The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout [audio]

Explore what happened during the worst blackout in Texas history, how we got the electric grid we have today and what could be done to fix it.Millions lost power. Hundreds died. How did this happen? KUT's Mose Buchele explores what happened during the worst blackout in Texas hist … | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

How the gig economy inspired a cyberpunk video game

The video game Citizen Sleeper critiques the gig economy in a cyberpunk "post-capitalist" future | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

NASA astronaut Jim McDivitt, who led Gemini and Apollo missions, dies at 93

McDivitt commanded two early Gemini and Apollo missions in the 1960s that played a key role in preparing for the moon landing in 1969. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

This Is Your Brain On Drug Ads

Apologies to listeners who received two episodes in their feed today. The U.S. is one of two countries in the world that allows pharmaceutical companies to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers. Why? And what does that do to us Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here … | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Horror Is the Best Deal in Hollywood (2015)

Audiences love to mock campy, low-budget horror movies, but by one very important metric, they are the smartest movies around. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Filter three themes of our modern world through the lens of reality TV [audio]

We live in divided times, when the answer to the question 'what is reality?' depends on who you ask. Almost all the information we take in is to some extent edited and curated, and the line between entertainment and reality has become increasingly blurred. Nowhere is that more ob … | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Why did he suspect a Covid surge was coming? He followed the digital breadcrumbs

A theory about online candle reviews and COVID cases was put under the microscope, and has taken on new relevance amid concern at the lack of official data heading into another winter. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

California drivers can now sport digital license plates on their cars

The license plate-sized screens display a plate number and allow drivers to renew their registration. They also allow users to track a vehicle with GPS and display a warning if the car is stolen. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

A black hole is releasing some strange burps, baffling scientists

Astronomers were stunned to find that the black hole was emitting energy, two years after it pulled apart a star that had come too close. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Big Fish Stories Getting Littler (2014)

She found them in the Key West library: an old stash of "Look at What I Caught!" photos, proud fishermen showing off their big catch of the day back in the 1950s, '60s, '80s. As she looked, she noticed something odd. Something important. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Water batteries' could store solar and wind power for when it's needed

San Diego has an ambitious plan to store renewable energy, using extra solar power to pump water up a mountain. This old-style "water battery" technology could be set for a revival. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Jan. 6 committee has voted to subpoena Trump

The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is meeting today for a hearing that looks broadly at the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Most PPP loans have been forgiven, despite signs of possible fraud

Officials promised a robust review process before forgiving PPP loans, but most loans could be forgiven with a simple, one-page form. Meanwhile, just 2% of loans have gotten close, hands-on reviews. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Egypt calls for the return of the Rosetta Stone and other ancient artifacts

People calling for the repatriation of the ancient tablet and other items say the continued display of the objects in European institutions ignores a history of colonialist looting and exploitation. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

AI could soon diagnose illness based on the sound of your voice

Everything from your vocal cord vibrations to breathing patterns when you speak offers potential information about your health. Researchers are collecting voice data to one day use in an app. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Alabama Senator Tuberville equates descendants of enslaved people to criminals

Tuberville spoke at a pro-Trump rally in Nevada on Saturday ahead of the November midterm elections. The NAACP called the comments "flat out racist, ignorant and utterly sickening." | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

What Native land are you on? This map shows Indigenous tribes' past territories

Native Land Digital, a Canadian nonprofit, offers resources for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to learn more about the land and its history. It hopes its map will be just a part of that journey. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

'Aisles Have Eyes' Warns That Brick-and-Mortar Stores Are Watching You (2017)

Consumers have grown accustomed to the idea of online retailers collecting information about them, but author Joseph Turow says that now physical stores are doing it too. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Can You Tell Your Life Story in Six Words? (2010)

Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway responded: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." In this spirit, Smith Magazine invited writers "famous and obscure" to distill their own life stories into a single sentence. It All Changed … | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

The high court, which now includes Biden nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, will hear cases that will determine the future of affirmative action, voting rights and election integrity.And the president announced that he will pardon people convicted of simple marijuana possession under … | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

California looks to target oil company profits in a special legislative session

Gas prices have recovered somewhat nationwide, but they have continued to spike in California, hitting an average of $6.39 per gallon on Friday. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

False calls for active shooters are rising. Behind them is a strange pattern

In September, schools across the country started getting hoax calls that active shooters were on their campuses. But nearly one month in, there are more questions than ever. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Joe Greer on NPR

This is a great interview with some fantastic photos from Joe about his new book, Lay of the Land. I got a copy of the book when it first came out, and I devoured it. I had no idea it was going to be part memoir and I absolutely loved the story that Joe shared […]✚ | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Some leading robot makers are pledging not to weaponize them

The companies warned that "untrustworthy people" could use their robots to harm others or infringe on civil liberties, and they pledged to make sure their customers didn't weaponize the products. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Florida community built to weather hurricanes endured Ian with barely a scratch

Hundreds of thousands of people in southwest Florida still don't have electricity or water. But Babcock Ranch, north of Fort Myers, was designed and built to withstand the most powerful storms. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Russia and Saudi Arabia agree to cuts to oil output. Why it matters

The 2 million bpd cut in oil production was backed by Saudi Arabia and could benefit Russia. The OPEC+ meeting took place as much of the world is battling soaring energy costs and rising inflation. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

A man who wrote the Onion's Supreme Court brief takes parody seriously

The satirical site submitted a 23-page brief to the Supreme Court in support of a First Amendment case. Mike Gillis, The Onion writer who authored the brief, tells NPR why parody is worth defending. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

The scales turn against 2 fishermen after weights are found in fish

A fishing team's success raked in thousands of dollars — and sparked suspicion about how they managed to keep winning. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Myanmar carries out first executions in decades, including democracy activists

Those executed were a former National League for Democracy lawmaker, a democracy activist and two men accused of violence after the country's takeover by the military last year. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

The Nord Stream leaks are a wake-up call for countries with vulnerable pipelines

There are enough miles of pipelines around the world to circle the Earth 30 times — and many are vulnerable. That doesn't mean there aren't things countries can do to protect them, an expert says. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Would you like a side of offshoring with that? [audio]

A lot of restaurants took a hit during the pandemic. And when they struggled to find workers, some found surprising solutions. On today's show, what happens when you offshore cashiers.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

A whiskey-fueled meeting in 1949 led to Berlin's famed techno scene

All-night clubs in the German capital have long drawn "techno tourists." That might never have happened had a hotelier failed to negotiate the end of the city's curfew following World War II. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Fox's Jeanine Pirro is back in the hot seat in $1.6 billion election defamation case

Dominion Voting Systems is putting Fox News star "Judge Jeanine" Pirro back on the legal hot seat in its clash with the network in a $1.6 billion defamation suit over baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 elections, NPR has learned.(npr.org) | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

The Telegram app has a global doxing issue

The messaging and social media app Telegram has a major doxing problem. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with writer Peter Guest, who reported on the global issue in Wired. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Suspected: Explosions damaged undersea pipelines that carry Russian gas

The events on Monday in the Baltic Sea resembled blasts from depth charges or mines, according to a Swedish researcher. They caused major leaks from the inactive Nord Stream pipelines. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

The dollar is surging. This is who gets helped – and hurt – by its strength

The U.S. dollar is the strongest it has been in 20 years. As it strengthens, other currencies — like the pound — weaken. That's good news for U.S. consumers and importers but bad news for others. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Remote working may be a win-win for employers, employees and – even the economy

Nearly half of the American workforce is now working remotely at least one day a week. And new research shows that many employees consider remote work to be non-negotiable for their employment. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Putin grants Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden

Snowden, a former contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency, has been living in Russia since 2013 to escape prosecution for leaking classified documents about government surveillance programs. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

NASA to test redirecting an asteroid to prepare for future defense

Hollywood likes to blow up incoming asteroids with nukes, but NASA's first test of whether it can change the trajectory of a space rock will try just giving one a little nudge. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

A new island has emerged out of the Pacific Ocean, but it may soon disappear

The little atoll located southwest of Tonga's Late Island measured roughly 8.6 acres and stood at around 50 feet above sea level, Tonga's Geological Services said. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

FDA warns: Please don't cook chicken in Nyquil

The challenge, which originated in part from a 2017 Twitter joke, is the subject of an FDA warning about unhealthy cooking challenges from TikTok. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Check out NASA's latest image of the bands around Neptune

The last time scientists caught such a clear glimpse of Neptune's rings was when Voyager 2 flew past the distant planet in 1989. Now the James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a crisp new image. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

In Chile's desert lie vast reserves of lithium – key for electric car batteries

Chile is part of a South American region known as the "lithium triangle," where miners are trying to meet skyrocketing demand for the material. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Fifth Circuit rules in favor of Texas law on social media regulation

A federal appeals court Friday ruled in favor of a Texas law targeting major social media companies, in a victory for Republicans who accuse the platforms of censoring conservative speech. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

China plans to use chemicals to generate rain to protect its grain harvest

The hottest, driest summer since the government began recording rainfall and temperature 61 years ago has wilted crops and left reservoirs at half their normal water level. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

When Did the U.S. Last Default on Treasury Bonds?

A potential default on U.S. treasury bonds isn't as unprecedented as politicians would have you think. In 1979, the U.S. failed to make timely payments to its bondholders — and the results weren't pretty. Robert Siegel speaks with Ball State University finance professor Terry Ziv … | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Common thinking traps and how to avoid them

Humans have a tendency to make snap judgments and assumptions due to our cognitive biases, says Woo-kyoung Ahn in her book 'Thinking 101.' So how do we fight them? | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago

Tycoon Gautam Adani is now richer than Jeff Bezos

Gautam Adani's fortune lies somewhere between $147 billion and $152 billion, according to lists maintained by Forbes and Bloomberg. | Continue reading


@npr.org | 1 year ago