Issues
Bernard LaFayette, Selma voting rights organizer, dies at 85
LaFayette laid the foundations of the Selma, Alabama, campaign that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act. He was a Freedom Rider and helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Mixed reactions, including relief, greet news the Coast Guard is buying BSC campus
The U.S. Coast Guard will take possession of the 192-acre campus in the northeast corner of Birmingham’s Bush Hills Neighborhood and will begin work to refit it as a training center for officers and enlisted personnel.
They were led off course in a big race. But a fix is more complicated than prize money
Top finishers in the Atlanta half marathon are calling for U.S. track officials to ensure that Jess McClain and two other athletes aren't excluded from the world championships because of an error.
Wall Street is betting on tariff refunds after Supreme Court ruling
When the Supreme Court struck down many of President Trump's tariffs, it left importers wondering how long they'd have to wait to get their money back. Hedge funds are offering to help out.
Announcing the 2025 NPR College Podcast Challenge Honorable Mentions
Here are some of the best entries in NPR's 2025 College Podcast Challenge.
As Mississippi waits to spend opioid settlement funds, children and families suffer
Mississippi will receive more than $400M to fight the opioid epidemic. So far, officials haven't directed it toward programs that support addiction recovery.
Alabama’s new state climatologist takes the reins
The controversial John Christy is retiring as Alabama’s state climatologist. Lee Ellenburg now assumes the role and is already making a few changes, including declaring that climate change is real and caused by humans.
As Paralympics approach, U.S. skier Sydney Peterson balances training and research
Sydney Peterson is among the U.S. athletes heading to the 2026 Winter Paralympics. A neuroscientist in training, Peterson is studying movement disorders, similar to her own condition.
The 2026 World Cup faces big challenges with only 100 days to go
Will Iran compete? Will violence in Mexico flare up? And what about funding for host cities in the U.S.? With only 100 days left before it beings, the 2026 World Cup in North America is facing a lot of uncertainty.
The candy heir vs. chocolate skimpflation
The grandson of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups creator has launched a campaign against The Hershey Company, which owns the Reese's brand. He wants them to stop skimping on ingredients.
College students, professors are making their own AI rules. They don’t always agree
More than three years after ChatGPT debuted, AI has become a part of everyday life — and professors and students are still figuring out how or if they should use it.
Alabama man, on death row since 1990, to get new trial
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review the summer ruling from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The decision paves the way for Michael Sockwell to receive a new trial.
Oil prices rise sharply in market trading after attacks in Middle East disrupt supply
The high prices came as U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. military installations around the Gulf sent disruptions through the global energy supply chain.
A U.S. scholarship thrills a teacher in India. Then came the soul-crushing questions
She was thrilled to become the first teacher from a government-sponsored school in India to get a Fulbright exchange award to learn from U.S. schools. People asked two questions that clouded her joy.
Bill making the Public Service Commission an appointed board is dead for the session
Usually when discussing legislative action, the focus is on what's moving forward. But plenty of bills in a legislature stall or even die. Leaders in the Alabama legislature say a bill involving the Public Service Commission is dead for the session. We get details on that from Todd Stacy, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
A team of midlife cheerleaders in Ukraine refuses to let war defeat them
Ukrainian women in their 50s and 60s say they've embraced cheerleading as a way to cope with the extreme stress and anxiety of four years of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Chicagoans pay respects to Jesse Jackson as cross-country memorial services begin
Memorial services for the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to honor his long civil rights legacy begin in Chicago. Events will also take place in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born and began his activism.
Columbia student detained by ICE is abruptly released after Mamdani meets with Trump
Hours after the student was taken into custody in her campus apartment, she was released, after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed concerns about the arrest to President Trump.
These major issues have brought together Democrats and Republicans in states
Across the country, Republicans and Democrats have found bipartisan agreement on regulating artificial intelligence and data centers. But it's not just big tech aligning the two parties.
Feds announce $4.1 billion loan for electric power expansion in Alabama
Federal energy officials said the loan will save customers money as the companies undertake a huge expansion driven by demand from computer data centers.
Why farmers in California are backing a giant solar farm
Many farmers have had to fallow land as a state law comes into effect limiting their access to water. There's now a push to develop some of that land… into solar farms.
Can’t get a prescription renewed? Here’s how to cope with prior authorizations
These health care hurdles can stand in the way of getting treatment your doctor says you need. Here's what to know about how to deal with them.
Lack of transportation keeps many Alabamians from working. Rural public transit programs are trying to help
While lack of transportation is a major employment barrier in Alabama, few people take public transit to work. That dynamic is even more pronounced in rural areas.
Trump’s many tariff tools mean consumer prices won’t go down, analysts say
The Supreme Court struck down President Trump's signature tariffs. But the president has other tariff tools, and consumers shouldn't expect cheaper prices anytime soon, economists say.
Hundreds of American nurses choose Canada over the U.S. under Trump
More than 1,000 American nurses have successfully applied for licensure in British Columbia since April, a massive increase over prior years.
Trump honors gold medal-winning men’s hockey team at State of the Union amid controversy
The celebration of the men's team comes after FBI Director Kash Patel's trip to the Games in Milan, and the president's comments about the U.S. women's team, have drawn scrutiny.
Flavor Flav is among women’s hockey team fans outraged by presidential snub
The rapper, who also serves as the official "hype man" for multiple U.S. Olympic teams, invited the female hockey players to Las Vegas for a "real celebration."
Flavor Flav is among women’s hockey team fans outraged by presidential snub
The rapper, who also serves as the official "hype man" for multiple U.S. Olympic teams, invited the female hockey players to Las Vegas for a "real celebration."
Flavor Flav is among women’s hockey team fans outraged by presidential snub
The rapper, who also serves as the official "hype man" for multiple U.S. Olympic teams, invited the female hockey players to Las Vegas for a "real celebration."
Flavor Flav is among women’s hockey team fans outraged by presidential snub
The rapper, who also serves as the official "hype man" for multiple U.S. Olympic teams, invited the female hockey players to Las Vegas for a "real celebration."
Flavor Flav is among women’s hockey team fans outraged by presidential snub
The rapper, who also serves as the official "hype man" for multiple U.S. Olympic teams, invited the female hockey players to Las Vegas for a "real celebration."
Is the YIMBY movement doomed?
For decades, rising home prices have been an engine for middle-class wealth. Now a growing movement wants to slow — or even reverse — that trend. Are the politics around new housing development inherently stacked against them?
