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An ancient archaeological site meets conspiracy theories — and Joe Rogan

A view of the ancient site of Gobekli Tepe, known as the world

In the hills of southeastern Turkey lies a site so ancient, it's turning our understanding of civilization on its head and leading to conspiracy theories.

(Image credit: Mustafa Hatipoglu)

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'At least I'm safe': A Kenyan immigrant opts to leave the U.S. on his own terms, leaving children and wife behind

Samuel Kangethe cooks in his home on July 3 in Lansing, Michigan.

The Trump administration has given an ultimatum to immigrants without legal status: Leave voluntarily, or you'll be detained and deported. This has forced some immigrant families in the U.S. to grapple with very hard choices.

(Image credit: Razi Jafri/NPR)

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Why good houseguests don't actually 'make themselves at home'

As long as you

Etiquette expert Elaine Swann tackles tricky questions about staying at a loved one's place. Is it OK to borrow their car? Extend your stay? Show up empty-handed? Advice on how to be a star guest.

(Image credit: wanderluster)

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We get asked about tariffs all the time. Here's what we say

On April 2, President Trump signed an executive order imposing wide-ranging tariffs. After delays and adjustments, they are now starting to take shape.

From inflation to recession, we who cover the economy and business at NPR get asked about tariffs all the time. Here are some of the most frequent questions — and what we answer.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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Italy is reviving plans for a bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland. Will it work?

An artistic rendering of the proposed 2-mile-long Strait of Messina Bridge between Sicily and the rest of Italy.

Plans for the bridge were first approved in the 1970s, but have stopped and started over the decades.

(Image credit: Stretto di Messina)

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Zelenskyy rejects formally ceding Ukrainian territory

Ukraine

In a statement posted to Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's territorial integrity, must be non-negotiable and emphasized that lasting peace must include Ukraine's voice at the table.

(Image credit: Heinz-Peter Bader)

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Where could Trump and Putin meet about the war in Ukraine? The options are limited

FILE - This combination of photos shows Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, in Moscow on May 9, 2025, and President Donald Trump in Washington on Aug. 1. The two are in talks to meet to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, Mark Schiefelbein, File)

President Trump said his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine is set to happen "very shortly." But where exactly this meeting will take place is unclear, as the options for the two are limited.

(Image credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool. Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

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Investigating the Russia investigations. What's left to learn?

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with Vladimir Putin, Russia

The question of whether Russian interference in the 2016 election was a decisive reason Donald Trump won the presidency is one that has dogged Trump for the better part of a decade.

It's also been the subject of numerous investigations.

But even though that question has been asked and answered, the current Trump administration is launching another investigation in an effort to reach a different conclusion.

Last month, Trump's Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, declassified documents and she leveled an unprecedented accusation: The Obama administration knowingly pushed the idea of Russian interference as false narrative to sabotage Trump's campaign.

And this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi has authorized an investigation into the investigation of his 2016 campaign's relationship Russia.

What is there left to learn?

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Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Bloomberg)

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Former astronaut and Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell has died

The giant, multi-billion dollar space telescope that NASA is about to launch is sometimes billed as Hubble's successor. Will this new telescope, which sees infrared light, be able to deliver?

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Trump says he will meet Putin 'very shortly' and will announce the date and place soon

President Trump takes questions from reporters during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2025.

President Trump has been pushing to broker an end to the war in Ukraine since he took office. But it hasn't been quick or easy.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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U.S. Islamic leaders urge Muslim-majority nations to take action to end Gaza conflict

The Islamic Center of America mosque in Dearborn, Michigan.

More than 90 Muslim scholars, community leaders and institutions are calling on Muslim nations to leverage their influence to end what they described as escalating genocide in Gaza by Israeli forces.

(Image credit: Bill Pugliano)

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Is there anything left to learn about the Russia investigation?

Reports say Attorney General Pam Bondi has authorized an investigation into the investigation of Trump's 2016 campaign's relationship with Russia. What is there left to learn?

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US Mining industry benefitting from bi-partisan federal assistance

This coal-fired power plant near Beulah, North Dakota is slated to be replaced with a nickel refinery

American has almost no domestic mineral smelters, compromising economic and military security. A nickel smelter proposed for a former North Dakota coal mine site could turn that around.

(Image credit: Sam Fuqua)

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IRS Commissioner Billy Long replaced after less than two months

Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long is being replaced as IRS Commissioner after less than two months on the job.

The Trump administration has replaced former Missouri Congressman Billy Long as IRS Commissioner, after less than two months on the job. It's the latest in a string of management shakeups at the tax collection agency.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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We've all gotten those hiring scam texts. Instead of deleting, this writer played along

Alexander Sammon received a suspicious job recruitment text from someone who claimed to be a hiring manager. He decided to play along to see how far the scam would go, and wrote about it for Slate.

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China has declared war on the chikungunya virus. How much of a threat is it?

A worker uses a sprayer to eradicate mosquitos at a park in order to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne disease Chikungunya  in Guangdong Province of China.

The mosquito-borne disease is sweeping through a province in southern China, which is taking strict measures to quash the outbreak.

(Image credit: Visual China Group)

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Some legal experts say ICE in criminal courts means a slower path to justice

Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on August 6, 2025 in New York City. Detentions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continue as people attend immigration court hearings, but immigrant arrests are also happening at criminal courts.

As President Trump ramps up deportations, ICE agents have been seen not just at immigration courts, but at criminal courts, too. Defense lawyers, prosecutors and judges fear a chilling effect on criminal proceedings.

(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago)

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Why short breaks to move around are crucial for your creative process

Author Kelly Corrigan(left) and Manoush Zomorodi(right) on a walk around Vancouver. Corrigan has her notebook at the ready.

When bestselling author Kelly Corrigan's creativity runs low or her mood turns, she doesn't power through. Here are her tips for connecting your body to your creative process and getting unstuck.

(Image credit: Katie Monteleone)

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President Trump taps federal law enforcement agencies to police Washington, D.C.

Capitol Police are among the law enforcement agencies tapped by President Donald Trump on August 7 to increase federal law enforcement presence in Washington DC.

President Trump has ordered federal law enforcement agencies to begin policing the streets of Washington, D.C., citing crime in the city.

(Image credit: JIM WATSON)

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Famed NASA astronaut and Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell has died at age 97

In 2010, Jim Lovell explored his Apollo 8 spacecraft at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Lovell commanded the mission that almost ended in disaster after an explosion that threatened the crew's oxygen and electrical supply. The inspiring story of their survival was made into a hit movie.

(Image credit: M. Spencer Green)

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Why is Chile’s Birth Rate Plummeting?

Macarena Lagos, 18, F. Contreras, 21, and Mariana Sanhueza Weish, 22, are design students at the Catholic University in Santiago. All three voiced strong reservations about having children. They worry that motherhood would limit their freedom and choices.

Much of the attention on the world's plunging birth rate is on east Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. But Latin American countries, like Chile, are also seeing a decline in fertility. We go to Chile’s capital to understand the personal decisions behind the countries plummeting birth rate trend.

(Image credit: Tamara Merino for NPR)

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A woman who killed her in-laws with toxic mushrooms allegedly poisoned her spouse too

Erin Patterson, pictured in August 2023, was convicted last month of poisoning her estranged husband

Erin Patterson was convicted last month of killing her estranged husband's relatives with a meal laced with toxic mushrooms. Newly unsealed evidence alleges she previously poisoned his meals too.

(Image credit: Marta Pascual Juanola)

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Justice Department launches grand jury probe of N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference on Jan. 8. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into James

James prosecuted the president and his companies, winning millions in fines linked to fraud allegations. Her attorney called the probe a "desperate example of the president's campaign of retribution."

(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago)

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Justice Department launches grand jury probe of N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference on Jan. 8. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into James

James prosecuted the president and his companies, winning millions in fines linked to fraud allegations. Her attorney called the probe "an attack on the rule of law."

(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago)

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EPA plans to end a program that makes solar power available to low-income Americans

GRID Alternatives employees install no-cost solar panels on the rooftop of a low-income household on October 19, 2023 in Pomona, California.

The Trump administration plans to end a $7 billion Biden-era program that helps low-income households get solar power.

(Image credit: Mario Tama)

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Germany halts its military exports that Israel could use in Gaza

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a news conference after a meeting with Jordan

Germany will stop exporting military equipment to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, in a swift response to Israel's decision to expand its operations in the Palestinian enclave's main city.

(Image credit: Ebrahim Noroozi)

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Far more environmental data is being deleted in Trump's second term than before

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 20.

The second Trump administration has removed more climate and environmental data from websites in the first 100 days than the first administration, according to a new report

(Image credit: Evan Vucci)

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He built Michigan's Medicaid work requirement system. Now he's warning other states

An attendee holds a "Stop The Health Care Cuts" sign on June 6 at a Democratic town hall in Lansing, Mich. In July, Congressional Democrats failed to stop Republicans from passing a tax-and-spending bill that requires 40 states and D.C. to institute Medicaid work requirements.

Michigan's health director spent a year and $30 million building a work requirements system for Medicaid. The problems he encountered have him worried now that 40 states must do the same by 2027.

(Image credit: Emily Elconin)

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A word is born -- and critiqued: 'healthocide'

A view of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on September 17, 2024, destroyed by Israeli attacks amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Israel asserted that Hamas militants were using the hospital for shelter and internet access. The U.N. called the destruction of the facility "the most horrific assault on Gaza

This week a new word made its public debut. With an increase in attacks on health care facilities and personnel, the goal of this coinage is to spark outrage and outcry. But the reaction is mixed.

(Image credit: Omar Al-Qattaa)

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Israel plans to take control of Gaza City. And, Trump wants a new U.S. census

Palestinians carry gallons and buckets as they walk along a war-damaged street in Gaza City on Aug. 8, 2025.

Israel has announced plans to extend the Gaza war and take over Gaza City. And, President Trump wants a new U.S. census to exclude people without legal status.

(Image credit: BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images)

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