海角大神

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2026
March
28
Saturday

Monitor Daily Podcast

March 28, 2026
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Clayton Collins
Director of Innovation

Welcome to Saturday.

Flying a Piper Cherokee down to Florida, probably 40 years ago, my father and I landed at a small airport near Greensboro, N.C., for fuel. As he topped up the wing tanks for us yankees, the operator asked how we were fixed for 鈥渁ll.鈥� It wasn鈥檛 a question about solidarity or laundry detergent. He was asking about oil.聽

Might that happen today? Maybe, maybe not. Georgia-based Patrik Jonsson takes a look at what鈥檚 behind accent erosion in the American South. We include a short audio sample of two North Carolina speakers, two generations apart, from producer Jingnan Peng.

First, we have news. As always, find more of that on our homepage or app.

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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Danielle Villasana /Reuters
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks during the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, March 23, 2026.

With Iran war squeezing global energy, nations look to nuclear and renewables

( 3 min. read )

Fuel shortages are speeding a shift toward green energy and nuclear power across many countries, as the Iran conflict creates new urgency around energy security.

By Laurent Belsie , reporting from Houston
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Hollie Adams/Reuters
People use their mobile phones, ahead of a new law banning social media for users under age 16, in Brisbane, Australia, Dec. 8, 2025.

What鈥檚 behind the global push to ban social media for kids

( 7 min. read )

Lawmakers around the world want to ban social media apps for children. What鈥檚 not clear is how well this approach is working.

By Stephen Humphries
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The Explainer
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Wind turbines operate at a Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, July 19, 2025. The Trump administration is shifting U.S. energy policy away from offshore wind.

Why the US will pay a French company nearly $1 billion to give up wind farm plans

( 7 min. read )

The Trump administration鈥檚 deal to pay TotalEnergies to shift from wind farms to U.S. fossil fuel investment appears to be a novel use of taxpayer funds. It also fits within a broader White House effort to restrict the offshore wind industry.

By Cameron Pugh
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Patrik Jonsson/海角大神
Auctioneer Tony Malott, right, talks to a customer at Southeastern Trade & Auction in Brooklet, Georgia, Feb. 28, 2026. While the Southern accent is fading, it鈥檚 still hanging on in small towns such as Brooklet.

The South is ascendant. So, my goodness, why is its accent fading?

( 7 min. read )

The South's increasing clout as a political, economic, and cultural force comes at a cost. The lower taxes, gentler winters, and affordable housing are drawing newcomers, often Midwesterners, changing how locals speak and live.

By Patrik Jonsson , reporting from Brooklet, Ga.
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Essay
Linda Bleck

Call your mother? LOL.

( 3 min. read )

A professor's unconventional solution to texting in class turns discipline into something tender.

By Robert Klose
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Viewfinder

Charlie Riedel/AP
A car is silhouetted by the late-day sun in Lenexa, Kansas, March 26, 2026. The local high temperature hit a record-tying March temperature of 94 F. Temperatures there subsequently eased, falling back into more seasonable overnight 40s and daytime 50s.
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2026
March
28
Saturday

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