News
Supreme Court grants DOGE access to confidential Social Security records
The order, for now, overturns actions that limited DOGE's access to sensitive private information. In a separate case, the court said DOGE did not have to share internal records with a watchdog group.
Trump admin asks SCOTUS to intervene and allow Ed Dept cuts
In an emergency appeal, the administration is asking the Supreme Court to lift a lower-court order blocking mass staffing cuts at the Education Department.
Sea turtle Dilly Dally released into the ocean with three flippers after undergoing amputation
Dilly Dally, a loggerhead turtle who survived a run-in with a predator that ultimately cost her a flipper, has been rereleased into the wild.
He led George W. Bush’s PEPFAR program to stop AIDS. Now he fears for its future
Dr. Mark Dybul was an architect of PEPFAR, a program credited with saving 26 million lives. Now its future could be in jeopardy as Congress reviews the Trump administration's funding rescission memo.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador, is back in the U.S. to face smuggling charges
Abrego Garcia will face criminal charges for allegedly transporting migrants without legal status around the country, according to a Justice Department indictment.
With an eye to the World Cup, Trump signs executive order on drone risks
The risks of drones have been underscored by Russia's drone strikes in Ukraine, and Ukraine's surprise drone strikes that destroyed some aircraft deep within Russia, the White House said.
DHS memo details how National Guard troops will be used for immigration enforcement
The memo obtained by NPR says troops would be used in activities, including in "night operations and rural interdiction," as well as "guard duty and riot control" inside detention facilities.
Court fees can pile up. An effort to make a more effective system stalls after Trump administration cuts
Court fines and fees are meant to hold people accountable. But for many, they lead to debt, arrest, and a cycle that’s hard to break. A project that started in Birmingham aimed to make the system better. But recently, the Trump Administration cancelled an effort to expand the research.
South Korean maestro Chung will be the first Asian to head Italy’s famed La Scala
Myung-Whun Chung will be one of the first non-Italians to take the post of music director at Milan's famous opera house.
RFK Jr. is shrinking the agency that works on mental illness and addiction
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration has seen its staff cut by more than a third, and it's facing deep budget cuts. Progress on overdose deaths could be lost, experts warn.
Hiring slowed in May, as employers added 139,000 jobs
U.S. employers added 139,000 jobs in May — a modest slowdown from the previous month. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, as the workforce shrank.
A Song for the Cahaba River
As the Cahaba’s “charismatic” namesake lily blooms, an old festival and a new musical tribute celebrate Alabama’s longest free-flowing river.
No ‘going back’ for Elon Musk after calling for Trump impeachment, says Steve Bannon
Right-wing podcaster and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon says Elon Musk "crossed the Rubicon" by calling for impeachment. He says the president should deal with feud as "national security issue."
Sen. Tim Kaine says Trump’s tariffs could reduce federal debt, but at what cost?
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who is also on the Senate Budget Committee, about how President Trump's tariffs will affect the federal budget and the economy.
3 years in, Sandy Hook families still wait to collect what Alex Jones owes them
The Infowars founder declared bankruptcy after families sued him for defamation and won more than a billion dollars in damages, but Jones has yet to pay them a dime.
Russia launches massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine, killing 3 in Kyiv
President Trump said the Russian leader Vladimir Putin had warned that he would retaliate for a covert Ukrainian attack in Russia last weekend that destroyed dozens of Russian bombers.
A surprise find in Michigan shows the extent of ancient Native American agriculture
Hundreds of acres in Michigan are covered in parallel rows of earth that are the remains of an ancient Native American agricultural system. The surprise find has archaeologists amazed.
Trump says it may be better to let Ukraine, Russia ‘fight for a while’
In an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Trump likened the war between Russia and Ukraine to a fight between two children who hate each other.
Smoke knows no boundaries: What Canada’s fires mean for the U.S. in the future
More than 200 wildfires are raging across Canada, sending a thick blanket of choking smoke through the U.S. Midwest. Experts says climate change means U.S. residents better get used to it.
What the Trump-Musk breakup may mean for SpaceX and Tesla
From space travel to military operations to the future of green energy, the U.S. has become reliant on Elon Musk's business empire. But it won't be easy for the government to end its reliance on Musk.
‘No more floppy disks’: Air traffic control overhaul faces some daunting obstacles
The fragile state of the U.S. air traffic control system was easy to see during the recent outages in Newark. But it will be a lot harder to make up for decades of underinvestment and other mistakes.
Who called the GOP megabill a ‘disgusting abomination’? Find out in the quiz
Eruptions! Defections! Depictions! So much happened this week, but were you paying attention?
The U.S. Copyright Office used to be fairly low-drama. Not anymore
President Trump fired the head of the U.S. Copyright Office just after the agency released a major report on AI. Copyright insiders say it's caused a shakeup in their normally drama-free neck of the woods.
Judge puts temporary hold on Trump’s latest ban on Harvard’s foreign students
Admitted students around the world are anxiously tracking the school's feud with the Trump administration, which is seeking to keep it from enrolling international students.
Private lunar lander from Japan crashes into moon in failed mission
The Tokyo-based company ispace declared the mission a failure several hours after communication was lost with the lander.
Young offenders are often denied credit for “dead time” behind bars
Juvenile detention systems often deny young offenders credit for the time they spend waiting behind bars
From bromance to breakup: How Elon Musk and Donald Trump blew up
The blow up marks the end of an alliance between the president and the billionaire that lasted far longer than many observers expected.
Israel says it’s arming clans to fight Hamas in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the government was arming factions in the Gaza Strip to combat Hamas, after accusations from an opposition politician.
Trump’s travel ban includes Afghanistan, where thousands await U.S. resettlement
President Trump's travel ban on a dozen countries includes Afghanistan. Since American troops left in August of 2021, many Afghans have already arrived in the U.S. but many more are still waiting.
Trump says he and Musk ‘had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore’
Trump said he was surprised that his former adviser Elon Musk is scorching the Republican megabill, but said he thought Musk was wrong and conflicted in his criticism.
Concerns over conditions in U.S. immigration detention: ‘We’re hearing the word “starving” ‘
ICE detentions have surged, but deportations have lagged. Over the past month, NPR spoke to dozens of detainees, families and lawyers who spoke of overcrowded facilities lacking food and medicine.
In vitro fertilization emerges as a central issue in the Alabama state Supreme Court race
An Alabama fertility lawyer announced her candidacy for the state Supreme Court, emphasizing her personal experience with in vitro fertilization and blasting a controversial 2024 decision that ruled frozen embryos can be considered children under state law.
