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Trump's new tariffs could raise car prices. And, Dems demand answers after Signal leak

A House lawmaker points to text messages by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during an annual worldwide threats assessment hearing on March 26. The hearing, held by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, addressed Trump administration officials inadvertently including a journalist on a high-level Signal group chat discussing plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen.

Trump announced he'll impose 25% tariffs on imported cars starting next week. The decision received mixed reactions. And, Democrats are demanding answers after bombing plans were discussed on Signal.

(Image credit: Kayla Bartkowski)

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March Madness and babies: Are the sounds of the game too big for little ears?

Babies have small ear canals, so sounds that are loud for adults can seem even louder to infants and toddlers.

What's the right age to take kids to a loud sporting event? A Johns Hopkins noise expert on protecting babies' ears and when game day noise might be too much for them.

(Image credit: Jaap Arriens)

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Déjà vu all over again? Dodgers are MLB favorite as 2025 season begins

Shohei Ohtani, center, smiles before he and his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates play the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game on March 24, 2025, in Anaheim, California.

Major League Baseball's 2025 season gets fully underway Thursday. The scary news for the league: the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, favorites to repeat, may be even better this season.

(Image credit: John McCoy)

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Trump officials downplay the Signal leak. Some military members see a double standard

A House lawmaker points to text messages by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a hearing on March 26. The hearing, held by the House Intelligence Committee, addressed Trump administration officials inadvertently including a journalist on a high-level Signal group chat in which plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen were discussed.

The news of the leak of life-and-death operational details to a reporter lands differently with veterans and active-duty troops, who can be prosecuted for much less significant "spillage" incidents.

(Image credit: Kayla Bartkowski)

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Sen. Mark Kelly calls for Pete Hegseth to resign after Signal leak

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) speaks with journalists at his re-election celebration at Barrio Cafe on November 12, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona.

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) about the revelation that top intelligence officials discussed military plans on the publicly available messaging app Signal.

(Image credit: Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

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A new Utah law is Republicans' latest effort to limit mail ballot return

Mail ballots are processed at the Salt Lake County election headquarters on Nov. 7, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah's new law is part of a larger effort by Republicans to limit the window in which mail ballots can be counted during an election.

(Image credit: George Frey)

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As Bangladesh gears up for election, a new political player emerges

Nahid Islam, a student protester who was sworn in as a minister in Bangladesh

Last year, Gen-Z uprising in Bangladesh helped bring down Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Student activists continue to be central figures in shaping the future of Bangladesh's political landscape.

(Image credit: Rajib Dhar)

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Climate change and overfishing threaten Vietnam's tradition of making fish sauce

Phan Cong Quang makes fish sauce in his home in Nam O fishing village on March 4.

Climate change and overfishing are making it harder to catch the anchovies essential to the condiment that underlies so much of Vietnam and southeast Asia's food.

(Image credit: Yannick Peterhans)

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Exhibit takes visitors inside the annex where Anne Frank lived

A replica of Anne Frank

For the first time, a re-creation of the annex where Anne Frank and her family hid is available outside of Amsterdam. Visitors in New York said its themes reverberated in today's political climate.

(Image credit: John Halpern)

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As U.S. foreign aid grants get slashed, Greenland gets money for a dog race

A musher walks with his Greenlandic sled dogs after completing a dog sled race to determine which contestant attends the national competition on March 8 in Ilulissat, Greenland.

Second lady Usha Vance has scrapped a plan to attend Greenland's national dog sled race this week. But American tax dollars will help support the race anyway.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

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Social Security officials partially walk back plans for in-person verification

A Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Washington, D.C., is seen on March 26.

Officials said they would now exempt people who apply for Medicare and disability benefits, as well as supplemental income help for the poor, from having toprove their identity in-person.

(Image credit: Saul Loeb)

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Appeals court sides with judge who blocked deportations under wartime authority

In this handout photo provided by the Salvadoran government, a close view of handcuffs placed on the hands of a newly admitted inmate allegedly linked to criminal organizations at CECOT on March 16, 2025 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Trump

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel denied the Trump administration's push to restart deportations of alleged gang members under a rarely used wartime authority known as the Alien Enemies Act.

(Image credit: Handout)

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Legal challenges are expected for President Trump's voter registration executive order

President Trump has signed an executive order requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. Voting rights advocates are expecting lawsuits to challenge the order.

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Trump announces new 25 percent tariff on all cars made outside the U.S.

President Trump announces tariffs on auto imports in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday. Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has already imposed tariffs on imports from major US trading partners Canada, Mexico and China -- as well as a 25 percent duty on steel and aluminum imports. The move is set to fuel tensions with trading partners ahead of further promised levies next week.

The president's latest action on trade enacts a 25% tariff on cars made outside of the U.S., continuing his trade policies focused on boosting American manufacturing.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan)

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Judge allows 'New York Times' copyright case against OpenAI to go forward

FILE - The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. T (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

The legal fight could have far-reaching implications for the media and artificial intelligence industries.

(Image credit: Michael Dwyer)

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What to know about Pituffik, the only U.S. military base in Greenland

Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, is pictured in northern Greenland on Oct. 4, 2023.

Vice President JD Vance will travel to Greenland this week, including a stop at Pituffik Space Base, the U.S. Defense Department's northernmost installation and its only outpost on the island.

(Image credit: Thomas Traasdahl)

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EV buyers who missed out on their tax credits now have a fix from the IRS

Jeep Wrangler 4Xe plug-in hybrids displayed on the sales lot at Hilltop Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Richmond, California.

Some car owners couldn't claim the EV tax credit for vehicles purchased in 2024 because dealers skipped a key sales reporting step. The IRS is now offering a fix.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Brazil's Supreme Court says Bolsonaro must stand trial over alleged coup attempt

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to reporters after the Supreme Court voted that he should stand trial for allegedly attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday.

The former far-right populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, will face trial for allegedly attempting to overturn his 2022 reelection loss and stage a violent coup.

(Image credit: Ueslei Marcelino)

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The Global Race for Rare Earth Minerals

The race is on for control over deposits of rare earth elements and critical minerals that are necessary in much of the technology we use today. The U.S. is lagging behind it's main rival in this global competition, China. We hear about why these resources are so sought after and the stakes in the race to control them.

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Federal judge who drew Trump's anger picks up new case against administration

President Trump takes questions from reporters during an Ambassador Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Tuesday, where he addressed the news that Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally added to a Signal group chat of top administration officials, where highly sensitive national security information was discussed.

James Boasberg, chief judge of the D.C. District Court, will preside over a case about the Trump administration's use of a Signal group chat to discuss military information.

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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How Europeans are reacting to the Yemen war plans group chat

President Trump, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, Vice President Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen to a question from a reporter during a meeting in the Oval Office on March 13.

In Europe, there's now a sense of a "broken relationship" in discovering "the extent of American hostility," one French analyst said. "But like in love, there is life after a breakup."

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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How NPR covers itself when it's in the news

NPR

When NPR is in the news, its journalists aim to cover what's happening the same way they cover other news or an organization. The newsroom follows a protocol that seeks to ensure only a small number of employees, none of whom are directly involved in the news event, works on the coverage.

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Why Amanda Knox returns to Italy — and how she talks with her daughter about injustice

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher. In 2015, Italy

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison for a murder she didn't commit. After her exoneration, she reached out to the man who prosecuted her case. Knox's new memoir is Free.

(Image credit: Lucien Knuteson)

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What is the 'state secrets privilege' invoked by the Trump administration?

The Department of Justice and Trump administration officials are invoking the state secrets privilege in the case involving Venezuelans sent to El Salvador.

The state secrets privilege allows the U.S. government to withhold sensitive evidence in court cases. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have invoked it.

(Image credit: Patrick Semansky)

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What's soil blocking? This seeding method helps gardeners use less plastic and peat

Grace Wertanen, the "seedling intern" at Growing Hope Urban Farm in Ypsilanti, Mich. carries a tray of soil blocked plants

Soil blocking is an environmentally friendly method to prep seedlings. The technique has captured the attention of serious gardeners who'd like to make their growing more sustainable.

(Image credit: Neda Ulaby)

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Trump cuts threaten measurement lab critical for advanced chips and medical devices

Lasers shine as part of an advanced atomic clock at NIST. Precise measurements of the colors of light emitted by atoms is essential to everything from atomic clocks to medical devices.

The Atomic Spectroscopy Group provides standardized measurements used across wide swaths of science and industry. The Trump administration plans to cut it.

(Image credit: N. Phillips/NIST)

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Judge freezes Trump plan to dismantle Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

The headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague, Czech Republic, are seen on March 18.

Federal Judge Royce Lamberth ruled the continued operation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was "in the public interest" and froze White House plans to shut it down.

(Image credit: Michal Cizek)

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Supreme Court upholds Biden-era rule regulating ghost guns

The Supreme Court upheld the Biden administration

The court said that ghost guns, which are virtually untraceable weapons that require assembly, are considered "firearms" and subject to ATF regulation.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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Watch: U.S. intelligence leaders testify in House after Signal flap

Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe (R), accompanied by FBI Director Kash Patel (L), and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (C), speaks during a Senate Committee on Intelligence hearing on March 25.

The use of civilian software to discuss sensitive military and government matters came to light after a journalist from The Atlantic magazine said he was mistakenly added to a group chat on Signal.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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'Grandpas' got together to help kids. Scientists say it boosts the elders' health, too

Fourth-graders line up to shake hands with Dennis Cuddy, one of the volunteers with Grandpas United, in White Plains, N.Y.

Older men can find themselves isolated after retirement. Volunteer groups like Grandpas United are good for both physical and mental health.

(Image credit: Ashley Milne-Tyte for NPR)

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