News

Senate overrules parliamentarian and votes to undo California EV rule

The Senate parliamentarian advised lawmakers that they couldn't use the Congressional Review Act to revoke California's right to set vehicle standards. But they did it anyway. Expect a legal fight.

A top global health expert’s message to graduates: Kick the tires

NPR interviews Maria Van Kherkove, the infectious disease epidemiologist who is a leader in the World Health Organization.

Is AI coming for your job? Maybe. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare

Artificial intelligence is already transforming workplaces in Alabama. And the pace of the AI revolution is about to accelerate.

South Africa’s president praised for staying calm during Trump’s Oval Office ambush

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa keeps his cool after a carefully choreographed Oval Office ambush by Trump.

Judge considers sanctions against attorneys in prison case for using AI in court filings

U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco held a hearing in Birmingham to question attorneys with the Butler Snow firm about the filings. She said there were five false citations in two filings in federal court.

Educators fear their homeless students could become a target for Trump cuts

A federal program provides extra help to make sure students experiencing homelessness get an education. Amid massive cuts to the federal government, the program's future is uncertain.

Scientists want to track the world’s biodiversity using DNA in the air

Scientists have found a way to sample DNA out of the air on a large scale — making it possible to one day track the health and well being of all kinds of species around the world.

A Newark air traffic controller on how it felt when systems went dark

An air traffic controller who works the airspace around Newark, N.J. speaks out about what it was like to lose radar and communication systems during a shift, and how the situation got to be so bad.

How Trump made a 30% tariff feel like a relief

It's a pattern in President Trump's chaotic tariff policy: he first suggests a high number, only to later ratchet it down. Business schools call it the 'anchor effect.'

Raising ethics questions, top Trump meme coin investors to dine with president tonight

President Trump is hosting an exclusive dinner tonight for the largest investors in the $TRUMP meme coin, putting the murky world of cryptocurrencies on a collision course with White House ethics.

New Orleans Archdiocese agrees to pay nearly $180M to victims of clergy sexual abuse

Lawyers for survivors said they won't support the agreement, which they say was negotiated behind closed doors.

2 Israeli Embassy staff are killed in a shooting in Washington, D.C., officials say

As attendees departed an event held by a Jewish advocacy organization in D.C. on Wednesday night, a shooter opened fire, killing two. Later, he chanted "free Palestine," D.C. police officials said.

Trump tried to shutter Radio Free Europe. The EU threw it a lifeline

EU officials say the broadcaster for years has played an important role providing news to areas where the press can't operate freely

Here’s what’s in the GOP megabill that’s headed for a vote in the House

At the center of the sweeping bill is trillions in tax cuts, which Republicans aim to partially offset through changes to safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP.

Alabama Power threatened with lawsuit for contaminating groundwater with coal ash

Nine years after the Gadsden Steam Plant stopped burning coal, its unlined coal ash pond is still polluting Alabama groundwater, records show.

Southwest Airlines will require passengers to keep chargers visible due to fire risk

This year, there have been at least 22 incidents involving lithium batteries in air travel, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Trump administration officially accepts jet from Qatar for use as Air Force One

The plane is a gift that Trump said he would be "stupid" to turn down. Experts say the plane would take years to rework to meet the current standards for Air Force One.

A Jan 6 rioter convicted of assaulting police scored a visit to the White House

Two pardoned Jan. 6 rioters posted photos and videos of themselves visiting the White House. One of them was convicted of assaulting police and texted after the riot, "I have murder in my heart."

The pros and cons of PSA tests for prostate cancer for midlife and older men

With Biden's prostate cancer in the news, men may be wondering whether and at what age to be screened. Advice about the value PSA tests has fluctuated. Here's what to know.

Former Kennedy Center president refutes Trump’s critique of ‘bad management’

"I am deeply troubled by the false allegations regarding the management of the Kennedy Center," Deborah Rutter wrote in a statement.

First FDA-cleared Alzheimer’s blood test could make diagnoses faster, more accurate

The first Alzheimer's blood test cleared by the Food And Drug Administration is poised to change the way doctors diagnose and treat the disease.

‘Which is it?’ RFK Jr. waffles on cuts to lead poisoning prevention efforts

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough questions from senators about a lead poisoning crisis in public schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

U.S. Ambassador Huckabee is ‘outraged’ at European leaders for condemning Israel

In an interview with NPR, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the U.K., Canada and France were "blaming the wrong perpetrator," and that Hamas is responsible for the suffering in Gaza.

A salmonella outbreak sickens dozens, prompting a cucumber recall. Here’s what to do

The FDA says 26 people, nine of whom were hospitalized, have gotten sick across 15 states. It is still figuring out where the cucumbers were distributed — and warning people to take extra precautions.

Judge says Trump administration violated court order on third-country deportations

The Department of Homeland Security had earlier said eight people on a flight out of the U.S. had been convicted of crimes in the United States and that they couldn't be brought back.

The ‘tush push’ lives on. NFL teams vote to keep the controversial play

The effort to ban the play has faced pushback from teams that regularly employ it, perhaps none more successfully than the Philadelphia Eagles.

Trump administration dismisses police investigations in several cities, including Minneapolis

The decision reverses course on the use of consent decrees to ensure accountability of law enforcement agencies. It comes days before the anniversary of George Floyd's murder by a police officer.

Chicago Mayor calls DOJ probe the Trump administration’s latest diversity attack

The Department of Justice has launched a probe into the city of Chicago's hiring practices in what Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson has quickly labeled the latest hostile attack on diversity by the Trump administration.

Retailers feel pressure to eat the price increases from tariffs

From Target to Walmart, retailers are fighting two battles at once: a financial battle to keep costs low in the face of new tariffs, and a political one to avoid the president's wrath.

Greetings from Afrin, Syria, where Kurds danced their hearts out to celebrate spring

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international correspondents share moments from their lives and work around the world.

A brain-dead woman’s pregnancy raises questions about Georgia’s abortion law

A Georgia woman declared brain dead is being kept on life support because she is pregnant. It raises complicated legal questions about restrictive abortion laws in Georgia and other states.

These students protested the Gaza war. Trump’s deportation threat didn’t silence them

NPR spoke with two international students about their decision to continue speaking out despite the government's aggressive effort to deport pro-Palestinian activists.