's job to defend the country's sovereign borders. While in Europe, President Biden crossed into Kyiv by train on Monday, aboard what's been dubbed "Rail Force One." The surprise trip lasted less than a day. But it sent a big message. It's the first time the president has visited Ukraine since Russia's...

What do you do when a train carrying toxic chemicals crashes in your town? East Palestine, Ohio, is finding out the hard way. A train derailed earlier this month, but the mess still hasn't been cleaned up. Now officials are playing the blame game, with East Palestine residents stuck in the middle. Trains roll through America's small towns every day. So who's responsible when things go so wrong? We discuss what's next for East Palestine residents. Want to support 1A? Give to your local...