Year: 2022

In 2008, Russia invaded another former Soviet republic: Georgia, a small country on the southeast edge of Europe. Today, Georgia is seeing an influx of Russians who are fleeing their home country in opposition to its invasion of Ukraine. Mary Louise Kelly traveled to Georgia to hear how people who live with Russian troops on their doorsteps are feeling as they watch the war in Ukraine play out.

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Even if you’re not a fan of celebrity gossip, you’ve probably heard that there’s something going on with the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. He’s exhibited increasingly erratic behavior, including relentless online harassment of his ex-wife, reality TV queen Kim Kardashian and her current boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson. Now he’s been banned from performing at the Grammys, and was recently suspended from Instagram for a day.

For years Ye’s behavior has been puzzling to observe – ranging from announcing plans to run for President, to moving into a windowless basement room inside of a stadium to complete his last album, to high profile feuds with everyone from Jay Z to Jimmy Kimmel. He has admitted that he struggles with bipolar disorder and that instead of medical treatment he uses his art as therapy

.Fans, critics and those who write and talk seriously about the arts are just not sure how to talk about the situation.

Aisha Harris of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour joins us to unpack some of the complexities. And we speak with mental health advocate Bassey Ikpi who offers a personal perspective on Ye’s behavior.

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The film Flee has already made Oscars history: it’s the first to be nominated for best documentary, animated feature and international film.

Flee tells the story of a boy whose family left Afghanistan in the 1990s.

Now an adult and identified by an alias to protect him and his family, Amin Nawabi reveals a painful secret about his childhood journey to Denmark—a secret he has told almost no one.

The film opens with the question: “What does the word ‘home’ mean to you?”

Nawabi gives NPR his first interview with a news outlet, along with the director of “Flee,” Jonas Poher Rasmussen.

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This week, the average price for a gallon of gas in L.A. County crested six dollars — the highest in the country. The national average is up around 70 cents in the last month.

The are a lot of complicated reasons why gas is more expensive — and a lot of ideas for how to make this easier on consumers. But none of them are quick or easy.

NPR’s Scott Horsley explains why drivers who are newly interested in purchasing an electric vehicle might not have a lot of options.

NPR’s Brittany Cronin reports on calls for more domestic oil production in the U.S. — and why it may take some time for that to happen.

Here’s more on why gas prices are so high from NPR’s Chris Arnold.

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The NCAA’s March Madness Tournament is upon us, and after over two years of pandemic restrictions at sporting events, stands are packed to full capacity with fans.

Transformative changes are happening off of the court too: for the first time in March Madness history, college athletes can cash in on endorsement deals because of changes to the NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policies, which are a result of a Supreme Court ruling last summer.

While the new arena in college sports has been lucrative for athletes, with contracts reaching 7 figures, NIL advocates are concerned about the lack of legal and financial protections for students.

We speak with Stewart Mandel, Editor-In-Chief of college football at The Athletic, about how the current nature of NIL deals may risk exploiting student-athletes.

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Tuesday was the second day of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings. She would be the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice, and the first Democratic nominee to be confirmed since Elena Kagan in 2010. A vote on her nomination could come in weeks, and Democrats have the votes to confirm her without Republican support.

NPR political correspondent Juana Summers spoke to black women working to support Jackson’s historic nomination.

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Inside Ukraine, millions of people have been displaced, with millions more living in increasingly dire conditions. In the city of Maruipol, hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped — with dwindling supplies of food and water and no electricity. Mariupol has been bombarded by the Russians for weeks now. Petro Andrushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol’s mayor, told NPR civilians in bomb shelters are running out of food.

Millions of others have fled Ukraine without knowing if or when they’ll be able to return home. Amid that uncertainty, they must start a new life elsewhere. It’s an experience only people who’ve been refugees can truly understand. Mary Louise Kelly talks with refugees from Vietnam, Syria, and Afghanistan about their experiences, how fleeing their home country has affected their life and what life is like now.

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Senate confirmation hearings begin next week for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. If she is confirmed she will be the first Black woman on the high court and the first public defender. Judge Jackson served as a federal public defender between 2005 and 2007. She defended several Guantanamo detainees and others accused of crimes, a fact that her critics use to suggest that she works to free terrorists and put criminals back on the street.

The 6th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees every criminal defendant the right to an attorney. The right to have effective counsel, along with presumption of innocence are the basic principles of fairness in our legal system. But too often, having worked as a defense attorney is a stop sign on the road to the bench.

We speak with Martin Sabelli, president of the board of directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He explains why our legal system needs more judges with a background in criminal defense.

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It’s been one year since a white man opened fire at three spas in the Atlanta area killing eight people — six of whom were Asian women.

Since the beginning of the pandemic there has been an alarming rise in hate crimes against Asian people in America, and a majority of the victims are women.

Harmful stereotypes of Asian Women play a huge role here — often portrayed in pop culture as demure, exotic, hyper sexualized, or carriers of disease.

CNN journalist Amara Walker discusses what it feels like to live with these stereotypes and the threat of violence as an Asian American woman.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants America to help impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. The U.S. favors other avenues of support, providing weapons and equipment. Now there are signs the Russian advance is stalling. Could there be a diplomatic endgame in sight?

Marie Yovanovitch is skeptical. The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine tells NPR a no-fly zone should be kept on the table, citing the unpredictability and ruthlessness of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Yovanovitch has written a new memoir, Lessons From The Edge. More from her conversation with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly here.

Former Naval Intelligence Officer Steven Horrell says there’s an emerging possibility of a so-called ‘frozen conflict’ in Ukraine, with Russian forces failing to advance but also refusing to leave.

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