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Trump picks Casey Means for surgeon general, after first nominee withdraws

Dr. Casey Means (left) stands with journalist Megan Kelly at a confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the secretary of Health and Human Services post at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29.

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat withdrew her nomination for Surgeon General after questions about her credentials. Dr. Casey Means has a medical degree from Stanford and a best-selling book on metabolic health.

(Image credit: Ben Curtis)

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Energy Star, efficiency program that has steered consumer choice, targeted in cuts

An Energy Star logo is displayed on a box for a freezer Jan. 21, 2025, in Evendale, Ohio.

An Environmental Protection Agency plan to eliminate its Energy Star offices would end a decades-old program that gave consumers a choice to buy environmentally friendly electronics and save money on bills, consumer and environmental groups said.

(Image credit: Joshua A. Bickel)

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In the wake of tariffs, cargo at the Port of LA is down 35%

A view of shipping cranes at the Port of Los Angeles on May 06, 2025 in San Pedro, California. Los Angeles and Long Beach ports are seeing significant drops in expected cargo ships coming into port this week due to tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration.

The immediate impact of the cargo decline affects virtually every business around the ports, but port officials say this downturn will soon be felt much more broadly.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

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How a visit from actor Jon Voight led Trump to post about movie tariffs

Actor Jon Voight, his advisor and CEO of SP Media Group Steven Paul, President Trump, and SP Media Group/Atlas Comics president Scott Karol met at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend.

Since he announced his intention to impose a 100% tariff on movies made outside of the United States, President Trump has hedged, saying he's open to meeting with industry leaders.

(Image credit: Steven Paul)

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After an Arizona man was shot, an AI video of him addresses his killer in court

A screenshot of the AI generated video of Christopher Pelkey.

AI experts say this is likely the first time that AI has been used in the U.S. to create an impact statement read by an AI rendering of the deceased victim

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3 former Memphis police officers found not guilty in the death of Tyre Nichols

A composite image of former Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean (left), Justin Smith Jr. and Demetrius Haley in court in Memphis, Tenn., on May 3. The former officers are charged with fatally beating Tyre Nichols in 2023. They each took the stand to decline to testify on their own behalf.

A jury found the three men not guilty of all charges in connection with the 2023 fatal beating, including the most serious charge of second-degree murder.

(Image credit: Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal via AP)

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Disney's newest theme park will be in Abu Dhabi

The Walt Disney Company announced on Wednesday that the seventh Disney theme park will be in Abu Dhabi. This rendering shows the plans.

The company's theme parks and cruises make up a fast-growing section of its profits. The new park will be located on Yas Island with a number of existing attractions.

(Image credit: Disney)

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Cheap and easy ways to stock your emergency go bag

"You do not have to spend hundreds of dollars to be prepared," says Alyssa Provencio, an emergency management expert. Dig around your junk drawer for batteries and candles. Buy used gear like a headlamp. And save on non-perishable food by buying in bulk.

Putting together a go bag doesn't have to be daunting or expensive. Here's how to create a functional kit that doesn't require much money, time or effort.

(Image credit: Olivia Fields for NPR)

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Black smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel as cardinals cast an unsuccessful first vote

Black smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, where 133 cardinals are gathering on the first day of the conclave, indicating that a successor of the late Pope Francis was not elected, Wednesday.

Black smoke streamed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the more than 130 cardinal electors have not come to a two-thirds agreement about who the next pope should be.

(Image credit: Gregorio Borgia)

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Tensions escalate as Pakistan calls India's operation 'an act of war'

Local residents and members of the media examine a building damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, on Wednesday.

Pakistan says India's strikes on Wednesday is "an act of war." India's military described its operation as targeting "terrorist infrastructure."

(Image credit: M.D. Mughal)

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House Republicans approve amendment authorizing the sale of federal lands

The Colorado River runs through federal BLM land outside Moab, Utah.

After initially excluding it from a budget bill, House Republicans approved a controversial late hour amendment Tuesday that authorizes the sale of federal land in two western states for affordable housing and other uses.

(Image credit: Photo by Kirk Siegler)

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Humans still haven't seen 99.999% of the deep seafloor

An unidentified cnidarian that resembles a Venus flytrap from the family Hormathiidae, sits at 1874 meters water depth. A new study finds that the vast majority of the deep sea floor remains undocumented.

Human eyes have only seen a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of the areas of the world that are covered by deep water. Scientists want to change how they explore these regions.

(Image credit: NOAA)

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Trump administration plans to deport migrants to Libya

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer prepares a Salvadoran immigrant without legal status for a deportation flight.

A U.S. official has confirmed to NPR that the Trump administration is planning to deport migrants to Libya, another step in a crackdown on illegal immigration.

(Image credit: John Moore)

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J.D. Vance's half-brother advances in his uphill quest to become Cincinnati's mayor

River Church Cincinnati pastor Cory Bowman, who is Vice President Vance

Cory Bowman, who shares a father with Vance, says he was inspired to enter the race after his half-brother's inauguration. A Republican last ran for Cincinnati mayor, unsuccessfully, in 2009.

(Image credit: Carolyn Kaster)

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Federal court rules Rümeysa Öztürk must be transferred to detention in Vermont

People take part in a rally and a protest in solidarity with Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi outside New York Federal Court as the court hears the U.S. government request to appeal the decisions in their cases in New York, United States on May 06, 2025.

Rümeysa Öztürk has been detained at a federal facility in Louisiana after being arrested on the street in Sommerville, Massachusetts on March 25 by six plainclothes agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

(Image credit: Mostafa Bassim)

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How Trump family business ventures stand to directly benefit the President

New York Times reporter Eric Lipton says the Trump family businesses, including their crypto company, are capitalizing on the President's position, and creating unprecedented conflicts of interest.

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Here's the 2025 list of Most Endangered Historic Places in the U.S.

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This year, the annual list from the National Trust for Historic Preservation includes a mysterious castle, flooded communities in Florida and North Carolina, historic hotels and a gigantic turtle.

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Many Afghans living in the U.S. fear being tortured or killed if they get deported

Sayedyaqoob Qattali moved to Houston with his family after legally entering the United States in late 2023.

Roughly 200,000 Afghans came to the U.S. after the Taliban seized control in Afghanistan in 2021. Many are worried about their future as President Trump has steadily eliminated legal protections.

(Image credit: Sayedyaqoob Qattali)

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SCOTUS upholds Trump's transgender military ban. And, the papal conclave begins

The U.S. Supreme Court is shown on March 17 in Washington, D.C.

The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump Administration to start executing its ban on trans military service members. And, the conclave to elect the Catholic Church's new leader begins today.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

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Fighting loneliness in rural Maine, one casserole at a time

Community Plate seeks to bring people together over shared potluck suppers of classic casseroles.

What happens when people put their phones down and eat together?

(Image credit: Marsden Shetterly)

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The Fed will likely hold interest rates steady as Trump's tariffs spark uncertainty

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues are expected to keep interest rates unchanged Wednesday. President Trump has criticized the central bank for not lowering rates.

The Federal Reserve will likely hold interest rates steady Wednesday as President Trump's tariffs threaten to raise prices and drag down economic growth.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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More states are allowing community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees

Muscatine Community College students in Iowa may get to pursue bachelor

Diminishing access to four-year universities and majors has been holding rural students back. Community colleges say they can bridge the gap.

(Image credit: Mike Rundle for The Hechinger Report)

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Kari Lake says OAN's far-right coverage will fuel Voice of America

Senior Trump adviser Kari Lake, shown above at a conservative conference earlier this year, announced Tuesday night that Voice of America would rely on coverage from the far-right television network OAN. Voice of America employees that Lake put on indefinite leave are suing to be restored to their jobs.

Senior presidential adviser Kari Lake says Voice of America will rely on coverage from the far-right OAN network. OAN has offered unwavering support of President Trump.

(Image credit: Jose Luis Magana/AP)

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Word of the Week: Before the Birdman of Alcatraz, the island was known for its birds

A seagull flies over Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island July 2, 2003 in the San Francisco Bay, California.

The origin story of Alcatraz's name is a complicated mix of language, a history that dates back to the first Europeans to explore the coast of California, and, a flock of seabirds.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

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U.S. and Chinese officials will meet in Geneva in first sign of thaw in trade war

Shipping containers are seen ready for transport at the Guangzhou Port in the Nansha district in southern China

The superpowers have been locked in a geopolitical blinking contest, waiting for the other side to reach out. The talks in Switzerland are the first concrete sign of a potential thaw in the deadlock.

(Image credit: Ng Han Guan)

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WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy protection to eliminate debt burden

This image shows the logo of WeightWatchers on a mobile phone, and the company

WeightWatchers said Tuesday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to eliminate $1.15 billion in debt and focus on its transition into a telehealth services provider.

(Image credit: Richard Drew)

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What is happening at Newark Airport? This and other questions answered

People wait in line for a delayed flight at Newark International Airport on Monday in Newark, N.J. Delays and cancellations at one of the nation

Hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at Newark's airport over the past several days are giving passengers headaches and spurring promises to improve the nation's air traffic control system.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt)

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Why oil prices are falling, and what it means for the economy

A man stops to fill up his car at a gas station in Washington, D.C., in November. Gas prices have fallen this spring, despite the fact that they typically rise this time of year, largely because of lower oil prices. That saves drivers money and also brings down the costs of goods.

Between tariffs roiling the global economy and OPEC putting more barrels on the market, prices have dropped significantly since January. That's good for consumers, and bad for oil companies.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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Hegseth says he's a change agent at DoD. But details are scarce

The Pentagon in Arlington, Va., is seen from above.

The most detailed plan to reshape the Army began taking shape long before Pete Hegseth's arrival as secretary of defense.

(Image credit: Jen Golbeck)

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India launches missile attacks on Pakistan

India has launched strikes in several parts of Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled territory, in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

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