Amazon is by far the U.S.’s largest online marketplace. But sellers say they’re being squeezed out by higher fees and cheaper merchandise sold direct from Amazon itself.
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How We Reached This Point in the Israel-Gaza Conflict
Conflicts have broken out between Israel and Gaza several times over the years. But this past weekend saw Hamas launch a surprise attack unlike any other before.
Hamas killed over a thousand people, took others hostage, and even assumed control of several Israeli communities. Israel’s military was caught completely unaware.
Now the Israeli military has laid siege to Gaza. Retaliatory Israeli air strikes have killed at least 800 Palestinians and displaced around 200 thousand people. They’ve cut off fuel, electricity and food supplies into the area.
How did we get to this point?
NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Tal Schneider, political and diplomatic correspondent for the Times of Israel, and Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat professor of peace and development at the University of Maryland.
Additional reporting in this episode by Daniel Estrin and Aya Batrawy.
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Using AI to Combat Homelessness
One of the main challenges to countering homelessness is to figure out who’s most at-risk of losing their homes and getting them the resources they need. Now, in a first-of-its-kind experiment, Los Angeles is using artificial intelligence to help make those predictions and keep people in their homes.
NPR’s Jennifer Ludden reports on the program and meets people who are benefitting from this new use of AI technology.
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What Comes Next, After Surprise Hamas Attacks on Israel?
The death toll rose in both Israel and Gaza as the Israeli military and Hamas militants battled for a second day on Sunday. The surprise multi-pronged attacks by Hamas against Israel have killed at least 700 people, according to Israeli media reports.
Israel’s response has included air strikes gainst targets in Gaza. At least 400 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials. Thousands are injured in both Gaza and Israel.
Host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR correspondent Aya Batrawy in Tel Aviv for the latest developments on the ground, and we also hear from NPR’s Michele Kelemen about diplomatic efforts to try and contain the violence in Israel and Gaza.
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To Be Greener, Get Rid Of Your Grass
Who doesn’t love a lush, perfectly manicured grass lawn? It turns out, a lot of people are actively trying to get rid of their lawns, ripping out grass in favor of native plants, vegetables, and flowers to attract pollinators.
As the realities of climate change become starker, more and more people are looking for ways to create environmentally friendly spaces.
NPR’s Scott Detrow talks with research ecologist Susannah Lerman with the United States Forest Service about the impact of grass lawns on the environment and sustainable alternatives.
The Challenge of Filling the Army’s Ranks
In the 1980s the U.S. Army launched a recruiting drive around the slogan, “Be all you can be.” They’ve relaunched the slogan now as the push is on to make up for a drop off in recruitment.
The Army is having a hard time convincing potential recruits that the military is the best place to reach their full potential. Last year, the Army was 15,000 soldiers short of its recruiting goal.
Army surveys have found that many potential recruits don’t want to join because they fear getting wounded or killed, even though the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are over. And the tight labor market means recruits have lots of other job opportunities.
NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth about the struggle to staff up the largest branch of the U.S. military. NPR’s Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman provides additional reporting for this episode.
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With McCarthy Out What’s Next for Republicans in the House?
It took just eight Republicans, voting with Democrats, to oust Kevin McCarthy from the House speakership. His removal may have been unprecedented, but for several years now the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives has been marked by chaos and unruliness. The job to lead them seems increasingly impossible.
NPR’s Ari Shapiro speaks with Rep. Matt Rosendale, of Montana, who was one of the eight Republicans to vote for McCarthy’s removal. Co-host Juana Summers speaks with NPR Congressional Correspondent Deirdre Walsh about the challenge Republicans face to replace McCarthy.
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The CFPB On Trial
The Supreme Court heard a case Tuesday that threatened the existence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
NPR’s Nina Totenberg reports on the legal arguments in a case brought by payday lenders against the watchdog agency.
And NPR’s Scott Horsley walks through the track record of the CFPB since its founding in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
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The Chair Of the Joint Chiefs Is Retiring. What’s His Legacy?
Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had a tenure marked by a relentless series of challenges. He served through the U.S. withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions with China.
He also served under an American president with little regard for the norms that have historically separated politics from the U.S. military: Donald Trump.
In an interview shortly before his retirement last weekend, NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly asked Milley about the relationship between the military and the executive branch — and how it was tested under Trump.
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Does Sam Bankman-Fried’s Fraud Trial Spell the End of Crypto?
Not too long ago, crypto was being trumpeted as the next big thing. Celebrities were getting in on it, including Kim Kardashian, Matt Damon and Tom Brady.
Now the former face of crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried, who ran the FTX exchange, is going on trial. He’s accused of orchestrating one of the largest frauds in history.
As his case gets underway it’s as if the whole crypto industry is on trial.
NPR’s David Gura speaks with Bloomberg reporter Zeke Faux who wrote the book “Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall,” and Sheelah Kolhatkar, a staff writer for The New Yorker who has a new article out on Bankman-Fried and his parents.
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