On average, people who menstruate spend an estimated $150 million dollars a year just on the sales tax for pads and tampons. We talk with an activist about the legal fight to end the so-called tampon tax and the nation's first-ever Period Day. Plus, National Geographic will release a documentary on Friday called "The Cave" about an underground hospital in a suburb of Damascus that was bombed by the Syrian government. Host Peter O'Dowd talks to Oscar-nominated filmmaker Feras Fayyad about his documentary.

Oct. 18, 2019: Tax On Menstrual Products; 'The Cave' Syria Documentary

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Protests against the war in Gaza have been surging on college campuses around the country. Professor Katherine S. Cho of Loyola University joins us. Then, commercial airlines are one of the fastest-growing sources of pollution on the planet. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd and Chris Bentley report on how the industry is trying to solve that problem with sustainable aviation fuels. And, Wall Street Journal reporter Dana Mattioli's new book "The Everything War" explores how Amazon grew to be worth more than $1 trillion.

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Cleaning up the aviation industry with electric planes

The Supreme Court weighs whether punishing homeless people for sleeping outside amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Slate's Mark Joseph Stern joins us. And, big-rig trucks spew almost a quarter of the climate pollution from the U.S. transportation sector. Battery-powered alternatives could be a climate solution, Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports. Then, how much do you need to save to retire? Jill Schlesinger, host of "Jill On Money" and CBS business analyst, breaks down how to figure it out.

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Battery-powered rigs could clean up the trucking industry

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are growing around the U.S. Hatem Abudayyeh of the Chicago-based U.S. Palestinian Community Network joins us. Then, the number of people experiencing homelessness reached a record high in 2023. We speak with local officials from Burlington, Vermont, and Bakersfield, California, working to end the crisis. And, video game creator Jordan Mechner talks about his new graphic novel, "Replay," which interweaves his personal history with the story of how his family escaped the Nazis.

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How cities are addressing record-high homelessness

Russia launched airstrikes on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, killing 18 people. The Washington Post's Siobhan O'Grady shares the latest. Then, Georgetown law professor Mary McCord explains Trump's criminal trial in New York. And, author Lissa Soep talks about her new book, "Other People's Words," where she reflects on how the voices of people who have died continue to speak through their loved ones and her.

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Trump's alleged 'hush money' scheme, explained

Workers at a Tennessee Volkswagen plant are voting on whether to unionize. Michael Martinez of Automotive News shares the latest. Then, are we in a new era of drone warfare? RAND political scientist Caitlin Lee weighs in. And, ProPublica's Craig Silverman talks about a coordinated gift card scam that totals hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Oct. 18, 2019: Tax On Menstrual Products; 'The Cave' Syria Documentary

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