John Green keeps busy – from authoring young adult novels like “The Fault in Our Stars” to his latest nonfiction book, “Everything is Tuberculosis” to running a YouTube empire with his brother Hank, his projects share one key goal: to make the world “suck less.” John talks to Rachel about how he battles despair and why he’s unconcerned with the question of God’s existence. To hear the full interview, click the link in our bio or search “Wild Card” wherever you get your podcasts. #NPR

A group of masked settlers attacked Jewish peace activists and Palestinian villagers in the Israeli occupied West Bank Monday night. Eyewitnesses say Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was among them. He was later detained by Israeli forces and held overnight. After he was released, Ballal was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries related to the attack. In a statement, the IDF said its forces apprehended three Palestinians and an Israeli civilian involved in the violent confrontation. #NPR

Here's why we always have room for dessert. #NPR

Conan O’Brien received the 26th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center on Sunday. Among those celebrating O'Brien were his longtime comedy peers Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Stephen Colbert, Tracy Morgan, and Bill Burr, along with others who had been influenced by his work, including John Mulaney and Kumail Nanjiani. The event came more than a month after President Trump ousted the Kennedy Center's president, board chair and Democratically appointed board members. Accepting the prize on Sunday, O'Brien pointedly thanked former board chair David Rubenstein and former president Deborah Rutter. "They're the reason I'm here," he said. Read more at the link in our bio.

Uzo Aduba can do anything… except for the butterfly stroke. That confidence has led to some iconic performances – from Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in Orange is the New Black, to Shirley Chisholm in Mrs. America, to her lead role in the newest Shonda Rhimes production, The Residence. Uzo talks to Rachel about how motherhood shaped her and why she's made peace with mortality. To hear the full interview, click the link in our bio or search "Wild Card" wherever you get your podcasts. #NPR

Is it OK to sleep for less than five hours a night? Exercise before bed? Sleep scientist Rebecca Robbins (@drrebeccarobbins) sets the record straight. ⁠ ⁠(Sleep myths acted out by Life Kit editor Malaka Gharib)⁠ ⁠ 💤 Want more sleep tips? Sign up for Life Kit's Guide to Better Sleep at the link in our bio and get a week of science-backed strategies to help you sleep better, deeper and longer: npr.org/sleepweek #NPR

Europe's busiest airport has announced it will remain closed throughout Friday after a power shutdown forced more than 100 flights to divert in mid-air. Read more at the link in our bio.

Do audiobooks count as reading? Listen to NPR’s quiz show Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me! at the link in our bio. Producers: @emmaeunjoo • Emma Choi/NPR, @abiinman • Abi Inman/NPR

Survivors mourn those killed by Israel's military as bodies are exhumed from mass graves at Gaza's al-Shifa hospital in another reminder of war's toll. A previous version of this video incorrectly spelled Anas Baba's name.

Splitting the bill is a fine art.⁠ ⁠ Here's how you might respond in three common scenarios that arise when splitting the tab, featuring insights from food writer, chef and former food editor Kiki Aranita, as demonstrated by NPR Life Kit editor Malaka Gharib.⁠ ⁠ When the meal ends, there should be "a sense of equality in how the check is divvied up,” says Aranita.⁠ ⁠ Read more about the social etiquette of splitting the check at the article link. And to listen to the episode, search for “Life Kit” wherever you listen to podcasts.⁠

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ending two pandemic-era programs that provided more than $1 billion for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers and other producers. The move is expected to hit school children’s meals, as well as people who depend on food banks. Farmers and ranchers whose produce and other goods were purchased through the programs could also be hurt. USDA said the programs were a legacy of the pandemic and no longer supported the agency’s priorities.

London today is very different from the one Zadie Smith grew up in and the one she wrote about in her debut novel “White Teeth.” That is just one of the things Smith is grappling with 25 years after her best-selling book's debut. She talks to Rachel about the difficulty of revisiting the first few pages of "White Teeth," the wisdom only teenagers possess, and fighting despair with crème brûlée. To hear the full interview, click the link in our bio or search "Wild Card" wherever you get your podcasts. #NPR

Mark Carney, the former central banker-turned-centrist politician, triumphed over Chrystia Freeland in Sunday's Liberal Party leadership race, paving the way for him to succeed Justin Trudeau as Canada's next prime minister. He is expected to be sworn in early this week. Carney, 59, whose resume is filled with decades of experience working at the highest levels of global finance but has never been elected to public office, now faces his first major economic reckoning as prime minister – managing Canada's trade relationship with the United States. In his acceptance speech Carney tackled the Trump tariff threats head on. "Donald Trump as we know has put unjustified tariffs on what we build, on what we sell, on how we make a living" he said. "He's attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses and we cannot let him succeed and we won't." #NPR

South Carolina plans to execute a man by firing squad today, March 7, at 6pm. It is the first such execution in the state and the first in the nation in 15 years. But firearms experts are questioning whether South Carolina's indoor execution setup is safe for the workers who will shoot the prisoner and the people who will watch. For more information read Chiara Eisner's article on the execution. You can find the link in our bio. #NPR Reporter: @Chiara

Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart. This time, wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida. It was not immediately known whether the spacecraft's self-destruct system had kicked in to blow it up. The 403-foot rocket blasted off from Texas. SpaceX caught the first-stage booster back at the pad with giant mechanical arms, but engines on the spacecraft on top started shutting down as it streaked eastward for what was supposed to be a controlled entry over the Indian Ocean, half a world away. Contact was lost as the spacecraft went into an out-of-control spin.

Life Kit host Marielle Segarra demonstrates the power of an exercise snack, with advice from cardiologist Dr. Jayne Morgan. ⁠ For more tips on incorporating heart-pumping movement into your everyday life, click the article link or search "Life Kit" wherever you listen to podcasts.