1A

A million species are under the threat of extinction, scientists say. Since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, 11 species on that list have been declared extinct in the United States. One tool being used to combat the extinction crisis is species reintroduction — the process of re-establishing a species population in an area they've been driven out of. Reintroduction has been successful in the U.S. before, with a variety of species, including black-footed ferrets, which were once among the rarest mammals in the world. We discuss how decisions over reintroductions are made and check in on the battle over a gray wolf release program in Colorado. This episode is part of our series, "SOS: Save Our Species," which takes a closer look at the Endangered Species Act and its impact 50 years later. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

What do bison, beaver, wolves and sea otters all have in common? They're keystone species. That means they have an outsized impact on their ecosystem. It took humans driving some of these to near extinction to realize just how important they are. Now animals like the American Bison and North American Beaver are some of the Endangered Species Act's most notable success stories. As part of our series marking the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, we're taking a closer look at the efforts to save keystone species. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Scientists predict that more than 1 million species could go extinct in the coming decades. It's been 50 years since Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 to protect plants and animals in the U.S. from extinction. Over 99 percent of the more than 1,600 species listed as endangered or threatened have survived. But the work to protect our nation's biodiversity is far from over. Just last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it was delisting 21 species from the act due to extinction. It included one species of bat and 10 kinds of birds. We discuss what the Endangered Species Act has accomplished in 50 years and how we should think about the next 50 years of conservation. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

New York Rep. George Santos' time in Congress could come to an end this week. A vote to expel him is expected on Friday. He had already previously refused to resign. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died this week at the age of 100. He played a part in some of the darkest moments of the Cold War. Meanwhile, the war resumed between Israel and Hamas on Friday, after the last truce extension expired. And in the West Bank four people, including an 8-year-old boy, were killed as the Israeli Defense Force raided the Jenin refugee camp this week. The Department of Justice charged a man accused of taking payment from the Indian government for the assassination of a Sikh leader and U.S. citizen in New York. We cover all these headlines and more during this week's News Roundup. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

For the first time in the franchise's 21-year history, ABC's "The Bachelor" is surprising viewers with "The Golden Bachelor", where all the contestants are over 60. And the bachelor himself is 72. Whether you're a fan of the show or not, the series is airing at a time when many older Americans are finding themselves single. According to a new analysis by Bowling Green State University's National Center for Family and Marriage Research, divorce rates among people 65 and older tripled between 1990 and 2021. And roughly half of women over 65 are un-partnered. That's according to a Pew Research survey from 2020. We discuss what it's like to try and find love in your later years. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

WeWork – the shared office space company – was once hailed as a revolutionary way to work, with a $47 billion valuation to match. But earlier this month, the company filed for bankruptcy. WeWork reported more than $18 billion in debt and around $100 million in unpaid rent. And while the bankruptcy may be the final nail in WeWork's proverbial coffin, many other coworking spaces have cropped up all around the country. We discuss what the future of remote work will look like and how coworking spaces fit into that future. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

In June 2015, nine people died at Charleston's Emanuel A.M.E. Church, victims of a racist shooter's rampage. Some of the victims' relatives publicly forgave the murderer, including Chris Singleton, whose mother, Sharonda Coleman Singleton, was killed. Philosopher Myisha Cherry was struck by the story and its response. Some, she says, paid more attention to the inspirational story of forgiveness than the racial hatred behind the shooting. In her new book, Professor Cherry seeks to understand what forgiveness means and why we venerate it. Sometimes, she argues, forgiveness can do more harm than good, especially if it lets the perpetrator of wrongdoing off the hook – whether that be a person, system or anything else. We discuss forgiveness – what it means and its effect. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Marcus du Sautoy is a mathematician who loves games, travel, and, unsurprisingly, math. His new book is titled "Around the World in 80 Games: A Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the Greatest Games." In it, du Sautoy tours the world's games, exploring how they are built around (and can be won using) mathematics. We discuss how math and games are interwoven worldwide, and learn the history of some of our favorite games. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Whether it's high-speed rail or highway reconstruction, infrastructure projects in the U.S. are often associated with high price tags and lengthy timelines. Perhaps no project captures this better than Boston's Central Artery Tunnel project, more commonly known as the Big Dig. It's the nation's most expensive highway project. And it took more than two decades to plan and build. Ian Coss, host of GBH News' "The Big Dig" joins us to discuss the lessons we can take away from projects like Boston's. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Dolly Parton's resume is as big as her hair. And at age 77 she's adding another title to it: "Rockstar." Her new album was released on Nov. 17. It's a mix of covers of classic rock songs, featuring collaborations with a whopping list of who's who in Rock-n-Roll. And there are almost 30 tracks – give or take a few – depending on the version of the album that you buy. With 9 new singles, "Rockstar" is Dolly's most significant foray into Rock and Roll music. While Dolly has fully embraced a new "Rockstar" persona – down to the black studded outfits – glimmers of rockstar have existed in Dolly's previous eras. Over the past fifty years, Dolly has won plenty of awards and accolades for her songwriting, becoming one of music's most prolific songwriters. Sit back and grab yourself a cup of ambition. For this edition of the 1A Record Club – Dolly Parton's new album "Rockstar" and what her latest musical evolution represents. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

The wildly popular webcomic "Strange Planet" has attracted millions of followers by pointing out absurdities in everyday life. Beings on Strange Planet live in a place very similar to Earth and behave very similarly to humans. They just talk about it differently. On Strange Planet, coffee is "jitter liquid," socks are "foot tubes," alcohol is "mild poison," kissing is "mouth pushing," and raccoons are "greyscale finger bandits." The successful webcomic is expanding to books, merchandise, and now a new show on Apple TV+, co-created by "Strange Planet" creator Nathan W. Pyle and "Rick and Morty" co-creator Dan Harmon. We talk to Pyle about the show and his inspiration. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Hip-hop is many things – unapologetic, lyrical, rhythmic, and above all, ubiquitous. Since its nebulous "creation" at a party in the Bronx in 1973, hip-hop has become one of the world's most popular genres and cultural expressions. It's also evolved drastically. It's given way to various subgenres – like gangsta rap and drill – and provided the means for talented emcees to be heard around the world. But hip-hop doesn't exist without its controversy. The genre has been seen by many since its inception as a tool to further misogyny, violence and capitalist exploitation. We celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th birthday by discussing the history of the genre and what its future could look like. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Chances are you uses spices everyday. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spice consumption per capita among Americans has more than tripled since 1966. But spices aren't just about taste. They can also be beneficial to our health. One 2019 study from the Journal of A.O.A.C. International found that certain spices can lower the risk of chronic disease and help fight inflammation. We talk about how can you incorporate spices into your dishes at home with a spice shop owner, a professional chef, and a doctor. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Complaints against U.S. airlines hit a record high in 2022. And it's not getting any better. Consumer complaints nearly doubled in the first three months of this year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. With only four major airlines in the U.S., there's little choice for consumers in the market. And with air travel expected to reach a record high this holiday season, many will be subjected to the worst of travel: long lines, high prices, and of course, awful airplane food. But why does our time in flight have to be riddled with anguish? And what can be done to make the skies friendly again? For that, we're turning to Ganesh Sitaraman, a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School and director of the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator. He's also out with the new book, "Why Flying is Miserable: And How to Fix It." Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

It's been a busy week for the GOP in Congress. Lawmakers managed to avoid another government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson's grace period in his new role seems to be over. US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for the first time in a year at a summit in San Francisco. The two leaders spent time together as after many months of tensions between the two nations. New polling indicates that there's a significant gap in politician rhetoric and public sentiment on Israel's war on Gaza, with a growing number of Americans believing the IDF has gone too far in its efforts to fight Hamas. Meanwhile, Israeli military strikes on the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City continued this week, as they focus in on what the IDF claim are Hamas operation centers in medical facilities. Palestinians working in Gaza's main hospital are burying their dead in a mass grave. We cover the most important stories this week during the News Roundup. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

William Shakespeare once said that the eyes are the window to the soul. We make eye contact with others to show that we're listening, to connect, or simply as a way of saying, "I see you." Cultures around the world have understood the power of eyes for centuries. If you travel to India, Chad, Japan, Iran, or just around the corner from your house, you'll probably see the same thing around the eyes of the people who live there: eyeliner. In her new book, "Eyeliner: A Cultural History," Lebanese-British journalist Zahra Hankir explores beauty, power, identity, and resistance through the lens of the iconic cosmetic. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

It's been over three years since "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" was released. It became one of the best-selling video games of the year — moving over 42 million copies, almost four times as much as the previous edition of the game. It also renewed interest in a video game trend known for finding magic in mundane tasks: cozy gaming. Games like "Stardew Valley," "Harvest Moon," and "Unpacking," where the objective is less about shooting, fighting, or space colonization and more about gentle verbs — tending, farming, and homemaking. And the video game industry is taking notice. We discuss the impact and popularity of cozy gaming. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Guns, and who gets to have access to them, is one of the most hotly debated issues in our country. The Supreme Court will weigh in on gun rights once more in the coming months in the case of a 23-year-old Texas man named Zackey Rahimi. His case challenges a federal law that's been around for nearly two decades that strips gun ownership rights from people under domestic violence protection orders. How should the high court regulate who gets access to guns? And how might the outcome of the case shape gun rights as we know them? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

The first photographs of a major military conflict were taken during the Crimean War of the 1850s. Nearly 175 years later, photojournalists are on the ground, on the frontlines of conflicts around the world, documenting history. They do so at great risk to themselves. So far, at least five photojournalists have died during the Israel-Hamas War, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. "You see the spirit of human beings when everything else is stripped away," says photojournalist Lynsey Addario. "That's what drives me to keep going back. At the end of the day, people can be horrible, but they can also be extraordinary and wonderful." We discuss how photojournalists in conflict zones do their work and the impact of witnessing the atrocities of war first-hand. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

This was an off-year election week to remember. In Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear retained control of his office after making abortion a central issue of his campaign. Five GOP candidates took the debate stage in Miami this week, all doing their best to grab the attention of Republican primary voters. WeWork, the office-sharing giant, filed for bankruptcy this week. In 2019, the company was valued at $47 billion.We cover the most important stories from around the country in the domestic hour of the News Roundup. Meanwhile, the U.S. is signaling its desire for more Palestinian governance over Gaza and the West Bank once the war ends. And worldwide, October is being recorded as the hottest-ever month, meaning 2023 is on track to be the hottest-ever year. We cover all these stories and more during the News Roundup. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.