1A

After slashing the federal workforce by tens of thousands earlier this year, the Trump administration is looking to fill those empty positions again. But this time, they want Trump loyalists. It's a move that challenges more than 150 years of precedent set forth in the Pendleton Act of 1870, which created a nonpartisan civil service. The outlook for the federal workforce is changing again under Trump. Today, we talk about what it means for the government now and down the line, Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station [http://donate.npr.org/1A] and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect [https://the1a.org/] with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a [https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://plus.npr.org/1a__;!!IaT_gp1N!wOhW79EX-aPWlb0ult1k1kEov2nvCTjFuiZMsf2ABB1n7-WUz4Pfe0q1L1HdmIfb2xbIvng$]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Donald Trump's travel ban is back. Its second iteration blocks all travelers from 12 countries and partially restricts those from seven more starting next week. The GOP's budget bill has made its way to the Senate, but not all Republicans are falling in line to pass it. In the Gaza Strip, at least 80 people are dead and hundreds more wounded in a series of shooting attacks near aid distribution sites. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said this week that his country would not stop enriching uranium. This week, after the latest rounds of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia floundered, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station [http://donate.npr.org/1A] and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect [https://the1a.org/] with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a [https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://plus.npr.org/1a__;!!IaT_gp1N!wOhW79EX-aPWlb0ult1k1kEov2nvCTjFuiZMsf2ABB1n7-WUz4Pfe0q1L1HdmIfb2xbIvng$]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Hurricane season is here. June 1 marks its official start and NOAA says it could be a busy one. But with the Trump administration's recent cuts to federal agencies, including FEMA, how ready are we to respond when disaster hits? How will reductions in staff – and budgets – affect the government's ability to predict severe weather? We discuss how the country is gearing up for a summer of storms. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station [http://donate.npr.org/1A] and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect [https://the1a.org/] with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a [https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://plus.npr.org/1a__;!!IaT_gp1N!wOhW79EX-aPWlb0ult1k1kEov2nvCTjFuiZMsf2ABB1n7-WUz4Pfe0q1L1HdmIfb2xbIvng$]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

U.S. officials are turning their attention to a pressing problem in space. Not asteroids crashing into earth, but something else: space debris. Thousands of satellites have been launched into space because our modern life depends on them. There are about 10,000 active satellites in low earth orbit right now. But as more and more of them go up, space is getting crowded. And where there's crowds, there's waste. Millions of pieces of space debris are circling Earth right now. There are big pieces — everything from dead satellites to spent rocket stages. And tiny ones like blots and paint flecks. But they're all whizzing around at speeds that can be faster than a speeding bullet. We team up with our friends at the Click Here podcast to take a look at the problem of space debris. We discuss what could happen if an adversary hacks an old satellite and uses it as a weapon. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station [http://donate.npr.org/1A] and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect [https://the1a.org/] with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a [https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://plus.npr.org/1a__;!!IaT_gp1N!wOhW79EX-aPWlb0ult1k1kEov2nvCTjFuiZMsf2ABB1n7-WUz4Pfe0q1L1HdmIfb2xbIvng$]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

If you've been following the news lately — including with 1A — it can be a lot to take in. We've heard from many of you about how the news makes you feel. But what can we do in chaotic moments of history to build a sense of control in our lives? Maybe it's organizing in your community, starting a new hobby, or picking up that TV show from 10 years ago that you promised you'd get around to watching. We talk about what finding agency in the chaos can look like, and why we should actively focus on something rather than simply react to what's happening. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station [http://donate.npr.org/1A] and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect [https://the1a.org/] with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a [https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://plus.npr.org/1a__;!!IaT_gp1N!wOhW79EX-aPWlb0ult1k1kEov2nvCTjFuiZMsf2ABB1n7-WUz4Pfe0q1L1HdmIfb2xbIvng$]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]