NPR News: Posts

NPR News

Shortlisted for an Oscar, 'Homebound' is a daring movie about two dear friends

Mohammad Saiyub (above, in a Mumbai quarter on a February day) appeared in a photo that went viral in the early days of the pandemic. He and his childhood buddy Amrit Kumar were hitching home, a journey of nearly 1,000 miles. Kumar, who is a Hindu Dalit, fell ill. Saiyub, a Muslim, cradled his friend by the roadside. Their different religious identities drew attention in a country where communal relations have been polarized after a decade of Hindu nationalist rule. The photo and the story behind it inspired the award-winning movie <!-- raw HTML omitted -->Homebound<!-- raw HTML omitted -->.

The movie, now streaming on Netflix, defied current trends in Indian cinema to tell the true story of a friendship between a Muslim and a Hindu Dalit. Martin Scorsese was secretly involved.

(Image credit: Diaa Hadid/NPR)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Five things to know about Hungary's election

Vice President Vance meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on April 7, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary.

Hungary votes Sunday in a pivotal test of Viktor Orbán's "illiberal democracy," as challenger Péter Magyar taps voter frustration, with stakes for Europe, NATO and the U.S.

(Image credit: Pool/Getty Images)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

'How are you using AI?' Your therapist should ask you that question, experts argue

ChatGPT, Claude and Character.AI are chatbots powered by artificial intelligence that people are using increasingly.

A paper in JAMA Psychiatry says mental health providers should ask if patients are using artificial intelligence chatbots, just as they would ask patients about sleep habits and substance use.

(Image credit: Kiichiro Sato)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Inflation surges to highest level in nearly two years as energy costs spike

Gasoline prices jumped more than a dollar a gallon in March, pushing inflation higher.

Consumer prices in March were up 3.3% from a year ago, the biggest annual increase in nearly two years. Higher gasoline prices tied to the war with Iran accounted for much of the surge.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

VP Vance to lead U.S. team in Iran peace talks. And, Artemis II to return to Earth

Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media before boarding Air Force Two to return to Washington, D.C. from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on April 8, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary.

Vice President Vance is heading to Pakistan to lead a U.S. team in talks aimed at ending the war in Iran. And, Artemis II is set to return to Earth today.

(Image credit: Pool)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

China's Xi meets Taiwan opposition leader ahead of key summit with Trump

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right shakes hands with Kuomintang (KMT) party leader Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on Friday, April 10, 2026.

Xi Jinping and the KMT's Cheng Li-wun agreed to pursue peace, but Taiwan's ruling party worries it will enable Beijing to undermine its democracy.

(Image credit: Xie Huanchi)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Trump says Iran 'doing a very poor job' in reopening the Strait of Hormuz

First responders search under the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the village of Habbouch, southern Lebanon on April 10, 2026.

The fragile ceasefire agreement was tested again on Friday after Iran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes in Lebanon, and Kuwait was attacked with drones.

(Image credit: ABBAS FAKIH)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Vance heads to Pakistan for talks to end the war between Iran, the US and Israel

Vice President JD Vance enters his highest-profile moment Friday as lead U.S. negotiator in face-to-face talks with Iran.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Communities are waiting on billions in disaster funding from the Trump administration

The 2021 Caldor fire was a wake-up call for California

States say disaster funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has slowed to a trickle under the Trump administration. That's delaying projects to protect communities from wildfires and hurricanes.

(Image credit: JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

This week's quiz reveals a dramatic twist! OR DOES IT?

From left: Arsenio Hall, Stephen Colbert, Zendaya.

If you keep up with secret identities, you'll get at least one question right this week!

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Women are getting most of the new jobs. What's going on with men?

The Labor Department says the vast majority of new jobs created over the last year went to women, most of them in health care.

Over the past year, the vast majority of new jobs have gone to women. One economist says to help men find work, we need to embrace ways to "make girly jobs appeal to manly men."

(Image credit: melitas)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

There's growing disquiet in the military. The Iran war made it worse

undefined

Since Trump began his second term, his administration's use of the armed forces has left a growing number in the military unsettled, according to NPR interviews with service members and advocates.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Nations tried to impose a digital fog of war in Iran. The results are mixed

A satellite image of destroyed planes at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Iran on March 7.

Governments are blocking the internet, banning social media posts and cutting access to commercial satellite images. But experts say that efforts to censor information have had mixed results.

(Image credit: Planet)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Artemis II astronauts are set to return to Earth today. Here's what to expect

NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman looks at Earth through Orion

After swooping around the moon, viewing an eclipse, breaking an Apollo distance record and testing out a space toilet, NASA's Artemis II mission is about to return to Earth. Here's what the astronauts must face to make it safely home.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Overwhelmed by kid clutter? Get organized with these 7 smart tips

undefined

If your household is starting to look like one giant playroom, it might be time to declutter. Here's how to cut down on stress-inducing mess and decide what to keep, donate or let go.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Republicans in Congress brace for a fight over the Iran war price tag

The U.S. Capitol is visible in the early morning hours on April 2, 2026.

In recent days, multiple GOP lawmakers have gone public with their concerns over the war -- a range of issues Republican leadership will have to address as they face the task of securing new funding.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Morning news brief

Vance to serve as lead US negotiator in peace talks to end Iran war, Israel and Lebanon to hold ceasefire talks, NASA's Artemis II astronauts return to Earth Friday.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Inflation expected to climb to highest level in 2 years

The federal government delivers a cost-of-living report Friday. A spike in gasoline prices triggered by the war with Iran is expected to push inflation to its highest level in nearly two years.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa dies at age 68

FILE - Hip hop DJ pioneer Afrika Bambaataa speaks at a news conference in New York on Feb. 28, 2006.

Afrika Bambaataa, a man widely considered one of the main pioneers of hip-hop, died in Pennsylvania of prostate cancer on Thursday, according to his lawyer.

(Image credit: Henny Ray Abrams)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Well-timed bets on Polymarket tied to the Iran war draw calls for investigations from lawmakers

FILE - Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., listens during a House committee on homeland security hearing addressing threats to election security at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 20, 2022.

Calls are increasing inside Congress for investigations into the prediction market platform Polymarket after the latest instance where groups of anonymous traders made strategic, well-timed bets on a major geopolitical event hours before it occurred.

(Image credit: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Immigration board denies Mahmoud Khalil's appeal

FILE - Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil holds a news conference outside Federal Court, Oct. 21, 2025, in Philadelphia.

The Board of Immigration Appeals has denied Mahmoud Khalil's latest attempt to dismiss his deportation case. This decision brings the Palestinian activist one step closer to possible expulsion.

(Image credit: Matt Rourke)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel tells NBC News that he will not step down

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a welcome speech to participants of the "Nuestra America," or Our America Convoy at the Convention Palace in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 20, 2026.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has told NBC News' Meet the Press that he would not step down in his first interview with a U.S. network.

(Image credit: Adalberto Roque)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein in rare public statement

First lady Melania Trump listens as U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) delivers remarks during an Independence Day military family picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on July 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.

The first lady made a rare public statement on Thursday saying she was not friends with the late sex offender. She also said Epstein did not introduce her to President Donald Trump.

(Image credit: Samuel Corum)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

How an ancient resin traded for centuries got snarled up by the Iran war

Frankincense is harvested from Boswellia trees on the Arabian peninsula.  It

It's not just energy supplies that have been disrupted by the Iran war. It's also hitting frankincense, a commodity that's been defining trade routes in the Middle East for thousands of years.

(Image credit: Maha Loubaris)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

710,000 fewer babies were born last year in U.S. compared with two decades ago

File photo showing babies in a U.S. maternity ward. The fertility rate in the U.S. has dropped steadily. Last year, there were roughly 710,000 fewer children born in the U.S. compared with the peak in 2007.

The U.S. fertility rate continued its slide to historic levels, due to plunging teen pregnancies and far more women delaying motherhood into their 30s and 40s.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

How a cheese sandwich at the Masters is still $1.50 in an era of price hikes

Concession stand sandwiches range from $1.50 to $3 at the Masters this year.

The priciest concessions at the Masters, beer and wine, cost just $6 each. The Georgia golf tournament prides itself on a simple and affordable menu, even as ticket prices continue to climb.

(Image credit: Andrew Redington)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

How bad for humans is wildlife trade? A new study has answers

This pangolin was confiscated from a smuggling ring that sold endangered animals to restaurants in China. Animals caught up in the wildlife trade pose a great risk of spillover diseases.

People sell wild animals for food and for traditional medicine — legally and illegally. A study looks at the risks of spillover diseases from those pangolins, giant rats and other exotic critters.

(Image credit: Jimin Lai/AFP)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Artemis II astronauts have fitness lessons for everyone

The Artemis II crew — Christina Koch (left), Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman — have to share tight quarters aboard the Orion spacecraft on their way home. But even with limited space, they can still get a solid workout in — thanks to a very special piece of equipment.

The Artemis II astronauts don't have a lot of space to exercise. That's why they've got the flywheel — a small device that can be used for strength and cardio workouts.

(Image credit: NASA)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

This doctor turned a 31-foot RV into one of the country's only mobile OB-GYN clinics

Mary Fariba Afsari's book, Labor, is a portrait of reproductive healthcare in post-Dobbs America. Her book also is about her Iranian heritage and her grandmother's death from an illegal abortion.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

In the Trump era, everybody's talking about 'soft power.' But ... what is it exactly?

A protester carries a sign that equates foreign aid with soft power during a rally near the U.S. Capitol to protest the dismantling of USAID, the international agency charged with dispensing humanitarian aid around the world on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. government long saw giving international aid as a way to build goodwill throughout the world. Did it work? And what does the reducing of foreign aid mean for that effort now?

(Image credit: Ben de la Cruz/NPR)

Continue Reading…