The world's eyes will once again fall on China at the end of the week when the country hosts the 2022 Winter Olympics.

But China itself will be keeping at least some of its attention a continent away – in Africa.

In 2020 alone, China invested $4.2 billion into the continent – that's double what the United States spent.

Some say it's providing much-needed infrastructure help. Others think it's just colonialism by another name.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement last week. The departure of the oldest justice on the bench allows President Joe Biden to make good on his promise to nominate a Black woman to the court. It's a promise he has since reiterated.

The Breyer's replacement will not change the ideological makeup of the court, which leans conservative. But it will mean a younger justice on the court and would give President Biden a much-needed win.

We talk about what to expect for the road ahead with a confirmation battle and midterms on the horizon.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

For this episode of 1A's Sunday Podcast, we bring you two conversations with two authors.

First, we speak with Hanya Yanagihara about her new novel, "To Paradise." It's topped almost every list of the most anticipated books of 2022.

We talk to Hanya about her new novel and her work as a magazine editor.

Later, we speak with British author Bernardine Evaristo. In 2019, she won the Booker Prize for her novel "Girl, Woman, Other." She's the first Black woman to do so in the award's 53-year history.

But before that, she had a long career writing plays, poetry, and short stories centered around the African diaspora.Her new memoir, "Manifesto,"is a story of perseverance.

We talk with Evaristo about finding her voice and never letting it go.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced plans to retire. Now, President Joe Biden has the chance to make his first SCOTUS nomination, indicating he will select a Black woman as his pick to send to the Senate for confirmation.

The trial of the three officers involved in the murder of George Floyd begins this week. Prosecutors must prove that Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng had a responsibility to intervene as Derek Chauvin killed Floyd.

Meanwhile, the world continues to watch the border between Russia and Ukraine. Countries in Western Europe are sending military aid and repositioning their defenses. President Joe Biden warned Russia that an invasion would change the nature of world diplomacy.

The military has assumed control in Burkina Faso in the latest coup in the country's history. Now, 20 million people on the edge of the Sahara are waiting to see if the military will keep its promise to return the country to constitutional order within a "reasonable time."

We cover all this 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 us on Twitter @1A.

This year, scientists at the University of Alabama performed the transplant of genetically-modified pig kidneys into a brain-dead human being. And this month, surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center transplanted a heart from a genetically-modified pig into a living human patient.

The need for organs in the U.S. is dire – more than 100,000 patients are on the national transplant list, and 17 of them die each day waiting for organs.

How can the use of xenotransplantation address this need?

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Most of us also know how good we are at navigating. If you rate yourself on a scale of one to ten, a scientific test will likely give you about the same score.

Scientist and science writer Christopher Kemp rates himself a one out of ten. He sometimes gets lost in his own neighborhood. His lack of navigation skills align with a condition known as developmental topographical disorientation, or DTD, which is passed down genetically. His wife, in comparison, is excellent at finding her way, and can easily orient herself in new places. That stark contrast inspired an investigation into the neuroscience of navigation.

Why do some humans navigate better than others? What happens when we rely on GPS devices instead of our internal sense of direction? What's going on inside our brains when we try to find our way?

Kemp helps us navigate these questions and more.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

With vaccines in play and a better understanding of air ventilation, theaters were supposed to open their doors again. And they did... sort of.

Ticket sales in 2021 outpaced 2020. But were still nearly 70 percent behind the haul from 2019.

A lot of that is the pandemic, but moviegoers have been gravitating away from theaters for years now.

In a world where reboots and franchises dominate the box office (and even they aren't doing pre-pandemic numbers), how can other films compete? And what does that mean for the future of American cinema?

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

The potential for a Russian invasion in Ukraine continues to grow. According to the U.K.'s Foreign Office, Russian officials are already discussing potential pro-Russian leadership to replace Ukrainian leaders.

How close is Russian military action against Ukraine? And how will the U.S. and the rest of Europe respond?

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

The post-holiday omicron wave seems to have crested as case totals in states across the nation are beginning to fall. COVID-related deaths, however, are still high, totaling approximately 2,000 a day.

The Democrats failed in the Senate to pass voting rights reforms and end the filibuster. Now there are questions of what's next for President Joe Biden's agenda.

Reports indicate that in 2021 Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko alerted the Department of Defense before the U.S.'s withdrawal from Afghanistan that the Afghan air force would not survive once the military had left.

And the western world is watching the border of Ukraine and Russia as Valdimir Putin continues to threaten invasion. In a press conference this week, President Joe Biden warned Russia against moving against Ukraine, but said the U.S. would not send troops in the event of invasion.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Nestled near the small town of Institute in West Virginia is the Union Carbide chemical manufacturing plant. And while it's been a source for jobs in the area for decades, many residents of Institute associate the plant with chemical leaks and fires.

Last year, a West Virginia state health department report found that Institute is seeing a spike in cancer related to ethylene oxide, a chemical produced at the plant.

We talk to the reporter behind an investigation into the toxic air pollution in the town and explore how Institute compares to other Black communities in the country that face disproportionate health risks from air pollution.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.