Short Wave

Lawmakers presided over one of the most fruitless sessions in legislative history this year — and there's still a lot left on their plate to tackle in 2024. What remains on the to-do list?

Plus, a new poll from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist reveals attitudes toward immigration and abortion, & a famous figure enters the public domain.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Susan Davis, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

This episode was edited by Erica Morrison. It was produced by Jeongyoon Han and Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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A team of conservation biologists from Italy recently found that current emoji options are sorely lacking when it comes to life outside of vertebrates in the animal kingdom. Sure, there are multiple dog and cat options to choose from. But when it comes to fungi, for example, the choices are limited ... to one. The study was published this week in the journal iScience argues that our emoji lexicon is in dire need of some biodiversity – which could have a real impact on the way people communicate about conservation.

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The Israel-Hamas war has sparked demonstrations on college campuses, igniting the age old debate about the fine line between antisemitism and free speech.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national correspondent Tovia Smith, and senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

This episode was edited by Erica Morrison. It was produced by Jeongyoon Han and Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used throughout the world to predict the future. Banks use it to predict whether customers will pay back a loan, hospitals use it to predict which patients are at greatest risk of disease and auto insurance companies use it determine rates by predicting how likely a customer is to get in an accident. But issues like data leakage and sampling bias can cause AI to give faulty predictions, to sometimes disastrous effects. That's what we get into today: the hazards of AI.

Want to hear more of the latest research on AI? Email us at [email protected] — we might answer your question on a future episode!

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The vote is intended, in part, to give lawmakers greater legal authority to enforce subpoenas. House Republicans allege that President Biden and his family engaged in "influence peddling" but so far have not presented evidence of impeachable offenses.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Susan Davis, and congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh.

This episode was edited by Erica Morrison. It was produced by Jeongyoon Han and Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Malls are designed to overwhelm our brains. Add the stress of holiday shopping, and a quick trip to pick up presents could turn into an hours-long shopping spree thanks to all the ways stores use research from fields like consumer neuroscience and neuromarketing to entice you. Retailers create urgency and scarcity to push you to give into the emotional part of your brain, motivated by the release of dopamine.

But we've got your back! With the help of NPR business correspondent Alina Selyukh, we get into the psychology of sales and discounts: Why it's SO hard to resist the tricks stores use — and some tips to outsmart them.

Read Alina's full story here.

Questions about the science driving the world around you? Email us at [email protected].

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The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade last year has made it virtually impossible to get a legal abortion in Texas. This case is the latest challenge to that state's abortion ban, and an indication that abortion access will likely also remain a political issue.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Ashley Lopez, and health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin.

This episode was edited by Casey Morell and Erica Morrison. It was produced by Jeongyoon Han. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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The first-in-the-nation primary is set for Jan. 23, but President Biden is staying out of the Democrats' contest and is not on the ballot. Republicans are fighting to take down Donald Trump, and, in the background, the Lesser-Known Candidate Forum encourages everyone to make a run for the highest office.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and New Hampshire Public Radio senior political reporter and editor Josh Rogers.

This episode was edited by Casey Morell and Erica Morrison. It was produced by Jeongyoon Han. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Glaciers like the ones in Greenland are melting due to climate change, causing global sea levels to rise. That we know. But these glaciers are also moving. What we don't know is just how these two processes – melting and movement – interact and ultimately impact how quickly sea levels will rise. This encore episode, Jessica Mejía, a postdoctoral researcher in glaciology at the University of Buffalo, explains what it's like to live on a glacier for a month and what her research could mean for coastal communities all over the world.

Curious about other research happening around the globe? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!

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Lawmakers are scrambling to get things done before the end of the year, but is there an appetite to fund more aid for Ukraine if Republicans' immigration priorities are not met? And, a look at the end of two long-running congressional sagas: the retirement of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., drops his hold on military promotions.

Plus: George Santos' new gig, and responding to online trolls.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh.

This episode was edited by Casey Morell. It was produced by Jeongyoon Han. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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