The American Library Association has reported 681 challenges to more than 1,600 titles this year. That puts 2022 on track to see the highest number of book challenges in decades. This summer, a library in Lafayette, Louisiana, was forced to remove a Pride Month display. In Iowa, a proposed bill would give city councils the power to overturn librarians' decisions about what books to buy and where they're displayed. And these are just a couple of examples. We discuss the future of public libraries and library workers in this climate of unprecedented censorship. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

California's two initiatives concerning online gambling regulations are set to be the most expensive ballot campaign in U.S. history. The measures would make sports betting in the state legal both in person and online. Currently, the U.S. is a patchwork of regulations on betting. One gray area that's grown in the past several years is the popular online streaming platform Twitch. Gambling content on the platform has received a lot of attention recently, to which Twitch responded with a partial gambling ban. We talk about California's gambling initiatives, Twitch's new gambling policy, and the future of betting online. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Thousands of migrants have been bussed to northern cities from Texas, Arizona, and Florida. Republican governors say blue states should share in the responsibility of taking care of the record number of migrants coming over the border.Sue Kenney-Pfalzer, is an immigration attorney who was looking for a way to help migrants in Washington, D.C. She provided a room in her home for a family before her move to San Diego. We hear from Sue and the family she housed and talk to immigration experts experts about the situation at large. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Actor Danny Trejo has over 380 acting credits to his name, from playing an action star in the Machete series a drug cartel boss in Breaking Bad.Trejo has become one of Hollywood's go-to badasses and bad guys. It could be because his life experiences aren't too far away from those of many of his characters.Growing up, Danny was in and out of the most notorious prisons in California, enmeshed in crime and struggling with substance use.He's written about it in his memoir, Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood, which is out in both English and Spanish.This conversation was recorded in 2021.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

The lights went out in Puerto Rico this week after Hurricane Fiona devastated the island. The already fragile electric infrastructure crumbled, invoking memories of the 11-month blackout the island suffered after Hurricane Maria. A Texas sheriff opened a criminal investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after he arranged for 50 Venezuelan migrants to be flown to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in a political stunt. Russia's defense minister announced this week that 300,000 men will be drafted in the next phase of its invasion of Ukraine. Russian authorities are also planning to hold referendums on separation in Russian-controlled portions of Ukraine in a potential effort to dissuade counter-offensives by Ukrainian troops. Protests continue in Iran over the killing of a woman who was in custody for breaking laws pertaining to wearing the hijab in public. Authorities have cracked down, leading to the deaths of at least 9 people involved in the demonstrations. We cover all this and more during the News Roundup. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

The pandemic changed the 2020 election. Voters turned out in record numbers. Many Americans took advantage of mail-in and early voting.Since 2020, pro-democracy groups say states have enacted 50 laws that make voting harder or undermine the election process.We discuss a case that could drastically change how federal elections are run. We also ask law experts what legal standing this theory has and what it could mean for your vote. This conversation is part of our Remaking America collaboration with six public radio stations around the country. Remaking America is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

During an appearance on 60 Minutes, President Joe Biden declared that the pandemic is over.But the pandemic isn't a thing of the past yet—something Biden should know well. His comments come as his administration asks Congress for an additional $22 billion to fight the pandemic. Some 400 to 500 Americans die each day from COVID-19. We discuss what the data tells us about this stage of the pandemic, and who gets to decide if the pandemic is over. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

The British Commonwealth is a political organization of 56 countries across the globe. It accounts for 2.5 billion people, with India making up more than half of that number.But its future following the queen's death remains uncertain. Barbados left the organization last year and both Jamaica and Belize are considering departures.The history of British colonial rule in the Caribbean and the possibility of reparations are hot topics of discussion among regional advocates and leaders.We discuss the Commonwealth's history, why countries join, and why they leave.

The Senate recently confirmed TSA administrator David Pekoske for a second term. His reappointment comes as the Transportation Security Administration marks its 21st year in existence, having been created just two months after 9/11. Its two decades in operation haven't always been smooth sailing. The TSA has one of the highest turnover rates of any federal agency with one in five new hires quitting in their first six months. Public complaints about the agency are also high. Long lines, liquid limits, and random pat-downs plague many travelers. We sit down to assess our nation's aviation security and discuss whether the TSA is accomplishing what it was created to do. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Cristela Alonzo is one of only a few Latinos with a Netflix comedy special. When her first premiered in 2017, she didn't hold back on her dislike for former President Donald Trump or her identity as a Mexican-American in South Texas. Now, she's back for her second special, "Middle Classy." And she's bringing her activism with her, opening up the special with cameos from civil rights leader Dolores Huerta and Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro.She shares with us what it's like being able to finally afford to take care of herself and the importance of therapy despite the stigma among her Latino family.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Just as the Biden administration was set to celebrate the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, stocks plummeted in their greatest daily drop since 2020 due to a searing inflation report.Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have gained significant ground in the country. Russian forces are pulling back. Moscow is claiming its forces are regrouping.The United Kingdom prepares for the late queen's funeral. Mourners line up for miles and world leaders fly in to pay their respects. President Joe Biden is planning his visit. Russia's Vladimir Putin is not invited.Putin instead sat down with China's Xi Jinping and India's Narendra Modi at a meeting between the leaders of major eastern governments. We cover all this and more during the News Roundup. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

In November, voters will pick their elected officials in the midterm elections. But some of those voters have also been hand-picked by political parties.This year judges in four states – Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, and Alabama ruled that congressional maps were illegally drawn around partisan or racial lines to favor Republicans.With four months to go before Alabama's primary, the Supreme Court said it was too close to an election to order new maps. That set a precedent allowing all four states to use illegally gerrymandered maps this fall.We discuss what this means for future elections and voting rights if states can use illegally drawn maps. We also get into how close is too close to an election to change things.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.