Short Wave

This summer, the Supreme Court overturned the legality of race-based affirmative action at higher education institutions everywhere, with one glaring exception: military service academies. Members of the conservative-leaning court like Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice John Roberts have long been staunch opponents of affirmative action initiatives, but in the case of service academies, the majority opinion cited that diversity in the officer ranks of the military was a "battlefield issue."

Today, we bring you an episode from our colleagues at Code Switch. Co-hosts Gene Demby and Lori Lizarraga take us back to the Vietnam War to explain where that argument came from. And we'll hear from Mary Tobin, a Black woman, combat veteran, and West Point graduate, about why the Court's decision felt like such a blow to her.

This episode was produced with help from Courtney Stein and engineering support from James Willetts.

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Ever read those Choose Your Own Adventure books of the '80s and '90s? As a kid, mathematician Pamela Harris was hooked on them. Years later she realized how much those books have in common with her field, combinatorics, the branch of math concerned with counting. It, too, depends on thinking through endless, branching possibilities. So, she and several of her students set out to write a scholarly paper in the style of Choose Your Own Adventure books. In this encore episode, Dr. Harris tells host Regina G. Barber all about how the project began, how it gets complicated when you throw in wormholes and clowns, and why math is fundamentally a creative act.

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Being inside, hunching in front of a computer screen for hours at a time – these things take a toll on our minds and our bodies. Today on the show, TED Radio Hour's Manoush Zomorodi brings their new series Body Electric to Short Wave's Regina G. Barber. We learn about the negative side effects of our sedentary lifestyles and ask what scientifically-backed steps (and how many) it may take to combat them.

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Movement hacks? Ways to sit less? We want them all! Get in touch at [email protected].

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And U.S. officials are likely to show up empty-handed to a international meeting coordinating aid to Ukraine as House Republicans block additional funds. Some lawmakers say they want to understand an end game for the conflict before authorizing spending, as analysts say the conflict has evolved into a grinding war of attrition.

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This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving, and chief legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg.

The podcast is produced by Casey Morell and Elena Moore. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Y'all, it's the most wonderful time of the year: Fat Bear Week! Brown bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve are putting on the pounds before they hibernate. During this time, their metabolism, heart and breathing rate slow way down and they recycle their waste internally. Today, we look at the cool (and peculiar) biological processes taking place during hibernation. Plus, we talk through some other science headlines we're obsessing over, including the light pollution from satellites and how gravity affects antimatter.

Read a science headline you want to know more about? Email us at [email protected].

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According to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, 49% of Americans believe he has done something illegal and an additional 26 percent believe he has done something unethical but not illegal.

Still, half of all independents prefer Trump to Biden — just 42% support the sitting president.

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This episode: White House reporter Deepa Shivaram, political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

The podcast is produced by Casey Morell and Elena Moore. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Concern from some Republicans over abortion — and resurgent skepticism of foreign aid — could severely curb the effectiveness of the AIDS prevention program PEPFAR. Also known as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR is credited with saving more than 25 million lives since it began in 2003.

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This episode: White House reporter Deepa Shivaram, global health correspondent Nurith Aizenman, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving.

The podcast is produced by Casey Morell and Elena Moore. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Here on Short Wave, we're getting into the Halloween spirit a little early with a look at the world's oldest mummies. They're found in modern-day northern Chile. The mummies are well-preserved, so over the past 7,000 years, some have been exhumed for scientific study. But recently, something startling happened: Some of the mummies started to decompose.

Today on the show, Regina G. Barber talks to archeologist Marcela Sepulveda about the civilization that made these mummies: the Chinchorro people. We dig into the science behind their mummification techniques and how the changing planet is affecting archeologists' ability to study the past.

Fascinated by a science mystery? Send us your tales — we're at [email protected].

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Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida was joined by seven other Republicans and the Democratic party in a first-of-its-kind maneuver. There is no plan for what comes next.

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This episode: White House reporter Deepa Shivaram, political correspondent Susan Davis, and congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh.

The podcast is produced by Casey Morell and Elena Moore. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Speaker McCarthy, unable to marshal his conference, relied on Democrats to fund the federal government for another 45 days. The deal puts his job in jeopardy and kicks the can down the road as House Republicans will still need to reach party consensus on government spending and aid to Ukraine in order to pass comprehensive government funding bills next month.

This episode: White House reporter Deepa Shivaram, political correspondent Susan Davis, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

The podcast is produced by Casey Morell and Elena Moore. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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