Issues
Cloudy with a chance of showers? Fed’s economic forecast coming today
The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady Wednesday. Members of the central bank's rate-setting committee will telegraph their plans for possible rate cuts later this year.
Announcing the 2024 NPR College Podcast Challenge Honorable Mentions
Here are some of the best entries in NPR's 2024 College Podcast Challenge.
Florida Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions by beating the Oilers in 6 games
The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions, becoming the NHL's first back-to-back winners since Tampa Bay in 2020 and '21 and the third team to do it this century.
Leader of top FEMA disaster coordination office resigns, as Trump moves to eliminate agency
Jeremy Greenberg was in charge of coordinating federal help after hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and other emergencies. He has resigned from leading FEMA's National Response Coordination Center.
With the World Cup a year away, the U.S. men’s soccer team needs a shot in the arm
A handful of dreadful losses — plus some drama between the team's biggest star and its new head coach — has the USMNT looking for a badly-needed rebound in this summer's Gold Cup tournament.
Joey Chestnut will return to the Coney Island hot dog contest after last year’s beef
Joey Chestnut was banned from the contest that made him famous after signing an endorsement deal with a company that makes plant-based proteins. The 16-time champ returns to Coney Island on July 4th.
Peter Mohler named new University of Alabama president
Mohler comes to the role from Ohio State University where he served as executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge and as chief scientific officer of the Wexner Medical Center. He also served as Ohio State’s acting president in 2023.
The darter fish and the data center
A newly identified species is already in danger of extinction. A proposed massive data center in Bessemer would “nuke” its habitat, scientists say.
Purdue Pharma, Sacklers reach new $7.4 billion opioid settlement
A new $7.4 billion opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family has been approved by all U.S. states and territories
‘It’s pretty cool to see so many people who are all like me’: Birmingham celebrates Pride
Birmingham’s 47th annual Pridefest wrapped up this weekend, but not before a festive pride parade brought out revelers in colorful dress to the city’s Lakeview District Saturday night.
Crowds flood downtown Birmingham during ‘No Kings Day’ protest
Crowds stretched across multiple city blocks through downtown Birmingham on Saturday evening to protest President Donald Trump. It was part of a day of protests around the country dubbed “No Kings Day”.
Harvard and the Trump administration return to court over international students
The hearing on whether to indefinitely block President Trump's June 4th proclamation on Harvard's international students is scheduled in federal court in Boston.
People told my dad not to bother educating his 4 daughters. He didn’t listen
On Father's Day, Esther Ngumbi thinks of the sacrifices her Kenyan dad made to ensure that not only his son but his four daughters got an education. He'd say, "I choose to educate you, my girls."
On World Elder Abuse Day officials warn of financial scams targeting seniors
Sunday, June 15 is World Elder Abuse Day, a time officials raise awareness for seniors about potential scams they could come into contact with. According to FBI data, seniors lost $4.8 billion to scammers in 2024.
In one of the nation’s most polluted communities, Trump terminates funding for air monitoring
Residents in majority-Black north Birmingham have long been subjected to industrial pollution. The new administration has cut funding for a program aimed at measuring the impact.
10 years after the deadly church shooting, a new history of ‘Mother Emanuel’
Reporter Kevin Sack's new book is a history of Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, the oldest Black congregation in the South, where a white supremacist killed nine worshippers a decade ago.
Oil prices jump and stocks tumble following Israel’s attack on Iran
Israel's attack on Iran sparked the biggest jump in crude oil prices since Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. Stocks fell sharply.
Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals don’t have them.
Alabama has 44 certified SANEs for the entire state. Louisiana has 42. Mississippi only has 6 — for a population of almost three million.
A popular climate website will be hobbled, after Trump administration eliminates entire staff
Climate.gov is the main source of timely climate-related information for the public. It will stop publishing new information because the Trump administration laid off everyone who worked on it.
Trump’s efforts to defund NPR and PBS playing out in Congress and the courts
Trump and other Republicans want to rescind more than $1 billion in federal funding already approved for NPR and PBS. The president also issued an executive order intended to prevent federal agencies from funding the two public broadcasting networks.
Alabama drops four places in national child well-being rankings
Alabama ranked 43rd nationally for child well-being in the latest KIDS COUNT data book from by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Almost all of the Fulbright board resigns, citing Trump administration interference
Former Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board members said the Trump administration usurped their authority by denying awards to "a substantial number" of the individuals it had selected for the program.
Why there’s an unexpected surge in people claiming Social Security
Some early filers say worries about the future under the Trump administration moved up their timelines.
Mississippi’s tech scene is in a catch-22. How can it move forward?
Mississippi ranks near the bottom for the size of its tech industry. But despite its shortcomings, some believe the state is not far from its own tech boom.
Live in a hurricane-prone area? Here’s how to prepare your home for flooding
If you're worried about flooding this hurricane season, here are some ways to harden your home with flooding and climate change in mind.
Inflation is holding steady as Trump’s tariffs have yet to fully hit
Consumer prices in May were up 2.4% from a year ago, but inflation eased on a monthly basis, according to the latest figures from the Labor Department
A federal law helps homeless students get an education. Trump’s budget could weaken it
Federal law grants students experiencing homelessness a right to extra support and protections. Advocates say President Trump's proposed budget would strip that law of its power.
The U.S. and China have agreed on a framework to resolve their trade disputes
After two days of talks in London, the U.S. and China have agreed in principle on a framework to carry out an agreement they reached on resolving their trade disputes last month, Chinese state media said.
Alabama executes Gregory Hunt by nitrogen gas for 1988 murder of Karen Lane
Hunt's execution marks Alabama's third this year, on pace to match the six it carried out last year, and the fifth time it used the controversial method.
Looking into Alabama’s ‘Blood Money’: how taxpayers foot the bill for lawsuits by prisoners
The Alabama Department of Corrections settled more than 100 lawsuits against its corrections officers for excessive use of force since 2020. Inmates say officers left them with broken bones and brain damage. Beth Shelburne, a Birmingham-based independent investigative reporter, found that taxpayers are covering the cost in her four-part series for the Alabama Reflector called "Blood Money."
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, Pew study says
The Pew report reveals how religious disaffiliation and population growth have influenced the global religious landscape.
Canceled climate grants would have cut pollution while boosting production, jobs at two Alabama ironworks
The U.S. Department of Energy rescinded $3.7 billion in clean energy grants last month, saying the projects selected would not generate a positive return on investment.
