Issues
Health insurance premiums are going up next year — unless you work at these companies
As U.S. health insurance costs rise, some companies are paying for all of their workers' premiums. It's a big expense — but they say it pays off.
Greetings from the Rhône Glacier, where a gash of pink highlights how it’s melting
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Many rural schools rely on international teachers. Trump’s visa changes threaten that
The Trump administration announced a $100,000 fee to accompany each H1-B visa. The fine could wreak havoc on rural school districts that rely on them to bring in teachers.
Data centers are booming. But there are big energy and environmental risks
How tech companies and government officials handle local impacts will shape the industry's future in the U.S.
In reading, the nation’s students are still stuck in a pandemic slump
New 2025 testing data shows third- through eighth-graders scored far below 2019 levels in reading. In math, some grades have made gains, but all are lagging compared to before the pandemic.
Trent Dilfer fired as UAB’s football coach
UAB has lost three straight, leaving it 9-21 in 2 1/2 seasons under Dilfer. The Blazers were 4-8 in 2023 and 3-9 last year.
Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education
Multiple sources tell NPR that, as part of the Trump administration's latest reduction-in-force, the U.S. Department of Education has gutted the office that handles special education.
3 share Nobel Prize in Economics for work on technology, growth and creative destruction
Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the Nobel memorial prize in economics Monday for their research on how technological innovation fuels economic growth and creative destruction.
Pastors and staff from underground church are arrested in China
China has in recent years arrested and detained Christian leaders of underground churches, who are not registered with the government and under its control.
A’ja Wilson scores 31 to lead the Aces to a third WNBA championship in 4 seasons
The Las Vegas Aces — once again — were an offensive force in the WNBA Finals, finishing off a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury with a 97-86 victory.
India is forcibly deporting Muslims, including its own citizens, after Kashmir violence
In the aftermath of a deadly militant attack in Kashmir in April, authorities have expelled more than 1,500 Muslims from India, often at gunpoint.
Trump threatens tech export limits, new 100% tariff on Chinese imports
President Trump threatened to place an additional 100% tax on Chinese imports starting on Nov. 1 or sooner, potentially escalating tariff rates close to levels that in April fanned fears of a recession.
‘The Alabama Solution’: a documentary with an inside look at Alabama’s prison crisis
Alabama’s prison system is one of the most violent in the country. But you don’t often hear from those inside. The Alabama Solution, a documentary about the system told from the perspective of incarcerated people, premieres on HBO Max Friday night.
This museum immerses students in U.S. history: ‘You can smell it, touch it, see it’
At New York City's Tenement Museum, high schoolers explore the American experience through the eyes of one 1860s-era Black family.
Despite stiff opposition, Bessemer changes its laws to accommodate data centers
Residents in and around Bessemer expressed continued disapproval of a plan to build a 14.5 million square foot data center in their back yards. Now, the city is one step closer to final approval.
Pope Leo says faith and love for migrants are connected
In his first major document as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo urges nations and believers to care for the poorest in society.
Renewable energy outpaces coal for electricity generation in historic first, report says
For the first time on record, renewable energy generated more electricity for the planet than coal, a new report says.
This 4-year-old’s heart is failing. A federal grant that might help him was canceled
A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.
Bi-annual bluegrass jamboree serves up music with a side of Alabama legend
The Henderson Bluegrass Jamboree, a bi-annual event which takes place the second weekends of April and October, is a well-kept tradition among the Southeast’s bluegrass community. From sunup to sundown, picking circles are formed as are impromptu jams between strangers-turned-friends.
What are your holiday shopping plans? NPR wants to hear from you
Is this the season of cutbacks or splurges? As we prepare to cover holiday shopping and deals, NPR wants to hear from you, whatever your plans may be.
Why gold is having its best year since 1979
The price of gold hit $4,000 per ounce for the first time ever. It's a bad sign for the U.S. economy
1 in 5 high schoolers has had a romantic AI relationship, or knows someone who has
A national survey of students, teachers and parents shines a light on how the AI revolution is playing out in schools – including when it comes to bullying and a community's trust in schools.
Eighteen months after a fatal explosion, Alabama rolls back its commitment to monitor explosive gases above coal mines
In a letter to federal regulators, the director of the Alabama Surface Mining Commission wrote she has “indefinitely suspended” methane monitoring requirements her agency agreed to in 2024. Experts say the “astonishing and reckless” move leaves residents at risk.
The government has long researched high school experiences. Then DOGE cut the effort
The federal government has long surveyed high schoolers to help track how their academic choices may have influenced the course of their lives. The Trump administration put an end to that effort.
A tribe in Arizona planned to connect 600 homes to electricity. Then the funding was cut
The Hopi Tribe received a multimillion-dollar federal grant to install solar panels and battery storage systems for hundreds of homes. But the Trump administration has canceled the funding.
Alabama governor vows action after Montgomery shooting leaves 2 dead, 12 injured
The deadly shooting unfolded Saturday night in a crowded section of the city's downtown filled with bars, hotels and restaurants. The location is less than a mile from the Alabama Capitol and near sites that pay tribute to Rosa Parks and other key figures in the city’s history.
Drug checking services save lives in the Netherlands. The Gulf South doesn’t have any
Both the U.S. and the Netherlands wrestle with the politics of drug use, but their approaches diverge in key ways that reflect deeper ideological divides.
New billboard draws attention to Anthony Boyd, Alabama’s next nitrogen gas execution
Supporters of Boyd, the chairman of an in-prison anti-death penalty group, put the billboard message up in hopes of garnering more public awareness.
States are cutting Medicaid provider payments long before Trump cuts hit
North Carolina and Idaho have cut their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.
The mother of Colombian corals
Known as the mother of Colombian corals, at 70, marine biologist Elvira Alvarado is still diving — and pioneering "coral IVF" to help save endangered reefs.
Largest US Lutheran denomination installs first Black presiding bishop
Rev. Yehiel Curry succeeds Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, who served for 12 years and was the first woman to lead the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
National parks caught in the crosshairs of government shutdown
National parks across the country face conflicting demands and uncertainty as a result of the ongoing federal funding dispute.
