1A

The holidays are over, and Washington is back at work. Well, Congress is. We're barely out of the midterms, and we're still talking campaigns — not just for president in 2020, but an unresolved election in North Carolina. China takes a bite out of Apple, hurting iPhone sales and raising concerns about the Chinese economy. And Brazil's new president, Jair Bolsonaro, wastes no time shaking things up after taking office.

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The president might be averse to having his finances scrutinized, but change is afoot in Washington — and that could mean change for the parameters of the Mueller probe, too.

Will new Democratic leadership give the green light to cross the president's "red line?" We put that question to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-CA, and Jeffrey Toobin.

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The NRA made waves with the statement "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

But 1 out of 4 gun owners is African-American. What happens when they are the good guys?

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What can the core of Mars tells us about our own planet? And how do we go about interplanetary exploration in an ethical way?

We asked two members of NASA's InSight Lander team.

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As we headed into the holidays, the government headed into a partial shutdown. A second detained minor died in the custody of Border Patrol. Elections are delayed in Congo, and brought forward in Israel. And President Trump's surprise trip to Iraq played well in the U.S. – but in Iraq, it's a different story.

It's the final Friday News Roundup of 2018.

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The #MeToo movement. A bitter battle over a new Supreme Court justice. The midterms.

Was 2018 really a year of the woman? Or was it just a year that we talked more about what's affecting women?

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Is there more to the story of Reconstruction than we've been popularly told? Very likely, according to a September article in Smithsonian Magazine. The report shares that the number of black Americans killed at this time has been largely ignored.

Why is this era not given much attention in common renderings of the Civil War?

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"Give up." That's the advice Michael Caine received over and over for decades after he began his acting career.

Well, we're sure glad he didn't.

We spoke with him about his humble beginnings, and what it took to get to the pinnacle of his profession.

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It wouldn't be Christmas without "The Nutcracker." But would it be "The Nutcracker" without yellowface?

Some ballet companies have made changes to the ballet in recent years, updating the choreography, costuming and makeup to eliminate Asian stereotypes or caricatures. How should we present classic ballets and musicals with offensive or racist caricatures to today's diverse audiences?

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It's the weekly News Roundup on 1A.
And these are the stories we're covering today.
The clock ticks to midnight, when funding runs out.
"We must build the wall!" President Trump did shout.
Will Congress find funding, or reach an impasse?
And let the government's engine just run out of gas?
The Defense Secretary is on his way out.
Jim Mattis says, don't push our allies about.
Plus, a judge rules Obamacare is no longer lawful.
Michael Flynn's sentence could get even more awful.
And new rules for migrants who are claiming asylum:
They'll have to stay put in Mexico to file 'em.
Those are our topics, but if you have something to say,
Then find us on Facebook, or Twitter, as @1A.

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