Short Wave

Most people are focused on the present: today, tomorrow, maybe next year. Fixing your flat tire is more pressing than figuring out if you should buy an electric car. Living by the beach is a lot more fun than figuring out when your house might be flooded by rising sea levels.

That basic human relationship with time makes climate change a tricky problem.

Host Emily Kwong talks to climate correspondent Rebecca Hersher about how our obsession with the present can be harnessed to tackle our biggest climate problems.

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The White House said FBI agents searched President Biden's Delaware home on Friday, finding more items with classified markings. The search took place voluntarily, and without a search warrant.

Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Florida on Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. Her speech came alongside new announcements in White House policy concerning reproductive rights.

This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, politics reporter Deepa Shivaram, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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This mystery begins in 1952, in the Nevada desert, when a self-taught geologist came across the skeleton of a massive creature that looked like a cross between a whale and a crocodile. It turned out to be just the beginning.

Ichthyosaurs were bus-sized marine reptiles that lived during the age of dinosaurs, when this area of Nevada was underwater. Yet paleontologists found few other animals here, which raised the questions: Why were there so many adult ichthyosaurs, and almost nothing else? What could have killed them all?

Paleontologist Neil Kelley says that recently, there has been a major break in the case—some new evidence, and a hypothesis that finally seems to fit. Neil talked with Short Wave co-host Aaron Scott about his theory of the case, and why it matters to our understanding of the past.

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Documents were at the heart of Washington news this week. A Supreme Court investigation into who leaked a draft opinion of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade failed to identify who was responsible; the White House's communications strategy in handling the president's classified document dilemma has left much to be desired; and, a State Department decision to change fonts has our cast thinking.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, political correspondent Susan Davis, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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About three million people in the United States have epilepsy, including about a million who can't rely on medication to control their seizures. For years, those patients had very limited options. But now, in 2023, advancements in diagnosing and treating epilepsy are showing great promise for many patients, even those who had been told there was nothing that could be done. Using precise lasers, microelectronic arrays and robot surgeons, doctors and researchers have begun to think differently about epilepsy and its treatment. Today on Short Wave, host Aaron Scott talks with NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton about these advances in treating epilepsy. He explains why folks should ask their doctors about surgery — even if it wasn't an option for them a few years ago.

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The Payroll Protection Program was enacted during the pandemic to provide financial assistance to businesses that were closed, or operating at a reduced capacity. An NPR investigation finds the program was rife with fraud and most of the loans have been forgiven.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, investigative correspondent Sacha Pfeiffer, and political correspondent Susan Davis.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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Winter storms have flooded parts of California, broken levees and forced thousands to evacuate. Climate change is altering the historic weather patterns that infrastructure like reservoirs and waterways were built to accommodate. Urban planners and engineers are rethinking underlying assumptions baked into buildings and water systems in order to adapt to the changing climate. Today, NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer walks us through three innovations happening around the country to help cities adapt to shifting and intensifying weather patterns.

Heard of other cool engineering innovations? We'd love to hear about it! Email us at [email protected].

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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Congress the United States would reach the statutory debt limit — commonly known as the debt ceiling — on Jan. 19. As Congress & the Treasury work to find ways to avoid financial chaos, what potential solutions are available?

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and political correspondents Danielle Kurtzleben & Susan Davis.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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Time is a concept so central to our daily lives. Yet, the closer scientists look at it, the more it seems to fall apart. Time ticks by differently at sea level than it does on a mountaintop. The universe's expansion slows time's passage. "And some scientists think time might not even be 'real' — or at least not fundamental," says NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel. Geoff joined Short Wave Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber to bend our brains with his learnings about the true nature of time. Along the way, we visit the atomic clocks at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, consider distant exploding stars and parse the remains of subatomic collisions.

Want to know more about fundamental physics? Email [email protected].

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In Washington, D.C., members of the Proud Boys are on trial related to their alleged actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It is the second major seditious conspiracy trial related to the insurrection following one late last year involving members of the Oath Keepers.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and, political correspondent Susan Davis.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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