Buckle up! Short Wave is going on a road trip every Friday this summer. In this first episode of our series on the research happening in the National Park system, we head to Shenandoah National Park and the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Some bats there are faring better than others against white-nose syndrome, a fungus that has killed more than 7 million bats in the last decade. Today — what researchers like Jesse De La Cruz think is enabling some bat species to survive.

As we road trip, we want to hear where in the world you are too — especially if you're at a national park! To be featured in an episode, send us a recording saying your name, location and "You're listening to Short Wave — from NPR." Our email is [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

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"We are taking the lessons we learned in 2020, and we are going forward to make sure they never happen again, ever," said Cleta Mitchell, a Republican election lawyer, during a meeting concerning "election integrity" efforts. Groups on the right who buy into the "big lie" concerning the 2020 election are trying to refocus and reform efforts ahead of upcoming elections, according to audio of these meetings obtained by NPR.

Guy Reffitt, a person who went to the Capitol on Jan. 6, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for his actions during the insurrection. How will his trial and sentencing influence further legal action for those charged in relation to the riots?

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and investigative correspondent Tom Dreisbach.

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New abortion bans have made some doctors hesitant to provide care for pregnancy complications. That's led to life-threatening delays, and trapped families in a limbo of grief and helplessness.

Today, senior health editor Carrie Feibel shares the story of one woman in Texas, whose pregnancy became a medical crisis because of the state's abortion laws.

Read Carrie's full reporting: https://n.pr/3zpDXK0

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Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure that would have opened the door to abortion restrictions in the state. Election turnout was incredibly high, signaling the issue may spur increased Democratic turnout in November.

And in Arizona, Mark Finchem, a state representative and election conspiracy theorist who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has secured the GOP's nomination for Secretary of State, according to the Associated Press. Should Finchem win in the general, he would oversee the state's voting systems.

This episode: political reporter Miles Parks, political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and KJZZ political reporter Ben Giles.

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It's been over 150 years since the first article was published about the molecular key to life as we know it — DNA. With help from expert Pravrutha Raman, Short Wave producer Berly McCoy explains how DNA is stored in our cells and why the iconic double helix shape isn't what you'd see if you peeked inside your cells right now. (encore)

Curious about all the other biology that defines us? Email the show at [email protected] — we're all ears ... and eyes and toes and ... a lot of things. Thanks, DNA!

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A key 9/11 plotter, Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed on July 30, according to President Joe Biden. The president said that no one else was hurt in the strike, including al-Zawahiri's family.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan today, She is the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. The island democracy governs itself, but China claims it as its territory and the speaker's visit has heightened tensions with the Chinese government in Beijing.

This episode: politics reporter Miles Parks, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and China correspondent Emily Feng.

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Under a 1971 Congressional Act, the Bureau of Land Management has the right to round up wild horses on public lands. Oftentimes, those horses are shipped to holding facilities, where they are kept in captivity and separated from their families. William Simpson wants to change that. He wants to deploy the wild horses across public lands, to live and graze — and ultimately, prevent the worst wildfires.

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While voters and pundits alike wait to see which candidates will declare presidential runs, potential candidates on the Republican side are trying to distance themselves from former president Donald Trump. Many Democrats, meanwhile, remain skeptical of President Biden's chances in 2024 & wonder if he should not seek a second term.

Support the show and unlock sponsor-free listening with a subscription to The NPR Politics Podcast Plus. Learn more at plus.npr.org/politics

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Not much is known about why people experience tastes differently and why some people can detect certain tastes and not others. There also might be other tastes out there to add to the list beyond the five known ones now. In this finale to Short Wave's Taste Buddies series, we're tackling the science of the five tastes, and in this episode, we look at why there is so much more research to be done.

Host Aaron Scott talks to Danielle Reed from the Monell Chemical Senses Center about the controversy in taste science and about what other tastes might exist beyond sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami.

To listen to more episodes about how we taste, check out our Taste Buddies series: n.pr/3sSOgDB

Email the show at [email protected].


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President Biden scored a major legislative victory this week as West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin agreed to back the administration's Inflation Reduction Act in the Senate. But, what could the bill do if passed, and will it help an economy some argue is either close to — or already in — a recession?

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and business correspondent David Gura.

Support the show and unlock sponsor-free listening with a subscription to The NPR Politics Podcast Plus. Learn more at plus.npr.org/politics

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