Start Here

New year, new look! To start 2023, Brad breaks down the flurry of headlines that closed out 2022.

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Back by popular demand, it's our annual One Last Thing show. Every episode of Start Here ends with a One Last Thing, a story that brings you to a new corner of the world and expands your mind. In 2022, Start Here told over 200 of these kinds of stories. On this holiday special, the Start Here crew gathers around the proverbial fireplace to share what they love about their favorite One Last Thing of 2022. There’s Barney’s 30th birthday, a theme song fit for Outer Space, surfing pups, and a chance to learn more about how Start Here is made.

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Everything nowadays seems to be a throwback. We live in an era of movie remakes, '90s food fads returning, and songs from 20 years ago being remixed into top hits now. In short: nostalgia brings the past back into vogue, and reminds us of a “simpler time.” But could living in the past impact our future? Start Here producer Jen Newman helps to break down this phenomenon, and why people gravitate towards the past.  

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Start Here Social Media Producer Arielle Chester isn’t your typical hunter. 90 percent of hunters are male and 97 percent are white. Plus, the majority of registered hunters in America are over the age of 50. In a special episode, a growing subsection of American hunters describe what drew them to a sport that increasingly needs them to survive. 

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From “face-palm” to “tears of joy,” emoji are a great way to spice up a text message or get a point across. But where exactly do they come from? On this special episode of Start Here, producer Cameron Chertavian heads down the emoji rabbit hole, looking at how these now-ubiquitous pixelated images go from an idea in a creator's imagination to an icon on your phone. Cameron traces the complicated emoji-proposal process by speaking to a proposer, a linguist, and a member of the emoji governing body, the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee.

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You've seen historical reenactors at local parades or fairs, but there's a lot more to the craft than just dressing up in an 18th century-inspired outfit. First step, make sure you don't call it a "costume." Start Here producer Kelly Terez follows the path of becoming a Continental Army reenactor to find out what draws people to the costly hobby across the U.S. She joins one of the biggest reenactments of the year from a key point of the American Revolution: Gen. George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River.

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The Senate passes a $1.7 trillion spending package, putting pressure on the House to approve it today. Disgraced crypto trader Sam Bankman-Fried arrives back in the U.S. to face fraud charges. And criminal justice advocates hail a record number of exonerations in 2022.

DID YOU HEAR? “Start Here” has been nominated for two Signal Awards! You can vote for us here: https://abcaudio.com/signal-awards/

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaves his nation for the first time since Russia invaded to speak to American lawmakers. An incoming congressman from New York hides from view after large parts of his biography are questioned. And Benjamin Netanyahu establishes an uneasy alliance with far-right leaders in Israel.

DID YOU HEAR? “Start Here” has been nominated for two Signal Awards! You can vote for us here: https://abcaudio.com/signal-awards/

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The House Ways & Means Committee will release President Trump's tax returns, but only those from 2015-2020. Afghanistan begins barring women from universities. And Illinois eyes the end of cash bail.

DID YOU HEAR? “Start Here” has been nominated for two Signal Awards! You can vote for us here: https://abcaudio.com/signal-awards/

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The House Select Committee on January 6th reveals its final conclusions, which include a criminal referral for former President Trump. The Supreme Court postpones a key immigration policy deadline. And a Catholic priest is defrocked by the Vatican after embracing right-wing political stances.

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