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Nationally, deaths from suicide, drugs and alcohol are declining. But in Iowa, they're rising, and they're often referred to as "deaths of despair." On this episode, we hear from Lauren Williams, an Iowa woman who lost her brother to suicide, and from Kayla Mayer of Cherokee County Public Health, who's working to decrease the local rate of suicide. We also talk with Daniel Wheaton of the Midwest Newsroom and Dr. Alison Lynch of the University of Iowa on why our state is seeing more deaths of despair and what can be done about it.

The Iowa Water and Land Legacy (IWiLL) Constitutional Amendment passed in 2010 with 63% of the vote. It was designed to fund a Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation trust fund, but 16 years later, the trust has never been funded. A new effort to fund the trust is underway. On this episode, we hear from Adam Shirley, CEO of Iowa’s County Conservation System, Anna Gray of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and Lindsay Brice of Audubon Upper Mississippi River. We talk about the strain of stagnant or dwindling funding on county conservation boards and what IWiLL could mean for those programs. Then, we listen back to a conversation about some of the oldest book clubs in Iowa from their members. (Part of this show was originally produced March 31, 2026.)

A troubling pattern of federal agents fatally shooting civilians is developing, with deaths in Maine, Texas and Tennessee. The family of a man shot by agents told NPR they want answers.

AI is moving beyond chatbots and into toys, dolls, and robots built to befriend children. A leading child-development expert says the technology offers real promise — but also risks crowding out the human relationships children need most.

The U.S. military says it's begun its blockade of ships entering or exiting Iran's ports, as Iran vows to assert its own control over the critical Strait of Hormuz.

Trump says the U.S. will collect tolls and impose blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, man killed by federal agents in Maine, states sue to stop Paramount-Warner Bros merger.

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Georgetown law professor and former federal prosecutor Paul Butler about Monday's ruling in the IRS settlement case involving President Trump.

As France celebrates Bastille Day, its soccer team is facing off against Spain in the World Cup and the country is enduring its third intense heatwave this year, with forest fires raging in the south and outside Paris.

Japan revises its laws to keep its imperial family from running out of heirs to the throne, while avoiding any discussion of allowing female emperors, an idea most Japanese support.

NPR's Michel Martin talks to writer Lauren Collins about her book "They Stole a City," which details the history and effects of the 1898 white supremacist massacre in Wilmington, North Carolina.