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The all-female free divers of Jeju island have a 'superpower' in their genes

A South Korean female free diver jumps into the sea from a boat off the coast of Jeju Island on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. New research has found that these women, known as Haenyeo, have specific genetic adaptations connected to cold tolerance and blood pressure.

The all-female Korean Haenyeo divers show genetic adaptations to cold water diving involving their blood pressure and cold tolerance. "It's like a superpower," says one of the researchers.

(Image credit: SeongJoon Cho / Bloomberg)

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Dozens are killed in overnight airstrikes on southern Gaza city, hospital says

Palestinians evacuate after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for several schools and a hospital in Gaza City

It was the second night of heavy bombing, after airstrikes Wednesday on northern and southern Gaza killed dozens of people, including almost two dozen children.

(Image credit: Jehad Alshrafi)

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Majority of Americans oppose ending birthright citizenship, NPR/Ipsos poll finds

NPR/IPSOS poll finds that more than half of Americans are against ending birthright citizenship, the longstanding principle by which any child born on U.S. soil is automatically a citizen.

As the Supreme Court takes up birthright citizenship, a new poll finds that less than a third of Americans want it to end. But other parts of the White House's immigration crackdown are more popular.

(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

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A once-fringe theory on birthright citizenship comes to the Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on May 15 in a case challenging an executive order President Trump signed in January to limit who is entitled to birthright citizenship.

The Trump administration seeks to challenge the constitutional provision that guarantees automatic citizenship to babies born in the U.S. But the arguments are likely to focus on a different question.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

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A Texas abortion ban sponsor aims to clarify when doctors can do the procedure

Texas State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, one of the original sponsors of the Texas Heartbeat Act, is now the lead sponsor of a bill to clarify when a doctor can terminate a pregnancy to save the life of the mother.

Since abortion became almost entirely illegal in Texas in 2021, the state has seen a significant rise in the number of women who die in pregnancy or after giving birth. A new bill aims to change that.

(Image credit: Eric Gay)

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Newly published stories show a different side of Ian Fleming and Graham Greene

British author and creator of James Bond Ian Fleming (1908-1964) with two pieces of original artwork from the American hardback editions of his books, circa 1960.

The latest issue of "The Strand Magazine" contains rare stories by the iconic midcentury writers Ian Fleming and Graham Greene.

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Marine life's latest hotspot could be an underwater volcano primed to erupt by Oregon

A three-dimensional map of the seabed shows the shape of the caldera of the Axial Seamount volcano. Warm colors show shallower depths and cool colors are deeper.

A researcher monitoring Axial Seamount, 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, says the eruption is expected to happen before the year is over.

(Image credit: Susan Merle)

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Under attack, public media makes its case to Congress and the courts

Patricia Harrison is the president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is suing the Trump administration over the abrupt firing of three of its five board members.

Nearly 200 officials from public radio stations across the country are descending on Capitol Hill to seek to convince lawmakers to maintain funding for public broadcasting despite President Trump's campaign against it.

(Image credit: STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

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Republicans continue negotiations over budget despite divisions on certain policies

House Republicans are still negotiating the details of a wide-ranging legislative package of President Trump's domestic priorities that they hope to advance by the end of next week.

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Pope meets Sinner: No. 1 player gives Pope Leo XIV a racket on Italian Open off day

Italy

Pope Leo XIV has made peace with Jannik Sinner. The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open.

(Image credit: Vatican Media)

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Argentina orders immigration crackdown with decree to 'make Argentina great again'

Argentina

In a country that has long prided itself on its openness to immigrants, the declaration drew criticism from the Argentine president's opponents and prompted comparisons to U.S. President Donald Trump.

(Image credit: Rodrigo Abd)

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Ford recalls nearly 274,000 SUVs due to brake issues of loss of brake function

The Ford logo is seen above the entrance to the Ford Motor Company Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Ky.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front brake lines in the SUVs "may be in contact" with their engine air cleaner outlet pipe due to a potential installation defect.

(Image credit: Carolyn Kaster)

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A hotline between the Pentagon and DCA airport hasn't worked since 2022, FAA says

A Black Hawk helicopter approaches for landing at the Pentagon in July 2024.

An FAA official said the hotline, which connects air traffic control at Washington's DCA with the Pentagon, hasn't worked since 2022. An Army helicopter collided with a passenger jet there in January.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

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Georgetown researcher released from immigration detention on federal judge's order

Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri

Badar Khan Suri is the latest scholar targeted by the Trump administration to be released from detention.

(Image credit: Andrew C. Condon)

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Palestinians are counting lentils, as Gaza food crisis worsens

Hungry Palestinians rush to a food distribution kitchen in Gaza last week.

Nearly half a million people in Gaza now face starvation, according to a new report from the IPC, the international panel of famine experts who advise the United Nations.

For more than ten weeks, Israel has halted the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages. Israel accuses Hamas of seizing aid, selling it on the black market and using aid distribution to reinforce its control of Gaza.

The UN says hundreds of truckloads of lifesaving supplies are waiting at the border. Meanwhile, inside Gaza, food is scarce. Humanitarian groups like the UN World Food Programme (WFP) exhausted supplies of basic staples weeks ago, forcing them to shut down their kitchens and bakeries, and everyday Palestinians are grinding up pasta and lentils to make flour for bread. Antoine Renard of the WFP says when he was in Gaza last week, wheat flour was selling for $10 a pound.

Juana Summers talks with Renard about what he's seen in Gaza, and what's next for the people there.

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Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

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The latest roadblock for House Republicans' 'big beautiful bill': Senate Republicans

Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson called the House budget plan a "sad joke." He and other Senate Republicans are already raising questions about the legislation, even before the House finalizes their work.

House Republicans are trying to pass a massive bill full of President Trump's top agenda items by the end of next week. But a new set of hurdles awaits in the Senate.

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The Environmental Protection Agency delays limits on PFAS in drinking water

The Environmental Protection Agency is backing away from recent rules that would have tightened limits on PFAS and several related chemicals in drinking water.

Federal rules to reduce the levels of "forever chemicals" in drinking water are getting delayed.

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Republicans voice concern over Trump's support for a new Air Force One from Qatar

President Trump arrives in the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday. Trump touched down at Hamad International Airport, with relations between the two governments in the spotlight over Qatar

In a rare break with the president, some inside the GOP are expressing concern over the potential national security risks of accepting a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar to replace Air Force One.

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)

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What to know about a federal proposal to help families pay for private school

A private school student works on a lesson at St. Luke

Republicans want to use the federal tax code to create a national school voucher even in states where voters have fought such efforts.

(Image credit: Willie J. Allen Jr.)

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Under pressure, HHS reinstates hundreds of occupational health workers

Supporters march outside a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health facility in Morgantown, W.Va.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is restoring several programs and bringing back the staffers who run them, but much of the agency's work is still on the chopping block.

(Image credit: Gene J. Puskar)

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Carrots, death rays and passing ships. This is the origin story of the word radar

Members of the French Navy monitor radar in the control bridge in low light conditions during an anti-drug interception mission by the French surveillance frigate FS Ventose sailing off the French Caribbean island of Martinique, on November 16, 2024.

The nation's aviation infrastructure is again under scrutiny, following a series of paralyzing communications and radar outages at some of the country's busiest airports. Here is a look at the scientific origins of radar.

(Image credit: JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

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Understanding an Important Religious Group in Syria

A Druze woman holds her baby daughter at the shrine.

Syria is in a precarious place as it emerges from civil war and a long dictatorship. The recently announced removal of U.S. sanctions bring hopes that the economy might stabilize. Another challenge is Syria's population— it is one of the most diverse countries in the Middle East and with that comes competing demands and priorities from various groups. NPR's Jane Arraf takes us to southern Syria, near the border with Israel and introduces us to one of the biggest minority groups, the Druze.

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Ryan Routh, charged with trying to assassinate Trump, asks to have charges dropped

Ryan Routh, the man accused in a 2024 assassination attempt of Donald Trump at a West Palm Beach, Fla. golf course, had a federal court hearing Wednesday in Fort Pierce, Fla. In this file photo of the Alto Lee Adams Sr. United States Courthouse, attorneys argued several merits of the case — including what can and can

Ryan Routh is accused of the 2024 assassination attempt of Donald Trump as the then-presidential candidate was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Fla. Routh has pleaded not guilty.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

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How much are we willing to pay for life-saving medications?

ProPublica health care reporter David Armstrong has multiple myeloma. He says a single pill of his prescription costs the company just 25 cents to make — but costs him about the same as a new iPhone.

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A federal appeals panel has made enforcing the Voting Rights Act harder in 7 states

A demonstrator carrying a sign that says "VOTING RIGHTS NOW" walks across the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in 2022 in Washington, D.C.

After a challenge by Republican officials in North Dakota, a federal appeals panel struck down a key way of enforcing the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination in seven states.

(Image credit: Samuel Corum)

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Greetings from Dharamshala, India, where these Tibetan kids were having the best time

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Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international correspondents share snapshots capturing moments from their lives and work in places around the world.

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The Menendez brothers are one step closer to freedom. What to know about their case

Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave the courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., in August 1990. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996 — and resentenced this week.

A Los Angeles judge resentenced Lyle and Erik Menendez, who have spent over three decades behind bars for the 1989 killing of their parents. They are now eligible for parole — but it's not guaranteed.

(Image credit: Nick Ut)

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With tears and defiance, Kim Kardashian faces the men accused of robbing her in Paris

Kim Kardashian waves as she arrives Tuesday to testify regarding a robbery of millions of dollars in jewels from her Paris hotel room in 2016.

The reality star and business mogul appeared in a courtroom Tuesday to testify about the night in 2016 when masked men tied her up at gunpoint and stole more than $6 million in jewelry.

(Image credit: Aurelien Morissard)

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Detained Philippines ex-President Duterte wins mayoral race in his home city

FILE - In this photo provided by the News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, takes his oath before Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes during inauguration ceremony in Malacanang Palace, June 30, 2016 in Manila, Philippines. Holding the bible is President Duterte

Duterte's youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao, was declared Davao vice mayor. His eldest son, Paolo, was reelected as a member of the House of Representatives, and two grandsons won in local races, an indication of the family's continued influence.

(Image credit: AP)

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Medicaid cuts will hurt families and cost GOP politically, says Kentucky governor

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined (from left) by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, April 8, 2025.

Republicans' proposed Medicaid cuts will cause 8.6 million people to lose health insurance by 2034, an estimate shows. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said it will cost Republicans seats in Congress.

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

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