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How Groundhog Day came to the U.S. — and why we still celebrate it 137 years later

Rory Szwed, left, and Kent Rowan watch the festivities while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil to make his prediction at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., early Thursday morning. Barry Reeger/AP hide caption

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Barry Reeger/AP

Animals

How Groundhog Day came to the U.S. — and why we still celebrate it 137 years later

Groundhogs may not have a great track record when it comes to predicting spring, but experts say there are still things the tradition can teach us about our culture and the environment.

How Groundhog Day came to the U.S. — and why we still celebrate it 137 years later

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Omar Apollo taught himself how to sing from YouTube. Now he's up for a Grammy

Omar Apollo poses for a portrait in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Jan. 8, 2023. Grace Widyatmadja/NPR hide caption

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Editors' Picks

Omar Apollo taught himself how to sing from YouTube. Now he's up for a Grammy

Omar Apollo has been nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys, an accolade that usually takes artists years to achieve. But not for Apollo.

Omar Apollo taught himself how to sing from YouTube. Now he's up for a Grammy

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'Extraordinary' isn't about superpowers. No, really.

Sofia Oxenham and Máiréad Tyers star in Extraordinary. Natalie Seery/Disney+ hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Extraordinary' isn't about superpowers. No, really.

The very funny Hulu comedy Extraordinary is about a smart but directionless young woman named Jen who lives in London and doesn't feel great about herself. She hurls herself into a lot of hilariously bad choices and that's a familiar comedy premise. But there's more to Extraordinary because in the world of the series, Jen is the only one she knows who does not possess superpowers. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org

'Extraordinary' isn't about superpowers. No, really.

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The Real Black Panthers (2021)

The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California. Bettmann/Getty Images hide caption

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Throughline

The Real Black Panthers (2021)

In 1968, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover said the Black Panther Party "without question, represents the greatest threat to the internal security of the country." And with that declaration he used United States federal law enforcement to wage war on the group. But why did Hoover's FBI target the Black Panther Party more severely than any other Black power organization? Historian Donna Murch says the answer lies in the Panthers' political agenda: not their brash, gun-toting public image, but in their capacity to organize across racial and class lines. It was a strategy that challenged the very foundations of American society. And it was working.

The Real Black Panthers (2021)

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How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy

An artisanal miner carries a sack of ore at the Shabara artisanal mine near Kolwezi, DRC, on Oct. 12, 2022. Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Goats and Soda

How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy

Fresh Air

Phone and electric car batteries are made with cobalt mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt Red author Siddharth Kara describes the conditions for workers as a "horror show."

How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy

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If you had a particularly 'Close' childhood friendship, this film will resonate

Rémi (Gustav De Waele) and Léo (Eden Dambrine) are childhood friends who begin to pull apart from each other in the Belgian film Close. Lukas Dhont/Kris Dewitte Menuet hide caption

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Lukas Dhont/Kris Dewitte Menuet

Review

Movie Reviews

If you had a particularly 'Close' childhood friendship, this film will resonate

Fresh Air

The Cannes award-winner Close -- about two inseparable teen boys — is for anyone who thought their childhood friendship would last forever. It's a beautiful Belgian film, but takes the easy way out.

If you had a particularly 'Close' childhood friendship, this film will resonate

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Phil McGraw, America's TV shrink, plans to end 'Dr. Phil' after 21 seasons

Phil McGraw, pictured here at a 2016 premiere, plans to end his long-running daytime TV show to take on a new prime-time partnership. Jemal Countess/Getty Images hide caption

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Television

Phil McGraw, America's TV shrink, plans to end 'Dr. Phil' after 21 seasons

CBS Media Ventures announced it would stop producing new episodes of Dr. Phil after the 2023 season. The show's host plans to expand his following with a new "prime-time partnership."

We royally wade into the Harry and Meghan discourse

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were engaged in 2017 Chris Jackson/Getty Images hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

We royally wade into the Harry and Meghan discourse

It was a game changer when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior members of the royal family. Since then, they've given interviews, secured lucrative multimedia deals, and launched several personal projects — Harry recently published the highly anticipated memoir Spare. And they've done it all while bringing long-overdue conversations about race and the royal family's legacy to the forefront. So how, exactly, do we process all of this?

We royally wade into the Harry and Meghan discourse

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Prosecutors file charges against Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting on movie set

Alec Baldwin attends a news conference at United Nations headquarters on Sept. 21, 2015. The actor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set in 2021. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption

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Seth Wenig/AP

National

Prosecutors file charges against Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting on movie set

The actor and a weapons specialist have been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set in 2021.

'Fleishman Is in Trouble' is a Trojan horse for women's stories, says Lizzy Caplan

Libby (Lizzy Caplan), the narrator of Fleishman is in Trouble, is a stay-at-home mom who begins to question all of her life choices. Linda Kallerus/FX hide caption

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Television

'Fleishman Is in Trouble' is a Trojan horse for women's stories, says Lizzy Caplan

Fresh Air

Caplan started out on Freaks and Geeks and now plays the narrator of Fleishman Is in Trouble. She says Fleishman seems like a story about a man going through a divorce, but it turns into much more.

'Fleishman Is in Trouble' is a Trojan horse for women's stories, says Lizzy Caplan

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Trump sues Bob Woodward for releasing audio of their interviews without permission

Former President Donald Trump is suing Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward over Woodward's latest book, The Trump Tapes. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Audi Canada and Scott Eisen/Getty Images hide caption

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Audi Canada and Scott Eisen/Getty Images

Politics

Trump sues Bob Woodward for releasing audio of their interviews without permission

The former president has made good on his threat to sue the Washington Post reporter over his use of interview recordings. The lawsuit seeks nearly $50 million in damages.

Highlights from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

Priya Kansara stars in Polite Society, directed and written by Nida Manzoor. Parisa Taghizadeh/Courtesy of Sundance Institute hide caption

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Parisa Taghizadeh/Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Highlights from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

Over 100 feature films played at this year's Sundance Film Festival. There were deeply personal stories told by emerging filmmakers, buzzy narratives ripped from the headlines, and so much more. And we've picked a few favorites we think are worth keeping on your radar in the coming year.

Highlights from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

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'Laverne & Shirley' actor Cindy Williams dies at 75

Cindy Williams arrives to the TV Land Awards 10th Anniversary in New York on April 14, 2012. Williams, who played Shirley opposite Penny Marshall's Laverne on the popular sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," died Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles at age 75, her family said. Charles Sykes/AP hide caption

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Charles Sykes/AP

Obituaries

'Laverne & Shirley' actor Cindy Williams dies at 75

Cindy Williams, who played Shirley opposite Penny Marshall's Laverne on the popular sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, her family said Monday.

Matt Butler has played concerts in more than 50 prisons and jails

Matt Butler performing at the Central Utah Correctional Facility. Liam Trouchard/Matt Butler hide caption

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Liam Trouchard/Matt Butler

Music

Matt Butler has played concerts in more than 50 prisons and jails

"Reckless Son" is a one-man show by singer/songwriter Matt Butler inspired by the convicts he's met while touring American prisons and jails.

Matt Butler has played concerts in more than 50 prisons and jails

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After cancer diagnosis, a neurosurgeon sees life, death and his career in a new way

"I was much less self-assured now that I was a patient myself," says neurosurgeon Henry Marsh. "I suddenly felt much less certain about how I'd been [as a doctor], how I'd handled patients, how I'd spoken to them." Image Source/Getty Images hide caption

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Shots - Health News

After cancer diagnosis, a neurosurgeon sees life, death and his career in a new way

Fresh Air

Dr. Henry Marsh felt comfortable in hospitals — until he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. "I was much less self-assured now that I was a patient myself," he says. His book is And Finally.

After cancer diagnosis, a neurosurgeon sees life, death and his career in a new way

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'Hot Dog' wins Caldecott, Newbery is awarded to 'Freewater'
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Book News & Features

'Hot Dog' wins Caldecott, Newbery is awarded to 'Freewater'

Hot Dog, by Doug Salati, is about an overheated pup who finds his calm on a trip to the beach. Freewater, by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is about two enslaved children finding freedom.

'Hot Dog' wins Caldecott, Newbery is awarded to 'Freewater'

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