Issues
The NFL banned smelling salts. Here’s why
The NFL has banned the use of smelling salts during games, citing an FDA warning concerning the safety of the substance. Here's what experts say about the effects and the risks.
Trump’s broad tariffs go into effect, just as economic pain is surfacing
The White House said that starting just after midnight that goods from more than 60 countries and the European Union would face tariff rates of 10% or higher.
MLB’s first female umpire to debut. Here’s other women who broke officiating barriers
Jen Pawol will make history by becoming the first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball game. Here's a look at other female officials who were the first on the floor, court or the field in prominent men's leagues.
District attorney says Alabama teen killed by police had grabbed a gun
But the teen’s family questioned that conclusion and said they have many unanswered questions about what had happened.
Claire’s, the ear-piercing tween mall staple, is bankrupt — again
The chain's bankruptcy filing is the second in seven years. Its troubles include unwieldy debt, shoppers' changing habits and new tariff costs.
The Voting Rights Act is turning 60. Civil rights marchers recall a hard-won struggle
Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the landmark legislation becoming law. Those at the epicenter of the fight for voting rights for Black Americans recalled their memories of the struggle, and expressed fear that those hard-won rights are being eroded.
AI companies are targeting students. Here’s how that’s changing studying
Students are increasingly using AI tools to help with — and do — their homework. Here's how older online study services, students and professors are adapting.
NFL and ESPN reach nonbinding agreement for sale of NFL Network and other media assets
Under the terms, ESPN will acquire NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators and the league will get a 10% equity stake in ESPN.
This Tuscan startup sold all its olive oil in the U.S. Then came Trump’s tariffs
Americans love olive oil — and import 95% of it. But tariffs are making it harder for Europeans to sell it to Americans.
Birmingham’s Prince Hall Masonic Temple to be restored as hub of Black-owned businesses
The hall is one of Birmingham’s most significant, but worn, historic buildings. Plans to restore the eight-story, downtown are underway.
Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose
The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.
As Trump’s tariffs take shape, is America really winning?
Trump says his tariffs will spur America into a "golden age" — but that remains far from certain. Here are 5 things to know about how his trade policies could impact the U.S. and the global economy.
Russian volcano erupts days after monster quake shakes region
The volcano may have been primed to erupt before the magnitude 8.8 quake pushed it over the edge.
Pope Leo tells 1 million Catholic youths they are sign ‘different world is possible’
In his closing blessing for the Jubilee of Youth, Leo remembered the young people of Gaza and Ukraine and other countries "bloodied by war" who could not join their celebration.
Opinion: A little league heartbreak
The State Department denied one Venezuelan Little League team entry into the U.S., but allowed another. NPR's Scott Simon questions how the sports exemption to Trump's travel ban is being applied.
Remember running the mile in school? The Presidential Fitness Test is coming back
The Cold War-era test was a staple of school gyms for half a century before the Obama administration replaced it. Trump says his focus on childhood fitness is for both physical and patriotic reasons.
Today is the last day for many Education Department workers. Here’s what they did
Employees across multiple divisions agree: They can't imagine how the department will fulfill its legal obligations with roughly half its staff gone.
The job market is showing signs of weakness as Trump’s tariffs take effect
U.S. employers added just 73,000 jobs in July, according to a report from the Labor Department Friday, as the unemployment rate inched up to 4.2%. Job gains for May and June were also revised sharply lower.
Alaska ignored budget crisis signs. Now, it doesn’t have money to fix schools.
Alaska has long ignored warning signs of a budget crisis. Now, it has no money to fix something that is posing serious health and safety risks to students and staff: crumbling rural schools.
The manhunt for Eric Rudolph was the largest in US history: How it began. How it finally ended
Eric Rudolph planted a bomb in 1998 at a Birmingham clinic that performed abortions. A new podcast explores the massive manhunt assembled to find him, and how his words and actions are possibly more accepted now, than they were then.
An MMA fighter Trump hosted at the White House loses appeal in his rape case
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor used to be the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. President Trump, a UFC fan, hosted him at the White House for St. Patrick's Day this year.
In reversal, Defense Department will continue providing crucial satellite weather data
About a month after announcing that it would stop sharing data that hurricane forecasters and scientists rely on, the Navy now says it will continue distributing it.
What Trump’s threat to tariff Russia’s trade partners means for India
President Trump said India would pay the price for buying Russian oil and military equipment. Here is a look at how India, with one of Asia's largest economies, is responding.
Father James Martin has taken heat for his LGBTQ acceptance
Father James Martin has become one of the most well-known Catholic priests in the U.S. But his journey to the priesthood took him by surprise after a chance encounter with a documentary.
Not enough money for retirement? NPR wants to hear from you
Many adults over age 50 either have no retirement savings or worry they won't be able to support themselves during their post-working years. If that's you, NPR wants to hear your story.
Brown University strikes agreement with White House to restore lost federal funding
Brown University will pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations in a deal with the Trump administration that restores lost federal research funding, officials said Wednesday.
What makes a tsunami — and what to do if one comes
Several factors help determine whether a given earthquake will generate a dangerous tsunami, but the process is not yet fully understood.
Capped Alabama coal ash pond still polluting groundwater 7 years after closure, lawsuit claims
Coosa Riverkeeper filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Alabama Power, alleging significant groundwater pollution violations from the utility’s Gadsden coal ash pond that has been capped in place since 2018.
Automakers are eating the cost of tariffs — for now
Last quarter, tariffs cost the auto industry billions of dollars. So far, that's come out of profits instead of being passed along to buyers. But that could change.
The U.S. economy rebounds to 3% growth in second quarter — but tariffs skew picture
The U.S. economy grew this spring after a slowdown earlier this year. A report from the Commerce Department shows the nation's GDP grew at an annual rate of 3% in the second quarter of the year.
Trump keeps pressuring the Fed to cut rates. Here’s why its independence matters
Trump has threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, challenging the Fed's independence. Experts say he's not the first president to target the central bank, but he's the most public and aggressive.
The Fed is likely to hold interest rates steady despite intense pressure from Trump
The Federal Reserve is expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged, but a rate cut is possible in September. President Trump has been urging the central bank to lower borrowing costs.
