1A

At least a billion dollars of untraceable cash is flowing into this year’s midterm elections.

That’s according to an analysis by The New York Times from late last month. These funds – referred to as dark money by campaign finance experts – are coming from super PACs, non-profits, and wealthy donors.

Tracing exactly how much dark money is flowing through campaigns is difficult. Money spent to hire influencers online, direct mail campaigns, and employ door knockers isn’t always publicly disclosed as campaign spending.

In this edition of “If you Can Keep it,” we tackle the role of dark money in our midterm elections.

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Despite President Donald Trump’s historic unpopularity, Republicans are betting on him big ahead of this year’s midterms. The partystaged a first midterm convention in Dallas, Texas this week.

Following renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, the price of crude oil has risen to over $100 per barrel, meaning American drivers are in for more pain at the pump.

And this week New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release of a public portal allowing access to records relating to 9/11.

And, in global news, a new book alleges that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu was warned of the Hamas offensive,just days before the October 7, 2023 attack.

This week, President Donald Trump announced he would institute bans on some Canadian goods, including dairy products, alcohol, and motorcycles.

And the far-right AfD German political party made historic gains in a state election this week.

We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.

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The Lindsay Clancy murder trial captivated the American public for weeks.

Prosecutors charged Clancy with murdering her three children. They say she then tried to take her own life and that her injuries left her paralyzed from the waist down. Clancy’s lawyers say she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible. But prosecutors say she planned the deaths.

After seven days of deliberation, the jury remained deadlocked and the case ended in a mistrial.

The trial has divided the nation and sparked conversations over about maternal mental health, raising questions over gaps in care for parents after giving birth. About one in five expecting or postpartum women in the U.S. experience mental health disorders. And according to a 2025 study, overall maternal mental health has dramatically dropped in the past seven years, with only 25 percent of moms reporting excellent mental health.

What do we know – and don’t know – about maternal mental health care? And how can our systems be bolstered to help those who need it most after giving birth?

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or thinking of harming yourself, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by phone and text. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is also available 24/7. You can text, call or chat at 1-833-TLC-MAMA. The Postpartum Support International also offers a helpline at 1-800-944-4773 or you can visit postpartum.net.

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The way we work has changed dramatically over the last decade. Using AI is quickly becoming the norm in many workplaces when, just a few years ago, it felt closer to science fiction. And the hybrid work model that began during the pandemic has made remote work much more common. 

We’ve also seen shifts around what it means to be an “essential worker.” It’s a term that emerged during the pandemic, but has largely fallen out of our vocabulary. This category included nurses and doctors, government workers, those in transportation, food and agriculture, water, and waste management. 

But there’s a different name for a growing segment of the work population that includes those we once deemed essential — the “disposable” worker. Unlike their “essential” counterparts, the disposable workforce isn’t defined by the services they offer, but by the weakening contract between them and their employers.

In honor of Labor Day week, we discuss what it means to be disposable in today’s labor market — and what happens when people abandon traditional work arrangements altogether.

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A quarter century after 9/11, the health of those who responded to the attacks continues to be affected.

Some 3,000 people died across three locations that day. An estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants and risked physical injury in the hours and days that followed. That’s according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the dust and debris have settled, more than 96,000 have been diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions related to 9/11.

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, establishing the World Trade Center Health Program and reopening the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. Today, more than 150,000 people are enrolled in the program.

But that program wouldn’t exist without the advocacy of survivors and first responders who put their bodies and lives on the line following the attacks. How did that fight for care unfold?

For more information about the Rutgers WTC Health Program, click here. And to learn more about applying, click here.

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How did you celebrate July 4 this year? What did the country’s landmark 250th anniversary, in honor of the founding of the United States, mean to you?

The next 50 years likely hold a lot of change for our country where democracy, economic uncertainty, technology, and our social fabric are concerned.

What do we want that change to look like? In this previously-aired episode, we opened the phones so that you, our listeners, could tell us.

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Following months of a tenuous ceasefire and several rounds of failed negotiations, the U.S. and Iran traded military strikes this week threatening to once again plunge the surrounding region into conflict.

A whistleblower inside the United States Postal Service is warning that the agency is rushing to implement a system to deal with mail-in ballots that, due to its untested nature, could disenfranchise millions of voters in the U.S.

Months after the beginning of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in U.S. cities, and after several fatal shootings, ICE now says it has enough body cameras for its agents.

And, in global news, following renewed violence between Washington and Tehran, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged support for Iran this week in its conflict with the U.S. and encouraged other world leaders to do the same.

The U.S. is working with interim President Delcy Rodriguez on a plan to take control of roughly one fifth of Venezuela’s oil supply.

And voters in Iceland struck down a referendum on restarting talks to join the European Union.

We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.

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If you’ve driven on any road in the U.S. lately, chances are your license plate has been captured by a Flock camera.

Flock lets police around the country track your car. The company’s cameras can even help determine whether you’ve committed a crime. Now, it’s is facing big time backlash for what critics call excessive surveillance.

What does widespread deployment of license plate readers on U.S. roads means for our privacy?

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Imagine a small town in rural Tennessee — a town square, a yellow brick courthouse, a family-owned restaurant, a café, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets across the Appalachian foothills.

Now, imagine a group of far-right real estate developers — backed by Silicon Valley venture capital and with powerful ties to Washington — move into town. They have a vision to build a new kind of community and turn it into a haven for like-minded white Christians.

That’s what’s happening in Gainesboro, Tennessee. And it’s part of a growing movement by some far-right Christian nationalists to relocate to red states and turn small towns into white enclaves. 

Locals in Gainesboro are alarmed. They call it a “takeover.” And they are pushing back. That’s the story of “Our Town,” a new Bloomberg investigative podcast series. We sit down with its hosts to talk about this takeover in Tennessee.

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For some of you, it’s still a week away. For others — the doors are already open.

It’s back to school. But in this edition of 1A, it’s all about the teachers. They’ve been called heroes. They’ve fought for better salaries and benefits. They‘ve been asked to do more with less. They’ve started go-fund-me campaigns to pay for your classroom supplies when the funding just isn’t there.

Last year, we asked teachers what excited and worried them before the school year. And this year, we’re doing it again.What are teachers in the U.S. feeling ahead of a school year sure to be filled with triumphs and perils?

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