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The Sunday Story: America's first female president?

A portrait of former First Lady Edith Wilson hangs at the Wilson House in Washington, D.C. Keren Carrion/NPR hide caption

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Keren Carrion/NPR

Up First

The Sunday Story: America's first female president?

On October 2, 1919, then President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke that left him blind in one eye, partially paralyzed and barely able to write his own name. He was in the midst of his second term. For the remainder of his presidency, some 17 months, his wife managed his duties, serving as a kind of de facto president. Today, as we celebrate Women's History Month, Steve Inskeep joins us to share his interview with Rebecca Boggs Roberts, author of Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson.

The Sunday Story: America's first female president?

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Paris Hilton was the center of it all. Now she's shedding the 'character' she created

Hilton says she has been misunderstood and underestimated. Cole Bennetts/Getty Images for Paris Hilton hide caption

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Cole Bennetts/Getty Images for Paris Hilton

Author Interviews

Paris Hilton was the center of it all. Now she's shedding the 'character' she created

Before the word "influencer" was a household term, before Instagram and TikTok allowed users to document every moment of their life in real time, Paris Hilton was the woman at the center of it all.

Paris Hilton was the center of it all. Now she's shedding the 'character' she created

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Silicon Valley Bank and the sordid history of 'Palo Alto'

Author photo courtesy of Malcolm Harris; photo illustration by Jesse Brown David Madison/Getty Images/Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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David Madison/Getty Images/Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Silicon Valley Bank and the sordid history of 'Palo Alto'

Even after Silicon Valley Bank crumbled and tech workers have been laid off in the thousands, Silicon Valley is still surrounded by a mythos of progress and futurity. Host Brittany Luse talks to author Malcolm Harris about his new book, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, to break down how that mythos was built, the dark underbelly underneath it, and why the tech industry is a microcosm of American capitalism.

Silicon Valley Bank and the sordid history of 'Palo Alto'

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2 novels to cure your winter blahs: Ephron's 'Heartburn' and 'Pineapple Street'
Penguin Random House

Review

Book Reviews

2 novels to cure your winter blahs: Ephron's 'Heartburn' and 'Pineapple Street'

Fresh Air

When it came out in 1983, Nora Ephron's comic novel became an instant bestseller. Now newly released, Heartburn pairs well with Jenny Jackson's smart comedy of manners, Pineapple Street.

2 novels to cure your winter blahs: Ephron's 'Heartburn' and 'Pineapple Street'

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This safety-net hospital doctor treats mostly uninsured and undocumented patients

Paramedics at Ben Taub General Hospital speed a patient with a gunshot wound to the trauma team for further care. Ben Taub is the largest safety-net hospital in Houston. Gregory Smith/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

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Gregory Smith/Corbis via Getty Images

Shots - Health News

This safety-net hospital doctor treats mostly uninsured and undocumented patients

Fresh Air

Many of Ricardo Nuila's patients at Houston's Ben Taub Hospital are dealing with serious illnesses as a result of not being able to access basic preventive care. His new book is The People's Hospital.

This safety-net hospital doctor treats mostly uninsured and undocumented patients

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Neurotech could connect our brains to computers. What could go wrong, right?

We are approaching the brave new world of neurotech. Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images hide caption

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Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images

Main Character of the Day

Neurotech could connect our brains to computers. What could go wrong, right?

Connecting our brains to computers may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but it turns out the future is already here. One expert argues it's a slippery slope.

Neurotech could connect our brains to computers. What could go wrong, right?

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Eco-idealism and staggering wealth meet in 'Birnam Wood'
MacMillan

Review

Book Reviews

Eco-idealism and staggering wealth meet in 'Birnam Wood'

Fresh Air

Eleanor Catton's novel centers on young members of an radical environmental rights group who wind up entangled with a billionaire drone manufacturer. Our critic devoured all 400+ pages in two days.

Eco-idealism and staggering wealth meet in 'Birnam Wood'

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This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

Eugenia Cheng is a mathematician and author of the book How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics. Throughout the book, she uses baking as a vehicle for better understanding mathematics concepts. Basic Books hide caption

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Basic Books

Short Wave

This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

This March 14, Short Wave is celebrating pi ... and pie! We do that with the help of mathematician Eugenia Cheng, Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and author of the book How to Bake Pi. We start with a recipe for clotted cream and end, deliciously, at how math is so much more expansive than grade school tests.

This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

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A veterinarian says pets have a lot to teach us about love and grief
Anton Petukhov/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

A veterinarian says pets have a lot to teach us about love and grief

Fresh Air

Karen Fine says "I feel like I learn from my patients all the time. ... They really have skills and senses that we don't." Her new memoir is The Other Family Doctor.

A veterinarian says pets have a lot to teach us about love and grief

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Who gets believed? Dina Nayeri examines society's personal relationship with truth

Dina Nayeri has spent years studying the stories of vulnerable people. Anna Leader/Catapult Books hide caption

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Anna Leader/Catapult Books

Main Character of the Day

Who gets believed? Dina Nayeri examines society's personal relationship with truth

In a new book, the author and former refugee explores her own relationship with being believed — and believing others.

Who gets believed? Dina Nayeri examines society's personal relationship with truth

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Author Interviews

'Camera Man' unspools the colorful life of silent film star Buster Keaton

Fresh Air

Slate film critic Dana Stevens traces Keaton's trajectory, from performing in his family's vaudeville act as a child, to starring in and directing silent films. Originally broadcast Jan. 24, 2022.

'Camera Man' unspools the colorful life of silent film star Buster Keaton

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The first Oscars lasted 15 minutes — plus other surprises from 95 years of awards

The first Oscar presentation and banquet was held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Calif., in May 1929. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hide caption

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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Movies

The first Oscars lasted 15 minutes — plus other surprises from 95 years of awards

A lot can happen in 95 years. Ahead of the Academy Awards on Sunday, we take a look back at the surprises, the scandals, the slap and — yes — even the streaker.

The first Oscars lasted 15 minutes — plus other surprises from 95 years of awards

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