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Trump says he doesn’t know if aliens are real but directs government to release files on UFOs

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of "tremendous interest."

Trump warns of ‘bad things’ if Iran doesn’t make a deal, as second U.S. carrier nears Mideast

Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East.

Eric Dane, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star and ALS awareness advocate, dies at 53

Eric Dane, the celebrated actor best known for his roles on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Euphoria" and who later in life became an advocate for ALS awareness, died Thursday. He was 53.

Venezuela approves amnesty that may release of hundreds detained for political reasons

Venezuela's acting president has signed into law an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of politicians, activists, lawyers and many others. The approval marks a stark turn for the nation.

In a historic vote, Tennessee Volkswagen workers get their first union contract

Two years ago, the successful union drive at this plant was expected to spark victories throughout the South. But now, as members vote to make their contract official, momentum has fizzled.

NASA chief blasts Boeing, space agency for failed Starliner astronaut mission

NASA's Jared Isaacman slammed Boeing for failures with its Starliner spacecraft, which was deemed unsafe to return its crew of two astronauts from the International Space Station

Internal memo details cosmetic changes and facility repairs to Kennedy Center

Trump announced his plans to close the Kennedy Center entirely for two years "for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding." The announcement came after many prominent artists canceled existing scheduled appearances.

R&B stars consider two ways to serve an audience

Two albums released the same day — Jill Scott's return from a long absence, and Brent Faiyaz's play for a mid-career pivot — offer opposing visions of artistic advancement in the genre.

Baby chicks link certain sounds with shapes, just like humans do

A surprising new study shows that baby chickens react the same way that humans do when tested for something called the "bouba-kiki effect," which has been linked to the emergence of language.

American Jordan Stolz speedskates to a third Olympic medal — silver this time

U.S. speedskater Jordan Stolz had a lot of hype accompanying him in these Winter Olympic Games. He's now got two gold medals, one silver, with one event to go.

Bad Bunny and J. Cole rule the pop charts

These days, the Super Bowl halftime show is a massive driver of the streaming, airplay and sales that fuel the Billboard charts. This week, Bad Bunny benefits from that influence.

Reporter’s notebook: My Olympic Lunar New Year

An NPR reporter covering the Olympics in Milan takes us on cultural side quests, to a hospitality house and a candy store.

Michael Pollan says AI may ‘think’ — but it will never be conscious

"Consciousness is under siege," says author Michael Pollan. His new book, A World Appears, explores consciousness on both a personal and technological level.

The U.S. and Canada set to square off in Olympic women’s ice hockey gold medal match

Canada was long the top dog of Olympic women's hockey. But with a win Thursday, the Americans could do more than earn a third gold medal — they could prove the sport's balance of power has shifted.

Amazon dethrones Walmart as the world’s biggest company by sales

In a slow-motion race of two retail behemoths, Amazon's trump card was its lucrative cloud-computing business.

A Republican plan to overhaul voting is back. Here’s what’s new in the bill

A Republican voting overhaul is back on Capitol Hill — with an added photo identification provision and an altered name. Opponents say the legislation would disenfranchise millions of voters.

‘Dude, good luck’: the Olympic wit and wisdom of a pioneering African skeleton racer

Who says serious athletes are always serious? Akwasi Frimpong, who's competed for Ghana, is a world-class wisecracker as he reflects on being a Black African athlete in the white world of winter sports.

HUD rule could push families with undocumented immigrants out of their homes

A proposed rule could put nearly 80,000 people at risk of eviction, many of them U.S. citizen children. Undocumented immigrants don't get rental aid but can currently live with family members who do.

1,000 Kenyans were recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine, intelligence report says

A new Kenyan intelligence report said the Kenyans were recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine after being misled with false promises of jobs in Russia before being sent to the front lines.

Refugees in the U.S. could be arrested under a new immigration memo

The move is another Trump administration effort to limit legal pathways to migration or resettlement, after already curbing the number of admitted refugees and re-reviewing those admitted under the Biden administration.

That ain’t perfume! Ancient bottle contained feces, likely used for medicine

Researchers found a tiny bottle from ancient Rome that contained fecal residue and traces of aromatics, offering evidence that poop was used medicinally more than 2,000 years ago.

Britain’s former Prince Andrew arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Urban sketchers find the sublime in the city block

Sketchers say making art together in urban environments allows them to create a record of a moment and to notice a little bit more about the city they see every day.

Epstein once attended an elite arts camp. Years later, he used it to find his victims

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell lavished money on the Interlochen Center for the Arts to gain access, documents show — even funding an on-campus lodge they stayed in. In the process, two teenagers were pulled into their orbit.

An unsung hero stepped in to help a newly widowed mom in a moment of need

Barbara Alvarez lost her husband in 2017, just before their daughter went off to college. Her unsung hero helped her find the strength to be a single mother to her child at a key moment in their lives.

How a recent shift in DNA sleuthing might help investigators in the Nancy Guthrie case

DNA science has helped solve criminal cases for decades. But increasingly, investigative genetic genealogy — which was first used for cold cases — is helping to solve active cases as well.

How do Olympians like Eileen Gu earn $23 million? Here are all the ways

Most Olympians never win big money — or big fame. So how are athletes such as Eileen Gu or Chloe Kim able to earn millions of dollars? Here are some of the ways.

Iran and the U.S. lean into gunboat diplomacy as nuclear talks hang in balance

Iran and the United States leaned into gunboat diplomacy Thursday, with Tehran holding drills with Russia and the Americans bringing another aircraft carrier closer to the Mideast.

Former South Korean President Yoon receives life sentence for imposing martial law

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.

José María Balcázar becomes Peru’s eighth president in a decade

José María Balcázar has become Peru's new interim president, replacing another interim leader who was removed over corruption allegations just four months into his term.

Trump gathers members of Board of Peace for first meeting, with some U.S. allies wary

President Donald Trump will gather Thursday with representatives from more than two dozen countries that have joined his Board of Peace, for a meeting that will focus on the reconstruction of Gaza.

With a win over Sweden, the U.S. men’s hockey team will play for an Olympic medal

A thrilling overtime goal by defenseman Quinn Hughes puts Team USA through to a semifinal game against Slovakia. On the other side of the bracket, Canada had its own close call, but moves on to face Finland.