Recently-published stories may not immediately appear in this index of transcripts. Transcripts are typically completed and published 10-48 hours after audio stories are published. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. If you're having trouble finding a transcript for a story published prior to the past 48 hours, you can review the tips on our help pages or contact us for assistance. For more information on Transcripts and other accessibility tools visit NPR’s Accessibility Page.
Miles Parks, Juana Summers, and Ayesha Rascoe are joined by Stephen Thompson of NPR Music to discuss their favorite political music of the year.Connect:Email the show at [email protected] the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Find and support your local public radio station.
A paper mill in Maine says raw materials are too expensive and hard to find right now. So they're asking locals to drop their used pizza boxes and other packaging off at the plant.
Compared to this time last year, we're all paying a lot more to use many kinds energy — whether it's gasoline for our cars or heating fuel for our homes.
In a year when many films didn't even open in theaters, there were still plenty worth talking about. NPR film critic Bob Mondello celebrates the best of 2021.
If you had to define 2021 with just one word what would it be? Merriam-Webster Editor-at-Large Peter Sokolowski talks about what words were most on people's minds throughout the year.
April Ashley, a trailblazing activist for transgender rights, has died at age 86.
Michigan wants to remain a center of automotive development and manufacturing. As the state faces interstate competition, political leaders are looking to industry incentives.
Children are being hospitalized for COVID-19 at record rates amid the current surge. Mary Louise Kelly puts questions from parents of kids under 5 to pediatric infectious disease doctor, Ibukun Kalu.
All Things Considered staff reflect on the stories and voices from the program that moved them in 2021.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Wendy Weiser, who directs the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, about the threats to our elections in 2022 and 2024.
The Asian population in Fort Bend County is Texas' largest. When the Texas Legislature met to redraw congressional maps, many Asian Americans hoped it would reflect that. That didn't happen.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse about wildfires that tore through towns outside of Denver, forcing more than 30,000 residents to evacuate.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks to Thomas Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, about the preparations being made for the New Year's Eve celebration in New York City.
Looking back, countdowns weren't always good news. Think atomic bomb tests. Americans also counted down moon missions and Top 40 hits. It wasn't until 1979 that a Times Square crowd joined in.
After abruptly closing in March 2020, France's alpine ski resorts have reopened. But this year you'll need more than just goggles and a lift pass.
Residents of Denver's suburbs who had to flee Thursday's wildfires describe the damage.
A resurgence in COVID-19 cases is testing the endurance of health care workers who care for the sickest patients, most of whom are unvaccinated.
TV favors the young — but Betty White only got more famous as she got older. White's career began in the earliest days of television, and she was active until her death at the age of 99.
After Nirvana, Grohl considered quitting music. But, he says, "Music was the one thing that had healed me my entire life." His memoir is The Storyteller. Originally broadcast Nov. 24, 2021.
The Apple TV+ satire series Schmigadoon! centers on a couple who gets trapped in a town where people burst into song. Originally broadcast Aug. 9 and Aug. 23.
At midnight, as the ball drops in New York City, Ripley's is dropping... a giant, 225 pound hairball.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer's team won the bowl, and ten thousand dollars went to charity after the event.
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks to Dr. Rick Bright, a former HHS official and head of the Rockefeller Foundation's Pandemic Prevention Institute, about the U.S. response to the latest COVID wave.
Temica Hunt and her mother Necothia Bowens-Robbinsontalk about their love for roller skating.
Colorado wildfires force tens of thousands out of their homes. Biden and Putin have another high stakes call. And, the Census Bureau's diversity problem.
A young Mississippi woman is thriving two years after getting treated for sickle cell disease with the revolutionary gene-editing technique known as CRISPR.
The oldest LGBTQ bookstore in the country is a shop called Giovanni's Room in Philadelphia. But when the bookstore almost closed forever in 2014, it took big changes to help it survive.
Tens of thousands were forced to flee and hundreds of homes burned after high winds pushed wildfires across several communities outside Denver.
While police investigate the shooting spree that left five dead in Colorado Monday, connections are emerging between the alleged gunman and victims he apparently knew through his tattoo business.
Parents in San Francisco say they can't find COVID tests in time for school to restart after the winter break. The school district is strongly encouraging testing before students return on Monday.
COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Gulf states have been among the lowest in the U.S. since the pandemic began. After vaccines were authorized for 5-to-11-year-olds, that trend continued.
The stock market has continued to set records even as the Omicron variant injects a new element of uncertainty and investors prepare for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in 2022.
Since 1966, the Poetry Project in New York City has hosted an annual New Year's Day poetry marathon. Last year, it featured 250 performances, seen by viewers from every continent except Antarctica.
On January 1, 2022, thousands of creative works will go into the public domain in the U.S., including famous creations like Winnie-the-Pooh, Bambi, and a trove of early sound recordings.
The latest COVID-19 surge is putting kids in the hospital in record numbers. NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Dr. Claudia Hoyen, an expert in pediatric infection in Cleveland, Ohio.
A list of the groundbreaking musicians, producers and journalists we lost in 2021.
Paxlovid and molnupiravir have been authorized for emergency use to keep COVID-19 patients out of the hospital, but don't expect to be able to go to your usual pharmacy and get them.
It was the second time the two leaders spoke this month, as Russia has assembled as many as 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, prompting fears of an invasion.
Colorado's governor has declared a state of emergency as winds are driving several large grass fires. Two towns in Boulder County have been evacuated with more than 20,000 people fleeing the fires.
A jury in New York has found Teva Pharmaceutical liable for fueling the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.
In 2011, influential Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei was secretly detained by Chinese authorities. While in detention, he thought often about his father – who had also been punished by the Chinese government – and how incomplete his understanding of his father was.Ai spoke to Ailsa Chang about his new book, which explores his time in detention, his relationship with his father, and his attempt to avoid a similar disconnect with his own son. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected].
Miles Parks, Kelsey Snell, and Barbara Sprunt are joined by Aisha Harris of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast to discuss the year in political television.Connect:Email the show at [email protected] the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Find and support your local public radio station.
In October, the Veterans Affairs secretary promised to house 500 homeless veterans in Los Angeles County by the end of 2021. But it turns out according to the VA, housing doesn't always mean a home.
The World Health Organization predicts "a tsunami of cases" as the omicron variant fuels a surge of COVID infections. More than a million cases a being reported globally every day around the world.
We know you want to be the best you in 2022, so we're offering a curated selection of excerpts from 2021 Life Kit episodes to help you do just that. Here's how to go on a "social media diet."
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Evan Osnos of The New Yorker about radio host Dan Bongino, who calls masks "face diapers," opposes vaccine mandates and says the 2016 and 2020 elections were rigged.
2021 saw continuing disruption to the labor market and a shift in the balance of power between workers and their bosses. Employers desperate to hire have to pay more to get the workforce they need.
Staff from NPR Music highlight the sleeper hits that got lost in the deluge of new music in 2021.
Much of California is in the grips of extreme or exceptional drought. But the state may soon be blanketed by record levels of snow, after a series of storms finish parading through the western U.S.
President Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call Thursday as tensions mount between the Ukraine and Russia. The White House says it's "gravely concerned" about the situation.
Skyrocketing omicron case numbers in some states have hospitals nationwide trying to prepare for another big surge. Here's how things look in the Northeast, South and Midwest.
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with KPBS's Cristina Kim on her enterprise reporting on what happens to vulnerable renters as pandemic eviction bans begin to go away.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance looks back on a career of big-name cases, including cases against the Trump Organization and Harvey Weinstein.
Two studies that have not yet been peer reviewed indicate increased protection against the infectious omicron variant.
Habitat for Humanity is helping build 3D homes. The first family to move into one is April Stringfield and her 13-year-old son. Their new house is in Williamsburg, Va.
The U.S. on Wednesday counted more than 480,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day. Cases increased nearly 70% over the past week, but hospitalizations have gone up only about 12%.
Billboard reports that last week was the best week for vinyl record sales in three decades. Adele's 30 was the top-selling vinyl album of the year. Taylor Swift's Red also broke vinyl sale records.
Security footage shows someone taking the statue from the store in Tulsa. The shop posted on Facebook: "If anyone in the neighborhood finds a Deinonychus, let us know."
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with BBC correspondent Andrew Harding about his true crime literary thriller. It's about a double murder almost six years ago in a rural area of South Africa.
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Naheed Farid, a member of Afghanistan's deposed parliament. She lives in the U.S. now, but continues to advocate and fight for her country.
Rural health leaders warn that more hospital closures loom as federal pandemic relief money dries up. At the same time, there are concerns of a surge in hospitalizations due to the omicron variant.
For 3,000 years, a mummy of the pharaoh Amenhotep I hid its secrets. Researchers in Egypt have used a CT scan to find out new details about just what the mummy was hiding.
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to CNN legal analyst Areva Martin about Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of helping to lure girls to be sexually abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein.
As part of a response to a tornado a decade ago that killed more than 160 people, the Missouri city of Joplin developed a peer-to-peer mental health program that's been widely replicated.
Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty Wednesday on charges that she facilitated the abuse of underage girls at the hands of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
NPR's Sarah McCammon talks to David Rennie, Beijing bureau chief at The Economist, about China's escalating crackdown. Pressure has intensified on independent journalists throughout the country.
After a strong harvest and commodity price jumps, many farmers are buying equipment to lower their tax burdens. But increased demand and soaring prices make it harder for young farmers to thrive.
The supply chain backlog has ships backed up off the coast of Los Angeles. They're spewing exhaust that's affecting the air quality in Southern California and renewing environmental health concerns.
In 2021, governments removed more than 50 symbols honoring the Confederacy. It's part of a broader reckoning with how history should be presented in the public square.
The U.S. hits a record number of COVID-19 cases. A British socialite is found guilty of helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls. President Biden and Russia's Putin are to speak on the phone.
President Biden and Russian President Putin on Thursday are expected hold their second call this month — amid Russia's continued military build-up near its border with Ukraine.
A ban on using telemedicine to prescribe controlled medications was suspended in the pandemic. That's allowed many to seek opioid addiction treatment, but some worry about potential for abuse.
Skyrocketing COVID-19 case rates have caused officials In New York City and elsewhere to scale back their New Year's Eve celebrations. Around the country, people are facing tough decisions.