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A looming ‘demographic cliff’: Fewer college students and ultimately fewer graduates
The long-predicted downturn in the number of 18-year-olds is almost here. And it isn't just a problem for higher education. It's a looming crisis for the economy.
‘Don’t be boring!’ How to cope with the social pressure to drink during Dry January
What do you say to people when they ask you why you aren't drinking? How do you get your friends to hang out in places other than bars? We tackle the social conundrums of sober socializing.
As winter storms strike, airlines scramble to de-ice planes and keep them flying
A pair of powerful major winter storms is disrupting the U.S. air travel system this week. That leaves airlines no choice but to de-ice their planes before takeoff to keep them in the air.
What to know about the wildfires spreading through Southern California
Three wildfires are currently impacting Los Angeles and Ventura counties, prompting thousands of people to evacuate, schools to close and power lines to be shut off.
First international commercial flight since Assad’s ouster lands in Syria
The Qatar Airways flight landed at Damascus International Airport. Many passengers were Syrian nationals coming come for the first time in more than a decade.
Photos: Thousands in Los Angeles evacuate as wind-fueled Palisades Fire quickly worsens
More than 30,000 people in Los Angeles County have been ordered to evacuate as the Palisades Fire blazed through the Pacific Palisades community, fueled by intense Santa Ana winds.
Man who exploded Cybertruck in Las Vegas used ChatGPT in planning, police say
The highly decorated soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said Tuesday.
Wild weather brings snow to the South and Santa Ana winds to the West
As the South prepped for snow and more cold starting Wednesday, residents in Southern California faced off with hurricane-strength winds.
What to know about Trump and his keen interest in Greenland
President-elect Donald Trump has said multiple times that the U.S. should buy Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The sparsely populated island is geopolitically important and mineral-rich.
There’s great TV coming in January, from ‘Severance’ Season 2 to a Jerry Springer doc
There is a lot of TV on deck in the new year – including multiple medical dramas, a violent Netflix drama about Utah settlers in the 1850s, plus, cop shows, Westerns and documentaries.
Life-threatening windstorm triggers wildfire in Southern California
Southern California hasn't seen significant rainfall since last April, and a pileup of dry fuel in combination with the winds has the region on edge. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the Palisades.
Florida judge blocks release of special counsel report on Trump cases
Florida federal judge Aileen Cannon ordered the Justice Department not to share Jack Smith's final report until a federal appeals court resolves the legal fight.
Peter Yarrow of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary has died at 86
Yarrow wrote or co-wrote some of the group's biggest 1960s hits, including "Puff, the Magic Dragon" and "Day Is Done."
NASA hedges its bets on costly Mars rock mission
NASA has announced it is moving forward with several plans to return rock samples from Mars.
Trump in news conference says ‘all hell will break out’ if Gaza hostages not released
The president-elect made a similar pledge on social media in early December. His latest comments came during a wide-ranging news conference from Mar-a-Lago.
Meta says it will end fact checking as Silicon Valley prepares for Trump
CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the company's previous content moderation policies "censorship," repeating talking points from President-elect Donald Trump and his allies.
The U.S. says Sudan’s rebel forces have committed genocide
The Biden administration said the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces group and its proxies are committing genocide in a civil war with the country's military that has killed tens of thousands of people.
A Dutch project publicizes the names of half a million suspected Nazi collaborators
The names of some 425,000 suspected Dutch collaborators went online 80 years after the Holocaust ended, making them accessible to historians and descendants as the country grapples with its past.
She’s his boss at work, he’s her boss in bed in the unsatisfying ‘Babygirl’
Nicole Kidman plays a high-flying, married businesswoman who begins an affair with an intern half her age. It's a lead performance more daring than the film itself.
2 bodies found in JetBlue plane’s landing gear compartment at a Florida airport
The bodies were located in the wheel well area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It's the second time over the past month that a body has been found in the wheel well of an airplane.
New rules will ban medical debt from your credit report
The move, which comes less than two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office, represents a challenge to the new administration.
In a workforce transformed by war, Ukrainian women are now working in coal mines
War has changed Ukraine's workforce, especially in heavy industry and mining. With men conscripted to fight the war against Russia, women have started working in traditionally male jobs.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, French fiery far-right leader, dies at 96
Le Pen was convicted numerous times of antisemitism, discrimination and inciting racial violence. But the nativist ideas that propelled his popularity remain ascendant in today's France and beyond.
Woodfin to run for a third term as mayor
Woodfin was widely expected to make another run following electoral victories in 2017 and 2021. This year’s contest will take place August 26.
Homicide commission report offers strategies to reduce gun violence
Following a record breaking year of homicides in Birmingham, a city commission submitted a report on potential solutions for the crisis to the mayor’s office on Monday. The report lays out strategies for how the city can reduce its homicide rate, particularly those stemming from gun violence.
Tiny fish on ketamine may show how drug eases depression
In zebrafish, ketamine causes changes a brain circuit involved in "giving up." That may help explain how the drug helps people with depression.
What America’s top economists are saying about AI and inequality
Planet Money attended the annual meeting of American economists — and the most popular topic this year was artificial intelligence.
McDonald’s says it is revising some of its diversity practices
McDonald's says it is changing some of its inclusion standards, becoming the latest large company to announce it is rolling back some of its diversity practices.
Biden creates 2 new national monuments, setting a conservation record
The White House says President Biden has now protected a total of 674 million acres of lands and waters — a record for any administration. This includes two new national monuments in California.
Jimmy Carter’s funeral services begin in Washington, D.C., today
The next stop in former President Jimmy Carter's six days of funeral services is Washington, D.C., where he will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol through Thursday morning.
How to quickly find something you lost: 10 clever and practical techniques
NPR readers share their best methods for finding missing objects — from tiny screws to lost wallets. One favorite tip? Use a good flashlight.
