Veterans Day, Astroworld, and more: 5 podcasts from this week’s headlines

It’s Veterans Day, and we found news podcasts are honoring our veterans with forgotten stories, ways to support veterans in need, and reminding us to thank our Afghan allies who fought alongside United States forces in their country before pulling out. Also, more sad news on how easily the Astroworld disaster could have been prevented, and reporting on Kyle Rittenhouse taking the stand during his trial, claiming self-defense for the murder of two people and the wounding of others in Kenosha last summer.

The COP26 conference is still ongoing and tapes from a meeting between NRA leaders after Columbine were obtained and released this week. Check out more of the headlines from this week’s news down below:

5 Things

As “5 Things” reads off the headlines for today, from the United States and China’s agreement to lower their carbon emissions to Elton John’s newest honorary title from Prince Charles, they are also remembering those who served this Veterans Day. “5 Things” Eve Chen looks back at the buffalo soldiers, Black soldiers who served in all-Black Army regiments following the Civil War up until the Korean War while the Army was segregated. They helped shape America’s earliest national parks, serving as park rangers before the creation of the National Park Service and carving roads into the parks.

Today, Explained

Last weekend, eight people died and hundreds were injured at the Astroworld Festival during Travis Scott’s performance. A crowd of 50,000 had come to see the Houston native when panic ensued, the mass of people surging forward and suffocating concertgoers. While everyone is still trying to work out the details, “Today, Explained” is looking at the safety protocols that the festival did not adhere to, accumulating into that fatal event.

Consider This from NPR

After the Columbine high school shooting in April of 1999, leaders of the NRA gathered in private to discuss their public response to the tragedy. The tapes of those deliberations were obtained and released this week, revealing the group had originally agreed upon a much different stance than the one it actually took – a stance that started a decades-long debate about gun violence in America. “Consider This from NPR” explains what the NRA agreed on, what it did, and how the only first-world country with regular mass-shootings has dealt.

Up First

NPR’s “Up First” is looking at President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan that passed with bipartisan support, hoping it will be a tool to open shipping bottlenecks and ease inflation. Also, a federal judge overruled Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in Texas schools, as it violates the Americans With Disabilities Act. Also, Kyle Rittenhouse testified yesterday in his homicide trial after killing two people and injuring others in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer.

TIME’s The Brief

On this Veterans Day, “TIME’s The Brief” reads off their top stories, including ways to honor veterans and saluting our Afghan allies. Along with that, the youngest negotiating team at COP26, Panama’s with an average age of just 29, is hoping to make other countries teams uncomfortable, saying that they are the generations who will be paying if the UN’s does not take immediate action to reverse climate change. Also, Elon Musk sold $1.1 billion of Tesla stock after asking if he should in a Twitter poll, but watch out Tesla, a new electric vehicle will be on the road thanks to Rivian.