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Chemical leak at a W.Va. plant kills 2 people, sends 30 more to hospitals, officials say

Kanawha County Commission Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman speaks at a news conference Wednesday in Charleston, W.Va.

The leak occurred at the Catalyst Refiners plant, a silver recovery business. An emergency management official says workers were preparing to shut down at least part of the facility when the leak occurred, causing a chemical gas reaction.

(Image credit: John Raby)

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Pentagon says Navy secretary is leaving, the latest departure of a top defense leader

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan speaks, as President Trump listens, at Trump

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said John Phelan, the Navy's top civilian official, was "departing the administration, effective immediately." Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will become acting secretary of the Navy.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

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Tesla's profits beat expectations, but Elon Musk says big costs are ahead

A logo for Tesla is seen on a vehicle at a Tesla facility Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Portland, Ore.

Tesla's profits were up from this time last year. But the company warned investors to prepare for expensive investments in next-generation technology like humanoid robots and AI.

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The tariff refund process has begun for businesses. What about customers?

A woman carries reusable shopping bags to her car on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Portland, Ore.

While shipping companies are pledging refunds for customers who directly paid tariff fees, the situation is much trickier for retailers.

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Inside Linda McMahon's effort to dismantle the Department of Education

A former pro-wrestling executive, McMahon is now the education secretary Trump tasked with abolishing the agency. New Yorker writer Zach Helfand explains how her WWE experience led her to this role.

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Iranians are leaving the country just to access the internet

People at the Kapikoy border crossing between Turkey and Iran, in eastern Van province, Turkey, March 2.

Iran has cut off its access to the global internet. To find an internet connection, some Iranians are traveling across the border with Turkey — even just to make video calls and then go back home.

(Image credit: Pavel Nemecek)

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Gene therapy for a rare type of deafness shows lasting results

Dr. Yilai Shu examines a young patient at the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University in China.

Researchers say a gene therapy allowed deaf children and adults as old as 32 to hear for the first time. The benefits have persisted for more than two years for some patients.

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Family influencers make the lifestyle look good. But kids pay the price, new book says

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What does it mean to monetize your offspring? To turn their childhood into content? In Like, Follow, Subscribe Fortesa Latifi explores what drives parents to become family influencers.

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Greetings from an Islamabad park, a peaceful vantage point in an uncertain world

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The park, near the venue where inconclusive Iran-U.S. peace talks took place this month, provides respite to those who visit it.

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Restrictions on obesity drug coverage force patients to pivot

Meghan Lena was devastated when she lost coverage for her obesity medication.

Twelve million people lost coverage for Zepbound over the last year. The same number of people lost coverage for Wegovy, according to an analysis by GoodRx, a drug discount website.

(Image credit: Jodi Hilton for NPR)

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Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz. And, VA voters approve redistricting effort

Voters depart after casting their ballots at a polling location at the Westover Library on April 21, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia.

Two ships came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, hours after Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran. And, Virginia voters approved a measure allowing Democrats to redraw the congressional map.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

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Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz after ceasefire extension

A man reads a newspaper with a front page article referring to anticipated US-Iran peace talks, at a stall in Islamabad on April 22, 2026. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked US President Donald Trump for extending a ceasefire with Iran and indefinitely pushing back the end of the two week truce, with Tehran silent on the decision early on April 22.

Two vessels came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after the U.S. and Iran failed to meet in Pakistan for talks to end the war and as President Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire.

(Image credit: ASIF HASSAN)

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Hakeem Jeffries says Virginia redistricting assures a 'free and fair midterm'

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Trump's effort to try to rig the midterm elections has been "thwarted," after a major victory for Democrats in Virginia.

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From the Himalayas to Newt Gingrich, the 'tree-huggers' prevail

Nepalese people hug trees during a mass tree hugging on World Environment Day in Katmandu, Nepal, Sunday, June 5, 2011.

On Earth Day, we take a look back at the rocky history of "tree-huggers." The term originated in the 1970s in the Himalayas and was later co-opted by American politics in the 1990s. Now, environmentalists are reclaiming the word.

(Image credit: Niranjan Shrestha)

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With Virginia vote, Democrats gain edge over Trump's national GOP redistricting push

A person votes in the Virginia redistricting referendum at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Alexandria, Va.

After Virginia voters weighed in on Tuesday, the redistricting set off by President Trump to help the GOP in the midterms has been countered and possibly surpassed by Democrats.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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RFK Jr. is on a congressional hearing blitz, after a long absence from Capitol Hill

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday. He has two more congressional hearings on Wednesday.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. caps off seven budget hearings in as many days, the first time he has testified before Congress since September.

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'We can do better,' FAA head says of work to update U.S. analog air traffic system

The FAA says it wants to build a brand-new air traffic control system that uses software to prevent conflicts, delays and cancellations. Here, passenger jets land and take off at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in March. Last year, a midair collision between a regional airliner and a military helicopter near the airport killed 67 people.

The U.S. aviation system is being modernized — but FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and other leaders say it will take more money to make the system more efficient and flexible.

(Image credit: Ken Cedeno)

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Trump administration delays rule aimed at improving disability access in schools

Miranda Lacy and Harold Rogers walk around the campus of West Virginia State University, where both completed undergraduate degrees. They consider the campus a second home because staff there worked hard to make sure their education was accessible. Now, they

Schools, colleges and other public institutions originally had until this week to make online content accessible to people with disabilities. Now, the Justice Department has delayed that deadline.

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How the airline industry could be impacted if Spirit Airlines is liquidated

Spirit Airlines planes parked at the closed George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston.

Spirit has not confirmed a liquidation, though it has filed for bankruptcy protection twice. Experts predict rising fuel costs could push the company to close its doors for good.

(Image credit: David J. Phillip)

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Republican strategist on Trump's Cabinet turnover and how it could affect his agenda

NPR's Michel Martin asks Republican strategist Alex Conant about the turnover in President Trump's Cabinet.

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Priceless 2,500-year-old golden helmet returned to Romania after Dutch museum raid

Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026.

The ornate Cotofenesti helmet, which was stolen in January 2025 while on loan to a Dutch museum, was recovered last month.

(Image credit: Andreea Alexandru)

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Mexico to beef up security at tourist sites after shooting at pyramids

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Mexico's government is boosting security at tourist sites in preparation for the World Cup after a man opened fire at the Teotihuacan pyramids.

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Virginia voters OK a Democratic effort to redraw the state's congressional map

A person votes Tuesday in the Virginia redistricting referendum at a polling place in Alexandria.

Virginia voters have delivered a significant win to Democrats, as the party aims to pick up four more U.S. House seats in the state.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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Southern Poverty Law Center indicted on federal fraud charges

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks as FBI Director Kash Patel listens during a news conference at the Justice Department on Tuesday in Washington.

The Justice Department alleges that the SPLC improperly raised millions of dollars to pay informants to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups.

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Instead of civil war, a naked mole rat colony changed queens peacefully

Naked mole rats live in colonies underground. Typically just one female reproduces at a time. When it

These matriarchal rodents often have bloody succession wars to replace their queen. But in a colony in California, Queen Tere ceded the throne to her daughter, Arwen, without violence.

(Image credit: Evgeniya Moskova/iStockphoto)

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As Pakistan seeks to broker U.S.–Iran peace, citizens watch for gains at home

As Pakistan works to broker peace between the U.S. and Iran, many Pakistanis are watching closely to see whether the diplomatic boost will translate into improvements at home.

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Florida AG launches criminal investigation into ChatGPT over FSU shooting

Police investigate the scene of a shooting near the student union at Florida State University on April 17, 2025 in Tallahassee, Florida. Two people were killed and five injured in the attack. Florida

Florida's attorney general is launching a criminal investigation into the alleged role of ChatGPT in a mass shooting at Florida State University last year.

(Image credit: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo)

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Florida Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, facing possible expulsion, resigns

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla, appears for a hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2026.

The Florida Democrat faced a potential expulsion vote in the House as she prepares for a federal trial on allegations that she stole disaster funds and used some of the money to finance her campaign.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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Want to lighten your mental load? First, let go of these gender myths

Leah RuppannerDrained: Reduce Your Mental Load to Do Less and Be More, busts pervasive cultural myths that keep a woman's mental load heavy.'/>

"Men can't see the mess." "Women are better at chores." These myths position women to take on more emotional thinking, says researcher Leah Ruppanner. She shares what works to reclaim your headspace.

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As the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline looms, here are the main sticking points

A member of Pakistani security personnel looks over a checkpoint from a police booth amid heightened security ahead of a potential meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials on April 20, 2026 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The status of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear enrichment program are among the biggest obstacles to extending the truce, which expires Wednesday evening.

(Image credit: Rebecca Conway)

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