1A

On Friday, central Texas, near San Antonio, was hit by what officials are calling a "100‑year flood." Heavy downpours caused a deadly 30‑plus-foot surge on the Guadalupe River and catastrophic flash flooding. Nearly 90 people have been killed and dozens remain missing. Search and rescue operations continued Monday as more heavy rain threatens the region. Operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, said they lost 27 campers and counselors, confirming their worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps will be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in areas long vulnerable to flooding. 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]

On Friday, President Donald Trump celebrated the passage of his signature tax and spending bill into law. At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations. It will also reduce Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. That will result in an estimated 11.8 million people losing health insurance coverage. Among those who will be hardest hit? Rural Americans. We discuss what kind of challenges people living in rural areas could face with the new law and what ripple effects the law could have across rural public health systems. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station [http://donate.npr.org/1A] and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect [https://the1a.org/] with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a [https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://plus.npr.org/1a__;!!IaT_gp1N!wOhW79EX-aPWlb0ult1k1kEov2nvCTjFuiZMsf2ABB1n7-WUz4Pfe0q1L1HdmIfb2xbIvng$] 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]

Who are we as a nation? What's important to us? And who do we want to be? 1A recently spent some time at the Aspen Ideas Festival where Gallup Research unveiled data that indicates most Americans can agree broadly on the answers to those queries, but differ on which ones are the most important. We sit down and get into what values make an American, an American. 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]

Unless you're a physicist, you've probably only encountered quantum mechanics on TV. And even when it was explained, you might've still been a little confused. The field of quantum mechanics was created a century ago. Today, scientists are using it to create methods of communication that can't be hacked, higher quality digital images, and to develop medications. But many of us don't even understand what quantum mechanics is — or how it's deepening our understanding of the universe. For today's installment of our series, "The Scientific Method," we answer your quantum-related questions. 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]

Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, OpenAI Head of Product Kevin Weil, and Thinking Machines Lab advisor Bob McGrew are now lieutenant colonels in the U.S. Army Reserves. They're part of a military unit called Detachment 201, also known as the the Executive Innovation Corps. Their US Army says their swearing in is the "start of a bigger mission to inspire more tech pros to serve without leaving their careers, showing the next generation how to make a difference in uniform." We discuss what the Army hoping to innovate and the capacity these tech executives will serve in the armed forces. 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]