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Listening to the news can feel like a journey. But 1A guides you beyond the headlines – and cuts through the noise. Let's get to the heart of the story, together – on 1A.

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If you've been following the news lately — including with 1A — it can be a lot to take in.

We've heard from many of you about how the news makes you feel. But what can we do in chaotic moments of history to build a sense of control in our lives? Maybe it's organizing in your community, starting a new hobby, or picking up that TV show from 10 years ago that you promised you'd get around to watching.

What can finding agency in the chaos look like? Why should we actively focus on something rather than simply react to what's happening?

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Best Of: Finding Agency In Chaos

Some of the best songs you can hear this spring aren't on the radio.

Hundreds of millions of birds make their annual migration back into North America in early March. Despite their return to our neighborhoods and backyards to wake us up bright and early, a new report reveals they're numbering fewer and fewer.

The 2025 State of the Birds report is a joint effort spearheaded by a coalition of science and conservation organizations. It found widespread population decline across nearly all habitats and that over one third of species require conservation help.

But it's not all bad news. The report also finds that an increased interest in birding has led to more volunteer data that helped shaped the report. What can we learn about our feathered friends and our environment while watching?

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Best Of: Birding To Help Revitalize Conservation Efforts

Many of us know that being outside feels good.

Maybe it’s for a short walk to the store. Maybe for a hike at a nearby mountain. Or maybe spending time at the beach with loved ones for a holiday.

But did you know that a short walk in nature can improve your attention span by 20 percent? And that even fake plants have been shown to deliver health benefits?

There are real benefits to surrounding yourself with the natural world.

We sit down with the pioneer of environmental neuroscience, Marc Berman. He’s out with a new book all about the science behind the benefits spending time outside called “Nature and the Mind.”

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Best Of: How Spending Time In Nature Helps Our Health

Last year, Americans spent more than 300 billion minutes on navigation apps, like Waze or Google Maps.

The GPS systems in our pockets have come a long way from the first known map, carved into a mammoth tusk 30,000 years ago.

But even with satellites tracking us and the ever-changing Earth from the skies – digital maps aren’t fact. Errors can show up and are sometimes as old as maps themselves. The phantom island of Sandy Island appeared on Google Maps until 2012, when Australian scientists sailed to its supposed location and found only open ocean.

Mistakes on maps were sometimes intentional, sometimes not – but every single one tells a bigger story.

How and why did it get there? What does it reveal about the creator of the map and the world around them?

We sit down with Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones, better known as the Map Men on YouTube, to talk through these questions and more.

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Best Of: The Map Men On Missing Islands And The Meaning Of Mistakes

In-home elder care costs are rising more than three times faster than inflation.

AARP estimates that caregivers in the U.S. spend an average of $7,242 out of pocket each year.

Cuts to federal spending have gutted programs that support them. And amidst the longest government shutdown in history, what little help was left is quickly drying up.

Why is the cost of care going up? What can be done to combat those costs?

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Best Of: The Financial Burden Of Caregiving

Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. president to sport a beard. For the next 50 years, whiskers were commonplace in the White House. But then, they went out of style.

Now, Vice President JD Vance is the first executive branch leader in more than a century with a furry face.

And others are following suit. From the Senate to the campaign trail, more and more men in politics are letting their facial hair grow free. But what does that tell us about masculinity, power, and how we see each other?

Why did our politicians remain bare faced for so long? And what does the reemergence of whiskers in the White House represent?

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Best Of: What Beards Tell Us About Power, Politics And How We See Each Other

President Donald Trump delivered a national address on Wednesday in an attempt to set the record straight on his economic record.

Gun violence dominated the news this week. Two people were killed in a shooting at Brown University. Six teenagers were injured in a shooting outside of a birthday party in Brooklyn. And an MIT professor was shot and killed inside of his home Tuesday.

And an appeals court signals it will allow the National Guard to continue in Washington D.C. while litigation continues.

And, in global news, two shooters opened fire on a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on Sunday. It was the country’s deadliest shooting in 30 years.

President Donald Trump continues to escalate tensions between Washington and Caracas. This week Trump ordered the blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning that his country will extend its gains of Ukrainian territory if peace talks aren’t successful.

We cover the most important stories from around the globe in the News Roundup.

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The News Roundup For December 19, 2025

The modern world is a noisy, chaotic place. News about what’s happening in the world is constantly available on a device in your pocket. The internet offers more content than any person could consume in their lifetime, or in 10 lifetimes.

Politics can feel unstable, with elected officials changing the norms and rules of our political system. AI is upending our ideas about what work will look like in the next few decades. And social media, designed by technology companies to monetize attention, offers up millions of rabbit holes in which to lose yourself — self improvement hacks, niche interests, impossible beauty standards.

Taking all of that in can feel like an insurmountable task most days. So try doing it with a brain and a body that are changing dramatically at the same time.

How do young people — adolescents going through puberty — experience the world today? How is the adolescent experience changing? And how can adults make their journey easier? 

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Navigating Modern Adolescence

It’s a stressful day at the office. You want to get away from work. The sounds of notifications, meeting alerts, and Zoom calls ring through your ears. You step outside for your lunch break. No matter where you are in the world, you’re likely to hear the same thing: the sounds of birds. 

They’re everywhere, after all.Despite their constant presence in our lives and our world, there’s still a lot left to understand about our clawed compatriots. What if we could learn more about them with a bit of intentional observation? And in watching birds, maybe learn something about ourselves?

We sit down with University of Colorado Boulder professor Scott Taylor to talk about his new podcast, “Okay, But… Birds.”

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Evolutionary Biologist Scott Taylor And Birds

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to tightly control the news that comes out of the Pentagon — even as he deals with the fallout over strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.

In October, nearly all mainstream media outlets left the Pentagon press pool after refusing to comply with restrictive rules from the Trump administration. The exodus included the Associated Press, NPR, and The New York Times along with conservative outlets like Newsmax and Fox News.

Two weeks ago, the Pentagon held its first press conference with a new hand-picked press corps, now mostly made up of right-wing outlets and Trump allies including former Rep. Matt Gaetz and right-wing media influencer Laura Loomer.

Now, The New York Times is suing the Pentagon over violating the first amendment rights of journalists.

As more questions arise over the Venezuela boat strikes and the contentious relationship between the Trump administration and the press heats up, what does the absence of traditional press at the Pentagon mean for accountability for the U.S. military, press freedom, and our democracy?

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'If You Can Keep It': The Pentagon And The Press

Over 210,000 federal workers left their jobs this year because of the Trump administration.

That’s according to the Partnership for Public Service Harms Tracker. For many, it’s meant walking away from, or being pushed out of, a decades-long commitment to public service.

And one trend that’s emerging? Fired or laid-off former federal employees and contractors are running for public office.

We feature the voices of several former federal workers to hear why they see politics as the next step, especially after being forced out of jobs that were always meant to stay apolitical. What does it mean for the future health of our democracy?

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'If You Can Keep It': The Former Feds Running For Office

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