1A

The ISS has been in low orbit above the earth for almost 25 years. It’s played host to astronauts from around the world. But that’s about to come to an end. NASA is gearing up to deorbit the ISS in 2030 and it’s working with private companies to begin development of commercial space stations to take its place. What will that transition look like? And what does the commercialization of space hold f...

Last year, Americans spent more than 300 billion minutes on navigation apps, like Waze or Google Maps. The GPS systems in our pockets have come a long way from the first known map, carved into a mammoth tusk 30,000 years ago. But even with satellites tracking us and the ever-changing Earth from the skies – digital maps aren’t fact. Errors can show up and are sometimes as old as maps themselves. Th...

The Trump administration has cut federal funding to colleges and universities it says don’t align with conservative priorities. And now, the White House says it will reward schools that follow in its ideological footsteps. Earlier this month, the administration sent a list of demands to nine schools. Officials are calling it the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” Its stipulatio...

John Bolton , President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland this week. Also, a federal judge in San Francisco halted the mass layoffs of federal workers by the Trump administration. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is now in its second week, as both sides hand over hostages and return the bodies of those captured during the confli...

The Trump administration has decimated the  Department of Education with staffing cuts. Now, the latest round of layoffs all but wipes out the  Office of Special Education Programs.  So, what does that mean for the millions of kids who rely on these services? We sit down to talk about how Education Department cuts  will affect children with disabilities. Find more of our programs online . Listen t...

Last month, the Trump administration started blowing up boats off the coast of Venezuela, calling it part of an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. The White House’s so-called “war on cartels” is increasingly centered on Venezuela, not Mexico or Haiti, where most of these organizations  actually operate. The president is linking these cartels to the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The South A...

As part of a special issue this November, The Atlantic tasked writers and historians with looking at the country’s founding era to find out what America’s political thinkers valued at its beginning. The goal is to remind people in the U.S. about the abstract ideas enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other important revolutionary documents. And, how reconnecting with...

President Donald Trump promised to crackdown on immigration in Democratic-led cities using aggressive tactics like detaining people based on their race and deploying the National Guard to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. this summer. He launched an ICE operation in Boston. Now, he’s escalating his crackdowns in Ch...

President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act this week . He continues to clash with state and municipal authorities over the limits of his abilities to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into American cities. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are eyeing their Democratic counterparts, looking for someone from the opposition to join them in voting for a bill that wo...

It’s been two years since Hamas fighters  killed 1,200 people and seized more than 250 hostages  from inside Israel. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory war. On Monday, Israeli and Hamas negotiators met in Egypt to discuss President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan  to end the war in Gaza. Over the weekend, thousands of Israeli citizens took to the streets in Tel Avi...

The Supreme Court begins its new term this week. It’s agreed to hear cases on several hot button issues like tariffs, trans athletes in sports, and the use of presidential power. The rulings could change constitutional precedent as we know it. What’s at stake in these cases? Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a .  See pcm.adswizz....

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined some stark changes to the U.S. military’s policies and norms at last week’s gathering of its top brass. From new standards that question the fitness of women in combat roles, to deploying the military to U.S. cities, the White House is outlining a new vision for the armed forces. It’s also looking to eliminate existing channels to...

After Congress failed to reach an agreement to keep the doors in Washington open, the government has shut down. This comes as tens of thousands of federal workers are set to exit the federal payroll due to firings and deferred buyout agreements. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called all military generals to Quantico, Virginia, to listen to an address about his vision for the armed forces. Presi...

How does hatred towards women relate to violence? We’ve seen more than a few incidents of political extremism and mass violence in the U.S. over the last few years. In the days, weeks, and months after acts like these, we seek motives. We try to understand why violence is perpetrated in hopes of preventing it in the future. One expert argues that in that search for answers – we’re missing somethin...

The White House is continuing its mission to hollow out the federal workforce. The Trump administration has signaled that it will use the government shutdown  to prompt and encourage mass resignations and layoffs. More than 150,000 federal employees plan to leave the U.S. government payroll this week.  It’s the largest single-year exodus of federal workers since World War II. For workers who opted...

Many of us know that being outside feels good. Maybe it’s for a short walk to the store. Maybe for a hike at a nearby mountain. Or maybe spending time at the beach with loved ones for a holiday. But did you know that a short walk in nature can improve  your attention span  by 20 percent? And that even fake plants have been shown to deliver health benefits? There are real benefits to surrounding yo...

NATO’s airspace is busy these days. And not in a good way. That’s especially true for member nations on the alliance’s eastern flank. It’s not supposed to be that way. In recent weeks, states like Poland, Estonia, Romania, and Denmark have seen drones or other aircraft violate their airspace. In some cases, these airborne craft clearly identify they’re Russian in origin. Multiple countries have ca...

President Donald Trump has, according to many legal experts, crossed the Rubicon. After years of railing against his perceived enemies and publicly threatening to use the government for revenge, he’s pressured the Justice Department to bring charges against someone he hates despite warnings from top prosecutors. Late last week, a grand jury narrowly indicted former FBI Director James Comey on alle...

A gunman opened fire at an ICE detention facility in Dallas leaving one person dead and two more injured. All three of the victims were detainees and no ICE agents were hurt. The shooter was found dead according to senior law enforcement officials. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air on ABC this week . He was suspended after he made comments concerning the death of conservative activi...

More than 50 years ago, President Richard Nixon declared war on cancer when he signed the National Cancer Act in 1971. Since then, the United States has emerged as a juggernaut in cancer research, funded largely by the government. But since President Donald Trump took office in January, the administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and government funding are upending the country’s re...

A record number of people are being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And the conditions they’re reporting have been described as cruel and inhumane. Last month, 60,000 people were detained by ICE, breaking a record set by the previous Trump administration. A Los Angeles Times analysis of public data found that more than a third of detainees have spent time in a dedicated facility t...

It happens every year — sometimes even more frequently than that. A fight is brewing over funding the government before a deadline at the end of September. On Friday, Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, passed a stop-gap measure to fund the government through Nov. 21 . This is all happening against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s summer of immigration...

In a blow to free speech, TV host Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was suspended from ABC’s lineup after the comedian made jokes about President Donald Trump’s relationship with the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The 22-year-old suspect in Kirk’s killing was charged on  Tuesday in Utah County with aggravated murder. The state is seeking the death penalty. This week the president announced...

Fourteen people are dead after the U.S. military launched strikes on two Venezuelan boats this month in international waters. President Donald Trump says they were heading towards the U.S. That’s despite reports from several agencies saying the boat attacked two weeks ago was headed  away  from the U.S. when it was hit. Trump is also accusing the boats of being connected to Venezuelan drug traffic...

FBI Director Kash Patel appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for a second day of questioning by lawmakers. He faced questions about his leadership of the bureau including the firing of dozens of FBI agents and officials, the release of investigative files related to alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and the shooting of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk. Patel began hi...