Short Wave

After a tough night with only one win on Super Tuesday, Nikki Haley announced Wednesday that she is suspending her Republican presidential campaign. We look back at Haley's impact on the race and ahead to what's next for her and her supporters.

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The Voyager 1 space probe is the farthest human-made object in space. It launched in 1977 with a golden record on board that carried assorted sounds of our home planet: greetings in many different languages, dogs barking, and the sound of two people kissing, to name but a few examples. The idea with this record was that someday, Voyager 1 might be our emissary to alien life – an audible time capsule of Earth's beings. Since its launch, it also managed to complete missions to Jupiter and Saturn. In 2012, it crossed into interstellar space.

But a few months ago, the probe encountered a problem. "It's an elderly spacecraft," says NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce, "and it had some kind of electronic stroke." Greenfieldboyce talks to Short Wave Host Regina G. Barber about the precarious status of Voyager 1 – the glitch threatening its mission, and the increasingly risky measures NASA is taking to try and restore it.

What interstellar adventure should we cover next? Email the show at [email protected].

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There were no surprises this Super Tuesday as both President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump won big in the day's primary voting contests. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley won a second primary in Vermont Tuesday night — but is it enough to disrupt Trump's path to the nomination?

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, political correspondent Susan Davis, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

Our producers are Jeongyoon Han, Casey Morell & Kelli Wessinger. Our editor is Erica Morrison. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Colorado could not disqualify former President Donald Trump from its ballot. The opinion came the day before Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen states will vote in the presidential primary.

This episode: national political correspondent Sarah McCammon, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

Our producers are Jeongyoon Han, Casey Morell & Kelli Wessinger. Our editor is Erica Morrison. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a first-of-its-kind cancer therapy to treat aggresive forms of skin cancer. It has us thinking of the long history of cancer. One of the first recorded mentions of cancer appears in an ancient Egyptian text from around 3000 B.C. And although we now know much more about how cancer begins — as a series of mutations in someone's DNA — it's a disease people are still grappling with how to cure cancers today. This episode, cancer epidemiologist Mariana Stern talks about cancer history and treatment today — plus, why some people are more prone to certain cancers and why that might matter for curing them.

Want to hear about advances in medicine? Email the show at [email protected].

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In this week's roundup, we look at the dueling visits to the U.S.-Mexico border taken by President Biden and former president Trump, the continued glacial pace of legislation in Congress, and controversial plans to make a fast food staple a little bit pricier.

This episode: White House correspondents Asma Khalid & Franco Ordoñez, and political correspondent Susan Davis.

Our producers are Jeongyoon Han, Casey Morell & Kelli Wessinger. Our editor is Erica Morrison. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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The sci-fi film Dune: Part Two is out in theaters now. The movie takes place on the harsh desert planet, Arrakis, where water is scarce and giant, killer sandworms lurk just beneath the surface. But what do planetary scientists and biologists think about the science of these worms, Arrakis and our other favorite sci-fi planets?

Today on the show, Regina G. Barber talks to biologist (and Star Trek consultant!) Mohamed Noor and planetary scientist Michael Wong about Dune, habitable planets and how to make fantasy seem more realistic.

Want more of the science behind your favorite fictional worlds? Email us at [email protected].

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The Supreme Court announced it will hear a case related to special counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of former president Donald Trump related to Trump's alleged actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Trump argues any actions undertaken by a president while in office are ineligible to be prosecuted, even after leaving office. Here's what you need to know.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

Our producers are Jeongyoon Han, Casey Morell & Kelli Wessinger. Our editor is Erica Morrison. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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President Biden won the Michigan Democratic presidential primary Tuesday by a wide margin, despite a push by those upset by his administration's policies about the war in Gaza to vote uncommitted.

Meanwhile, former president Trump won the state's Republican presidential primary, as widely expected.

And, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced he would leave his leadership position in November. He is the longest-serving Republican leader in the history of the Senate.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, campaign reporter Elena Moore, senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and political correspondent Susan Davis.

Our producers are Jeongyoon Han, Casey Morell & Kelli Wessinger. Our editor is Erica Morrison. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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According to the United Nations, about ten percent of the world is undernourished. It's a daunting statistic — unless your name is Hannah Ritchie. She's the data scientist behind the new book Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet. It's a seriously big thought experiment: How do we feed everyone on Earth sustainably? And because it's just as much an economically pressing question as it is a scientific one, Darian Woods of The Indicator from Planet Money joins us. With Hannah's help, Darian unpacks how to meet the needs of billions of people without destroying the planet.

Questions or ideas for a future show? Email us at [email protected].

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