Populist conservative Laura Fernández wins Costa Rica's presidential election

Presidential candidate Laura Fernández addresses supporters after polls closed in San José, Costa Rica, Sunday.

Candidate Laura Fernández won a resounding victory, promising to continue the aggressive reorienting of the Central American nation's politics started by her predecessor.

(Image credit: Carlos Borbon)

NPR News2 hours, 37 minutes ago

What Jared Kushner's 'New Gaza' plan includes, and what it leaves out

Jared Kushner speaks after the signing of a Board of Peace charter during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22.

President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner laid out a plan for a "New Gaza." A close look suggests it makes room for fewer Palestinians and less housing.

(Image credit: Evan Vucci)

NPR News2 hours, 43 minutes ago

Trump administration sued over visa freeze on immigrants from 75 countries

A sign for the U.S. Department of State is seen on the outside of the Harry S. Truman Federal Building on on July 11, 2025 in Washington, DC.

A group of nonprofit organizations and U.S. citizens Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's sweeping suspension of immigrant visa processing for people from nearly half of the world's countries.

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)

NPR News3 hours, 13 minutes ago

U.S. sledder Katie Uhlaender appeal denied, won't race at Milan Cortina Olympics

Katie Uhlaender, of the United States, shown here competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, was denied her chance to compete at a sixth Winter Games.

International officials say a point-rigging scheme denied American Katie Uhlaender a shot to compete in the Milan Cortina Olympics. But a sports tribunal based in Switzerland says it can't intervene.

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

NPR News3 hours, 41 minutes ago

The Trump Administration exempts new nuclear reactors from environmental review

The Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. The laboratory will soon be home to five new test reactors being built by private companies. Supporters hope the reactors will power data centers needed for Artificial Intelligence.

The announcement comes just days after NPR revealed the administration had secretly rewritten safety and environmental standards.

(Image credit: Idaho National Laboratory)

NPR News4 hours, 15 minutes ago

The 'Melania' movie audience: Older white women

Ads for the Melania movie at the New York Stock Exchange, where the first lady rang the bell last week.

The pricey Amazon documentary did well in areas like Dallas, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta and West Palm Beach. Amazon says a docuseries is also on the way.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt)

NPR News4 hours, 16 minutes ago

Trump says he's closing the Kennedy Center for renovations. We have questions

On Sunday, President Trump announced he will close the Kennedy Center in July for two years of renovation. Above, a tarp covers construction on the building

After President Trump announced plans for a "Complete Rebuilding" of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., what exactly did he mean, and what does it mean for the arts?

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

NPR News5 hours, 51 minutes ago

A major census test faces cutbacks — with postal workers tapped to help count

The U.S. Census Bureau

The Trump administration has shrunk the number of locations for this year's field test of the 2030 census and added plans to test replacing temporary census workers with U.S. Postal Service staff.

(Image credit: John Raoux)

NPR News6 hours, 48 minutes ago

N.Y. Republican met with jeers over ICE tactics during town hall in swing district

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Discontent over ICE enforcement tactics is spilling out into races across the country, including competitive congressional districts held by Republicans, like Rep. Mike Lawler of New York.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

NPR News7 hours, 32 minutes ago

Meet Milo and Tina, the 'first openly Gen Z' Olympic mascots

Tina, left, and Milo, right, are the official mascots of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, named after the host cities of Milan and Cortina.

The 2026 Olympics and Paralympics mascots are Milo and Tina, a pair of teenage, scarf-clad stoat siblings with big dreams. If you're wondering what a stoat is, you're in the right place.

(Image credit: Gabriel Bouys)

NPR News8 hours, 21 minutes ago

This global health leader praises Trump's aid plan -- and gears up to beat malaria

Bill Steiger is the new head of the non-profit Malaria No More. During the first Trump administration, he was chief of staff at the United States Agency for International Development. He

Bill Steiger, who served in the George H.W. Bush and first Trump administrations, reflects on the past year's changes in the U.S. role — and his new job as head of Malaria No More.

(Image credit: Ben de la Cruz/NPR)

NPR News11 hours, 29 minutes ago

The House races to end shutdown. And, Trump wants to close Kennedy Center for 2 years

The U.S. government entered a partial shutdown on Jan. 31 as a midnight funding deadline passed without Congress approving a 2026 budget, though disruption was expected to be limited with the House set to move early next week to ratify a Senate-backed deal.

Lawmakers are racing to end a partial government shutdown after Congress missed its funding deadline on Friday. And, Trump wants to close the Kennedy Center for two years for renovations.

(Image credit: Aaron Schwartz)

NPR News13 hours, 50 minutes ago

Hemp and marijuana are the same species. So why all the different laws?

A farmer

Farmers in the U.S. have grown cannabis since the 1600s — but policymakers are still figuring out how to regulate two famous types of Cannabis sativa. A historian calls the plant "incredibly cryptic."

(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm)

NPR News13 hours, 51 minutes ago

The Education Department's efforts to fire staff cost over $28 million, watchdog says

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Building, which houses the U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C.

A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office calculates the cost of efforts to fire civil rights staff, and questions the department's ability to enforce federal civil rights laws.

(Image credit: Bill Clark)

NPR News13 hours, 51 minutes ago

Too old to compete? This 87-year-old triathlete has tips for staying in the game

Luise Easton has continued competing in triathlons into her 80s despite having issues with her heart.

Despite issues with her heart, this octogenarian still competes in triathlons. She's proof that preventive medicine paired with smart lifestyle choices help seniors stay active longer.

(Image credit: Shawn Green)

NPR News13 hours, 51 minutes ago

Refugees relive the trauma they fled as ICE targets them in Minnesota

J.J.

The Trump administration says it's reviewing thousands of cases to look for potential fraud. A judge ordered a temporary pause, saying refugees cannot be arrested "without warrants or cause."

(Image credit: Zaydee Sanchez for NPR)

NPR News13 hours, 51 minutes ago

With an ACA fix uncertain in the Senate, Republicans replay old health care fights

Sen. Bernie Moreno (right), R-Ohio, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., are shown in a hallway of the Capitol talking. Cassidy is leaning down as Mereno speaks into his ear.

Things are looking bleak for a fix in Congress for ACA premiums that doubled, on average, this month. And Republicans are making arguments against the law that haven't worked in years past.

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

NPR News13 hours, 51 minutes ago

After being hit by a car, she was saved by a lavender bunny

Joann Moschella had just been hit by a car when an unlikely hero came to her rescue.

Eight years ago, Joann Moschella was injured after her bicycle was hit by a car. That's when her unsung hero appeared, dressed in a furry lavender bunny suit.

NPR News13 hours, 55 minutes ago

Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt slated to reopen

Israel says it has allowed Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt to reopen, a key step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. No one has crossed yet.

NPR News15 hours, 12 minutes ago

Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopens for limited traffic

Trucks carrying humanitarian aids line up to enter the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing, heading for inspection by Israeli authorities before entering the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.

Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopened on Monday for limited traffic, a key step as the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire moves ahead, according to Egyptian and Israeli security officials.

(Image credit: Mohammed Arafat)

NPR News16 hours, 26 minutes ago

Groundhog Day puts Punxsutawney Phil's forecast about winter's length in the spotlight

FILE - Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 137th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler

When Phil is said to have seen his shadow upon emergence from a tree stump in rural Pennsylvania, that's considered a forecast for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, an early spring is said to be on the way.

(Image credit: Barry Reeger)

NPR News22 hours, 41 minutes ago

Kennedy Center to close for 2 years for renovations in July, Trump says

President Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday after returning from a trip to Florida. He says he will move to close the Kennedy Center for two years for renovations.

President Trump says he will move to close Washington's Kennedy Center for two years. It follows a wave of cancellations since Trump ousted the previous leadership and added his name to the building.

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

NPR News23 hours, 1 minute ago

What to know about Artemis II's 'wet dress rehearsal'

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft are seen at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sunday.

As astronauts prepare to fly around the moon, critical testing must occur before there is "Go" for launch.

(Image credit: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo)

NPR News1 day, 1 hour ago

Bomb cyclone brings bitter cold and snow to the Southeast

Snow falls at the University of South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.

Temperatures in southern Florida reached the coldest they've been since 1989, according to the National Weather Service.

(Image credit: Sean Rayford)

NPR News1 day, 7 hours ago

Swiss Alpine bar fire claims 41st victim, an 18-year-old Swiss national

Flower tributes are placed at the entrance of the "Le Constellation" bar and lounge where a fire which broke out during New Year

Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the owners of Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, where a fire in the early hours of Jan. 1 killed dozens.

(Image credit: Cyril Zingaro)

NPR News1 day, 11 hours ago

Alcaraz beats Djokovic to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts during the men

The 22-year-old Spaniard's win against 38-year-old rival Novak Djokovic at Sunday's Australian Open makes him the youngest male player to win all four major tournaments.

(Image credit: Mark Baker)

NPR News1 day, 12 hours ago

In the world's driest desert, Chile freezes its future to protect plants

Ana Sandoval, a dedicated researcher at Initihuasi Seed Bank, nurturing the future with a pot of shooting seeds—preserving biodiversity one sprout at a time.

Tucked away in a remote desert town, a hidden vault safeguards Chile's most precious natural treasures. From long-forgotten flowers to endangered crops.

(Image credit: John Bartlett)

NPR News1 day, 12 hours ago

At a clown school near Paris, failure is the lesson

From left: Gaulier students Alayna Perry, Brian Byrne and Joseph Bucci receive feedback on a short skit involving a pie in the face.

For decades, students at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier have been paying to bomb onstage. The goal isn't laughs — it's learning how to take the humiliation and keep going.

(Image credit: Rebecca Rosman for NPR)

NPR News1 day, 13 hours ago

Iran's supreme leader warns any US attack would spark 'regional war'

This handout image from the U.S. Navy shows an EA-18G Growler landing on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Indian Ocean on Jan. 23, 2026.

Iran's supreme leader warned Sunday that any attack by the United States would spark a "regional war" in the Mideast, further escalating tensions as President Donald Trump has threatened to militarily strike the Islamic Republic.

(Image credit: Seaman Daniel Kimmelman)

NPR News1 day, 13 hours ago

Minnesota citizens detained by ICE are left rattled, even weeks later

Aliya Rahman is detained by federal agents near the scene where Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer on Jan. 13 in Minneapolis.

The number of immigration agents in Minnesota may be reduced, but they'll leave leave behind a changed community, including many U.S. citizens questioned and detained in recent weeks.

(Image credit: Adam Gray/AP)