Has this ever happened to you?

You wake up, look at your phone, scroll through the news for a minute or two, and then think, wow, how did we get here?

Well, that's the question we tackle every week on NPR's ThruLine podcast.

We tell you the surprising stories of the people who made our history.

Carl Sagan was in people's living rooms talking about the wonders of the universe, making

science feel personal and important to an everyday person.

Listen to Thuringland from NPR, wherever you get your podcasts.

Music Catholics in Kenya are mourning the loss of Pope Francis.

He's a simple man down to earth.

And who is really imitating Christ?

What Christ would have done?

Today we hear more from the African continent where the Catholic Church is growing.

I'm Marco Wurman.

And I'm Carolyn Beeler.

Also in Russia, the challenge of measuring public support for the Kremlin.

There is no such thing as support in a non-free society.

In order to support something, you have to be able to refuse something.

And the Trump administration's planning a major overhaul of the State Department.

We don't know all the details yet, but it is eliminating 700 positions.

The White House says some offices at state will cease to exist.

We'll also hear about growing food in space and reforestation efforts

in Costa Rica. All that and more today, here on the world. This is the world. I'm Marco Werman.

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