Fathers And Sons; Changes In Food DNA; Paying For College

Plus, what does it mean to be a dad?

Stories And Podcasts You May Have Missed  Dirk Anschütz What does it mean to be a dad? Photographer Dirk Anschütz went looking for an answer after having a son of his own. Over the course of six years, he traveled across the United States for a portrait project about the evolving relationships of fathers and sons. President Trump wants to get more people off government aid and into the workforce. He issued an executive order last year that calls on federal agencies to streamline existing welfare programs and make sure that taxpayer money is spent on "those who are truly in need." Here is a list of rule changes and actions that could limit poor people’s access to health care and food stamps, cut eligibility for overtime and make life easier for payday lenders. Can you reshape your brain’s response to pain? Around 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and researchers are learning that, for some people, it isn’t the result of physical problems. Repeated exposure to psychological trauma can leave a person more vulnerable to chronic pain, scientists say. In such cases, confronting that trauma with behavioral therapy can have a dramatic impact. President Trump said this week that he might accept dirt from another country on his potential Democratic rivals if offered. He also conflated "opposition research" in and by political campaigns with foreign election interference like that launched by Russia against the United States in 2016. Here are some reasons why that’s not true. A future president wrote about the threat of outside interference way back in 1787. "As often as Elections happen," John Adams wrote, "the danger of foreign Influence recurs." How almonds went from deadly to delicious. They were once bitter and poisonous, but thousands of years and a single genetic mutation turned these nuts into the sweet treat we enjoy today, a new study shows.  Videos Of The Week NPR StoryCorps regularly provides some of NPR’s most touching moments. This week’s animated video tells the emotional story of siblings who reconnect years after their dad kicked one brother out because he is gay. What is government cheese? And how did the U.S. government end up buying 2 pounds of it for every American? The answer starts with milk — or rather, with a pledge made by President Jimmy Carter to dairy farmers to protect them from the vagaries of the free market, Planet Money explains.   Podcasts Of The Week Bjorn Rune Lie/Getty Images/Ikon Images The first lesson you learn in college: It’s insanely expensive. But there are ways to cut down on the debt load. Life Kit runs through a few things to think about before heading to school, like living on a budget, getting help once you’re there and efficiently paying off loans after you graduate. Believe it or not, the Democratic presidential primary debates are just a couple of weeks away. Many Democrat hopefuls have been guests on The NPR Politics Podcast for extensive interviews. Up this week: California Sen. Kamala Harris. Every two weeks, the last speaker of a language dies. By the 1980s, only 50 native speakers under age 18 could speak Hawaiian. Then a college professor and a small group of his former students set out to change things. This week’s Code Switch episode checks in on the fight to keep the language alive. Plastics, pesticides, social media platforms. Humans have a habit of heartily embracing useful new technologies that turn out to have huge, unforeseen drawbacks. The TED Radio Hour takes a look at the dark sides of today’s emerging technologies. Come And Play, Everything's A-OK NPR NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert has hosted some highly-lauded acts, but this group’s 11 Grammys and 192 Emmys easily takes the record. There was a lot of love in the air as the cast of Sesame Street met NPR hosts and newscasters, who in turn geeked out after meeting their favorite Muppets and the creators behind the felt and fur. — By Christopher Dean Hopkins and Jill Hudson   We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: bestofnpr@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002