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The federal shutdown puts nutrition aid for millions of new parents at risk

Nearly seven million pregnant women and young children depend on WIC for healthy foods. Advocates say funding could run out in about two weeks, leaving states to close the gap if their budgets allow.

Pope Leo XIV says ‘inhuman treatment of immigrants’ in the U.S. isn’t ‘pro-life’

Pope Leo XIV weighed in on U.S. politics, saying that Catholic politicians must be judged on the full range of their policy positions and suggesting that the country's immigration policy is "inhuman."

A new documentary about a dastardly worm and a heroic effort by Jimmy Carter

"The President and the Dragon,' premiering today, looks at Carter's momentous decision to try and wipe out a devastating and neglected disease. We spoke to writer and co-director Waleed Eltayeb.

Activists say Israel’s navy has begun intercepting a Gaza-bound aid flotilla

The Global Sumud Flotilla, with Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson and European lawmakers aboard, includes some 50 boats and 500 activists and is carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid.

Colombia: The birthplace of cumbia

One of the most listened-to genres in the Americas, photographers and storytellers Karla Gachet and Ivan Kashinsky document cumbia in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and the United States.

Jane Goodall, legendary primatologist, has died at age 91

Jane Goodall, primatologist who transformed our understanding of the lives of apes, has died, according to an announcement from the Jane Goodall Institute.

Trump freezes $18 billion in funding for NYC, home to key Democratic leaders

On the first day of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration froze "roughly $18 billion" in infrastructure projects for New York City, home to two of Trump's Democratic congressional opponents. It's not the first time Trump has threatened city funding over politics.

When will the government reopen? Here’s how long past shutdowns lasted

Government shutdowns lasting more than a few days were relatively rare — until recently. The 2018-2019 shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, stretching on for five weeks.

Lawsuit filed against immigration authorities after U.S. citizen’s arrests in raids

An Alabama construction worker and U.S. citizen who says he was detained twice by immigration agents within just a few weeks has filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding an end to Trump administration workplace raids targeting industries with large immigrant workforces.

What will Congress do after the shutdown? We asked a Republican and a Democrat

Most of the federal government is shut down after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement. We asked two House members — a Democrat and Republican — where they think talks go from here

The BET Hip Hop Awards cut the cord as DEI dies

The show's suspension comes amid broader efforts to curb diversity at the institutional level. The next attempt to canonize the movement must learn lessons from its successes — and its missteps.

Trump’s controversial nominee drops bid to head vital data-gathering agency

Trump's pick to lead the agency tracking unemployment and inflation has withdrawn after withering criticism from across the political spectrum. The White House says a new nominee will be named soon.

Hundreds of celebrities relaunch a McCarthy-era committee to defend free speech

The Committee for the First Amendment first launched in the 1940s, when the House Un-American Activities Committee accused Hollywood actors, directors and writers of being communists or sympathizers.

PEN America warns of rise in books ‘systematically removed from school libraries’

A new report says that the number of books being challenged or removed from public schools across the country has risen exponentially in the past two years. A Clockwork Orange tops their list.

Greetings from Kyiv, where you might stumble across Zelenskyy taking a stroll

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

Where things stand with Trump’s National Guard deployments

The Trump administration has deployed or threatened to deploy National Guard troops in more than half a dozen American cities that it says are crime ridden.

Kimmel and Colbert appear as guests on each other’s shows

On Tuesday night, in New York City, they united in a special talk show crossover of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS.

A GOP push to restrict voting by overseas U.S. citizens continues before 2026 midterms

Republican officials are pushing for more voting restrictions on U.S. citizens who were born abroad and have never lived in the country, after unsuccessfully challenging their ballots in 2024.

Fans of the mysterious Mothman bring its West Virginia hometown new life

It started in the 1960s, when two couples told a harrowing story about being chased by a large flying creature on a rural road. It grew from there — and now 20,000 people come to celebrate Mothman.

Taylor Swift popularized fighting for masters. Are more artists getting ownership?

Taylor Swift turned masters ownership from a behind-the-scenes conversation into a mainstream debate about artist autonomy. But how has that fight influenced other artists in the music industry?

China’s ride-hailing companies try to quell the smell in cars where some drivers sleep

China's ride-hailing car drivers work long hours to get enough fares, and often live in their cars. Companies and passengers are penalizing drivers for smelly vehicles.

Poll: Agreement that political violence may be necessary to right the country grows

On hot button issues, a majority say children should be vaccinated; controlling gun violence is more important than gun rights; and Epstein files should be released, in a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.

Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE’s push to cut

Eight months after the Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce began, some agencies are hiring workers back – and spending more money than before.

Fool me once: the magical origin of the word hoax

Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions are collectively known as hoaxes. But there's more than meets the eye.

Dozens killed in a powerful earthquake that hit the Philippines

The death toll was expected to rise from the Tuesday magnitude-6.9 earthquake that trapped an unspecified number of residents in the hard-hit city of Bogo and outlying rural towns in Cebu province.

Government shuts down after Congress fails to reach a funding agreement

Much of the federal government is now shut down after Republicans and Democrats in the Senate failed to agree on a funding plan to keep the government open.

Change is brewing in the coffee industry. What lies ahead?

Coffee growers are facing climate change, labor shortages and incomes below the poverty line. On International Coffee Day, we take stock of the industry behind the beverage.

President announces TrumpRx website for drugs, and pricing deal with Pfizer

The Trump administration says it is making deals with drug companies to lower prices U.S. consumers pay for medicines. But key details are missing on how the initiative would work.

Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown

Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.

A lawsuit tries to block the Trump administration’s efforts to merge personal data

A class action lawsuit argues that the administration's efforts to combine databases of personal information on Americans violates privacy laws and the Constitution.

Here’s what a shutdown means for Smithsonian museums, memorials and the zoo

History tells us visitors will likely find shuttered doors at major cultural institutions. But they will also find plenty of alternatives.

‘I can’t stop DJing,’ Mark Ronson says — never mind the back pain

Ronson's memoir, Night People, is a love letter to late-night 1990s New York City. Ronson would go on to produce music for Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and other pop superstars.