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House GOP leaders prep vote on budget despite rift within the party

Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrives for a House Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on April 8, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Republicans in Congress are closer to passing key elements of President Trump's legislative agenda — like extending tax cuts that expire at the end of the year — but only if the House and Senate can get on the same page.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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'We love them': Small N.Y. town embraces a family freed from immigration detention

Three students will return to Sackets Harbor Central School after their community in northern New York called for authorities to release the family, arrested by federal agents in late March.<!-- raw HTML omitted -->

"I get goose bumps," said school principal Jamie Cook, thinking about the community rallying to support the family. The three students and their mother were arrested by immigration agents.

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USAID enabled 208 Afghan women to defy the Taliban ban on college -- until now

Women students stand outside Kabul University in Afghanistan. As of December 2022, the Taliban has banned women from higher education. But for some, a USAID grant provided online options as well as a chance to study abroad. That scholarship program has now been terminated.

A USAID grant enabled them to either study online or enroll in college in another country. Now the grant has been terminated.

(Image credit: Ebrahim Noroozi)

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A biotech company says it has bred three pups with traits of the extinct dire wolf

Romulus and Remus, the pups with dire wolf traits that were bred by Colossal Biosciences, are pictured at three months old.

Colossal Biosciences says it used novel gene-editing technology to alter gray wolf DNA to breed the animals. Dire wolves recently featured prominently in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

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Supreme Court lets Trump move forward with firing thousands of federal workers

The U.S. Supreme Court is shown March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.

The Supreme Court's stay, which allows the administration to execute the firings for now while it litigates in federal court, does not mean the terminations were lawful.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

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Trump defends new tariffs. And, Supreme Court backs Trump in deportation case

Traders work on the floor Monday at the New York Stock Exchange in New York.

President Trump defended his new tariffs and asked for patience as experts warn of economic repercussions. And, immigration advocates worry about SCOTUS' Alien Enemies Act ruling.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig)

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World markets regain some ground after Trump tariffs shock investors

Currency traders watch computer monitors near the screen showing news reporting with a picture of President Trump at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul on Tuesday.

After major slides in equity trading across the world, any slight uptick in stock prices will only repair part of the destruction of trillions of dollars in investor wealth over the past few days.

(Image credit: Lee Jin-man)

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It's sexual assault awareness month and HHS just gutted its rape prevention unit

In April, many communities hold events to raise awareness of sexual violence, such as this event in Reading, Pa., in 2021, put on by Safe Berks. Sexual violence prevention efforts often get funding and support from the federal government.

The CDC teams that supported local sexual assault prevention groups were 'wiped out' in RFK Jr.'s overhaul of the Department of Health and Human Services.

(Image credit: Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle)

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International students spoke out against the war in Gaza. Now, some face deportation

Protesters attend a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil in New York City on March 10.

The Trump administration has targeted students — both those with visas and those with permanent legal status — who protested the war in Gaza. Free speech advocates warn that these are test cases.

(Image credit: Yuki Iwamura)

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International students spoke out against the war in Gaza. Now, some face deportation

Protesters attend a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil in New York City on March 10.

The Trump administration has targeted students — both those with visas and those with permanent legal status — who protested the war in Gaza. Free speech advocates warn that these are test cases.

(Image credit: Yuki Iwamura)

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Bienvenidos! Some colleges are targeting a long-neglected group: Hispanic students

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Colleges are recognizing the importance of this growing pool of potential students.

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Trump's election order could jeopardize 'hundreds of thousands' of future mail ballots

An election worker sorts vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary at King County Elections in Renton, Wash., in March 2020.

Eighteen states count mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day, but a new order by President Trump challenges the practice.

(Image credit: Jason Redmond)

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The rise of the influencer as rap artist

PlaqueBoyMax attends ComplexCon in Las Vegas in November 2024. Already an online celebrity for his livestreams, he released his debut EP, <!-- raw HTML omitted -->LONDON<!-- raw HTML omitted -->, on March 20.

The YouTube star PlaqueBoyMax built his following the usual way, livestreaming opinions on music and news. What's unusual is his latest move, which tests the modern meaning of the word "creator."

(Image credit: Sara Jaye)

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Why is Trump sending immigrant university scholars to Louisiana and Texas?

Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk and Badar Khan Suri were arrested by immigration officials and, in a matter of hours, were sent to detention centers in Louisiana and Texas — more than a thousand miles from home.

Lawyers say the government is trying to gain a legal advantage as it tries to expel noncitizens over their pro-Palestinian activism.

(Image credit: Via Georgetown; via Ozturk family/Reuters; Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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American Giant CEO says China tariffs are 'overdue' but warns of industry confusion

Bayard Winthrop of American Giant store in Soho, photographed on November 15, 2018.

American Giant sources and makes most of its products in the U.S. Its CEO says tariffs on China were overdue, but he worries the wide range will cause confusion about the global textile supply chain.

(Image credit: Andrew Morales/WWD)

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How to avoid harmful chemicals in skin care and beauty products

Researchers and experts share safety tips to make your skin care and beauty regimen leaner and cleaner.

Some ingredients found in personal care products like lotion and shampoo may be harmful to your health. Here's how to avoid these chemicals and choose healthier alternatives.

(Image credit: Beck Harlan/NPR)

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Iran says it will have 'indirect' talks with the U.S. in Oman on Saturday

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd in Tehran, Iran, March 31.

Iran says it will have indirect talks with the U.S. Saturday in Oman, opening possible diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program but revealing a potential sticking point about the format for negotiating.

(Image credit: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader)

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Flooding death toll in Congo's capital reaches 33 as officials race to help victims

People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday.

Heavy rains began last week, causing the key Ndjili River to overflow on Friday and submerge hundreds of buildings. Many residents blamed the government for not responding quickly enough.

(Image credit: Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

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Garbage piles up in Birmingham as the U.K. city's sanitation strike enters 5th week

Local residents deliver rubbish to mobile collection vehicles in Erdington, Birmingham, England on Monday.

As heaps of black bags littered sidewalks with their contents spilling out of holes chewed by critters, the city council declared a major incident to bring in additional cleanup crews and vehicles.

(Image credit: Jacob King)

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Florida swamps Houston, winning 3rd NCAA men's basketball national championship

Alex Condon #21 of the Florida Gators dunks the ball against Joseph Tugler #11 of the Houston Cougars during the second half in the National Championship of the NCAA Men

The Florida Gators downed Houston, denying the Cougars their first-ever title. Florida, one of a record 14 Southeastern Conference teams to make the men's tournament, won its third NCAA championship.

(Image credit: Alex Slitz)

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China vows retaliation after Trump's latest tariff threat

A man walks into a merchandise store displaying Chinese and United States

Trump said on Truth Social he would impose the new tariffs on China if Beijing did not retract a 34% retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods that it announced in response to Trump's initial salvo last Wednesday.

(Image credit: Andy Wong)

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The U.S. will hold direct, high-level talks with Iran, Trump says

A man writes a slogan on a portrait of the U.S. President Donald Trump during a rally commemorating anniversary of Iran

It's been more than a decade since the two powers have had direct talks. President Trump offered few details about what the talks would entail, or when they'd be scheduled.

(Image credit: Vahid Salemi/AP)

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Supreme Court backs Trump in controversial deportations case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a case involving the legality of the Trump administration

The order marks a win for the Trump administration, even if temporary, and it could well be a harbinger of things to come as the administration continues to clash with federal courts.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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How a false X post about pausing tariffs led to multi-trillion-dollar market swings

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

What began as a misquoted Fox News interview led to a flood of false and misleading posts on X. Before it was corrected, stock markets rallied then plummeted again.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig/AP)

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They want America to have more babies. Is this their moment?

The University of Texas Tower on the University of Texas campus. The school was the site of the recent "Natal Con" gathering.

Billionaire Elon Musk told Fox News recently that falling birth rates keep him up at night. It's a drum he's been beating for years.

Musk is one of the world's most visible individuals to elevate this point of view. Vice President JD Vance also talks about wanting to increase birthrates in the U-S.

But it's not just them. There are discussions across the political spectrum about birth rate decline and what it means for the economy.

One response to this decline is a cause that's been taken up by the right, and it has a name – Pronatalism. Many of its advocates met up recently in Austin, Texas, at "Natal Con."

Pronatalists think they have a friendly audience in the White House. How do they want to use it?

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Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

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Health secretary RFK Jr. endorses the MMR vaccine — stoking fury among his supporters

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives before President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Prominent anti-vaccine activists lined up on social media to denounce the move.

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

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War and Peace in Sudan's Capital

Until very recently Sudan's capital, Khartoum, had spent nearly two years at war. A paramilitary group went to war with the Sudanese army, occupying the city until it was retaken by government forces in the last few weeks. This has meant massive life shifts for residents of Khartoum who have stayed in the city. One resident has been sending our correspondent regular voice notes telling him about what life is like. We hear what it means to have a war break out in your city and what it is like to finally be liberated.

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Tariffs are fueling fears of a recession. What does it take to actually declare one?

Employees in the trading room of Nordea Markets follow Monday

The Trump administration's tariffs are fueling concerns about a potential recession, with several major banks increasing their forecasts. What is recession and who declares one?

(Image credit: Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB)

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Deadline looms in case of Maryland man's wrongful deportation to El Salvador

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Maryland, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, speaks during a news conference Friday at CASA

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to lift a midnight deadline to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was deported to a prison in El Salvador by mistake, to the U.S.

(Image credit: Jose Luis Magana)

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'Due process does look different': DHS official defends deportation of Maryland man

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia of Maryland, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, speaks during a news conference on April 4.

The Trump administration has defended the deportation of Maryland man mistakenly sent to El Salvador.

(Image credit: Jose Luis Magana)

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