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Trump rushed from White House Correspondents' Dinner after sounds of possible gunfire

First Lady Melania Trump and President Trump at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner April 25, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

President Trump and several cabinet members were rushed from the event in Washington, D.C. after several loud sounds were heard. The Secret Service appeared to have one person in custody.

(Image credit: Nathan Howard)

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New CEO Steve O'Donnell vows to unite NASCAR and return the fun

Steve O

Steve O'Donnell was introduced as the sanctioning body's chief executive officer at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday and vowed to "make some moves" that will return the storied racing series to its roots.

(Image credit: Mike McCarn)

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Dirk Kempthorne, former Idaho governor and U.S. Interior secretary, dies at 74

Department of the Interior Former Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, testifies during a joint House Subcommittees

Dirk Kempthorne, a Republican, was elected mayor of Boise at age 34 and served seven years before serving one term in the U.S. Senate and then as governor until 2006.

(Image credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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In a rare interview, a leader of the world's largest right-wing group talks to NPR

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers take part in the Hindu nationalist organisation

The second-in-command of the RSS, a Hindu nationalist organization in India, rarely speaks to the Western press. Here's what he said about his group's controversial history.

(Image credit: IDREES MOHAMMED)

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Rocky Balboa statue takes up a new home inside Philly art museum

The Rocky statue overlooks the city skyline outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

The bronze sculpture is on display inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of a new exhibition on the impact and cultural importance of statues.

(Image credit: Tassanee Vejpongsa)

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Roommate charged with two counts of murder in death, disappearance of two USF students

The Hillsborough County Sheriff

Authorities have filed murder charges against the roommate of a Bangladeshi doctoral student who disappeared with his girlfriend from the University of South Florida.

(Image credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

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Pope Leo reiterates opposition to death penalty on same day U.S. approves firing squads

The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8 in Vatican City, Vatican.

Pope Leo reiterated the Catholic Church's teaching that the death penalty is "inadmissible," in a video message released hours after the Justice Department said it would allow firing squads for federal executions.

(Image credit: Christopher Furlong)

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Mali hit by wave of coordinated attacks from armed groups

An ariel view of Bamako, Mali, April 25, 2026.

Gunfire and explosions have rocked Mali's capital Bamako and other key cities in one of the most significant coordinated attacks in years, as armed groups, including jihadist insurgents and separatist rebels exploit worsening insecurity in the Sahel region.

(Image credit: uncredited)

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Opinion: A lesson in humanity at the Boston Marathon

Robson De Oliveira, Ajay Haridasse and Aaron Beggs cross the finish line in the Boston Marathon on Monday.

Two runners in this week's Boston Marathon stopped to help a racer who had collapsed just short of the finish line. NPR's Scott Simon says their generosity is its own kind of "personal best."

(Image credit: Cj Gunther)

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Justice Department makes it easier to deport those with DACA status

The order in the case involving Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago came from the Board of Immigration Appeals, an administrative court within the Justice Department.

Three appellate immigration judges sided with Department of Homeland Security lawyers who appealed a decision from Immigration Judge Michael Pleters terminating removal proceedings for DACA recipient Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago.

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)

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The rising cost of fertilizer and fuel prices is pushing some farmers to the brink

Sledge Taylor, 73, walks his corn fields just outside Como, Miss. on Friday, April 17, 2026. The corn stalks are currently between vegetative stages known as V3 and V5, normally when Taylor would be applying nitrogen fertilizer. But he said he may not do it this year because of the cost of fertilizer.

In the Mississippi Delta, a crucial agricultural region, farmers say their patience is wearing thin. Reeling from the effects of tariffs, they must now also navigate rising fertilizer and fuel costs.

(Image credit: Jay Marcano for NPR)

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Some Planned Parenthood clinics are using Botox to smooth over federal cuts

Samantha Pohlman, a registered nurse, performs a cosmetic treatment procedure on Christine Ruiz at Planned Parenthood - B Street in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, March 20. Planned Parenthood is expanding its services by offering cosmetic treatments like injections to expand its revenue sources.

After President Trump and Congress cut certain Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood in last year's budget, some clinics have started offering aesthetic services, including Botox, to stay afloat.

(Image credit: Tracy Barbutes for NPR)

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DOJ wants to shield its lawyers from outside scrutiny. Critics worry about oversight

Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi answers questions from the media at the U.S. Capitol on March 18, 2026. Bondi is one of several DOJ officials who

Critics say the proposed rule to let the DOJ step into state bar investigations could weaken one of the last independent checks on government lawyers.

(Image credit: Matt McClain)

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Iran's foreign minister awaits U.S. delegation to Pakistan for peace talks

An Iranian woman walks past symbolic belongings laid on the ground at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 24, 2026, in tribute to the schoolgirls in Minab killed in an airstrike.

Iran's Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday, as the White House confirmed Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel there Saturday to try to "move the ball forward towards a deal."

(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

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Justice Department to allow firing squads for executions in move to ramp up capital punishment

The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, on May 6, 2025.

The Justice Department will adopt firing squad as a permitted method of execution as the Trump administration moves to ramp up and expedite capital punishment cases.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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Appeals court rules that Trump's asylum ban at the border is illegal

President Trump speaks during an event on health care affordability in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday in Washington.

A U.S. appeals court ruled Friday that immigration laws allow people to apply for asylum at the border, and the president cannot bypass this. The decision stems from Trump declaring the border situation an invasion and suspending asylum.

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

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From night life in Egypt to rice farming in Vietnam, the war in Iran is a drain

A man closes the door of a shop in Cairo, Egypt, to comply with the government

Fuel costs more. Food is harder to get. jobs are evaporating. And in Cairo, cafes and restaurants are ordered to close at 9 p.m.

(Image credit: Ahmed Gomaa/Xinhua News Agency)

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A real-life Kraken stalked the seas of the late Cretaceous

A sketch of the giant octopus.

Researchers discovered evidence of enormous Kraken-like creatures who hunted in the seas some 100 million years ago, competing with large apex predators.

(Image credit: Yohei Utsuki/Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University)

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Before sci-fi was everywhere, this pioneering magazine championed 'scientifiction'

The April 1926 issue of <!-- raw HTML omitted -->Amazing Stories<!-- raw HTML omitted --> hit newsstands in March of that year. The cover art by Frank R. Paul illustrated the Jules Verne tale "Off On a Comet."

The name didn't stick. The fan communities did.

(Image credit: Amazing Stories)

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Justice Department drops inquiry into Fed Chair Jerome Powell

President Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tour the Federal Reserve

The move paves the way for the Senate to confirm Kevin Warsh, the president's nominee to head the central bank.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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Decades-old, newly restored Smithsonian carousel reopens -- to children's delight

Denay Wilkerson and her son Cairo, 2, ride the newly restored Smithsonian National Carousel on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

The carousel was first desegregated when part of Gwynn Oak Amusement Park outside Baltimore in 1963. It was moved to the National Mall after the park closed.

(Image credit: Valerie Plesch for NPR)

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How Pittsburgh — host of this year's NFL draft — became a sports mecca

The North Shore of the Allegheny River outside Acrisure Stadium on Tuesday, in Pittsburgh.

The Pennsylvania city is hosting the draft for the first time in almost 80 years. Pittsburghers say the city's passionate fanbases and winning teams make the selection a natural fit.

(Image credit: Jeff Swensen for NPR)

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Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is extended by 3 weeks as tensions rise in Strait of Hormuz

From left: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, Vice President Vance, President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa listen to questions from the media at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Hezbollah and Israel traded fire just hours after the ceasefire extension was announced, underscoring its fragility.

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)

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Israel and Lebanon extend ceasefire. And, Trump eases medical marijuana rules

A cannabis dispensary stands in Brooklyn on April 23, 2026, in New York City. President Trump

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend their ceasefire for three weeks, President Trump says. And, the Trump administration is easing rules on medical marijuana.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt)

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Thousands of seafarers stranded by ongoing U.S. blockade on Strait of Hormuz

As the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports drags on, thousands of seafarers are stranded on ships, and economic shockwaves ripple around the world.

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At a veteran-led protest on Capitol Hill, grief and dismay reverberate over Iran war

Veterans, military family members and supporters are detained by Capitol Police officers during an demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill calling upon the Trump administration to end the war on Iran on April 20 in Washington, DC.

Photos and videos from the protest, which resulted in 66 arrests, have spread widely across social media — amplified by others who share a similar frustration and unease about the country's military action.

(Image credit: Leigh Vogel)

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'Self-aware' robots can learn complex tasks by watching humans. Is that a good thing?

Scientists have used machine learning to help robots learn how to do new tasks even in changing conditions.

Scientists say they've made a key breakthrough that would allow robots to figure out complex tasks on their own — but experts say it raises questions about how much risk comes with letting robots be in charge of their own learning.

(Image credit: Malte Mueller)

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After 2 failed votes, Mike Johnson unveils new plan to extend key U.S. spy powers

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., takes questions at a news conference at the Capitol on Tuesday.

With an April 30 deadline fast approaching, Johnson unveiled his latest proposal to extend the controversial surveillance program known as FISA 702.

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

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Why Trump wants to spend $1 billion on Great Salt Lake

Bison walk on the dry lake bed of the Great Salt Lake on April 08, 2026 near Syracuse, Utah.

Utah's Great Salt Lake has been labeled an "environmental nuclear bomb" and it has the attention of the president of the United States.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

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Morning news brief

Ongoing U.S. blockade of Strait of Hormuz strands thousands of seafarers, Trump administration eases rules on medical marijuana, Wildfires fueled by drought continue to spread in parts of Georgia.

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