1A

This week, we learned disturbing news about the state of the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania and President Trump revoked former CIA director John Brennan's security clearance. And in global news, a lawmaker in Australia referred to the "final solution" when arguing for a Muslim immigration ban and President Trump levied more sanctions against Turkey.

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High school is hard ... but in some ways, eighth grade is harder. Pimples. Mean girls. Parents. It's the stuff of tragedy — and comedy — the likes of which we don't usually talk about. Comedian Bo Burnham sets out to do just that. He's the writer and director of a new film called "Eighth Grade."

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Ever heard of "The Googlification of the classroom?"

Well, here's a hint: more than half of America's grade-school students use Google education apps like Gmail and Docs. But do these digital resources actually help students learn? And how do schools decide between spending on software and devices ... and spending on teachers?

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While promoting her new book, former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman has made some astonishing claims, including that staffers often sign non-disclosure agreements — which we now know is true. NDAs have long been used by private companies, but what role do they play in the public sector, if any? And are they enforceable?

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Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has a lot to say about the state of America's education system. In our conversation, he reflects on his own successes and failures while leading the department under President Obama, and he shares some thoughts on his successor, Betsy DeVos.

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This week, primaries and special elections in five states set the tone as midterms inch closer. Is a "blue wave" coming for Democrats? There's more news from Paul Manafort's trial — and more sanctions abroad, including on Iran and Russia. We also check in on the diplomatic flare-up between Saudi Arabia and Canada.

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Chances are when looking at an article recently, you've read information that was attributed to "a source familiar with the matter." No names, no details about how these sources became familiar with the matter.

So why should you trust that reporting? We asked a current White House reporter, a deputy editor and a media ethics expert to break it down for us.

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There's been a lot of concern lately about the amount of video games kids play. Are they ... addicted to them? The WHO and APA say maybe. Could obsessive playing be symptomatic of something else? Or is it similar to binging a television show, or staying up to finish a gripping novel?

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A shrinking island in the Chesapeake Bay has become a national battleground in the debate over climate change. At just four feet above sea level, Tangier Island may soon be gone — upending its lucrative crabbing industry and forcing its inhabitants to relocate. How, if at all, will it fight the rising tides?

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The world is running out of sand, and it's a huge problem. Beaches are eroding at an alarming rate, and in the absence of easy-to-reach sand, the dangerous business of sand mining is booming. How did we get here, and what can we do to fix it? | Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to our podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1a.