Forecasters predict another sweltering summer. Are we ready?

The summer of 2023 saw skylines choked by Canadian wildfire smoke, coral cooked in hot tub-warm ocean water and a month straight of 110-degree Fahrenheit high temperatures in Phoenix.

Scientists say 2024 will likely bring another hotter-than-normal summer and, with it, the potential for more climate-driven disasters.

NPR’s Rebecca Hersher says forecasters predict an extremely active Atlantic Hurricane season.

And NPR’s Kirk Siegler reports on a shortage of federal wildland firefighters ahead of a high-risk wildfire season.

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Make travel bearable on Memorial Day and beyond

It seems like every year we hear the same thing: that this will be the busiest summer travel season ever. But this one really stands out. AAA projects that this Memorial Day weekend will see the highest number of travelers in nearly two decades. What will that mean? Congested roads, crowded airports and a lot of headaches. Hannah Sampson, who covers travel news for The Washington Post, shares some tips to survive summer vacation season.

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Republicans soften stance abortion, ‘abortion abolitionists’ go farther

Abortion Rights has been a motivating political issue for generations, and this year might be the most intense for those on both sides of the issue.

NPR’s Sarah McCammon reports on the anti-abortion rights activists who want to ramp up restrictions, criminalize patients who pursue abortions, and ban procedures like IVF.

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What to expect after the sudden death of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash, according to state media. Here’s how his death might contribute to instability in Iran and the region.

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How ‘The Sympathizer’ confronts Hollywood’s version of the Vietnam War

Hollywood depictions have long helped inform America’s understanding of the Vietnam War.

But there was usually one thing missing from these Vietnam War stories: the Vietnamese perspective.

For Vietnamese Americans, like author Viet Thanh Nguyen, that experience left him feeling confused as a child.

In his Pulitzer-winning debut novel The Sympathizer, Nguyen filled that gap by telling the story of a Vietnamese double agent who struggled with his involvement in all parts of the conflict.

And with the release of a new HBO series adapting the story, one question arises: Can The Sympathizer subvert the long-standing narrative on the Vietnam war in Hollywood?

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As antisemitism grows, it is easier to condemn than define

For American Jews who grew up thinking antisemitism was a thing of the past, the last several years have been startling. White supremacists marched in Charlottesville. A gunman massacred worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Then came the Hamas attacks of October 7th and Israel’s war in Gaza.

The Anti-Defamation League says since then, antisemitic incidents in the US are up 361% over the same period a year ago. Both Congress and the White House have tried to address antisemitism in recent weeks, yet there’s still a debate about what it is.

Two journalists, who have been thinking and writing about antisemitism in the U.S. weigh in.

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