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Jury awards $1.68 billion to women who accused director Toback of sexual abuse

FILE - James Toback arrives at the 2014 AFI Fest "The Gambler" Nov. 10, 2014, in Los Angeles.

Toback, who wrote Bugsy, faces one of the largest #MeToo verdicts in history after a New York jury ordered him to pay 1.68 billion in damages to 40 women.

(Image credit: Richard Shotwell)

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Judge finds Newsmax aired false and defamatory claims about voting-tech company

Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, center, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, center left, celebrate the conservative network

A Delaware judge finds the right-wing network aired false and defamatory statements about Dominion Voting Systems' role in the 2020 presidential election. A jury trial is slated for late April.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig/AP)

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10 emerging writers win Whiting Awards

Winners of the 2025 Whiting Awards

The awards, which come with a $50K purse, have helped launch the writing careers of many now well-known authors, including Colson Whitehead, Ocean Vuong, Alice McDermott and Jia Tolentino.

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President Trump has announced a hold on most tariffs, but China faces tariffs of 125%

President Trump abruptly announced a 90-day pause on the steep tariffs that went into effect Wednesday -- except for China.

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Syria's dictator is gone. Its civil war is over. But Israel keeps attacking

Abdul Rahman Hamdan, 32, recounts how his uncle was killed by Israeli troops who attacked their village of Koayiah, Syria.

Almost immediately after dictator Bashar al-Assad fled, Syria came under attack. Israeli airstrikes have hit several hundred times since December. Syria's new leaders are starting to speak up.

(Image credit: Yahya Nemah for NPR)

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20 musicians who should get to go to space before Katy Perry

Katy Perry performs during 2015 Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

On April 14, Blue Origin plans to launch a space flight with a crew that includes the singer behind the 2010 hit "Firework." But we can think of many other artists who deserve to be among the stars.

(Image credit: Kevin C. Cox)

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Attorney representing a student protestor detained by federal immigration agents

Amir Makled is a Michigan-based attorney who was detained by federal agents when returning to the US from a family vacation.

Amir Makled sat down with All Things Considered host Juana Summers to describe his experience, and what it could mean for other attorneys who are going against the wishes of the Trump administration.

(Image credit: Image courtesy of Amir Makled)

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Israel's Attacks on Syria

Aza Mohamed, 40, a mother of six, lost her leg below the knee to an Israeli artillery shell during a March 25 attack.

Since the rule of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad ended, Israel has attacked Syria hundreds of times. Israel says they don't trust the new government in Syria and so they are hitting areas in Syria adjacent to Israel in an effort disarm southern Syria. Our correspondent takes us to one of the Syrian villages on the border that was attacked.

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European Union approves new retaliatory tariffs on the U.S.

European flags fly at the EU Council building in Luxembourg on April 7.

All but one of the 27 EU member countries voted to impose tariffs on specific U.S. products. The vote came before President Trump announced a 90-day pause on U.S. tariffs on goods from most countries.

(Image credit: JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN)

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Appeals court rules Trump can fire probationary federal workers once again

Public sectors unions are among the plaintiffs who have sued the Trump administration over the firings of probationary employees.

The decision from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals further clears the way for the Trump administration to re-fire, for now, thousands of probationary federal employees.

(Image credit: Dominic Gwinn)

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'The Economist' editor unpacks the 'biggest trade policy shock' of Trump's tariffs

A stock ticker shows trading at a securities firm in Beijing April 9.

President Trump's sweeping tariff policy has upended the global economy. Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of The Economist, likens it to The Art of the Deal — on steroids.

(Image credit: Kevin Frayer)

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Trump says he will pause tariffs for 90 days, but not for China

President Trump answers a reporter

The president announced he would be hiking tariffs on China to 125% "effective immediately," but said he was pausing them on other U.S. trading partners to allow time for trade negotiations.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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House GOP leaders prepare budget vote, daring dissenters to oppose Trump

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is preparing to hold a vote on a budget resolution meant to advance many of President Trump

House GOP leaders are moving ahead with a budget plan that is meant to pave the way for future votes on President Trump's domestic agenda, but members within their own party oppose the bill. Some dissenters have remained opposed to the bill, despite pressure from leaders and Trump himself.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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This former influencer gave up her smartphone. She says you should, too

August Lamm two years into her dumbphone journey in New York, July 2024.

August Lamm became an accidental influencer by posting pictures of her art online – until she reached a breaking point and got rid of her smartphone. Now, she's advocating for others to do the same.

(Image credit: Bryson Piscitelli)

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Trump administration backs off Nvidia's 'H20' chip crackdown after Mar-a-Lago dinner

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers the keynote address at the annual Nvidia GTC conference in San Jose, Calif. last month.

The White House was expected to ban sales of the high-performance AI chip to China. Chinese companies had been stockpiling the chip but now the Trump administration is backing off.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

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The Israeli troop killing of a U.S. teen in the West Bank sparks outrage

Mourners carry the body of 14-year-old Palestinian Amir Rabee, a U.S. citizen, during his funeral in the village of Turmus Ayya, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Monday.

The killing of a Palestinian American teen by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank has sparked an outcry from relatives and community members in the Palestinian territory as well as the U.S.

(Image credit: John Wessels)

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If Planet Nine is out there, this telescope might actually find it

The Milky Way shines over the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in an image taken in October 2024.

A powerful new observatory is the best hope yet for finding the elusive Planet 9, a large planet that some scientists say is hidden in our solar system.

(Image credit: Hernán Stockebrand)

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U.S. says it is now monitoring immigrants' social media for antisemitism

Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem

Effective immediately, the government says it will begin screening immigrant social media for activity that officials think indicates support for antisemitism.

(Image credit: Rebecca Noble)

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U.S. stocks gain modestly, attempting a rebound even as tariff war escalates

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell on April 8, 2025. Stocks were modestly higher on Wednesday although investors remained on edge after four days of heavy losses.

U.S. stock indices were modestly higher even as President Trump's latest round of tariffs kicked in. But nerves abounded, with China and the EU announcing they would retaliate with their own tariffs.

(Image credit: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

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Druze militias are suspicious of Syria's new leaders -- and are ready to go to battle

Three days after the killings in Latakia, as soon as a curfew was lifted, Druse leaders evacuated every student studying in universities on the coast – more than 1,200 of them. They arrived late into the night on the 10th March 2025 and were greeted by the Druze Military Council at border checkpoints.

The new leadership vowed to disband all militias. But the fiercely independent Druze have made no agreement, and say they're gathering fighters and making plans to repel government forces if needed.

(Image credit: Emily Garthwaite for NPR)

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Lori Vallow Daybell starts a new murder trial, acting as her own attorney

Lori Vallow Daybell, seen here in 2023, is representing herself in a courtroom in Phoenix, where she is on trial on a charge of conspiracy to commit first degree murder.

Vallow Daybell is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of her husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona in 2019.

(Image credit: Tony Blakeslee)

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NOAA contracts are being reviewed one by one. It's throwing the agency into chaos

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in March to protest Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts to the agency. The Trump administration continues to make major staffing and programming changes at the agency.

NOAA relies on hundreds of contracts to keep the agency running. The new commerce secretary is reviewing many of them individually, causing disruptions to many normal operations within the agency.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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Trump's new tariffs take effect. And, the firings of federal workers can proceed

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

Trump's new sweeping tariffs took effect after midnight. China says it's toughing out the trade war. And, the Supreme Court ruled that firings of thousands of federal workers could proceed.

(Image credit: Andy Wong)

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How Trump's immigration policies could worsen the health care worker shortage

Nursing homes already face serious staffing issues and researchers say health care worker shortages could get worse under Trump

Hospitals and nursing homes rely on the immigrant workforce to fill many key roles, research finds. Trump's crackdown on immigration threatens to exacerbate shortages.

(Image credit: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group)

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National Recording Registry adds Tracy Chapman, Hamilton and the Minecraft game soundtrack

Tracy Chapman performs during the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, 2024 in Los Angeles.

There are 25 new additions to the Library of Congress collection. They include albums by Elton John, Miles Davis, Amy Winehouse, and the original cast recording of Hamilton.

(Image credit: Amy Sussman)

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Sen. Maria Cantwell says there is bipartisan support to rein Trump's tariffs

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., speaks during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance on Capitol Hill, Thursday, March 6, in Washington.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., says a bill that would require Congressional approval for tariffs has bipartisan support because they are an "economic nightmare."

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

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Americans without a degree still believe in the value of college, a new poll says

A new Lumina Foundation and Gallup poll surveyed nearly 14,000 people between the ages of 18 and 59 who don

The majority of Americans without degrees still believe in the value of higher education, according to the poll. But not all college degrees are created equal.

(Image credit: Brandon Bell)

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Coal miners' health care hit hard in job cuts to CDC

A NIOSH Black Lung surveillance van at the fire station in Wharton, W.Va.

The CDC unit that dramatically reduced Black Lung Disease among coal miners has been fired in Trump's sweeping overhaul of health agencies. Mining communities must now grapple with its disappearance.

(Image credit: Howard Berkes / NPR)

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Trump is getting a physical. What will be included in the report?

President Trump meets with a group of his ambassadors in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25.

President Trump's past medical reports have been glowing. But at 78, his age puts his health in the spotlight — as it was for his predecessor, President Joe Biden.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

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Four critically endangered Galápagos tortoises hatch at the Philadelphia Zoo

A Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise hatchling is shown, one of four that hatched recently at the Philadelphia Zoo.

The birth of tortoises native to Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos increases their U.S. population from 44 to 48. A few thousand remain globally, according to estimates by experts.

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