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Whistleblower says Trump officials copied millions of Social Security numbers

A closed entrance to the Social Security Administration Headquarters sits empty in Woodlawn, MD on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

A whistleblower complaint says that the personal data of over 300 million Americans was copied to a private cloud account to allow access by members of the Department of Government Efficiency team.

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DNC chair says he's tired of Democrats bringing 'pencil to a knife fight'

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin talks about the economy and immigration in East Los Angeles on July 30.

Day 1 of the Democratic National Committee's summer meeting saw party chair Ken Martin detail how the party is pushing back on Trump administration policies and trying to win back voters.

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The DOJ sued the federal district bench in Maryland. A judge just dismissed the case

The Department of Justice building is seen on July 18 in Washington, D.C.

A district judge in Virginia was specially tapped to oversee the unusual case after DOJ named all 15 federal district court judges in Maryland as defendants in a lawsuit related to deportations.

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Whatever happened to ... the optimist who thinks games and music can change the world

Edgard Gouveia stages communal games to help people connect and solve problems. Dancing together is part of his process. Above: At a circle dance at a festival in Berlin, he asked participants to hug at least five other people. Many of them came up to him to thank and hug him, too.

On a planet that can feel increasingly challenged, we asked activist Edgard Gouveia Jr. about his latest efforts to improve life on Earth, what "artivism" is — and what he dreams of.

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ICE detains Kilmar Abrego Garcia again. And, Trump seeks to fire Fed governor

Surrounded by reporters, Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura enter a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Aug. 25 in Baltimore.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been taken into custody and faces deportation again, this time to Uganda. And, Trump seeks to fire a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.

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How plants and fungi trade resources without a brain

<!-- raw HTML omitted -->Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi build efficient transportation networks underground to connect to plants that they trade with.<!-- raw HTML omitted -->

Fungi and plants have something to teach humans about global trade and cooperation

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A lesson learned after pets were left behind in Hurricane Katrina: Save the animals

Tens of thousands of pets — if not hundreds of thousands — were left in places like New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina because disaster response agencies told people to leave pets behind.

People were forced to leave their pets behind during Hurricane Katrina, creating an unprecedented animal welfare crisis that has shaped the country's disaster response ever since.

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20 years after Hurricane Katrina, St. Bernard Parish is still recovering

Kevin Potter poses for a portrait in his home in Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish, on Aug. 20. He returned home after Hurricane Katrina. The neighborhood was flooded due to the nearby Mississippi River–Gulf Outlet Canal shipping channel, which did not have a storm surge barrier at the time.

Hurricane Katrina flooded nearly every building in St. Bernard Parish near New Orleans in 2005. Twenty years later, the community is still rebuilding and flood protections encouraged some to return.

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Judge orders Kari Lake to answer questions about Voice of America under oath

Trump adviser Kari Lake holds up a photograph, which she says shows an empty Voice of America (VOA) newsroom, as she speaks during a U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on June 25, 2025.

U.S. Judge Royce Lamberth ordered Trump administration official Kari Lake to be deposed about her plans for Voice of America, saying she was on "verging on contempt."

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ID lost to Hurricane Katrina is returned 20 years later

Becky Hamel, 69, lost everything she had in Hurricane Katrina. She was delighted to get back her freshman high school ID card that she lost 20 years ago in the storm. Gulf Island National Seashore Park Ranger Becky Copeland (left) found the ID card on Horn Island, off the coast of Mississippi.

Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina crashed into Louisiana and Mississippi, surprises continue to surface. A washed-up ID and how a park ranger found its owner is a moment of joy in the tragedy.

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When hospitals and insurers fight, patients get caught in the middle

Legalistic battles over the network contracts between health insurers and medical care providers can leave patients in limbo.

About 90,000 people spent months in limbo as central Missouri's major medical provider fought over insurance contracts. These disputes between insurers and hospitals are a recurring problem.

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A mom draws what it's like to have intrusive thoughts — and how to cope

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After giving birth to her second child, NPR's LA Johnson struggled with scary thoughts that didn't seem to go away. She illustrates her experience in a comic, along with tips on how to cope.

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'The most illegal search': Judges push back against D.C. criminal charges

President Trump visits the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility on August 21 in Washington, D.C. The Trump administration has deployed federal officers and the National Guard to the District in order to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and assist in crime prevention in the nation

Inside the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Monday, tensions over the potential for federal overreach broke into open court.

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20 years after Hurricane Katrina, the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans still lags behind

Burnell Cotlon is the owner of Burnell

No neighborhood was hit worse in Katrina than New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward and it's been one of the slowest areas to rebound. There's still an effort to attract new residents and businesses there.

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Australia accuses Iran of organizing antisemitic attacks and expels ambassador

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.

Australian leader Anthony Albanese accused Iran of organizing two antisemitic attacks in Australia, saying the country would cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran. Iran had no immediate reaction.

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Long-elusive Mexican drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada pleads guilty in U.S.

"El Mayo" Zambada speaks to Judge Brian Cogan (not pictured) in Brooklyn federal court, as his defense attorney Frank Perez looks on, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in New York.

Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges.

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Attendees could be in for thunderstorms, dust and hail at this year's Burning Man

Camps are set on a muddy desert plain on September 2, 2023, after heavy rains turned the annual Burning Man festival site in Nevada

These weather patterns are typical for this time of year in Nevada's deserts. Eventgoers should keep an eye on the forecast and prepare for hazardous conditions, the National Weather Service said.

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Trump seeks to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook

President Trump moved to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, in an escalation of Trump

President Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, after a Trump ally accused Cook of making false statements on a mortgage application. The president's authority to remove a Fed governor may be challenged in court.

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Trump again calls for FCC to revoke ABC and NBC licenses

Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC has launched investigations into NBC and ABC News.

President Trump lashed out on social media late Sunday against ABC and NBC, putting the nation's top broadcast regulator once more at the center of his culture wars.

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Israeli strikes kill 22, including 5 journalists, in a Gaza hospital

Palestinians mourn the death of journalists who were killed in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Gaza

Israeli forces killed 22 people, including five journalists, in two strikes on Gaza's Nasser Hospital, drawing global condemnation and prompting a rare admission of regret from the Israeli government.

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Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre's memoir will be published months after her death

Virginia Giuffre, seen here on Aug. 27, 2019, emerged as a key accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, saying he orchestrated years of sexual abuse of her and other girls and young women. Giuffre died earlier this year; her publisher says her memoir will come out in October.

Virginia Giuffre was one of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's most outspoken accusers. Six months after her death, Giuffre's book detailing her life will be published.

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Kennedy Center names new director of dance programming, days after former staff firings

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Stephen Nakagawa, a former Washington Ballet dancer, will be the new director of dance programming. The announcement comes five days after the Kennedy Center's previous chief was dismissed.

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Trump says National Guard is at the ready but hedges on Chicago plans

President Trump speaks to the press before signing executive orders at the White House on Monday, as Attorney General Pam Bondi, Vice President Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem look on.

President Trump signed a series of executive orders doubling down on law enforcement, particularly related to Washington, D.C., but he equivocated on whether he will send troops to Chicago next.

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The U.S. confirms its 1st human case of New World screwworm. What is it?

New World screwworm larva, like the one pictured, will hatch and feed on the flesh of living animals, typically cattle. Cases in humans are rare but can be fatal.

U.S. officials confirmed a case of the flesh-eating parasite in a person who traveled from El Salvador. Screwworm typically affects cattle in South America, but has spread north in recent years.

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Evergrande's delisting in Hong Kong: key facts to know

At its peak, China Evergrande Group was worth more than $50 billion. But it all came crashing down in 2021. It was massively in debt and unable to complete some existing projects.

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Dr Pepper will unwind its merger with Keurig after buying Peet's for $18 billion

The logo for Keurig Dr. Pepper appears in July 2018 above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Seven years after they merged, the soft drink maker and coffee pod innovator will become separate companies again. CEO Timothy Cofer said separate coffee and beverage businesses would be more nimble.

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Is Edinburgh's Fringe still fringe, or has it — gasp — gone mainstream?

Street performers entertain passersby on the Royal Mile as crowds of entertainers and festival-goers gather for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 1, 2025. The Fringe, one of the world

It began on the edgy margins of a mainstream festival — which it's now eclipsed. But nearly 80 years on, performers and spectators say rising costs threaten the Fringe's alternative vibe.

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia detained by ICE during Baltimore check-in

Kilmar Abrego Garcia (Center) and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura (Center Right) enter a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office on Monday in Baltimore, Md. The U.S. government is threatening to deport Garcia, a Maryland construction worker from El Salvador, to Uganda after he rejected a plea deal to be charged with human smuggling and deported to Costa Rica.

The detention, which was expected, happened after Abrego Garcia walked into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Baltimore for a check-in after being released from custody on Friday.

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Trump threatens Chicago with National Guard. And, lessons from Katrina, 20 years later

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks to demonstrators in Grant Park who were protesting the policies of President Donald Trump and showing their support for union labor on May 01 in Chicago, Illinois.

Trump threatens to send National Guard troops to Chicago, similarly to what he has done in the nation's capital. And, Trump and South Korean President Lee will meet today in Washington.

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Whatever happened to ... the race to cure HIV? There's promising news

An HIV-infected H9 T cell, as seen by a scanning electromicrograph. In a landmark first for the continent hardest hit by HIV, a new clinical trial in South Africa has delivered a rare but extraordinary outcome: One young woman may be cured of the virus.

At the International AIDS Society meeting this year, a young woman from South Africa spoke. She is the first Black woman from Africa to be potentially cured of HIV.

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