NPR News: 04-22-2026 8PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
What are the implications of the recent election results in Virginia?
The outcome of Tuesday's election in Virginia is raising new questions about how much control Democrats could gain in the midterms. Voters narrowly passed a measure that will likely put more Democrats in the House. Virginia is one of several states looking to offset President Trump's push to redraw congressional maps to favor Republicans. Governor Abigail Spanberger says the vote sends a broader message about what people want.
I think that what it shows is that voters want to take a stand against so much of the chaos that they see in Washington that's impacting their lives. And the sort of gamesmanship that the president has pursued, they don't want that going uncontested.
How is the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline being impacted by recent policy changes?
And we had the opportunity with the votes of the people, with a referendum, to take a stand and push back against that.
The new map could allow Democrats to win 10 of Virginia's 11 congressional seats, up from six currently. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified on Capitol Hill for his second straight day. Appearing before a Senate committee, Kennedy said that he'll restore a specialized service for LGBTQ plus youth on the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline.
What financial challenges is Tesla facing despite strong earnings?
NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports the White House shut down the service last year.
The 988 Lifeline offered a Press 3 option for LGBTQ plus youth to get specialized mental health support until it was shuttered last year. In February of this year, President Trump restored funding for that service in a new funding bill. But the service hasn't been restored yet. At the Senate hearing this week, Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin asked Secretary Kennedy if he plans to restore the service.
I do, Senator.
How does climate change increase flooding risks in coastal cities?
President Trump has philosophy that we shouldn't be dividing people, that we should be being inclusive. But I did hear you just say yes.
Yes.
We are working on getting it up now.
Kennedy did not offer a timeline for when the service would be up and running again. Ritu Chatterjee, NPR News.
Tesla reported surprisingly strong first quarter earnings, although CEO Elon Musk cautioned investors that the company will be spending big in the months ahead. NPR's Camilla Dominovsky reports Tesla continues to stake its future on new technologies.
What role did malaria play in the settlement patterns of early humans?
EV sales helped drive the higher-than-expected profits.
But that positive cash flow is dwarfed by the $25 billion Tesla plans to spend this year on things like chips, software, and manufacturing lines to build the humanoid robot called Optimus. On the sunny rooftop of the Tesla diner in Los Angeles, Optimus was not scooping popcorn, as it's famously done on social media. That kind of disappointed Tesla investor Alan Jung, but he's still all in on Musk's vision for the future. I think Tesla will change the world of human beings. And it's that faith, more than any single quarter's earnings, that has driven Tesla's stock price. Camilla Dominovsky, NPR News, Los Angeles.
This is NPR. A new study finds more than 17 million people in eight cities along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast face a higher risk of flooding. Researchers use machine learning, historical data, and multiple risk factors to map vulnerability in coastal areas. The study, published in Science Advances, is one of the most detailed looks yet at flood risks in U.S. cities. Among the findings, more than 4 million people in New York City are at risk, and in New Orleans, nearly all residents and buildings are considered vulnerable. Early humans lived in small communities across Africa for millennia. Climate influenced where they settled along with disease. That's according to new research.
How is NPR adapting to the absence of federal funding this year?
Science reporter Ari Daniel has more on the new study.
A team of researchers wondered whether malaria, a longtime lethal disease carried by mosquitoes, may have influenced where early humans lived. So they took a set of climate models spanning the last 74,000 years, overlaid where mosquitoes would have lived, and compared that to where people were, based on archaeological evidence. The result was clear, says University of Cambridge evolutionary ecologist Andrea Manica.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:05
2
What are the implications of the recent election results in Virginia?
0:05–0:45
3
How is the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline being impacted by recent policy changes?
0:45–1:16
4
What financial challenges is Tesla facing despite strong earnings?
1:16–1:45
5
How does climate change increase flooding risks in coastal cities?
1:45–2:18
6
What role did malaria play in the settlement patterns of early humans?
2:18–3:44
7
How is NPR adapting to the absence of federal funding this year?
3:44–5:03