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The emergency call comes in just before midnight. In the driver's seat of a battered Toyota Hilux pickup truck, 29-year-old Chamunolwa Jimayi chats briefly with the caller. He hangs up the phone and shouts to his two colleagues in the back to hold on tight, then shoots off at high speed through the city center, careening around the traffic.⁠⁠Jimayi's job is not your regular 9-to-5. He's a member of a three-man Elephant Response Team fighting to keep the peace amid a worsening and at times deadly conflict between humans and the world's largest land animal. His hometown of Livingstone, Zambia, lies on the edge of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and has long witnessed incidents of human-wildlife conflict. But the combination of recent urban expansion and successive poor rainy seasons has led to a dramatic escalation.⁠⁠Tap the link in our bio to read more. ⁠⁠Images: @tommy.trenchard • Tommy Trenchard for NPR

Calling all college students! We're about one month away from closing the 2024 NPR College Podcast Challenge. Here's your chance to win $5,000 and share your story with a national audience. Your entry must be between 3-12 minutes. The deadline is Jan. 10. ⁠⁠Click the link in our bio for more information on how to enter. ⁠⁠Illustration by Mar Hernandez for NPR • @marmalota

It’s not uncommon to see an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on murals, candles, statues and even clothing. She’s a significant religious figure who signifies hope and protection for countless Latinos in the U.S. and abroad. For photographer Amanda Lopez (@snapshotlopes), her image goes beyond religion, serving as a powerful emblem of home.Catholics believe that, in 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared before Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Indigenous farmer at the Hill of Tepeyac in a suburb of Mexico City. According to the story, she left on his cloak an image of a brown-skinned Virgen de Guadalupe, which still hangs at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.This would also be where Lopez began her own years-long journey documenting her image for ‘Guadalupe,’ a project that pays homage to the “divine feminine energy, sacredness, and healing that Guadalupe’s imagery can encapsulate for people of all genders and backgrounds.” In it, Lopez reimagines Guadalupe in a contemporary context.Go to the link in our bio for the full story.Story: Pablo Valdivia/NPRPhotos: @snapshotlopes • Amanda Lopez

Books Through Bars San Diego, fulfills thousands of book requests from incarcerated people nationwide. The mutual aid collective receives an average of 150 letters each month, from prisons and correctional facilities across the country.@sdbooksthrubars operates with minimal overhead. It is volunteer-run and relies on word-of-mouth and prison resource lists to spread the word. Groundwork Books (@groundworkbooks) donates storage and event space for packing events. Books are donated by the community and bookstores, with donations sites scattered throughout the region.According to a 2023 study by PEN America, correctional facilities in all 50 states contribute to the nation's largest book ban.Many states, including California, keep a centralized banned book list.In other states, the list is vague and less predictable. Books containing sexuality, nudity, violence or content that may be a "threat to security," certain DIY instructions, or stories about life in prison are often censored, according to PEN America research."Facilities are becoming stricter and stricter with the requirements — some facilities have adopted requirements where they only accept white envelopes — and these are just like arbitrary rules, just add barriers for us to be able to send these packages," said Books Through Bars volunteer Terry Vargas.But for Books Through Bars, it's worth the effort.Letters from incarcerated people often express gratitude, Vargas said. At a recent packing event, she opened a letter from Zachary in Indiana, written on a torn half-sheet of binder paper."He says, 'I'm writing to request books. I really appreciate the work your organization is doing for prisoners. It really helps me not lose my cool. It saves my life, really," Vargas read.More at kpbs.org @juliadixonevans / @kpbs

@totalvibration’s favorite album this year is quiet, yet colossal — placing @luizabrina’s ‘Prece’ among NPR Music’s top albums of 2024 ️⁠⁠Tap the link in our bio for the full list of the 50 Best Albums of the year — there’s something for everyone ️⁠⁠Host: @totalvibration • Lars Gotrich/NPR⁠Producer: @alanteserene • Alanté Serene/NPR

Thousands of Syrians gather at one of the holiest Mosques in Damascus today for the first time since the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's government.⁠⁠Reporter: Hadeel Al-Shalchi/NPR⁠Videographers: @claireeclaire • Claire Harbage/NPR & Hadeel Al-Shalchi/NPR⁠Producer: @catiedull • Catie Dull/NPR

The rhetoric around the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO echoes that of the Occupy Wall Street movement in late 2011 that swept the country after the financial crisis. Also, An American man who identified himself as Pete Travis Timmerman was found in a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus by local residents on Thursday.⁠⁠Swipe to read. Tap the link in our bio for more.

There is something strange happening in the skies above New Jersey, and no one seems quite sure what to make of it — not the governor, not members of Congress, not the FBI.⁠⁠What they know is that starting in mid-November, dozens of drones have been spotted at night flying in at least 10 different counties across the state. What they don't know is where the drones are coming from, who's flying them and why. ⁠⁠The drones have been spotted above critical infrastructure, according to authorities, including reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments and military installations. On Thursday, the White House said that there was no indication that the drones have foreign ties, but that the investigation into the sightings is ongoing.⁠⁠Read more at the link in our bio.

During the height of the COVID pandemic, food recalls in the U.S. dropped significantly. However, that trend has now reversed, with 2024 seeing a wave of high-profile food safety alerts. Adding to the concern, a Gallup poll from July revealed that Americans' confidence in the government's ability to keep the U.S. food supply safe had sunk to a record low.⁠⁠Swipe to read, and visit the link in our bio for the full story.

Does reading make you a better person? Sarah Chihaya's new memoir dives into books that seemingly ruined her life. "Bibliophobia" comes out in February 2025.⁠⁠Host: @andrewlimbong • Andrew Limbong/NPR⁠Producer: @wendynotaduck • Wendy Li/NPR⁠⁠Visit NPR’s Book of the Day podcast for author interviews in 15 minutes or less.

Hutsul theater was created over 100 years ago based on the culture and stories of the Hutsul ethnic group, who live in the Carpathian mountains of Ukraine. Hnat Khotkevych, a prolific Ukrainian literary figure and Renaissance man, is credited with the theater’s creation.The theater nearly went extinct during both World War I and II, but each time, after a long hiatus, dedicated enthusiasts revived it once the wars ended. During today’s war, they perform fewer shows and have less practices, but still on an average Sunday in early November they were able to gather a handful of performers to rehearse.“I don't think that it can cease to exist this time,” says Roman Sinitovych, the museum director and one of the actors in the troupe. He says this is because people have learned from the past. They care more about preserving cultural identity during this war. Sinitovych served in the territorial defense in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region during the first year of war with Russia’s full-scale invasion, but upon returning home, he went straight back to acting.Producers: @catiedull • Catie Dull/NPR, @claireeclaire • Claire Harbage/NPR & Ross Pelekh for NPR

There are close to 200 cohousing communities across the country – according to The Cohousing Association – designed to facilitate community through shared resources and common spaces. Members admit there are many tradeoffs to living in such close proximity to their neighbors including navigating a shared chore list and mutual financial arrangement. But many also say that they've found a way to conquer the loneliness and isolation that plagues so many Americans — especially today's parents.⁠⁠Read more at the link in our bio.