Podcast · News

1A

Listening to the news can feel like a journey. But 1A guides you beyond the headlines – and cuts through the noise. Let's get to the heart of the story, together – on 1A. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org . You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-f

New episodes: Daily
Typical length: 43 min
Latest: 12 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026 · 43 minNew

'If You Can Keep It': The Purpose Of The Polls

Polls play a major role in U.S. politics. And in the months leading up to an election, they’re everywhere. Polling doesn’t just indicate which party has a competitive advantage in a race. They also tell us about the issues that are most concerning to voters. And how these concerns break down by race, gender, education, age, and political affiliation. They also tell us the level of trust people have in the institutions tasked with carrying out our democratic processes. In this installment of our weekly series, “If You Can Keep It,” we break down the purpose of polls and their place in our…

Play episodeWhatsApp Download

Earlier episodes 29 most recent

9 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 28 min
The News Roundup For October 9, 2026
With less than one month to go until the midterms, Donald Trump is in Texas campaigning on behalf of Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Senate Democrats scuppered a plan championed by their Republican colleagues that would have sought to lower surging energy prices driven by data center construction. And New York has declared a state of emergency due to a surge in measles cases. In global news, following the police response to student protesters in France, the government has banned the use of stun grenades as lawmakers work to quell the demonstrations. On President Vladimir Putin’s…
8 Oct 2026 · 45 min
Religion: Pope Leo XIV, So Far
It’s been a successful summer for Robert Prevost — one of Chicago’s most distinguished citizens. His essay on artificial intelligence was released in paperback to enthusiastic reviews. It was described by one prominent commentator as “beautifully written, hugely significant, speaks truth to power.” His three-city tour of France exceeded all expectations, drawing huge crowds. An estimated 800,000 people packed the Champs-Elysees to see him. And his beloved Chicago White Sox went from woeful to winners and made the World Series playoffs. Prevost, of course, is better known these days by…
7 Oct 2026 · 44 min
In Good Health: The Evolution Of Prostate Cancer Treatment
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men — and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. One in eight men will be diagnosed in their lifetime. And Black men are more than twice as likely to die from it. Between the social stigma and misconceptions about diagnostic methods, it’s not something many men want to talk about. Some 99 percent of people diagnosed early with prostate cancer live at least 5 more years. And treatment options and guidelines are evolving rapidly. Our “In Good Health” series continues. We gather a group of doctors from three of the…
6 Oct 2026 · 43 min
Weather: What To Expect From The Super El Niño
Last week, a key stretch of the Pacific Ocean hit its highest temperature on record. And it’s still climbing. It’s a warning sign of the so-called Super El Niño, expected to bring floods, droughts, and heat waves. And higher prices for staples like coffee. What to expect from the super El Niño — and how states are preparing. Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy…
5 Oct 2026 · 43 min
'If You Can Keep It': Mental Health And Democracy
A veteran journalist covered the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. That experience got her exploring the connection between stress, trauma, and our political choices. Our mental health might affect our politics. But our politics also definitely affect our mental health. In this edition of “If You Can Keep It,” we examine that intersection. Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.…
2 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 28 min
The News Roundup For October 2, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security has allocated $20 million to pay for pro-Trump ads glorifying the president, which have drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. The pay-to-play allegations plaguing Maine Sen. Susan Collins have swing voters in her state re-thinking their support for the five-term GOP incumbent. And top AI executives descended upon Washington this week for a meeting at the White House. They agreed to self-police their industry following several high-profile mishaps and dire warnings from their colleagues about the dangers of their product. And, in global news,…
1 Oct 2026 · 32 min
Midterms: The Connection Between Civics And Democracy
In five weeks, more than 100 million people will vote as part of the 2026 midterm elections. In New Hampshire and across the country, that means that voters will go to the polls to choose representatives, senators, governors, state legislators, city councilors, school board members, and more. So, what do we know about the basic nuts and bolts of our elections? Do we know who’s on our ballot and understand the positions we’re being asked to vote on? Do we understand how our election system works — especially since that system is the target of baseless allegations from the president? What’s…
30 Sep 2026 · 42 min
Economy: Managing Your Money Ahead Of The Midterm Elections
Gas. Groceries. Housing. Almost everywhere you look in the U.S. economy right now, prices are up – and people are feeling the squeeze. As of July, six in ten Americans say Trump’s economic policies have worsened economic conditions in the country, according to a survey from Pew Research. That’s up from roughly 53 percent who said the same last fall. While the U.S. economy is strong on paper — with relatively low unemployment and shrinking inflation — voter concerns about affordability are expected to factor heavily into the midterm elections. So, how should you manage your money right now?…
29 Sep 2026 · 44 min
Policy: ICE And The Pregnant Women It's Detaining
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests reached record highs this summer. And the full scope is just coming into focus. Some 43,000 people were arrested in June, more than 49,000 in July, and almost 51,000 in August — an agency record. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last June passed a $70 billion package to fund ICE and the Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump’s second term. As ICE became the best funded law enforcement agency in the country, its tactics changed. Instead of high-profile operations centralized in one location – like the operations in…
28 Sep 2026 · 43 min
'If You Can Keep It': How The Midterms Will Run
The midterms are just five weeks away. Ballots are already in the mail and in person voting is underway in some states. Meanwhile, the federal government’s role in this election is still being hashed out in the courts. This month, the Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to give the U.S. Postal Service greater control over mail in ballots. Then on Friday, it revived a federal citizenship-check system that a lower court had found illegal. And three separate lawsuits have been filed in recent weeks to keep armed federal agents away from polling places. The White House says…
25 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 27 min
The News Roundup For September 25, 2026
President Donald Trump banned television networks he deemed adversarial from the White House press pool this week. Following a lawsuit, a judge issued a 14-day stay, temporarily restoring White House access to CNN, MSNow, and POLITICO. New reporting indicates that the ICE agent who shot a Venezuelan man in Austin, Texas, last Sunday was issued a body camera for use in the field, but wasn’t wearing it at the time of the encounter. And a poll finds that President Trump’s approval ratings have sunk to another low — diving to 32 percent. And, in global news, The 81st United Nations General…
24 Sep 2026 · 43 min
Conflict: Israel and Gaza at the 2026 UN General Assembly
World leaders have descended upon New York City for this year’s edition of the United Nations General Assembly. And a lot is happening. So far, we’ve seen some most pointed criticism of Israel’s conduct heard at the U.N. in years. This led to the Israeli delegation walking out during the Turkish president’s address. It’s been nearly three years since Oct. 7. And the Palestinian Authority’s president isn’t in the room — the United States denied him a visa. Mahmoud Abbas will instead address the assembly on Thursday by video. What is being said about Gaza at this General Assembly? And what…
23 Sep 2026 · 34 min
Education: The Decline of American Higher Education on the World Stage
For decades, U.S. colleges and universities have been regarded as among the best in the world. From the Ivy League to state research institutions, thousands of students and professors from around the globe flocked to America year after year to study, teach, and innovate. International students represented about 6 percent of all higher education students – that’s about 1.1 million. But last year, international student enrollment fell by a fifth compared to the year before. That’s the largest percentage change since the pandemic, according to federal data. And early data suggest that drop in…
22 Sep 2026 · 32 min
Mr. Xi Goes To Washington
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet this week in a highly anticipated sit down as the U.N. summit continues in New York. This conference comes amid stark warnings over AI safety, U.S.-China trade anxiety, and the ongoing war in Iran. What‘s on the agenda and what do each of these superpowers want? Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR…
21 Sep 2026 · 33 min
'If You Can Keep It': ‘Empire of Grift’
No two words defined President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign more than “America first.” The name of this country has been at the center of President Trump’s rhetoric. But his administration’s approach to foreign policy tells a different story. The Trump administration has done everything from leveraging tariffs, to canceling visas, to sanctioning foreign leaders trying to influence elections abroad for personal gain. In her new Atlantic essay, “Empire of Grift,” Anne Applebaum outlines in painstaking detail the ways Trump and his allies are only ‘America first’ in talk while…
18 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 28 min
The News Roundup For September 18, 2026
This week the nation woke up to the potential danger of runaway tech — that AI is behaving in ways its creators don’t intend and can’t control. And that we might be as little as six months to a year away from AI being capable of acting on its own. The midterm election is coming. Prices are high. And a new Congressional Budget Office report out this week says the main reason for relentless inflation is the Iran war. And President Donald Trump has made mail-in-voting a major part of his campaign to sow doubt in the voting process. But on Monday, the Supreme Court blocked his executive order to…
17 Sep 2026 · 41 min
Health: State Abortion Bans And Ectopic Pregnancies
Between 2020 and 2025, nearly 200 women have died from ectopic pregnancies. That’s almost double the number of deaths in the previous six years. Ectopic pregnancies happen when an embryo implants outside the uterus and can’t develop properly. If left untreated, the embryo can rupture, causing deadly bleeding. The treatment for ectopic pregnancies – which are almost never viable – is termination. But since the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, terminating a pregnancy has become more complicated in states with abortion restrictions. We sit down to talk about a new investigation from ProPublica…
16 Sep 2026 · 43 min
AI: Should We Slow AI Innovation Down?
Last week, a researcher at the artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced his resignation on X, formerly known as Twitter. Jacob Coxon wrote that his former company — along with Open AI, where he also recently worked — are acting irresponsibly and “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” That post went viral — it’s now been viewed nearly 200 million times. Then, on Saturday, Anthropic’s own CEO, Dario Amodei, published an essay calling on the entire industry to deliberately slow down. He also shared some ideas about how to do it. The head of…
15 Sep 2026 · 44 min
Policy: The Human Cost Of Third-Country Deportations
The administration is expanding its third-country deportation campaign. Since President Donald Trump took office last year, more than 25,000 people have been sent to over 29 countries they’re not from. That includes places like Liberia, Guatemala, South Sudan, Guyana, Ghana, and Honduras. Now, more than 30 countries have agreed to accept deportees from the U.S. What does that mean for the people sent to a place they’ve never been? And for the relationship between accepting countries and the U.S.? Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at…
14 Sep 2026 · 43 min
'If You Can Keep It': The Deal With Dark Money
At least a billion dollars of untraceable cash is flowing into this year’s midterm elections. That’s according to an analysis by The New York Times from late last month. These funds – referred to as dark money by campaign finance experts – are coming from super PACs, non-profits, and wealthy donors. Tracing exactly how much dark money is flowing through campaigns is difficult. Money spent to hire influencers online, direct mail campaigns, and employ door knockers isn’t always publicly disclosed as campaign spending. In this edition of “If you Can Keep it,” we tackle the role of dark money in…
11 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 27 min
The News Roundup For September 11, 2026
Despite President Donald Trump’s historic unpopularity, Republicans are betting on him big ahead of this year’s midterms. The party staged a first midterm convention in Dallas, Texas this week. Following renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, the price of crude oil has risen to over $100 per barrel, meaning American drivers are in for more pain at the pump. And this week New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release of a public portal allowing access to records relating to 9/11. And, in global news, a new book alleges that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu was warned of…
10 Sep 2026 · 45 min
In Good Health: The Matter Of Maternal Mental Health Care
The Lindsay Clancy murder trial captivated the American public for weeks. Prosecutors charged Clancy with murdering her three children. They say she then tried to take her own life and that her injuries left her paralyzed from the waist down. Clancy’s lawyers say she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible. But prosecutors say she planned the deaths. After seven days of deliberation, the jury remained deadlocked and the case ended in a mistrial. The trial has divided the nation and sparked conversations over about maternal mental health, raising…
9 Sep 2026 · 43 min
Jobs: What It Means To Be ‘Disposable’ At Work
The way we work has changed dramatically over the last decade. Using AI is quickly becoming the norm in many workplaces when, just a few years ago, it felt closer to science fiction. And the hybrid work model that began during the pandemic has made remote work much more common. We’ve also seen shifts around what it means to be an “essential worker.” It’s a term that emerged during the pandemic, but has largely fallen out of our vocabulary. This category included nurses and doctors, government workers, those in transportation, food and agriculture, water, and waste management. But there’s a…
8 Sep 2026 · 45 min
Health: The Fight For The Health Of 9/11 First Responders
A quarter century after 9/11, the health of those who responded to the attacks continues to be affected. Some 3,000 people died across three locations that day. An estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants and risked physical injury in the hours and days that followed. That’s according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the dust and debris have settled, more than 96,000 have been diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions related to 9/11. In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act,…
7 Sep 2026 · 41 min
America’s Next 50 Years: A 1A Call-In Special (REBROADCAST)
How did you celebrate July 4 this year? What did the country’s landmark 250th anniversary, in honor of the founding of the United States, mean to you? The next 50 years likely hold a lot of change for our country where democracy, economic uncertainty, technology, and our social fabric are concerned. What do we want that change to look like? In this previously-aired episode, we opened the phones so that you, our listeners, could tell us. Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our…
5 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 24 min
The News Roundup For September 4, 2026
Following months of a tenuous ceasefire and several rounds of failed negotiations, the U.S. and Iran traded military strikes this week threatening to once again plunge the surrounding region into conflict. A whistleblower inside the United States Postal Service is warning that the agency is rushing to implement a system to deal with mail-in ballots that, due to its untested nature, could disenfranchise millions of voters in the U.S. Months after the beginning of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in U.S. cities, and after several fatal shootings, ICE now says it has enough body…
3 Sep 2026 · 43 min
Surveillance: What Fleets Of Flock Cameras Mean For American Privacy
If you’ve driven on any road in the U.S. lately, chances are your license plate has been captured by a Flock camera. Flock lets police around the country track your car. The company’s cameras can even help determine whether you’ve committed a crime. Now, it’s is facing big time backlash for what critics call excessive surveillance. What does widespread deployment of license plate readers on U.S. roads means for our privacy? Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and…
2 Sep 2026 · 44 min
Religion: ‘Our Town’ And A Christian Nationalist Takeover In Tennessee
Imagine a small town in rural Tennessee — a town square, a yellow brick courthouse, a family-owned restaurant, a café, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets across the Appalachian foothills. Now, imagine a group of far-right real estate developers — backed by Silicon Valley venture capital and with powerful ties to Washington — move into town. They have a vision to build a new kind of community and turn it into a haven for like-minded white Christians. That’s what’s happening in Gainesboro, Tennessee. And it’s part of a growing movement by some far-right Christian nationalists to relocate to…
1 Sep 2026 · 45 min
Special Call-In: Teaching In 2026
For some of you, it’s still a week away. For others — the doors are already open. It’s back to school. But in this edition of 1A , it’s all about the teachers. They’ve been called heroes. They’ve fought for better salaries and benefits. They‘ve been asked to do more with less. They’ve started go-fund-me campaigns to pay for your classroom supplies when the funding just isn’t there. Last year, we asked teachers what excited and worried them before the school year. And this year, we’re doing it again.What are teachers in the U.S. feeling ahead of a school year sure to be filled with triumphs…

About 1A

1A is a English news podcast from NPR. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: NPR
Language: English
Category: News
New episodes: Daily
Typical length: 43 min
Latest episode: 12 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1188724250
Rights: Copyright 2015-2021 WAMU American University Radio - For Personal Use Only

RSS feed Apple Podcasts

More English news

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.