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Author asks ChatGPT for advice on her book about tech — here's what it said

Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age is about how tech is helping and exploiting us. Vauhini Vara analyzed the feedback AI gave her to explore the abilities, shortcomings and biases of the chatbot.

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Why ending 'The Late Show' is a Paramount error

CBS canceled Stephen Colbert's late night show last week.By not appreciating, defending and nurturing The Late Show Paramount is muzzling its best voices, and diluting its own broadcast future.

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A genetic tweak could prevent mosquitoes from transmitting malaria

Anopheles mosquito, Culicidae.

A new study reports on a novel way to short-circuit the parasite that spreads the disease so people wouldn't get infected with a mosquito's bite.

(Image credit: De Agostini Editorial)

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Trump aims to get rid of AI regulations and finance exports to win AI race

President Trump gestures to the press at the end of a reception with Republican members of Congress at the White House on July 22, 2025.

President Trump says he wants to make sure the United States wins the artificial intelligence race. The White House says fewer regulations will help.

(Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

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Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May, the U.N. says

Palestinians hold onto an aid truck returning to Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in Gaza, mostly near food sites run by an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office said.

(Image credit: Jehad Alshrafi)

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Greetings from Moscow, Russia, where Lenin's tomb attracts a new surge of visitors

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Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

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Bryan Kohberger will be sentenced for murdering 4 Idaho college students

Bryan Kohberger, 30, pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, but he offered no motive to explain his actions. He

A plea deal calls for Kohberger, 30, to serve a prison term that includes a life sentence for each murder. But families say two key elements are missing: a motive, and an explanation.

(Image credit: Kyle Green)

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Zelenskyy faces outcry after signing bill curbing Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies

People chant while holding banners during a protest against a law targeting anti-corruption institutions in central Kyiv, Ukraine on Tuesday.

The anti-corruption agencies were created after pro-democracy protests in 2013. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy claims corruption cases take too long and suggested the agencies were compromised.

(Image credit: Alex Babenko)

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Kremlin watches Trump as Russia and Ukraine hold a third round of ceasefire talks

Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, on July 11.

The latest talks could be an early litmus test on how seriously Moscow perceives President Trump's threats to impose sanctions — and how Russia might respond.

(Image credit: Michael Shtekel)

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GOP divided over Epstein files. And, Columbia disciplines student protesters

The US Capitol is seen in Washington, DC, on July 16.

The GOP is divided over whether they want more details released about the Jeffrey Epstein federal investigations. And, over 70 Columbia University students have been disciplined for protests.

(Image credit: Alex Wroblewski)

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How China came to rule the world of rare earth elements

This is a satellite image collected on Nov. 13, 2012, of the Maoniuping Mine, one of China

The U.S. once controlled the market on rare earth elements, sought after for a range of technologies. But in the last few decades, China has cornered that market and surpassed the U.S.

(Image credit: DigitalGlobe)

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How effective is 'precooling' your home during off-peak hours? It depends

Trying to beat the heat? There are other methods to try besides dropping the thermostat.

Does precooling your home work? Yes, no or maybe — depending on who you ask. But don't worry, we also have some other tips to keep you cool this summer.

(Image credit: George Frey)

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U.S. probes foreign links to agriculture research to protect food supply

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Md., is shown in this August 2016 photo.

While researchers agree food security is important, they say scrutiny of foreign collaboration could hurt U.S. innovation.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

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What's it like to have Frank Lloyd Wright design your house? This 101-year-old knows

The Reisley House in Pleasantville, N.Y., was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950s. Roland Reisley, 101, the original owner of the house, still resides there more than 70 years later.

Roland Reisley is the last original client of Frank Lloyd Wright, still living in the Usonian home designed by the famed architect. Even after 73 years, he told NPR, he still marvels at the beauty of the home.

(Image credit: Keren Carrión)

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Protests are near constant. Do they work?

A side-by-side of protests from the civil rights movement, versus protests of the 21st century.

To the casual observer, it might seem like the U.S. has been spent years in a constant state of protest, from the Women's March in 2017 to the racial uprisings in 2020 to the No Kings protests earlier in the summer. But some are starting to wonder: How effective are any of those protests? When it comes to achieving lasting social change, do any of them work?

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The U.N.'s highest court will decide on the climate obligations of countries

What remains of the "Tree of Life" on Sunday, July 20, 2025, is visible off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, after being toppled by cyclones in 2023 and further damaged by an earthquake in 2024.

After years of lobbying by vulnerable island nations, the U.N. asked the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion, a non-binding but important basis for international obligations.

(Image credit: Annika Hammerschlag)

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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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