Brazil's president-elect, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is renewing calls to protect the Amazon and rein in the deforestation. Climate scientists are encouraged but so far there aren't a lot of specifics of how this might happen. NPR's Kirk Siegler traveled to a remote Amazonian research station that is also threatened by illegal logging and talks to host Aaron Scott about his trip.

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A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows that most voters want to see bipartisan compromise in Congress, but the survey also shows that Americans are as entrenched as they have been for years. So what is it that voters really want? And on issues where voters of both parties appear to have overlap — including the idea that American democracy is facing serious threats — are they really talking about the same thing?

This episode: political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, voting correspondent Miles Parks, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

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On Dec. 5 at 1 o'clock in the morning local time, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California used lasers to zap a tiny pellet of hydrogen fuel. The lasers hit their target with 2.05 megajoules of energy, and the pellet released roughly 3.15 megajoules. It's a major milestone, and one that the field of fusion science has struggled to reach for more than half a century: producing a fusion reaction that generates more energy than it consumes. While progress, the technology is still a ways off from its promise to produce energy without creating greenhouse gases. Today on the show, Regina G. Barber brings us two NPR stories that explain what this experiment showed and what else needs to happen to make fusion a practical energy source.

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It could be the most rancorous contest for Speaker of the House in the modern Congress — even though there is no clear alternative candidate. What will the process look like and what concessions might McCarthy have to make to secure the top job?

This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, political correspondent Susan Davis, and congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Katherine Swartz.

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Gene editing was a new idea in the mid-1970s. So when Harvard and MIT planned new research in recombinant DNA, alarm bells went off. "People were worried about a 'Frankengene,'" says Lydia Villa-Komaroff, then a freshly minted PhD. Amidst a political circus, the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts banned research into recombinant DNA, forcing scientists like Villa-Komaroff into exile. But that turned out to be just the prelude to a breakthrough. In this episode, Dr. Villa-Komaroff tells Emily Kwong the story of overcoming the skeptics and coaxing bacteria into producing insulin for humans.

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The reform deal is one of many parts of this year's annual defense spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, which also includes raises for service members and a boost to federal firefighter benefits. A deal to fund the rest of the government remains elusive. Congress is expected to pass a stop-gap measure this week in order to provide time for negotiations to continue.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and political reporter Ximena Bustillo.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Juma Sei.

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TFW when you're so excited you get those butterflies in your stomach - or maybe when you see something icky, you feel ill. On today's show, producer Berly McCoy looks at this relationship between our gut and our brain. Berly talks to host Emily Kwong about how the organs evolved to have a tight connection - connections that go beyond transient feelings of excitement or disgust. In fact, an increasing body of research shows links between the gut and conditions we typically associate mostly with the brain – like anxiety and Parkinson's Disease.

Here's a link to the study about gut bacteria and the brain in some children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. https://www.theautismstudy.com/study


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Pandemic relief, gun control and the largest investment into climate change mitigation and adaptation have all been signed into law in President Biden's first two years. And even though Biden remains historically unpopular, his party notched a very strong performance during the midterm elections. What is going on?

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

This episode was produced and edited by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Katherine Swartz.

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For many, recycling feels like a tangible way to personally combat climate change and to positively affect the environment. But after a years long investigation, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan finds that reality is generally the opposite: Only a small fraction of plastic is ultimately recycled. Moreover, plastic production is on the rise.

Further reading:
- Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse
- How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled

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The Arizona senator announced she was leaving the Democratic party — but given her broad support of Democratic priorities and the president's nominees, it is not expected to change the dynamics of Senate control. And the Congress is sprinting toward the finish line, codifying some protections for same-sex and interracial marriages. Incumbent lawmakers will need to extend government funding and pass a big, annual defense bill before the new Congress is sworn in early next month.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Juma Sei.

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