Short Wave

Today we share the mic with our colleagues at Planet Money to talk about one of our favorite aquatic creatures: manatees. Decades ago, manatees nearly went extinct as their habitat dwindled and boats threatened their lives. But power companies noticed something: manatees were hanging out near their power plants, seeking out warm water. So, the power companies teamed up with environmentalists to turn the warm waters near power planets into manatee refuges — saving manatee lives and the power companies money in the process. Now, there's a new conundrum: manatees that are hooked on fossil fuels.

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Far-right activists and a militia figure are a major force in the state's Republican politics, where even orthodox conservatives like Gov. Brad Little are described by opponents as "too liberal." Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, who has cozied up to white nationalists, is running to unseat him. Now, a group called Take Back Idaho is raising money in an uphill fight to push far-right Republicans out of power.

This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, national correspondent Kirk Siegler, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

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There's a lot for scientists to learn about the origins of humans' musical abilities. In the last few years, though, they've discovered homo sapiens have some company in our ability to make musical rhythm. Producer Berly McCoy brings the story of singing lemurs to host Aaron Scott. She explains how their harmonies could help answer questions about the beginnings of our own musical abilities, and what all of this has to do with Queen.

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Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser to the former president, voluntarily testified before House investigators for more than eight hours this week about the insurrectionist riot in the Capitol.

And Congress debated how the government would survive if half its members died or were incapacitated in an attack or natural disaster. Right now, the Constitution requires House members be to replaced by special election, a lengthy process.

This episode: demographics and culture correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, and congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell.

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According to the World Health Organization, Ukraine has the fourth highest incidence of tuberculosis in Europe — and one of the highest rates of multidrug resistant TB anywhere in the world. The country had been making progress but then came the pandemic, and now the war. Reporter Ari Daniel says doctors worry about increased spread of this contagious and deadly disease.

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The vote was 53 to 47, with three Republicans joining the Democratic caucus in support of Jackson's nomination. When sworn in this summer, she will be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

This episode: demographics and culture correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson.

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A Japanese chemist identified umami in the early 1900s, but it took a century for his work to be translated into English. Short Wave host Emily Kwong talks with producer Chloee Weiner about why it took so long for umami to be recognized as the fifth taste.

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As the Senate prepares to leave town for a two-week break, a bipartisan deal for $10 billion in new COVID money is on hold thanks to a fight over immigration. The BIden administration announced plans to lift a Trump-era restriction called Title 42. It allowed the U.S. to block migrants from entering the country before they have the chance to make an asylum claim. Republicans and some conservative Democrats want to see the rule reinstated.

And new sanctions have been implemented against Russia by the U.S. and its allies after the discovery of mass graves following the withdrawal of Russian troops near Kyiv. But the most significant source of Russian money, fossil fuel sales to Europe, continues more or less unscathed — raising the question of what, if anything, would lead fuel purchases to be halted.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and internation correspondent Jackie Northam.

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Today, we present an episode of NPR's daily economics podcast, The Indicator from Planet Money. It's filled with one of our favorite topics: Data.

Algorithms are the secret sauce for many tech platforms. With user data, they can help a company tailor a subscriber's experience and make the product better. But what happens when the data that feeds an algorithm is obtained through less than legal means?

We learn about the curious case of Kurbo, the weight loss app for kids that the feds say illegally collected data to generate that secret sauce.

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Unemployment in the United States is near record lows, wages are growing quickly, and spending in the service sector is increasing as the pandemic lulls.

But there's also some worrying news: more job openings than people who want to fill them, global economic uncertainty stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and so much demand for consumer goods that the supply chain is struggling to keep up — forces that have all helped to drive inflation.

Can the Federal Reserve calibrate its response in a way that won't tip the country into a recession? And what view of the economy will voters have come the November midterm elections?

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley.

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