WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russia Thursday morning. The Washington Post's Missy Ryan talks about the prisoner swap that led to her release. Then, a week after New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a controversial move to stem homelessness, a longtime paramedic who has seen mental health distress on the streets daily is speaking out. Anthony Almojera joins us. And, University of Texas English professor Elizabeth Scala teaches a course that connects Taylor Swift's songwriting to the works of William Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath and other literary greats. She explains the idea behind the class.

This English professor teaches a class on Taylor Swift songs; Brittney Griner is free

The news you need to know today — and the stories that will stick with you tomorrow. Plus, special series and behind-the-scenes extras from Here & Now hosts Robin Young, Scott Tong and Deepa Fernandes with help from Producer Chris Bentley and the team at NPR and WBUR.

News

Bloomberg's Emily Birnbaum explains the FTC's decision to ban employers from using noncompete clauses to prevent employees from going to work for rival companies. Then, some companies are using wind power as a cleaner alternative for moving cargo. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd profiles a company in Costa Rica building a massive wooden schooner from scratch. And, scientists have restored the Voyager 1 space probe and are making sense of its signals from interstellar space. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reports.

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Shipbuilders harness the wind to clean up global shipping

Protests against the war in Gaza have been surging on college campuses around the country. Professor Katherine S. Cho of Loyola University joins us. Then, commercial airlines are one of the fastest-growing sources of pollution on the planet. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd and Chris Bentley report on how the industry is trying to solve that problem with sustainable aviation fuels. And, Wall Street Journal reporter Dana Mattioli's new book "The Everything War" explores how Amazon grew to be worth more than $1 trillion.

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Cleaning up the aviation industry with electric planes

The Supreme Court weighs whether punishing homeless people for sleeping outside amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Slate's Mark Joseph Stern joins us. And, big-rig trucks spew almost a quarter of the climate pollution from the U.S. transportation sector. Battery-powered alternatives could be a climate solution, Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports. Then, how much do you need to save to retire? Jill Schlesinger, host of "Jill On Money" and CBS business analyst, breaks down how to figure it out.

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Battery-powered rigs could clean up the trucking industry

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are growing around the U.S. Hatem Abudayyeh of the Chicago-based U.S. Palestinian Community Network joins us. Then, the number of people experiencing homelessness reached a record high in 2023. We speak with local officials from Burlington, Vermont, and Bakersfield, California, working to end the crisis. And, video game creator Jordan Mechner talks about his new graphic novel, "Replay," which interweaves his personal history with the story of how his family escaped the Nazis.

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How cities are addressing record-high homelessness

Russia launched airstrikes on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, killing 18 people. The Washington Post's Siobhan O'Grady shares the latest. Then, Georgetown law professor Mary McCord explains Trump's criminal trial in New York. And, author Lissa Soep talks about her new book, "Other People's Words," where she reflects on how the voices of people who have died continue to speak through their loved ones and her.

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This English professor teaches a class on Taylor Swift songs; Brittney Griner is free

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