Series
Recovery Failure: Why we struggle to rebuild for the next storm
NPR and the PBS series Frontline investigate the forces keeping communities from building resiliently, and the special interests that profit even when communities don't.
Edmund White, who broke ground in gay literature, has died at 85
Many of White's books chronicled his own experiences as a gay man, making an indelible impression on gay culture and how LGBTQ experiences were understood more broadly at the dawning of the AIDS health crisis.
A New Orleans restaurant owner’s Facebook was hacked. It put her business in jeopardy
While multi-million dollar ransomware attacks and data thefts targeting governments and industry giants grab headlines, small businesses increasingly find themselves in online scammers’ crosshairs.
Stabilizing ‘operations,’ the National Weather Service hires again after Trump cuts
The National Weather Service says it plans to hire more than 100 additional staff members. The move follows complaints and concerns after the Trump administration eliminated more than 500 positions.
Hurricane season has started. Here’s what to know
The 2025 hurricane season officially began on Sunday. Forecasters are predicting an active season.
North Carolina had a housing crisis before Hurricane Helene; now it’s even worse
Hurricanes have gotten larger and wetter because of climate change and inland communities are at greater risk from heavy flooding. That's what Hurricane Helene did to western North Carolina last year.
Billowing smoke from Canadian wildfires wafts into the U.S.
The Manitoba wildfires have forced 17,000 people to flee the province. Plumes of heavy smoke are expected to drift into the United States over Friday and Saturday, affecting millions of Americans.
Bernard Kerik, who led NYPD on 9/11 before prison and pardon, has died at 69
Kerik, an Army veteran, was hailed as a hero after the 9/11 attack and eventually nominated to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, before a dramatic fall from grace that ended with him behind bars.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Kenyan literary giant who fought colonialism, dies at 87
The Kenyan author championed local African languages and was imprisoned for his work. His name was often mentioned in discussions about the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Al Foster, drummer for Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, has died
The superbly alert and flexible drummer formed a swirling current in modern jazz for more than 60 years. He was 82.
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of the 10th U.S. president, dies at 96
Harrison Ruffin Tyler was just three generations from the White House, since his father and grandfather both fathered children in their 70s. The chemical engineer helped preserve his family's legacy.
Going Dutch: Harm reduction is embraced in the Netherlands but struggles in the US
The Netherlands has proven drug use harm reduction works. So why does it still face stigma, criminalization and political resistance in the Gulf South?
Susan Brownmiller, whose landmark book changed attitudes on rape, dies at 90
In 1975, Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape explored pernicious cultural and legal attitudes about rape and helped debunk the long-held view that victims were partly to blame.
Marcel Ophuls, who chronicled 20th century conflict and atrocities, dies at 97
"There's a relationship between attention span and morality," Ophuls said. The filmmaker commanded his audience's attention in four-plus-hour documentaries like The Sorrow and The Pity and Hôtel Terminus.
Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 4 dead and 1 missing
Some 50,000 people have been isolated by the flooding in New South Wales, after days of heavy rain. Four bodies have been retrieved from floodwaters since Wednesday.
Jim Irsay, longtime Colts owner and music memorabilia collector, dies at 65
Irsay started with the Colts as a teenage ball boy and took ownership after his father's death in 1997. The team won a Super Bowl and two AFC championships under his nearly three-decade tenure.
DOGE cuts, policy changes jeopardize care, housing for vulnerable HIV patients in Alabama
Federal funding has helped states like Alabama and Mississippi make strides in fighting the HIV epidemic. Doctors and advocates are worried about the future.
George Wendt, who played Norm on ‘Cheers,’ has died
Wendt got his start in Chicago's The Second City improv comedy troupe. He went on to earn six Primetime Emmy nominations for his role as a lovable barfly on Cheers.
Millions prepare for severe storms in the Midwest and South
Millions of people in central and eastern Oklahoma, as well as far northwest Arkansas, are in the path of numerous severe thunderstorms expected on Monday.
More than 20 dead after tornadoes sweep through Kentucky and Missouri
Powerful storms and tornadoes tore through several Midwestern and Southern states overnight Friday, leaving carnage and flattened buildings in their wake.
At least 7 people dead and widespread damage left in the wake of severe Midwest storms
The storms were part of a severe weather system Friday that caused damage in Missouri, left hundreds of thousands without power in the Great Lakes region and brought a heat wave to Texas.
Legislative session ends with debate over police immunity bill
The Alabama legislative session wrapped up this week, but not before some contentious debate in the final hours on Wednesday night. The bill at hand was one that would expand legal immunity to police officers under certain circumstances. That's where we start our final legislative update of the session with Todd Stacy, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Charles Strouse, Broadway composer of ‘Annie’ and ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ dies at 96
The Broadway composer of Annie and Bye Bye Birdie died Thursday at 96.
What was approved, and what failed, in the 2025 Alabama legislative session
Alabama lawmakers ended the 2025 legislative session on Wednesday. Here is a look at a few of the notable bills that passed, and some that failed, during the session.
Lawmakers pass bill to criminalize bringing immigrants in the US illegally across state lines
The legislation given final approval Wednesday protects “not only the citizens of Alabama but also the people that are immigrating here legally and doing everything the right way,” said the bill’s Republican sponsor.
Trump’s plan to bring shipbuilding back to the US? Port fees on Chinese vessels
Port fees on Chinese-built ships and operators will start in October, further raising the cost of trading with the United States.
Uruguay’s ex-President José Mujica, nicknamed ‘world’s poorest president,’ dies at 89
José Mujica, the charismatic former guerrilla fighter who later went on to lead Uruguay and became known as "the world's poorest president" for his austere lifestyle, has died at 89.
Slightly unusual ‘atmospheric river’ event to hit Southeast U.S.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says an "atmospheric river" event is set to hit Florida and other parts of the Southeast. The weather event typically occurs in the West.
School cellphone ban passed in the final days of the legislative session
Smartphones are practically appendages for many nowadays, but one place you probably won't see them in use soon is in Alabama schools. Alabama lawmakers gave final passage this week to a bill that would ban them during the school day. It's where we start our weekly legislative roundup with Todd Stacey, host of Capital Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Ivey overhauls Birmingham Water Works Board amid cries of racial discrimination
The bill redistributes power from Birmingham city officials — who currently appoint a majority of the nine-person board — to the governor, the lieutenant governor and the surrounding four counties that are also in the board’s jurisdiction. It also reduces the number of board members to seven.
Q&A: How lethal injection ‘hides the violence’ of executions in the South and elsewhere
A new book explores the secretive, complicated history of lethal injection and its relationship to the death penalty.
Alabama lawmakers approve tax cuts for food, diapers and other items
The food tax reduction, if signed into law, will lower the state sales tax on food from 3% to 2% beginning Sept. 1. The reduction comes as lawmakers in both parties said families are being hurt by soaring grocery prices.
