An inside look at this year's Student Podcast Challenge winners

Plus, how imposter scams cost people billions of dollars. [View this email online]( [NPR Up First Newsletter]( by [Suzanne Nuyen]( June 25, 2023 Good morning. This week, [five passengers died]( when the Titan submersible imploded, [Hunter Biden]( agreed to plead guilty in a tax case, and [social media celebrity Andrew Tate]( was indicted on human trafficking charges in Romania. Best of NPR Our fifth annual Student Podcast Challenge received [more than 3,300 entries]( from 48 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. It's the most we've ever gotten since the contest began in 2019! [The leftmost photo in this diptych depicts Norah Weiner (L) and Erika Young (R), the grand-prize winners in grades 5-8 of NPR's Student Podcast Challenge. The rightmost photo depicts Georgianna McKenny, the high school winner.]( Talia Herman and Imani Khayyam for NPR The NPR education team narrowed down the entrees to 13 middle school and 13 high school finalists. Through their podcasts, the students [answered everything]( from why Michigan is the best state ever, to how dating in high school is different from an earlier generation, and why everyone in New York City is unbothered by the sound of sirens. 🎧 Middle school grand prize winners Erika Young and Norah Weiner delve into what school looks like today in [Middle School Now](. They tackle school shootings, social media, beauty standards and more. 🎧 Georgianna McKenny's podcast earned her the grand prize for high schoolers. Her episode of Real Mississippi looks at [how the Jackson water crisis affects education]( from a student's perspective. ➡️ Prepare for next year's challenge with NPR's [guide to student podcasting](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- The Week That Was [Fluorescence lifetime micrograph of a fluorescently tagged human protein inside yeast cells. Different colors indicate different states of protein aggregation. Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research]( Stowers Institute for Medical Research Huntington's is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by toxic protein clumps that quickly spread through the brain. Scientists have recently figured out [how the spread begins](. The findings could help researchers figure out what causes similar diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. If you try to search on Google for clinics near you that provide abortions, you're likely to find ads for anti-abortion "crisis pregnancy centers" at the top of the results instead. A new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate reveals these anti-abortion centers [spent an estimated $10.2 million]( on Google search ads over a two-year period, and those ads were clicked on an estimated 13 million times. ➡️ Tere Haring has been running a crisis pregnancy center in Texas for decades. She says her clients' [needs have gone up]( in the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 🎧 Hear from [Anna and Tony]( a couple she worked with, who are expecting their seventh child. ➡️ Read about how several states are protecting abortion rights one year after the Supreme Court overturned [Roe v. Wade](. Imposter scams are the top U.S. fraud right now. The perpetrators [impersonate authority figures]( and use scare tactics to reel in victims. The FTC estimates that nearly 200,000 people have been targeted so far this year, and it cost people $2.6 billion last year. 🎧 Valeria Haedo [recounts her experience]( with an imposter scam and the three-hour phone call that brought her to tears. In a series of TV interviews this week, Titanic director James Cameron discussed why he and many others had [long been concerned]( about the Titan submersible's safety. Cameron has made 33 dives to the shipwreck and says he's spent more time on the Titanic than the ship's original captain. --------------------------------------------------------------- Podcast Picks [A close up photo of the label on a bottle of Heinz Ketchup]( Scott Olson/Getty Images The Closer, from PRX: Whether it’s the medication you’re on, the beans in your cupboard or the flight you're taking, host Aimee Keane explores the [stories behind the biggest business deals]( that affect our lives. 🎧 When Brazilian private investment firm 3G took over Kraft and Heinz, they thought they had a perfect plan. This episode digs into [where it went wrong]( and who got hurt. Ear Hustle, from Radiotopia: Ear Hustle brings you stories of [life in prison]( and post-incarceration. 🎧 This special Pride month episode brings you a love story set in the yard at San Quentin State Prison, [two trans women's journeys]( from a men’s prison to a women’s prison, and the first Pride parade held inside a Norwegian prison. Schooled, from WHYY: Learn about America's public schools [through the eyes of students]( parents and educators. 🎧 This episode looks at how two neighboring public high schools show the [inequity of Pennsylvania's school]( funding system. Scott Simon is on vacation. He will return after July 5. --------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter was edited by [Carol Ritchie](. 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 Music, Politics, Health and more! 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