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Fighting assault allegations, Eric Swalwell suspends his bid for California governor

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks at a town hall meeting in Sacramento, Calif., last week

The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Swalwell calls them false but apologized to his supporters and family.

(Image credit: Rich Pedroncelli)

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Will Orbán's defeat change Hungary's relationship to the EU?

Historic voter turnout in Hungary ousted Prime Minister Viktor Orbán from power. This shift may dramatically change Hungary's relationship with the European Union, which Orbán criticized regularly.

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Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in historic Hungary election

Hungarians turned out in historic numbers to vote against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's and his Fidesz party. NPR's Rob Schmitz discusses with reporter Esme Nicholson and political scientist Abel Bojar.

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The consequences of Hungary's election, for Viktor Orban and the world

NPR's Rob Schmitz speaks with political scientist Abel Bojar about the results of Hungary's election, the far-reaching consequences of the vote and the future for Viktor Orban.

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Hungary's Viktor Orbán concedes defeat, ending 16 years in power

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives to address a "Day of Friendship" event at MTK Sportpark in Budapest, Hungary on April 7.

Hungarian voters turned out in the greatest numbers since the 1990s to turn away from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's right-wing populist Fidesz party, putting an end to Orbán's 16 years in power.

(Image credit: Attila Kisbenedek)

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A country-by-country glance at Pope Leo XIV's trip to Africa

Pope Leo XIV attends the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter

Pope Leo XIV's four-nation, 11-day trip to Africa is so dizzying in its complexity it recalls some of the globetrotting odysseys of St. John Paul II in his early years.

(Image credit: Andrew Medichini)

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A Hezbollah commander describes battling Israel in Lebanon

People inspect the aftermath of Wednesday

In a rare interview, a wounded Hezbollah commander tells NPR about his secretive Shia Muslim militia's new command structure and how it has managed to keep firing rockets into northern Israel.

(Image credit: AFP)

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No Deal: U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad collapse

Vice President JD Vance gives a thumb up sign as he boards Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026.

The United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement after a day of highly anticipated face-to-face peace talks, Washington's lead negotiator Vice President J.D. Vance announced on Sunday.

(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

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The real space science behind 'Project Hail Mary'

In the film <!-- raw HTML omitted -->Project Hail Mary<!-- raw HTML omitted -->, middle school teacher Ryland Grace (played by Ryan Gosling) goes on a interstellar journey and conducts lab science in space in a quest to save humanity.

The science fiction blockbuster wowed audiences with its depiction of space travel and more. Here's what NASA staff and other scientists say about the basis for the amazing events of the film.

(Image credit: Jonathan Olley)

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White House ballroom construction can continue for now, appeals court says

Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood.

The order comes as the Trump administration challenges a lower court ruling that the estimated $300-million project requires congressional approval.

(Image credit: Rod Lamkey)

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Trump touts newly released plans for D.C. triumphal arch

Artist renderings and diagrams for President Trump

The proposed 250-feet-tall, white-and-gilded monument would stand on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., by the Potomac River.

(Image credit: Jon Elswick)

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At a concert in Budapest, anti-Orbán sentiments take center stage ahead of election

At a concert in Budapest, musicians and concertgoers express criticism of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's leadership.

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How Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's hometown became a symbol of excesses

Pancho Arena, soccer stadium in Felcsút, Hungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long been accused of corruption. Sightseers now flock to his hometown as groups aim to raise awareness of what they say are the leader's excesses.

(Image credit: Rob Schmitz)

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In Hungary, upcoming elections could bring an end to Orban's 16-year rule

In Hungary, voters head to the polls Sunday. At stake: the future for populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Europe's longest-serving leader - and an ally of Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

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Pope Leo says 'delusion of omnipotence' is fueling U.S.-Israeli war in Iran

Pope Leo XIV leads a vigil for peace inside St. Peter

In the first weeks of the war, the Chicago-born Leo was initially reluctant to publicly condemn the violence and limited his comments to muted appeals for peace and dialogue. But Leo stepped up his criticism starting on Palm Sunday.

(Image credit: Gregorio Borgia)

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Artemis II splashdown captures nationwide attention

NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, left, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist are seen sitting on a Navy MH-60 Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha.

Fans across the country tuned in to see the Artemis II crew make their splashy return to Earth.

(Image credit: Bill Ingalls)

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Opinion: A well-deserved statue for a hero rat

Cambodia is recognizing the life-saving contributions of a rat named Magawa with a statue. The late rat sniffed out landmines for a non-profit group, and in a short career helped find more than 100.

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The Great Green Wall's one of the world's most ambitious eco-projects. Is it working?

Women install barricades to halt the shifting dunes that threaten to swamp the oasis outside their village of Kaou, Chad. The oasis feeds their only source of farmland, but oases in the region have been shrinking steadily, elders say, in the face of hotter temperatures and stronger winds. The dune fixing is part of a broader intervention to support farming known as the Great Green Wall initiative.

It's a global effort with a multibillion dollar price tag. Among its aims: re-greening nearly 250 million acres, planting 4,000 miles of trees, helping farmers, creating jobs, sequestering carbon.

(Image credit: Tommy Trenchard for NPR)

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India cracks down on satirists for turning its prime minister into a punch line

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) takes a group photo with AI company leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (third from right), Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei (second from right), Google CEO Sundar Pichai (third from left) and Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang (second from left), at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Feb. 19.

India's satirists are turning Prime Minister Narendra Modi into a punch line — and the government is hitting back.

(Image credit: Ludovic Marin)

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Gut troubles? This gastroenterologist has tips to help you achieve 'poophoria'

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In her new book You've Been Pooping All Wrong, Dr. Trisha Pasricha shares habits and practices to make your relationship with your solid waste as smooth as possible

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After a whirlwind mission to the moon, astronauts are back home. Here's what's next

The Artemis II crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — splashed down in an Orion space capsule Friday after a 9-day mission to the moon and back.

The Orion crew module containing the four Artemis II astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Friday evening.

(Image credit: Bill Ingalls)

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In Syria, instability allowed ISIS fighters to flee camps, but many of their families still detained

Children ride a bicycle and play in the Roj camp in a Kurdish-held territory in northeast Syria in March. The detention camp houses wives and children of ISIS members.

NPR visits the last detention camp for ISIS wives and children in an increasingly precarious northeastern Syria.

(Image credit: Claire Harbage)

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How AI is getting better at finding security holes

AI lab Anthropic announced this week that it had developed a powerful new model the company believes could "reshape cybersecurity." It said that its latest model, Mythos Preview, was able to find "high-severity vulnerabilities, including some in every major operating system and web browser."

Anthropic announced this week that its new model found security flaws in "every major operating system and web browser." Even before the news, AI models had gotten dramatically better at finding bugs.

(Image credit: Patrick Sison)

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Peru's election: A battle for the Presidency amid political chaos and crime

Pedestrians pass election campaign signs for presidential and congressional candidates, before the weekend

With 35 candidates in the race, Peru is set to elect its 9th president in less than a decade. Amid rising corruption and crime, voters are left asking: Can this election finally break the cycle?

(Image credit: Martin Mejia)

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Pakistan hosts U.S.-Iran peace talks after weeks of frantic diplomacy

A police officer walks past a billboard regarding the United States and Iran negotiations, outside a media facilitation center in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, April 11, 2026.

Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, is set to host peace talks today with leaders from Iran and the US, including Vice President J.D. Vance.

(Image credit: Anjum Naveed)

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WATCH LIVE: Artemis II astronauts return to Earth

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The four astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II mission are about to plunge through the atmosphere toward Earth, after a successful visit to the moon.

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After more than 9 days in flight, NASA's Artemis II is set to return to Earth

The four astronauts on NASA's Artemis II lunar mission are set to return to Earth Friday evening. The crew is wrapping up a journey around the moon with a planned splashdown off San Diego, Calif.

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Epstein survivors have mixed feelings on Melania Trump's call for hearing in Congress

First lady Melania Trump delivers a statement at the Grand Foyer of the White House on April 9, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

The first lady made a public statement on Thursday saying she was not friends with Epstein, and calling for further action in Congress. Survivors of the late sex offender's abuse differ on her proposal.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

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Months after the ICE shootings in Minnesota, a federal probe remains elusive

People walk by signs showing the faces of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration agents during the ICE surge in Minneapolis.

Officials in Minnesota have sued the Trump administration, saying federal officials are withholding evidence in the killings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good by immigration agents in Minneapolis, as well as the non-fatal shooting of a Venezuelan man.

(Image credit: Stephen Maturen)

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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)

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