When Blind Boys of Alabama member Jimmy Carter was a kid, he would pray to God for one thing. Sight. Instead, Mr. Carter found himself at an Alabama school for blind children in the Jim Crow south. But light would find a way into his life through the power of his voice — he's a founding member of the multiple Grammy Award-winning gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama. Mr. Carter, now in his 80s, is up for yet another Grammy on Sunday, for the song "Let My Mother Live," off the album "Almost Home."

These are good times for the American economy. Unemployment is down, the stock market is up and more new homes are being built. But how does this affect you? Well, that depends on who you are. Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal breaks down what makes a healthy economy. | Want to support 1A? Subscribe to our podcast and give to your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/1A. Email the show at 1a@wamu.org.

They say decisions are made by those who show up, and this year, more Americans are deciding to do just that by running for office. This episode brings you a nonpartisan primer on how to run, and maybe even win. | Want to support 1A? Subscribe to our podcast and give to your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/1A. Email the show at 1a@wamu.org.

What makes a great cover song? We talked to Ray Padgett and Amanda Petrusich about the greatest covers, what makes them work, and why some should have just never been made. Get ready to hear many of your favorite covers in this episode and if you want more, check out our Spotify playlist at the1a.org. | Want to support 1A? Subscribe to our podcast and give to your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/1A. Email the show at 1a@wamu.org.

The Founding Fathers considered a free press so important they protected it in the Constitution, but some in President Trump's own party think his attacks have gone too far. As he continues to denounce news outlets as "Fake News," the American people's faith in the media keeps dropping. | Want to support 1A? Subscribe to our podcast and give to your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/1A. Email the show at 1a@wamu.org.

When athletes march out at the opening ceremony of next month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, North and South Koreans will do so under a single flag. Many hope this signals a thaw in tensions between the two nations — and with the U.S. But others are not so optimistic. | Want to support 1A? Subscribe to our podcast and give to your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/1A. Email the show at 1a@wamu.org.