NPR News: Posts

NPR News

Mayors of Democratic cities respond to Trump's threats they could be next after D.C.

Mayors Karen Bass, Brandon Johnson, Barbara Lee, Brandon Scott and Eric Adams are responding to President Trump

When Trump announced his law enforcement actions in D.C., he also singled out a slew of other Democratic cities. The mayors of Baltimore, LA, Oakland, Chicago and New York say crime is down.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Hundreds of retired air force officers protest Israel's war in Gaza

Retired Israeli Air Force pilots protest against the war in Gaza outside the country

Hundreds of former air force reservists and pilots join a chorus of defense establishment figures calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza.

(Image credit: Itay Stern NPR)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Fighting in Ukraine escalates ahead of summit. And, Trump to host Kennedy Center gala

Residents carry sheets of plywood to cover broken windows in a heavily damaged residential building following a Russian strike in the town of Bilozerske, Donetsk region on August 12, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Fighting in Ukraine escalates ahead of tomorrow's summit between Trump and Putin. And, Trump was heavily involved in the selection process for this year's Kennedy Center Honors, a presidential first.

(Image credit: Genya Savilov)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

New details emerge about Japan's notorious WWII germ warfare program

Hideo Shimizu L visits the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army in Harbin, northeast China

The release of WWII-era military documents this year has given a boost to researchers digging into Japan's germ warfare program. Japan's government has never apologized for the atrocities.

(Image credit: Wang Jianwei)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

D.C.'s homeless need housing, not jail, says legal advocate wary of Trump plan

A homeless encampment is seen near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 13.

Details on President Trump's plan to get unhoused people off Washington D.C. streets are sparse. A legal advocate for the vulnerable population worries that means the focus will be on criminalization.

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Trump is tightening the screws on corporate America — and CEOs are staying mum

President Trump is exerting an unprecedented amount of control over the shape and future of U.S. business.

Critics warn that Trump's demands for business leaders to step down, and for the government to take a cut of sales, threaten American-style capitalism.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

The fight is on. How redistricting could unfold in 8 entangled states

Texas state Senator Carol Alvarado, a Democrat, speaks in a crowd of other Democratic state lawmakers outside the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025 in Boston.

State leaders in both parties say they're ready to redraw political lines ahead of 2026, but state laws and constitutions make mid-decade redistricting virtually impossible in many places.

(Image credit: Leah Willingham)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Crime is down in Washington, D.C., but still a reality in some neighborhoods

Joe McClean, a lawyer, poses for a portrait in southeast Washington, D.C., on Aug. 13, 2025. McClean worries about the deployment of the National Guard and federal police, and believes it is unnecessary.

Residents across Washington have different takes on crime in their communities. Overwhelmingly, however, people opposed President Trump's takeover of the city with federal agents and National Guard troops.

(Image credit: Maansi Srivastava)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Counting steps for health? Here's how many you really need

There

Counting steps is easy using a phone, a wearable or fitness tracker. And Scientists have lots of data to figure out how many daily steps you need to improve health. Here's what they've found.

(Image credit: Marco VDM)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

On eve of Trump–Putin Summit, Russians share hopes — and doubts — for Peace

A Matryoshka, the traditional Russian wooden dolls, depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is displayed for sale at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Donald Trump's "energetic and sincere" efforts to end the war in Ukraine. But on the streets of Moscow while many hope for an end to the war, they disagree on how to get there.

(Image credit: Dmitri Lovetsky)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Why every A-lister also has a side hustle

undefined

Seemingly every celebrity has their own brand these days, whether it’s booze (Cameron Diaz, Matthew McConaughey) or cosmetics (Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga) or squeezy food pouches (Jennifer Garner). IToday on the show, what is fueling the celebrity business bonanza? We hear from two legendary singers, Lisa Loeb AND John Legend, who are pursuing ventures outside of show business

Related episodes:
The celebrity crypto nexus
The Olympian to influencer pipeline (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

We the People: Succession of Power

undefined

The 25th amendment. A few years before JFK was shot, an idealistic young lawyer set out on a mission to convince people something essential was missing from the Constitution: clear instructions for what should happen if a U.S. president was no longer able to serve. On this episode of our ongoing series We the People, the story behind one of the last amendments to the Constitution, and the man who got it done. This story originally published in March 2025.

Guest:
John Feerick, Norris Professor of Law at Fordham Law School and author of The Twenty-Fifth Amendment - Its Complete History and Applications.

To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

'Who's running the show?' is a key question in 'Alligator Alcatraz' challenge

The immigrant detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz" is shown on July 4, 2025, as construction was finishing at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition airport in the Florida Everglades. A lawsuit, brought by environmental groups and the Miccosukee tribe, has challenged the expansion and operations of the facility.

A lawsuit challenging construction and operations of an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as 'Alligator Alley' has wrapped up with several key questions unanswered.

(Image credit: Rebecca Blackwell)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Percentage of Americans who say they drink alcohol hits record low, Gallup says

Mixed drinks are displayed at a bar in Baltimore, Feb. 8, 2023.

Gallup, which started tracking Americans' alcohol habits more than 80 years ago, says the drop in drinking rates coincides with Americans' growing concerns that even moderate drinking is unhealthy.

(Image credit: Julio Cortez)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

President Trump can continue to withhold billions in foreign aid, court rules

A federal appeals court rules the Trump administration can withhold $4 billion approved by Congress for global health programs and more than $6 billion for HIV and AIDS prevention.

A federal appeals court handed President Trump a victory on Wednesday. The court ruled the administration can continue to freeze or terminate billions of dollars that Congress approved in foreign aid.

(Image credit: Ben Curtis)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Infowars conspiracist Alex Jones is a big step closer to losing his studio and brand

InfoWars founder Alex Jones, speaking in 2022, was dealt another legal setback on Wednesday. A state judge in Texas ordered Infowars

Jones has lost control of his media empire to a newly-appointed receiver who will sell it off to pay the Sandy Hook Elementary School families who sued Jones for defamation after the 2012 shootings.

(Image credit: Joe Buglewicz)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

How Alaska Went from Russian Colony to U.S. State

All eyes are on Alaska ahead of President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting there on Friday. We revisit the history of Russia’s sale of the Alaskan territory to the U.S.. NPR’s Greg Myre describes how some Russians still question whether Alaska is truly American.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Who made these knotted records during the Inca Empire?

A cotton and agave fiber Inca khipu is seen at an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in 2015 in Washington, D.C.

Inca society kept records by encoding information into knotted cords called khipu. A new analysis of hair woven into these cords suggests this record-keeping was practiced by commoners as well as elites.

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Zelenskyy: Trump supports ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine at Putin summit

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) in front of Chancellery on August 13, 2025 in Berlin, Germany.

European leaders held a high-stakes meeting Wednesday with President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Ukraine's Zelenskyy, NATO's chief, and European leaders ahead of Friday's US Russia summit.

(Image credit: Filip Singer)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

In 1985, famine led to Live Aid and a U.S. alert plan. Trump froze it. Now it's back

On July 13, 1985, Live Aid held benefit concerts in London and Philadelphia that raised well over $100 million to address the famine in Ethiopia — and the U.S. created a system called FEWS NET to gather data and alerts governments and aid groups about possible future famines. Above: Performers on stage for the grand finale of the U.K. event.

It's the 40th anniversary of the superstar concert to raise money for an Ethiopian famine — and of the creation of a U.S. program called FEWS NET to prevent future famines.

(Image credit: Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Statelessness, but make it funny

undefined

Mo Amer is the creator and star of the hit Netflix comedy series Mo. It's a first-of-its kind Palestinian-American sitcom with a fraught plot line about the American immigration system and the hope to return, at least for a visit, to his family's homeland. We talk to Mo Amer what it’s like to make a show so centered on the real facts of his own life, and to be thrust into the role of spokesperson for Palestinian-Americans at this particular moment.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Why Trump's spending bill could close your grocery store

Wright

Trump’s tax and spending law makes the largest cut in history to one of the nation’s biggest safety net programs. Today on the show, we explore how cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, impacts families and grocery stores alike.

Based on the digital story: Independent grocery stores have had a tough five years. SNAP cuts will make it harder

Related episodes:
Do work requirements help SNAP people out of government aid?
When SNAP Gets Squeezed
The trouble with water discounts

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

(Image credit: Stephan Bisaha)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Expectations for Trump-Putin summit. And, homeless people in D.C. at risk

US President Donald Trump (L) chats with Russia

The White House lowered its expectations surrounding the Trump-Putin summit on Friday. And, advocates worry about penalties for homeless people in D.C. during the crackdown on crime.

(Image credit: Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Trump's D.C. crackdown is 'very problematic,' says former Capitol Police officer

Federal law enforcement agents from various agencies including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Park Police, and FBI, question a couple who had been parked outside a legal parking zone while eating McDonald

Former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn says President Trump's crackdown in Washington, D.C. could tarnish police relationships in the city.

(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

With replay review and 'robot umps,' who is still trying to become an MLB umpire?

Attendees at the July MLB Umpire Camp in Milwaukee began their day practicing the proper technique for an umpire

Between replay review, automated balls and strikes and viral lowlights on social media, the work of baseball umpires has been transformed by technology. But none of that has deterred aspiring umpires.

(Image credit: Becky Sullivan)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Help is growing for the heavy emotional toll cancer takes on young men

Benjamin Stein-Lobovits, 39, with his dog, Cow, at home in Oakland, Calif., on a recent Sunday. "Cow has been a major healing companion for me," says Stein-Lobovits, who has inoperable brain cancer. "Just cuddling with him makes me feel better."

Coping with cancer and its aftermath isn't easy for anyone. But men tend to isolate more, seek less support and, alarmingly, die earlier than women. Young survivors are working to change that.

(Image credit: Preston Gannaway for NPR)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Why the origin of the word 'dog' remains a mystery

A dog poses for a photo on Sept. 6, 2023 in Straffan, Ireland.

Although "dog" is ubiquitous today to describe man's best friend, it remains a mystery where the word originally came from.

(Image credit: Oisin Keniry)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

With midterms more than a year away, a record number of lawmakers are eyeing the exits

In this file photo, the U.S. Capitol is shown at dusk in Washington, DC, on April 4, 2025.

A record number of Congressional lawmakers have announced they don't plan to run for their current seats in 2026, including three sitting senators leaving Washington to run for governor.

(Image credit: Drew Angerer)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

High prices and healthcare costs may turn Latino voters away from Republicans in 2026

In this file photo from 2022, a man wearing a "Latinos for America" t-shirt attends a campaign event for Republican Congressional candidates at University Drafthouse in Mcallen, Texas.

Latino voters helped deliver the White House to President Trump in the last election but many of them already say they won't vote for Republicans next year, but they aren't yet turning to Democrats.

(Image credit: Allison Dinner)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Is Kari Lake a CEO? Her agency said so. The law suggests not

Trump administration adviser Kari Lake, shown recently on the Real America

Kari Lake has sought to dismantle Voice of America and its federal parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The agency has recently called her its acting CEO. But the law suggests she's not eligible for the job.

(Image credit: Real America's Voice/via YouTube)

Continue Reading…