The Paris Olympic games officially begin tomorrow. We've been covering the lead up to the summer games with our series "Rings and Things" and today we're wrapping up the series with a look at what's new. Breaking, or breakdancing, will make its Olympic debut in a couple weeks. Four American breakers qualified for the sport's first ever Olympic competition. Its inclusion comes as other youth-led sports return, including skateboarding, climbing, and surfing. Spectators can expect a number of other changes like the inclusion of kayak cross and kiteboarding. We discuss the new sports on the Oly ..read more

We've talked about Paris as the host of the 2024 Summer Olympics. But now, it's time to talk about Paris as a place where many, many people live with a culture all its own. What's left to be said about the city of lights? It's the setting of great works of fiction, both on screen and on the page. It's played a pivotal role throughout Western history, serving as a hub for learning, commerce, diplomacy, and more. It's the ideal vacation destination for millions upon millions of people every year. It's also a place where some 2 million (11 million counting the greater metro area) people live, g ..read more

This week, the fashion capital of the world becomes the sporting capital of the world with the Summer Olympics kicking off in Paris, France. The world's best athletes will be outfitted in premiere designs which not only make them look good, but also help them compete at the highest levels possible. Name brand sponsors dress the Games and the players head to toe. Louis Vuitton designed special trunks to carry the medals. Rihanna's Fenty Beauty created a designated makeup look for volunteers. Even the underwear athletes wear is provided to them – by Kim Kardashian's company Skims. When Olympi ..read more

Democrats are rallying around Vice President Kamala Harris as their new frontrunner for the nomination. As her campaign takes shape, attention is turning to who she could choose as her running mate. But with less than a month before the Democratic National Convention, she'll have to make her decision quickly. We discuss who she might choose to join her ticket and how that choice could sway voters in key swing states. 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 ..read more

The 2024 Summer Olympics are nearly here. The host city, Paris, will kick off the Games with an opening ceremony on Friday. A flotilla of boats will make its way down the city's river, the Seine. This is the first in a special 1A series we're bringing you this week about the Summer Olympics, called "Rings and Things. "We'll take part of the show over the next four days to bring you the Olympics from a new angle. A different story embedded in this massive, international competition. We examine how Paris prepared and the challenges that could still remain for the city during the 16 days of c ..read more

President Joe Biden is no longer seeking re-election.Yesterday he announced the decision to step down as the Democratic presidential nominee in a letter posted to his social media platforms. President Biden wrote, "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of the term." He also said he would speak about it in greater detail later this week. Shortly after, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place. We di ..read more

The U.S. Secret Service is under scrutiny following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last weekend. The Republican National Convention wrapped up on Thursday in Milwaukee and featured a mix of calls for unity, doubling down on party lines, border security talk, and a slew of misinformation. Meanwhile, President Biden is both publicly and privately facing pressure from top Democrats to drop out of the race. On Tuesday reporting emerged from CNN that the Biden administration had informed the Secret Service of an unspecified threat to Trump ..read more

Sirens echoed this week across several states in the Midwest. According to the National Weather Service, a storm system made up of several thunderstorms – known as a derecho – developed over Iowa and swept through parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. This year has seen almost a thousand tornadoes. The first of which was reported near Galveston, Texas, on January 5. We get into what happened with those twisters and what we know about their uptick in frequency. We discuss what role, if any, climate change plays in all this. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio ..read more

As the price of four-year colleges balloon and the job market becomes increasingly unstable, a new batch of workers are going another route: technical school. Students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges increased 16 percent from 2022 to 2023, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. A technical college in Florida says almost all their programs are close to capacity. And in Maine, enrollment in career and technical schools passed 10,000 students statewide for the first time. We discuss what a technical education looks like today and how beneficial the p ..read more

On this edition of Game Mode, we take a look at the games that are giving us a thrill so far in 2024. And we look at some games that have disappointed. What can the success or failure of this year's games tell us about the video game industry? The industry spans from tech companies like Microsoft, all the way down to solo developers. It's expected to be worth $189 billion this year. 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 ..read more