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Tiny Desk Radio: ADG7, Sandbox Percussion, Beth Gibbons
Korean zithers, plumbing pipes, water glasses and singing saws — these are just some of the rare and unusual instruments you’ll hear on this episode. Host Bobby Carter, with guests Lars Gotrich and Tom Huizenga, guides us through sets by the South Korean group ADG7, classical ensemble Sandbox Percussion and Beth Gibbons, best known as the voice of Portishead.
Look for Tiny Desk Radio on your local NPR station.
ADG7: Tiny Desk Concert
Sandbox Percussion: Tiny Desk Concert
Beth Gibbons: Tiny Desk Concert
This episode of Tiny Desk Radio was written by Lars Gotrich. Walter Ray Watson, Dhanika Pineda and Noah Caldwell were our producers. Suraya Mohamed is our executive producer. Sonali Mehta is the executive director of NPR Music. And our theme was composed by Kaelin Ellis.
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‘Solo agers’ are a growing group. Changes that would help them could help everyone
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Ailene Gerhardt hears a lot of stories. It’s all part of her job. She’s a patient advocate, helping people navigate their care and the complexities of the healthcare system. During the last several years she’s heard from more and more people getting older without adult children, a spouse, or both. But the healthcare system remains stuck in the past, she says, assuming older people have family to support them, when that’s often not the case.
Gerhardt started and runs a network called Navigating Solo, which offers support and community to this group of older adults, often referred to as “solo agers.”
“Instead of looking at the concept of solo aging as something that’s a crisis to be solved — it’s not a crisis to be solved,” she says. “It’s a reality to be supported.”
That reality is growing as Baby Boomers and Gen Xers age. According to a 2023 AARP report, one in ten adults over age 50 lives alone and doesn’t have a partner or children. Different lifestyles and changing societal attitudes suggest these numbers will grow in the future. Plenty of people are single by choice.
More inclusive systems
Gerhardt says right now, solo agers are expected to take the lead in planning for their housing, finances, and transportation to appointments, often by hiring professionals to help them. But rather than feeling like the odd ones out in systems that cater to couples and families, she says, why can’t the systems themselves be more inclusive of solo agers?
To take one example: instead of assuming every patient has someone who can pick them up from a medical appointment after being under anesthesia — and drive them home — she’d like the onus to be on hospitals and medical offices to arrange transport and an escort. She says she has heard from people who have canceled a procedure because their ride backed out at the last minute.
“In both my solo aging advocacy hat and my healthcare advocate [hat], like, that is just infuriating,” she says, “that people do not have the support they need to maintain their health in a productive way.”
But Gerhardt says this isn’t an intractable problem. “Let’s look at designing the system, or re-designing the system, so that anyone and everyone can have strong support. Quite honestly that benefits everyone,” she says, citing curb cuts as a good example of this. Disability rights advocates fought for years to have towns and cities install curb cuts — a slope from the sidewalk to the street that lets a wheelchair user cross the road easily and safely. But curb cuts quickly became popular with people pushing strollers, bikers, and anyone else seeking an easier way into the street.
Building services for the future
Sara Zeff Geber has been writing and speaking about solo aging for more than 10 years, including giving talks to lawyers and financial planners, “to bring awareness to the fact that not everybody is a couple and not everybody has that proverbial adult daughter to help them.”
She believes she was the first person to use the term “solo aging,” seeing it as a lot more positive than the previous description: “elder orphans.”
Ideas about relationships and parenthood are less rigid than they used to be. Given this, she says, “Whatever foundation we build now” for solo agers, “is going to be hugely important for generations that follow.”
Jason Resendez hopes those generations will have more government support than the current crop of older adults. He is CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving. He says there is growing recognition that many people are aging by themselves. That said, federal funding cuts are coming to home-based services for older adults, and to Medicaid, he says, “which makes it a lot harder to age in place when you don’t have a family caregiver to absorb the elimination of those social service supports.”
On the whole, Resendez says, U.S. society is still hooked on the idea of “individual ruggedness.” But as he looks to the future, “More and more people will be aging, more and more people will be aging alone,” and the social safety net will come under a lot of strain. “I think it’s when we are at that boiling point, that maybe we’ll have policymakers finally recognize, ‘Hey, this isn’t just an individual responsibility.’”
Creating the resource he will need
Carl Smigielski was a family caregiver to his husband, Moshe, a Vietnam veteran who died in 2019 after living with Alzheimer’s for several years.
But Smigielski doesn’t expect to have a caregiver of his own. He’s 61, lives alone in Richmond, R. I., and believes it’ll stay that way. “Right now it wouldn’t align with me to have another intimate relationship so I was pretty clear,” he says. “You’re going to be doing this alone.”
Carl holds a photo of himself (r) and his late husband Moshe Gara (l), towards the end of Moshe’s life. Carl was Moshe’s caregiver when he had Alzheimer’s disease. But he’s gotten involved with a nonprofit organization that has long recognized solo agers. It’s called the Villages (not to be confused with the large retirement communities in central Florida.) The Village Movement consists of hyperlocal groups that are mostly run by volunteers.
The Villages started 25 years ago with one village in Boston. There’s now a network of them dotted across the U.S. Their aim is to help people live independently by offering a combination of practical and social support, such as rides to appointments, help moving furniture or changing lightbulbs, friendly check-ins for those who want them, and social events.
People gather for lunch at the Richmond Community Center in Richmond, R.I., where Carl Smigielski is about to explain the concept of a local ‘village’ for older adults. (Ashley Milne-Tyte for NPR) Members join to tap the network’s resources. Volunteers make it happen. While not designed specifically for solo agers, Barbara Hughes-Sullivan, executive director of the Village to Village Network, says “anywhere from 30 to 60%” of village members are in that demographic, depending on the individual village.
Smigielski is both a member and a volunteer. He is helping to start a new village in his rural part of Rhode Island. “I wanted to retire to something,” says the longtime software engineer. “I didn’t want to retire to boredom … and I really have met the kindest people.”
He’s spending part of this day at a community center to explain the village concept to a group of older adults over lunch, including his mother, Jacqueline. She is 87, a widow, and eager to volunteer. Afterwards he heads back to the home he used to share with his husband. After speaking in front of the group, he needs to decompress in the quiet of the house and yard.
Smigielski says he’s not an obvious candidate for a network like this. He enjoys his own company, and doesn’t expect to need help changing lightbulbs for decades. But after years of caregiving, followed by the Covid years, he realized something.
“The social support, regardless of how able we are, that’s intrinsic to us,” he says. “I went through my battles of thinking I was an exception to that rule, I could be the human who didn’t need social connection – because I don’t need a lot of it, but I need it.”
For now, he still has his mom to drive him to medical procedures where he needs help getting home afterwards. But eventually he expects to tap the network he’s helping create to sustain him as he gets older.
Carl Smigielski and his mother, Jacqueline, outside the Richmond Community Center in Richmond, R. I. Each is part of the other’s support system. (Ashley Milne-Tyte for NPR) Transcript:
PIEN HUANG, HOST:
More Americans are entering old age without children, spouses or other close relatives to lean on. They’re known as solo agers, and their numbers are expected to rise as younger generations get older. Advocates say the shift is also an opportunity to rethink how communities and support systems are designed. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
ASHLEY MILNE-TYTE: As a professional patient advocate, Ailene Gerhardt hears a lot of stories. And during the last several years, she’s heard more and more from people getting older without adult children, a spouse or both. She says the healthcare system is stuck in the past, assuming older people have family to support them, but that’s often not the case. Gerhardt runs a network called Navigating Solo.
AILENE GERHARDT: Instead of looking at the concept of solo aging as something that’s a crisis to be solved – it’s not a crisis to be solved. It’s a reality to be supported.
MILNE-TYTE: She says to take one example of that reality. Rather than assume every patient has someone who can pick them up from a medical appointment after being under anesthetic and drive them home, she says why can’t the onus be on the healthcare system to arrange transport and an escort?
GERHARDT: Let’s look at designing the system or redesigning the system so that anyone and everyone can have strong support. Quite honestly, that benefits everyone.
MILNE-TYTE: She says acknowledging solo agers’ reality makes them feel less invisible. Jason Resendez is CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving. He says there is growing recognition in some parts of government that many people are aging by themselves. That said, cuts are coming to home-based services for older adults and to Medicaid.
JASON RESENDEZ: Which makes it a lot harder to age in place when you don’t have a family caregiver to absorb the elimination of those social service supports.
MILNE-TYTE: Carl Smigielski was a family caregiver to his husband, Moshe, who died in 2019. He’s 61, lives alone in Richmond, Rhode Island, and expects it to stay that way.
CARL SMIGIELSKI: Right now, it wouldn’t align with me to have another intimate relationship. So I was pretty clear, like, you’re going to be doing this alone.
MILNE-TYTE: But he’s gotten involved with an organization that has long recognized solo agers. It’s called The Villages, and it consists of hyperlocal groups, called villages, that are mostly run by volunteers. Members join to tap the network’s resources. Volunteers make it happen, with rides to appointments, help moving furniture or changing light bulbs, and social events.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: There’s Barbara (ph). Hey, you’re back from Florida.
MILNE-TYTE: Smigielski is helping to start a new village in his rural part of the state. He’s come to this community center to explain the concept to a group of older adults over lunch.
SMIGIELSKI: In many ways, if someone does transition to assisted living, there’s services there. It’s those of us living independently where there’s a gap.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yeah.
MILNE-TYTE: Smigielski, a software engineer, says he’s not an obvious candidate for a network like this. He enjoys his own company and doesn’t expect to need help changing light bulbs for decades.
SMIGIELSKI: But the social support, regardless of how able we are, that’s intrinsic to us, and I went through my battles of thinking I was an exception to that rule. I could be the human who didn’t need social connection ’cause I don’t need a lot of it. But I need it.
MILNE-TYTE: Right now, his 87-year-old mother still drives him to hospital appointments and can sign him out if she needs to. But eventually, he expects to tap the network he’s helping create to sustain him as he gets older. For NPR News, I’m Ashley Milne-Tyte.
(SOUNDBITE OF IMOGEN HEAP SONG, “THE WALK”)
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Former Olympian pleads not guilty in reflecting pool vandalism charges
Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty to damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in D.C. Superior Court Thursday morning.
Federal prosecutors charged Hearn with a single count of destruction of property causing more than $1,000 in damage to the pool.
Hearn has previously claimed, which his attorneys repeated during a short press conference outside the court, that he simply touched the water in the pool out of curiosity.
The Trump administration had just completed a $14 million renovation of the pool.
But shortly after the work finished, peeling paint and algae gathered in the water. The remodel has been largely criticized as a massive failure and waste of taxpayer dollars.
Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean released Hearn on his own recognizance. His next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 5.
Norm Eisen, one of Hearn’s attorneys, spoke to reporters outside of court following the hearing. He said the administration is using Hearn as a “scapegoat … for their own failures.”
“It is not a crime to touch the reflecting pool, to touch water in the United States of America,” he said.
Prosecutors say there is a host of evidence against Hearn.
This is a developing story.
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Former coach at Bucknell University charged in death of freshman football player
A former strength and conditioning coach at Bucknell University was charged Monday in the death of a football player who collapsed during training, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office.
Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr. was a freshman training in July 2024 at the university in Pennsylvania when Mark Kulbis told him and other football players to do 100 “up-downs” along with some full-body plank drills, according to the attorney general’s office. Dickey had sickle-cell trait, a medical condition that can increase the risk of serious injury or death following extreme exertion.
Dickey, who had been recruited to play lineman positions at the university, started struggling and passed out, according to the attorney general’s office. Kulbis was the only coach in the training room, according to the office.
Dickey was taken to the hospital and died two days later.
The attorney general’s office said an autopsy found that his death was caused by the exercises along with his sickle-cell trait, body weight and exertional rhabdomyolysis, a rare but life-threatening condition in which muscles can break down from overexertion or other causes.
Kulbis had been told about Dickey’s medical condition and received training from the school on it, according to the attorney general’s office.
Kulbis has been charged with felony aggravated hazing and misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and hazing, according to the attorney general’s office. Bail was set at $10,000.
His lawyer did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.
“The facts show this was an intentional, deliberate hazing perpetrated by a coach who knew C.J.’s health condition made him vulnerable to extreme workouts,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. “The facts show this defendant received information about C.J.’s health condition, along with training about NCAA anti-hazing standards, and disregarded that information.”
Bucknell University said in a statement that it has cooperated with the attorney general’s office throughout the investigation.
“Because this is now an active criminal matter, and related civil litigation remains pending, the University will not comment on the allegations or legal proceedings,” the statement said.
Last year, Dickey’s family filed a lawsuit against the university, along with Kulbis and a handful of school officials, arguing that the athlete’s death was “completely avoidable.”
“If Defendants had followed well-established, well-known practices to protect athletes who have sickle cell trait, CJ would still be alive today,” the lawsuit states.
Dickey and some of his freshman teammates were told to do the “up-downs” on the first day of practice as punishment for not doing drills the correct way, according to the lawsuit. Also known as “burpees,” the exercise is where a person jumps to the ground face down and then comes back to a standing position repeatedly.
Michael Caspino, a lawyer for the family, said in a news conference announcing the lawsuit that athletes who have sickle-cell trait are not supposed to be worked out hard on their first day of practice.
“They are to be eased into their practice regiment,” he said. “Otherwise, they can get rhabdomyolysis.”
Kulbis served as head football strength and conditioning coach for the university for about six years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He left in January 2025, about six months after Dickey’s death.
Sickle-cell trait, which is diagnosed through a blood test, doesn’t usually affect people’s daily lives. But it can cause decreased blood flow and muscle breakdown after intense exertion, dehydration or high body temperatures. In very rare cases, that can result in collapse and death.
The NCAA requires new athletes be tested for sickle-cell trait. Its website states that the trait only becomes a threat in rare situations when “athletes push the limits of their physical conditioning.”
“Coaches should conduct appropriate sport-specific conditioning based on sound scientific principles and be ready to intervene when student-athletes show signs of distress,” the NCAA’s website states.
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Graham Platner ends Senate bid. And, why Nolan Wells’ death captured national attention
Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Today’s top stories
Democrat Graham Platner announced last night that he has ended his U.S. Senate campaign in Maine. The politician faced pressure from party leaders to end his bid after one of his former girlfriends accused him of rape. He denies this allegation. In a video, Platner said his decision to drop out was not an admission of guilt and instead blamed a “political system not built for normal people.” Now the race is on for Democrats to find a new candidate to replace Platner before the state’s July 27 deadline to name someone new.
An empty stage is seen at a Graham Platner campaign event on June 9, 2026 in Blue Hill, Maine. (CJ Gunther | Getty Images) - 🎧 Many Democrats see this race as vital for regaining control of the Senate, as they see Maine’s long-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins as a beatable opponent, NPR’s Elena Moore tells Up First. Maine’s Democratic Party is planning a nominating convention to select someone new to run in the race. Platner appealed to his supporters by promising political change and addressing issues such as affordability. Moore says that many of Platner’s supporters, frustrated with the political establishment, hope the new candidate will continue the momentum he sought to create. Strategists have told Moore that it is possible for a more experienced candidate who is free from scandal to campaign on key issues Platner addressed, even if they are not as far to the left as he is.
Overnight, the U.S. launched strikes on southern Iran, targeting around 90 military sites along the coast and the vital Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.S. Central Command. In retaliation, Iran launched air attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain against U.S. military installations. Kuwait’s military reported intercepting missiles and drones. Countries in the Middle East are on high alert as they brace for the possibility of further conflict in the region.
- 🎧 The situation surrounding the talks to end the war in Iran remains uncertain, says NPR’s Emily Feng, who is in Israel. Both the U.S. and Iran are seemingly waiting for the other to back down first, she adds. The Israeli military forces are at “full readiness” for war again with Iran, according to Israeli media. Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz abruptly canceled a public event to hold an emergency security meeting. While the Israeli government generally backs the United States’ decision to strike Iran again, Feng says there is still significant ambiguity over what the U.S.’s ultimate objectives are with the latest series of strikes.
- 🎧 Yesterday, President Trump took a sharp turn in his view of Iranian leaders, whom he recently hailed as courageous people eager to steer their country toward a brighter future. At the NATO summit in Turkey, he instead criticized those leaders, accusing them of dishonesty and of failing to keep their ceasefire commitments. NPR’s Franco Ordoñez says Trump’s rhetoric is part of a familiar pattern, which he displays when he prematurely declares that the war is over or swings between admiration and aggression within hours. In his quest to end the conflict with Iran, Trump’s approach has been to weave together threats and diplomacy, according to Ordoñez. But when the president makes threats, such as saying he doesn’t want to make a deal with Iran, people don’t know whether he plans to follow through or if it is just a negotiating tactic.
The family of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, who was found dead on Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi after a Fourth of July getaway with friends, has enlisted the help of civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. It’s still a mystery why Wells, last seen at the northwest tip of the island around 3 p.m. on July 4, was the only one from his group who didn’t return. The case has garnered national attention online. Crump announced that his office will conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances of Wells’ death. In a recent interview with Don Lemon, Crump said that officials have yet to inform the family about any suspicions of foul play. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is calling for people to submit any photos or videos that could help determine what happened the day Wells went missing as they continue their investigation. Here’s what we know about the case so far.
Life advice
Stay safe this summer. Make sure you know the five water safety skills, designate a water-watcher when kids are swimming, know the signs of heat exhaustion and more. (Kaz Fantone/NPR) Summer can be an exciting time for adventure, but it has some risks. Extreme heat, tempting open bodies of water and outdoor critters can all prove deadly. But don’t let that hold you back from having fun. Here are proactive ways to keep yourself safe this season:
- 🏖️ Assign a sober, attentive adult as a “water-watcher” to supervise the water and the children in it.
- 🏖️ Cover as much skin as possible when you’re outdoors in areas where ticks thrive, like the Northeast. When hiking, stick to the trails and avoid tall grass. Ticks can transmit diseases such as Lyme.
- 🏖️ Make sure to read your grill’s manual to set it up securely and prevent fire accidents. Remember, keep your grill away from the side of your house, under patio roofs or beneath someone else’s balcony.
For additional guidance for how to stay safe and healthy this summer, listen to this episode of NPR’s Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
Picture show
Scenes in Primm, Nevada outside the Buffalo Bills Casino on Wednesday June 24, 2026. Krystal Ramirez for NPR (Krystal Ramirez for NPR) A determined family is taking on a challenge like no other: resurrecting a town. Primm, Nevada, was once a bustling, family-friendly casino hotspot. But it has experienced a steep decline and has gradually become a ghost town as more casino options have emerged across the United States. In the 1990s and 2000s, Primm attracted visitors with affordable accommodations, gambling, concerts, rodeos and attractions like a roller coaster. Since then, that ride has shut down, and two of the town’s three hotels have closed in recent years. The once-thriving outlet mall now features only a single thrift store. When the Primm family learned that the last operating casino-hotel, Primm Valley Resort & Casino, was on the brink of closure, they joined forces with the Nevada-based convenience store chain Terrible’s to breathe new life into this fading town. Take a look at how the town stands today.
3 things to know before you go
The Kennedy Center on June 28, with its facade signage still covered by a tarp and scaffolding. (Alex Wroblewski | AFP via Getty Images) - A federal appeals court yesterday denied Trump’s request to restore his name on the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
- Last week, the Supreme Court justices quietly released their annual financial reports, giving us a glimpse into their earnings.
- In this week’s edition of Far-Flung Postcards, NPR’s Emily Feng sends greetings from the Deir Mar Musa monastery in Syria, where she discovered a singular mulberry tree that held the best fruit she says she has ever tasted.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.