Announcing the NPR Student Podcast Challenge for 2026 — and a very special prize!
The annual contest for students in grades four through 12 is back for its eighth year — this time with a special prize for a podcast that marks the 250th anniversary of the United States.
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Summers are getting hotter. Here's how experts say to cope with it
Much of the country is deep in the middle of a heat wave right now. And every summer, Duane Stilwell's town in Arizona seems to get hotter. It has him worried — and he's not the only one. Since 1980, the average number of heat waves in the U.S has doubled and the average length of a heat wave season has increased from 40 days to 70. Future summers, experts say, will be even hotter. But why exactly is that happening, and what can people do to protect themselves from the heat? This episode is part of Nature Quest, a monthly segment that answers listeners' questions about their local environment. If you have a question, send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org that includes it, your name and where you live. We might make it into our next Nature Quest episode!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave. -
Immigrants in the U.S. illegally fight the Trump administration's new no-bail policy
Under the new policy, all immigrants will be treated the same. But advocates warn that this new approach is a misinterpretation of existing law. -
Scrutiny continues over Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein
During a week of urgent news, the administration has pushed a report on Obama and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. NPR Senior Political Editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro and Cybersecurity correspondent Jenna McLaughlin unpack the context and timing. -
Nearly 4,000 NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program
The employees who have chosen to leave the agency amount to about 20% of NASA's workforce. -
Homelessness in LA drops for the first time in years, bucking a nationwide trend
The number of homeless people in L.A. County living on the street dropped last year, bucking trends elsewhere in the U.S. What does it say about efforts to combat homelessness, in the city as well as nationwide? -
How a dollar store shopper is coping with rising prices and tariffs
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Shannon Carr, founder of non-profit Isaiah 55, Inc., about rising prices at dollar stores and what they mean for the low-income community she helps in Ohio. -
Some kids need more protection from ultra-processed food. Here's why
Kids in the U.S. get most of their calories from ultra-processed foods, which are tied to health problems. Now, scientists are finding that kids don't all react to these foods in the same way. -
Pete Buttigieg warns Democrats can't go back to status quo after President Trump
Steve Inskeep speaks with former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about distrust in government and the status of the Democratic Party.
