Meanwhile, if you’ve been paying attention to medicine, basketball and the British Parliament, you’ll get at least three questions right this week.
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Trump wants more apprenticeships. An Arkansas manufacturer is giving it a try
President Trump has touted apprenticeships as part of his promise of a golden era for American workers. But are his administration’s investments enough?
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Egg prices have taken a beating. What’s behind the drop?
A year ago, eggs were scarce and prices were sky-high. But avian flu took a much smaller toll on America’s egg-laying chickens this winter than last, and egg prices have tumbled 42%.
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At the Winter Paralympics, some athletes have found business opportunities
At the Winter Paralympics, athletes with prosthetics often modify them to fit their bodies more precisely. That has led to some competitors starting their own businesses to help fellow amputees.
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Democrats set a turnout record in Texas, so is this the year it turns blue?
Latinos helped Texas Democrats set the new record for a primary, but the state has been a white whale for the party for decades.
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Bucking stigma, more places turn to factory-built for affordable housing
Mobile homes have long been zoned out of cities and suburbs. But with updated designs and a housing shortage, they’re increasingly being welcomed as more-affordable starter homes.
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Medicaid can share data with ICE. Here’s how that 180-degree change spreads fear
When Medicaid began sharing personal data with federal immigration authorities last year, it upended decades of explicit promises to patients. Now, even eligible immigrants fear getting the health coverage.
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2026 Oscars Guide: Who will win and who should win
We’ve watched all the nominees in the major categories for the Oscars including Sinners, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme. So we’ve got opinions about what will win and what should win. (And yes, we’ll talk about Timothée Chalamet.)
For a list of our favorite Oscar nominated films, check out our list at Letterboxd — at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture.
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An icy mystery: What are lake stars?
When producer Berly McCoy was out on her local frozen lake, she saw something she’d never seen before. There were dark spidery, star-shaped patterns in the ice and they freaked her out. So, we called an expert to find out more about them. In today’s episode, geophysicist Victor Tsai tells us about lake stars and how he became the first person to scientifically prove how they form. Plus, he explains how knowing more about lake stars can potentially give us clues about the presence of water on Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons.
Read Victor Tsai’s full paper on lake stars here.
Have a question about something in the environment? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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.
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‘We the Women’ and ‘Rise, Girl, Rise’ are stories about revolutionary women
To mark Women’s History Month, today’s episode features new books focused on women who have paved the way for gender equality. First, journalist Norah O’Donnell documents untold stories in American history in We the Women, written in collaboration with Kate Andersen Brower. In today’s episode, O’Donnell tells NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly about lesser-known female heroes, like the woman who printed the Declaration of Independence and a female soldier who fought in the American Revolution. Then, activist Gloria Steinem and Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee speak with Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan about their new children’s book, Rise, Girl, Rise.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR’s book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
