Month: January 2024

These days when you think of Boeing, the words that come to mind might be: door plug, 737-max, grounded. But before this month’s safety debacle and the Ethiopian and Lion Air crashes five years ago, Boeing was synonymous with industry and innovation, and the company enjoyed a special relationship with the U.S. government and U.S. presidents.

Former President Barack Obama joked he was Boeing’s top salesman, and former President Donald Trump praised the company at a visit during his presidency.

Now that special relationship between Boeing and the U.S. government is under renewed scrutiny.

NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks to transportation correspondent Joel Rose about that relationship and what this latest incident could mean for the company and its oversight.

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Since Israel’s war against Hamas began, the US has tried to prevent a wider regional war from breaking out.

Now, with US attacks against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, drone strikes in Iraq and fighting across Israel’s northern border with Lebanon is that regional conflict the US wanted to avoid, already here?

The last three presidents have tried to shrink the US footprint in the Middle East. NPR’s Ari Shapiro speaks with Ben Rhodes. Rhodes was Deputy National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama.

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Former President Donald Trump’s victory in the Iowa caucuses this week surprised almost no one, but should news outlets have called the contest before some caucus goers, even had a chance to vote?

That’s one of the questions we explore in today’s episode. NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly looks ahead to what happens next in the race for the republican nomination with senior editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

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Artificial Intelligence is front of mind these days. Many of us are spending a lot of time pondering how AI can make our lives easier.

Or on the flip side — whether it’s going to put us out of a job. But how would you be thinking about AI… if you were in charge of a major US intelligence agency?

NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly spoke to FBI Director Chris Wray and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone about Artificial Intelligence as a national security threat.

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Jon Stewart ushered in a new era of late night comedy and pushed the boundaries between news and entertainment.

If you can’t remember the last time you had fun, you’re not alone. If you want to have more fun, prioritizing it may be the key.

Tainan is considered the culinary capital of Taiwan. At one of the oldest wet markets in that Southern city, Shuixian Gong Market, the island’s vibrant cuisine is on the display.

There are displays of shiny orange and silver fish, bright rows of glistening pork ribs and overflowing crates of dragon fruit and guava.

It’s the place for everyday grocery shopping for cooks around here.

But it’s much more it’s a portrait of all the forces – both indigenous and colonial – that have shaped modern Taiwan. In essence, Taiwan’s cuisine is a reflection of its long history of influences.

NPR’s Ailsa Chang tours the market with “Made in Taiwan” cookbook authors Clarissa Wei and Ivy Chen.

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It’s been nearly a hundred days since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel, which prompted Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Israel says it aims to destroy Hamas.

By Palestinian officials’ tally – more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and about one in every 40 people there have been wounded in just three months.

Israel’s military is now pushing deeper into central Gaza. The World Health Organization says the most important hospital there is al-Aqsa Hospital.

American pediatrician Seema Jilani, spent two weeks working at the al-Aqsa hospital there. She recorded voice memos about what she saw and talks to NPR’s Ari Shapiro about the experience.

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On Saturday, the Taiwanese people vote for a new president.

It’s one of the most important and closely-watched elections around the world this year.

While most of the world – including the United States – does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent country, they are watching the results.

On New Year’s Eve, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said China would “surely be reunified” with Taiwan – reiterating Beijing’s aspiration to one day control Taiwan. Caught in the middle of this are the island’s people.

NPR’s Ailsa Chang and Emily Feng spent some time with one family who don’t agree on what it means to be Taiwanese.

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In 2015, then-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley led the way for the removal of the Confederate Flag from the state Capitol. The move came after a white gunman had murdered nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Fast forward almost eight years. At a town hall in New Hampshire, a voter asked Haley what she believed caused the Civil War. Haley failed to identify slavery in her answer, and she’s been trying to clean up that misstep ever since.

When Haley rose to political prominence a decade ago, she was touted as the future of an inclusive and diverse Republican party. Now, in 2024, she’s trying to win the Republican nomination against Donald Trump, who has used divisive rhetoric and politics to build a political base with unwavering support.

Can Haley win over those voters and the nomination without losing herself?

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