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Bill limiting environmental regulations goes to the governor’s desk
President Trump has taken steps to roll back environmental regulations. Some of that same action is taking place in statehouses, including Alabama's. Lawmakers gave final passage this week to a bill that would ban the state from enacting environmental rules more stringent than those at the federal level. That's where we start our weekly legislative update with Todd Stacy, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
What I learned watching every sport at the Winter Olympics
Sit down with pop culture critic Linda Holmes as she watches the 2026 Winter Games. She is exhausted by cross-country, says "ow ow ow" during moguls, and makes the case, once and for all, for curling.
Scientists worry about lasting damage from Potomac sewage spill
Drinking water around the District of Columbia hasn't been contaminated. But scientists say the environmental damage could be severe.
Using saliva to detect disease holds promise, but it’s not perfected yet
Easier than a blood test, saliva tests have the potential to detect cavities, infections and even cancer. But a lack of insurance coverage and other obstacles stand in the way of wider use.
What worked and what didn’t with a cellphone ban at a Kentucky school
Keeping students off their devices is the new norm in many schools. We talked to students and educators at one Kentucky school to see how it's working.
Israeli settlers kill 19-year-old Palestinian American, officials and witnesses say
Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
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.
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.
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.
