"How about this weather?"There's a reason this line is one of the most famous cliche bits of smalltalk. The weather affects everyone. And most everyone wants to know what the weather's going to be like.That's where forecasts come in. People plan their days and sometimes their futures around what sort of weather they can expect. Sometimes itd can be a life-or-death situation.That's why some are balking at the Project 2025 plan to defund the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We discuss the science behind forecasts and the potential impact of Project 2025. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As this election season wraps up, we step away from what the Harris and Trump campaigns are doing in the final stretch.Instead, we look to what's happening outside the U.S. that could impact the election. The federal government and technology companies like Microsoft are reporting that, once again, foreign actors are trying to interfere in the presidential election and down ballot races. That includes hostile countries like Russia and geopolitical competitors like China.We discuss why countries want to interfere in this election, what they hope to gain, and what these operations typically look like. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tomorrow is election day. More than 74 million Americans have already cast their votes.Over the weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump made what will likely be their final pitches to voters. We discuss what we can expect the rest of the week and more importantly, in the weeks to follow.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the final days of his campaign, former President Donald Trump held a rally at Madison Square Garden in his home city of New York. The supposed success of the event was unfortunately overshadowed by racist comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who was invited to open for the former real estate mogul.House Speaker Mike Johnson took aim at the Affordable Care Act this week, promising massive reform to the law at an event in Pennsylvania should Trump emerge victorious from the election.Meanwhile, despite multiple warnings from the United States, aid to Gaza has fallen to its lowest level since the beginning of Israel's campaign against Hamas, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in the region.The Pentagon said this week that North Korea sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia that are likely meant to reinforce Russian troops as the latter army continues its invasion of Ukraine.Georgia's prime minister is taking a victory lap following a supposed "landslide" election result. Irakli Kobakhidze, however, also took time to reject allegations of vote-rigging and violence in an interview with the BBC.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What scares you the most? Is it something creepy and crawly? Something that slithers?Maybe it's the dark, or the end of the world, or, even worse, a bad report card.We all have things that scare us. And movies are good at making us experiencing those things in a safe way. But why do we even want to do it in the first place? We discuss what we like about being scared. And later... Vampires have been a pop culture staple for decades — as movie monsters and as metaphors for our deepest desires. And whether your favorite vampires are Nosferatu and Dracula, or Louis and Lestat, they all have a few bloody things in common.We get into why the vampire myth prevails and how the vampire genre is changing, during our Spooky Roundup. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

If you've ever travelled to a different time zone, you probably felt groggy and tired after your flight. Or you've likely missed that extra hour when the clock jumps forward for Daylight Savings time in the spring.You may work a 9-to-5 job or go to school from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. But these aren't the only clocks that dictate how we live. In fact, our bodies have trillions of internal clocks that tell us when to eat, sleep, and perform other biological tasks throughout the day. One of those clocks is our circadian rhythm.In a society where staring at our phones before falling asleep or getting up with an alarm clock is the norm, most of us are out of sync with our circadian rhythm. But there are serious health consequences to this disconnect.In this installment of "The Scientific Method," we talk about how our circadian rhythm works, how we can live in sync with it, and what happens when we're not.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Less than one week from election day, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her final address to a crowd of more than 75,000 in Washington D.C.That number is according to the Harris campaign. Last night's rally was held at the Ellipse, the park south of the White House. It's also the site where former President Donald Trump held his rally on Jan. 6 of 2021.It was an event alluded to by the vice president, who focused her address on the differences between herself and Trump.The race between Harris and Trump remains tight less than a week from Election Day, and at least 50 million Americans have already voted. We discuss the significance of Vice President Harris' address. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We're one week away from the election. Millions of Americans have already cast their votes, but Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are not done campaigning.Over the weekend, Harris garnered support from several major Latino artists, including Bad Bunny, J-Lo and Ricky Martin. Their endorsements followed racist remarks about Latinos and Puerto Ricans made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday. The Trump campaign has said these remarks do not reflect its views.We talk about the role Latino voters are playing in the election.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It was early on Wednesday morning some four years ago, hours after the polls had closed when then President Donald Trump falsely claimed victory in the election of 2020.Never mind the fact that millions of legitimate votes had yet to be counted. And a half-dozen states hadn't yet been called for either Trump or President Joe Biden.POLITICO has spoken to dozens of people familiar or involved with the election process this year. And according to their reporting, a consensus has emerged. Not only could Donald Trump make a second attempt to overturn an election if he loses. But the groundwork for doing so has already been laid.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Early voting is underway in the 2024 election. Donald Trump's former chief of staff revealed some upsetting details of the former president times in office this week. John Kelly, the former Marine general who worked for the Trump administration, said that the 45th president once remarked he needed "Hitler's generals" during a conversation about Germany.Meanwhile, overseas, a top Hezbollah leader was killed this week in an Israeli air attack. Hashem Safieddine was expected to assume control of the armed group following the death of his cousin Hassan Nasrallah, their former leader.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Israel that the death of a top Hamas leader last week could lead to an opening for peace and more aid to flow into Gaza.We cover all this and more during this week's Roundup. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy