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Thousands protest as Zelenskyy signs bill weakening anti-corruption agencies

Protestant chant while holding banners that read "I stand for you, and for those who are on the frontline", "Do you want it like in Russia", "Stop robbing our future" during a protest against a law targeting anti-corruption institutions in central Kyiv, Ukraine on Tuesday.

Ukraine's parliament passed legislation that will tighten oversight of two key anti-corruption agencies, which critics say could significantly weaken their independence.

(Image credit: Alex Babenko)

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Trump announces trade deal with Japan that lowers threatened tariff to 15%

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, shakes hands with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent before their meeting at the prime minister

The 15% tax on imported Japanese goods is a meaningful drop from the 25% rate that Trump, in a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, said would be levied starting Aug. 1.

(Image credit: Shuji Kajiyama)

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U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officials bar transgender women from Olympic women's sports

Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics medals are displayed during the unveiling ceremony in Venice, Italy, on July 15.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee tells the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports that it has an "obligation to comply" with an executive order issued by President Trump.

(Image credit: Luigi Costantini)

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U.S. withdraws from U.N. cultural agency over 'divisive social and cultural causes'

A picture taken on Oct. 12, 2017 shows the logo of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. took issue with UNESCO's focus on the U.N.'s sustainable development goals and the decision to include Palestine as a member state.

(Image credit: Jacques Demarthon)

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National Urban League says Trump's policies amount to emergency for Black Americans

One of the nation's oldest Civil Rights organization warns the Trump administration's policies have thrust the country into a "state of emergency" for antidiscrimination policies, personal freedoms and black economic advancement.

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Agence France-Presse says it wants to pull its hunger-stricken journalists out of Gaza

AFP journalist Khader Zaanoun poses for a picture in Gaza City on Tuesday. AFP journalists in the Gaza Strip say chronic food shortages are affecting their ability to cover Israel

French news agency Agence France-Presse called on the Israeli government to allow its freelance journalists to leave the Gaza Strip because of worsening hunger.

(Image credit: AFP)

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Car makers are feeling tariff pain: GM is the 2nd company to take a hit to profits

A General Motors logo is seen at the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in Hamtramck, Mich. on Jan. 27, 2020.

The American automaker reported that tariffs cost them $1.1 billion and reduced the company's profit margin from 9% to 6.1%.

(Image credit: Paul Sancya)

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President Trump indicates he'll let Fed Chair Jerome Powell serve out his term

President Trump with Jerome Powell after nominating him as chair in 2017.

President Trump seemed willing to allow Jerome Powell to complete his term as chair of the Federal Reserve — at least for now. His comment comes as he and his administration continue to attack Powell.

(Image credit: Drew Angerer)

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Trump deflects from questions about Epstein probe with accusations about Obama

President Trump meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Oval Office at the White House on July 22.

President Trump is facing questions about the death of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On Tuesday, he deflected by pivoting to long-held accusations about his Democratic opponents.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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Cancer stole her voice. AI, curse words, and children's books saved it

Sonya Sotinksy sits at Crane Cove Park in San Francisco on March 25, 2025. Sotinsky was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer and underwent surgery to remove her tongue, larynx, and other structures. She then worked with researchers to create an AI-generated voice using past recordings of her speech.

Sonya Sotinsky recorded herself talking and reading books to preserve a critical element of her personality: her voice. After surgery for oral cancer, AI used those recordings to re-create her voice.

(Image credit: Beth LaBerge)

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Have all girls or all boys? Study suggests the odds aren't 50/50

Newborn babies lie in bassinets in the nursery of a postpartum recovery center in upstate New York in 2017. A new study examined births over decades to find tendencies toward having all girls or all boys.

A study analyzed decades of births and found that larger families showed a distinct tendency toward all girls or all boys, rather than a mix.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig)

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NPR news chief announces she's leaving days after Congress kills federal funding

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NPR newsroom chief Edith Chapin says she's leaving the network. She made the announcement just days after Congress voted to strip public broadcasting of all federal funding.

(Image credit: Stephen Voss)

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Coca-Cola says it will use 'U.S. cane sugar' in a new drink offering

Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey says the company will "expand our trademark Coca-Cola product range with U.S. cane sugar" to give Coke fans a new option. President Donald Trump mentioned the plan last week, saying Coca-Cola had "agreed" to use real cane sugar, similar to its recipe for Mexican Coke.

Coca-Cola's move comes a week after President Trump said he had been talking to the soft drink giant about using cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup in its signature drink.

(Image credit: Brandon Bell)

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2 military bases expand to detain immigrants. And, Israel advances into central Gaza

The US Department of Defense(DOD) seal is seen on the lectern in the media briefing room at the Pentagon on December 12, 2013, in Washington, DC.

Two U.S. military bases are expanding to detain immigrants suspected of being in the country without legal status. And, Israel has advanced into Central Gaza to put pressure on the ceasefire deal.

(Image credit: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)

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Democrats must counter Texas' redistricting 'cheating,' says Rep. Ritchie Torres

Rep. Ritchie Torres (right), D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill July 17, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

Texas Republicans want to redraw the state's congressional districts to gain an advantage in next year's election. U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., says Democrats must counter or become complicit.

(Image credit: Drew Angerer)

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Hurry up! Scientists predict today will be (slightly) shorter than normal

Tiny variations in the weather, the tides and even the liquid inside the earth

The earth doesn't rotate exactly on schedule. Scientists believe that today is going to be around a millisecond short of a typical 24-hour day.

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Is Medicaid rife with fraudsters? One man explains why he breaks a rule

In Montana, one man says Medicaid and the drug coverage he gets through it are what allow him to work. But a raise he has gotten could mean he loses Medicaid, so he says he decided to "fudge the numbers."

Congressional Republicans successfully pushed to add hurdles to qualify for Medicaid by saying they would eliminate fraud. A Montana man says he's breaking the rules to keep his insurance and his job.

(Image credit: Oona Zenda)

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35 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act - celebrating the success and concern

It was 35 years ago this month that the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Across the U.S., it

It was 35 years ago this month that the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Across the U.S., it's being marked with festivals and parades — and concern due to recent Medicaid cuts.

(Image credit: Andreas Solaro)

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New book 'Together in Manzanar' reveals life inside WWII Japanese internment camp

Elaine and Karl Yoneda in March 1933. The couple would later be incarcerated with their son at the Manzanar concentration camp during World War II.

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Tracy Slater, author of "Together in Manzanar," which tells the true story of a family of mixed heritage sent to a Japanese internment camp during World War II.

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Efforts to shrink Social Security's phone wait times are putting a strain elsewhere

There is an ongoing staffing crunch at the Social Security Administration. Here is one of the agency

The Social Security Administration reassigned some field office employees in an effort to bring down lengthy phone wait times. But workers say these reassignments have been disruptive for staff.

(Image credit: Olga Ginzburg for NPR)

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Over 5 million pools sold in the U.S., Canada under recall after reports of 9 deaths

In this undated image provided by the CPSC, a child uses the compression strap to stand on above-ground pool. (CPSC via AP)

More than 5.2 million aboveground swimming pools sold across the U.S. and Canada over the last two decades are being recalled after nine drowning deaths were reported.

(Image credit: CPSC)

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Trump administration releases trove of files on Martin Luther King Jr. assassination

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sits speaks on the telephone after encountering a white mob protesting against the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, May 26, 1961. On Monday, the Trump administration released a trove of records about King

The release came in response to an executive order issued by President Trump. King's family warned they would object to any use of the records "to spread falsehoods" about King's life and legacy.

(Image credit: Express Newspapers/Getty Images)

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Military bases in New Jersey, Indiana, to be expanded to detain immigrants

The seal of the Department of Defense at the Pentagon.

NPR has learned that the Pentagon has also approved the expansion of the U.S. Naval Base on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the same purpose.

(Image credit: Mark Wilson)

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Is Emil Bove the face of a new MAGA judiciary?

Emil Bove last year during President Donald Trump

President Trump helped reshape the federal courts during his first term in office. And he relied heavily on the Federalist Society in that effort, which helped him zero in on judges with a conservative, originalist interpretation of the constitution.

Now the nominations machinery is restarting, and Trump's most controversial judicial nominee is only one step away from the federal bench.

His name is Emil Bove.

During his first term, Trump appointed scores of originalists to the federal bench– a victory for the conservative legal movement.

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Trump's spy chief claims the Obama administration 'manufactured' intel on Russia

President Trump, accompanied by Tulsi Gabbard, speaks after Gabbard is sworn in as director of national intelligence on February 12.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has published the latest in a series of reports that scrutinize years-old intel community conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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Trump said he'd 'try to save' Afghan refugees in the UAE. That could be complicated

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Rep. Seth Moulton, Democrat from Massachusetts, about President Trump's recent social media post about Afghan refugees in the United Arab Emirates.

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Community bail funds face backlash from GOP lawmakers after a 2020 surge in popularity

As efforts to reform the cash bail system increase, the backlash against them does too. On Monday, President Trump disparaged bail reform on social media, calling it a "complete disaster."<!-- raw HTML omitted --><!-- raw HTML omitted -->

Bail Funds — where community members donate money to help others post bail — exploded in popularity after the 2020 protests against police brutality. Since then, they've faced political blowback, and a wave of legislation working to restrict them.

(Image credit: Brian Cassella)

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Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 'Cosby Show' star, has died at the age of 54

Malcolm-Jamal Warner at the 65th GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, California.

The actor and Grammy Award winner died in a drowning accident Sunday while on vacation in Costa Rica.

(Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Airline pilot was about to land in N.D. when he saw a B-52 'coming at us'

A Google Maps image shows Minot International Airport

A Delta Connection flight from Minneapolis was preparing to land in Minot, N.D., when the flight crew spotted a large military aircraft flying toward them.

(Image credit: Screenshot by NPR)

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After his father died in the hospital, a nurse held him in his arms

Alek Hermon as a baby with his father, Michael, in 1992.

Alek Hermon didn't think much of his father's overnight nurse until his father died.

(Image credit: Hermon family photo)

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