Johnson fights to hold speaker job among divided GOP
Congress arrived back in Washington with a long list of priorities for House Speaker Mike Johnson to accomplish and a razor-thin margin to get it done. Lisa Desjardins reports.
Ariz. Supreme Court upholds 1864 law banning most abortions
Arizona will soon be the latest state with a near-total abortion ban after the state Supreme Court revived a 160-year-old law. The law provides no exceptions for rape or incest. Doctors who perform abortions could face criminal prosecution and prison time, though the Democratic attorney general says she will not prosecute. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Carter Sherman of The Guardian.
Biden announces new plan to forgive student loan debt
President Biden on Monday announced new plans to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers, his broadest student loan forgiveness attempt since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his more sweeping plan over a year ago. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, who covers the economics of higher education for The Washington Post, joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss.
Israeli forces withdraw from southern Gaza as talks resume
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he set a date for the invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, where 1.4 million people have sought shelter. This comes as hostage and ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas again appear to be at an impasse and Palestinians return to a devastated Khan Yunis. Nick Schifrin reports.
Leigh Ann Caldwell and Stephen Fowler on the GOP and Ukraine
Leigh Ann Caldwell of The Washington Post and Stephen Fowler of NPR join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including Congress' packed agenda, the House speaker's attempts to hold together a fragile majority and the presidential candidates try to reach key voting blocs with new messages and policies.
A Brief But Spectacular take on painting farmworkers
Narsiso Martinez is an artist whose work celebrates the vital and often invisible labor performed by farmworkers. Martinez’s work is informed by his own experiences as a farmworker, spending summers picking produce in Washington state to support himself while studying at California State University, Long Beach. He gives his Brief But Spectacular take on painting the people who feed America.
Minnesota on frontline in fight over fair pay for rideshares
The latest battle over fair pay for rideshare drivers is taking place in Minneapolis, where Uber and Lyft have threatened to leave the city over a new ordinance that sets minimum wages for drivers. As special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports, it’s leading to bigger questions about the state of the gig economy.
Examining the push to reform the Insurrection Act
A bipartisan group of former senior officials are urging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to reign in a president’s ability to deploy the U.S. military within the country through a provision in the centuries-old Insurrection Act. Harvard Law School's Jack Goldsmith, one of the leaders of these proposed reforms and former assistant attorney general, joins Geoff Bennet to discuss.
Millions of people witness a rare total solar eclipse
Millions of people on Monday watched a rare total eclipse cut across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, plunging some towns and cities into darkness for several minutes. In many other places it was a chance to view a partial eclipse. Miles O'Brien, who witnessed the spectacle from Dallas, has our report.
Why these historic Phoenix buildings are ‘living textbooks’
Some people see older buildings as revered artifacts that have stood the test of time, but others see them as occupying sites that could be used for new development. That tension is currently playing out in Phoenix, Arizona, a city that’s a rich source of one specific style of architecture. Ali Rogin reports.
Eclipse tourism brings economic boost to these small towns
On Monday, April 8, the moon will slip between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow that will cut across North America in a 115-mile-wide path. Communities along that path hope it will be a bright spot for hotels, restaurants and gas stations as people flock to them for this rare event. Communities reporter Adam Kemp joins John Yang to discuss how Oklahoma is preparing for eclipse tourists.
Why women’s sports are more popular and lucrative than ever
Interest in women’s sports has never been higher than during this past week’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament. At least two of the games were the most-watched women’s basketball games ever, with more viewers than the 2023 World Series or NBA finals. Claire Watkins, host of “The Late Sub” for Just Women’s Sports, joins John Yang to discuss what’s behind this boom and what the future may hold.
How worsening global air quality puts human health at risk
While the U.S. has made great progress improving air quality in recent decades, air pollution is still a driver of many serious health conditions both domestically and globally. According to a new report, only seven countries met the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines for pollution in 2023. Glory Dolphin Hammes, North American CEO for IQAir, joins William Brangham to discuss.
Why more Americans are dipping into retirement funds early
For a growing number of Americans, retirement accounts are doing double duty as savings accounts for the future and emergency funds for the here and now. Vanguard Group says that 2023 saw early withdrawals from a record 3.6 percent of the 5 million accounts it administers, up from 2.8 percent in 2022. Roben Farzad, host of NPR’s "Full Disclosure" podcast, joins John Yang to discuss.
Why food waste is a global problem and what can be done
More than 2 billion people, about a third of the world’s population, face food insecurity. At the same time, a recent UN report estimated that more than 1 billion metric tons of food went to waste in 2022, enough to give each person facing hunger around the world more than one meal a day. Ali Rogin speaks with Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, to learn more.
Endangered sea turtles released off the coast of Georgia
On Jekyll Island off the Georgia coast, some sea turtles and people who care about their survival marked a small victory on Thursday. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center teamed up with volunteers from Northeast aquariums and conservation groups to move 33 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and one green sea turtle to warmer southeastern waters where they can thrive. John Yang reports.
Sen. Coons explains new openness to conditions on Israel aid
President Biden and other U.S. officials have warned Israel’s government that they are nearly out of patience with how it’s conducting the war in Gaza. Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, one of the president’s closest allies in the senate, joins us to talk about this potential shift.
Maryland Governor on complicated Baltimore bridge rebuilding
President Biden visited the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore this afternoon, getting a firsthand look at the clean-up and recovery efforts to reopen one of the nation’s key shipping hubs. Biden met with the families of the victims and reaffirmed his commitment to the people of Baltimore. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joined Biden on the tour and spoke with us today.
Israel draws outrage after airstrikes kills 7 aid workers
The Israeli military dismissed two officers and reprimanded three more senior officers it said were responsible for the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers earlier this week. Nick Schifrin reports as Monday's attack puts even greater scrutiny on Israel’s tactics in Gaza.
Russia continues to link terrorist attack to Ukraine
The March 22 terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall killed 145 people and injured hundreds — the deadliest attack in Russia in 20 years. Russia blamed the U.S. and Ukraine despite specific U.S. intelligence shared with Russia of an impending attack by ISIS-Khorasan. Nick Schifrin takes a look at Russia’s unfolding accusations and the state of the U.S.-Russia relationship.
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