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In 2024, ratings for the NCAA women's basketball final topped the men's final by 4 million viewers – and Caitlin Clark was largely responsible. American sports fans fell in love with the athlete and Clark, now with the Indiana Fever, went on to become a star. Christine Brennan's new book On Her Game looks at the athlete's role in U.S. sports and culture. In today's episode, Brennan talks with NPR's Scott Simon about Clark's time playing on a boys' team, conversations about race surrounding her success, and pay disparities between the NBA and WNBA. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

Across the country, K-12 teachers are prepping classrooms, reviewing lesson plans, and bracing for another school year that, for some, feels politically and personally charged. The Department of Education is slowly being dismantled by the Trump administration. In some districts, immigration officials have shown up at schools, which likely contributed to a rise in student absences last spring. And artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping what both teaching and learning look like. We hear directly from educators and what's at the top of their minds as they head into the new school year. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Tucked at the bottom of the ballot, control of several legislatures is up for grabs in several states this year. Republicans are defending vulnerable majorities in Arizona, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, and Democrats are trying to stay on top in Michigan and Minnesota.

After weeks at the top of the Sentry list at the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, the asteroid 2024 YR4 is no longer considered a threat to Earth.

Vance will be the first sitting vice president to serve as party finance chairman, according to the RNC. The move places a top Trump ally within the party's campaign wing ahead of the 2026 midterms.

The new action movie Fight or Flight finds Josh Hartnett playing a onetime Secret Service agent who is pressured into one more job: fighting off a series of increasingly over-the-top assassins trying to kill a mysterious criminal. And they're all packed onto a plane together. Plus, what's making us happy, including a classic R&B song, a new sports documentary series and a iconic thriller. To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture

Secretary of State John Kerry gave his first major foreign policy speech Wednesday at the University of Virginia. His comments come days before he leaves on his first trip as America's top diplomat. He's traveling to Europe and the Middle East.

Pope Leo XIV has made peace with Jannik Sinner. The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open.

It's been a little more than a week since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Vice President JD Vance was in the meeting too. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the nation's top diplomat, sat on an Oval Office couch, mostly silent, as Trump and Vance berated the Ukrainian leader. Along the way, the president and vice president made it clear just how much of the established global order they are ready to upend. An order that for most of his career, Rubio has defended, and worked to help hold up. So what changed ...and what do those changes mean? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

UConn is back on top of women's basketball, winning its 12th NCAA national championship by routing defending champion South Carolina 82-59 on Sunday.