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Senate votes to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general

Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing to be the next U.S. attorney general on Jan. 15.

Bondi was confirmed by a vote of 54 to 46, and will now take the reins at the Justice Department at a moment when it is facing questions about the risk of political influence at the department.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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Trump administration prepares to withdraw USAID staff from overseas posts by weekend

A USAID and American flag outside of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters in Washington, DC, on Feb. 3, 2025.

"We are being tasked to assist the department in recalling USAID employees to the United States by Saturday," State Department official Seth Green wrote in an email to staff on Tuesday.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan)

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FBI gives Justice details on employees who worked Jan. 6 cases, FBI agents sue

FBI and ATF law enforcement push out supporters of President Trump as they protested inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

The details on FBI employees comes in response to a Justice Department memo last week, asking for names of all current and former FBI personnel who worked on Jan. 6 cases or the prosecution of Hamas leaders.

(Image credit: Brent Stirton)

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What is the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE?

President Donald Trump signs an executive order on the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, in the Oval Office on Jan. 20.

President Trump said the entity would focus on cutting government waste and slashing federal regulations, and he put tech billionaire and adviser Elon Musk in charge.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

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A guide to what the U.S. Education Department does (and doesn't) do

Created by Congress in in 1979, the department employs <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/31/nx-s1-5280417/federal-workers-workforce-facts-cuts"target="_blank"   >more than 4,000 people<!-- raw HTML omitted --> and has an annual budget of $79 billion.

The department tracks student achievement, manages college financial aid and sends K-12 schools money to support students with disabilities and lower-income communities, among other things.

(Image credit: LA Johnson)

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Miami Beach is continuing to crack down on spring break partiers

The City of Miami Beach closed the streets in South Beach during Spring Break weekend last year.

It started last year, when the city launchedan expensive ad campaign telling spring breakers that the party was over and announcing new curfews and fines, as well as heavier law enforcement.

(Image credit: Giorgio Viera)

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The prospect of immigration agents entering schools is sending shockwaves among communities

Roy in his school in Chicago on Jan. 23, 2025.

President Trump got rid of a decades-old policy that prevented agents from arresting migrants without legal status in sensitive places, such as schools. Most districts are drawing a line in the sand.

(Image credit: Mustafa Hussain for NPR)

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Winter storm to move across U.S. but the South will see record high temps

This graphic by NOAA shows forecasted wintry weather across parts of the U.S. for the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Parts of the South will see high temperatures while upper parts of the U.S. will see wintry weather.

(Image credit: NOAA)

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Netanyahu meets Trump with 2nd phase of the ceasefire under negotiation

President Trump greets Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the first world leader to visit President Trump at the White House since his inauguration.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

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The first group of migrants has been sent to Guantánamo, but legal challenges loom

President Trump wants to house tens of thousands of migrants in the facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The first planeload of migrants arrived Tuesday.

President Trump aims to deport up to 30,000 migrant detainees to a holding facility there, despite the questionable legality of that move.

(Image credit: John Moore)

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A sense of foreboding hangs over the National Institutes of Health

Clinical research conducted at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Md., continues but recruitment of new patients is on hold.

There's widespread confusion and fear among scientists and doctors on the sprawling National Institutes of Health campus and at institutions dependent on the agency's funding.

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A man was sentenced to 475 years for dogfighting. The sport is surprisingly prevalent

Prosecutors Jessica Rock, right, and K.C. Pagnotta pose with Baby Shark — who was rescued from the alleged dogfighting operation as a puppy in 2022 — at the sentencing last week.

A man who was arrested with over 100 dogs and equipment at his Georgia home got the maximum sentence last week. Prosecutors hope it sheds light on the prevalence of dogfighting, a felony in the U.S.

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About 10 people are dead in a shooting at an adult education center in Sweden

Police respond to a shooting at Risbergska School, in Örebro, Sweden, on Tuesday.

Swedish police said that about 10 people, including the gunman, were killed during a shooting Tuesday at an adult education center.

(Image credit: Kicki Nilsson/AP)

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Neil Gaiman's former nanny files rape, human trafficking lawsuit

The popular fantasy author has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct.

The lawsuit alleges that Gaiman coerced sexual services from his former live-in nanny, and that Palmer "knowingly benefited" from Gaiman's actions.

(Image credit: Evan Agostini)

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RFK Jr. appears on his way to being Trump's health secretary after a party-line vote

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump

RFK Jr.'s nomination cleared the Senate Finance Committee by a 14-13 party line vote.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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The moon's grand canyons were carved in the blink of an eye

Two grand canyons on the moon radiating from the Schrödinger impact basin, from a view that looks obliquely across the lunar surface, like an astronaut in an approaching spacecraft.

The Earth's Grand Canyon took millions of years to carve, but the moon's grand canyons took about ten minutes.

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Syria's new leader denounces Iran, calling its proxies a regional threat

Syria

Syria's interim president says the now departed Iranian forces were damaging to his country and also posed a threat to the wider Middle East.

(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

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Trump administration adds fine print to "Fork" resignation offer, deepening confusion

The headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is seen on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Federal agencies are sending out sample contract agreements to their employees in what appears to be an effort to alleviate doubts. But some of the language differs from the original offer.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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Even where weed is legal, product safety isn't guaranteed

Joe Ciulla handles Ript gummies before they

Most states allow some sale of cannabis, but testing for pesticides and mold in the weed supply varies from one state to another.

(Image credit: Kevn J. Beaty/Denverite)

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Where Trump's tariffs stand. And, the Education Department may see big cuts

The flags of Mexico, Canada and the United States are shown near the Ambassador Bridge, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Detroit.

Where President Trump's tariffs stand with Mexico, Canada and China. And, the Education Department may see big cuts to staff and programs.

(Image credit: Paul Sancya)

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Why the AI world is suddenly obsessed with a 160-year-old economics paradox

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The primer on Jevons paradox that you didn't know you needed.

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'Beyond betrayal.' Venezuelans in Florida are angry at Trump immigration policy

Venezuelan community leaders speak to the media as they protest against the suspension of Temporary Protected Status in Doral, Florida, on Monday. The Trump administration is terminating an immigration program that currently protects hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants in the U.S. from deportation.

Trump's decision to remove Temporary Protected Status means more than 500,000 Venezuelans may be forced to leave the U.S. Venezuelan Americans, many of whom voted for Trump, call it a betrayal.

(Image credit: Chandan Khanna)

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Families buy more sugary cereal if advertising targets kids, not adults

American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that just nine children's cereal brands advertised directly to kids dominated purchases by families with kids: Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Pebbles, Reese's Puffs, Toast Crunch and Trix.'/>

One of the top sources of added sugar in kids' diets is in their breakfast bowls. A new study shows that advertising drives sales of high-sugar cereals when it's aimed directly at kids under 12.

(Image credit: Cathy Scola)

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Pastor pushed out after parishioners complain about focus on racial justice

Pastor Benjamin Boswell, who was pushed out as the senior minister at Myers Park Baptist Church, is seen Sunday, Jan. 26, in Charlotte, N.C.

Leaders of a Baptist church in North Carolina ousted the pastor after congregants started leaving. A secret tape provides a rare look at the debate when a message threatens a business model.

(Image credit: Sam Wolfe for NPR)

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As Trump's new tariffs take effect, China retaliates with a raft of measures

A woman walks by the Chinese and U.S. national flags on display outside a souvenir shop in Beijing on Jan. 31, 2025.

Trump ordered tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico over the weekend. Canada and Mexico reached last-minute deals to pause those tariffs Monday.

(Image credit: Andy Wong)

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Rubio says El Salvador will house deportees from U.S., including Americans

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.

A U.S. official said the Trump administration had no plans to try to deport American citizens. The U.S. government cannot deport American citizens and such a move would be met with legal challenges.

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

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Trump is weighing big cuts to U.S. Education Department

President Donald Trump has said repeatedly that he will try to close the U.S. Department of Education, seen here in Washington, D.C.

While only Congress can shutter the department, the president is reportedly considering executive action to severely scale back its responsibilities and staffing.

(Image credit: Robert Knopes)

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White House defends its 'Fork in the Road' offer to federal employees

The Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is seen on Monday in Washington, D.C.

The White House says the federal employees union is doing its members a disservice by urging them not to resign with the promise of administrative leave until September.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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Elon Musk is barreling into government with DOGE, raising unusual legal questions

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk at President Trump

The billionaire's campaign to radically upend federal agencies is stunning former White House officials, even in a political moment when many things are described as unprecedented.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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Federal judge issues restraining order blocking federal spending freeze

President Trump speaks to the press from the Oval Office on Monday.

The order came in response to a memo released by the Office of Management and Budget last week directing agencies to freeze funding for federal grants and other programs.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

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