On tonight’s program: The 1st day of the 2025 Florida Legislative Session included lots of hopeful people advocating for various legislative outcomes; Governor Ron DeSantis kept the tone upbeat during his next-to-last State of the State address; Legislative Democrats find themselves in familiar – and lamentable – territory as Republican supermajorities prepare to work their will at the capitol; And property insurance and budgeting are two of the major issues on the House and Senate calendars.

Who are these people and why are they saying these things? In advance of next week’s start of the Florida lawmaking session, we’ll help you figure out what’s going on; Whatever lawmakers do, the governor usually has the last word. Sometimes well in advance; As a citizen, how do you let lawmakers know what you want? We’ll tell you how to go about that; You’ll get a quick primer on how the committee process works; Florida dreamers could find an affordable path to higher education blocked as a result of one bill already filed in the legislature; And we remember Geraldine Thompson, the Orlando lawmaker for whom the preservation of history was a sacred duty.

On tonight’s program: One lawmakers wants to let students carry guns on college and university campuses; A committee of lawmakers is reviewing the 950 million dollars in projects Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed last year; Florida’s insurer of last resort, Citizens Property Insurance, is raising its rates. And for some, it could be a good thing; We’ll hear about an effort to support Everglades restoration and flood planning. One lawmaker calls it a “great opportunity”; A Florida State University professor talks AI in education. It turns out it’s about a lot more than worrying about whether students are teaching on tests; And we’ll hear from a former first lady of Florida A & M University about helping to pave the way for future students.

On tonight’s program: A special legislative session on immigration also seems to signal a lessening of power for Governor Ron DeSantis; An attorney weighs in on Florida’s efforts to reform immigration policy; Florida lawmakers may again try to pass a bill restricting the kinds of flags that can be flown over government buildings or public schools; Artificial intelligence could be an effective way of detecting illicit firearms. Republicans aren’t happy with that, but some public safety proponents believe it’s a good thing; Florida’s agencies that help kids provide lots of services. But being a place where the children spend the night isn’t supposed to be one of them; The desperate search for something – anything – to halt the spread of citrus greening disease in Florida’s shrinking citrus groves may have turned up a solution. The problem is, that solution could take years to have a positive impact; And a civil rights champion in the Florida Legislature has died.

On tonight’s program: Governor DeSantis rolls out his proposed spending plan. But it includes a lot fewer state government workers than what’s now employed; Pro-gun folks have been pushing Florida lawmakers for years to approve open carry of firearms. Is this the year their efforts finally bear fruit?; Concern abounds over the move by Elon Musk and his team to access sensitive federal government information. Especially since it seems President Trump doesn’t seem to mind; Churches have religious freedom. But when it comes to shielding undocumented immigrants from the law, the government is arguing that’s going too far; Meanwhile, a dedicated organization stands ready to help immigrants caught up in deportation sweeps; In advance of the Florida legislative session, some lawmakers are already looking to improve services for children who have autism; And we get a jump on preparations for what could be yet another busy hurricane season.

Experts say a standoff between Governor Ron DeSantis and the legislature on proposed immigration legislation could be about political ambition; Undocumented immigrants in Florida are worried about what the fight between the governor and the legislature could mean for their futures; Florida’s agriculture commissioner shares his experience with addressing illegal immigration; We’ll hear local reaction to a proposal from President Donald Trump that Could do away with FEMA; The federal government appears to be taking a page from Governor Ron DeSantis’ book as the Department of education says complaints about book bans are unfounded; And we’ll hear about a new approach to tackling Red Tide

The Justice Department said it would move to dismiss a lawsuit originally filed against Idaho by the Biden administration, according to court papers filed by the state's largest hospital network.

Mexico is accusing the gunmakers of aiding and abetting the gushing pipeline of military-style weapons from the U.S. to Mexican cartels.

South Carolina plans to execute its first prisoner by firing squad on March 7 inside the same death chamber it's used for dozens of other executions. Firearms experts say that could be risky.

The Trumps and lawmakers from across the aisle have invited guests to Tuesday's joint address, representing some of the administration's top priorities. Here's a look at some of the names on the list.

U.S. stock markets plummeted on Tuesday morning as a new global trade war began.

The aquarium helping Chappy — a nod to the New Haven, Conn., neighborhood where he was rescued last month — said he died of gastrointestinal issues and "was surrounded by love until the very end."

Celebrated Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about her new book, "Dream Count."

The country claims Smith & Wesson and other gunmakers are turning a blind eye to hundreds of thousands of high-powered weapons made in the U.S that are illegally trafficked into in the hands of Mexican cartels.

A White House official says the Trump administration Is pausing U.S. aid to Ukraine, just days after a disastrous meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

NPR's Leila Fadel talks with Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi about what Trump administration tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods mean for businesses, consumers and consumer sentiment.

President Trump pauses Ukraine military aid, President Trump to address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, Trump administration imposes tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.

President Trump heads to Capitol Hill Tuesday night to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress. He has an ambitious to-do list, but just a slim Republican majority in Congress to work with.

The Trump administration is firing some 80 people focused on making government digital services more efficient. Members of the 18F team say they did exactly what the DOGE unit says it's trying to do.

Bowen Yang is being seen more than ever. Most notably as a cast member of Saturday Night Live and in the blockbuster film Wicked. He doesn't take this newfound visibility for granted.

Music by the Greenlandic indie-rock band Nanook is part of the country's history of calling for social and political change through art.

Ukrainians are reeling over the US suspending military aid, but Kyiv says it can manage for six months as the European Union and UK amp up support.

A new Public Religion Research Institute survey finds an increase in support for marriage equality among people from more conservative backgrounds. But it finds Americans split on transgender rights.

Climate change is warming the oceans off the New England coast and bringing new species of fish. This could bring new opportunities for fishermen. But fishermen and regulators are falling behind.

The good news? The Commerce Department says personal income and consumption were up in June. Bad news is savings didn’t rise with ’em. In fact, high interest rates and high prices have battered the personal savings rate down to an almost two-year low, leaving many households without a financial security cushion. In this episode, we’ll also get into why national manufacturing growth depends on where you are, and Boston is incentivizing office to residential real estate conversions.

New gross domestic product data just came in — GDP grew a healthy 2.8% annually in the second quarter, better than predicted. Meanwhile, consumers are focused on buying essentials and credit card debt is growing. In this episode, we’ll examine why GDP is strong while many everyday people feel squeezed for cash. Plus: New real estate broker fee rules take effect next month and the number of Americans who predict they’ll retire young is up.

The last time Congress raised the federal minimum wage, it went up 70 cents — from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour. That was in 2009. Today, we’ll get into why there hasn’t been a successful push to boost it since then and who suffers as a result. Plus, officials in China promise major tax reform, apartment vacancies in Sun Belt cities rise and the Federal Reserve keeps an eye on GDP estimates.

“Act your wage,” “coffee badging,” “ghost jobs” — the internet is always vomiting up new workplace phrases. You may even use some of them to describe the bizarre job market of the past few years. So when popular work slang shifts from silly — “lazy girl jobs” — to grim — “quiet cutting” — are there hints about where the labor market is headed? Also in this episode: Tech firms ditch user counts, car sales motor on despite high costs and educators get educated about jobs at the Port of Baltimore.

In the face of major news, some say the bond market can signal what comes next economically. But so far, bond yields don’t seem to be reacting to Biden’s dropping out of the presidential race. In this episode, what the crystal ball of the economy does care about in regard to elections. Plus, business investments outpace GDP gains, Nvidia employees cash in on the chipmaker’s hockey stick-shaped earnings growth and Friday’s CrowdStrike crash reveals a common cybersecurity weakness.