Barbara Kingsolver on the history of addiction and poverty in Appalachia
In her novel "Demon Copperhead," author Barbara Kingsolver tells the story of poverty and addiction in contemporary Appalachia. Here & Now's Scott Tong spoke with her back in 2022 when the book came out. Tong caught up with Kingsolver in western Virginia to talk about the power of home, poverty and addiction.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Houses of worship can now endorse candidates. What are the implications?
Prominent evangelical Christian thinker Ed Stetzer talks about a legal settlement reached this week between the Internal Revenue Service and the National Religious Broadcasters organization that allows houses of worship and other nonprofits to endorse political candidates without losing their tax-exempt status. Then, Ricky Pruitt of the Kerrville Church of Christ in Texas spoke at a vigil on Wednesday night to remember the more than 120 people who were killed during last week's floods. He shares how the community is helping one another. And, Russia's hours-long assault on Ukraine overnight left at least two people dead. We get the latest from NPR's Joanna Kakissis and hear about Trump's changing policies from NPR's Tom Bowman.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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How emergency warning systems work
Flooding in central Texas turned deadly in a matter of minutes. Erik Nielsen, assistant professor at Texas A&M University, explains how warning systems can make a difference in extreme weather events. And, the Trump administration's new spending bill includes changes to Medicaid that will play out over the next few years. Todd Eppler, the CEO of a rural hospital in Louisiana, explains how they are preparing for possible changes. Then, the debate over whether listening to audiobooks counts as reading draws a lot of hot takes. NPR's "Book of the Day" podcast host Andrew Limbong weighs in.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Breaking down Trump's latest tariff threat
Katie Wagner, the supply chain director of an Iowa-based computer hardware maker, talks about how her company expects its bottom line to be affected if the U.S. follows through on threats to impose retaliatory tariffs on trading partners starting Aug. 1. Then, we speak with NPR's Anthony Kuhn about what the leaders of Asian nations are saying about the deadline. And, Amazon's Prime Days are running into unease about trade and tariffs. "Full Disclosure" host Roben Farzad talks about how tariffs may affect the sale.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Why the Texas floods were so deadly
The Guadalupe River in Central Texas rose more than two feet in less than an hour, according to state officials. We speak to Rice University professor Avantika Gori about why the storm was so intense and what can be done to better warn people ahead of such intense weather. And, the sweeping domestic policy bill that President Trump signed into law last week ends incentives for wind and solar energy. Reporter Matthew Daly unpacks the future of U.S. energy. Then, government statistics show the number of people taking second jobs is almost as high as it was during the Great Recession. Wall Street Journal columnist Callum Borchers explains why.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
The news you need to know today — and the stories that will stick with you tomorrow. Plus, special series and behind-the-scenes extras from Here & Now hosts Robin Young, Scott Tong and Deepa Fernandes with help from Producer Chris Bentley and the team at NPR and WBUR.