Here and Now

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are preparing for what’s being billed as the marquee moment of the long campaign season: the first presidential debate, which will take place on September 26 in New York.

Trump spent Saturday visiting a black church in Detroit. The move was aimed less at trying to win over the black vote, but instead at cooling claims that he’s insensitive to minorities.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young discusses the latest news from the campaign trail with NPR’s Ron Elving.

Former Stanford student Brock Turner was released from jail Friday.

Turner served three months of a six month sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in January 2015. The case set off a national outcry, with many arguing that the six month sentence was too lenient.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young gets an update from KQED’s Beth Willon.

Hurricane Hermine made landfall in Florida overnight, before it was downgraded to tropical storm status.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Hermine may be responsible for claiming the life of a man who died after he was hit by a tree. Forecasters say the storm most likely will cause flooding in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

This summer has been tough, with record heat, drought, floods and wildfires across much of the country. But in 1816, it wasn’t hot weather people endured. It was bitter cold.

The year came to be known as the “Year Without a Summer.” There was frost and snow all summer long, and it may have been a first taste of how a changing climate can affect peoples’ lives.

The film “The Light Between Oceans” opens tomorrow. The film is based on the best-selling novel by M.L. Stedman. Derek Cianfrance adapted the novel for screen and directed the movie, in which Michael Fassbender stars.

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When it comes to the future of medicine, few therapies get people as excited as stem cells.

Researchers are looking at them for future treatment for diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Type 1 Diabetes and more. But the key word is “future.” Progress with stem cell therapies has been slow and the few clinical trials taking place are in their infancy.

Yet despite the lack of FDA-approved treatments, stem cell clinics — which promise cures for conditions as varied as arthritis, pulmonary disorders and orthopedics — are popping up all over the country.

Mexicans by and large have been excoriating their president for inviting Donald Trump for what looked like a state visit yesterday.

Journalist Esteban Illades of the Mexican news site Nexos called it “the most painful day in the history of the Mexican presidency.” Illades joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young with more about how the country is reacting to Trump’s trip.

The great comic actor Gene Wilder died Monday at age 83 from Alzheimer’s disease.

Known for his roles in such films as “Young Frankenstein,” “Blazing Saddles” and “Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory,” Wilder’s performances delighted audiences for decades.

Here & Now pays tribute by revisiting host Robin Young’s 2005 interview with Wilder about his then-new memoir, “Kiss Me Like a Stranger.”

Here’s the raw audio from their interview:

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The worst bus stop in America is a small patch of concrete at the intersection of Route 29 and Crestmoor Drive in Silver Spring, Maryland.

That’s, at least, according to the transit website Streetsblog USA, which held a bracket contest to find the country’s sorriest bus stops.

Common, the hip-hop artist from Chicago, has been on the rap scene since the early-1990s. He branched into acting in the 2000s, and he recently started the Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit that aims to empower underprivileged young pepole through creative arts, mentoring, and educational opportunities.

He’s also working with Allstate on a scholarship program for students at historically black colleges.

The White House announced today that President Barack Obama will expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating the world’s largest marine protected area.

The move quadruples the size of the monument from 50 miles to 200 miles. But it’s caused some controversy in Hawaii.

The University of Virginia is facing criticism for raising the cost of tuition for students over the last few years while at the same time, setting aside more than $2 billion in an investment fund.

Many major universities have these funds, but UVA’s is among the biggest for a public school. Today, the state legislature’s subcommittee on higher education will question top university officials about the fund, including President Teresa Sullivan.

Here are some of Sullivan’s remarks from her appearance before a Friday joint meeting of the Virginia State Legislature:

Hope is dwindling for finding survivors in central Italy, where more than 267 people were killed in Wednesday’s 6.2-magnitude earthquake.

Questions are now being raised over how the massive destruction could have been prevented. But in a country filled with ancient and medieval architecture, that task can be difficult and expensive.

Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump was on the campaign trail again last night, stopping in Jackson, Mississippi to rally supporters.

In his speech, he reiterated many of his economic and national security plans, and tailored many of his comments towards African-American and Hispanic voters.

Trump was also joined on stage by former U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, who was instrumental in pushing through the Brexit vote for Britain to leave the European Union.

Last month, Here & Now spoke with a U.S. Air Force captain departing for Mongolia to compete in the world’s longest and toughest horse race. The Mongol Derby spans more than 600 miles and takes about 10 days.

Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti checks in with Capt. Tim Finley to see how he did.

Scientists announced the discovery of a habitable planet Wednesday, orbiting the solar system’s nearest neighboring sun Proxima Centauri.

Rumors of the finding circulated for several days and were confirmed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which added more details in a press conference.

Kelly Beatty of Sky & Telescope talks about the planet with Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson.

Italian Premier Matteo Renzi says the death toll from the quake that hit central Italy has risen.

Renzi spoke Wednesday evening in the provincial capital of Rieti after visiting rescue crews and survivors in the hard-hit town of Amatrice and flying over other demolished towns in nearby Le Marche region.

The National Parks Service has been making an effort to get more people, especially young people and minorities, to visit and to care about America’s parks.

Here & Now host Jeremy Hobson talks with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, who oversees the National Park Service, about those efforts, as well as the challenges of climate change, funding, congestion and whether the Obama Administration will protect more public land before he leaves office.

Former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros filed a lawsuit yesterday. She claims that Roger Ailes and Fox News executives punished her for complaining about sexual harassment.

NPR’s David Folkenflik joins Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss the latest media news, including the Tantaros lawsuit and coverage of the U.S. Olympic swimmers’ robbery allegations in Rio.

Funerals are being held in Turkey today after the bombing of a Kurdish wedding party on Saturday. More than 50 people were killed, many of them children, and officials say the suicide bomber himself was between 12 and 14 years old.

Walmart announced Thursday that its e-commerce business jumped nearly 12 percent in its latest quarter, a good sign just 10 days after it announced plans to buy online retailer Jet.com for $3.3 billion.

Last year, Americans spent about $350 billion online, with Walmart’s rival Amazon leading the pack. And as e-commerce increases, so does shipping and packaging. Specifically, cardboard.

Legendary rock star Levon Helm died in 2012 of throat cancer, but his daughter Amy is carrying the family torch. She still produces the Midnight Rambles, a concert series that her father began, and she’s on the road this summer touring behind her 2015 solo album “Didn’t It Rain.”

Here & Now‘s Robin Young spoke with Amy Helm when her album was released.

Hear our original conversation with Amy Helm from July 2015.

Hall of Fame pitcher Bill Lee has lived an eclectic life, from the playing field to his political views and his vineyard in Vermont. In 2012, he became the oldest player to win a professional baseball game.

Fifty years ago, nearly everyone who died in the United States was buried in a grave. Today, just about half are cremated. Money is the primary reason.

A typical cremation costs nearly $500 less than a typical burial. And, many people move away from their hometowns, where traditional family plots are located.

Here & Now‘s Kristiina Sorenson reports on the mushroom suit, the latest thing in burial trends.

At age 48, former tech entrepreneur and author James Altucher prides himself on owning just 15 things.

It’s not that he can’t afford more. But after a series of financial failures, and hitting bottom emotionally, he realized the best way to heal was to give away everything. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Altucher living more with less.

Read Altucher’s essay “I Want to Die.”

Yesterday, we looked at a new rail line being constructed in London, a massive project that’s set to be completed on time and under budget.

Today, a look at the challenges of improving and maintaining the New York City subway, operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst says that whether you serve them hot or cold, soups are a great addition to any summer meal.

She brings Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson a clam and fish chowder and a potato and leek soup that can be served heated or chilled. Kathy also shares a couple of soup recipes that don’t require cooking.

Millions of people each year visit famous battlefields of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. But far fewer visit locations in the Hawaiian Civil War or the French and Indian War. Earlier this summer, the National Park Service awarded more than $1 million in grants to research and protect lesser-known battlefields, including the 19th century Rogue River War in southern Oregon.

Tom Banse from the Northwest News Network reports.