1A

In a time of widespread suspicion and cynicism, everyone has a role to play in strengthening social trust and building bridges.

How can we create optimism about the present and the future?

That big question was central to a conversation at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June.

We discuss how individuals and organizations can work together to repair the fundamental bonds of a healthy society.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to a public radio show. There's a good chance you're into books and the stores that sell them.

And what's not to love? There might be few greater joys in life than a warm drink, a kind clerk with good recs, and the scent of freshly printed pages wafting through the air.

But in the age of the internet (and especially of Amazon) the future of the world's independent book sellers looks murky. But not hopeless.

We discuss what the future holds for these brick and mortar institutions.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have wrapped a two-day campaign swing through Georgia. They also gave their first major TV interview.

It's been an eventful week for Donald Trump. Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a revised criminal indictment against the real estate mogul this week. The former president's campaign is also under fire for breaking protocol at Arlington National Cemetery.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military launched its most intense operation in the north of the Occupied West Bank since 2002.

Four Palestinian journalists – Motaz Azaiza, Hind Khoudary, Bisan Owda, and Wael Al-Dahdouh – have been nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their reporting during the war. So far, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has registered 285 candidates.

On Saturday, French police arrested the CEO of the messaging app Telegram at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris after he arrived on an international flight. He was held until Wednesday and released on bail.

We cover all this 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? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

It's back to school season, which means America's students are back to studying. And some kids are turning to energy drinks to handle their workload.

But energy drinks aren't the same as your morning cup of coffee. In one serving, there's way more caffeine and other ingredients to enhance the "energizing" effect. But that's nothing new. They've been around for years, with flashy branding and the promise of a quick jolt of activity. But they might not be the healthiest option for those of us whose bodies are just beginning to develop.

Doctors advise against children drinking them, yet between 30 and 50 percent of adolescents do.

For this installment of our "In Good Health" series, we break down down what exactly an energy drink is and how they interact with the bodies of young people.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Ten months into Israel's war with Gaza, Vice President and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris is highlighting the White House's work towards a ceasefire deal.

But negotiations have stalled. The most recent talks in Cairo, sponsored by the U.S., ended without an agreement. And as tensions escalate on the border between Israel and Lebanon, the path forward seems even more unclear.

Organizers and uncommitted delegates at the Democratic National Convention protested for a ceasefire in Gaza, an arms embargo for Israel, and the party's decision to deny the request of a pro-Palestinian speaker at the convention.

What does this moment mean for the Biden White House? And what do we know about what Middle East foreign policy would look like under a potential Harris presidency?

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

The Paralympic Games in Paris kick off today. Athletes with varying physical disabilities from 177 countries are heading to the city of light to compete in 22 different sports.

NBC promises record coverage of the Paralympic Games, but it wasn't until the Tokyo Games when the Paralympics received prime time coverage.

This summer's competition promises plenty of other firsts such as the largest refugee Paralympic team in history, a record number of women athletes, and more.

We sit down with some Paralympians and give you the full Paris Paralympics preview.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

In May of 2021, archaeologists discovered over 200 unmarked graves at an Indigenous residential school in Canada. The discovery exposed the dark history of systemic abuse faced by Canada's Indigenous community.

At least 150,000 Indigenous children attended Indigenous residential schools in Canada. For decades, they were removed from their homes and families and held in institutions run by the Catholic church and Canadian government.

"Sugarcane" is a new documentary that follows one of those schools – St. Joseph's Mission near the Sugarcane Reservation of Williams Lake in British Columbia.

We speak with the film's directors.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Ranked choice voting is a way of electing candidates that's different from what most Americans are used to. As a voter, you get to rank your preferred candidates. So, you don't just choose one name. You may have a first, second, and third preference for who represents you.

When voting is over, a process of elimination takes place. The lowest vote-getter in the first round is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to higher vote-getters, according to how voters ranked the other candidates. The process continues until you end up with a winner. Ranked choice voting systems are already in place for some races in Alaska, Maine, and cities like Minneapolis and New York City.

What's driving reformers to push for these ranked choice voting systems in more states? And how are voters responding?

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

The Democratic Party gathered in Chicago this week for the party's national convention ahead of November's election to ceremonially confirm their nominee in the 2024 presidential race: Vice President Kamala Harris.

Elsewhere and across the aisle, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee, made an appearance in Wisconsin Tuesday, criticizing Democrats over crime in communities like Kenosha.

Meanwhile, after further talks between mediators this week, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas remains elusive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made an unscheduled visit to the region of Chechnya this week, his first trip to the mainly Muslim republic within the Russian Federation in nearly 13 years. He was there to inspect Chechen troops and volunteers preparing to fight in Ukraine.

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? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was unassuming – a small woman with a friendly smile and an ever-present German accent. As she would say, she could be someone's mother or grandmother. But a grandmother who told you what you needed to know about sex.

She died in July at the age of 96. She spent more than 50 of those years teaching America how to talk about sex, using straightforward medical terms and rejecting a sense of shame around the subject.

We look at her legacy, and how she impacted the way Americans talk about sex and relationship issues.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy